Frog Invasion
By ralst
One, two, buckle my shoe. Three, four, someone breaking down my door... Oh, cripes, someone's breaking down my door. Don't panic, don't panic. Oh my God, why am I panicking? It's only a door, a door that's kind of splintering in the middle, a door with an angry and probably growling demon behind it.
Yep, definitely panic time! Which is good, 'cause I've actually already started the actual panic part of the panic time, and so if it wasn't panic time, then I'd be way over panicked for the time.
The walls! Now the walls are moving, squirming almost, like frog's skin if you look at it under a microscope, just before it jumps out and tries to bite your nose off. Oh my God! The walls are made of frogs!
I never knew frogs wore Georgia O'Keefe prints before, very avant-garde. But they can't fool me, I know what they're really after, I know how their little amphibian brains work. It's all squishy nonsense and 'we're related to Kermit' until the time is right and they begin their master plan to take over the world. They thought I was fooled, but I know what they're up to, I've seen the way they sneak and plan behind our backs.
Insidious, that's what it is. An insidious scheme to pollute all the drinking water with froggy fungus and slowly wipe out the entire human population through a mixture of dehydration and slime. They won't get me. Oh no! I've made plans. I've stocked up on bottled water and sprite.
The door. It's nearly gone, the wood transformed into little pencil shapes, although not true pencil shape, because they totally lack the symmetrical point and graphite or lead filled tip. So, more like splinter shapes. Big, nasty, take an eye out, splinter shapes. I said they were insidious.
"Will, honey, drink this." Tara's voice held a trace of laughter but the sure and steady way she forced the potion past her lover's lips was a true sign of her worry. "Are you sure she's going to be all right?"
Giles left his perusal of the room's book-shelf to place a reassuring hand on the blonde's shoulder. "She'll be fine." He looked to Buffy, signalling his desire to leave. "You just need to let the antidote do its job. Other than that," he shrugged, "there's nothing we can do."
"But, if you need anything, anything at all, phone me," Buffy pleaded. "Okay?"
"O-okay." Tara had spent many a wonderful night with a babbling girlfriend, but never one who didn't know the difference between the real world and her nightmares. She wasn't sure she was up to the task of looking after Willow on her own. At least not if she started attacking the froggy walls with her geometry set again.
"I could always stay," Buffy offered, hoping the other girl would capitulate.
"Nonsense. Tara will be just fine." Giles gave the two young women a tight smile. "Willow needs rest and a calm, non-threatening environment. She'll be fine," he repeated.
Evacuate! We must evacuate now, before they know we're on to them. We could go to Detroit or maybe Kilimanjaro, although I'm not sure how we'd all get there in Giles' car. Maybe we could hire a tank? I like tanks, at least in the old movies, I wouldn't actually like to live in one because, hey, space issues! Or should that be lack of space issues? Given that the lack is the thing you have issue with, then you wouldn't need to repeat it in the title as it's already present in the use of the word issue. Perhaps it needs a Latin name? Oh, oh, I know, I know, claustrophobia. The fear of clauses. I wonder if that includes Santa Claus?
Ugh! The frogs are attacking! They must have infiltrated the air supply, my tongue tastes like it's swallowed some of Xander's cooking. Oh God! I hope it was the frogs and not Xander's cooking, I'm not sure I'm up to that.
Wait! What's that? It smells like, like, warmth and honey in the tummy and lazy Sundays under the covers. Not that they're exactly smells, but that's what it smells like.
Ohhh, Tara shapes!
Tara closed the door behind Giles and Buffy, glad to be alone once more in her space. Alone that is, except for a hallucinating Willow. But whatever her state, the redhead would always be welcome. They might not have made the move to living together, quite yet, but their individual dorm rooms had somehow become the property of them both.
Looking at her girlfriend, she saw that for once Willow was staring back at her, as if seeing her for the first time since she'd been bitten by that demon. Tara smiled but Willow's features did not change, as if they'd been stuck on hacker curiosity and refused to leave. It was an endearing look, but not one Tara was used to seeing directed at her.
"Will? Sweetie, can you hear me?"
Tara shapes, Tara shapes with Tara voice, with Tara laugh and Tara smile.
Tara watched as Willow dissolved into giggles, her body oscillating with barely suppressed joy. She didn't know if it was a sign that the antidote was beginning to work or just another set of illusions, but it was a definite improvement over the cowering fear and mumblings of frog invasion.
Slipping off her shoes, Tara padded towards the bed. "Come on, Will, time for bed." She folded back the covers and turned to change out of her clothes and into her nightgown, strangely shy about disrobing in front of her confused lover.
Bed, bed, up the stairs to Bedfordshire. Where'd she heard that? Bedfordshire, Bedfordshire, that was in England, she remembered from reading the atlas; which isn't geeky, no matter what Cordelia might have said, it's just educational and as everyone knows, education is the root of all evil. No, that's not right. Education is the root of all... rooty type of educational things, that have roots. Giles! He's British, he'd know about Bedfordshire and going to bed and nearly naked Tara.
Blink!
"Pretty."
Tara turned, letting the nightgown trickle down the rest of her body. "Did you say something?" Willow was pouting, her eyes apparently glued to the areas of her lover's body that had so recently been covered. "Come on, Will, let's get you to bed."
Willow didn't move, nor did she stop pouting. Tara took a moment to enjoy the sight before taking Willow's hand and leading her to the bed. Giles had assured her that the poison would be eradicated from Willow's system within six to eight hours, which meant she'd be back to her normal self by the time they woke up. Tara sighed. "Close your eyes and in the morning everything will be better."
It's dark! The frogs could mount an attack and I'd never even know about it. It's a conspiracy. The frogs are working with the Tara shape and plotting to destroy me. They'll trick me into sleep, then send little wiggling tadpoles up my nose and down my throat, until I start turning green and spout gills. I guess the gills part isn't so bad, it would mean I could hold my breath under water longer than Xander, but I don't think green skin would look right with my hair colouring. Plus, ick, tadpole slime.
Hmmm, Tara warmth. Perhaps I should investigate further? Search the Tara shaped frog collaborator for hidden weapons or ticklish spots?
"Will? Will, what are you doing?" Tara tried to hold back a moan as inquisitive fingers grazed past a particularly sensitive piece of skin. The subdued figure who'd been confined to small murmurings about invasions and slime, had been transformed into a mass of exploring limbs. "Will!" A hand had found its way beneath the material of her gown and was proceeding to make small circles against Tara's inner thigh.
"Snuggle," Willow mumbled, her lips joining her hands' exploration and beginning a slow and loving survey of Tara's neck.
The blonde knew she should stop it. Willow wasn't in her right mind, she didn't know what she was doing. Willow's tongue flicked across her earlobe and Tara had to admit that even if she didn't know what she was doing, she was doing it very well. "We, we need to stop." Her voice lacked conviction.
So smooth and warm and yummy.
"Will, I don't think.." Tara's words were cut off by an eager tongue and before she knew it the young blonde was being pulled into the kiss, her arms joining her lover's in a sensual dance across fevered skin. Panting for breath, she finally managed to pull away. "We shouldn't."
"I love you," Willow's voice was true, her gaze unwavering.
Tara crumbled, her body joining with her lover's in an erotic interpretation of pleasure, a string of 'I love yous' littering the air.
Later, as their bodies began to cool and their breathing returned to normal, Tara snuggled deeper into her beloved's embrace and sent a silent 'thank you' to Giles for bringing her Willow back to her so quickly. "Night, night, sweetie."
"Night, night." Willow paused, her mind overly active despite her body's fatigue. "I think we need to organise a raid to save Miss Piggy, before Kermit turns her into sausages." Her plan explained, she closed her eyes and fell into a dream-filled sleep.
The End