Author: Auburn
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters but the story is mine.

Willow Stirred as she woke slowly by a soft kiss, she knew who those lips belonged to as they lightly caressed her own, her eyes didn't need to be open to know Tara was with her. Gently coaxing her to wake up.

Tara paused her kisses for a moment to asses how awake her girlfriend was, happy with her assessment that her girlfriend was conscious enough she ran her tongue along Willow's top lip and smiled when the redhead opened her mouth, she didn't hesitate deepening the kiss and sighed as their lips met more fully and their tongues grazed teasingly.

Willow could feel the heat emanating from her girlfriend's body as they faced each other. Their breasts pressed together, stomachs touched and the redhead carefully lifted her injured leg to allow Tara to slip her naked thigh between hers. The blonde moved cautiously, aware of everywhere that could possibly hurt the smaller woman beside her. She lifted her hand and tangled her fingers in soft, red hair, slowing the tantalising kiss that was beginning to have an affect on her thought processing abilities.

"Morning." Tara spoke softly, catching her breath her voice was horse in her throat and Willow wasn't sure if it was because of their kisses or the time of day.

The redhead's eyes opened for the first time and squinted lightly at the slither of daylight creeping in from a crack in the curtains. "You stopped kissing me to say morning?" She protested light heartedly, trying to ignore the close proximity of Tara's thigh to her center and the blonde's warm breath on her mouth as she spoke.

"Well it's only polite." Tara teased and received a partial 'Willow pout' which she gladly kissed away "Did you sleep well?"

"I always sleep well when you stay over." The redhead admitted and resisted the urge to push her hips forward onto Tara's leg, she sighed at the situation her frustration was creating and received a concerned look from her girlfriend. The sigh obviously not going unnoticed. "I woke up a little... uh... I have issues." She explained with a blush.

Tara raised a smug eyebrow and smirked, slowly pushing her thigh further between the redhead's legs, she felt it lightly connect with Willow's hot center and left it there, watching as the smaller woman closed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing.

"It's nine-thirty Tara, a little early in the day to be teasing me. Don't you think?"

The blonde shook her head and laughed lightly. "I think it's exactly the right time of day to be teasing you, but who said I was teasing?"

"With you, what you do speaks volumes and that leg of yours is practically screaming tease!"

Willow wasn't sure if she should be thankful for the material of her underwear that stopped the blonde's soft thigh from fully connecting with her overheated center, or if she should curse it for being in the way. Her mind was telling her to push the material aside and grind forcefully against her smug girlfriend, but her sensibility told her that wasn't how this should go. But if Tara wanted to tease, maybe she should play along.

The redhead pulled her hips back, extracting Tara's thigh from between her legs and immediately missed the contact. The blonde was obviously amused as she watched her girlfriend get more comfortable. Tara's curiosity was peaked as Willow gently took her hand, a plan clearly forming in her head.

"What are you doing?" The blonde questioned and received a smile that Tara knew to mean 'I know something you don't and I'm So not telling.'

The room quietened as Willow built up the courage to carry out her plan, thinking it over she wasn't sure it was a good idea after all, but when Tara raised her 'smug' eyebrow once more the redhead couldn't resist.

Guiding Tara's hand, Willow dipped it beneath the covers. Her hand held the blonde's wrist gently as she came to the hem of her shirt, she guided Tara's fingers around it and indicated she wanted it pulled up. The blonde obliged, her knuckles scraping along the skin of Willow's hip as she did so, the warmth and softness making her want to lift the covers and look, but Willow's hand gripped her wrist again and teasingly made sure the blonde's fingertips grazed along the skin of her waist as she guided them to the elastic of her underwear.

Tara hesitated for a moment, but her hesitation was overridden by the redhead's gentle push. Her fingers slid under the elastic and swept along smooth hot skin, she inhaled deeply as she began to feel wiry curls on the tips of her fingers and her mind began to cloud when Willow's insistent guiding didn't falter and drew her deeper.

Tara felt her girlfriend shift lightly, it took her fuzzy mind a moment to realise why, but as her fingers connected with Willow's outer lips she knew the redhead had parted her legs.

Willow's hand loosened it's grip around the blonde's wrist then let go altogether, Tara didn't need any further instruction as she parted her girlfriend's outer lips with her finger. Lightly connecting with the top of Willow's clit she gently slid her finger back and forth increasing and decreasing the pressure. Her eyes stayed locked with Willow's searching for reactions as she caressed her girlfriend.

The redhead began to lose herself in Tara's skilful caresses, she almost forgot what she had intended to do, but as Tara touched her she wasn't sure if she should stop or even if she could. Taking a steadying breath, Willow grasped her girlfriend's wrist once again and gently nudged it forward, feeling her clit pulse as the contact was lost she purposefully ignored it. The redhead felt her girlfriends finger graze her opening and she gripped Tara's wrist tighter, the urge to thrust almost overwhelming. Feeling she had done enough, Willow gently tugged the blonde's wrist back and felt the elastic of her underwear snap into place. Tara's wet fingers lightly grazed her stomach as Willow raised both their hands above the covers. A mischievous smile began to form on her lips.

Tara's face no longer showed signs of smugness, her normally sparkling blue eyes were now a darker shade, her lips parted slightly, skin flushed and her breathing came in slow gasps. Willow was mesmerised by the sight of her aroused girlfriend, the mere vision igniting a fire within herself that she desperately wanted sedating and she vowed the time would come... so would they.

The redhead still held Tara's wrist, slipping her hand along the back of her girlfriend's Willow could feel her own wetness coating the blonde's fingers, she brought those fingers to hr lips and lightly kissed them, the wetness transferring itself onto her mouth and it didn't take Tara long to seize the opportunity to taste her girlfriend. Dipping her head she caught Willow's lips with her own, sliding her tongue deep into her mouth, tasting and savouring Willow.

"So I'm crowning you queen tease there's no doubt about that!" Tara declared, her body still aching from its previously over-heated state. She had managed to gain at least some composure.

The redhead giggled her face almost the colour of her hair as she blushed at how forward she had been, how uncensored and free she had been with her sexual behaviour towards her girlfriend.

"Well." Willow snorted "Serves you right."

"Maybe." Tara agreed wrapping her arms around her girlfriend. "So do you have any plans today other than to tease me into a puddle?"

Willow snuggled deeper into Tara's warm body and relaxed into morning snuggles, ignoring the 'puddle' remark. "Well I... I was actually planning to have a talk with my mom y'know about you and I. I just think the sooner I do it the better I'll feel, It's like I'm hiding something that shouldn't be hid and it's not fair on either of us."

Tara understood and kissed the top of Willow's head reassuringly. "Do you want me to stick around?" She asked in concern, wanting the redhead to know that she had support if she needed it and wasn't on her own.

"No I should be ok, but you're coming to the party right? I think I'll need you to be there."

"How come?"

"Well I can't sneak away to go make out with myself, it's just not the same."

Tara laughed at her girlfriend's playfulness and leaned down to kiss her softly, she sighed into the kiss as her body melted into Willow's. Their curves fit like pieces of a puzzle and she didn't want to move from this spot.

"We should get up." The redhead noted, her lips brushing against Tara's as she spoke, but her words lacked conviction.

"No we shouldn't." The blonde held tighter. "We should stay right here."

"But... but.. I need to pee."

"Ok, we should get up." The blonde agreed with a chuckle.

Willow walked Tara as far down the hall as she could go before getting too tired. Both women had managed to get washed and dressed eventually, although it took them an hour and 20 minutes, both insisting 'make out' breaks were necessary in the getting dressed process.

Tara didn't want to leave, but she knew her girlfriend needed time alone with her mother before the party started in a few hours. Kissing the redhead one last time she stepped out the front door and immediately wanted to go back in again.

The redhead watched as Tara walked down the driveway and sighed at the challenge ahead of her, the next time she saw her girlfriend their relationship would be out in the open, to her own parents anyway.

Mrs Rosenberg was sitting at the kitchen table when Willow entered the room, her hands cupped a cup of coffee as she invited the warmth of the liquid to sooth her. The older woman immediately stood and pulled out a chair when she saw her daughter walking or rather hobbling towards her.

"Ok I'm going now Sheila." Mrs Maclay stated as she walked into the kitchen trying unsuccessfully to put her arm in her sleeve before getting frustrated and taking her coat off to start over again. "Oh good morning Willow has Tara already gone?"

"Yeah She left a couple of minutes ago she didn't know you were here, but if you hurry you might catch her." The redhead smiled and carefully sat herself in the offered chair.

"Ok, I'll see you later sweetheart. Sheila I'll pick up that extra wine for you on my way over so you can finish up here." Her voice travelled down the hall as she walked quickly from the kitchen to the front door.

Mrs Rosenberg waved her hand at her friend even though she couldn't see and stood to grab Willow a mug then proceeded to pour her some coffee as they listened to the howl of the wind blow in through the front door when it opened and closed.

"Did you sleep well Willow?" The older woman enquired, a yawn escaping her mouth and she quickly covered it with the back of her hand.

"I did actually." Willow smiled and thought of the way she had fallen asleep with Tara's arms wrapped tightly around her, but her smile stayed nervously on her face as she remembered what she had come in here to do. "I... I wanted to talk to you about something, it's nothing really depending on how you look at it, I mean to me it's everything, but it's not a big deal, it's a tiny deal... very very tiny..."

"Willow, honey you're babbling."

"...Right, of course I am." The redhead sighed in frustration, she had predicted this conversation would lead to a major babble-fest unless she kept herself calm. Willow studied her mom for a moment, the older woman stirred her coffee lightly with a spoon and looked into the liquid sleepily, her red hair hung loosely around her face with strands going awry in places and her white robe, the redhead noticed with amusement, was on inside out.

Willow smiled at the bedraggled sight of her mother and realised that today Sheila was not businesswoman Rosenberg who never came home before eight PM or spent more time in a hotel than her own home. Today Sheila was Mommy Rosenberg The woman who used to put make up on her daughter whilst she was putting make up on herself and getting ready to go out. The woman who used to brush her daughter's hair a hundred times after a bath so it would grow faster. This woman had been lost to Willow for a long time and she didn't know why, but suddenly here she was in all her bedraggled glory.

"I missed you mom." Willow voiced something she had wanted to say for so long, but hadn't realised it needed to be said. "I missed this, us, mother and daughter. I don't know what happened or why we grew so far apart but I know I never wanted it that way."

Sheila sat stunned for a moment then her face softened and she took her daughters hand. "I know exactly what you mean."

Willow smiled and took a deep breath praying her mother would understand what she was about to say. "I think There's something you should know... a-about me I mean, and about Tara... I don't want this to affect my relationship with you mom, I don't want you to hate me or think of me differently." The redhead's eyes began to well up and she internally pinched herself for losing her control.

"Willow? Sweetie what is it?"

The redhead took another deep breathe to try and calm herself but succeeded in making herself feel dizzy. "uh... Tara and I... we're not friends. Well we are friends but there's more to it than that."

Mrs Rosenberg straightened in her seat as she realised what her daughter was trying to tell her, but it was something she already knew and she had inadvertently picked up on the subtle changes in her daughter as the months went passed.

"Oh... oh Willow I know you and Tara care for each other, well I didn't know exactly, but I had an idea."

"You did?" Willow stared at her mother in surprise and wiped away the escaping tears from her eyes.

"I know you think I'm an oblivious old fool, but even someone with impaired vision could see how much you've changed, how much happier you are since you met Tara."

"It's that obvious?" The redhead blushed slightly "Do you hate me?"

The older woman seemed to pause for a moment then took a hard look at her daughter, a small smile tugged at the edge of her lips and she shook her head lightly. "Willow, why on earth would I hate you? Tara seems like a wonderful girl and I've never seen you so happy. Even when you were with that dreaded Osborne boy you weren't shining quite so brightly. I'm glad you met someone who really knows your worth despite the fact that she's a she and she isn't Jewish."

The redhead smiled a little at the twinkle in her mother's eye that indicated she was teasing. "I was scared you wouldn't approve." Willow's voice was small, her eyes sparkled with moisture. "I was scared that I'd lose the progress you and I have made since my accident, that we'd go back to not talking and not knowing each other, that I'd be on my own again."

Mrs Rosenberg began to well up at her daughter's words and she scooted closer wrapping a comforting arm around Willow's delicate frame. "Sweetheart I've always wanted to be there for you I just didn't think you needed me, I guess even the smartest of girls need their mother, but don't worry I made that mistake once it won't happen again..." The redhead rested her head on her mother's shoulder and listened as the older woman talked. "When I got that call from Tara I was so scared I thought I'd lost you. Even though Tara tried her best to reassure me you know what I'm like, I can make a mountain out of a molehill. But I didn't stop crying until I saw you were ok for myself. Your farther had to tell the flight attendants that it was PMS."

The redhead chuckled as the mental image popped into her head of the flight attendants terrified faces. "That's good to know... I mean it's not good that you were crying, but it's good to know you cared enough to get emotional..."

"I know what you mean." The older woman nodded "Don't doubt my love for you Willow I may not show have shown it the way I should have, but it's there."

"Thank you mom." The redhead sniffled and wiped her eyes with her sleeve then took a cautious sip of her hot coffee, not quite sure what to say next. She had been prepared to defend her relationship with Tara until she was blue in the face, but she hadn't prepared to just sail through her confession. Looking up at the clock it ticked at half eleven she had allocated at least an hour of time for this conversation on her day planner, but it had only taken up twenty minutes.

Mrs Rosenberg watched Willow fidget and lovingly shook her head. She was proud of her daughter and glad she was happy.

"So did you try your dress on for tonight? Does it fit nicely?"

"Oh, uh... yeah, but it needs taking up a little. I don't want the hem to trail as I'm hobbling around with my very attractive crutches." Willow said sarcastically.

"It's not that bad." Mrs Rosenberg tried to sound reassuring as she helped the redhead up from the chair.

"Oh please." Willow snorted. "You try feeling attractive whilst carrying two sticks."

"I think I'll pass sweetie, but thanks for the offer." Mrs Rosenberg laughed and guided her daughter towards her room so they could sort out their dresses.