Replies: Willster – Yep, Oz is stupid. I have to agree with you there. And it is a small world, isn’t it? I don’t know how many times I’ve ran into someone in the strangest place when I haven’t seen them in forever or how many people I’ve met who know someone I know. It’s strange. Six billion people on the planet, sure, but it just seems so small.
bluewillowwitch – Willow was able to stop Tara because Tara isn’t the violent type. She almost let her negative emotions get the better of her, but Willow stepping in pushed positive emotion into that negative space. I think the same could be said if Tara had been able to step in front of Willow in time as well. Neither is the type to be violent. Emotions were running a little high and they just took over for a while.
littlecrazy80 – Tara couldn’t just stand there and do nothing while Oz laid into Willow. She cares enough to step in and do something about it. I think she could have chosen a better way to go about it, but nonetheless she’s going to stick up for people she cares about.
LadyBrymstone – You really gotta love Weezer and that stupid song that somehow became a classic for me. I agree, it really does just fit. The line that I really loved was this: “What’s with these homies dissin’ my girl? Why do they gotta front?” It just makes me laugh, for one thing, and it’s kind of just great for the situation. I think Oz was putting on a slight front in this update. He’s not 100% jerk really. He just took it all a little too far. I’m sure he has some redeeming qualities somewhere.
shuyaku – So I owe some thanks to JustSkipIt for recommending this to you. I’m glad you’re liking it. I’m trying to the whole “real time relationship” thing, so yeah, things are very slow to start. It’s fun that way though. Childhood flashbacks? Yeah, obviously I’m a kid from the 80’s and early 90’s. Great times. I think I’m a little obsessed with my childhood really. But it’s all fun. And you’re welcome for the music. It took me a while to figure out that I should probably do that. I had to step into the real world and realize that not everybody knows what I’m talking about when I mention bands or songs (though I may be a little egocentric and think that they should
).
Arwen276 – Definite adorableness going on there at the show. There’s a closeness that’s kind of growing. It’s so fun to write them doing cute things cause they’re just so sweet together.
justin – Repetition isn’t always bad. I don’t necessarily agree with the method’s Willow chose to vent her anger, but yeah, Oz definitely had something coming. He just wasn’t very nice at all, to put it mildly.
Washi – The music alone is definitely worth the story. I think I’m almost more interested in it. I just really enjoy putting compilations together. It’s a thing. No worries about not leaving feedback, though I’m not sure what I’ve got going on is anywhere near perfect. I’m glad you’re liking it though.
sabina – Ooh… the dreaded O Chem. I’m glad I’ll never have that class again. It made me want to blow my brains out. Sorry you’re going through that. I’m glad the story’s giving you a little bit of a break though. I hope things get better.
Tibbs – It’s usually a good sign you’re being a big jerk when your friends are stepping in to let you know. And yes, Tara is very cool. She’s got that whole “girl in a band” thing going on, and I love that.
xita – Oz kind of just comes in there out of nowhere with all that negativity. I think he was a good plot device to kind of move things in a new direction. It’s kind of ironic how Willow’s a little hypocritical about Tara hitting Oz then she hits him herself. I think he just pushed that button to really set her off.
peebrain – I love backstory myself. Sometimes I get a little carried away with it, but it’s kind of an important part of a story. It kind of helps the reader understand the characters a little better. The only problem is figuring out how much backstory to give and how much to leave out. I’m slowly figuring it out in this story and my other projects I’m working on.
JustSkipIt – So apparently I owe a “Thanks” to you for sending someone in my direction to check out this story. So, thanks for that. New readers are always great. I’m glad you picked up on Tara wanting to leave before things got too heated. She’s not really into the violence, and I think she wanted to avoid it. I’m not really into the violence myself, and I can’t really congratulate either of them for reacting with violence. But, Oz was really being a jerk, so I slightly understand how it all came about. The girls are growing closer, but yeah, there’s still that insecurity floating around there somewhere. It’ll get dealt with in due time. Tara’s kind of pushed it out of her mind for a while though, so it’s okay if you push it away too
. With the good things to come it’ll be easier to forget the bad. Just don’t let the bad sneak up on you and take you by surprise.
Stroke of Luck – Snuggles are good. Oz was not good. I’m not sure about any more hitting in the next part, but who’s to say that punch wasn’t for Tara?
sam darls – I’m glad you liked the update. Definite pointage going to Tara for sticking up for Willow.
Kasey – Way to go on finally getting around to both the updates. I’m sure you’re a very busy person, ya know, with school and all that work going on. You’re such a hard working student, I don’t know how you even find the time to read the updates at all. It’s good to hear that you were surprised by what happened. It’s all about the shock factor really. I love hearing, “I didn’t see that one coming.” With this next update, you just take all the time you need in reading it and focus on your studies. I wouldn’t want you falling behind or anything with me responsible for it. And the story doesn’t keep getting better and better… you keep getting better and better, Kasey
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Title: Songs For A Mix Tape
Author: Sarah (unionjill30)
Email: unionjill_30@yahoo.comRating: PG - PG13ish?
Disclaimer: I don’t own the characters from ME, and really I don’t own the other characters so much either. Though Kim would like to think she owns me. I’ve been informed that I don’t have to be Kim’s bitch, I just choose to be. Go figure.
Feedback: Yes please
Track ListTrack 13: Song For Everyone by Fenix TXOnce Willow’s fist connected with Oz’s face, she stepped back almost immediately and grabbed Tara’s hand, practically pulling her toward the car. Tara fumbled for the keys as she was dragged behind Willow and managed to press the button to unlock the doors before they got there. Once Willow was snugly inside the vehicle, Tara walked around to get in on the driver’s side.
With the doors closed and both women inside, Willow looked at the fist she’d hit Oz with and let out a rather loud, “Ow!”
“Are you hurt?” Tara panicked when she saw Willow staring at her right hand, which was slightly reddened around the knuckles. She immediately began examining the red area for possible injuries.
Willow grinned slightly but pulled her hand back, wiggling her fingers slightly for Tara to see. “It’s okay. Just a little sore I think.”
“Are you sure…” Tara started, not completely convinced.
“Yeah.” The redhead sighed. “Can we just get out of here?”
Without hesitation Tara started the engine. “Sure.”
Willow was quiet as they left the parking lot. Looking out the window she could see Oz brushing off his pants then wiping a small bit of blood away from his nose with the back of his hand. A few people had gathered around to see what was going on.
Tara pulled onto the road and headed back in the direction of Sunnydale. She started to ask where the redhead wanted her to go, but before the words could leave her mouth she heard a quiet sob coming from the passenger’s seat. Looking over at Willow, she saw the redhead was covering her mouth with one hand and tears were slowly trekking down her cheeks.
“Oh, honey. It’s okay.” Tara reached out and rubbed her hand just above Willow’s knee trying to comfort the other woman while she drove.
They sat in silence for a moment while Willow cried and Tara rubbed circles above the redhead’s knee. After a few minutes, Willow’s tears subsided, and she wiped the remaining moisture away with the backs of her fingers. Tara noticed the redhead had stopped crying, but she continued the motion of her hand.
“Is there anything I can do?” Tara asked softly a few seconds later. “There’s a diner just outside Sunnydale. We could get coffee and maybe talk?”
“Can you take me home?” Willow requested in a small voice.
“Yeah,” the blonde replied. “Whatever you need.” She wondered if they were ever going to have a normal date where no incidents occurred.
The UC Sunnydale student radio station played at a low volume in the background. It was one of the only radio stations Tara would listen to because it was controlled by the students and actually had a decent selection of music including independent and local bands. As the current song ended, the DJ began announcing the upcoming list of songs, which would begin with a song from Alison Ashmore’s demo. When the song started to play, Tara lifted her hand from Willow’s leg and made a move to turn the dial on the radio to another station. Tara heard their music all the time at shows and practice and found it somewhat odd listening to herself on the radio.
Willow felt the blonde’s hand move and quickly intercepted it as it hovered over the radio tuning dial. “Leave it,” Willow said softly. “I like listening to you sing.”
Tara blushed at the simple request and began lowering her hand. She felt Willow tighten her grip for a moment before interlacing their fingers and lowering their joined hands to the top of the redhead’s left leg.. The blonde smiled and continued driving.
The rest of the short trip back to Sunnydale was quiet. Tara wasn’t sure what to say, and Willow was lost in thought, running the Oz episode through her mind repeatedly.
A part of Willow blamed herself for the events of the evening. She knew Oz must have been hurt by the new knowledge, and she felt at fault for his pain. He couldn’t be held accountable for lashing out at her, but once he’d insulted Tara, he crossed a line. The blonde had no part in the past between Willow and Oz, and she didn’t deserve to be brought into it. Willow blamed herself for that too.
After what seemed like no time, Willow saw the lights of the sign outside the funeral home. As Tara pulled into a parking space, the redhead separated her hand from the other woman’s and unbuckled her seatbelt.
Tara put the vehicle in park but did not shut off the engine nor make any attempt at releasing her seatbelt. “I guess I should probably head home then.” She wasn’t sure exactly what Willow wanted.
“Don’t leave,” Willow whispered almost in a pleading tone. “Stay. Just for a little while?” She knew Buffy and Liam would most likely be asleep already and didn’t want to be alone.
“Are you sure?”
At Willow’s nod, Tara turned the key back towards her and unbuckled her seatbelt. They both climbed down out of the SUV and walked hand in hand to the building’s door. Willow searched a moment for her keys but soon found them, allowing the two women to slip inside.
As Willow suspected, all the lights upstairs were off, and the only light source allowing her to see where she was going was the faint glow of a street lamp outside one of the windows. They quietly crept up the next flight of stairs where Willow flicked a switch for the third floor hall light, giving them better visibility.
Tara allowed herself to be led down the hall to Willow’s bedroom. Inside with the light on, she noticed the dog lying in the middle of the redhead’s rather large bed.
And she would need so much room in there because…? she wondered.
“Not now, Metz,” Willow said as she snapped her fingers and pointed to the door, causing the dog to promptly climb out of the bed and leave the room.
Willow tossed her purse unceremoniously onto the floor just to the side of the doorway and walked over to her bed to take a seat.
Tara remained hovering in the doorway, unsure of what to do.
Seeing the blonde still not inside the room, Willow gave a small smile and patted the space on the bed beside her. “It’s safe. I don’t bite,” she tried to joke.
Slowly Tara stepped fully through the door and walked over to take a seat next to the redhead. Being inside Willow’s room and sitting on her bed stirred up a swarm of butterflies in the blonde’s stomach, and she nervously began toying with the carabiner on her key ring.
Willow was feeling nervous as well. At the time, she’d thought it was a good idea to have Tara up to her room, but now that they were both actually there, and on her bed no less, the reality of the situation caught up with her. In order to break the nervous silence that had suddenly fallen over them, Willow spoke up. “Would you mind if I maybe put on some pajamas or something?”
The blonde looked up from the clip to meet Willow’s eyes. “That’s fine.”
The redhead stood from the bed and went to retrieve a pair of shorts and a t-shirt from her dresser before stepping into the hall to change in the bathroom.
While Willow as gone, Tara removed her shoes and folded her legs beneath herself on the bed. She went back to fiddling with her keys as she waited for the other woman’s return.
It only took a few minutes for Willow to change clothes and make herself seem somewhat presentable before she returned to her bedroom. She found Tara still sitting on the bed playing with the black clip connected to her keys. Wordlessly she sat down beside the blonde and took the keys, placing them on the nightstand next to the bed.
Tara looked up at Willow and smiled before the redhead leaned in and kissed her soundly on the lips. As Willow pulled away, Tara looked at her curiously. “What was that for?”
“Just cause,” Willow replied with a tiny grin as she leaned in for another small peck on Tara’s lips.
Tara couldn’t help but enjoy the kisses, but she also wondered why she was in Willow’s room and where all this was going. “Did you want to talk or anything? About what happened?” she asked softly, tucking a strand of hair behind the redhead’s ear.
Willow’s grin turned into a small frown, but she didn’t say anything. Instead she slowly nodded her head up and down before lying down on her back across the bed.
Following suit, Tara lowered herself onto her side and leaned up on one elbow so she could look at the other woman. When Willow didn’t say anything, Tara took the lead. “Were you two close?”
Willow nodded again and spoke quietly. “We were really close. He was pretty much my best friend and one of the few people who didn’t treat my like a freak in high school.”
“Why would anyone treat you like a freak?” Tara wondered aloud. The idea of anyone being mean to Willow was almost insane in Tara’s eyes.
Willow propped herself up on her elbow so she was eye to eye with the blonde. “You try going straight from seventh grade into your freshman year of high school and see if people don’t treat you like a freak. It’s like twice the cause for ridicule. I wasn’t just one of the freshmen. I was the smart freshman.”
The redhead’s words almost made Tara wince. She’d had no idea Willow was looked down upon for her intelligence and suddenly felt slightly bad for her own feelings about the redhead’s brains. Deciding to focus on Willow rather than her own mistakes, Tara prompted, “And Oz was there to help you through that?”
“Not really at first. I didn’t meet him until summer started after sophomore year,” Willow explained. “He was nice right from the start.”
Tara smiled at the thought of the redhead finding a friend.
“I was taking a college English course that was offered that summer at our high school, and when I walked out of class one day there were a bunch of kids who’d set up a rail outside the auditorium and they were skateboarding while other kids watched,” Willow continued, staring into the comforter on the bed as she remembered the day in her past. “I sort of hung back and watched from a distance, but Oz noticed me and asked me to come watch with him. No one ever noticed me, but he did. So I went to sit with him, and I was nervous as hell.”
“I bet,” Tara said, imagining what it must have been like for Willow.
Willow began playing with the blonde’s fingers that were resting on the bed in front of her while she kept talking. “I didn’t need to be nervous though ‘cause we just hit it off. We talked about music and our mutual inability to do anything with a skateboard like the kids we were watching, and it was great. The whole rest of the summer we hung out and went to concerts practically every week. I’d never had a friend like Oz.”
As she listened, Tara unconsciously interlocked her fingers with the redhead’s wandering digits and began rubbing along the back of Willow’s thumb with her own. She never took her eyes off the other woman, giving her full attention.
“We got so close, and then that whole relationship debacle happened and everything just changed. He changed. I don’t know what happened, but I ended up losing my best friend.” Tears slowly began to pool in Willow’s eyes, but they didn’t spill. “When my dad found out about all of it, my mom practically had to physically restrain him to keep him from killing Oz,” she joked, trying to lighten the mood. “Dad never really liked him for some reason.”
“Probably the old ‘no one’s good enough for my daughter’ coming out,” Tara joked back, giving a small laugh to ease some tension.
“Yeah, probably.” Willow laughed as well for a second before frowning again. “Then tonight. I know I made mistakes and I deserved that from him, but the way he treated you…”
“Honey, no,” Tara cut her off. “You didn’t deserve that. No matter what you did, you didn’t deserve to be treated like that.” She reached up and lightly brushed away the tears on Willow’s face that had finally begun to fall.
“But it had to have hurt him,” the redhead tried to argue as she continued crying.
“Yes, but it gave him no right to try hurting you back,” Tara reasoned.
“I just don’t know where things went so wrong,” Willow said before finally releasing a sob.
Tara quickly scooted her body closer to Willow and pulled the redhead into as tight of an embrace as she could considering the limitations of their positions on the bed. “I don’t know, sweetie. I don’t know,” she murmured into the other woman’s ear.
Willow clung to the blonde and sobbed into her neck, taking in all the offered comfort. Within a few short minutes, Tara’s gentle hug and soothing words brought the redhead’s sobs down to a minimum.
Willow sniffled and looked up at the other woman with tear soaked eyes. Something passed between them in that look, and they both quickly leaned in to come together in a passionate kiss. Soon, what was left of Willow’s sobs turned into moans as the two women joined their lips over and over again.
Any ability to think left Tara as she opened her mouth allowing the redhead’s tongue inside. After a few minutes of frenzied kisses, roaming hands joined into the mix in an effort to map new and uncharted territory. Tara discovered the smooth skin of the other woman’s back to be strangely intoxicating as her hands snaked under the barrier of a t-shirt. Willow found herself perfectly content as she cupped both Tara’s breasts through the cloth of the blonde’s baseball tee.
Both women allowed themselves to become lost in physical sensations neither had ever known existed. Tara’s left hand snuck further up the redhead’s back and found a distinct lack of anything other than skin. As if having a mind of its own, that same hand slowly crept its way to the front of the shirt to cup the bare flesh of Willow’s right breast. The action earned a sudden gasp from the redhead, and Tara began tentatively testing different pressures and grasping techniques to see what other noises she could elicit from the other woman. Tara’s own gasp entered into the array of noises as Willow shifted the blonde onto her back and placed a leg between both of Tara’s before introducing a slow rocking motion.
They continued their explorations and heated kisses for several minutes as both lost track of any sense of time. The sudden feeling of Willow’s lips on the skin just below her ear sent Tara into a dizzying haze. Everything about the moment felt right, and almost nothing would convince either woman otherwise at that point in time.
Willow trailed her right hand from where it had been resting on Tara’s hip and managed to push the button of the other woman’s jeans out of its hole. That simple action brought clarity rushing full force and crashing right into the blonde. She suddenly realized exactly what it was they’d been doing and where it was they were going. Before Willow could even get a grip on the zipper, Tara’s hand was there to intercept her.
“I can’t,” Tara managed breathlessly.
The sound of Tara’s voice brought Willow back into reality as well, and she paused her movements while opening her eyes to look at the other woman.
“I’ve never…” Tara trailed off, turning her head to avert Willow’s gaze.
It took a moment for Willow’s blood to throw it in reverse and head back to her brain, but once there, she too realized what was happening and understood what Tara was saying. The other woman obviously seemed slightly self-conscious suddenly, and Willow attempted to reassure her. “It’s okay. I haven’t…” she began, only to be cut off.
“I want to wait. For the right person, I mean.”
“I think…” Willow started to agree, but was stopped again.
“Sometimes I think I should be embarrassed. Twenty-three and still a virgin.”
“I’m not embarrassed,” the redhead managed to get out before Tara had a chance to say anything else.
That got the blonde’s attention, and she stopped, staring at the woman who still hovered above her. “Huh?”
Willow smiled at the confused look on Tara’s face. “Little tidbit of info that would probably send my father jumping for joy,” she began jokingly as she rolled off of Tara and lay facing the blonde once more. “Willow Rosenberg is certifiably a virgin.”
“You mean?” Tara found herself a little shocked.
“Let’s just say that if this were a scary movie, I could happily dance around right in front of the killer and still manage to make it to the end credits.”
Tara couldn’t help but laugh at the redhead. Willow just had an adorable sense of humor.
“Seriously though.” Willow stopped joking. “I just always wanted to be in love first.” As a side note she added, “And you kind of have to be in a relationship to fall in love.”
“You’ve never been in a relationship?” Tara asked incredulously. She was also shocked that Willow held the same views on sex as she did.
“Well if you count that totally three month stint I had with Jennifer the straight girl who wouldn’t let it be anything more than platonic and packed it up to head back to Boys Town, then sure, I’m an old pro.” There was a twinkle in Willow’s eyes that portrayed the fact that she was joking again. “Other than that, I’ve had one date each with two separate girls. Now who feels like she should be embarrassed?”
Tara was surprised to say the least. She herself had only a little more experience in the realm of relationships than the redhead, but she had expected someone as beautiful and interesting as Willow to have quite a bit more of a past in that department. “You’ve looked at yourself right? I mean, cause you should have had women flocking to you.”
“Well I’m not heinously deformed or anything, so yeah, I got asked on dates. Mostly by guys, which I obviously turned down. I just didn’t have time for a relationship though,” Willow admitted. Off of Tara’s confused look she continued. “I was double majoring and loaded up on classes fall, spring, and summer semesters. Plus there were student groups and friends. I barely had time for myself, let alone a girlfriend. Besides, no one really struck me right off the bat as a girl I just had to see again. Not like it was with you.” Her voice trailed off at the end.
Tara blushed at Willow’s admission. Before she could say anything, she felt a yawn escape and tried to stifle it.
“You sleepy?” Willow asked.
Tara nodded. Glancing at the bedside clock she noticed it was considerably late.
“If you wanted, I could get you some pajamas and you could stay here,” the redhead offered.
Tara debated on whether or not it would actually be a good idea to stay or not considering the events that had almost transpired earlier.
“It’s a big bed. You wouldn’t even know I was here,” Willow added innocently when she saw Tara hesitate.
Looking into Willow’s eyes and seeing something akin to hope, Tara relented. “Okay.”
Willow immediately stood to find something for the blonde to sleep in. “Pants or shorts?” she asked while she pulled a t-shirt out of one drawer and went to open another.
“Pants,” Tara answered.
Willow located a pair of comfy pajama pants and held them, along with the shirt, out for the blonde to take. “Remember where the bathroom is?”
Tara nodded. “Yep.”
“There’s a new toothbrush in the top left drawer that you can use. The toothpaste is in there too.”
“Thanks,” Tara replied as she took the offered items and left for the bathroom.
When the blonde returned, Willow was resting under the covers on one side of the bed and she’d turned the overhead light off, replacing it with the light of a bedside lamp. She took in the sight of Tara in the t-shirt which clung a little tighter to the other woman’s ample chest. That shirt never fits me like that, she thought, almost on the verge of drooling. “You should wear my t-shirts more often.” She had a glazed over look in her eyes. “And I just said that out loud didn’t I?”
“Afraid so,” Tara said, blushing yet a little smug seeing the way Willow was openly ogling her. She then crawled into the bed with the redhead and got under the covers.
“So your band has a demo and no one filled me in?” Willow asked, propping herself up on an elbow so she could look at the other woman. She’d heard the demo mentioned on the radio earlier and stored the information away for later.
“You never asked,” Tara teased, propping herself up as well. She wondered just how Willow’s mind worked, bringing topics up out of seemingly nowhere.
“Well I didn’t know there was anything to ask about,” the redhead teased back.
“I guess I’ll have to fill you in then.”
Willow smiled. “Looks like.”
“We have a three song demo.”
“And?” Willow asked when the blonde didn’t say anything else.
“It’s a demo. With three songs. Not much to tell,” Tara said, trying to keep a straight face and acting like it was common knowledge. She was teasing the redhead again by giving her only the minimum of information.
“You already said that.” Willow laughed and swatted at Tara’s arm. “How does one get a copy of said demo?” she asked.
“Well right now we don’t have any copies, but Ross is getting ready to make some more to take on the road for some shows we have lined up soon,” Tara explained, deciding to stop teasing. “If you want, I can grab a copy for you.”
“I’d love that.” Willow had a feeling she’d be wearing out the disc as soon as she got it. “Is that the only thing you guys have recorded?”
“So far, yeah. We’re supposed to get in to record some stuff this summer and work on an actual album. Jeremy has all the equipment, so he’s letting us use it.” Tara released another yawn.
“Oh fun,” Willow managed before she yawned as well. “Stupid chain reaction yawning.”
Tara snuggled further down into the covers.
“You going to sleep?” Willow asked.
“Mmmhmm,” the blonde muttered as her eyes started to close.
Willow reached over and turned off the lamp. “Night,” she said. Really, she wanted to stay up all night talking with the blonde, but she knew Tara was sleepy and she was starting to feel a little sleepy herself. She covered herself up and rolled over with her back to the other woman, allowing quite a bit of space between them. Secretly Willow wanted to snuggle up right next to Tara, but with what had happened earlier, she thought the distance might be good.
“Night,” Tara replied. Her thoughts about space mirrored Willow’s, and she rolled away from the redhead as well. Before long she drifted off to sleep.
I've got an electric guitar. I play my stupid songs. I write these stupid words, and I love every one. If I went back some place I know that life was perfect like a TV show then 1993 is where I’d go cause Galaga was my only fight and it was cool to ride my bike we’d sneak out to cough on cigarettes and break it down with old cassettes up in my room it felt so safe where Kurt and Billy never looked at me strange.
by Bookcat » Tue Aug 26, 2003 2:48 am 
,
Oay first off the whole 
and 
being pushed together, 
! Secondly GO 
more of this wonderful fc. Update soon, please? 
And thanks for posting the music - I was going to search them out on my own, but now I don't have to 
coming 
But good that Willow punched him...i had hit him much earlier....
I can't wait to 
