Author: Alcy
Rating: PG-13 through to R, maybe a little NC-17 thrown in for good measure.
Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to BtVS... nuff said. No spoilers for any season.

Willow drew a deep breath before she was able to step in front of the mirror and take a long, hard look at herself. As she did, she immediately wrinkled her nose at the sight her reflection, completely unsure whether she looked dapper or daft. She straightened the lapels of her suit jacket even though they were already sitting perfectly and made the most minute adjustment to her tie before deciding that it did not need to be adjusted at all and fixed it back. She ran her hands down over the jacket again and then lifted it so as she turned in a circle she could check that her pants flattered her arse instead of making it look like the rear of a truck. Satisfied, she faced the mirror again and lightly smoothed her hair, second guessing her decision to leave it straight as loose as opposed to having it pinned up. As Willow agonized over this vital detail she caught a glimpse of something odd beneath the cuff oh her shirt. She paused, wondering whether she was imagining things before holding her hand out in front of her.

Her nervous energy was replaced by fear as she jerked her sleeve back to see the veins moving down over her forearm and wrist pulsing black, they continued to flow downwards over the back of her hand. Willow turned her hand over, palm upward and watched the black spread up each of her fingers.

"Oh god," she whispered, unable to tear her gaze away.

"Did you honestly think it would be that easy, Willow?"

Willow squeezed her eyes shut, knowing that he couldn't possibly be standing there in the same room with her despite the fact that he was speaking as though he were right next to her. She heard his gravely breath, even smelt a strange foul odour that had not been present in the room just a moment ago.

"Nothing's there," Willow whispered, willing the hallucination to go away.

"Of course I'm here," he let out a light chuckle, "I have to walk my daughter down the aisle."

Summoning up all her courage, Willow opened her eyes and turned to face him...only to find that she was indeed alone in the room. She could not relax, her body remaining tightly strung. Willow then felt fingers dig into her shoulder from the opposite direction and she froze. The pressure of the grip increased gently, trying to get her to turn around.

"It was nothing...I swear I've got it under control!" Willow yelped as she spun.

"Will?" Faith ventured slowly, half heartedly wondering whether Willow had completely lost her mind.

Willow tore her gaze urgently from Faith to her hand. She stared down at the back of her hand and it was exactly as it should be, pale flesh stared back at her, a few freckles were all that marred the soft skin there...and red-blooded veins pulsed beneath the skin

"Um...I'm fine," Willow breathed a deep sigh of relief, "Just got a case of the jitters, you know how it is."

Faith gave Willow an 'are you serious look', "No, I don't know how it is...but I know the woman you're marrying, and I can understand the nerves...it's hard marrying someone who's practically perfect in every way."

Willow examined Faith's face but found her nothing but serious, "I know how much Tara means to you, Faith and I want to assure you..."

"Hey, I know I've had my doubts about you in the past..." Faith interrupted before Willow could repeat what she had promised so often over the past months.

"And for good reason," Willow managed to quip as she gradually felt her tension ease.

"Yeah," Faith nodded heartily in agreement, "but I've decided that you are one tough little shit...and you'd die for Tara and Ash...you almost did die for all of us."

Willow ducked her head uncomfortably, even some months after the events had passed and they were all fully healed physically, it still pained her to think about it.

"Hey Red, there's something I've been dying to ask you, I know it's a little inappropriate and all but hey...just how close did you come...to loosing yourself and killing us all?" Faith asked quietly.

"Tara told me I shouldn't have been able to fight it at all...once it entered me I mean," Willow glanced in the direction of the garden where the assembled wedding guests were no doubt waiting for her; she couldn't quite believe the turn her life had taken. "Mary had to entomb her love in that awful coffin, effectively killing the body that was Amelia and leaving the darkness waiting to claim me when it was time...Amelia was beyond even the redemption that comes through love..."

Faith reached out and laid her hand on Willow's arm, "But you weren't...did Tara offer you any explanation as to why?"

"There's no rhyme or reason to it," Willow whispered, "Somehow I knew our love was stronger than the Darkness."

Faith's eyebrows rose and her mouth twisted wryly at the rather rapt expression that passed over Willow's face, "You know you're going to make me vomit spouting that fucking crap."

Willow broke out of her reverie and grinned, "Sorry."

Faith slapped her hard on the back, "Let's go get you two idiots hitched eh?"

"Come here Mrs Rosenberg-Maclay," no sooner had the door closed to their honeymoon suite; Tara had her fingers on the waistband of Willow's trousers, drawing their bodies close together.

They met with the sound of the soft rustling of Tara's wedding dress as it was crushed between their bodies and a gentle sigh that emerging from Tara when their lips met. The kiss was gentle. Almost hesitant as though both were scared they were not doing it just right. The light, exploratory kisses were followed by an increased pressure, lips melding together and flesh grazing in the sweetest of touches.

Tara pulled back slightly to remind herself just how breathtaking her wife really was, as her eyes roamed over Willow's face and her hands over Willow's body, she lost herself in the thoughts of many more such nights to come, not wedding nights of course...just nights of their naked bodies entwined following lazy or furious love-making, any kind, Tara didn't care, she just wanted to revel in the fact that she and Willow belonged to one another.

Willow could see the anticipation in Tara's eyes; they were shining with excitement at the prospect of an entire night spent completely alone, an entire night of celebrating their love and re-discovering one another's bodies. Willow tried to keep the grimace that she felt building up inside her from appearing on her face, just the thought of making love to Tara brought memories crashing down atop her, memories they had both tried to work through over the past months. It was only now that Willow realised she had not dealt with her guilt and anger over what she had tried to do to Tara, no matter how many times her blonde lover forgave her she could still not forgive herself for letting it happen. Willow noticed Tara moving in for another kiss and she turned her head slightly so she only grazed her cheek.

"Good gracious," Willow evaded Tara's lips as they searched out her own and glanced at the bed that lay beside her, "I don't know if I can do this in a bed...do you think we can go outside and find a tree?"

Tara laughed lightly as she remembered taking Willow fast and rough in the forest outside the cabin just before their world was torn apart and descended into complete chaos. While she was genuinely amused at Willow's quip, she also saw straight through the humour for the uncertainty it betrayed. They had made love only once, the frantic, almost desperate coupling in the forest, complete with the bark scraping against the tender skin on Willow's arse and the dirt beneath her own feet as she thrust against her. She had nearly collapsed from exhaustion before she felt Willow climax. Even so, the act had been a passionate expression of the love they felt for one another...unlike the one that took place deep in the bowels of the Society's headquarters.

As Tara came to this realisation that Willow was struggling within herself, Willow drew free from their light embrace and sat on the edge of the bed. Her head bowed slightly, eyes closed.

Tara joined her immediately, lifting her hands to cup Willow's face, not forcing conversation...enough words had already passed between them. Together they had made the decision to wait to resume their physical relationship until their wedding night but Tara had always been half-expecting Willow to carry the memory with her, like a barrier.

"Will..." Tara whispered gently, stroking Willow's cheeks with her thumbs as she cupped her face, "Will!"

Willow finally opened her eyes to see the small smile on Tara's face. The blonde leaned forward until their foreheads were pressed together, noses nuzzling ever so slightly. She felt Tara's warm breath falling gently across her lips in a soothing manner. Tara's hands moved from cupping her face to brushing her hair back behind her ear and then she enfolded her in an embrace. Her arms were loosely but securely holding Willow, hands resting in the small of her back. The newly weds sat silently on the edge of the bed for some minutes, with the only sound being their combined breathing.

"Tara, I'm scared," Willow was the first to break the silence, her admission coming out in one quick breath that betrayed just how scared she really was.

Tara did not respond verbally, instead she rose to her feet, her arms sliding from Willow's body in one long lingering touch. As Willow remained sitting on the edge of the bed, watching her, Tara crossed the room to switch the light off.

The room was thrown into almost complete darkness and for a moment Willow could see nothing. Then, after her eyes had adjusted to what little light there was, she saw Tara had moved again to stand a few feet in front of her, her arms disappearing behind her to reach the fastenings on her dress.

With some difficulty, Tara managed to undo her wedding dress so it slipped from her shoulders in one smooth movement. She saw Willow's lips part slightly as she watched her stand there in just her underclothes. With deliberate movements, Tara unclasped her bra, it slipped off and she let it fall to her feet. She knew Willow was watching the rise and fall of her breasts that came with each breath, breaths which came faster with each passing second. Slowly she removed her underwear, keeping her eyes locked on Willow's even as she did.

Willow could hear nothing but the blood pounding in her ears when Tara stood before her buck naked, her gorgeous body like shining marble in the weak moonlight that filtered through the gaps in the curtains. She felt somewhat voyeuristic as her eyes roamed hungrily over that flesh, devouring every depression and curve with her eyes. From the graceful, flowing lines of Tara's neck down to her ample and perfect breasts with their nipples thrust towards her. Willow continued to look downwards, her eyes able to explore where her hands were too afraid to go, over the plane of her stomach, curves of her hips and to the apex at the top of her lithe legs. When Tara moved she almost felt like asking her to stop and stay still just a little longer but she held off, watching as the blonde moved around her, circling the bed as though it and Willow were her prey. Willow moved with her so she could keep the naked blonde in view. Tara stopped on the other side of the bed and with slow movements, climbed atop it to lay down in the centre, within touching distance for Willow.

The redhead let out the breath she had been holding as Tara settled back against the bed beneath her naked body, her arms resting on either side of her, head lightly propped up so she could meet her gaze. She knew that Tara was offering herself without restrictions or barriers; there was nothing to hide her body from her hungry gaze. Willow also realised that her fear had gradually subsided with Tara's movements until, as she sat next to her on the bed, she felt nothing except an overwhelming combination of love and desire. It required an immense amount of control for her to stand and remove her own clothing at the same relaxed pace that Tara had managed. She failed miserably, eventually tangling herself while removing her trousers which resulted in an extremely ungraceful thud. Willow recovered with a smile, the last few items of her clothing disappeared from her body without further incident. She moved to the bed with goose bumps of anticipation pricking at her skin.

The mattress sank slightly beneath her weight as she moved on all fours, crawling the short distance to Tara's side, she then lay on her side along the length of Tara's body, skin touching at all possible points, her breasts and stomach pressed against Tara's arm, Tara's fingers brushing her pubic hair. She slipped one leg up over Tara's body. What she was not touching, she explored with a trembling hand, first tracing her arms, stomach, tops of her thighs, exploring these swaths of pale skin before turning her attention to Tara's breasts. Willow thoroughly acquainted herself with the magnificent mounds of flesh that lay before her with their rosy nipples standing at attention. Throughout her gentle ministrations she listened to Tara's increasingly hoarse breathing as the intoxicating sound that it was, enjoying her quiet gasps as she tweaked her nipples or reached down to circle her fingers just on the inside of her thighs.

"Oh goddess Will, if you don't stop your teasing I'll explode!" Tara suddenly gasped; with a strong tug she dragged Willow's body across and atop her own, thrusting an insistent thigh between Willow's.

Willow understood the message to mean the gentle touching period was well and truly over and her fingers dug into Tara's flesh, kneading her arse roughly as she mounted her fully, forcing Tara's thighs apart with her body. As her hips rocked forward in a rhythmic motion to grind against Tara's sex, Willow sought out Tara's lips with her own and resumed their kissing, no longer tender and hesitant but confident, almost bruising with intensity. Their tongues fought a wet battle, punctuated only by slight gasps from Tara as Willow caressed her breasts, rolling the nipples between her fingers. She felt the heat rising from between Tara's legs and knew that she was more than ready. Willow continued to grind her pelvis forward against Tara's sex, but added her hand, at first just her palm cupping Tara's thrusting mound with her fingers resting against the folds covering the warmth below. Tara responded by parting her legs further, lifting them and wrapping them around Willow's back. Another gasp from Tara escaped their kiss when Willow slipped two fingers between the folds of skin. A thrill coursed through Willow's body at the soaking wetness she encountered. The knowledge that her beautiful wife was so hot for her touch brought a small smile to her face, even as she continued kissing her, even as their bodies continued to grind against one another.

The kiss was broken only so Willow could dip down and take Tara's breasts into her mouth, she moved from one to the other, taking as much in as she could or just flicking her tongue lightly over the nipples. As she was doing so, her fingers lightly brushed Tara's clit and she felt her entire body jolt beneath her. Growing increasingly bold, she increased the pressure she was applying to the hard nub of pressure, her own body thrusting in time with each stroke.

Tara thrashed gently beneath the body sliding above, lifting her head slightly to kiss Willow's forehead as she was bent over her breasts. She felt a thin trickle of sweat sliding between her breasts and when her hands roamed Willow's back she found a thing coating of sweat there too. Both women strained against one another, revelling in the simple things like touch, smell and taste.

"Are you ready for me?" Willow whispered in Tara's ear, her voice hoarse.

Tara nodded urgently, "Please!"

Willow shifted slightly, moving her hand so she could slide her fingers upwards, burying two deep inside Tara. She felt yet another shiver of pleasure at the feel of her skin directly against the moist passage of Tara's cunt. With her fingers buried as deeply as possible, her palm resting against Tara's clit, Willow paused and dipped down for a languorous kiss.

She drew back over slightly so their lips were still touching when she spoke in the barest of whispers, "I didn't think I could ever love one person so much that it physically hurt...until I met you."

Tara stroked Willow's cheek with the soft pads of her fingers, a slight catch to her voice, "I-I feel as though everything in my life was just a precursor to our meeting...as though I...I don't know....as though I w-wasn't whole."

"I know exactly what you mean," Willow breathed, claiming Tara's full lips yet again, savouring the feel of the soft flesh moulding around her own.

When she was trying to draw away Tara nipped her lip lightly with her teeth, "Fuck me Will...before you really are physically hurt."

Willow obliged, withdrawing her fingers slowly before thrusting them forward firmly with the weight of her whole body behind the thrust. She slid one arm around Tara's back and drew the blonde against her chest so tightly so she could almost feel each of the sensations that her movements sent coursing through Tara's body

Tara threw out her arms as she back arched up towards Willow's straining body; she urgently snatched a handful of cotton sheet in each hand, gripping tightly as though to keep herself anchored. She was close...her eyes wide open, staring but not seeing the darkness that surrounded them; instead she saw infinite possibilities in the power she and Willow shared. It was intense, Tara closed her eyes, somewhere she heard someone cry out sharply. When a second cry followed she knew the sounds came from her own throat although she could no sooner control them than she could tell Willow to stop. She felt everything, the sweat running between Willow's breasts, the fast breaths from Willow's mouth that fell on her neck, and especially Willow moving inside her. Each thrust of her fingers and scrape of her palm brought Tara closer but at the same time she felt as though she would never reach it. Time stood still as she was poised on the brink between pleasurable agony and rapture.

The whole world shrunk to the size of a bed and the two women moving upon it were the only people alive.

Willow knew Tara was coming, not because of the cries coming from Tara's throat but because of the release she too felt about to break inside of her, when she came, Tara came. She silenced the cries coming from both her own throat and Tara's by finding Tara's lips as she thrashed in the darkness, the urgent kiss that followed was awkward and messy as they climaxed together. As Willow felt Tara's cunt spasm around her fingers, her own orgasm was simultaneous, matching Tara's pulse for pulse. She felt a warmth flow down over her wrist and forearm at the same time she felt her own juices flow to coat the inside of her thighs. It was wet and sticky, both women coated in sweat as well as their own juices but it was also perfect. Willow managed one last thrust before, with a gasp, she collapsed against Tara's body and lay breathing heavily against Tara's breasts.

It was several minutes later before Willow was able to shift her weight and gently withdraw her fingers from inside Tara. The two women instinctively shifted into a spooning position with Willow nestled securely against Tara's back.

As Willow lay in the darkness cradling Tara's sweat slicked body against her own she found herself letting loose a small, breathy laugh. She felt Tara shifted slightly and knew the blonde was looking up at her with a wry smile of her own as she puzzled over what it was she was laughing about.

"Have you ever been so happy you think you might pop?" Willow asked, depositing a quick kiss on Tara's forehead.

"Okay Will, you were good...but not that good!" Tara retorted playfully.

Willow sat up with an indignant expression on her face, complete with one of her most perfect pouts, she found the soft flesh of Tara's belly and began to tickle it mercilessly, sending the blonde into peals of laughter even as she tried to wriggle away.

"Come on, I'm that good!" Willow protested, finally letting up just as they were both about to fall off the bed into an ungraceful heap on the floor.

She saw Tara's moonlit eyes shining up at her before she issued a challenge that was sure to guarantee that neither of them would be sleeping a wink on their wedding night

"Prove it."