Author: LadyB
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I do not own anything but my own thoughts. All characters, quotes, and references to BtVS are owned by Mutant Enemy, Joss Whedon, Fox, UPN, et al.

"All right class, be sure to read chapters three and four of your text in time for next week's class. We're going to continue discussing the digestive system." As Tara's students began to rise from their desks, she called out, "Oh! Think of some digestive horror stories. I figure I'd make this class interactive. We'll have some laughs talking about bodily functions while at the same time discussing their actual causes. Ladies, I expect stories from you as well! This is an equal opportunity classroom! Have a good week."

The class shuffled out of the room, some laughing, some cringing, but all thinking about their weekend assignment. Sighing softly, but with a smile on her face, Tara set about gathering the extra papers strewn around the room and tidying up from today's session. A small crisis erupted earlier during an overview of the aforementioned digestive system. Tara brought out the "real" working digestive model, deciding that lifelike would get her point across better than illustrations in a book. Since deciding to become a teacher, Tara prided herself on purposely taking roads less traveled, using creativity to stimulate the brain rather than simply lecturing and testing from the book. Apparently, the new teacher's offbeat methods were making an impact, at least in the attitudes of the University students. It's not surprising to see students smile and talk animatedly about their A&P class and it's "cool" professor. As the blonde began her overview, she turned on her digestive track creation, fed it a few spoonfuls of pudding and explained how the basic flow of food worked from insertion to excretion. Unfortunately, as the food entered the rubber "lower intestine," somehow, the tube ruptured spraying chocolate pudding all over the front two rows of students. Of course, the second row contained a fifth of the University's drama club. Exclamations of "the horror, the horror" or "I've been slimed!," not to mention a chorus of "eeeewwws" flowed freely. It took a good ten minutes for the class to calm down, wipe up the mess and settle to finish the discussion. Tara giggled softly as she reminded herself to replace the treacherous tube.

As she bent over to pick up a fallen handout, the A&P professor heard a commotion in the hallway of the Benson Building. "Watch it! Coming through! Runaway lab experiment! Do NOT step on the guinea pig! No, the pun was NOT intended, it IS a real guinea pig." Turning her head in mid-bend, Tara's eyes widened as she saw a labcoat-clad Willow barreling down the hallway chasing after a small, yet pudgy brown rodent. "Noooooo!! Oh crap...not the snack bar!" could be heard as the Professor raced past Tara's classroom. A few seconds later, loud banging resonated through the hall, reminiscent of a dog running on linoleum and crashing into kitchenware. "I'm ok! I'm ok...nothing to see here, just a professor and her guinea pig. Happens all the time!"

Tara chuckled and shook her head lightly as she heard Willow's exclamations. Straightening out from her prolonged bend, the blonde professor walked a few steps to her desk but then stopped. "Willow," she sighed, smiling that half-grin she saved for truly inspired moments. "I haven't even had a chance to talk to you since the Faculty Happy Hour." Three weeks had passed since the afternoon where the red-head had literally crashed into her life. Academic life had kept the two of them busy, alone in their respective worlds of Anatomy and Psychology. Unfortunately for both women, the nature of their fall semester courses fit the "never the two shall meet" setting.

Never one to pass a lemon without making lemonade, Professor Maclay simply allowed her thoughts to recreate and expand on that fleeting "Willow-time" of three weeks prior. In fact, so frequently did her thoughts stray, it's a wonder she got her lesson plans done at all. That task, as a matter of fact, was what Tara had been about to tackle when those oh-so-intrusive Willow-thoughts hijacked her thought process once again. She set down her papers and took a step back while her features took on a serene glow as her mind strayed once again. As vivid as when it first happened, she could feel the weight of the red-headed Psychology professor as she landed unexpectedly on top of her. Looking back in hindsight, her skin tingled in the exact spots where limb touched limb, pressure point touched pressure point. She sighed, taking another step back as her mind focused again on the sensations, the feel of that hair on her face, obscuring her eyes from the vision she hoped to see soon. Tara's eyes glazed over as she remembered the chill then the spreading warmth as those green eyes pierced her very soul. 'Goddess,' the blonde thought, 'a simple touch can make me feel like this. Who would've thought.' Her foot moved backwards again unconsciously as Tara recalled the touch. 'So soft, yet the energy crackled, sped up my spine and fueled my veins, sparking everything within me, just the coming together of our'..."HANDS!," Tara screamed, feeling something grab her backside.

She spun around, a million thoughts racing through her mind, wondering who in the hell would have the nerve to squeeze her rear end! As she turned, the pinching escalated until she shrieked once again. As quickly as her yelp began, it ended as she realized no one, well, no one alive, was groping her. So caught up in her daydream, Tara had backed into another one of her unusual teaching aids...a preserved skeleton enhanced with "reflexes." Tara became an example of how those reflexes work. If something comes in contact with the skeletons "hands," it reaches out to grab the item. That item just happened to be the blonde's left buttock. Catching her breath and shaking her head, Tara moved her arm back, grasped the bony hand attached to her behind and gently removed the offending appendage. With her focus severely lacking, the professor decided to shelve lesson planning until tomorrow, instead opting to head to the grocery store. "Maybe I just need some brain food. I'll head to the store, pick up some food for me, for Miss Kitty, and fill up the refrigerator. That should occupy my brain enough to stop thinking about Willow for at least a little while. Perhaps I could even focus on a Willow, er, movie." The blonde gathered her things, sighing as she headed out the door. "Willow..."