Author: LostRegret
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: Don't own them. They all belong to Joss, yadda yadda yadda...

After hanging up with Buffy, Xander dialed Tara's cell phone.

"Hello."

"Hey Tara. How's the apartment coming?"

"It's coming. The real question is how are you doing?"

"I think I worked muscles yesterday I forgot I had." Tara giggled.

"So what are your plans tonight?"

"Uhm... just stuff around here ya know unpack and stuff... why?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to grab some dinner and coffee with me and a couple of my friends."

"Uhm... Xander, you know I'm not that great with new people. I stutter and stuff. And you know that habit I have of sticking my foot in my mouth."

"Yeah, but how many people have you met here yet? I'm thinking a big fat zero. Besides, you need to get out of that apartment for a little while. All you've been doing the last three days is apartment-y... stuff."

"I dunno Xander. I got stuff to do ya know?"

"C'mon Tara. Oh, oh, hey! You owe me for making me all sore with the up and down motions... wait... that sounded a lot better in my head."

Tara laughed which made Xander smile. That was the first time in a really long time he had heard a genuine Tara-laugh. She had been under so much stress recently with the move and even more recent break up with her girlfriend. The break up being her doing when she discovered that her girlfriend had been cheating. Hence why she took the job out here in L.A. A change from all the old. A new beginning. The only person in L.A. that Xander knew she knew was Faith, her life-long friend. So Xander was trying to be all the help he could possibly be. Hey, this little get-together could be good for Tara as well as Willow.

"I guess I do owe you," she sighed dramatically. "What time?"

"I will pick you up at seven fifteen."

"Is casual dress OK? Seeing as half my clothes are still in boxes."

"Casual's great."

"See ya soon Xander. Bye"

He hung up the phone and smiling smugly he returned to his previous task of making shapes of the dots on the ceiling.

Tara my have been easily convinced but Willow was an entirely different story.

Buffy walked to her roommates room and knocked gently.

"Willow?" She asked through the door. No answer. She knocked a little louder. No answer. Buffy opened the door to find Willow asleep on her bed. "Hey Will?" She asked a little louder. "Willow." A little firmer.

"WILLOW!" She yelled still no answer.

"Fine." Buffy thought to herself. "Wanna be hard I guess you leave me no choice." This was a trick she had learned from Willow's mother many years ago and it hadn't failed yet.

She stood outside the red heads door then ran in yelling "Willow! You're gonna be late for the SAT's!" Willow's eyes shot open and she bolted up in bed "What?!" Buffy grinned "Heh Heh works everytime." Willow looked around with the last bits of sleep leaving her. She realized there were no SAT's scheduled for today, and looked over to find Buffy covering a smile with her hand.

"Very funny Buffy, VERY VERY funny. You got me. Now if you don't mind, I'm going back to sleep."

"Willow its two in the afternoon."

"Oh well. it's not like I have anything to do." She covered herself back up with her blanket.

"Actually, Willow, we do have something to do. Xander, his friend, you and I are going out to eat tonight."

Willow sat up and said "Correction. Xander, his friend, and YOU are going out to eat tonight," She laid back down.

"C'mon will."

"No Buffy. I have stuff to do here."

"Like what?" She asked as she grabbed the blanket the red head was lying under and threw it off of her. "You know... stuff." Willow grabbed the blanket and covered herself up again. "Like..." The blonde uncovered the red head once again. "Will you stop Buffy?" She tossed at her friend as she covered herself back up. "O.K. then. I guess I have to go... by myself... alone... You know Xander is gonna be there and I don't know whatever could stop me from telling him about that weekend when you were supposed to be house sitting for him, but went and slept with his boss instead... you know, the one you said, and I quote 'She is completely lick-able.' Might I add that after you 'did it' in our shower, you took her back to his apartment and proceded to sleep with her in his bed. " Willow jumped out of bed "So when does this little shindig start?"

"Be ready at seven."

"I'll meet you at the door with nothing but a smile."

"Some clothes would be nice too Will." Buffy said as she walked out of the room, a smug grin plastered on her face.