Soul Mates

Title: Soul Mates
Chapter: 11
Author: Ravenhawk (ravenhawk450@gmail.com)
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. They belong to Joss Whedon. Neither I nor any website on which this story appears receives any compensation for this work.
Distribution: Anywhere, just ask.
Feedback: Yes, please.
Pairing: Willow/Tara/Xander
Warnings: There are some discussions of sex and (light) bondage in this chapter. The next chapter will have explicit scenes involving them.
Note: Thanks very much to everyone who's given me feedback and suggestions. I really appreciate it, and please keep it coming.

As always, if you want to see chapters of this story as soon as they're finished, sign up for my Yahoo group. I tend to post chapters there a couple of days before they're posted anywhere else. Also, there are a couple of short Soul Mates vignettes there that I haven't posted anywhere else. Here's the address:

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

****

"Oh god," Xander said as he slumped down on the couch. "Tell me why I decided to subject myself to the horrors of tests again?"

"It was something about bettering yourself, I think?" Tara said with a grin as she sat down next to him. Willow sat down on his other side, giving him a sympathetic look, and Xander wrapped his arms around her and Tara, relaxing a little as they snuggled against him. It still surprised him a little, that no matter how bad a day he'd had, no matter how stressed he was, just being with his girls could always make him feel better. It was one of the reasons he always looked forward to coming home in the evening.

"Was that it? What was I thinking?" Xander said. He'd had the midterm exam for his Introduction to Business class earlier that night, and it had basically been one long flashback to every quiz or test he'd stressed out over back in high school. Not fun in the slightest.

Willow gave him a sympathetic look. "Come on, honey. I'm sure you did fine. I know you studied really hard."

"Yeah - and thank you for your help with that," Xander said. "And you," he added, giving Tara a quick smile. "If I get a good grade in this class, it's only because of you guys."

"Don't sell yourself short, sweetie," Tara said, poking him in the ribs gently.

Xander smiled. They never let him get away with that. "Okay, okay," he said. "So how about you guys? How do you think your midterms went?"

"Pretty well, I'd say," Tara said after a moment's pause. "I didn't run into any big surprises or anything. How about you, honey?" she asked, looking over at Willow.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure I didn't have any problems," Willow said. "Except on my Data Structures midterm. I mean, I studied hard for it, and I think I did okay, but...."

Xander didn't miss the slightly pensive look that crossed Willow's face as she spoke. He knew that she was more worried about her Data Structures test than she was letting on. He'd seen this before - seen it several times over the years he'd known Willow, actually. Even though she was one of the smartest people he'd ever met, and definitely the best student, she always worried about school. It was just part of who she was.

Xander thought for a moment about what he could do. He could try to reassure Willow, but he knew from experience that that wouldn't work. He was sure that she was going to ace this test, but she wouldn't be until she actually saw the grade. If she was worrying about this, there was nothing he could do to get her to stop.

On the other hand, he *could* take her mind off it for a while.

Pulling Willow a little closer, Xander leaned over and kissed her. He could see surprise in her eyes as his lips met hers, but she didn't stiffen or pull away, and it didn't take long before she was kissing him back. He tightened his grip on Tara a little as he kissed Willow, and out of the corner of his eye, he could see her smiling a little as she watched them.

When their kiss ended, Willow gave him a curious look. "What was that for?" she asked.

"Well, we're all done with our midterms," Xander said. "So I figured we should celebrate. What do you guys think?" He grinned, looking from Willow to Tara, certain that the eagerness he was feeling was obvious. Okay - maybe his motives weren't *completely* selfless, here. His girlfriends were so hot, he couldn't help himself sometimes. Okay, most of the time.

Willow smiled and fixed him with a look that said she saw right through him. "Like you need a reason to suggest sex," she said. "You want it all the time."

Tara gave him a smile of her own. "Yeah, pretty much any occasion works for you, honey," she said.

"We do it almost every day, and you *still* want more?" Willow's tone was lightly teasing, and Xander chuckled in response. Busted.

"Okay. You've got me," Xander said. "But, come on. You two know how beautiful you are, right? I mean, I think it's a wonder that I can ever keep my hands off you."

Still smiling, Tara leaned in toward Xander, and he kissed her deeply, holding her close. Willow kissed his cheek, sighing softly into his ear as she reached over and put her hand on Tara's thigh, rubbing her through her skirt.

"Flattery will get you everywhere," Tara said when they finally separated. Xander smiled happily and kissed her neck, then turned to kiss Willow again. He slid his hand up her back to run gently through her hair, and she moaned softly into his mouth as they deepened their kiss.

When she finally pulled away from Xander, Willow turned toward Tara, and they leaned in toward each other, kissing deeply right in front of him. Tara lifted one hand to caress Willow's cheek, and Willow squeezed Tara's thigh gently as Xander looked on. He licked his lips, his mouth suddenly dry; the combination of watching his girls kiss and feeling them so close to him was quickly getting him very turned on. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself a little. It wouldn't do to get too worked up too early.

When Willow and Tara finally broke their kiss, they pulled away from each other a little, taking a moment to just look into each other's eyes, the love they shared almost palpable between them. It still amazed Xander sometimes, the incredible connection his girls had. It always made him feel so lucky, and special, that they'd decided to let him be a part of it, too.

When the moment had passed, Xander kissed Willow's cheek, bringing her and Tara's attention to him again. "So..." he said. "You remember that night a couple of months ago? After you destroyed that sorcerer's urn?" He'd been wanting to bring this up for a while now, and figured this was as good a time as any.

There was a soft intensity in Willow's eyes as she looked at him. "Yeah. I remember."

"Well, when we made love that night... it seemed like you really enjoyed it," he said, holding her gaze, watching her reaction carefully.

Willow blushed a little, but didn't turn away. "I did," she said softly.

"Well, um...." Xander said. "Well, I...." He stopped, suddenly very self-conscious. What would they think of what he was about to tell them?

"What?" Tara's voice was gentle, reassuring. "Sweetie, you know you can tell us anything." Her blue eyes were full of love, and when he turned back toward Willow, she nodded, and Xander saw that she was looking at him the same way. He relaxed a little; he really *could* tell them anything, couldn't he?

"I really enjoyed it too," Xander said. "The whole being-in-charge thing." He looked Willow in the eye, his tone serious as he continued. "Having you do whatever I wanted you to.... It was a total turn-on."

"So you liked being in control?" Willow's voice was soft, but her tone was just as serious as Xander's had been.

Xander nodded. That was the only answer he could give at the moment.

"Well...." Willow's blush deepened, and she looked down at her lap. "I liked it, too. I liked you and Tara telling me what to do." She looked up again, looking from him to Tara, and Xander gave her a reassuring smile.

"So, then, I was thinking.... We could do it again," Xander said. "If you want to. And if it's okay with you, Tara," he added, suddenly realizing how quiet she'd been during this conversation as he turned toward her.

Tara was looking at him with a curious expression, but nonetheless, she nodded as he met her eyes. "If you want to try it again, I'm up for it," she said. "But the main thing is whether Willow wants to do it." She turned toward Willow and took her hand, squeezing it gently. "What do you think, honey?" she asked. "It's okay to say no. We don't want to pressure you or anything."

"Right. Absolutely not. Total lack of pressure, here," Xander said. "Don't worry if this isn't something you're interested in. Just say so, and I won't bring it up again."

Willow looked up, first at Tara, then at Xander, and smiled. "No, I... I am interested," she said. She was still blushing, but seemed a little more sure of herself now. "So, how would this work, exactly? You just... tell me to do stuff, and I do it?"

"Basically, yeah," Xander said. "But I was also thinking we could, um... tie you up. I mean, if that's okay." Amazingly, he managed to keep his voice steady as he said the last part. It was no mean feat; the image of Willow naked and tied to their bed kept running through his mind, and it was turning him on so much that it was all he could do just to sit still.

Willow shivered a little and licked her lips, and Xander could see her arousal in her eyes as she looked back at him. She was really turned on by this idea, he could tell. He wondered if she'd enjoy this as much as he thought he was going to. He hoped she would.

"Um, yeah. I'd like to try that," Willow said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Tara lifted Willow's hand to her lips and kissed it softly. "Are you sure?" she asked. Willow nodded in answer, and Tara smiled. "Okay. I guess need a way to stop things if you get uncomfortable, or if we go too far or something."

"You mean, like, a safe word?" Willow said. Xander gave her a curious look, and Willow chuckled nervously as Tara did the same. "I've read about them. On the internet. It's what people usually use for stuff like this."

"So, we pick a word, and if you say it, we stop everything? That's how it works?" Xander asked. He realized that he had no idea how this sort of thing was usually done. Maybe he should have read up on this before suggesting it. But then, careful planning had never been his strong suit.

At Willow's answering nod, Tara spoke up. "Okay, that makes sense," she said. "So, what should our word be? I guess we need an ordinary word, something that doesn't belong in the bedroom. And that doesn't sound like anything that does."

Willow looked up, over into their kitchen, her eyes falling on something over by the wall. "How about 'toaster?'" she said. "That's not a sexy word, or anything."

"Okay, that's fine," Xander said. "So, if we hear you say 'toaster,' we stop everything, and then you can tell us what's wrong."

Willow nodded. "Yeah. I mean, I hope I won't have to use it...."

"But it's good to have, just in case," Tara finished.

"Okay. So...." Xander stopped suddenly as a thought struck him. "Wait. What if something's wrong, and you can't talk right then?"

Tara and Willow both laughed. "Oh, and whyever would I not be able to speak?" Willow said, still giggling. Then her expression turned serious again. "Still, I suppose that's a good point. How about this? In that case, I'll cross my fingers." She held up her right hand with her index and middle fingers crossed. "Like this. That should work, right?"

"I think so," Tara said. "I don't see why not."

"Yeah, that seems fine," Xander agreed. He took a deep breath. "Okay, so, you're sure about this, Will? This is something you want to do? I mean, you're not just doing it for me?"

Willow looked him in the eye. She was still blushing a little, but the look on her face was as serious and earnest as Xander had ever seen from her. "I'm sure, Xander. This is something I want to do."

Okay. She was sure. No more questions. "Okay," he said. "Why don't you stand up?" Then he remembered that he was supposed to be *telling* her to do things, not asking her. "I mean, stand up."

Willow stood, stepping in front of Xander and Tara, and looked down at them, waiting. "Take off your clothes," Xander said. "Leave your underwear on for now."

Willow took off her sweater, then unfastened her skirt and let it drop to the floor around her feet. Then she removed her socks, leaving her standing before them clad only in her pink satin bra and panties. Xander let his gaze travel slowly up her body, taking in every inch of her alabaster skin, her thighs, her stomach, the soft swell of her satin-covered breasts. Her chest was still a little flushed, as were her cheeks, partly with embarrassment, but also with arousal, as he could see when he finally met her eyes.

"Turn around," Tara said softly. "Slowly. Let us look at you."

Willow did as she was told, turning around slowly, letting them see her body from every angle. God, she was beautiful.

"Okay," Xander said. "Go into the bedroom and wait for us there. We'll be in shortly."

Willow nodded, turned, and walked over to the hallway to their bedroom. When she'd disappeared around the corner, Xander turned toward Tara and kissed her, long and slow and full of passion. She leaned into him, rubbing gently against him, driving his arousal to new heights.

When they separated, Xander took a moment to catch his breath. "I haven't really thought this through at all, you know," he admitted. "I don't even know if I have anything to tie her up with."

"I have a scarf that would work for that, I think," Tara said.

"Okay, that's good," Xander said. "But still, I'm a little out of my depth here. I'm not really sure what to do, or anything."

"Oh, I'm sure it'll come naturally," Tara said, giving him one of those beautiful smiles of hers that he loved so much. She kissed his cheek. "You'll do fine." She kissed his neck. "Don't worry." She kissed his earlobe.

Xander smiled. "Thanks." He was still nervous, though. He'd never done anything like this before.

"I do have one idea, though," Tara said softly, her breath warm against his ear. "Want to hear it?"

Xander turned, his curiosity piqued, and gave her a soft kiss.

"Absolutely."

TBC...