Author: MissKittys Ball O Yarn
Rating: NC-17
Feedback: Please leave feedback on the Art Appreciation thread on the Kitten Board.
Disclaimer: I don't own Willow and Tara... blah blah blah.

Tara stood behind Willow as the red-head pushed the key into the lock. There was a metallic click and then the door was pushed open. In all the weeks that they had been seeing each other they had always seemed to naturally end up back at Tara's place. Tara hadn't actually ever seen the inside the Willow's apartment until this moment, and she was more than curious to see what her red-head considered to be home.

Tara stepped in through the door and onto a plush, cream colored carpet. The apartment wasn't entirely dark, a lamp was lit in the corner. It casted it's shadows around the room, causing the effect of methodical randomness as bits of warm light speckled the room.. In the center of the living room was a square coffee table, candles were arranged on it. The couch was nearly the same shade as the rug. All of these things were superficial though, the first real thing Tara noticed about this space was the smell. It was as though The essence of Willow's person had been embedded into every fiber and into every molecule of air. Tara breathed in the familiar scent before coming further into the room. She pushed the door shut behind her.

Willow set the car keys down onto a side table next to the couch and began to strip off the leather coat she was wearing. Tara did the same, adding her coat to Willow's, the red-head hung them up in the small coat closet that was next to the front door. Tara's eyes scanned the room appreciatively. Despite the fact that Willow was a self- proclaimed anti-artistic type Tara was surprised by the collection of art displayed on the walls. Tara recognized a few pieces from various galleries she'd visited but the other pieces gave the out the unique 'local artist' vibe.

"I like art..." Willow said, noticing the curious expression on Tara's face.

"I remember. " Tara said softly. she was reminded of their first meeting and of the proclamation Willow had made that night. "Art is good". Tara smiled at the memory.

"Do you wan't something to drink...? I have some wine in the fridge.." Willow said, taking Tara by the hand she led the blonde to the couch.

"That sounds lovely Will..."

"I'll just go in the kitchen and get it." Willow smiled cutely before making an exit for the kitchen.

<okay calm down Willow girl...> She was really nervous, she kept replaying what and how she would Tell the woman sitting in her living room that she had fallen hopelessly in love with her. It had seemed like it was going to be a lot easier when she'd gone through it in her brain... but every time she thought about actually opening her mouth and speaking those words she began to panic... <what am I supossed to be doing in here? right... the wine.> Willow opened the door to the refrigerator and pulled out the bottle she'd put in there this morning to chill. She wasn't a big wine drinker but on special occasions she'd been known to partake.

Willow retrieved two long stem glasses from the upper shelf in the cabinet. She had to push a scooby-doo mug to the side in order to get to them. On impulse she picked the mug up and set it clear behind in the back of the cabinets behind the more sophisticated looking glasses.

Tara sat down on the couch. her hands on her knees she waited for Willow to come back into the room. <Okay chill out Tara... this is just dinner... hardly a proposal> Tara tried to calm the bats that were currently holding a potato sack race in her stomach. Somehow she'd need to make herself relax. Tara jumped a little when the soft sounds of Sarah McLachlan began to play from the speakers mounted on the wall in each corner of the room. She liked Sarah... The singer had a way of saying a lot with very few words. As the melody of the music flowed over Tara, she felt herself begin to relax.

Then she saw Willow. The red head had taken off her shoes and both her hands were full with the two glasses in one hand and the bottle in the other. Willow handed a glass to Tara. Then she set her own glass and the bottle down onto the coffee table in front of them.

She bent down and began unlacing Tara's shoes. Willow was looking up at Tara through her eyelashes. Tara wanted to kiss her then. As if reading her thoughts Willow finished untangling her from her shoes she brought her body up close to Tara's. Willow kissed her then and Tara was grateful to accept what she offered.

Willow pulled back and slipped onto the couch next to Tara.

"You were gone for a long time... I thought you might not come back from the kitchen."

"There were some things I needed to... see I..."

"It's okay... You're back... see? There you are..." Tara traced the back of Willow's hand with the tip of her fingers.

"Yep... here I am." Willow took a sip of her wine, then set her glass back onto the table.

Tara did the same. She didn't normally like wine especially the red variety, but this actually tasted quite wonderful. It wasn't too rich but it still had a nice full bodied flavor that slid smoothly to the back of her throat.

"Here...." Tara said. She lifted her legs onto the couch and scooted back against the arm. Taking Willow with her, she guided the red-head into the side of her body. They snuggled on the cream colored couch while the soft sounds of music drifted over them. The room was very dim, the only source of light was from a lamp in the corner of the room.

There they rested, comfortably entwined with each other. Their shoes off, they played footsie as their toes brushed up against each other. Tara lifted Willow's fingers to place warm kisses on the palm of the red-heads hand. "I like when we're together... it's nice." It wasn't much, but it was all she could offer at that moment. Tara hoped Willow could feel the emotion behind those simple words.

"More than nice..." Willow smiled warmly.

"Sometimes it frightens me... Just how nice this can be." Tara was giving away more of the truth then she had intended. But Willow seemed to have that effect on her. Willow knew more about Tara then any other person in the world, but the red-head still had no Idea about the harsher circumstances of Tara's past. Those were things that Tara had always kept close to her and they would be harder to let go of.

"I don't want to frighten you Tara."

Those words were spoken so honestly that Tara had to close her eyes to gather her thoughts before continuing. "No sweetie... Frightened in a good way... I think." Tara felt herself on the verge of continuing, on the cusp of spilling what remained of her secrets, but she was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell and the moment was lost.

The doorbell rang and Willow got up off the couch to answer it. Tara turned around so she could see who it was. A teenager stood on the front porch, he was wearing a white hat and an overcoat over a white apron. The boy handed Willow a bag with the signature white boxes of Chinese take-out.

"I thought you were going to cook?" Tara said with a knowing smile.

"I was going to... but then... well, Im better at breakfast foods... everything else... kinda ends up soup." Willow smiled cutely. She took Tara's hand as she led the two of them into the kitchen.

"I like soup remember?" Tara said as she followed Willow into the kitchen.

"Well, I know you like noodle soup,yes. Noodle soup is good... cause with the noodles... it's very filling... but how do you feel about meatloaf and mashed potato soup? cause if you like it, I can always whip some up..." Willow set the boxes of food onto the counter and was turning away from Tara in order to get two plates from the top of the cupboard when Tara stopped her with a hand to her waist, the blonde pulled willow back and into her body. Willow leaned in and their lips met. Tara pulled away all too soon but only far enough to speak softly against Willow's lips.

"If you were to make meatloaf soup... I suppose I'd eat it... And like it."

"Why don't you ever talk about your family?" Willow could tell by the expression on Tara's face that the question had caught her off guard, and Willow was instantly sorry for that.

Tara swallowing down the tea she'd been drinking and set her cup nervously onto the table. It made an awkward clinking sound as the cup met the saucer. They were finished eating dinner but had remained at the kitchen table talking comfortably for the last forty five minutes. The conversation had centered mostly mostly around the various projects Willow was in the stages of finishing for the computer company she worked for. Tara didn't mind though, she liked hearing about Willow's life... and it kept the conversations off of topics that Tara wasn't ready to discuss. That was until this moment. Willow was looking at her and waiting for her to answer. But the question was causing Tara's throat to tighten and she was having a hard time covering up that fact. After muttering something she was certain was incoherent, Tara managed to change the subject.

"I was going to save these for later, but..." Tara pulled out the satin bag cradling the Tarot cards she'd bought the other day at the magic box. "Come on..." Tara said. Taking Willow's hand she led the redhead to a spot on the plush carpet. Willow sat down and crossed her legs underneath herself. Tara did the same. Looking up through her lashes at Willow she started to spread the cards out into a pattern between them.

"No one's ever read my fortune before.."

"I'm not very good..."

"You look good to me..."

Tara couldn't miss the meaning behind willow's words. She felt herself starting to blush. Tara swallowed then put her concentration back onto the cards lined up in front of her.

She could see the cards laying there with their colorful pictures staring up at her, waiting for her to speak them into existence but the thinking part of her eyes seemed to be blinded to everything except the intent way Willow was looking at her. Tara had never felt so vulnerable as she did with Willow. She felt like an open book... nd she could feel willow's eyes reading her pages. The red-head seemed to be looking into her searching out her soul. Tara wanted to give it to her more than anything. She could feel the tears of her past burning the back of her eyes. Forgetting the cards she leaned over and took Willow's mouth with her own. the surge of desire inside of her was sweeping her along with its force. Willow's lips parted instantly underneath hers, allowing access to the sweetness inside. The cards under Tara's legs were getting messed around but they were too consumed in each other to notice. With much effort Tara pulled away "Sometimes... you make me want to be someone else... someone special."

"But you are special." Willow said. she ran her fingers over Tara's jawline. She could see the tears sparkling behind those blue depths. But Tara was already taking her lips again with such force that willow could barely keep herself from leaning back into the carpet and pulling Tara on top of her.

Tara felt the softness of Willow's hand running gently through her hair.

"...Willow, I've n-never..." Tara was trying to say that she'd never made love before, but the sensations of Willow's tongue on the pulse-point of her neck was driving all thoughts out of her mind. She was relieved when willow seemed to understand what she had meant.

"Me either" Willow said kissing Tara wetly.

"You mean... Y-you've never...?"

"No..."

"W-what if we don't do it right?" Tara was suddenly worried that their mutual lack of experience might be a hindrance.

"I don't think that's going to be a problem." Willow said pushing her tongue into Tara's mouth.

Tara moaned into Willow's mouth, she brought her hands up to cup Willow's face. Looking into Willow's green eyes, she gently guided the red-head backward until she was laying on her back against the floor.

Tara closed her eyes, as she felt the full length of Willow's body fitting perfectly into her own. It was almost like it was destiny that they had found each other <stop it> Words like destiny frightened Tara, she tried not to think in terms of meant to be... but even she was having an impossible time denying the feelings this red headed beauty invoked deep within her heart. Words like destiny and meant to be were starting to take on a whole new meaning.

Willow felt Tara's jean clad center make contact with her thigh... and the heat she felt radiating there caused her to moan deeply into Tara's mouth. Willow lifted her bottom as Tara slipped the material of her ankle length skirt down the silky skin of her legs. She sat up and Tara slid her shirt off as well. Tara was watching as Willow reached around and unfastened the black lace bra she was wearing. holding the material together with her hands she looked into Tara eyes. she saw the desire reflected there as well as something she didn't quite understand. It gave her the courage to continue. She lid the shoulder straps down her arms one by one with each removal she gave herself a little more to Tara. Willow felt Tara touch her bottom lip with the very tip of her finger. Willow let go of the material then. As her breasts were freed, open to Tara's gaze, by extension she'd given the blonde her heart.

Tara gazed in awe at the beauty before her. Willow's breasts were no bigger than a handful and the tiny rose colored bud of her nipple sat perfectly amidst the cream of the red-heads breast. Tara's hand trembled as she reached out, she grazed the tip of Willow's nipple with the pad of her index finger. She pulled back and looked into Willow's eyes when the bud stiffened under the slight touch. Silently Tara lowered her head to Willow's breast and took the bud into her mouth. She sucked gently until she felt Willow's chest rising and falling with uneven breaths. Tara pulled back as Willow pushed her upper body off the floor.

Tara closed her eyes as willow grazed the skin of Tara's stomach with her slim fingers. She still had her eyes closed even as Willow pulled the material of the shirt she wore up and over her head. Tara followed Willow's lead and brought her hands around her back to release the clasp of her own bra. Before she could push the straps down her arms Willow's mouth was on her neck and the red-head was sucking the skin at the base of Tara's collar bone. Tara relinquished control as Willow cupped her breast through the material of her white cotton bra.

Willow kissed the soft flesh just above the cup of Tara's bra, before lowering it down so that the deep rosy tip of Tara's nipple peeked over the top. Willow licked her lips before taking Tara into her mouth. Tara moaned above her as Willow drew her tongue over the already hardened peak. Tara's skin smelled sweet.

The heat and intensity were all consuming as it burned through their clothes garment by garment until they were naked and sliding against each other on the living room floor . The pent-up desire between them burned finger marks with every touch.

<Oh God... Is this wrong? Is it some mortal sin that this woman should feel so good naked and splayed out underneath me?> the thought was a flutter in Tara's stomach but she was way past questions now. Now was about Willow and Willow-hands and Willow-mouth. Touching her and taking her to places she'd never been before.

Willow ran her tongue in between Tara's slick folds, seeking out the little bundle of nerves, she found it and wrapping her tongue around it. Willow sucked gently until she felt the tiny vibrations of Tara's release deep within her mouth.Tara was salty and sweet at the same time. It was intoxicating. Willow slid up the length of Tara's body, leaving a trail of moist kisses on her way. Willow took in a sharp breath of air as she felt Tara's hand trail down the length of her stomach. There was no hesitation in the blondes actions as she dipped her hand between Willows legs.

Tara's fingers were moving and slipping easily inside of Willow's center. She grazed the red-heads clit with the tip of her thumb as her fingers slid fully into the warmth of Willow's body.

They took solace in each other that night, making love again and again until they lay spent and exhausted in each other's arms on a bed of tarot cards The cards stuck to their sweat moistened skin but neither woman cared. They fell asleep like that, With Willow underneath and Tara's head cradled on the red-heads shoulder.