Soul Mates

A/N: There's no sex in this part, but it is pretty risque. Consider yourself warned.

Thanks to Pete for his help with the beginning of this part.

****

The first thing Xander noticed as he awoke was the sensation of soft warmth pressed against his body. He opened his eyes slowly, taking a few seconds to blink the sleep out of them. When his vision cleared, he took in the sight of Tara and Willow curled up against him.

They were both draped over him, legs tangled together with his. Willow was on his right, sleeping with her head resting on his chest, the faintest traces of a smile on her face. She had one arm thrown across his body, her hand laying on the small of Tara's back.

On his other side, Tara also had her head on his chest, the expression on her face more... serene. Peaceful. Her golden hair was pillowed beneath her, mingling with Willow's red locks to blanket his chest. She also had an arm strewn across him, her hand resting on Willow's shoulder.

He simply stared at them for a long moment, entranced by their beauty.

A flood of different emotions washed over Xander as he watched them. What had happened last night had been satisfying, to say the least, but there had also been a deeper connection he'd felt with them. That was something he'd never experienced before; with Faith and Anya, things had been purely physical, even though he'd been hoping for more, and had tried for it where Anya was concerned. But with Willow and Tara it was different. Special.

He looked at Willow, his eyes tracing the lines of her face as she slept. It was hard to describe how he felt about her. To call her his best friend just seemed so inadequate - they had so much history together and the feelings involved were so intense. She'd been the most important person in his life for almost as long as he could remember.

They'd been friends from the day they'd met, and their bond had only grown tighter as they'd grown up together. They'd been there for each other all the time because they didn't have anyone else. They hadn't had any other friends until Jesse came along in high school. Willow's mother and father were nice enough people, but they tended to be very cold and distant with her, and as for his parents.... Well, he tried not to think about them most of the time.

He'd been so glad to have her as a friend over the years. There were days when being with her at school was literally all he had to look forward to.

And then, somewhere along the line in high school, he'd fallen in love with her. He still wasn't exactly sure when it had happened, but when they'd had their brief affair in their senior year, his heart had been every bit as much to blame for his part in it as his hormones. And it had hurt him when Willow pushed him away after they'd gotten caught by Oz and Cordelia, but it hadn't made his feelings go away.

He reached down and carefully brushed a stray strand of hair off of Willow's face, and she sighed softly at his touch, snuggling a bit closer to him. She meant so much to him. She understood him. She was caring, and brave, and fun. And beautiful, even if it had taken him ages to notice it.

Tara stirred against him, and he turned slightly to look at her. He hadn't known her nearly as long as Willow, of course, but nonetheless he felt a great deal for her, too. When he'd first met her, he'd thought she was sweet, if rather shy. And later, after he'd learned that she and Willow were a couple, he'd found out how happy she made her, and that alone had been more than reason enough for him to like Tara. Anyone who could put smiles on Willow's face like the ones he was seeing was just fine in his book.

But as he'd gotten to know her, he'd discovered that there were also plenty of other reasons to like her. She was without question one of the nicest people he'd ever met, a fact he'd noticed more and more as her initial awkwardness around him faded. Just being around her was... calming, in a way. It was a very nice feeling.

There was no doubt in Xander's mind that Tara was special. She hadn't hesitated to join them in their fight against the evil denizens of the Hellmouth, despite the fact that she knew firsthand how dangerous it could get. She was strong; stronger than she herself probably even realized.

He loved her too, he knew. He loved both of them. Just laying here with them, watching them sleep, he was certain of it.

And okay, there was quite a bit of lust there too, because hey, two gorgeous naked women in his arms - he would have been really worried if he *didn't* react physically to that.

But also, he couldn't help feeling a little anxious. What if Willow and Tara didn't feel the same way he did? What if they regretted what had happened last night? Once his thoughts started down that path, he couldn't stop them, and a dozen nightmarish scenarios ran through his head one after the other.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when Tara stirred beside him. Her eyes opened and she yawned silently, blinking owlishly a few times. She stared at Willow for a moment before tilting her head back slightly and meeting his eyes.

"Hey," he said softly as she focused her gaze on him.

Tara tensed briefly, and Xander's breath caught as her eyes clouded over with remembrance. *Oh God, is she...?* He tried to calm himself a little as he waited anxiously for her reaction.

Xander had to hold back a sigh of relief as Tara relaxed against him again. "Morning," she murmured, giving him one of those beautiful smiles he loved so much. She shifted around next to him, moving so she could look at him without having to crane her neck.

*She's not freaking out. That's definitely of the good.* Xander relaxed somewhat at her reaction, smiling back at her, but he still couldn't banish all the doubt from his mind.

Tara stared at him briefly, her expression fading to one of concern. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Xander's first instinct was to just reassure her that everything was okay, but as he thought about it, he rejected that idea. If he really was going to try to have a relationship with Willow and Tara - as incredible as that thought still was to him - he didn't want to start it off on the wrong foot.

"Are you okay with what happened last night?" he asked softly. He couldn't keep his concern from showing in his voice, and Tara obviously noticed his worried tone. She propped herself up on her arm and scooted up on the bed a little until her face was scant inches away from his.

She leaned forward and kissed him gently, resting a hand on his cheek. Xander quickly relaxed and returned the kiss, losing himself for a moment in the softness of her lips and the warmth of her and Willow pressed against him.

"Does that answer your question?" Tara asked with a grin after they broke apart.

"Yeah. I suppose it does," Xander replied, smiling back at her. Tara held his gaze for a moment, seemingly about to say more, but then her smile suddenly faded. Her anxious expression from earlier appeared on her face again.

"What about you?" she asked. "I mean, did you...?" She trailed off, looking at him worriedly.

"Oh, no," Xander hastily reassured her. "Last night.... It was absolutely wonderful." He watched Tara carefully as he spoke, and was relieved to see her relax again at his words.

She moved back to her previous position, resting her head on his chest once more. She reached out and laid a hand on Willow's shoulder, rubbing it lightly as she looked up at him.

"Well... you could probably tell I was nervous," she admitted, blushing slightly. "But it was pretty wonderful for me too," she finished, smiling at him again.

"Thanks," Xander replied with a grin. They laid there for a moment in silence before he spoke again.

"So..." he began cautiously, a bit concerned about broaching this subject, "can I ask how this happened?"

Tara looked at him, a little confused, and he clarified. "This. Last night... everything. What made you and Willow decide that... you wanted this?"

"Oh." Tara looked down again, seemingly pondering her answer. "Well..." she said finally, still not looking at him, "I had a dream about you. An... erotic dream. I told Willow about it, and it got us started talking about you - about seeing you as more than a friend."

"So, this all happened because of a dream?" Xander wasn't quite sure what to think about that.

His voice must have held a note of disappointment in addition to his confusion, because Tara pulled away from him and looked at him intently. "No, Xander, that's not it at all," she said gently. "If it'd just been one dream, it wouldn't have meant anything. But the truth is, I'd been noticing you for a while before that."

"And when I was talking to Willow about it," Tara continued, "we realized that we both like you a lot, we're both attracted to you, and we both care about you. And this just... felt right."

Xander was about to reply when he heard Willow sigh softly. "It certainly did," she said, opening her eyes and looking at them both sleepily.

"Morning," Tara said, reaching over and rubbing Willow's back softly. "Sleep well?"

"Yep," she replied. "Xander's nice and comfy." She closed her eyes again and snuggled against him.

"That's true," Tara agreed with a grin. She scooted in closer and cuddled up to him as well. Xander wrapped his arms around them both again, trying not to think too much about how excited he was getting, with both of them so close.

Willow sighed again, her breath tickling his chest. "I heard most of your conversation," she said, opening her eyes and fixing her gaze on Xander. "Are you okay with everything that happened last night?"

Xander chuckled. "Believe me, okay is putting it mildly," he replied, smiling back at her. He was about to say more when a thought struck him.

"Hey, were you eavesdropping on us?" he teased, his voice light.

Willow's attempt at looking hurt was ruined by the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "I was not eavesdropping," she declared. "I was just waking up and heard you talking."

"Willow does take a long time to wake up," Tara offered.

"Believe me, I know," Xander said earnestly. "When we were kids, we had sleepovers a lot. I'd always wake up first and have to wait and wait and wait until she got up too so we could watch cartoons together. Occasionally I'd even have to resort to tickling to finally get her up," he finished with a grin.

Tara smiled mischievously. "I know what you mean. When we have early classes, I have to practically drag her out of bed in the morning."

"Hey." Willow glared at them both in mock indignation. "That's enough of that."

Xander and Tara both chuckled at the look on her face, but didn't press the point any further. Xander gave Willow an affectionate squeeze, and her expression quickly brightened again. She leaned in toward him and kissed him gently, pressing her lips against his softly and lingering for a moment.

Afterward, she turned toward Tara and kissed her as well, then leaned back and looked on as Tara and Xander shared a brief kiss. As Tara pulled away from him and settled back on the bed, Xander looked at her and Willow in turn.

"So... I guess we need to talk," he said.

"You mean about us?" Willow asked, absentmindedly tracing patterns on his chest with her fingers.

"Yeah," Xander replied. "About how all this is going to work."

"Well, you're right," Willow said slowly. "We do need to talk about that." She flashed Tara a mischievous grin as she continued. "But we don't have to do it right now. I mean, it's Saturday...."

"That's true," Tara mused, smiling back at Willow playfully. "We've got all day."

Willow slid her hand down Xander's chest, over his stomach, finding his cock under the sheets and grasping it lightly. "I'm sure we can find something else to occupy us for a while..." she murmured, running her hand up his shaft slowly. Xander sucked in a breath of air, feeling himself jerk under her touch.

Willow sat up, gathering her legs under her, and Tara did likewise, the sheets falling backward and off them as they did. Willow released Xander, and he sat up as well, sliding backward and leaning against the pillows piled against the headboard. Xander simply remained still for a moment, taking in the sight of these two beautiful women naked in front of him.

*This will definitely take some getting used to,* he thought. *Not that I'm complaining!*

"Honey," Willow began, laying a hand on Tara's arm, "when you and Xander were talking... about how this all started, did you tell him...." She trailed off, her unspoken question hanging in the air.

"I told him about my dream," Tara replied softly. "Well, I mean," she amended, "I told him I had it. I didn't tell him the details."

"Although, actually," Tara continued, turning to fix Xander with a sultry look, "I don't really need to tell you about it.... Considering that we pretty much did everything I dreamed about last night."

"Really?" Xander asked in surprise.

Tara nodded, laying down next to him and meeting his eyes. "And it wasn't as good as my dream," she declared, leaning in to kiss him hotly. "It was better."

Willow laid down on his other side, propping herself up on one elbow. "So, you made one of Tara's fantasies come true," she said, beaming at him. "I think now it's your turn."

"Well, what about you?" Xander replied.

She waved off his concerns. "We'll have plenty of time for that later," she said. "Now, come on, Xander," she continued, laying a hand on his chest and giving him a sexy smile. "I *know* you've fantasized about us," she finished in a whisper, glancing over at Tara, who watched them silently.

Willow was definitely right about that. He'd tried not to do it too much, because he always felt vaguely guilty about it, but there were times when he couldn't help himself. And even though he'd tried to keep it to a minimum, over the months he'd been spending time with them, Xander had certainly had his share of fantasies about Willow and Tara.

Still, he hesitated. He thought most of his fantasies were pretty tame, all things considered, but what if they didn't like what he told them?

Willow sensed his unease. "Xander, it's okay," she soothed. "You don't have to worry about telling us your fantasies. And if you tell us..." she said, her tone low and sultry, "maybe we can make them come true."

He glanced at Tara, who nodded slightly. Reassured, Xander took a deep breath. There were a fair variety of things he could tell them about, but right now there was one thing that was foremost in his mind.

"I want to watch you," he said softly. "Last night, seeing you touch each other.... It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," he finished. It was not an exaggeration.

Willow and Tara could obviously tell that he was sincere, since they both smiled down at him, eyes sparkling with warmth and desire. Willow sat up again and reached out toward Tara, taking her hand and drawing her up with her. She reached out and laid a hand on Tara's shoulder, idly stroking her upper arm.

"Hear that, baby?" Willow said impishly. "Xander wants to watch us play."

Tara's answering smile made Xander shiver with excitement.

TBC...