SPARRING PARTNERS Part 5 of 5 - Willow/Tara - NC-17

Title:  SPARRING PARTNERS

Author:  Ariel

Pairing:  Willow/Tara

Feedback:  “Oh, yes!”  All feedback gratefully accepted; specific input welcome

Disclaimers:  These aren’t my characters, but I love to take them for a ride!

Summary:  Takes place on the last two weeks of their freshman year.  W/T & Buffy
Rating:  NC-17 for overall story which sex in strange settings, voyeurism, group nudity, and violence during a heavy duty sparring session between Buffy and W/T. 

Part 5 of 5:  Epilogue - In which all becomes clear

Willow and Tara

Willow furrowed her brow and Tara smiled, she loved Willow’s ‘serious squinchy’ face when Willow concentrated.

“But, Tara, how did we do all that?  How could we win?”

Tara looked thoughtful, “’and the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.’” 

“Wait a minute!”

“Or, ‘and the greatest of these is love.’”

“Hey,” Willow teased in mock anger, “outraged Jewishness here.  Those are all from the bible!”

Tara smirked, “truth can live in the strangest places!”  Her eyes became serious, “our spells invoked the Goddess.  She gave us power to do her will.”

Willow nodded thoughtfully.  “Yeah.  I felt like someone was watching over us.”

Buffy’s Dilemma

 “Wills?”

“What’s up, Buffy?”

“I need a favor.”

“What?”

“It’s kind of like I can’t get that whole sparring session out of my mind.  I keep remembering.”

Willow was concerned.  “Are you having nightmares?”

Buffy squirmed.  “Not exactly, but it is awfully hard to get to sleep.  Is there any way that I can kind of forget it?”

“Maybe.  Let me go into research mode and see what I can find.”

The next day she returned from the magic shop with a small plant.  “A bit of bramble-y goodness to ease a troubled mind.”  Willow said the one word spell and it was done.    

Willow smiled, satisfied with her spell’s success. 

Fun with Mathematics or Up on the Roof

Unlike Buffy, Willow and Tara remembered every detail surrounding the sparring session and discussed it frequently.  A few days later, Willow had set up her computer in Tara’s room and was working while Tara tried, unsuccessfully, to study.  Finally Tara put her book down.

“Willow, what happened in Professor MacDonald’s class?  It’s beyond amazing that we didn’t get arrested, much less expelled.”  Tara blushed, then took a deep breath,  ambushed by the memory of what they had done to each other.  “I mean, why did we do it?”

Willow gulped, similarly awash with memory.  “Uh, it’s mathematics I guess.”

Tara was dumbfounded.  “Mathematics?”

Willow nodded.  “Yeah, after the uh sparring session, I kind of figured out that part of the source of our power together is our love for each other, the power of three:  spiritual, emotional, and physical.  Our physical love was out of balance.”

Tara nodded vigorous agreement.

“So all the strengthening from the, uh, strengthening spell went to our physical love.  Our desire kept increasing to, uh, bring us together and, uh, balance us.”

Tara swallowed, “what about the math?”

“Well.  Our strengthening spell was based on exponential growth.”

Tara rolled her eyes.  “Which is?”

“Uh, Exponential growth is when the growth rate of a mathematical function is proportional to the function's current value.”

“That’s great, baby.  And this means?”

Willow looked down, seemingly fascinated by a worn spot on Tara’s rug, and said in a small voice.  “In this case it means that our uh feelings for each other kept doubling.”

Tara stared in outraged incredulity. 

“Doubling?  Then doubling again?  Then doubling AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN?  Do you know what these past few days have been like?  I put a notebook over my face whenever I see a janitor coming!  I get wet every time the lights go out in class.”  She blushed furiously, “and I keep fantasizing about you wearing my raincoat again!”

They locked eyes, breathing deeply.

Tara toyed idly with one of her breasts, using a finger to encircle a nipple.  “What are you working on?”

It was Willow’s turn to blush.  “Uh, blueprints.  I have a map of every single janitor closet, supply room, and roof access.”

“Roof?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll get the candles.”

“I’ll grab a blanket.” 

Ariel/Arianillyn