Author: Darkwillow6 (Ashley) Willow and Tara awoke one morning to the sound of a loud crash downstairs. It was early December and quite a cold morning. Willow put on her slippers and walked cautiously to the door. She crept into the hallway, down a few stairs, and peered into the living room. There she saw Buffy standing over a rather large pine tree. After a deep sigh she looked up and noticed Willow standing at the balcony. "Willow? What's wrong? You look scared," Buffy said. "I heard a noise. I didn't think it would be you. What are you doing up so early?" "It's ten o' clock." "Early for you I mean." "Funny," she said without laughter in her voice. "I'm just getting into the Christmas spirit," Buffy replied. "That sounds great. I'm going back to bed now," Willow responded, adding a yawn. "Don't you want to help me set it up?" Buffy asked, disappointed. "Maybe later. I was up kind of late last night." "I heard," Buffy replied smugly, enjoying the bright shade of crimson that occupied Willow's cheeks almost instantly. She rushed back up the stairs quickly and into her bedroom without any response. "Is everything okay?" Tara asked when Willow settled back into bed. "Yeah. That was just Buffy setting up a Christmas tree." "Really? Why is she up so early?" "Getting into the Christmas spirit she says." "It's a little early in the month for a tree isn't it?" "I wouldn't know my love. I'm Jewish remember?" Willow reminded unnecessarily. "This will be my first Christmas and I am so happy to be spending it with you." Willow snuggled up close to Tara, trying to fight off the crisp winter air that somehow seemed to creep into the room despite the closed windows and drawn curtains. "Well if you think you're happy now, wait until you see what Santa brought you. That's if you're good of course." "I can't promise that, but I promise I will try." "Well I can't promise that trying is good enough," Tara replied, raising an eyebrow to emphasize her point. "Touché," Willow said, giving Tara a peck on the cheek. Then, she planted another soft kiss on Tara's chin, another on her forehead, and finally a long and languid kiss on her full lips. Then, she rested her head on Tara's shoulder and closed her eyes for a brief moment before Tara kissed her back. Willow would not be able to go back to sleep now. Tara's lips trailed tiny kisses from her forehead all the way down the left side of her face, chin, neck, and shoulder. Willow turned to kiss her back, but Tara pulled away. "I thought you wanted to get more sleep," she said, lying fully on her back. "I did," Willow said, leaning closer. Tara pulled back further. "Then do," she replied, closing her eyes. "You're kidding right?" Willow asked, her face inches from Tara's. "Right?" she asked again as Tara pretended to snore. Willow tickled her and Tara began laughing uncontrollably. "I'm awake now faker. Let's go get some breakfast." They finally crawled out of bed a few minutes later and made their way down the stairs. The tree was already standing of its own volition and Buffy was nowhere in sight. Then they heard some rustling in the attic and a few sounds of frustration. "Need some help Buffy?" Willow called up. "No. I'm fine. Just looking for the decorations. I know Mom kept them up here somewhere." "Alright just let me know if you need anything," Willow replied, following Tara into the kitchen where they stared at the row of cereal boxes. "Cheerios, Kix, Cocoa Puffs, Rice Krispies, Raisin Bran, or Fruit Loops?" Tara asked. "Fruit Loops." "Because they're rainbow?" Tara asked, laughing slightly. "No," Willow pouted. "Because they taste good." When they sat down to eat, they heard Buffy climbing down the stairs of the attic. She wandered into the kitchen, full of sweat and dirt and took a seat next to her two roommates. "What a mess it is up there. I somehow managed to find everything, but I think I ran into an armadillo at one point." "Well, now that Tara woke me up, I'm all yours if you need help setting up." "I would like it if we did it as a family. What do you guys say? We can get Xander and Anya over here to help." "Sounds nice. How about tonight? Me and Tara are going shopping in an hour or so." "Can I come?" Buffy asked excitedly. "No. I don't want you to see your present," Willow replied. "Willow. It's a Christmas tradition. You're supposed to let your friends see what you bought them before you wrap it all up." "I'm Jewish Buffy, not stupid," Willow replied indignantly. Tara laughed to herself. "And I was sure that would work," Buffy replied sarcastically, getting up from her chair and walking toward the living room. "Back to work," she said as she left. After breakfast, Willow and Tara went upstairs to their bedroom to change. As Tara was pulling up her jeans, Willow walked up behind her and wrapped her arms around her waist. She leaned in close to Tara's ear. "You want an early Christmas present?" she whispered. "Is that a rhetorical question?" Tara asked, turning in Willow's arms to face her. Willow just smiled mischievously and leaned in for a kiss. Tara kissed her back and pushed Willow toward the bed with light force. Willow reclined backwards and Tara straddled her and pinned her arms down. "Time to unwrap," Tara said with a look of hunger in her eyes. She had Willow's shirt off in no time and the pants went shortly after. "Kiss me," Willow said, barely able to contain her desire. Tara acquiesced and rushed in to capture the redhead's lips. Finally, Willow's hands were free and she used them to push Tara's hips down, effectively causing more contact and friction. Tara continued to rock back and forth on top of Willow as she pulled off her shirt and unhooked her bra. Instantly, Willow's hands switched their focus to the newly exposed flesh. The moans that escaped Tara were increasing in volume. Willow was slightly worried that Buffy might hear, but that was not her biggest concern right now. Her hands fumbled to undo the button on Tara's jeans that she had put on only several minutes before. In her haste, she struggled to rid Tara of this confining article. Tara stood up on the bed and slowly, almost teasingly, removed her jeans and underwear as Willow watched, her skin flushed. Once she was free of the clothing, she pulled Willow's panties off and threw them to the floor. Then she settled between her legs. Shallow breath escaped Willow's open mouth as Tara's fingers and tongue worked their magic. Small beads of sweat began to pour down her face as the rhythm increased in speed. Only a few more moments passed before Willow was close to her climax. She reached her hand down to hold Tara's head in place as her muscles clenched and an intense orgasm overcame her. Willow fell back onto the bed, breathing heavily. Then, with only a moment of delay, she flipped Tara onto her back and inserted her fingers into the soft wetness. With equal intensity, she drew her fingers in and out. When she was at the point of orgasm, Willow pushed into her as deeply as she could. Tara clenched Willow's shoulder, digging her nails into the skin as her entire body shivered. When Tara's fingers released her shoulder, Willow pulled out, collapsing next to Tara. For several minutes neither of them moved nor spoke. Finally, they rolled out of bed, took a quick shower and dressed. As Tara pulled on her shirt, Willow stared in awe at her body. "Don't look at me like that," Tara said. "We need to go shopping." "You know I can't help it," Willow replied. After a few kisses, they went downstairs, said goodbye to Buffy, and got in the car. For the first time, Willow shared in the joy of shopping for gifts and wrapping them and putting them under the undecorated tree. That night, they added all of the lights and ornaments with the help of Xander and Anya. The family. Just like Buffy wanted. After everything was finished, they all sat down in the living room and had a cup of hot chocolate together. They shared memories and stories and secrets. It was a wonderful family moment. Just the fact that they were all there together was one of the greatest gifts of the season. Before anyone knew what was happening, Christmas Eve had arrived. All of the presents were already under the tree and the anticipation of the next day was almost too much to stand. Willow and Tara snuggled in close together under the sheets. "Are you excited about your first Christmas?" Tara asked in a low, just-between-us, voice. "Yes. Especially because I get to share it with you. I can't wait until you see what I have in store for you. And don't guess because I'm not going to tell you." "Aww. You're no fun," Tara replied. "Well I'm not telling you either so you may as well go to sleep. Santa doesn't come while you're awake," Tara said, poking Willow's nose. "Okay. I love you Tara," she said, just before closing her eyes. "I love you too." The sun rose the next morning right outside their bedroom window. It turned the sky into the most beautiful color gold that anyone had ever seen. Willow was the first to see it. She had been up for almost an hour already, admiring her most precious gift. Tara. Her beautiful pale skin. Her soft, pouty lips. Her beautiful baby blue eyes that were hidden just beneath the eyelids. Willow traced her lover's lips with her fingertip and then placed a soft kiss on them. Tara woke up at that moment. "Merry Christmas," Willow said. "Merry Christmas," Tara replied. "Let's go downstairs. I think Buffy is already awake. When they arrived at the bottom of the stairs, they found Buffy already shaking her gifts. Willow looked out the window and saw a little bit of snow. "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas," she said. "We never get snow here. What's going on?" Buffy commented. "It's for Willow's first Christmas," Tara replied, smiling. "Let's open the presents. Can we open the presents?" Xander asked, like a child. "Yes, let's," Willow replied. They all exchanged different sized boxes and bags. All at once they began tearing into the paper. They exchanged hugs and "thank you's" as well. The whole process of opening and inspecting the carefully wrapped packages did not take nearly as much time as the shopping or the wrapping. After all of the gifts had been opened, they all sat down to a big lunch. "You know," Willow began. "It really doesn't matter what you call the holiday. It could be Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, or any other name. This holiday is about spending time with your family and friends. It's about showing the ones you love, how much you care about them. This is my first Christmas and I couldn't imagine who else I would want to spend it with." Everyone fought off their tears as she finished her impromptu speech. Tara held her close and kissed her cheek. At the end of the night, when everyone had gone to bed, Willow and Tara were downstairs sitting by the fireplace. "Thank you so much for making this a special day for me. I love my gift." "I have one last thing for you before you go to sleep tonight." "Another surprise?" Willow asked. "A big surprise," Tara said, a smirk on her face. Tara got up and began walking away. Instinctively, Willow followed, making sure to put out the fire before chasing after her lover. Once upstairs, Willow found Tara sitting on their bed in a robe with her legs crossed. The lights were down so low that Willow could barely see. As she stepped forward, Tara held out her hand, telling Willow to stop. She stood up from the bed. Willow's heart was pounding with excitement. Tara began to untie the front of the robe. When the soft silk garment fell to the floor, so did Willow's jaw. Standing before her was Tara in black lingerie. It was a one piece, with thigh-high black stockings on each leg. Willow gulped and thought to herself: "This is the best first Christmas anyone could ever have." |