Fic: Please Understand (part 2/4) W/T/B NC17

["TheBear!" <thebear@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Title: Please Understand

Author: The Bear!

Spoilers: up through season 5: Triangle (pretty much AU from there)

Pairing: W/T /B 

Summary: Sequel to If It Pleases You- Buffy decides that they have to
tell the Scoobies about their relationship, but what about Joyce and
Dawn?

Warnings: NC17 Ahoy! And once again I remind everyone, and their dog,
that I love (and therefore write) BDSM and Graphic Sexual depiction!

Disclaimer: someone who is not me owns all of the toys I'm playing with
here. (Don'tcha hate it when someone else hogs all of the best toys!?
Come on, Share already!)

Author's note: thanks to everyone who has let me know how they felt
about these stories. I subsist only on your praise! <unsubtle hint>

***

Part 2

Buffy's assault on Tara's ear was cut short when she heard the sound of
her mothers jeep pulling into the driveway.

Tara was confused by Buffy's pulling away with an annoyed growl. She
was about to ask what was wrong when she heard the sound of car doors
shutting.

At the same time Willow, who was getting quite aroused by the sight of
the two blonds feeling each other up, heard the noise and whispered
loudly, "Buffy, I think your mom's home!"

For just a moment, Buffy was seriously considering letting her mom just
walk in and find them like this. With a growl of annoyance, she got up
off of Tara just as her little sister banged the front door open.

"Hey Guys!" she said excitedly upon seeing Willow and Tara. Almost
ignoring her entirely, she nodded to Buffy as if it were an
afterthought, "Hey, Buffy."

Buffy just rolled her eyes at Dawn's behavior. "That's weird," she
thought. Usually Buffy got pissed off at her kid sister's childishness.
After a moment's thought she concluded that a weekend of mind-blowing
sex and bondage must have given her new perspective. "Or, just wore me
out too much to have energy to get angry!" she thought with a laugh.

Dawn's eyes bugged out in surprise when Buffy's response was to chuckle
at her. She was used to Buffy being all bitchy at her all the time.
"Whatever," she thought. Turning back to her two favorite witches, she
said. You guys have got to see this mask Mom bought me! It's so
awesome!

Buffy took advantage of the opportunity that presented itself. "That's
a good idea!" Turning to Willow and Tara, she said, "Why don't you guys
go up to Dawn's room and check it out? I'll help mom unload the jeep
and. and. I'll do that thing."

Willow was confused for a moment, "That thing?"

Buffy gave her a look that said 'think about it!'

Tara realized immediately, "Oh. You know, Willow. That *thing* that we
were talking about?"

Comprehension dawned on Willow and she stood, flustered, hands moving
erratically, and said, "Oh! That Thing!" Her face collapsed in
consternation and nervousness as she offered, "You don't want to.
shouldn't we." she trailed off as she looked back and forth between Tara
and Buffy.

Buffy just said, "No, you guys go on up. I'll be up in a couple of
minutes."

Dawn put her hands on her hips and struck an annoyed stance. "Geez!
Cryptic much?" She turned to Buffy and said, "I'm not a child! Why
don't you just say you want to talk to mom alone!? 'Wouldn't want to
tell Me anything important!'" She was clearly upset.

Buffy's normal response would have been to shout at Dawn and shoo her
off. After taking a breath to do just that, she met the eyes of her
Mistress, who was looking at her in definite disapproval. Buffy felt a
tingle of desire at the same time her stomach did a flip-flop. She took
a moment to reconsider her response.

Dawn saw Buffy's mouth open, ready to blast her just like always. She
was shocked when Buffy looked over at Tara, then shut her mouth with an
audible snap. She wondered what the hell was going on. She started to
get a little worried.

Joyce walked in just in time to catch Dawn's comment and was herself
waiting for the Buffy-blast. She was as shocked as Dawn when Buffy
actually responded.

"Dawn. You're right. I need to talk to mom by myself for a minute. If
you'll go up with Will and Tara, I promise I'll come up and we'll talk
about it all together. Ok?

Dawn was stunned into silence for a moment and allowed Tara and Willow
to lead her up the stairs.

Buffy felt a delicious warmth flow through her when she saw Tara mouth,
"That's a good Slayer." and winked, promising a reward to come. She
really liked it when Mistress Tara rewarded her.

***

Joyce heard Dawn's voice fading as she went up the stairs with the two
girls, "Ok, What just happened?..." Her thoughts echoed her youngest
daughter's words as she had caught Tara whisper something to Buffy and
wink at her. The smile on Tara's face had been. "Ok, I must be seeing
things." She thought.

When Buffy turned around, she knew had a dreamy smile on her face. The
smile went away when she saw her mother's calculating stare. Sighing
deeply, she delayed for a moment by asking, "Can I help you bring
anything in?"

Joyce hadn't raised a nineteen year old girl without learning how to
recognize a diversionary tactic when she saw one. "Why don't you
explain what just happened between you and Tara instead? Then you can
tell me what you wanted to talk to me about without Dawn being here." 

Her sharpness over the look Buffy and Tara shared evaporated instantly
as she became concerned about Dawn. She still didn't really understand
the whole 'Key' concept, but she knew it meant danger for Dawn. Dawn
may not have really been her daughter, but she loved her just the same
as if she was. "Oh, God! Did something happen? Is Dawn."

Buffy grabbed her mother's wrists and interrupted her before she could
have a full-blown panic attack. "Nothing happened with Dawn, Mom.
Nothing new, anyway." Leading the older, but still beautiful blonde
woman over to one of the dining-room chairs, she said, "Something
happened with me, Mom." Before she could say anything, Buffy added, "It
has to do with what you just saw between Tara and me."

Joyce digested that for a moment, absorbing the implications. Shaking
her head slightly, she raised her gaze to meet her daughter's, "Tara?
But I thought. she and Willow? What about Riley?"

Buffy collapsed into a chair facing her mother. She took her hands and
began, "Mom, let me start at the beginning, and I promise I'll explain
everything- just don't ask any questions until I finish. I only want to
go through the whole thing once."

"What about Dawn?"

Buffy smiled a sad smile, "I don't think I'm going to be sharing the
whole back-story with Dawn. Just the result."

"I realized that I was in love with Willow just before we graduated
High-school. I loved her before that; heck I think I wanted her since I
first met her." Buffy blushed at that admission, and Joyce's startled
gasp. Dropping her gaze, she explained, "Yes Mother. I've been.
attracted. to girls for a very long time." Seeing that her mother
wanted to protest, Buffy pre-empted her, "Please Mom! This is hard
enough as it is." 

Joyce closed her mouth, but gave her daughter a frustrated glare.

"Yes, I've always dated boys. Yes, what Angel and I had was real. I'm
attracted to both men and women. I have been for as long as I can
remember."

Joyce could see that this was difficult for Buffy to discuss, and she
gave her daughter's hands a reassuring squeeze- as reassuring as she
could be in the face of this startling revelation.

Buffy met her mother's eyes once again and gave her a halfhearted grin
before continuing, "I could never admit it then- I was sure I would be
ostracized by my friends. Then the whole slaying thing happened and I
was already fast becoming an outcast. I just didn't have it in me to
give anyone more encouragement to treat me like a social pariah."

Joyce felt her eyes begin to well with tears. At the time she had been
hard on Buffy, no doubt adding to her feelings of persecution. She
hadn't known her daughter was the slayer, she just thought she was
becoming a troublemaker and a hoodlum. "If only I'd known," she
thought. Of course when she was being completely honest with herself,
she admitted that she probably would have made an even worse mess of
things back then than she did when she found out.

Buffy quickly continued- wanting to put this whole terrible conversation
behind her and move on. "Any way- long-story short, I found out that
Willow has felt the same way about me, and so does Tara." Looking deep
into her mother's eyes, giving her hands a little squeeze, and willing
her to understand and accept, she said, "I know it feels weird, Mom, but
we are in love. Really and truly in love."

Joyce was still thinking along conventional lines, as she knew them, and
didn't fully understand, "You're in love with Willow? Or, with Tara? I
don't understand, honey."

Buffy'd struggled to get that out in the first place, and it was killing
her to have to clarify- she just wanted her mommy to accept and love
her. "Both, Mom. I'm in love with both of them."

Still not getting with the program, Joyce said, "But, which one."

"Aargh!" Buffy growled. She let go of her mom's hands and stood up,
throwing her hands in the air, "Both of them mom. The three of us are
in a relationship. Together."

"The three of you. Oh." Joyce finally got it. Then the implications of
the look shared between her daughter and the other blonde sank in- along
with some unbidden mental images- "OH!"

Buffy watched with baited breath as he mother stood up and began pacing
back and forth. Finally she started to ask the question that kept
reverberating through her mind, "The three of you are. are."

Buffy couldn't help but grin as her mother tried to delicately ask if
she was having sex with the two witches. 

Joyce stopped pacing and asked, "There's bible study?" referencing the
euphemism for sex Buffy had mentioned right after her surgery.

Buffy's mind slid into another realm, and she perhaps over-shared when
she mumbled, "Hours and hours of time in the Word." She trailed off,
blushing furiously when she saw her mother's eyes bug out of her head.
"Sorry. Too much information, huh." she said, mortified.

Joyce couldn't help but laugh at the embarrassment on her daughter's
face. "I don't need details, dear," she said, some small part of her
enjoying taunting her daughter. He smile went away as she remembered
her earlier question. "What about Riley."

Buffy slumped back down into her chair. "I'm not proud of how I handled
the whole Riley thing, Mom. He was nice and all. Did you see his arms?"


Joyce just raised an eyebrow.

Buffy refocused. "I never loved him. He loved me, but he couldn't get
past the whole slayer thing." She sighed dramatically, "I think he knew
in the end. He as much as said it to my face." Looking down dejectedly
she said, "I was just using him, I think. I couldn't have Willow and I
didn't want to be alone. Riley could never replace Angel- and he
couldn't ever even approach the way I feel about Willow."

"What about Tara?" Joyce asked. She was concerned that the three were
doomed from the start.

A genuine smile of affection and pleasure slid over Buffy's face at the
thought of her mistress. "It's different than how I feel about Will;
I've been best friends with Willow for years- we know each other like no
other, and we have a history together. With Tara, it's all new and
shiny and special. I really love her too, mom. And I know she loves
both of us. She's the one who brought us all together."

Joyce was surprised by that. She didn't really know the shy blond that
well, but she would never have guessed that she could or would be the
initiator in this strange relationship. "How did she do that?" she
asked in wonder.

Buffy blushed scarlet again.

Joyce quickly held up her hand and said, "Forget I asked- I don't want
to know."

Buffy laughed in amusement and not a little relief. 

The two sat in comfortable silence for a moment before Buffy said, "You
know, you're taking this a lot better than I thought you would."

Joyce smiles slyly and asked, "How did you think I would take it?"

Buffy let a little of her insecurity show when she answered, "You know,
anger, disbelief. rejection." Quickly glossing over the last, she added,
"Basically I thought you'd wig out."

"I admit, I got freaked out when you burnt down Hemrey High. I freaked
out when I found out you were the slayer." She began.

Buffy protested, " Hey, it wasn't the whole school, just the gym!"

Joyce silenced her with a look. "Finding out that my daughter is in
love with another woman. women. well, that's kinda low on the totem
pole." Reaching out to put her hand on her daughter's knee she squeezed
reassuringly and added, "And I wouldn't reject you Buffy. Not ever.
Despite some misunderstandings between us in the past, I never rejected
you. I love you."

Buffy didn't even try to restrain the tears as she wrapped her arms
around her mother and hugged her tightly. "I love you mommy!" she
cried. 

Joyce cried a few tears of her own. Buffy hadn't called her mommy in
forever. "Oh, I love you so much, Buffy," she whispered, rocking her
daughter in her arms.

***

End Part 2

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Let me know what you all think. I am always open to suggestions for
improvement. 

Next: Telling Dawn- then the Scooby Gang.





TheBear!

thebear@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 

http://thebear.somewhere.net