Soul Mates

I can see there are people reading this, so how about some feedback, hmm? It only takes a few seconds and I'd really appreciate it.

****

Willow sipped at her iced tea as Joyce sat down across from them again. It was good - not too sweet, nor too bitter - and she took another drink, trying to calm her nerves a bit. Holding the glass carefully with both hands, she rested it in her lap.

"This is good. Thank you," Willow said, giving Joyce a grateful nod. From their places on the couch on either side of her, Tara and Xander likewise voiced their thanks. Joyce smiled at them, taking a sip from her glass and setting it on the table next to her.

"So, um, how... how did you know about us?" Willow asked after a moment. She wasn't sure how to broach the subject, and it might have been better to let Joyce take the lead here, but she had to know.

Joyce didn't seem disturbed by how quickly the question came, though. In fact, she looked as if she'd expected it. "Remember when you three were over here with Giles a few days ago, picking Buffy up for patrol?" At Willow's answering nod, she continued. "We talked for a few minutes while she was getting ready."

Xander's brow furrowed in confusion. "But that was pretty much just small talk," he said. "How did you...?"

"There were signs," Joyce replied. "Subtle, but they were there. The way you looked at each other. The way you talked to each other. Your body language." She shrugged. "I noticed, anyway."

"And you could tell... just from that, that we were... together?" Willow felt herself blushing as she spoke, and her gaze momentarily dropped to her lap before she forced herself to look Joyce in the eye again.

At Joyce's answering nod, Xander spoke up. "So.... Are you okay with this?" he asked. His tone betrayed the fact that he was just as nervous about her answer as Willow herself was.

Joyce considered the question silently for a moment. "It's really not my place to say," she finally replied. "You're all adults now. You're capable of making your own choices about your relationships."

Willow's distress at Joyce's noncommittal answer must have shown on her face, since the older woman smiled reassuringly at her. "I'm not going to stop speaking to you or anything, if that's what you're worried about," she said.

"Oh no, I didn't think you would," Willow replied quickly. For her and Xander, their relationship with Joyce was an important one, and Willow knew that Tara liked her too. She hadn't really believed that Joyce would have wanted to disassociate herself with them or anything like that, but it was still a great relief to have that confirmed.

Taking another drink, Joyce set her glass down again and leaned back a little, folding her hands in her lap. "You know, this isn't the first time I've seen this," she said at length.

"Seen... this?" Tara asked, confused. "You mean...?" She trailed off, gesturing toward Willow and Xander on the couch next to her.

Joyce nodded. "I went to college, you know," she said, smirking. "It wasn't exactly common, but I heard about a few threesomes back then. Even a couple of my friends did some... experimenting."

Willow shifted uncomfortably at that last word. She *really* didn't want Joyce to get the wrong idea about them. "Um, Miss Summers?" she said, and the older woman turned toward her. She was about to continue when Joyce interrupted her.

"Willow, given what we're talking about here, I think you can call me Joyce," she said. Her expression and her tone were friendly, and Willow nodded after a moment's consideration.

"Okay... Joyce," she said. It felt a little weird using her first name casually like that, but she pressed on anyway. "Well, this.... Tara and Xander and me.... This isn't an experiment."

"That's right," Tara spoke up. "What's between us.... This isn't a casual thing." She looked a little uncomfortable as all eyes turned toward her, but continued regardless. "There's a lot more to it than that. Even though the three of us haven't been together that long... I think we all already know that. We're definitely not experimenting here." She turned and looked at Willow and Xander as she finished, and the two of them nodded, confirming that she spoke for all of them. Willow knew that Tara still had a hard time talking to people she didn't know very well, and she gave her a warm smile, showing support for her and what she'd said. Xander took her hand briefly, squeezing softly, and Willow flashed him a quick smile too before turning back to Joyce.

Silence settled over the room as Joyce took in what they'd said. "No, I don't suppose you are, are you?" she said quietly, almost to herself. She looked them over for a moment, studying them, almost as though she were seeing them in a new light. Willow couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking.

Finally, Joyce smiled again. "Well," she said, "I'm sure you've thought it all out and talked about problems you might run into. Back in college.... Everyone I knew or heard about in this type of relationship was just in it for fun. Nobody tried to make a relationship like this work over the long term."

She seemed as though she was about to say more on the subject, but then she shook her head. "Anyway, you certainly don't need a lecture from me," she said. "I can see that you *are* serious about this, so I'll just say... I wish you the best."

"Well... thanks, Ms. Summers," Xander replied, still referring to Buffy's mother as he always did. She smiled, but didn't interrupt him as he continued. "That, um, that really means a lot." Willow nodded in agreement as Xander spoke. It *did* mean a lot to her, and she smiled at Joyce, grateful for the sentiment.

"So..." Joyce said, a faintly amused tone creeping into her voice, "judging by the look on my daughter's face when I passed her outside, I'm guessing you just told her that you're together?"

Xander nodded. "Yeah. She said she was okay with it, but... you know, she took off pretty quickly," he said. Willow could hear a faint note of discomfort in his voice, and she rested her hand on his shoulder, trying to reassure him even though she was also still worried about Buffy.

"Oh, she'll be okay, I think," Joyce reassured them. "It probably just came as a shock to her. She'll just need a little time, that's all. But she cares about you, and she likes you a lot, and she's not going to forget that."

Willow knew deep down that Joyce was right. It had taken her a little time to adjust to her being with Tara, but Buffy hadn't had any problem with it in the long run. And besides, if Buffy had come to her with news like this.... She probably would have had a pretty similar reaction.

"There is just one thing I'd like to ask," Joyce said. Willow leaned forward a little, instantly attentive.

"What is it?" she asked. "Anything we can do, I mean, we'd be happy to...."

"I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't say anything to Dawn for now. She may figure out what's going on between you at some point, but.... I'd rather just let it be for now."

"Oh!" Willow nodded. "Sure, that's no problem at all." She honestly hadn't even thought about Dawn. It wasn't that she didn't like her, she'd just been so concerned about telling Buffy about them that she hadn't given any consideration to anything else. But she certainly didn't have any problem following Joyce's lead on this.

"Thanks," Joyce said, smiling. Willow took another drink as she continued. "So, how's school going? And Xander, how are you finding the new job?"

And just like that, the conversation turned to less personal matters. They talked for a while about what was going on in their lives, and Joyce told them what was happening with the gallery. Willow found herself relaxing a little, and the time passed pleasantly enough between them.

Finally, Willow heard voices in the yard out front, approaching the front door. A moment later, it opened and Buffy stepped inside. She smiled and opened her mouth to greet them, but was forestalled when Dawn bounded in behind her.

"Hey guys!" she said, quickly catching sight of Willow, Xander, and Tara sitting on the couch. "Hi mom," she added as she stepped into the living room, moving to stand beside Joyce's chair.

Joyce stood up and gave Dawn a kiss on the cheek. "Hi honey," she said, pulling her and Buffy into a hug as Buffy walked into the living room. "Thanks for picking Dawn up," she told Buffy, stepping away from them and sitting down again.

"No problem. She wasn't *too* much of a pain.... This time," Buffy replied with a grin.

"*Hey.*" Dawn glared at her sister. "You're not exactly..."

"Okay, that's enough," Joyce said firmly, cutting Dawn off. "No fighting while we have company. In fact, Buffy probably wants to spend some time with her friends, so we should let them be for a while."

Joyce shot Buffy a knowing glance, and Buffy seemed a bit surprised, but recovered quickly. "Actually," she said, turning and meeting Willow's eyes, "I'd just like to talk to Willow for a little bit. If that's okay, Will?"

Willow hesitated before answering, but only for a few seconds. "Sure. That's fine, Buffy," she replied, trying not to let her nervousness get the better of her.

"Why don't we go out back?" Buffy said, gesturing toward the rear of the house. Willow nodded and stood up, walking around the table in front of the couch. She took a last look back at Xander and Tara, and they smiled warmly at her.

"So how was school today, Dawn?" Tara asked as Buffy headed for the back door. Dawn started chattering excitedly about her day, and Willow smiled to herself as she followed Buffy out into the back yard.

****

"It's just a lot to take in, you know?"

Willow nodded at Buffy's words, but didn't reply immediately, instead leaning back on the bench and looking up at the late afternoon sky. There wasn't a cloud to be seen, and the sea of deep, rich blue was... soothing. It was quiet in Buffy's back yard, save for the occasional bird chirping or child yelling from far away, and Willow allowed the peaceful atmosphere to settle around her for a moment.

Finally, she sat up straight again and turned toward Buffy, seated next to her on the bench. "I know," she said. "I mean, if you need some time to get used to the idea, I can totally understand that."

"It's just...." Buffy trailed off, frowning. "When we first met, you had a pretty serious thing for Xander."

Willow nodded. The days of her unrequited crush on Xander seemed so long ago now, but she still remembered what she'd felt for him back then. It was different from what she felt for him now; less developed. Not that she hadn't loved him - they'd always loved each other, she was certain of that - but the feeling was more... childish, if you could call it that. Not like what she felt now.

"And then there was Oz. And you liked him a lot," Buffy continued.

"Yeah," Willow agreed. "I did."

"And then there were the illicit smoochies with Xander.... And you got caught, and got back together with Oz, and I thought Xander was pretty much out of the picture after that...."

Willow decided that she'd better let Buffy finish before trying to say anything, so she waited in silence as she continued.

"And then you were back with Oz, and you seemed pretty happy, until... all the badness happened." Buffy turned away slightly and said that last part in a rush, and Willow frowned. She didn't like to think much about what had happened with Oz. It had been over a year now since the incident with Veruca, but still....

"And then you were, you know... gay, and there was Tara, and you seemed really happy."

Willow couldn't help but smile at that. "I was. I still am," she said. And it was true. God, she loved Tara so much....

"And now you're telling me that you're with Xander, except that you're still with Tara.... All three of you are together. I mean, I knew you and Tara had been spending a lot of time with Xander, but...." Buffy sighed. "Like I said, it's a lot to take in."

"So.... Are you freaked about this?" Willow asked. She was just as nervous now as she had been back when she told Buffy about Tara. Buffy had been understanding back then, but....

Buffy shook her head. "No," she said. "I'm not. Willow, I...." She trailed off, looking over her shoulder at the house for a moment before turning back toward Willow. "You're my best friend - well, you and Xander - and this isn't going to change that. I mean, after all we've been through together...."

Nodding once, Buffy continued, her tone growing more resolved. "This relationship is... unusual, and I'll probably need a little time to get used to the idea, but.... No, Willow, it doesn't bother me."

Willow felt a rush of relief and happiness at Buffy's declaration, and she smiled at her friend, who returned the gesture a bit more slowly. On impulse, she leaned forward wrapped her arms around Buffy, pulling her into a tight hug. Buffy hugged her back, and the two of them held the embrace for a few seconds before pulling away from each other.

"Thank you, Buffy," Willow said, sighing softly. "You know, I.... I was pretty nervous about how you'd react when we told you. I'm glad that I didn't have any reason to be."

She felt a little bad about having worried about what Buffy would say. She hadn't ever really doubted their friendship, but still, there were times when she couldn't help worrying about things that she knew in her head she shouldn't be concerned about. But now she knew for certain that she had the support of her best friend, and that really did mean a lot to her.

"Oh, by the way, your mother knows," Willow said after a moment's pause.

"Yeah, I'd gathered that," Buffy replied. "You guys told her too?"

"Actually, she already knew," Willow said. Buffy stared at her in surprise, and Willow chuckled. "She figured it out the last time we were over here."

"Huh. Well, I had no idea," Buffy said. "How long have you guys been... together, anyway?"

"Just a little over a week now," Willow replied. "That all three of us have been living together, I mean. Tara and I were pretty close with Xander for a while before that."

"Um...." Buffy scooted back a little on the bench, looking down at the space between them. "I don't want you to think I'm prying, but, do you mind if I ask you a few questions about this? I mean, I don't want any *intimate* details or anything," she added hurriedly, "just, you know, whatever you're comfortable with."

"Sure," Willow replied. "I'll tell you whatever you want to know, as long as it doesn't involve intimate details," she finished with mock seriousness. Buffy giggled at her expression, and after a moment, Willow laughed along with her.

"All right. So, obviously Tara's okay with this..." Buffy began.

"Actually," Willow interrupted, "Tara's... kinda the one who got all this started."

Buffy blinked in surprise. "Oh. Okay," she said. "Well, anyway, I just.... I didn't know she was... interested in guys."

Willow thought about how to answer that for a moment. "Well, it's not so much that she's interested in *guys,* plural," she said, finally deciding that Tara would probably be okay with her telling Buffy that much. "It's just that she has real feelings for one particular guy," she continued, smiling. "Like I do."

Buffy considered her answer briefly, then nodded. "So, you said you were all living together? In your apartment, I take it?"

"Yeah," Willow replied. "Xander still has a few things to bring over, but he's mostly moved in."

"And how's that been going?"

"It's great!" Willow enthused. "We're all still adjusting, but Xander's getting settled in. We talked before he moved in and worked out some things, and so far it's been going really well."

"Well... you definitely seem really happy," Buffy observed seriously, and Willow giggled at her expression.

"I am," she said. "Don't get me wrong, Buffy, Tara's a wonderful person and I was really happy with her. But now that I'm with her and Xander too...."

"I don't know what's in store for us in the future," Willow continued. "We're going to try to make this work long-term, and a relationship like ours.... Well, I'm sure there'll be problems we have to deal with. I'm sure there'll be obstacles." She shrugged. "But I don't want to think about that right now. I just want to think about how happy we all are together, and enjoy being with Tara and Xander," she finished, giving Buffy a big smile.

Buffy looked her over for a long moment, then smiled back at her. "Well, if you guys are all happy, I'm happy for you," she said. "I wish you all the best. Really."

"Thanks, Buffy," Willow said. "I really appreciate that." And she did. Now that she didn't have the worry about how Buffy would react to her relationship with Tara and Xander hanging over her head, she felt quite a bit better.

"Well, I shouldn't keep you any longer," Buffy said, standing up and stretching. "Let's go back inside."

****

Xander was listening to Dawn describe how her art class had gone earlier that day when he heard the back door of the house open and close. He looked up and smiled as Buffy and Willow walked into the living room.

"Hey guys," he said. Judging from the look on Willow's face, her conversation with Buffy had gone well. He was glad - Willow had been stressing about this for the past few days, and truthfully, he'd been a bit worried too. But now it looked as if there was no need for concern.

"Hey," Buffy replied, flashing him a quick smile.

Joyce took note of the exchange. "Okay, I need to get dinner started," she said, rising from her chair. "I don't have enough food to do it tonight, but you guys should come over for dinner. Maybe sometime next week?"

"Sure," Xander said. He glanced at Tara, then at Willow, and they nodded their agreement. "That'd be great. Thanks, Ms. Summers."

"I'll get a hold of you after the weekend and we can figure out what day," Joyce said. Then she stepped over to where Dawn was sitting and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Come on, honey," she said. "I could use some help in the kitchen."

Dawn looked up at her mother. "Why not ask Buffy?"

"Because Buffy's friends are here," she said gently, but insistently. "Now come on. Help out your mother."

Dawn frowned, but didn't argue any further. "It was great to see you guys," she said as she stood up.

"It was nice to see you too, Dawnie," Tara replied.

"Yeah," Xander agreed. "We'll see you next week."

Dawn gave them a quick smile, then followed Joyce into the kitchen. As they left, Buffy and Willow walked over to the couch where they were sitting.

Xander stood as they approached, and a second later, Tara did too. "So... is everything cool?" Xander asked, giving Buffy a meaningful look.

"Yeah, everything's fine," Buffy replied. "Like I told Willow.... I'm happy for you guys." She stepped forward and hugged Xander, and they held each other for a moment before she pulled away from him.

"I don't suppose I need to tell you what'll happen to you if you hurt them," Buffy said, looking at him seriously, her tone holding a dire note.

Xander chuckled. "No, it's okay. I pretty much get the idea." He knew Buffy was joking, but still, her words held a note of truth. If any of them got hurt, she wouldn't be happy, to say the least. Just one more reason to try his best not to screw this up - although he certainly had more than enough motivation on that score already.

Buffy approached Tara and gave her a quick hug as well. "Tara, I don't know you as well as I do Willow and Xander, but.... I do think of you as a friend. And I'm glad that you and Willow and Xander are so happy together."

Tara seemed a little caught off guard by Buffy's words. "Wow. Um, thanks Buffy," she said. "That, um, that means a lot to me." She smiled at Buffy, and despite the fact that her stance was a little uncomfortable, Xander could tell that she was genuinely pleased by what Buffy had said.

"Okay," Willow said after a moment. "We should go, so you'll have time to get ready for dinner."

Buffy nodded. "Okay. I'll see you later. And guys.... Thank you for telling me about this so soon." She paused briefly, her face turning serious as she looked the three of them over. "Thanks for trusting me."

Xander grinned at her. "No problem, Buff," he said as they walked to the front door. "Thanks for taking it so well."

They put their shoes on and exchanged goodbyes, and Xander followed Willow and Tara out onto the porch. Buffy closed the door behind them and they walked across the lawn to Xander's car. They climbed in, and Xander put the keys in the ignition, but paused before starting the engine.

"Well. That went well, I think," he offered.

"It sure did," Willow said.

"Yeah," Tara agreed. "I don't think we could have asked for a better reaction." She looked out the window at the house for a moment, then smiled and turned back to him.

"Let's go home," she said. "I need to start dinner too."

Xander looked at his girlfriends a moment longer, then nodded. He turned his attention back to the road and put his seatbelt on. Tara and Willow did likewise as he started the engine, then pulled out into the street and began the trip home.

TBC...