“What do you get the girl who has everything for Valentine’s Day?” Tara leaned across and whispered in Buffy’s ear as the lecturer’s voice increased to a dull monotone.
Buffy raised her eyebrows and shrugged, “Dunno, you find her and I’ll ask her,” she grinned.
“No….I meant Willow.” Tara couldn’t help smiling despite herself. With only one week to go before Valentine’s Day, she was still stumped for the gift that said ‘I love you’.
“Well, duh.” Buffy smirked back. She waited whilst the Professor made one more circuit of his table, then knitted her brows together and pushed her lips into her ‘thinking face’ expression. “How about something witchy?” she suggested, realising as soon as it was out of her mouth that it was likely Tara had already covered that one.
“She has witchy stuff….I….I want this to be different.” Tara murmured, a faint smile spreading her lips as she thought about her girlfriend. She leant back in her chair, remembering the last time she had even considered buying a Valentine’s gift, it had all gone terribly wrong. The object of her affections had turned out to be….she winced….somewhat ungrateful. In many ways. Her mother had told her that children could be very cruel. Somehow that hadn’t helped.
Still, she mused, she wasn’t going to have half the people she knew laughing at her this year. Knowing that her present would be appreciated wasn’t the problem. Knowing what present to buy, was. It was all well and good playing the ‘witch card’ when it came to buying gifts for Willow, but, Tara sighed to herself, she wanted their Valentine’s Day to be special. Their first Valentine’s Day together, a thrill leapt from her heart to the roots of her hair, flushing her face a shade of pink. Being in love with Willow was something quite unusual. Which, her expression turned downcast again, was why she thought that their celebratory gift should be too.
She decided that after their lecture, she would go and see Anya. Ex demon or no ex demon, all suggestions were welcome. And Anya was always creative in a freaky kind of way. Brightening considerably, Tara turned her attention back to the Professor and being studious. For the next few minutes at least, until her thoughts turned once again to her girlfriend, drifting her off into Willowland until the hour was up.
“Hearts and flowers?” Anya mused, scribbling figures onto the pad always within reach on the counter in front of her. She looked up at the redhead who was pacing the floor of the magic shop as though she was trying to wear a groove in it. “I’ve done the hearts bit, never the flowers,” she said grimly, “Although the hearts at the time were fresh, still beating mostly.” A grin covered her face as she remembered times past, “One year, I ripped out the heart of a cheating man and made him –“
“Anya, you’re not really helping.” Willow said, stopping her pacing for a second to cast a baleful glance across at the ex-demon. Anya shrugged and returned to her figure-juggling behind the counter, as Willow paced for a couple more seconds, then threw herself into one of the chairs at the huge table where the Scoobies often researched.
“I want to do something different for Tara,” she said, speaking to no one in particular, realising that as far as sentiment went, Anya was probably going to be a complete waste of time. “I want to show her how much she means to me,” she added softly, reaching up and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Folding her arms, she leaned back against the chair and let out a sigh of frustration. She’d been thinking about this since January and still hadn’t come up with any bright ideas, and Valentine’s Day was only a couple of days away.
“Say it with eye of newt!” Anya suggested brightly, holding up a jar of floating eyes.
Willow grimaced, “Thanks, but I’m not exactly sure what that would say. Besides,” she shook her head as Anya tucked the jar behind the counter, “witch stuff is what we do all the time. This should be special. She’s special.” A smile covered her face fleetingly as she remembered just the previous evening Tara had conjured a particularly beautiful rose out of thin air. The blonde had dismissed it as a parlour trick, but not before she had got down on one knee and handed it over to Willow, in an amusing and oddly comforting manner.
“Tara told me what she’s got you, although her enthusiasm for it seemed a bit much for just one day. Your traditions are strange and unsettling,” Anya commented bluntly, “If you love someone, doesn’t it matter that you love them the whole year round, not just on one day?”
“Well….yeah,” Willow nodded thoughtfully, “But this is our one chance to get to make a big deal out of it.” She sighed again, loudly enough to make Anya roll her eyes and mutter something to herself under her breath. “I wish I could, you know, show her that she’s different.”
“Why don’t you just write it on paper in big letters? That way she’s sure to know.”
Willow got up out of the chair and made her way to the door. “Anya, I don’t want to be offensive or anything,” she began slowly, “but you’re not really much help. You’ve spent too much time being demony to know about romance.”
“Sure, that’s right,” Anya called after Willow as the redhead left the shop in a cloud of desperation, “Throw that one back at me why don’t you?” She turned back to her accounts and shook her head, leaning on the counter, “You eviscerate a generation and the whole world thinks you’re evil…”
Clicking the ‘send’ button, Tara sat back in her chair, feeling quite pleased with herself. She hardly ever came to the computer lab, feeling that it was beyond her ken to play around with the Internet. But, on the insistence of Willow, she had acquired a user-friendly knowledge of the world wide web; something that had come in handy when she had decided to search for gifts that would offer her alternatives to chocolates and flowers. Luckily, Anya had suggested the Internet (her pet hobby at the moment) and Tara had subsequently informed her of a great site she’d found to buy presents from. She’d come here today with her charge card to do just that.
Finding the perfect present for Willow would always elude her, she told herself, but she had ordered some books that might make the redhead happy. Express delivery too, expected the next day. Combine that with a romantic dinner and some heavy duty snuggling, that should make the perfect Valentine’s Day. Well, she pushed at her hair, flicking it back over her shoulder, passably perfect anyway.
Getting up from behind the computer, she made for the exit only to bump into Willow, who was just arriving. A flush of secrecy covered her face as the delighted smile of her girlfriend shone into her eyes.
“Hey!” Willow reached automatically for her hand, as she often did, squeezing it tight in greeting.
“Uh…hey,” Tara said weakly, hoping that she was a better liar than she had tried to be in the past. Hiding things from Willow was something she definitely flunked, in bright colours. “I was just….uh…checking something up….I mean out,” she started, then gave up, looking down at the ground.
“You could have used my laptop,” Willow said, looking around the practically empty room before leaning forward to plant a soft kiss on the cheek of the blushing blonde.
“Er….yeah….I will, um, next time.” Tara said, flashing her girlfriend a quick smile. Willow was always so sweet to her. Perhaps one day she would be able to repay her for the kindness she showed, in surprising constancy. Being able to depend on someone, especially Willow, was something she would never be able to quite work out.
“I was gonna do some reports but….how about lunch?” the redhead suggested. Nodding, Tara let the redhead lead her out of the computer lab and off down the corridor.
Opening the door to her room, Willow led Tara inside and closed the door behind them. The simple quiet of the room echoed Tara’s own somewhat; they had both tried really hard to create a getaway place for just the two of them, especially since that time last year when Buffy had almost walked in on them when they were in a ‘delicate’ position.
“Um…I thought we were going for lunch.” Tara turned to face her girlfriend, a confused expression on her face.
“We are.” Willow moved forward to take Tara in her arms.
“So what are we having?” A grin covered Tara’s face as she recognised the wicked glint shading Willow’s eyes.
The other girl moved closer to the blonde, tightening her hold on the firm body against her own. Leaning forward, she trailed her lips down Tara’s neck, smirking at the breathless reaction it elicited. “Well,” Willow murmured, “I thought I’d have you, then you can have me if you like.”
Giggling, Tara slid her arms around Willow’s slight body and pulled her in closer. “Smooth talker,” she whispered against the silken hair that was tickling her chin, “Is this how you seduce all your women?”
“Naturally,” Willow tittered, the sound trickling into Tara’s ears with a gratifying quality. “Although you’re my first. And last.” She leant back and looked up into the blue eyes that were wide and expectant in front of her. Smiling, Willow reached up to touch Tara’s cheek, letting her fingertip slide down the warm softness as the blonde girl’s eyes flickered shut. “I love you Tara,” she said simply, “Not just for Valentine’s, but forever.”
Tara opened her eyes, glistening azure with tears and smiled into her lover’s face. “I love you too Willow,” she said, moving forward slowly until their lips met in a loving kiss.
Sunlight crept in through Willow’s shaded windows until it caressed the face of the sleeping girls. Tara shifted slightly, her arm possessively draped over Willow’s slumbering form. She opened her eyes, blinking against the light and smiled, leaning her head up onto one hand so that she could watch Willow’s face as she slept.
A familiar ache filled her heart as she remembered that she was the luckiest girl in the world, to wake up beside the most loving woman she had ever known. Not just for Valentine’s, she recalled Willow’s words to her the previous day, before the day had stretched into the late afternoon and then the evening. Not just for one day, but for always, she told herself, her lips parting into a broad grin. For always and always and…..
She stopped, suddenly remembering that today was Valentine’s Day. A frown covered her brow as she wondered if her parcel had arrived. She had arranged to have it sent to Willow’s room, as the dorm mothers were kind enough to place packages outside doors. Especially on special occasions like this.
Without wanting to wake Willow, Tara eased herself out of the bed and padded across the room towards the door, slipping on a robe as she did so. Willow turned over and muttered something about ‘sidewinders in a tree’ before burying her face into the pillow. Giggling under her breath, Tara opened the door; she had loved Willow’s sleep talking ever since that first night they had spent together. The nights she did spend alone seemed quiet and dull by comparison.
Her gaze fell into the corridor and then down to the ground, where a package lay just outside the room. Picking it up, Tara closed the door with a tiny ‘click’ and made her way back to the bed. For books, the parcel was surprisingly light.
“Hey, wake up sleepy head,” she whispered softly, leaning forward and planting a kiss onto Willow’s head.
Stirring, Willow opened her eyes and looked up at the angelic face of the woman she loved. Waking up next to Tara was one of the best things about their relationship, she thought, as well as talking with Tara, eating with Tara, sleeping with Tara…..she felt a warm glow shoot through her body as the blonde sat back slightly, looking down at her with an expression of pure love. This was the real deal all right.
Willow sat up, pulling the covers around her and pushing at her hair with one hand. “Good morning sweetheart,” she said drowsily.
“And Happy Valentine’s Day,” Tara added, leaning forward to place an exuberant kiss onto the redhead’s lips.
“Oh, of course,” Willow grinned, her gaze flicking between Tara’s excited expression and the brown package on the bed. “Happy Valentine’s.”
“This is for you,” Tara said almost proudly, pushing the parcel into Willow’s hands. “Open it.”
“I got you something too…” Willow began, but Tara shook her head and shoved the parcel a little closer to the redhead.
“You first, then me.”
Willow sighed, then nodded briefly, her face splitting into a smile as she pulled the paper off the box beneath. Looking up at Tara, she saw the blonde watching her expectantly, a childlike light filling her eyes.
The redhead opened the box, pulled out the packing paper inside, then stopped, her eyes widening and her mouth dropping open. Slowly, she turned her gaze up to meet Tara’s, noticing a slight confusion in the other girl’s eyes.
“D-don’t you like them?” Tara asked, her voice small and tinged with disappointment.
“Oh….” Willow breathed, an incredulous smile covering her mouth, reaching up to fill her eyes. She put her hand into the box and brought out a pair of leather restraints, complete with buckles and adjustment straps. Holding them in front of her, they swung between the two girls, eliciting rather different reactions from the two pairs of eyes transfixed on them.
Tara stared at them in horror. “Th-that’s not what I –“
“Oh Tara, this is….” Willow cut her off, a gleeful grin pasted foolishly across her face. “I mean….these are just….” She turned to look into the blonde’s eyes and shook the restraints slightly. “Well it’s different, I’ll say that.” She giggled, whether through pleasure or embarrassment she wasn’t sure.
“B-but I didn’t order –“ Tara shook her head wildly, feeling the scarlet flush cover her cheeks, her eyes wide in amazement. She hadn’t bothered even looking at the websites Anya had suggested, not once she’d stumbled onto the first one, anyway.
“This is perfect. Thank you.” Willow leaned over and grabbed Tara to her in a passionate kiss, shoving the packaging off the bed, where it fell onto the floor with a ‘thunk’.
“I suppose a romantic breakfast is out of the question then?” Tara’s voice drifted up from the bed as Willow leant over her, laughing in response.
Outside the room, Anya held the package to her chest, grinning in a way that wasn’t so far off a demonic smile. Books, she tutted to herself, shaking her head slightly. What the hell was she going to do with books? Still, she mused, as she made her way down the corridor and out of Willow’s dorm, it would be the last time Willow ever made cracks about her not knowing what to buy for Valentine’s Day….
The End
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