Willow replaced the telephone handset and jogged down to the basement where Buffy, Tara and Anya were gathered discussing the outcome and possible benefits of Tara’s power.

Their conversation lapsed into silence as the redhead entered the room, three pairs of eyes focusing on the lithe woman in the doorway.

“Hey, I, uh, just got a phone call. I’m gonna have to take off for a while. Maybe a day or two?”

Tara’s eyes filled with concern as she read Willows unspoken worry but before she could verbalise her concerns, Buffy spoke up.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Nothing you need to worry about. I’ll give you the full scoop later. Maybe I’ll even bring back some good news?” Willow replied hopefully, her eyes coming to rest hopefully on her girlfriend.

”Could use a little of that. OK. I guess now is as good a time as we’re likely to see for a while. Just hurry back.” Buffy told her.

”Will do.” Willow replied, gesturing with her eyes for Tara to join her as she turned and made her way upstairs with Tara following close behind.

****************

“So where are we going?” Tara asked as they stepped into her room and closed the door.

“We?? Not ‘we’, me!” Willow replied.

“Why did you want me to follow you up here then?” Tara asked, her brows knitting together and twisting her beautiful face.

“I wanted to tell you what was going on and, well….” Willow dropped her eyes as her cheeks flushed a deep crimson.

Grinning warmly, Tara guided her lovers eyes up to meet her own.

“Vixen!” she purred as the emerald orbs met her own.

Shaking her head slowly, Willows sheepish smile lit up her features and she shrugged slightly.

“No, not that, I, well I wanted to be sure that you’d be ok here without me, not that I think you need looking after coz you’re all grown up…”

Her eyes roamed the full figure of her partner as she spoke but the admiration that filled her didn’t slow the barrage of Willow-babble that flowed easily from her lips.

“…And it’s not like you need to be supervised but with the First Slayer and the First and then binding and Kennedy and everything then I was a little worried that the binding wont hold without me here and then I realised that I wont be here and so it should be safe but I thought that maybe it might not be and I wanted to tell you to be careful!”