Soul Mates

Big thank yous to Pete and Spellbound for reading this part over for me. Also, if anyone has any suggestions or things they'd like to see in this fic, you can still feel free to email me about them. Also, if you're still following the story, I'd love some feedback!

Conversations, part 1

****

"So what do you think of this one?"

Tara watched as Xander stepped up to the maroon couch Willow was sitting on. He ran one hand over the back, testing the feel of the fabric, then sat down next to Willow. He pushed on a couple of the cushions as he leaned back, frowning slightly.

"It's okay," he answered with a shrug. "But I want something better than okay. What's the point of getting a new couch if we're not going to get something really nice?" He stood up and offered his hand to Willow, who took it and rose to stand next to him, smoothing out her dark green skirt as she stepped back from the couch.

"What do you think, Tara?" Xander asked, turning to look at her over his shoulder. Tara considered the question as she stepped forward to join them.

"Well, you're the one buying it," she demurred. She didn't really know much about picking out furniture. Whatever Willow and Xander decided on would be fine with her.

"Yeah, but I'm buying it for our apartment," Xander replied. "We're all going to be sitting on it. Everyone should have some input."

Tara nodded slowly and took a look around. It was late morning, so the furniture store they were in wasn't very crowded. In fact, there was hardly anyone else around at the moment, so there were no distractions as she looked over the couches around them. She didn't see anything nearby that grabbed her attention, so she turned and looked across the aisle where there were more couches and chairs.

"Wow," Willow said, stepping back a little so she could address them both at once. "We're buying a couch together. We're buying furniture for *our* apartment." She smiled brightly, and Tara couldn't help grinning herself at her obvious excitement.

Next to them, Xander chuckled, looking down briefly and running one hand through his hair. Tara knew how easy it was to get swept up in Willow's moods, and it was nice to see that Xander could get pulled along just as easily as she could. She rested a hand briefly on Willow's arm, rubbing her through the light sweater she had on, and Willow met her eyes, turning that lovely smile on her.

Tara gave Willow's arm a loving squeeze, then returned her attention to the couches, finally spotting something a short distance away. "How about that one?" she said, pointing and walking over to it. Willow and Xander followed behind, moving to stand next to her when they reached their destination.

The couch she'd spotted was dark blue and had two sections at right angles to each other, but the piece that connected them was curved. "This would be great for us, don't you think?" she said, gesturing toward the curved section. She sat down in the middle of it, shifting around a little, trying to get settled.

The cushions, both behind and underneath her, were soft and yielding, but firm enough that she didn't feel like she was sinking into the couch. "It's really comfortable. Come on, try it," she urged, patting the spaces next to her. Willow quickly sat down on her left, and Xander followed, taking the place on her right.

"Oh, this is nice," Xander said.

"Yeah, this is perfect for us," Willow declared, scooting in closer to Tara and snuggling against her. They tried to get settled, testing out the feel of the couch, but it was only a few seconds before Willow rested a hand on her knee and turned toward them.

"Okay, my turn in the middle," she said excitedly.

"Can I help you?"

Even though the statement from behind them was delivered in a polite tone of voice, the three of them still leapt up from the couch when they heard it. Tara turned around quickly, as did Willow and Xander, and they saw a salesperson standing behind the couch. Tara hadn't heard her approach, and it took her a moment to recover from her surprise.

"Help. Um, yes," Xander said, clearly still a little startled. "We were just looking at this couch."

"Oh yeah, this is a nice one." The young woman - whose nametag identified her as 'Stephanie' - gave them a friendly smile. "Are you interested in buying it?"

"Maybe," Xander replied. "Could you give us a few minutes?"

"Sure," Stephanie said. "I'll be right over here. Just let me know when you've made up your mind." She turned and headed for a dining table display and started tidying up.

Tara sat down on the couch again, exchanging amused glances with Willow and Xander. She briefly considered making some comment about having had her fill of being startled for the day, but decided not to. This was Sunnydale, after all, and it was probably best not to tempt fate.

"So what do you think of the couch?" Xander asked after a moment.

"It's really nice," Willow replied. She sat down again, leaning back and shifting around a little. "Don't you think so, honey?" she said, turning toward Tara.

"I think it's great," Tara said. Then she happened to glance at the price tag. "It's a little expensive, though," she continued, frowning.

Xander waved off her concerns. "I just got promoted not too long ago, remember? I mean, I'm not about to go on any spending sprees or anything, but I can afford this."

"Well, okay," Tara said. "If you're sure."

Xander grinned. "Don't worry, I'm sure," he reassured her. "So let's call that saleswoman back."

"Wait a second," Willow said suddenly. Tara and Xander looked at her curiously, and she continued, speaking quietly. "Maybe we should tell her.... You know, about us." She shot them a meaningful glance.

Xander stared at her, confused. "She doesn't need to know that."

"Well, no, she doesn't," Willow admitted. "But it'll be good practice for telling Buffy." She leaned forward, shifting in her seat. "I'm still a little nervous about that."

"Sweetie," Tara said gently, "are you sure you want to tell a complete stranger about us? I mean, don't get me wrong," she added quickly, "we don't have anything to be ashamed of." She knew that they all knew that, but it bore repeating nonetheless. "But... we don't even know this person."

"It's for practice," Willow insisted. "We don't know this person, so it doesn't matter what she thinks. But it *does* matter what Buffy thinks, and I just.... When we tell her, I want to get it absolutely right."

Xander looked Tara in the eye, and she shrugged slightly. She didn't think this was something they could really practice for, but if Willow wanted to try....

"Okay, I guess," Xander said. Tara could see he still had doubts about this, but he kept them to himself. He turned and waved to Stephanie, signaling her to come over, and the saleswoman strode quickly across the store to stand in front of them.

"Yeah, we'd like to buy this couch," Xander said as Stephanie approached.

"Great!" she said cheerily. "You won't regret it. This is a great couch that'll last you a long time."

"I'll just write you a check here..." Xander said, reaching for his back pocket and his checkbook.

"We're buying this couch together," Willow blurted suddenly, prompting everyone to turn toward her. Xander and Tara froze, watching the saleswoman for her reaction. Willow had been right when she said it didn't matter what she thought, but still....

"Okay," Stephanie said, her smile not dimming one bit.

Willow blinked. "We're buying it together," she repeated. "All three of us. We're together."

"Yes," Stephanie said slowly, clearly a bit confused. "I can see that. People buy furniture together all the time."

"No, you don't understand," Willow said, getting a little flustered now. "We're buying it for our apartment."

The saleswoman glanced around, somewhat uncomfortably. "Okay...." She was obviously unsure about what to say now, and she was looking at Willow askance, which just made her even more anxious.

"It's for *our* apartment," Willow continued. "All three of us. We live together."

"All right," Stephanie said slowly. Then she suddenly looked up. "Hey, you mean like on 'Three's Company?'" she asked suddenly. "I love that show!" Her cheery smile from earlier was back. "I watch it in reruns on cable all the time. John Ritter is so funny!" She shook her head, chuckling, then turned back to Xander.

"So, you said something about a check?"

****

"Oh god," Willow moaned as she slumped down on the bench. "I could not possibly be a bigger dork."

The three of them were sitting together by the street a short distance from the furniture store. Willow had practically fled the store a few minutes earlier, with Tara following after while Xander stayed behind to take care of the delivery details for the couch. He'd come out of the store just a moment ago and joined them on the bench, sitting down next to Willow.

The street wasn't too crowded, but there were still a few people around, on foot and in cars, coming and going to various shops, and more were steadily arriving as it grew closer to noon. Still, the traffic wasn't too bad where they were and it was quiet enough that they could talk.

"Will, it's okay," Xander soothed, resting a hand on her knee. "Really. That wasn't your fault. There's nothing to worry about."

Willow leaned forward a little and Tara rubbed her back comfortingly. "Xander's right," she said. "Remember what we said about how this wasn't important?"

"I know," Willow sighed. "But when I think about how badly I screwed that up.... What does it mean for when we tell Buffy?" She seemed to be feeling a little better now, but Tara could still easily see how distressed she was.

"Sweetie.... I understand that what Buffy thinks is important to you," Tara said gently. "I mean, I'm not as close to her as you are, but it's important to me too. But I think maybe you're a little too concerned about *how* we tell her. I think, as long as we're up front and honest with her, things will be okay."

Xander nodded. "Yeah. Absolutely," he said. "I get why you're worried, Will, I really do. But I think it'll turn out all right. Really."

Even though Tara could tell that Xander believed what he was saying, she could also see that he was still a little concerned about telling Buffy, too. She could read it in his posture and the way he was looking at Willow. The signs were subtle, but they were there, and she'd known him long enough to know what they meant.

She supposed it was only natural - Buffy was their best friend, after all. After everything they'd been through together, Tara could definitely understand Willow and Xander being nervous about something that could potentially shake up their friendship. And even if there was no problem with Buffy's initial reaction, this was going to change their relationship over the long term - and she was sure that Willow and Xander knew that, too.

Still, that was a concern for another time.

"Why don't we go home?" Tara asked, resting her hand on Willow's shoulder. "It's almost time for lunch. I'll make that chicken and garlic rice you like so much." She gave Willow a soft smile as she turned and met her eyes.

Willow smiled back at her. "You know I can't resist your garlic rice," she said affectionately. She stared across the street ahead of her for a moment, reflecting silently on what they'd said. Finally, she nodded. "Okay. Let's go home."

Standing up, Willow turned back to face them. "You're right," she said softly. "I worry too much. But I can't help it." She looked at them both in turn, holding their gaze for a moment, her expression serious. "Thanks for putting up with me."

Tara rose from her seat, and Xander stood quickly beside her. "Willow, really, it's no trouble," she said.

"No trouble at all," Xander spoke up. "We're happy to do whatever we can for you, whenever you need it. Even if it's just listening." He glanced at Tara, and she nodded, letting Willow know that he spoke for them both.

Willow smiled at the show of support. "Thank you," she said, and Tara could tell the words were heartfelt. "It.... It really does make me feel better to hear that." They hadn't talked about this before, and although Tara was sure that Willow had known already that she could count on her and Xander, it was still good to come out and say it.

"And you know the same goes for both of you, right?" Willow continued, suddenly concerned. "I mean, it shouldn't be just me who...."

Tara interrupted her gently. "We know," she said, catching Willow's eyes and resting a hand on her arm. Willow held her gaze for a moment, then turned to Xander, who smiled and nodded at her.

Willow opened her arms for them, and Tara and Xander stepped toward her. They shared a brief hug, and when they separated, Willow smiled at them again. Tara could tell that she was still a little nervous about telling Buffy about them, but she seemed to be feeling better now.

Slowly, a little shyly, Willow reached for their hands. Tara paused briefly as she realized what Willow meant for them to do - they were going to hold hands, in public. It would only be for a minute or two, until they got back to the car, but still....

They hadn't done this before. Tara had held hands with Willow in public prior to this, but this would be the first time they'd done it with Xander too. Even though she'd come a long way from the crippling shyness she'd suffered from when she'd first arrived in Sunnydale, she was still fairly nervous about this kind of thing, so she hesitated.

But only for a moment. Tara knew that Willow was shy by nature too, so for her to be taking the initiative on this was a big thing for her. The least she could do was meet her halfway. Besides, if the three of them were going to be serious about their relationship, they'd have to get comfortable being in public together sooner or later. Why not start now?

Glancing at Xander, Tara saw that he was hesitating too. Even though he was more outgoing than she or Willow was, he was probably having the same thoughts that were running through her head right now. That made her feel a little better, too.

Finally, Tara relaxed a little, and at almost the same instant, Xander did too. They took Willow's hands, lacing their fingers with hers, and she smiled as they moved to either side of her. Hands linked, they walked back to the car together, and if a few people passing by gave them odd glances, Tara found she wasn't nearly as uncomfortable about it as she'd been afraid she'd be.

****

The lunch Tara made was delicious, as usual, and Willow felt a little better after eating. She and Xander handled the dishes, and just as they were finishing up, a crew from the furniture store arrived with their new couch. Xander helped them bring it in, a process which took a few minutes, then enlisted their help in getting it situated where they wanted it. They'd decided to donate their old couch to charity, and they'd made arrangements to have it picked up on Monday, so it was pushed against one wall for now.

After the new couch was in place, Xander thanked the delivery crew and closed the door behind them as they left. Once they were gone, Willow hurried over to the new couch and sat down in the middle of it, leaning back and settling herself. She looked up as Tara and Xander approached, moving around the couch to stand in front of her.

"Come on! Come sit with me," Willow said excitedly, gesturing for them to join her on the couch.

Smiling, Xander and Tara sat down on either side of her. After taking a moment to get comfortable, the three of them relaxed together.

"It's nice and comfortable, don't you think?" Xander asked.

"*Very* comfortable," Willow replied, snuggling against Tara and tugging at Xander to come closer.

Chuckling, Xander moved in closer to her. Willow sighed contentedly and closed her eyes, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Someone's happy," Tara said affectionately.

"Mm-hmm," Willow replied. The warmth of their bodies was comforting in a way that wasn't quite like anything she'd ever felt before. "I could fall asleep here."

"You'd better not," Xander cautioned. "You'd probably wake up with a crick in your neck."

"Besides, we have to go soon," Tara added. "We're supposed to meet Buffy, remember?"

Opening her eyes, Willow sat up straight and pouted in mock disappointment. "Sure, spoil my fun," she groused. Tara chuckled at her reply and gave her a light kiss on her cheek.

"Don't worry, honey," Tara said. "There'll be plenty of time later."

"Tara's right, though," said Xander. "We shouldn't keep Buffy waiting."

Willow nodded slowly. *Okay. Try not to worry too much.* She stood and turned to face her girlfriend and boyfriend. "All right. Let's get going."

****

When they arrived at Buffy's house, she greeted them happily and let them in.

"Hey guys," she said as they stepped inside and took off their shoes.

"Hey Buff," Xander replied, smiling as he glanced around briefly. "Where is everyone?"

"Mom's at the gallery and Dawn's over at a friend's house. I have to go pick her up later, but I've got some time. Come on in."

They walked into the living room together. Willow sat down on the couch, and Xander and Tara sat next to her, though not nearly as close as they had been back home. Buffy took a seat in a chair across the coffee table from them.

"So how've you been?" Xander asked. "We didn't get a chance to talk much last night."

"Yeah - I'm still really sorry about that, by the way," Buffy replied. Her expression turned dire. "I made sure Willy knows not to blow threats out of proportion anymore."

"But anyway," she continued, relaxing again, "I've been okay. I'm starting to feel better... about Riley." Willow noticed her slight hesitation before saying his name, but kept silent about it. "He's gone and, well, that's pretty much all there is to it."

Buffy shook her head. "Sorry," she said. "Don't mean to be a downer. I'm okay, really. I've just been enjoying the lack of impending apocalypses and trying to focus on school."

"So how's that going?" Willow asked. "Remember that my study-buddy offer is always open." Even though it was obvious that Buffy *was* feeling better about Riley leaving, Willow could tell that she still wasn't completely over it, and she'd have to sit down and talk to her at some point. But now wasn't the time, for obvious reasons.

"Fairly well, actually," Buffy replied. "A couple of my classes have gotten a lot more interesting recently."

"That's good to hear," Tara said. "I'm finding the same with some of my classes, too."

They talked about school for a while, and from there the discussion drifted into other topics, like Xander's job and Buffy's family. They quickly settled back into the comfortable, familiar rhythm of their conversations and Buffy's earlier discomfort was seemingly forgotten. They laughed and joked with each other, and even Tara took a more active part in the conversation than she usually did when they were with other people. Willow was glad to see her getting more comfortable around Buffy, although she was still the quietest of all of them.

Finally, there was a lull in their conversation, and Buffy leaned back in her chair, stretching her arms above her head. "This is nice," she said. "Seems like forever since I've seen you guys outside of Slayer business."

Xander pondered her words for a moment. "I think it's only been about a week and a half."

Buffy shrugged. "Feels like a lot longer than that."

Right away Willow felt guilty. They hadn't been around for Buffy much lately. Yes, they'd had a very good reason to be distracted, and yes, they had been there for her right after Riley left, but recently....

They were definitely going to have to make an effort to spend more time with her from now on. She'd talk with Tara and Xander about it later, but she knew they'd agree. Buffy was their friend too, after all.

*And speaking of friend....* There was no point in putting this off any longer. "So, um, Buffy," Willow began a little hesitantly, nervousness building within her once more as Buffy met her eyes, "we, um, we have something to tell you."

"Yeah? What is it?" Buffy asked, curious.

"Well.... Remember when I told you about Tara and me?"

Buffy nodded slowly, clearly unsure where this was going. "Yeah."

"And remember how totally cool and supportive you were about that?" Willow said.

"Willow.... What's going on?" Buffy's question was gentle, but insistent, and Willow took a moment to calm herself before answering. Tara clasped her hand, squeezing softly, letting her know she was there, and at almost the same instant Xander did likewise, taking her other hand. Willow shot them both grateful glances.

"Buffy, it's... it's not just Tara and me anymore. It's Tara and me and Xander." Willow could feel her cheeks burning and she knew there was probably a much better way she could have said that, but as anxious as she was right now, that had been the best she could manage. Tara ran her thumb along Willow's palm, and the reminder that she and Xander were there helped her to relax a little.

Buffy blinked. "What?" She still seemed uncomprehending.

Before Willow could answer, Xander spoke up. "What Willow's saying, Buff," he said, "is that we're all together. All three of us are together in a relationship now. We're all living together."

"That's right," Willow said. "Tara and Xander and me, we're a couple. Except not a couple because there are three of us. But... you know what we mean. Right?"

Willow could see from Buffy's expression that she did. She looked at each of them in turn, saying nothing, her surprise obvious from the look on her face. It seemed as though she was about to speak, but then she glanced down, noted the way they were holding hands, and closed her mouth again.

Several seconds passed in silence. Just as Willow was considering saying something, Buffy spoke again.

"Wow. That's, um...." She seemed at a loss for words. "I don't really know what to say. You're all... *together*? Really?"

Willow nodded in answer. "We really are," she replied, smiling, her anxiety momentarily forgotten in the rush of excitement she still felt when thinking about her new relationship.

Buffy shifted a little in her seat. "And the three of you, you all... like... sleep together?"

Before any of them could answer her, Buffy forcefully shook her head. "On second thought, don't answer that," she said hurriedly. "Look, um, if you guys are happy, that's great. I just, um, I think I need a little time...."

She turned her head, glancing at the clock behind her. "I need to go pick up Dawn," she said, standing and pushing her chair back a little. "I'll be back in half an hour or so and we can talk more about this then, okay?"

"Buff, are you..." Xander began, but she cut him off.

"It's fine. Really," Buffy said. "I just need a few minutes for this all to sink in. I'll be back soon, okay?" Not waiting for an answer, she made her way to the front door, slipped on a pair of sandals, and stepped outside.

"Well. That went okay, I suppose," Tara ventured after Buffy left.

Willow was about to reply when she heard the sound of a brief conversation outside. A moment later, the front door opened again and Joyce walked in. She smiled at them as she hung up her purse, then stepped into the living room and sat down in the chair that Buffy had vacated just a moment ago.

"Hi guys," she said in greeting.

"Hi Ms. Summers," Xander replied. "How's it going?"

"Pretty well," she replied. "Were you planning to wait for Buffy to come back?"

"Yeah - if that's okay," Xander said, leaning forward slightly.

"No problem at all," Joyce said. "Can I get you guys anything to drink?"

"Um, Ms. Summers?" Willow piped up. "While you're here, there's, um, there's something we should probably tell you."

She glanced at Tara, then at Xander, the question obvious even if it was unspoken. They both looked a little nervous, but Xander nodded, and then a moment later, Tara did too. Tara didn't know Joyce nearly as well as she and Xander did, but she was clearly willing to trust their judgment. Willow gave Tara a quick smile in appreciation, then turned toward Xander, raising an eyebrow, silently asking him if he'd handle it this time.

Xander got the message. "Well, Ms. Summers...." he began.

"You're all sleeping together," Joyce said, interrupting him. It was clearly a statement, not a question, and the way she said it, as casually as if she were passing the time of day, stunned Willow into silence. How did she...?

Willow could see by the looks on their faces that Tara and Xander were having the same reaction. Before she could even begin to think about what to say in response, Joyce smiled at them. The gesture wasn't mocking, but rather friendly and reassuring, and it made Willow feel a little more at ease. But just a little.

"Why don't I get us some iced tea, and we can talk?" Joyce asked.

"I think that's a good idea," Tara replied mildly.

TBC...