Soul Mates

Hey, AFF.net! How about some feedback?

****

I've created a new mailing list, Ravenhawk's Fanfic. It's going to serve as an archive for Soul Mates and the rest of my fiction. I'll continue to post new chapters of Soul Mates here, but there may be things I'll post to that list that I won't post anywhere else.

Feel free to head on over and sign up. Here's the address:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ravenhawkfic/

Thanks to Spellbound for help with this part.

****

Chaos.

It was true that fighting vampires or demons was never calm or orderly, but this battle was more chaotic than most that Willow had been in. Okay, it wasn't as bad as when they'd fought the Mayor and his vampire henchmen at their graduation, but it was still a mess. Sounds of fighting swirled all around her, and she wished that she could take a look around to see what was going on, but she couldn't. She had to stay focused on the spell she was casting and the target of it.

The large urn sitting on the grave in front of her.

The spell on the urn had already been triggered when they'd arrived; they'd gotten there just seconds too late. Thinking quickly, she'd immediately started a counterspell and had succeeded in blocking the flow of energy from the urn into the grave below it.

The problem was, she'd been continuing the spell for several minutes now and it was starting to become a strain. She'd only meant to use this counterspell to hold the urn's energy back for a short time - just long enough for Buffy or someone else to destroy it. But there had been at least a half-dozen vampires gathered around the grave when they'd arrived, and it was taking quite a while to deal with them.

Not for the first time since she'd begun the spell, Willow wished that Tara was with her. With Tara's power, in addition to her own, holding this counterspell would be a lot easier. They might even be able to force the energy back into the urn and break the enchantment completely.

But she and Tara had gotten separated as soon as the fight with the vampires had started. Willow was a little worried about her, but Buffy had been right beside her when Willow had lost sight of her, so she was as safe as anyone could possibly be in a situation like this. And as for Xander.... He was with Giles the last time Willow had seen him, and they could handle a vampire or two for a few minutes. He'd be okay.

Or so she told herself. She couldn't afford to think otherwise. If she drove herself crazy worrying, she wouldn't be able to concentrate on her spell.

And it needed her full concentration. After the fight had started, Willow had briefly considered stopping her counterspell and trying to use her magic to help her friends. But she'd had to give up on that idea very quickly; if she dropped her spell for even a second, the enchantment on the urn would take effect and the sorcerer whose spirit it contained would be resurrected. And judging by the strength of the spell on the urn.... Well, if it was *this* strong even given that it was a few centuries old now, Willow didn't figure they'd have much chance against the person who'd cast it.

So she kept her attention focused on her counterspell. The sounds of fighting were a little bit closer now, but she refused to let them distract her. She hoped that Buffy and the others would be able to finish off the vampires soon; she didn't know how much longer she'd be able to keep her spell going. She was drawing energy from the earth, but she was using more than she was taking in. Her own reserves were going to run out before much longer.

Suddenly, Willow heard someone crashing through the underbrush nearby. Her blood ran cold as a vampire emerged from the bushes in front of her. It looked around briefly before fixing its yellow eyes on her, a feral grin appearing on its demonic visage.

"Well, well," the vampire said, baring his fangs as he advanced on her. "What have we here? A little witch, all alone."

Willow fought to keep from trembling as the vampire closed the distance between them. "Well, if you know I'm a witch, you must know what I can do," she said, trying her best to hit the same calm, confident tone Buffy always used when facing down vampires. "You'd better get out of here right now, mister, or I'll, I'll... set you on fire!"

The vampire barked a harsh, guttural laugh. "No, I don't think so, witch." He spat the title out like an epithet. "If you could do that, you would have done it the moment you saw me. No, I think all your power is tied up fighting our master's spell."

And he was right. There wasn't enough time for Willow to end her counterspell and cast something else. And she couldn't move more than a few steps from where she was standing without breaking her spell, either.

The vampire gave her a cruel smile. "Which means as soon as I kill you, he will be reborn."

Willow fought down her rising panic. The vampire was only a few yards away now. Even though her instincts were screaming at her to run, she stood fast; keeping her spell up even just an extra few seconds might give the others the time they needed to destroy the urn. Keeping Tara and Xander and her friends safe was worth *anything,* even....

Just as the vampire was about to reach her, someone charged into it, knocking it away from Willow. As both figures sprawled on the ground together, Willow got a look at the new arrival.

It was Xander.

"You stay away from her!" he shouted, landing a solid punch to the vampire's jaw. The vampire had been trying to sit up, so when the blow landed, it knocked him back down and his head hit the ground hard. Xander looked around for a second before spotting a stake on the ground a few yards away - he must have dropped it when he'd tackled the vampire - and scrambled toward it as quickly as he could.

But the vampire recovered quickly, and just as Xander reached the stake, it sprang up and charged toward him. Willow cried out a warning, but the vampire was too fast. It reached Xander and struck out just as he turned, knocking the stake out of his hand.

The two struggled for a long moment - how long, Willow couldn't have said - until the vampire finally managed to shove Xander away. Willow realized that now she had no choice; if she was going to save Xander, she had to stop her counterspell now. Regardless of the consequences, she was *not* going to let this thing kill Xander. They'd just have to find a way to deal with the sorcerer later.

Except the vampire wasn't going after Xander. It turned and, fixing Willow with a murderous glare, advanced on her quickly....

Only to be stopped by an invisible force slamming into it, hard enough to knock it back a step.

Tara stepped forward to stand next to Willow, and she could feel the soft hum of power radiating from her girlfriend. "You don't touch her," Tara growled, her expression at once angry and resolute as she stepped in front of Willow protectively. "Ever." Willow felt another surge of power, and a fiery explosion erupted in front of the vampire's face, causing the creature to howl in pain, momentarily blinded.

"You will die for that, w..." it began, but it was cut off as Xander stepped in between them and slammed a rock he was holding in one hand into the vampire's face. The creature's head snapped back as several of its teeth were broken, and another cry of pain filled the air. But it was abruptly cut off as Xander followed up with a well-placed swing of the stake in his other hand, and the vampire exploded into dust.

Willow nearly sighed with relief as she saw the vampire disintegrate. But there was no time to celebrate. "Tara, honey, I need your help," she said.

Nodding, Tara took her hand without hesitation. Willow could feel her girlfriend's energy swirling around her, reaching out and joining with her own. Relief was almost immediate; with their combined powers, the strain from the spell was greatly reduced. The shield was holding easily now, keeping the energy from the sorcerer's spell trapped in the urn.

Tara watched her carefully, and when she saw that Willow had recovered, she spoke again. "Let's push back now, okay?" she said.

"Do you want me to try to break that thing?" Xander said, nodding toward the urn. He sounded unsure about his chances - the urn looked like it was made of cast iron, after all - but he seemed willing to try.

Tara shook her head quickly. "No. Stay back," she warned. "There's a lot of power concentrated over there. We'll take care of it," she said, and Willow smiled at the confidence in her tone. Now that they were together, she felt it too.

Xander nodded. "Okay. Do whatever you have to. I'll keep watch for vampires."

Taking a deep breath, Willow summoned up as much power as she could. She felt Tara do the same, and as their energies mingled, they increased the power of their shield and moved it upward to envelop the urn, pushing in toward it. It was a struggle, but inch by inch, Willow and Tara were able to push the enchantment it carried back into it.

The urn began to glow with a faint reddish light that looked almost angry in the darkness of the cemetery. They were close now, Willow could tell. The effort was terrible - like trying to push a boulder uphill - but just a few more seconds, and....

With a bright flash, the urn's enchantment was broken, and a loud crack echoed through the cemetery as the urn itself broke along with it. A wail of frustrated anger was carried aloft on a sudden wind as the sorcerer's spirit was banished, its attempt at resurrection thwarted. They'd succeeded.

Willow let go of the power she was holding, her shoulders sagging with relief. Tara wrapped her arms around her, holding her close, letting Willow rest her head on her shoulder. Xander hurried over to them and embraced Willow from behind, kissing her cheek softly.

"You did it," Xander said, stepping around in front of Willow and Tara and smiling at them both. "Have I told you lately how wonderful you are?"

"I'd say Willow's the wonderful one tonight," Tara said, stroking Willow's hair softly. Willow smiled, a contented feeling settling over her, both at the praise and Tara's touch. "She kept the spell from taking effect, all by herself. And I know that couldn't have been easy - right, honey?" she asked, turning and meeting Willow's eyes as Willow lifted her head from her shoulder.

"No, it wasn't," Willow admitted. "But you two saved my life," she continued, stepping back a little to address Tara and Xander at the same time. "So I think there's plenty of wonderfulness to go around tonight."

Xander chuckled, and was about to reply when more sounds from the underbrush reached their ears. They all turned to face the source of the noise, and Willow relaxed when she saw Buffy and Giles step into the clear area around the graves, stakes in hand.

"Hey, guys," Buffy said, taking a quick look around. Satisfied that they were alone, she and Giles lowered the stakes they were holding and approached them. "Is everyone okay?"

"I think so," Xander said, turning to look at Willow and Tara, and they nodded their agreement.

"We're fine," Tara said. "There was only one vampire who found us here, and we took care of him. What about the rest?"

"I think I got them all," Buffy replied. "I counted seven vampires when we arrived, and with the one you took out, that's all of them."

"And the sorcerer's enchantment?" Giles asked, nodding toward the broken urn sitting atop the grave. "I take it that has been dealt with, as well?"

Tara nodded. "Willow held the spell in place, and then when I got back, we broke it together." Willow smiled at Tara's words - even despite the scare she'd had, she still felt no small amount of exhilaration at what she'd managed to do.

"Really?" Giles seemed a little surprised. "I would very much like to hear how you did that.... But of course, that can wait," he added hastily. "You've done more than enough for one day. And that goes for all of you," he finished, gesturing toward all four of them with one hand.

"Good," Buffy said, tucking her stake in her belt and stretching her arms in front of her. "I don't know about anyone else, but right now I just want to get home. So how about we get going?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, and they started making their way out of the cemetery back to where they'd parked. It'd been a long day, but they'd faced down terrible danger and emerged victorious, and that was all that mattered.

****

The drive home didn't take long, and Willow's steps were still a little unsteady from leftover adrenaline as she and Xander and Tara climbed the stairs up to their apartment. When they reached their door, Xander opened it and they all hurried inside, eager to put the dangers of nighttime in Sunnydale behind them.

As soon as Xander had locked their front door and turned on the lights in their living room, Tara pulled Willow close and pressed her lips to hers. After a brief but fierce kiss, Tara pulled her head back, but continued to hold Willow close. "Goddess, at the graveyard tonight, for a minute there, I was scared I was going to lose you," she said. "I love you so much."

Xander stepped in and embraced Willow tightly as well. "I've never been so scared as I was when I saw that vampire charging at you," he said, and Willow could hear the leftover anxiety in his voice mixed in with his obvious relief that she was safe. "I love you," he said, and kissed her deeply, sharing his passion with her.

"I was scared too, but you were there, you protected me," Willow babbled after Xander broke their kiss. "I love you both so much," she murmured, nearly overwhelmed by what she was feeling. She'd nearly been killed, but Xander and Tara had protected her, and with both of them holding her now, she felt loved, and *safe,* and....

Tara kissed her again, more aggressively this time, sliding her tongue past Willow's lips. Willow moaned softly as Tara plundered her mouth, and Xander stepped around behind her, pressing up against her back and wrapping his arms around her waist. Tara lifted her hands to Willow's face, cupping it between them as their tongues swirled together.

When they separated again, Tara turned Willow's head to one side, and Xander gave her a deep, passionate kiss as well. Willow leaned back into his embrace and opened her mouth for him, granting him the access he desired. Tara slid her hands down to Willow's chest, massaging her breasts through her dress. Her touch wasn't at all gentle, and Willow's knees wobbled a bit at the surge of arousal that ran through her, but Xander tightened his grip on her a bit, his strong arms supporting her easily.

After Xander and Willow broke their kiss, Tara took her hands off Willow for a moment and murmured a quick cleansing spell. She ran her palms over Willow's hands, then Xander's, and finally her own, cleaning them of the dirt and grime they'd picked up during the fight in the graveyard. Once she was finished, she reached for the belt on Willow's dress and unbuckled it, and she and Xander lifted it to her waist.

"Lift up your arms, honey," Xander said, and Willow complied quickly. Tara and Xander raised the dress over her head, Xander making sure it didn't catch on her hair, and once it was off, Tara took the garment and dropped it to one side behind them. Tara knelt in front of her and slid her panties down her legs while Xander unhooked her bra and pushed the straps over her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor in front of her.

Tara stood again and dropped Willow's underwear back with her dress. She looked over Willow's shoulder at Xander, and something unspoken passed between them as they held each other's eyes for a few seconds. "You're *ours,*" Tara said, her blue eyes fiercely determined as she turned and locked her gaze with Willow's. "Mine, and Xander's. You're the most precious thing in our lives."

"And no one will *ever* hurt you while we're around," Xander said into her ear, resting his hands on her shoulders. "You're *ours,*" he repeated, and Willow felt another rush of arousal at the possessive tone in both her lovers' voices.

"Yes," she said. "Yes, yes, yes...." She repeated the word over and over, chanting it like a mantra until Xander silenced her with another kiss. As their lips met, Tara leaned in toward Willow and kissed her neck, nibbling and biting just above her collarbone. She slid her hands down Willow's chest, cupping her breasts, rubbing and pinching her nipples, and Willow moaned into Xander's mouth as she pressed in toward her girlfriend's touch.

Just as abruptly as she'd started, Tara broke the contact between them, and Willow almost whimpered at its loss. "Get her down on the floor," Tara said. She took a few steps backward into their living room, away from the door, and Xander broke his kiss with Willow and guided her to follow Tara.

Xander knelt down behind Willow, drawing her down with him, and she leaned back into his arms, resting her head in his lap. Tara knelt in front of her, giving Willow a look she knew well, a look that made her heart race in anticipation. Were they going to do this right *here?*

But there was no mistaking the intensity in Tara's eyes, and as she looked up at Xander, she saw it in his, too. They wanted to *take* her, and she wanted to give herself to them - to both of them. As Tara leaned over her, she met Willow's gaze again, and Willow could see the unspoken question in her eyes.

"Yes," she said, practically trembling with excitement. "Please."

Tara rested her hands on Willow's thighs, pushing her legs open and moving in between them. She slid one hand up her thigh to her sex, parting her lips and probing inside her. Tara smiled when she found that Willow was already wet - Willow could hardly believe that she'd gotten so turned on so quickly, but Tara and Xander did have that effect on her - and Willow moaned loudly as Tara pushed two fingers into her. She clenched tightly around her girlfriend's fingers and squirmed around a little until Xander put his hands on her sides to stop her.

Tara started thrusting her fingers into Willow, fucking her hard and fast with them, and Willow's whole body tensed at the pleasurable waves that ran through her. Xander moved his hands up to her breasts and rubbed his palms over them, not gently, but not rough enough to really hurt her, either. All three of them had gotten to know each other's bodies very well in the months they'd been together, and they all knew what felt good to the others - and what didn't.

Another rush of pleasure surged through Willow as Xander's fingers found her nipples. He pinched them, and Willow moaned again and pushed her chest up toward his hands. Her moan was abruptly cut off when she gasped as Tara stopped the motion of her fingers, leaving them buried deeply inside her, and brushed her thumb over her clit. As Tara rubbed quick circles over her most sensitive place, her arms shot out to her sides, and she dug her nails into the carpet. She had to close her eyes as she lost herself in the wonderful sensations her lovers were bringing her.

They didn't stay closed for long, though. Willow opened her eyes as Tara started moving her fingers again, fucking her just as hard and fast as before. She continued rubbing her clit, and Willow could feel her climax approaching rapidly. It usually took her at least a little longer to get to this point, but the intensity of this whole experience was almost beyond anything she'd ever felt before. Tara's fingers were rough, insistent, and so were Xander's hands, and it all just felt so *good*....

Meeting Willow's eyes, Tara gave her a look that was full of desire and passion - she knew that Willow was right on the brink. "Come for us, honey," she said.

Willow opened her mouth to respond, but all that came out was a cry of ecstasy as her orgasm crashed down upon her. Xander tugged at her nipples, and Tara kept up the motion of her fingers as her climax ran through her, hitting all her most sensitive places inside her. Her back arched, and she squirmed around, unable to keep still, until her orgasm finally passed and she collapsed into Xander's lap again, her chest heaving as she took deep breaths, trying to steady herself.

She didn't feel tired or drained at all - in fact, she still felt full of energy. She wanted *more.* So she was glad to see that Tara didn't slow down at all after her climax; she kept thrusting her fingers into her and rubbing her clit with her thumb, and between that and Xander's hands on her breasts, it only took a couple of minutes before Willow found herself approaching release again.

Just as Willow's orgasm was upon her, Tara leaned forward, and Xander moved his hands away as Tara lowered her head to her chest. Willow gasped as Tara bit her just above her left breast, hard enough to hurt, though she didn't break the skin. Tara looked up at her, and the look in her eyes was intense, almost fierce. It told Willow what she was doing - Tara was *claiming* her, and that knowledge was enough to send her over the edge again. A second climax tore through her body, even stronger than the first, and Tara lifted her head from her chest, watching her face as she was carried away on waves of ecstasy.

When her orgasm had passed, Tara withdrew her fingers, and Willow whimpered a little at the loss. Tara smiled down at her and brought her fingers to her mouth, tasting Willow's essence upon them. Afterward, she reached down and rubbed Willow's stomach affectionately, her gentle caress in stark contrast to the roughness of her touch just a moment ago, and turned toward Xander. He nodded to her as they reached an unspoken decision together.

Xander eased Willow off his lap, resting her gently on the floor. "Stay there," he said, and he and Tara stood. He grabbed a pillow from their couch and put it on the floor next to Willow, and she lifted her head slightly and allowed him to slide it under her. She looked up at her boyfriend and her girlfriend, shivers of excitement still running through her as they undressed quickly. They shared a quick kiss as they discarded the last of their clothes, then stepped in toward Willow.

Kneeling in front of her, Xander rubbed Willow's thighs as he positioned himself between them. He slid his hands upward to briefly caress her breasts, then down to her hips, gripping her tightly there. Tara knelt down above her, straddling her face, and Willow reached up and rested her hands on her girlfriend's thighs.

"Lick me," Tara said. Willow could hear from her tone that she was in no mood to wait for what she wanted, so she pulled down on Tara's thighs, guiding her girlfriend to move downward and lean forward a little until her sex was right above Willow's mouth. Willow slid her tongue over Tara's lips slowly - she was wet, as wet as Willow had ever seen her. Obviously, touching and pleasuring her had gotten Tara incredibly excited herself.

Xander rubbed the head of his cock against Willow's sex, then pushed into her, filling her with a single hard thrust. Willow clenched tightly around him as he entered her and moaned into Tara's sex at the sensation. This brought a long moan from Tara as well, and she pushed down a little, grinding against Willow's face. Willow circled her tongue around her girlfriend's clit, and Tara lifted her hands to her chest, cupping her own breasts and rolling her nipples between her fingers. Willow could tell that Tara wanted to come, badly, so she picked up her pace, swiping her tongue over Tara's clit, settling into a rhythm that she knew would bring her to heights of pleasure very quickly.

A second later, Willow had to moan again as Xander started fucking her hard and deep. He felt so good inside her that it took all Willow's concentration to remain focused on Tara. But she managed it, though just barely - given how excited she was, she knew that it wouldn't take very long for Xander to bring her to her own peak.

It was Tara who came first, just a short while later, pushing down against Willow's tongue as her cry of pleasure filled the air. Even though she was on the edge herself, Willow kept licking Tara's clit all the way through her climax, wanting to bring her as much pleasure as she could. She stopped when she finally felt Tara relax, and she smiled a moment later when Tara moved off of her.

Just after Tara had moved away, Xander leaned forward and met Willow's eyes, and she could see love and intensity in his eyes that was every bit as strong as what she'd seen from Tara a few moments ago. He dipped his head to her chest and bit her, on her right side just below her collarbone. The momentary pain was quickly carried away on a torrent of emotion - Tara and Xander had *both* claimed her now, she was *theirs*....

Willow moaned, long and low, from deep in her chest as another powerful orgasm shook her body. She wrapped her arms and legs around Xander tightly, holding him to her, loving the way his body felt against hers. Her head rolled back on the pillow and she closed her eyes, her inner muscles clenching tightly around Xander's cock as she let the pleasurable waves wash over her, a tide that seemed like it would never end.

Finally, her climax passed, and Willow relaxed a little, her arms and legs falling open once more. Xander gave her a quick but intense kiss before pushing himself up on his arms again, but stopped at the sound of Tara's voice. "Roll her over," Tara said, and Willow's eyes shot open at her words.

Xander pulled away, withdrawing from her, and put his hands on Willow's hips, pushing gently, but insistently. Willow rolled over, pushing herself up on her hands and knees to see Tara lying on her back in front of her. "Come here," Tara said, opening her legs and beckoning with one finger.

Xander slapped Willow's ass, hard, and she moaned softly and crawled forward, between Tara's legs, stopping in front of her sex. She could hardly believe all that was happening - Tara and Xander weren't asking her what she wanted, they were just *taking* what they wanted from her. Of course, Willow had no doubt that they'd stop if she protested, but she wasn't about to do that. She wanted this. She wanted to give herself to them completely, to let them have her however they wanted her.

Tara reached for Willow's head with one hand, threading her fingers through her hair. She pushed Willow down to her sex, and Willow wasted no time - her tongue darted out and swiped over her girlfriend's clit. Tara moaned and held Willow's head to her, her grip tightening as she played with her own nipple with her other hand.

Just after she'd started licking Tara, Xander thrust his cock into Willow again, her wet passage accepting him easily. He slid his hands underneath her, up to her breasts, where he pinched and tugged at her nipples the same way he had when Tara was inside her earlier. Willow moaned into Tara's sex as Xander's hands and his cock stoked the fire inside her again, and she slipped her lips over Tara's clit, flicking her tongue against the tip of it as quickly as she could. She knew that another climax was fast approaching, and she wanted Tara to get there with her.

Tara responded enthusiastically to what Willow was doing, moaning loudly and squirming around beneath her tongue. Willow rubbed her lips along Tara's clit, then circled her tongue around it quickly, just the way she knew Tara liked. It only took a few minutes of this before Tara cried out, her thighs pressing in around Willow's head, her fingers pulling her hair as her whole body tensed with her orgasm. The intensity of her girlfriend's response combined with the rhythm of Xander fucking her and his hands on her breasts was enough to make Willow follow along after her, joining Tara in that sweet moment of pure bliss.

When their climaxes had passed, Tara relaxed a little, but didn't loosen her grip on Willow's hair. She wanted more, and Willow was happy to give it - she resumed licking around and over Tara's clit, and was rewarded with a soft moan from her girlfriend. Xander moved his hands down to her hips and started fucking Willow harder, and she clenched her muscles around his cock, bringing a moan from him as well.

Willow kept up her attentions on Tara's clit, pleasuring her with her lips and tongue, and she was quickly able to bring her to another climax. Just a second later, Xander buried himself inside Willow deeply, and she heard his own cry of pleasure as she felt the warm, familiar sensation of him coming inside her. That was enough to send her over the edge one last time, and she lifted her head from Tara's sex, moaning loudly, her whole body tensing once more with waves of ecstasy.

Finally, when it was over, she collapsed, resting her head on Tara's stomach. A moment later, Xander withdrew from her, and silence settled over the room as the three of them took a moment to catch their breath.

"Wow," Willow said when she could speak again. "That was...."

"Amazing?" Xander supplied helpfully.

"That was way past amazing," Willow said, sighing softly.

Tara chuckled, low in her throat, and ran her fingers through Willow's hair. "Well, I think we can all agree, it was really something," she said.

Willow yawned. It was all catching up to her - the long day, the scare at the graveyard, and the intense lovemaking they'd just finished. She was exhausted. She wasn't sure if she could even summon the strength to stand up, let alone walk to their bedroom.

Fortunately, she didn't have to. Seeing how tired she was, Xander crouched down beside Willow and picked her up, cradling her easily in his arms. He gave her a long, slow kiss, and when he pulled away, Tara stood up and kissed her deeply as well.

Xander carried Willow into their bedroom, Tara following right behind, and set her down in the middle of the bed. He climbed in next to her, Tara lying down on her other side, and they cradled her protectively between them. With a contented sigh, Willow fell asleep almost immediately, nestled in between the two people she cared about most - warm, and safe, and loved.

TBC...