Soul Mates

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Thanks very much to Kate for help with and ideas for this part.

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Willow slept as well as she ever had that night, and she awoke the next morning to find the bedroom bathed in sunlight that filtered in through the partially closed blinds on their windows. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she saw that Xander and Tara were already awake. They were on either side of her, turned in to face her, and they smiled at her as her eyes opened.

"Hey," Tara said softly. "Morning."

"Hey," Willow said, smiling back at them. "What are you doing?"

"Watching you sleep," Xander said.

"For how long?" she asked.

"Not long. Ten or fifteen minutes," Tara replied. "Did you sleep well?"

Willow nodded. "Very well," she said. "I feel rested, and refreshed, and...." She paused for a moment, turning to look at the clock by their bed. It was just after eight o'clock - she'd slept for a little over nine hours. "And probably lots of other 're' words, too," she said, smiling and stretching her arms above her head.

"Although I am a little sore," she confessed as she lowered her arms to her sides again. Now that she was fully awake, she was starting to notice that her sex still ached a little from last night.

Tara and Xander frowned at her words. "I hope I wasn't too rough last night," Xander said.

"Me too," Tara said. "I'm sorry if I got carried away."

Willow shook her head quickly. "No, it's not bad or anything," she said. It was true - she was actually surprised that her soreness wasn't a lot worse, given how rough Tara and Xander had been with her last night. "I'll be fine. Really. Neither of you was too rough." She gave them a reassuring smile, and after a moment they both relaxed a little.

"So.... What do you think about what happened last night?" Tara asked, resting one hand lightly on Willow's chest. She ran her fingers lightly over the place where she'd bitten Willow last night, just above her left breast. The mark was still visible, as was the one beneath her collarbone where Xander had bitten her. Xander reached out to touch her lightly there, tracing the outline of the mark he'd made as Willow considered her reply.

"I liked it," Willow said after a moment. "Are you worried about me? Don't be. I would have told you last night if you were doing anything I didn't like. I mean, I...." She felt herself blushing as she admitted this, but forced herself to go on nonetheless. "I really *enjoyed* it. I just.... I don't know what I really *think* about it, you know?"

Xander and Tara stayed silent. She could see from their faces that they were concerned, but they didn't push her for answers, and Willow took another moment to think before continuing. "It's just that.... You were taking care of me last night, you know? First at the cemetery, when you saved me from the vampire, and then again when we were making love. And it felt really good."

Smiling, Xander leaned down and kissed Willow's shoulder softly. "I'm glad," he said, obviously reassured. She smiled back at him and reached for his hand, taking it in hers and running her thumb over his palm.

Tara licked her bottom lip as Willow turned to look at her. Their eyes met, and Tara fixed her with a look that was surprisingly intense. "So, were you nervous, at all... about what we were doing?" she asked.

Willow shook her head. "No, not really," she said. "Maybe a little at the beginning. But I trust you, and I trust Xander, so I didn't think I needed to worry."

Sitting up a little, Tara gestured toward the bed next to her, on the other side from Willow. "Xander, honey, could you come over here?" she said. Willow could hear an undercurrent of excitement in her voice, and Xander looked up, momentarily surprised - he'd obviously noticed it, too.

He didn't let it stop him for long, though. "Sure," he said. He gave Willow a soft kiss, then stood up and walked to the other side of the bed. He scooted in next to Tara, and she leaned back against him, turning her head and kissing him as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"So, what was it like, last night?" Tara asked, looking back to meet Willow's eyes again.

"Well, like I said, it was a little scary at first," Willow replied. "But not the bad kind of scary, like when you have a vampire in your face going 'grr.'" She did her best approximation of a vampire's growl, and Tara and Xander both chuckled in response. "It was, you know, the good kind of scary. Like when you're on a rollercoaster, or something."

"But once I got over that, it was like I just... let go. You two were doing whatever you wanted to me, and it all felt so good, I just wanted to let you... have your way." Willow felt herself blushing again; this was a little hard to admit, but it was true.

Without taking her eyes off Willow, Tara took Xander's hands and guided them to her breasts. He started playing with her nipples, and she sighed softly, pushing herself back against him. "And you were okay with that?" she said, her voice low and her gaze intense. "Letting go?"

Willow considered the question for a moment. Even now, she felt a twinge of arousal when she thought back to the way they'd made love last night. "Yeah," she finally said. "It was exciting. It was like I didn't have to worry about anything. I could just lose myself in how I was feeling."

Tara didn't say anything in reply. Instead, she simply held out her hand to Willow, and Willow took it, sitting up and leaning in toward her. Tara kissed her, deeply and passionately, and Tara wrapped her arms around her and pulled her in close. Xander kept his hands on Tara's breasts, rubbing slow circles over her nipples, and Tara moaned into Willow's mouth. She ran her hands up Willow's back as Xander started nibbling her neck gently.

After a long moment, they broke their kiss, and Tara rested her forehead against Willow's as she caught her breath. "So, you two were planning something nice for me after I made breakfast yesterday," she said. "But we were interrupted."

Willow had to giggle at the obvious excitement in her girlfriend's voice. "That's right, we did," she said coyly, resting a hand on Tara's shoulder and rubbing her softly. She looked over Tara's shoulder at Xander, who met her eyes and smiled. He slid his hands down to Tara's hips and scooted out from behind her, and she laid back, resting against the pillows piled at the head of the bed.

After sharing another quick kiss with Xander, Willow leaned down to Tara's chest, kissing one of her breasts softly. Next to her, Xander did the same with her other breast, and Tara shivered at the touch of their lips. Willow took Tara's nipple in her mouth, and Xander again mimicked her actions, drawing a long moan from Tara in response. She reached down to their heads, running her fingers through their hair as they both sucked on her.

"Oh, yes," Tara whispered. "Goddess, that feels so good."

Pulling back a little, Willow looked up at Tara and smiled. Then she took Tara's nipple in her mouth again, scraping her teeth over it and sucking a little harder. She ran her fingers gently over the hollow between Tara's breasts, knowing how much she liked to be touched there, and chuckled low in her throat as Tara shivered in response.

Finally, Willow pulled away from Tara's chest and sat up, looking down at her girlfriends face, flushed with arousal. Xander sat up as well, resting a hand on Tara's stomach and rubbing her affectionately before turning toward Willow and giving her one of those big smiles she loved so much.

"Why don't you go first?" he said. "I want to watch."

"That's fine with me," Willow said, smiling back at him. She reached for his hand, squeezing it lightly before turning back to Tara and locking eyes with her. The passion and desire she could see in Tara's gaze sent a shiver up her spine.

She crawled forward, over Tara's body, stopping when they were face to face. Without taking her eyes from Tara's, Willow lowered herself gently, resting on top of her, and gave her a slow, passionate kiss. Tara wrapped her arms around Willow, running her nails up her back, and Willow moved gently on top of her, a delightful shiver running through her body as her nipples brushed against Tara's.

"Oh god," Xander said from his place on the bed next to them. "That's so hot."

Giggling, Willow and Tara broke their kiss, turning to look at Xander together. Willow glanced down at his cock and felt a little rush of excitement when she saw that he was hard. It always felt good to see how easily she and Tara could turn Xander on; it made her feel sexy in a way she'd never quite experienced before.

Willow smiled at Xander, then turned back to Tara, kissing her cheek and then her neck. Reaching down between Tara's legs with one hand, Willow ran her fingers over Tara's lips, prompting her to squirm around underneath her and sending another wave of arousal through Willow as their nipples brushed together again. She was a little surprised to feel how wet Tara was - even with her and Xander touching Tara together, it usually took a little longer for her to get this excited.

Well, there was no reason to make her wait. Sliding her hands down Tara's sides, Willow kissed her way down her chest, stopping at her breasts. She reached up and caressed them, squeezing them gently, loving the way they felt in her hands. It seemed that every time she touched Tara's breasts, she was surprised and delighted all over again by just how soft they were, and this time was certainly no different.

Willow nuzzled Tara's breasts with her cheeks, then rubbed her lips over one of her nipples. Tara sucked in a breath at the touch of her lips, and Willow smiled and kissed her nipple softly, then moved to her other breast to do the same. She was tempted to linger here for a while, but she knew what Tara wanted - what she *needed* - so after slowly circling Tara's nipple with her tongue, she moved again, kissing Tara's stomach as she scooted down to position herself between her legs.

Tara gasped as Willow kissed her lips softly, then ran her tongue over them, relishing the sweet taste of her essence. Smiling up at Tara, Willow parted her lips and swiped her tongue over her clit once, then again as she felt Tara's whole body tense in response. Willow put her hands on Tara's thighs, rubbing them softly, and Tara reached down with one hand and ran her fingers through Willow's hair. Her touch wasn't rough, like last night - instead of holding Willow to her, Tara simply stroked her hair softly. Lovingly.

Lifting her head a little, Tara looked down at her, meeting her eyes, her gaze intense and full of excitement. Despite the gentleness of her touch, Willow could tell that she already wasn't far from her climax. So she started circling Tara's clit with her tongue, licking all around and over it, enjoying Tara's enthusiastic response. She didn't move too quickly, but even so, it didn't take long to bring her to the edge.

When Tara's climax took her, Willow slipped her lips over her clit, sucking gently as she flicked her tongue over the tip. Tara writhed around on the bed, and she closed her eyes tightly as her head rolled back on the pillows beneath her. Her fingers tightened in Willow's hair, and she pushed herself forward, grinding her sex against Willow's tongue as her orgasm washed over her.

Finally, Tara started to relax, and she took a deep breath as she opened her eyes and looked down at Willow again. But Willow didn't give her any time to rest - just after she'd caught her breath, Willow slid two fingers inside her, quickly finding the sensitive places she knew so well. Tara gasped, then moaned, reaching down to play with her nipples as Willow started licking her clit again.

It only took a few minutes before Tara was crying out with her release once more. Willow lifted her head, rubbing Tara's clit with her thumb as she looked down at her, smiling in satisfaction as she took in the blissful look on her face. She could feel Tara clenching around her fingers, and she simply watched, entranced by her girlfriend's beauty as she rode out her orgasm.

After Tara's climax had passed, Willow withdrew her fingers, then kissed Tara's lips softly. Tara looked down at her, and Willow moved forward a bit to kiss her navel before sitting up.

"Thank you," Tara said, giving her one of those beautiful smiles she loved so much.

"It was my pleasure, baby," Willow said, resting her hand on Tara's thigh and rubbing her softly. "It always is."

"I think it was mine, too," Xander spoke up. Willow and Tara laughed and turned to look at him, and he grinned back at them. Moving in next to Willow, he kissed her shoulder softly, and she leaned forward and kissed him deeply, letting him taste Tara on her lips and tongue.

After they broke their kiss, Willow reached for his cock, and Xander tensed as she stroked him gently. "I want to watch you and Tara make love," she said, squeezing Tara's thigh with her other hand. Tara sat up, and Willow turned toward her as Tara covered her hand with her own.

"You can play too, if you want to," Tara said softly.

Willow shook her head. "No, it's okay," she said. She moved back on the bed, letting go of Xander's cock, and let her hands fall to her sides. "Like I said, I'm still a little sore. It'll be enough for me to just watch you two together."

"Are you sure?" Xander asked, and Willow had to smile at his obvious concern.

"Yes, I'm sure," she reassured him. "I'm really...." she continued, but abruptly fell silent as a thought struck her.

"Although.... There is a spell I could use," Willow said.

"Don't worry, it's just something I'll cast on myself," she continued quickly, in response to the wary look Xander gave her. "It's simple. It's just a spell that, if I touch you, it lets me feel what you're feeling. So I can share in what you're experiencing. That's all. I've been wanting to try this for a while now, and this is the perfect time, so please say it's okay?" she finished, giving him what she hoped was her cutest smile.

Xander's expression softened, and he smiled back at her. "You know I can't resist you, right?" he said.

"That's just one of the things we love about you," Tara added, looking at her fondly.

"Yep," Willow replied cheerfully. "That's me - totally irresistible." She knew she was being silly, but she didn't care. She was too caught up in the excitement of the idea of using this spell.

Xander thought for a moment, then nodded. "Okay," he said. "If you want to - that sounds pretty harmless. Tara? What do you think?"

"It's okay with me," Tara said. "It's a simple spell. I don't see any problem with it."

"Great!" Willow exclaimed. "Just give me a second." She concentrated, feeling the power of the earth flow into her, and she shaped it into the enchantment she wanted, draping it over herself like a blanket. "Okay. That should do it," she said after giving it a few seconds to make sure that nothing had gone wrong. "Go ahead."

Xander looked at Willow a moment longer, then, apparently satisfied that everything was okay, turned toward Tara. She smiled at him, and he scooted in close and kissed her. She lifted one hand to his face, caressing his cheek, and he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close. Willow could hear Tara's soft moan of pleasure as she and Xander deepened their kiss, leaning into each other, sharing the incredible desire they clearly felt for one another.

Willow took a moment to just watch them together. The truth was, she treasured the deep, intimate connection her lovers had, not only with her, but also with each other. Even though it was nice when she was the center of attention, Willow knew that to make their relationship work, things had to be equal emotionally between all three of them. So she could appreciate how beautiful the love and passion that Tara and Xander had for each other was, because she knew that they both felt the same way about her, too.

Moving in toward them, Willow touched them both at the same time, resting one hand on Tara's arm, the other on Xander's. She gasped at the rush of sensation she felt - the desire and excitement and arousal of both her lovers at once was an incredible feeling. And she could immediately feel concern, as well, mixed in with the tide of everything else, and Xander and Tara broke their kiss and turned to look at her.

"Are you okay, honey?" Xander asked.

"It's not too much, is it?" Tara said.

Willow shook her head. "No, it's fine." Now that the initial shock was over, she was quickly adjusting to what she was feeling from them. It was intense, but it wasn't more than she could handle. "It feels really good, actually," she said, blushing a little. "Keep going. Please."

Xander and Tara smiled at her, then turned and kissed again, more deeply this time. Xander slipped his tongue past Tara's lips, circling it around hers, and she opened her mouth to give him the access her wanted. As they kissed, he slid one hand around to her front to cup Tara's breast, and Willow felt a surge of arousal from both of them as he rubbed her nipple softly. Willow moaned aloud as she felt two sets of sensations - Xander's excitement at touching, and Tara's excitement at being touched. She felt herself flush with arousal, heat spreading outward from her center as she lost herself in the intimacy of the moment.

Willow watched as Tara pushed in toward Xander's hand, and he pinched her nipple softly, prompting Tara to moan and suck on his tongue gently. Their tongues swirled around each other for another moment, then Xander pulled back slightly and kissed Tara's neck before turning to look at Willow. He rested his free hand on Willow's shoulder, running his fingers down her chest, covering one breast with his palm. He rubbed her softly, then caressed her nipple with his fingers. Willow shivered at the pleasurable sensations that ran through her at his touch, mixing with what she was feeling from him and Tara, quickly bringing her to new heights of arousal.

She only lasted a few seconds before she gently pushed Xander's hand away. He frowned slightly and looked at her with concern again.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

Willow quickly shook her head. "No, it's fine. It's just a little too much if you're touching me, too," she said. "That's all."

It was true - she knew now that there was no way she could possibly use this spell if she was going to be having sex, too. Still, what she'd felt from Xander when he was touching her made her happy. It was nice to know that he was just as excited and aroused by her as he was by Tara.

Willow took Xander's hand and led it to Tara's chest, and he smiled at her and turned his attention back to Tara. He kissed his way down her chest, and she rested one hand on his head, running her fingers through his hair. When he reached her breasts, Xander kissed the space between them, then licked one nipple slowly. Tara sighed softly as Xander took her nipple in his mouth, sucking on her gently even as he rolled her other nipple between his fingers.

Another soft moan passed Willow's lips as she felt what her lovers were feeling. She knew from experience - lots and lots of experience - how good it felt to have her nipples touched and sucked on, and if anything, Tara was a little bit more sensitive there than she was. But the real surprise was Xander. Ever since they'd gotten together, Willow had known that Xander was something of a breast man, but she'd had no idea just how exciting it was for him to touch and kiss and play with their breasts. It was no wonder he paid so much attention to them when they made love.

When Xander pulled away from Tara's breast and moved to her other one, Willow slid her hand from Tara's arm to her chest and caressed her there. Her nipple was still wet from Xander's mouth, and Willow rubbed it softly, enjoying the thrill of pleasure she felt from Tara at the touch of her hand and Xander's lips. Tara smiled lovingly at her, and she covered Willow's hand with her own, stroking it gently with her thumb as Willow continued to caress her softly.

Finally, Xander pulled away from Tara's chest and gave her a quick kiss. "Lay back, honey," he said, and Willow could feel the desire and anticipation from them both.

Tara lifted Willow's hand and kissed it softly, then laid back on the bed. Xander knelt in front of her, and she opened her legs for him, smiling as he moved in between them. He slid his hands up her body to her breasts, caressing them as he positioned himself in front of her. Willow grasped Xander's cock and guided him toward Tara's sex, letting go and resting her hand on his hip when his head was nestled against Tara's lips. Willow looked into Tara's eyes, watching her intently as Xander pushed into her.

Xander and Tara moaned in unison as he slid into her wet passage, but Willow's gasp was louder than either of them. She could feel their joining from both sides, and she had to close her eyes for a moment against the intensity of the feelings that ran through her from both of them. She opened them again and let out a breath of air as Xander started moving, slowly at first, but quickly picking up his pace until he settled into a steady rhythm. Willow shivered as tingles of pleasure ran through her, and Tara looked up at her, smiling as she squeezed her hand.

Over the next several minutes, Willow could feel Tara's arousal quickly building, and as Xander played with and pinched her nipples, it only stoked the fire inside her faster. She wrapped her legs around Xander and rested her free hand on his arm as she looked up at him. "Fuck me harder," she said, her voice thick with need that Willow could feel from her as surely as if it were her own. "Please?"

Smiling down at her, Xander picked up his pace, and Tara lifted her hips a little to allow him to enter her more deeply. "Oh, yes..." she moaned, even as Willow was gasping again at the surge of pleasure she felt. Tara's back arched, pressing her breasts up into Xander's hands, and she closed her eyes as she writhed around on the bed underneath him.

It didn't take long before Tara's climax was upon her. Willow saw her body tense, and Tara tightened her legs around Xander, using them to hold him close to her as she gave herself over to the waves of ecstasy that ran through her. Willow felt them as well, though it wasn't quite enough to send her over the edge - the sensations were just a little bit removed from the center of her consciousness thanks to the spell. Still, it felt incredibly good nonetheless, and when she felt a surge of pleasure from Xander as Tara clenched her muscles around his cock in the throes of her orgasm, she couldn't help moaning again.

After Tara's climax had passed, Xander leaned down and gave her a passionate kiss, which she returned eagerly. Her arousal had subsided, but only a little. She wanted to come again, and Willow didn't need her spell to know that - she could tell just from the look on her face.

Willow watched as Xander broke his kiss with Tara, then pushed himself up again. He slid his hands from her breasts to her hips and looked down at Tara, his gaze appreciative as it traveled up her body. "You're so beautiful," he said softly as he locked eyes with her. "And sexy."

"Thank you," Tara replied, her voice low and husky, and she smiled warmly at the compliment.

Rubbing her hips softly, Xander started fucking Tara harder, and she moaned softly as he increased his pace. Willow took Xander's hand and brought it together with Tara's, smiling as they threaded their fingers together. She covered their clasped hands with her own and took a deep breath, trying to steady herself against the torrent of sensations she was feeling from both of them. She could feel Tara nearing another climax, but Xander's excitement was quickly rising now, too, and the combination threatened to overwhelm her.

But even through that, Willow could feel Xander holding himself back, keeping his orgasm at bay in order to keep pleasuring Tara for as long as he could. Tara's climax wasn't far off, and Xander obviously wanted to keep going long enough to get her there. The effort warmed Willow's heart; she could tell that holding back wasn't easy for Xander. She remembered all the times he'd done the same for her when they were making love, and now that she knew what it took for him to do it, she appreciated it all the more. It was more proof of how much he loved her and Tara - not that she needed it at this point.

Xander slipped one hand between Tara's legs, rubbing her clit as he fucked her hard and deep, and it didn't take long to send her over the edge again. At Tara's first tremors, Willow could feel Xander let go, and he buried himself deeply inside Tara, his release following closely after hers. The combined force of both their climaxes hit Willow like a tidal wave, and she came without even touching herself, joining her lovers in their moment of bliss.

When it was over, Willow ended her spell, and they all took a moment to catch their breath. Tara let her legs fall open again as she relaxed, and Xander rubbed her thigh softly, staying where he was a bit longer before finally withdrawing from her. He laid down next to her, on his back, and he wrapped one arm around her as she rolled over to cuddle against him. Turning toward Willow, Xander smiled and held out his other arm, and he pulled her close as she laid down with him and Tara.

They rested together in silence for a moment, until a thought suddenly struck Willow, and she spoke up.

"You know, for a guy, you sure do like snuggling a lot," she said, poking Xander in the chest.

Xander chuckled. "The day when I *don't* enjoy having two beautiful women pressed against me? That's probably when you should start worrying about me," he said.

Willow giggled, and Tara laughed along with her. "Well, when you put it that way...." Willow said, smiling affectionately at Xander. She pushed herself up a little and pressed her lips to his, which turned into a round of kisses shared between all three of them.

"So, did the spell go okay?" Tara asked when they were done. "You looked like you were having fun." She rubbed Willow's back gently, and Willow sighed softly before replying.

"Oh, yeah," she enthused. "It was pretty amazing. I mean, I don't think it's something I'd want to do too often...."

"Because you like to be more active?" Xander interrupted with a grin.

"Definitely," Willow said. Xander kissed the top of her head, and she snuggled against his chest, resting one hand on Tara's hip. They passed another moment in silence, until Xander finally spoke again.

"Hey," he said, and Willow and Tara both looked up at him, surprised by the sudden seriousness in his tone.

"I love you," he said, his expression sincere as he looked between them. "Both of you. I just... thought I should say it. Especially after last night."

Last night. When she'd almost been killed. Sure, she was okay now, but that certainly wouldn't be the last time that one or all of them found themselves in danger. As long as they lived on a Hellmouth....

Willow quickly pushed those thoughts aside. She didn't want to think about that right now. Instead, she focused on what Xander had just told her.

"I love you too," she said. "Both of you. So much."

Tara smiled. "I love you both, too," she said.

It was such a simple thing to say, but hearing it from Xander and Tara always made Willow happy in a way that nothing else could ever quite manage. And this time was no different. Hearing those words was enough to silence her worries for the time being and let her just enjoy the moment she was sharing with them.

So she rested her head on Xander's chest and closed her eyes, content for the time being. She and Tara and Xander were all fine and they were together. Right now, that was all that mattered.

END CHAPTER 9