Author: Onyxsundrops
Rating: PG-13 and up.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters, other characters are my own.

"Is that... is she?" Willow squeaked.

The redhead's hand hovered over her eyes, blocking all sight.

"Is it over? Is it?"

"Willow, sweetie, it's over," a hand tried to pry away the closed fingers that covered Willow's eyes. "I warned you, but no, little Miss 'I'm not scared' wanted to watch the scary movie," Tara admonished, teasingly.

Willow puffed her cheeks out, scoffing, "It wasn't that scary." She was lying horribly, and Tara knew it.

"Right," the blonde quirked an eyebrow while her lips twitched into a smile, "so is that why half the movie was spent behind your hand?" The older girl nudged her friend who had begun to pout. "Hey, we'll watch something fluffy and non-nightmare-y to make up for the scariness, okay?"

The young woman nodded into her girlfriend's shoulder as she snuggled into the blonde's side. The redhead's eyes closed briefly but snapped open when the telephone rang. Grumbling, she tried to block out the sound and continued molding herself into Tara's body.

"Willow," soft lips whispered from above. Tara brushed her fingers across her girlfriend's mouth, and used a single finger to tease the pout.

Willow muttered, "There are only two people that know this number, and seeing how one of them is here with me, the other is...," the redhead paused to answer the phone on its last ring. "Hi, mom." The 'I told you so' expression on her face had Tara stifling her laughter.

"Try not to sound too happy to hear from me, honey," Sheila Rosenberg's cheery voice came through the receiver. "Your father and I haven't heard from you in days. Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine," better than fine, Willow smiled to her side, frowning when Tara began to rise from the bed. "Where're you going?"

"What?"

"Nothing, mom," the redhead covered the phone with her palm.

"Bathroom... Keep my spot warm," Tara said, picking up one of the fallen pillows and tossing it back onto the bed.

Willow twisted her body in order to put her legs where Tara had just been. "Yes, ma'am," she whispered.

"Willow, who are you talking to?" Mrs. Rosenberg asked, obviously confused by her daughter's one-sided conversation.

"My... friend," eyes slightly apologetic, Willow looked up at the retreating blonde but Tara shook her head, understanding.

"Oh, you made a friend. That's great, honey," the older woman paused, her tone changing to one of hope, "Have you met any interesting boys?"

Willow rolled her eyes, "No mother." Sheila knew that she was only called 'mother' when her daughter was annoyed.

"Okay, well... you're father says 'hi'," as if not knowing what else to say, Willow's mom changed the subject. "We look forward to seeing you this weekend, and I hope you're having fun." The sentence, Willow thought, was akin to one left on an answering machine.

Tara tip-toed back into the room before sliding into the comfortable miniature fort made of pillows and blankets.

After more small chitchat, Willow's goodbye was followed by her mother's brisk "bye honey" and a dial tone. "Well," the redhead hung up the telephone, "that just killed the mood."

"There was a mood?" Tara asked, smiling as she snuggled into the warm spot next to the redhead.

"Of course...You, me, The Exorcist, and cuddle time," the blonde arched an eyebrow, and Willow frowned, "okay, well maybe we can leave out Linda Blair."

"Check, no Linda Blair," Tara leaned over, kissing her girlfriend on the cheek. "So, what's next? I promised you something fluffy, so I was think-."

Willow's sneaky lips cut the blonde off, "I think," she briefly pulled back, "we can skip the movie." Tara smiled into her mouth, molding her own lips with those of Willow.

Cocooned by the blanket, the blonde wrapped her arms around Willow's midsection, hugging the redhead as they kissed.

The morning's events were still fresh in her mind. She knew what Willow had feared, in fact, she feared the same. What would happen once it was over? When she and Willow parted ways? Had it been silly to believe that everything would stay the same, that distance wouldn't stop them?

The blonde sighed inwardly. She was thinking as if it was already over, as if Willow wasn't in her arms at that very moment. Deepening the kiss as she tightened her embrace, the redhead's touch cleared Tara's mind.

Bliss... such a simple word. B L I S S.

Willow was surprised that her mind could even function, let alone spell. Sappy to the core, the redhead's mind was on overdrive as her mouth attempted to swallow the fuller lips before her, unaware that her right hand had began to wander.

Tara felt soft fingers gently knead her side beneath her ribs, and opened her eyes. Her blues opened, focusing on Willow's closed eyelids. Their physical contact never went beyond kissing and cuddling and the redhead's hand movements held a sense of gentleness that left Tara tingling.

Now was as good a time as ever for the little cherub and baby devil to appear on her shoulders. Willow's hands continued their exploration by grazing over her hips and pulling the blonde so that the redhead was underneath Tara.

Willow had moved back, noticing that her girlfriend's lips had stopped moving, "What?"

"Nothing," Tara smiled, possessing her friend's mouth once more.

Relaxing, again, into the redhead's embrace, Tara exhaled into the kiss. A buzzing in her left ear distracted the blonde as lightheadedness overtook her.

Since her later years of high school, Tara knew that she was gay. Sure, she had never had a girlfriend before Willow, but it didn't make her feelings any less real. Willow was a year younger than her, but sure in her feelings for Tara. It all just felt so right.

Their mouths overlapped, moist bits of skin clung to their lips as they pulled back only to close the gap again. Tara allowed her weight to press into Willow's, feeling the redhead's sharp hipbones through her clothing. The blonde's arms lay on either side of her girlfriend while hands roamed over her back, rustling her Tee shirt and exciting her to no end. After several quick and fulfilling pecks, Tara rose until she was hovering over her friend.

"We should stop." If at all possible, the baby devil on the blonde's shoulder was now glaring at the cherub, pitchfork poised for attack.

"Right," rising up for another kiss, "stopping," lips pressed against the corner of Tara's mouth, "now." Sitting up a little, Willow ran her fingers through blonde strands while her girlfriend leaned forward to rest forehead against forehead.

"It's late," Tara said, rising to her knees and realizing that she was straddling the redhead. Blushing, the blonde shifted, moving so that she sat on the edge of the bed. "We have an early session tomorrow morning," reasoning more with herself than Willow, Tara stood.

"Yes, early... seminar," Willow grinned, seeing the scarlet coloring of her girlfriend's neck and face. "So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yes, yes, definitely." Touching on the finer parts of her pubescent side, Tara hurried toward the door before the urge to rush back and kiss Willow senseless became too strong.

The affect she had on Tara wasn't lost on Willow as she saw the young blonde out. After receiving a chaste kiss on her cheek, the redhead closed the door with a dreamy sigh. The kind she used to roll her eyes over every time she saw it happen in a movie or television show. The young woman quickly changed into her pajamas and slid into bed.

Across the hall, Tara lay wakeful in bed. After spending twenty-minutes tossing and turning, her subconscious mind opened a door through which a frowning cherub was kicked out onto her butt. Phantom snickering echoed in her mind and as she smiled to herself, the blonde shut her eyes, looking forward to her dreams.