The Wiccan Chronicles

[BurningWhiteRose]

Veruca and Oz?...



How?...



...



ROCKIN!! Gotta see where this is going.



Sincerely,

BWR

[veiled isis moon]

Oh my. That was an amazing update and well worth the wait, although i hope we don't have to wait that long for the next one as well.......il cry



The update showed incredible flow, it was so great to read. I love the Willow and Tara funny-teasing banter, and both their reactions and babble fests when something was said or done unexpectedly. You really nailed Willow babble



That update was sexy as hell, with the new touching, can't wait for more.



Michelle.x



Oh yeah, Veruca and Oz, how long have they been brainwashed and what bad things has Maggie got planned????

I'm scared!!

Edited by: veiled isis moon at: 6/3/04 10:58 am

[littlecrazy80]

Wonderful update!



*lil´c*

"I am S-E-X-Y" Amber at the FedCon



SweetAmber ~~~ Amber Board

[The Rose24]

This long update definitely makes up for your long absence. I am still loving this story.

Tara: My heart doesn't stutter.


Tara: Willow, I got so lost.

Willow: I found you. I will always find you.

[DarkWiccan]

Okay...so I have been a lazy poop in not posting sooner. I don't have a lot of time... just wanted to say that I appreciated you not showing us W/T's *actual* first time together. It was a private moment for them to share... and then we get to bask in the happy afterglow.



Great choice



Cheers

DW

[onyxsundrops]

Absolutely wonderful update... and funny too . Thanks.



Yvonne

[tinnakaren]

BWR: Veruca and Oz indeed...the 'how' will be answered soon. Thanks for reading



veiled isis moon: I'll try my best not to make you cry. What's my time limit? I work well under pressure Thank you for all your kind words - I appreciate getting feedback where you tell me what you liked or didn't like about the update, so that I can work on that. It really helps. And, and, and ... I managed 'sexy'? Niice! Maggie's devious plans will be revealed and hopefully thwarted soon.



littlecrazy80: Thanks lil' c



The Rose24: I didn't even realize I had been gone for 6 weeks .. sorry. But I'm glad I made up for it.



DarkWiccan: Well, I know I wouldn't want my first time to be shared with anyone but my sweetie And I decided to go with that. Vicarious smoochies and as you said, happy afterglow, are just as good I think. Thanks DW.



Onyxsundrops: I made you laugh? That's a great compliment. Thank you

--------------------------

Tinna Karen

-tölvunörd í fyrsta ættlið

[veiled isis moon]

Hell yeah, you did sexy really, really well!



Man, you've got a week tops before i totally lose it, so get them fingers working..... ....with the writing.......obviously!!



I'm still scared



Michellw.x

[Sassette]

Ummm .. wow. How did I miss this fic? Oh, yeah - 'cuz I haven't really had time to read >anything< recently. My great big honkin' loss (though, I must admit, I'm finding it immensely satisfying that there's so much already done).



Okay, first, I want to say that I've only just finished chapter 3A, but I'm so impressed I had to leave feedback Right Now (and considering the cliffhanger you left at that point, I was really, really, torn). Second, I want to say >why< I'm impressed. Story arc and internal consistency are very very important to me when I'm reading something. You've done a beautiful job of incorporating Tara into early S4, with a wonderfully explored development of Tara's relationship with both Willow and Buffy. I've really enjoyed how you've woven this story around canon, so the familiar events give a sense of time passing that allows us to get a sense of a 'slowly-but-surely' deepening of feelings between Willow and Tara. Truly, this is wonderful. Your characterizations are also extremely well done. Every word, every action, every thought is totally believable (though, Buffy might be a tad less self-centered and more observant of her surroundings ... but as far as noticing things about Willow goes, I found this to be bad characterization on the part of the TV show, not on yours. Willow is her best friend, and so Buffy would darn well notice these things!).



Now I'm off to find out what the heck happens next - and, time permitting, I will be keeping an eye out for more of this wonderful story.



-Sass

[her BRIGHTeyes]

Veruca AND Oz?? WTF?? What the eff is the initiative up to??? I'm dying to know!!

Updation Soonish?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

she had eyes bright enough to burn me --conor oberst

[tinnakaren]

Hey everyone *ducks* sorry about the lateness. This chapter has been giving me a veeeery hard time - for some reason I can't do angst .. at all - so here's what I've got so far - hopefully the next part will be sooner in the works. Thanks for everyone for reading, and particularly for replying - I appreciate it immensely. And thanks to Charlie and Washi for beta-ing and helping me do better



Note: This chapter is a bit of an interlude from the main story.





Chapter 7: Bloody reunions



Part A



***



Dozen or so people were gathered outside the UC Sunnydale anthropology department watching the commencement of the new Cultural Center construction. It wasn't a big crowd to say the least. Three female students and one female ogle-y person stood off the to side, shaded by a large tree behind them, and watched with rapt attention – no, not really. They were pretty bored. There was only one reason they were there – and it wasn't the speech being given by one of the professors of the anthropology department.



"Look at him." Anya sighed wistfully and looked longingly towards the dig site. "Have you ever seen anything so masculine?" She took three steps forward away from the three other girls and tilted her head to the side. She sighed again.



Buffy scrunched up her nose and looked towards the podium. "You mean Dean Guerrero or his wife?"



Willow smirked at the slayer to her right and discreetly pointed towards Xander who, wearing a dashing ensemble of a tank top and hard-hat, stood armed with a shovel ready to dig. "I think she means..." she trailed off when Buffy looked towards the newly hired construction worker.



"Oh, yes...very manly. Not at all village people." Buffy said sarcastically and both Willow and Tara chuckled. "So much sexier than the outfit from his last job."



"I'm gonna miss the free hot dogs on sticks," Willow smiled sadly and leaned closer to Tara who wrapped an arm around her waist. "Those were pretty good, weren't they?" She asked and Tara nodded.



Anya ignored the three other girls and continued ogling Xander. "I'm imagining having sex with him right now."



Tara stifled the giggles that threatened to erupt and leaned her head on Willow's shoulder. She breathed in the familiar Willow-y scent and closed her eyes. Lately, whenever she was in the presence of Willow and could smell that alluring fragrance all she wanted to do was... "I know what you mean," she agreed and let her mind wander to naughty places...naughty naked places...naughty naked Willow places. So nice, she thought and sighed. Her eyes snapped open a second later when Willow stepped away from her and looked at her curiously. "Um, I said that out loud didn't I?"



Willow nodded and had an unreadable expression on her face. Tara smiled apologetically. "Um, well obviously I don't mean Xander because well...you and I are...and he's...well I just mean the um, sex part and..." Willow quirked an eyebrow, "and the imagining part and..." Tara noticed both Buffy and Anya looking at her discreetly. Well, Buffy was being discreet, Anya—not so much. "And I'll just shut up now." Tara ducked her head intending to hide behind her hair but seeing as she'd worn her hair up that morning it was of no use. Damn.



"You're imagining having sex with Willow right now." Anya clarified. "It's okay to admit it. I certainly cannot understand it because Willow is just so skinny and tiny and female and extremely un-sexy, and hello, she doesn't have a penis...what are you thinking really? But it's okay to admit it." She gave Tara a nod and turned back towards Xander.



"Hey!" Willow said indignant, and righteously so. "I am sexy."



"Pfft..." Anya shook her head. "No you're not."



"Am too."



"Are not."



"Am too."



"Are..."



"Anya, shut up." Tara said, interrupting the ex-demon. "You don't know what you're talking about. Willow's so..." Tara trailed off when Willow looked at her smiling proudly. She smiled back and took one step towards Willow and laced their fingers together.



Anya frowned from having been told off and glared at her recently acquired friend, whose position in her small but thoroughly thought out friends-list would soon be reconsidered. Tara was skating on thin ice right now. "Willow's what?"



Willow looked expectantly at her girlfriend as she too waited an answer. What am I?



"Willow is..." Tara looked intently at the girl in front of her and had a hard time trying to pick one word to describe her. Smart, sexy, adorable, gorgeous, beautiful, brainy, cute... They all swam around in her brain fighting to be the first one in use. But there was one word that won over all the others and when Tara realized what that word was she had a hard time raining in her feelings for Willow. All she wanted to do was kiss her and make love to her. Right here. Right now.



"Yes?" Anya said impatiently and interrupted Tara's thoughts.



Tara glanced at the ex-demon then back at Willow. The loving yet feral look she gave her girlfriend made Willow step back in trepid anticipation. Oh my. Tara followed Willow and cupped Willow's head in her hands, pulling Willow closer to her. "Mine," she whispered before she drew their mouths together in a heated kiss and pushed Willow backwards into a tree.



Whoa! Tara-kisses. Was all Willow could think until she lost herself in the kiss. She backed unceremoniously into the tree behind them but Tara's hand at the back of her head kept her from banging it on the trunk.



Buffy's eyes were wide open and she hastily backed away from the tree she had been leaning up against few seconds earlier. She stopped when she'd reached Anya and looked down at the ground, feeling slightly embarrassed from the public display of affection.



"They'll be having sex soon." Anya surmised. "Maybe even up against that tree."



Buffy's eyes widened even more and she turned abruptly towards the dig site. "Oh look," she said, thankful for the distraction. "They're starting to dig. Yay."



Anya glared at the professor making the first ceremonial dig. "What is she doing? Xander said he was going to dig. I want to see Xander dig." Anya was incensed and crossed her arms in protest. "This bites. She's not rippling at all."



"Oh look," Buffy said again, "there he goes."



Anya perked right up and sighed happily. "Aww, look at him."



Buffy gave the two witches a quick sneaky glance before settling her eyes on the ground again. "You know," she whispered to Anya. "I never thought I'd see Tara be so...so...aggressive, I guess. And I certainly hadn't banked on seeing Willow be all PDA."



Anya stopped her Xander ogling long enough to give Willow and Tara a sideway glance and had to smile approvingly of the way Tara was pressed into Willow while they kissed. Hmm, good technique, I'll have to show it to Xander. She let her eyes drift to Buffy and gave her a shrug. "It's not so hard to believe really. Tara's obviously been abused and opposed against most of her life. And I doubt she's ever gotten her way, and that made her feel like she was worthless, followed by self-deprecation, and invariable shyness. But now she's on her own, free to practice, and fighting against the evil she thought she was. And she’s also got Willow now, who, as questionable partners goes, isn't so bad."



Abused? Buffy frowned and hoped Anya was wrong. "And all that means what?"



Anya gave Buffy a 'I'm this close to losing my patience with you' look. "She's finally built up a little confidence which allows her to do that." She pointed to the two girls by the tree. "But she'll be really embarrassed about it later."



Willow and Tara broke off the kiss and took in big gulps of air. "Wow." Willow said and shook her head, trying to clear the Tara-cobwebs in her brain. It didn't work. "I-aa...wow."



"Home?" Tara asked and Willow nodded dumbly, "oh frilly heck, yes." They walked hurriedly over to Buffy and Anya to say goodbye.



"Look at Xander go," Anya said when they approached. "I'm imagining having sex with him again."



The four girls all watched at Xander sticking the shovel into the ground.



"Imaginary Xander is quite the machine," Buffy quipped. Willow nodded sardonically, "very...diggy." She turned from Xander to Buffy. "Anyway, we're gonna um, go."



"To have sex. Yes we know. I hope you enjoy the orgasms."



Buffy and Tara both looked like a deer caught in headlights but Willow grinned furtively at Anya. Sometimes she couldn't help liking the girl's honesty. She turned around quickly and dragged a very blushing but willing Tara with her. They walked hurriedly away and before long they were running away from the ceremony. They never noticed the ground breaking away beneath Xander and his falling into a hole.



***



"Baby?"



"Hmm?" Tara looked up from her book and smiled sweetly at Willow, the term of endearment sending her on a quick trip to Happy-ville and back. Willow was sitting by their double desk tapping on the keys of her laptop as she glanced at Tara.



"Are you sure about this weekend? I mean, absolutely, unequivocally, positively sure?"



Tara dog-eared the page she was on and placed the book next to her on the bed. Miss Kitty who had been playing with a rubber ball on the bed next to Tara walked over to the book and sniffed it curiously. Tara waited a second to see if the kitty would attack the book or not before giving her attention to Willow. When the kitty went back to her ball Tara looked up. "This weekend? You mean for Thanksgiving?" she clarified.



"Yeah, are you sure you still want to go um, home...to your family, for the weekend? Well, more like the week since classes are over tomorrow."



"Will, we talked about this..."



"I know, but...Tara!" Willow whined out of character. "It's 5 days without you," she complained and pouted. "I think you should just...I don't know...forget about your family and come home with me." She nodded emphatically to emphasize her point. "Yes, I'm so much more on board with that plan."



"With you?" Tara asked, surprised. In all the time she'd known Willow she had never gone to her house, even though it was just 15 minutes away.



"Yup, and you can...you know, meet my parents. Although, don't get too excited...they're insane, and not all there...which basically just means the same thing."



Willow rolled her eyes and got off her chair, walking to the bed. She lay down on her side, resting her head in Tara's lap. "And you know..." she started and looked up at her girlfriend, "we don't even celebrate Thanksgiving or Columbus Day for that matter, or any holiday which commemorates the destruction of the indigenous people, so the whole 'come meet my family for Thanksgiving' thing might be a moot point. But there will be food, of course, and Buffy is planning on cooking her own Thanksgiving meal at Giles' so we can always go there if you want. Although we might have to sneak out or maybe just say we're going to stand outside the grocery store scowling at last minute yam shoppers." Tara's stomach rippled from silent laughter and Willow looked up and pretended to pout. "Not really... my parents...they're so distracted with their work they don't notice anyone or anything unless they can write a paper about it and get it published. But...do you still wanna meet 'em?"



Tara chuckled and ran her fingers through Willow's hair. "I would love to meet them but..."



"Oh you don't have to be afraid or anything," Willow interrupted again and started tracing circles on Tara's t-shirt with her right index finger. "I won't tell them anything you're not ready for them to know, or anything I know they're not ready to know, or anything I think I'm not ready for them to know...I think. Um, does that make sense? Besides, they'll probably just think I'm...um, experimenting." Her finger traveled higher up Tara's shirt and she lightly scratched the underside of Tara's breast.



Tara closed her eyes for a second and allowed the feeling of arousal to run through her body. Willow was so good at teasing her, but she was just as easily teased.



"Are you experimenting?"



"Huh?" Willow's wandering hand snapped back away from Tara's body like she'd been burned. She looked at her hand for a moment like she couldn't believe how it had gotten there before she looked up at Tara. "Of course not. And might I add an emphatic no to that answer."



"Are you sure? That thing you did earlier today could have been classified as um, experimental." She winked down at Willow who smiled back in relief.



Tara was just teasing her. Phew.



Willow turned on her stomach and pushed herself up on her hands and knees and leaned into Tara. "You didn't seem to be complaining afterwards," she said grinning and gave Tara a quick kiss.



Tara grinned back and shook her head, "I don't think I'll ever complain when you do that."



"Good, 'cause I really liked doing it." Willow kissed Tara once more then sat back on her haunches. "So, wanna come home with me?"



Tara smiled sadly at her girlfriend.



"Oh." Willow smiled sadly back, "no go huh?"



Tara shook her head. "Will. I have to go h-home."



Willow frowned slightly when Tara stumbled on the word 'home'. She hadn't stuttered when talking to Willow for weeks and whenever she did, it was either because she was afraid or uncomfortable. They hadn't really discussed their family situations yet, both preferring to avoid the topic than to deal with it, but Willow knew Tara was uncomfortable with it. Maybe now was the time to talk about it?



"Okay..." Willow said and moved on the bed, lying down next to Tara.



Tara shifted to face Willow and tucked one hand underneath her pillow. "Okay?"



"But I'm coming with you."



Tara raised an eyebrow in response.



"And Buffy too."



Tara raised her second eyebrow in surprise.



"Don't look at me like that," Willow resolved. "We're coming with you and that's that." She pointed to her face. "Resolve face – see it, learn it, live it."



Tara grinned slightly, "Will...I can't ask you to come with me. Let alone Buffy."



"But you're not asking, I'm offering...heck, I'm pretty much demanding it baby. I can't stand the thought of being away from you for 5 days."



"Really?"



"Really, really. Tara, I miss you when you're just in class. Imagine what 5 days will do to me. I might die," she whispered melodramatically.



"You're so cute," Tara smiled and touched Willow's nose with her index finger. "But no talk of dying." She jabbed Willow in the stomach who squirmed away giggling. "Okay..." Willow acquiesced, "but I'm serious. I want to come with you."



"And I love you for it. Thank you." They smiled at each other for a moment. "But you can't expect Buffy to come with us."



"Pfft...she's got nothing better to do. She'll come."



"Will...I thought you said she was gonna cook Thanksgiving dinner?"



"Again, I say pfft. Buffy and her damn yam sham." Willow grumbled, remembering her talk with the slayer about her Thanksgiving sell-out.



"Huh?"



"I'll explain later. But really," Willow said with a determined look, "Buffy's my best friend. She'll darn well do what I tell her to."



Tara snickered and grinned at Willow. "I love it when you're all forceful."



Willow grinned back then proceeded to show Tara how forceful she could be—often—from different positions.



Two hours later Willow kicked the covers off from her body. "Cheese and rice, it's hot in here!" She tried to blow a few strands of hair away from her face but they were matted to her sweaty forehead. Then she tried to lift her arm to wipe them away but she was too tired to move. She exhaled loudly and looked up to the ceiling. Huh. "Why is the ceiling all sparkly?"



"Huh?" Tara lifted her head slowly from Willow's chest and looked at her girlfriend. Oh. "Your face is sparkly."



"It is?"



Tara nodded. "Either that or I'm seeing stars."



"Oh...is that what it is." Willow grinned. "Well, go us!"



"Yes," Tara agreed and laid her head back down. She sighed happily. "Go us." She closed her eyes and was soon asleep with Willow joining her a second later.



***



Tara woke up when someone swatted her nose repeatedly. She opened one eye and saw two curious yellow eyes staring back at her in the dark. Miss Kitty swatted her again and meowed once. Tara yawned and rolled quietly away from Willow and checked her alarm clock. 9 o'clock, no wonder it's dark. They'd been asleep for four hours, missing dinner and, oops, she thought with slight alarm, patrolling with Buffy. She rolled back towards Willow and kissed her lips. "Will?" she whispered but the only response she got from Willow was her rumbling tummy. She laughed quietly and got up to feed her kitty and to get some snacks for her and Willow.



She returned to bed a few minutes later with leftover fruit-salad and gold fish crackers. Willow stirred when she moved on the bed and opened her eyes slowly. "Mmmhey," she said with a yawn. Her tummy rumbled again and she groaned in annoyance.



"Here," Tara said and held a piece of cantaloupe for Willow. Willow opened her mouth and accepted the fruit willingly. She chewed on the melon a few times then swallowed it. "Mmm, thank you. You're so good to me."



Tara half-smiled and bit her bottom lip. She picked up a pineapple chunk and held it out for Willow. Willow bit on the fruit gently and moved it from Tara's fingers before sucking it into her mouth. Tara licked the juice from her fingertips and picked up a strawberry for herself.



Willow rolled to her side and propped herself up on her elbows. She noticed the white bag of crackers on the bed and smiled. "Ooh, gold fish crackers. Yummy."



Tara nodded and looked discreetly at Willow's exposed chest. She blushed and looked back down at the snacks in front of her. Willow noticed the movement and smiled. "You know it's weird," she started, and popped a grape in her mouth then swallowed it quickly. "We just spent hours making love, yet there's still this feeling of...bashfulness, I guess, afterwards. Why is that?"



Tara blushed a little more and shrugged her shoulders.



"Tara...baby, it's okay...you can look at my boobies all you want." Tara looked up surprised, "Will!"



"What?" She smiled innocently then giggled and snacked on a few crackers. "You did check them out."



"I know...it's just..."



"And you did practically maul me in front of Buffy and Anya today. There's nothing to be embarrassed about." Willow ate some more crackers. "Well, unless you're embarrassed about being with me."



"No!" Tara looked up and shook her head from side to side. "Never!"



Willow smiled thankfully. "Then what is it?"



"It's just um...it's hard I guess...um, getting used to...um," Tara sighed heavily and looked down at the bed, frustrated with her inability to express herself. "It's like everything I've ever wanted...well, I have it now. And, and...and I'm so not used to getting what I want." Tara shrugged.  "It takes awhile getting used to...that you're not um, a dream. But real."



"Oh." Willow said, speechless. It saddened her to no end that Tara had never gotten what she wanted before, and she promised herself right then to change that, dramatically.



"Well, baby. I'm all yours, and I'm not going anywhere. And anything else you want...you just have to ask."



They exchanged sweet smiles then went back to their late night snack. "So anyway," Willow said minutes later. "About tomorrow. What's the plan?"



Tara told her about her traveling agenda. She had a round-trip bus ticket, leaving tomorrow at 8 PM and would get to Alabama two days later. Willow had almost choked on a gold fish when she heard how long it would take and shook her head from side to side, "the heck I'm sitting on a bus for four days. We are so flying." Tara tried to point out that she didn't have any money for last minute flying but Willow jumped out of bed and ransacked her desk drawers, pulling out her hardly used credit card. "But I do." She grinned. Tara tried to talk her out of it but Willow dismissed it. She had the money, and hardly ever spent it. She might as well put it to good use. Plus, Buffy would never agree to a 4-day bus ride. Besides, if they flew, they could be back in Sunnydale in two days and spend some time with the Rosenberg's as well. Now, all she had to do was to enlist Buffy.



***



"But Will..." Buffy whined without any real feeling behind it, "I wanted the yams," she pouted and sat down on her bed.



Willow crossed her arms and stared down at the slayer, resolve face full in force. "Buff."



Buffy crossed her arms too and looked down at the floor. "Will."



"Buff."



"Will."



"Buff."



They were silent for a minute then Buffy looked up and made eye contact with Willow. They were both grinning. Buffy had made up her mind the minute Willow had asked, of course she'd go with them, she just loved teasing her friend.



"Love you Buff."



"Yeah, you do. So when are we leaving?"



"Tomorrow."



"How long will we be?"



"Two days, we'll be back Thursday night."



"Oh? So I might just get yams after all huh?"



Willow laughed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you just might."



***



Despite the late hour when they arrived in Birmingham, the airport was bustling with people. Willow, the most experienced traveler of the group, navigated the three of them easily through the throngs of people and since not having to pick up any luggage—each of them only carrying a single backpack—they were out the door quickly and easily. Willow opened up her backpack and pulled out a folded bundle of printouts. She scanned through the pages until she found the page she was looking for.



"Now what?" Buffy asked as she stood next to Tara.



"Ask Willow, she planned the whole thing." Tara said with a smile remembering Willow's meticulous planning the night before.



Willow came up to them and showed them the page she was holding. "I ordered a shuttle to take us to Tara's town – it's about an hour drive. It should be here in 10 minutes or so."



"So we wait?"



"We wait."



After 15 minutes of waiting and 46 minutes of very fast driving, which made Buffy look like a Sunday afternoon joy rider, they arrived in Tara's home town. Tara thought it wouldn't be a good idea to bet on their staying at her house so Willow had tried to find accommodations online. A fruitless search had Willow pouting for a few minutes until Tara had assured her that her town was so small and so inconsequential it wasn't even on the map, let alone featured on any travel sites. There definitely was a motel in town—she just didn't know the address—and that is why she asked the shuttle driver to let them out at the first sign of occupancy, a BP gas station at the outskirts of town.



The van pulled up by the single gas pump and all four inhabitants of the car got ready to step out. Tara got out first and held her hand out for Willow who stepped out of the car with a yawn. She glanced down at her watch and yawned again. It was little after 11 PM.



"I'm sleepy," she told Tara and wrapped an arm around her waist, resting her head on her shoulder. "Me too." Tara answered and placed a gentle kiss on Willow's temple.



Buffy jumped out at the same time the driver stepped out of the car and closed the sliding door behind her. She stretched her leg muscles and shook her head from side to side trying to wake herself up more fully. The van had been pretty comfortable and she had had the entire third row of seats to herself and managed to nap for the majority of the drive.



"Are you sure you want me to drop y'all off over here?" The driver asked, "I can take you closer to town if y'all want..." he looked down the road leading to the town's center and beyond, "although this doesn't seem to be that big of a town."



"This is fine sir, thank you. I know my way around."



"Okay Miss, if you are absolutely sure?"



Tara nodded and smiled at the driver. "We'll be fine."



"All right then. I'd best be off. Y'all got everything?"



Two yup's and a yes was enough for the driver to drive off, leaving the three girls looking at each other.



"Again I say, now what?"



Tara smiled at her friend and pointed towards her hometown, "now we walk."



***



"It's dark here." Buffy observed as she followed Willow and Tara down the single-lane road leading towards the town of Tannehill. "Are there vampires in these woods?" She looked with trepidation towards the dense forest they were walking alongside. Who knew what was lurking behind the trees and could jump at them at any time?



Willow looked over her shoulder. "Well, if there are any hiding behind the oaks and loblollies, it's the good thing we have a slayer in our midst." She smirked at Buffy and felt Tara squeeze her hand as she gave her a smile.



"Smartass. I'm just asking. I packed Mr. Pointy at the bottom of my bag—should I get it? And what in God's names are loblollies? Sounds demon-y."



"No, we'll be fine." Tara answered. The only demons that had supposedly lived in this town were witches—women—by the name of Maclay.



She felt the stirrings of deep-rooted anger and resentment towards her father and brother threatening to surface and a single tear rolled down her cheek. She squeezed Willow's hand tighter and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She had never taken the time to truly deal with these feelings before. After realizing her father's hateful deceit, realizing she was no demon, but a beautiful person in her own right, and having been lied to for her entire life, the shock and hurt was too much to bear. So she blocked the anger and buried it deep down while experiencing the thrill that came with the knowledge of not being demonic in any way, shape or form.



However, while she enjoyed the freedom to live without fear, and treasured the experience of falling in love and being loved in return, she was just kidding herself if she thought she could just forgive and forget without understanding why. And she knew Willow wanted to know everything that had happened, and understand it too, and she wouldn't be able to tell Willow until she finally faced her father head on.



Willow felt Tara squeeze her hand tight and the emotional turmoil she felt rolling off her girlfriend in waves gave her tummy rumbling badness. She wanted to help so much, but she didn't understand how to, so all she could to was to offer Tara her love and support until she did, then she could help more directly.



Willow pulled their laced hands to her lips and kissed Tara's knuckles once. "Love you." She said when Tara looked at her and the smile she got in return dispelled all the badness she was feeling and, even if it lasted for only a minute, she felt Tara's anger dissipate. She smiled back, knowing she had helped.



The walk to town only took 15 minutes and soon they were walking down Market Street, passing the convenience store, the hardware store, the post office and Tommy's Saloon.



Saloon? Willow thought. Do people still use that word? She felt like she was back in the old west and wouldn't have been surprised if a horse-riding sheriff had past by. "No offence baby, but this here town," she said with a bit of a drawl, "reminds me of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman." Tara smiled, and Buffy laughed out loud when she heard Willow's exclamation. "I can't believe you watched that show Will."



"Don't blame me, all the episodes I've seen...I was staying at your house at the time."



"What? I don't watch that show." Buffy protested, appalled at the thought.



"No, but your mom does."



"Um," Tara interrupted and started crossing the street. "Let's go over to the other side of the street."



"M'kay." Willow agreed easily and followed Tara. Buffy frowned and glanced around wondering if there was any danger around. Seeing none she stepped down the sidewalk and followed the two witches. Loud music and people shouting could be heard when the swinging doors to Tommy's Saloon opened and a young man stepped out. "Tara!" He yelled across the street and Tara inwardly grimaced. Shit.



Both Willow and Buffy stopped and looked at the man walking towards them but Tara kept walking.



"Tara! Don't even think of walking away from me!"



Tara stopped and let out a deep sigh. Then she slowly turned and faced her brother.



***



TBC

x Tinna Karen



"You're not gonna jokey-rhyme your way outta this one." - Willow in Pangs

[veiled isis moon]

Hey!!! No you don't! You can't just leave it like that.



At first when i noticed you had updated i was like, yay!!! Wicked chapter, very funny, great interaction between Willow, Tara, Buffy and Anya, and it stayed the same through the whole chapter, then it came to the end and i was like, nooooooooooooooooooooo!!! I wanna know what happens now that Tara's home, and i'm hoping because this is 'Part A', you'll have the next part done already or nearly done??? I can't cope with these huge gaps of tinnakaren-less fiction........i need it..........NOW GOD DAMN IT!!!!!!



*takes a deep breath* Anyway..........loved the update. Tara pushing Willow up against the tree gave me butterflies............she's so................when she's forcefull and aggressive........mmmmmmm! Anya and Buffy's reactions were cool. Anya was taking notes and all like, yeah go for it whilst Buffy, bless her, was a little shocked about Tara's sudden change in character! Funny!



I like how Willow's all protective over her girl, and that being away from her for 5 days will kill her, awwwwww.



I hope Tara can sort things out at home and in her head and finally move on and believe that she is special and worthy of love, and Willow can finally know the whole truth of Tara's childhood and help her deal with it.



Michelle.x

[littlecrazy80]

Yay an update!

It´s great to see that Willow is so protective of Tara.

Anya and Buffy

Please update asap! I wanna know what happens next.



*lil´c*

"I am S-E-X-Y" Amber at the FedCon



Sweet Amber ~~~ Amber Board ~~~ Fred the Elephant ~~~ Danielle Benson ~~~ Danielle Board

[sam darls]

Hey Tinna..I've just read all of this and I think it's amazing . And I'm happy for you and Charlie (she told me ) Love sam xx

"Sometimes things happen between people that you don't really expect. And sometimes the things that are important are the ones that seem the weirdest or the most wrong. And those are the ones that change your life." - Jessie Sammler (Evan Rachel Wood)

[tinnakaren]

veiled isis moon: Thanks Michelle. Your feedback made me all smiley - and a little smirky I try my best to stay true to the characters-mannerism, speech patterns et al. If I've succeeded, then I've done my homework right. I'm sorry for the cliffhanger. And I'm sorry for having to tell you that I'm nowhere near finished with Part B - but I have thought it through-exhaustively-and I'm working on the outline now...then there's just matter of sitting down and writing. The writing part itself only takes me a few hours really .. it's the knowing what and how to write what I'm trying to achieve that's kicking my ass *sighs* - I need a writing coach .. someone to whip me butt in gear



littlecrazy80: See above, I really am working on getting this chapter out soon Thank you for reading and replying. Means a lot to me to get feedback.



sam darls: Thanks for reading Sam - and for the compliment So Charlie's been talking about me huh? Interesting What's she been saying? And how badly do I look right now?

x Tinna Karen



"You're not gonna jokey-rhyme your way outta this one." - Willow in Pangs

[onyxsundrops]

Quote:

---

...it's the knowing what and how to write what I'm trying to achieve that's kicking my ass *sighs* - I need a writing coach .. someone to whip me butt in gear...

---

You and me both



Amazing update. I love supportive Willow in this update. Tara's hesitance about believing/accepting what she has, was so... classic Tara. I just hope that her visit home doesn't cause a relapse or something.



I think Anya's comments helped make Buffy aware of possible abuse, so hopefully it won't come as much of a surprise to the readers when Buffy is forced to drive Mr. Pointy up Mr. M's/Donny's...



Thanks for the update.



Yvonne

[veiled isis moon]

*raises hand up*.......i'll do it, hand over the whip........................will we be needing handcuffs??............

[tinnakaren]

onyxsundrops: Thanks Yvonne. Your comments mean a lot to me. I feel like I might just be doing something right And yeah, really... who doesn't need a whip-bearing writing coach? "Write me a section with WT smooching while doing the cha-cha...now!" *whooosh*



veiled isis moon: Oohh... but um, Charlie said we're not allowed to play with whips and hand-cuffs but you can still be my writing coach right? Just tell me what to do and when to do it

x Tinna Karen



"You're not gonna jokey-rhyme your way outta this one." - Willow in Pangs

[The Rose24]

Hey! That is so mean. Please continue soon?



Great update.

Tara: My heart doesn't stutter.


Tara: Willow, I got so lost.

Willow: I found you. I will always find you.

[Spikeizmine87]

Ok, Ive spent the last 6 hours reading EVERY SINGLE chapter up until the latest update, and can i say how much in awe i am of this fic? So there i was, reading, reading reading, i pretty much got lost in this fic, lost in this world of willow and tara that you have created, i forgot i was here...on this earth, sitting in my chair. Do you know how great that is? To be so imersed, so INTO a fic where i forget where i am? To be lost in the buffy world is the best thing of all! Theres questions that came up by reading it, like, why was warrens character in it for that brief bit? Other questions too, but it doesnt matter, what matters is im totally HOOKED into this fic and i cant wait for more! This fic has made me go "Ohh" and "awww" outloud, ive gotten excited, happy, a lil mad, and a lil sad. And for a person to invoke all that, I think that person needs MAD praise! Thank you so much for this fic! You are now officially THE goddess of all the writers here at pens (besides holly, writer of "friends forever" that is!) ok so now that im addicted, I NEED MORE! This HAS to continue for a millenium! And sorry this FB is long, its just so great!

ride

-Rose

I promise I wont forget you when Im gone. How can I? You'll always be mine even if you know it or not.

[tinnakaren]

The Rose24: Mean? Oops, I apologize. I'll try to update soon.



Spikeizmine87: Well, I-aa..um.. wow. *big stupid grin* You can so say that btw...don't let me stop you No, seriously..wow, thank you so much. I do know that feeling of getting immersed in a fic, happens to me a lot - and incidentally, Friends Forever is one of the all time favorite fics as well... isn't it just the cutest thing you ever did read? - but I never thought I'd be able to create that kind of atmosphere, but if I did for you .. then, again I say, wow. So really, thank you for spending 6?! hours on reading this story, then taking the time to tell me what you think. I means so much to me And never apologize for long FBs .. those are what make writers write even more

x Tinna Karen



"You're not gonna jokey-rhyme your way outta this one." - Willow in Pangs

[hellyeahallday]

Hey! I didn't say you couldn't play with whips and hand cuffs with other people, I just made it clear that I'd be really gutted if you did . But I didn't say you couldn't, I can't tell you what to do, I don't control you.



You know I love this fic . It rocks, you rock, you're amazing .



Love Charlie

[tinnakaren]

I just wanna play with you anyway

x Tinna Karen



"You're not gonna jokey-rhyme your way outta this one." - Willow in Pangs

[WintersDreamer]

I can't believe he's yelling at her already ... Just have Buffy beat the little ^%$#!! up... pppplllleeeeaaasssee !



I'm glad Willow convinced to have Buffy with them on the trip, I have a sneaking suspicion that they are going to need her.



I'm wonder exactly *why* Tara had to go back....



Anywho, looking forward to seeing where you are going with this .....



...and I have to agree with Tara, the only word that fits the situation is * Shit *

Please update soon,

Edited by: WintersDreamer at: 7/17/04 9:45 pm

[Arron CFF]

I started reading your fic this morning and wow you have done an amazing job but all that I can think of right now is YOU STOPED THERE .

Great Job I hope to read more soon

Arron

[hellyeahallday]

Yay! You only wanna play with me . I'm glad, cuz you're the only one for me too . I love you baby, you amazing person you . Hope that didn't lose it's meaning .



Love Charlie

Freedom of speech carries with it the freedom to listen.

[veiled isis moon]

Okay, no whips or handcuffs, sorry Charlie, we'll just stick to the normal kind of coaching...............leave the handcuffs and whips for you!



Michelle

[tinnakaren]

Notes: It's short - and I'm sorry for that. But it's all my mind could muster for now. Thanks to Charlie for grammafying my writing. If she didn't - I'd use words like 'grammafying'



Chapter 7: Bloody Reunions



Part B



***



"I knew it was you," Donnie said as he came closer. When he'd glanced out the window earlier, what he saw surprised the hell out of him. His younger sister was staring straight at him, and for a second he could have sworn he saw a flicker of flames in her eyes, but then she ducked her head and walked away.



Tara stood trembling in front of her brother, using all of her willpower to keep her head up and look him in the eye. All she wanted to do was shrink away to protect her face from being hit. She noticed the familiar disdain and superiority that always accompanied his looks. She had a feeling he saw her as an inanimate punching bag as opposed to a human being. Then he would smirk, like he was doing now, and the punching usually followed.



A cold shiver ran down Tara's back as she remembered the last time she had seen that look. She could still feel the pain that went through her when he hit her, hard, so hard. To think that was almost 4 months ago now.



Tara brought her hand up subconsciously and touched the front of her neck where he had hit her. She had been out of breath for a minute, an experience that had frightened her more than any vampire had since.



Donnie's smirk widened when he saw Tara touch her neck and winked, as to say: "Remember that? That was a good one!"



Tara felt tears accumulate in her eyes and she blinked hard to suppress them, willing herself not to cry. I will not cry because of that bastard any more.



"What? You don't have a hug for your big brother?"



Tara sank further into herself remembering her near escape and how she had traveled; hurt and alone, for 4 days and thinking she'd probably be better of d...



"Brother?" A familiar voice rang in her mind.



Tara blinked once, and like she was coming from a daze, she turned her head slowly to the owner of that voice. Willow. Tara exhaled loudly, letting out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Willow is here. I'm not alone anymore.



Willow had watched the interaction between Tara and her brother silently for a minute, wondering who that guy, who seemed to intimidate her girlfriend more than any demon they had faced, was. When she had heard the word 'brother' she had responded immediately in disbelief. She gazed into Tara's eyes sending all her love to her partner, and when she finally saw relief and recognition in those blue depths she turned and looked intently at Donnie. She couldn't believe that guy was related to Tara.



Tara stepped back slowly and looked over at Willow and Buffy a few feet away from her. Donnie followed her gaze and smirked wider. "Who are they? Don't tell me you have friends now?" He chuckled and stepped forward, nudging her shoulder.



Tara visibly recoiled at the touch but managed to answer. "Yes. They're f-friends."



"Wow...I guess a few people will be in for a big surprise next year huh." He leered over at Willow and Buffy and gave them an eerie smile. "Y'all best be off now...I'll take Tara home." He grabbed his sister roughly by the arm and pulled her towards the road, eliciting a surprised cry from Tara, who tried to pull her arm away from her brother's death grip. Damn it. That's gonna bruise.



"Tara!" Willow jumped into action and ran towards her girlfriend, pushing Donnie out of the way. He let go of Tara's arm as he stumbled backwards, almost losing his footing. Willow stood resolutely between the Maclay siblings and glared at Donnie. She reached back with her arm and felt Tara grab hold of her hand. "Are you okay baby?" She whispered and felt Tara step closer towards her, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Yes, sweetie...I'm fine. Thank you." Tara watched as Donnie got his balance again then made the dreaded introduction. "Willow, this is my brother D-Donnie."



"Hmm," Willow said shortly, not trusting this brother of Tara's as far as she could throw him...and she really, really wanted to, throw him that is.



Donnie looked half shocked, half furious as he regarded Willow with a distain. He told himself he'd have punched the living daylights of her already for pushing him if the look Buffy gave him as she sidled next to Willow, twirling Mr. Pointy around, hadn't sent him reeling two steps back.



"Willow?" Donnie sneered, "what kinda name is that?" If he couldn't hurt her physically, emotional hurt did just fine.



"It's English." Willow answered calmly, having answered that question so many times before that it didn't hurt anymore. Besides, whenever Tara said her name she made it sound like the greatest word known to mankind. Willow loved her name. "If you check the dictionary, you'll find it before Willow Grove and after Willoughby."



"You're being smart with me?"



Willow shrugged nonchalant. "Possibly. Doesn't seem like it would take much effort."



Donnie almost spluttered from surprise. The nerve of that girl—he couldn't believe it. Nobody had ever talked back at him, nobody but his father. And here was this small skinny little redhead from God knows where calling him stupid. How dare she?



He stepped closer to Willow and clenched his fist. "You best apologize, little Miss. Or else I'll make you regret it."



Willow stuck out her chin in defiance, staring Donnie down. "The last I heard, speaking the truth was considered a virtue, not a punishable act."



Donnie raised his eyebrow in disbelief and clenched his fist tighter, preparing to strike. "Well, you're in Tannehill now, and I make the rules."



Willow glanced down and saw Donnie make a fist. So that's how he wants to play. Fine by me. Resolve face in place, she tightened her hold on Tara's hand and sent out a silent plea to the gods and goddess. Please help us now. And ooh! If you can, feel free to dematerialize this scum in front of us.



Donnie gave Willow a sadistic smile and pulled his hand back. Willow focused on Donnie's arm and, like she was watching everything in slow motion, his hand moved forward, being aimed right at her face. She saw the tight fist pushing towards her and when it was about 3 inches from her face, close enough for her to count the scars on his knuckles, Donnie's hand stopped and his eyes widened in surprise...then he went sailing backwards, high in the air, and came crashing down on his truck on the other side of the road, making a considerable dent on the hood.



Thank you!



***



"Whoa!" Buffy squeaked, dumbfounded and stared at the Donnie-heap across the street. She chanced a glance at Willow who was still focused solely on Tara's creepy brother and mouthed a second 'whoa' just for emphasis.



Tara let go of Willow's hand and took a step back, staring down at her own hand. It was red hot and pulsing, with sparks running through it. "Whoa!" she echoed. She looked at Willow's hand and saw similar sparks running through it too. Tara shook her head. Whoa!



***



Donnie groaned heavily and rolled off his truck, landing in another Donnie-heap on the ground. He crawled on all fours until he reached the car door and used the handle to pull himself up. His back creaked loudly as he stood up and a sharp pain ran up and down his spine. He groaned again.



He leaned on his elbows against the door and took in deep breaths. What the fuck just happened?



His brain felt like lumpy mashed potatoes on crack and his ears wouldn't stop ringing. A familiar figure reflected in the car window and Donnie turned on his heel in surprise. "Tara?" Then it all came back to him.



The redhead, the pain in his arm, his flight in the air... "Holy shit!"



***



Uh-oh, Tara thought when her brother finally reacted. She knew that look all to well.



And she knew what came with it.



Donnie opened the door to his truck as fast as he could and jumped inside. He yelled threats and obscenities at her and Willow, then drove like a bat out of hell towards her childhood home.



***



When the truck was out of sight, Willow collapsed on the ground, exhausted. "Whoa!" she voiced in surprise as she landed on her backside, one elbow keeping her partly propped up. She smiled and let out a long breath, then fell backwards into a supine position, staring up at the starlit sky. Whoa!



"Willow!" Tara was by Willow's side in a split second, kneeling beside her. "Are you okay?"



Willow covered her face with both hands as her body started shaking. Tara's bottom lip trembled as she thought her girlfriend might be crying and she slowly placed her hands on Willow's and drew them back. "Will?"



When Willow saw her girlfriend's face her own face broke into the hugest grin and she let out a giddy laugh. "Oh my god! Tara! Did you see that?"



Tara smiled in relief when she realized Willow wasn't crying, but laughing. She nodded and gave Willow's hands a squeeze, "yeah, I did sweetie."



Willow sat up and threw her arms around Tara, pulling her close and crushing their lips together in a heated kiss.



Buffy discreetly turned away from the kiss and kicked a few rocks around in mild discomfort. "Um," she coughed, "guys?"



"That was unreal!" Willow said when she broke the kiss. Her hands flailed about as she spoke. "We were all with the hand-holding and the Magicks and then wham! And whoosh! And then crash! And wow! Who knew we could do that...And the sparks? Did you see them? Did ya see them? Buffy did you see them? I'm just..." Willow exhaled loudly. "Whoa!"



"Yeah, that was amazing sweetie. You were amazing."



"What's this 'me' business?" Willow laced her fingers with Tara's. "We were amazing. We did this together, baby."



Tara blushed faintly and looked down, nodding discreetly. "Yeah," she whispered.



"Hey," Willow said softly and nudged Tara's chin up, looking into her eyes. "No hiding those beautiful eyes baby, I'm lost without them."



Tara smiled at Willow who smiled back. Then they spent a whole minute smiling at each other.



Buffy stood above them smiling as well. Those two are too cute, she thought right before her eyes opened wide and she coughed in discomfort. "Um, you guys, you um, you might wanna save that till we get to the motel."



***



After Willow and Tara broke their impromptu kiss, all three girls made their way to the motel in silence. Willow's jubilance over her and Tara's magical display had waned severely as Donnie's attitude earlier, towards Tara, finally sunk in. Willow held on tight to Tara's hand as she thought about the place Tara grew up in, and about the people Tara called family. A father who calls her a demon, and an apparently abusive brother... Willow looked to her right, glancing at her girlfriend and her heart sank. Why didn't you tell me? What you must have been through baby.



"This um," Tara spoke suddenly, pulling Willow out of her reverie, "this wasn't exactly how I wanted to introduce you to my f-family."



Willow shared a quick look with Buffy, their eyebrows raised. You can say that again.



"I don't know...Compared to most scary family reunions, it wasn't that bad," Willow said, trying to lighten the mood.



"Wasn't that bad?" Tara retorted quickly. "Sweetie, he called you a spawn of the devil and um..." Tara frowned and Willow quickly followed suit.



"Lucifer's slut and something about a wealthy cannonball," Buffy supplied, almost helpfully.



"Um, I believe he said a filthy cannibal actually," Tara finished ruefully.



"Oh right." Buffy shrugged and rolled her eyes. "That makes more sense."



Willow's frown deepened and she scratched her chin. "Um, when exactly?"



"When what?" Tara asked.



"When did he call me that?"



"Hello! Will...Hit your head much? When he drove outta here like the devil was on his ass," Buffy nodded in the direction Donnie had taken. "Which, come to think of it, is kinda accurate seeing as he called you the devil and all."



"Huh...I honestly don't remember that. Did I pass out or something?"



Tara stopped walking and looked at Willow for a minute. Willow was about to say something when a look of recognition graced Tara's features. "Ohhh," Tara said and nodded her head. She knew what had happened; the same thing that happened to her when she cast her first big spell.



"Did you feel like time stopped after you cast?"



"Sort of, yeah. Everything became slow motion, and all I heard was this um, fffffffssshhhhh sound," Willow said and made a sound like a blowing wind, "and then after Donnie was gone it stopped and I collapsed. Really, it felt like my legs weren't there anymore. But it was amazing though, I felt really strong and powerful, like I could do anything as...um..."



"As what?"



"As long as I was, you know, holding your hand." Willow finished quietly and smiled slightly, embarrassed. Tara smiled back at her, and squeezed Willow's hand. Me too.



"You know what happened?" Buffy piped up, intrigued.



Tara nodded again, "yeah, um. It's called a Witch's high. It happens when a caster gets so emotionally involved with a spell that she reaches an alternative state of perception, or something, and hears and sees things differently for the duration of the spell."



"Wow, like being on drugs, huh?" Buffy asked and bobbed her head. Then she laughed. "Willow! You magical junkie!"



"What?!" Willow looked mortified. "I'm not a junkie!" She looked at Tara. "Right?"



Tara rolled her eyes and shook her head. "No, sweetie. You're not a junkie. People don't get addicted to magic."



"Oh...well...good. 'Cause, you know, not so much into the whole drug scene. I don't even know where junkies hang out. Or what they wear. Do junkies have a particular dress code? Anyone? Buffy? 'Cause I'm thinking my yellow Hello Kitty t-shirt would automatically disqualify me, huh?"



***



TBC

x Tinna Karen



"You're not gonna jokey-rhyme your way outta this one." - Willow in Pangs

[hellyeahallday]

Hehe, 'grammafying', *chuckles* you're so cute



This part of chapter 7 is wonderful sweetie, kinda angsty and all that, but I like smoochies better, wait, you know that already So we'll get back to just smoochies soon right?



Oh and Michelle? Uhmm... !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Love you T

Charlie



Edited because Tinna was being a smartass as usual, good job it's one of the reasons I love her, eh?

Freedom of speech carries with it the freedom to listen.

Edited by: hellyeahallday at: 8/25/04 9:14 am

[onyxsundrops]

"Whoa", great update. . I was half expecting Buffy to step in, but it was good to see that the girls can hold their own. Thanks.



Yvonne