Fic: No More

[tkheaven]

o/~ Mary's got a crush on Taaaraaa, Mary's got a crush on Taaraaa o/~ Ok OK OK ... so where's Willow, and uh...ya know, Willo with her Willownwess and, umm, cute self? (neeeddd cooofffeeeeee)

Tk's new and improved "GrrArgg"

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Tara was similarly riveted, her body on slow burn as Willow's lips parted and her mouth opened, the food slipping inside and being consumed. Never in her life had Tara ever wanted to be a chicken casserole so badly...Later that night..."It's good to be a chicken casserole," Tara murmured, before passing out. ~ Answering Darkness by Sassette

[Ittybittykitty]

I'm glad you all decided to post feed back on Ch 16, it makes me a happy camper!

[Kerrison]

So how did I miss this fic the first time around? Wow.



*sigh* Good job with all the at-home-stressors. You've really managed to capture the essence of a home life like that.



I do have to admit that Willow would be a most welcome addition ANY Time now. Seriously...I could use some Willowy goodness. :-D



-Kerry

"What a curious thing to be so upset about. Nature delights in diversity. Why don’t human beings?" -HBO Southern Comfort

[xita]

Yes jumping on the... "willow would be nice" band wagon. I do like the amy, michael and Tara interaction. Mary... take your eyes elsewhere ... that one is taken, even if she doesn't know it yet.

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

Willow: (to Tara) I could heal.

Tara: (to Willow)And we’re gone.

[tommo]

Ooh, Mary. Tut tut. Naughty Mary. Heh. I love crushes on Tara; she's so lovely, I mean who wouldn't?



But yes. Willow Willow Willow.

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What kind of lesbians are you? You love men so much...go love men!

[LeatherQueen]

Great update. You can feel so much sadness in this part. But you know what's interesting? If you think about the night that Tara's having... it's not going to be any easier for her tomorrow at school than it will be for a certain redhead who is also going through a bad night, as Lover's Walk continues to go on in the background. Very nice parallel action going on there.

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


"But when they're playing your song on the jukebox in Hell, you might as well dance." - K. Simpson


"Futile... like a FOX, baby!" - Tara in The Late Shift by wiccachica

[no birthday cake]

mary schmary.

[Murasaki S]

Hey this is really well written, and you do a really nice job with the reactions of the kids to this traumatic event.



Looking forward to more,



M

[TwiLightJoy]

Fear not, Kitties! Willow's big in tomorrow's chapter! I wouldn't forget about her!



And LeatherQueen is very much on the right track when she mentions that I'm setting up parallels. It's all for a reason, Baby.



~Joy

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Edited by: TwiLightJoy at: 7/4/02 12:45:24 am

[mollyig]

I actually have a teensy bit of sympathy for Mary, because she doesn't know that Tara is in the same town and high school as her soulmate.

Adding up the total of a love that's true, multiply life by the power of two
Indigo Girls

[TheWhiz]

Wonderful update!!

Look forward to seeing the return of Willow in tomorrows chapter.

"I am a whiz...If ever a whiz there was"

[Zahir al Daoud]

Okay we all knew it was Tara Mary was talking about before, right? And if there was any doubt before... (btw, methinks it'll do Tara good to know someone finds her attractive, even if she doesn't reciprocate).



I love how you're working Tara into the background here. Heh heh heh... Well Done!

"O Let my name be in the Book of Love!
If it be there I care not of that other Book above.
Strike it out! Or write it in anew, but
Let my name be in the Book of Love!"
--Omar Kayam

[TwiLightJoy]

Title: None officially - Part 1 is No More, Part 2 is A New Life

Author: TwiLightJoy/Joy C

Email: twi_light64@hotmail.com

Distribution: Email me, and I will say yes.

Feedback: Pleeeeease! I thrive on it!

Setting: Just after Lover's Walk, but before The Wish



Tara had lain awake most of the night, but eventually drifted off into a fitful sleep, scattered with nightmares. Once asleep, she woke often, at one point bolting directly from sleep into a sitting position and immediately flicking her bedroom light on, thinking that her father had come after her. A quick search of the tiny studio revealed nothing, which really only succeeded in making the witch feel more isolated. She briefly considered calling Mary, just so she wouldn’t be alone, but decided against it fairly quickly.



School was tedious, running on very little sleep and quite a fair amount of nerves. As it turned out, neither Michael nor Amy went in to school the following day, which frankly didn’t surprise Tara one bit. She kept eyeing Michael’s empty desk in History, and P.E. was definitely no fun without Amy, who was usually partnered off with Tara for the classes exercises. Alone again, the Wiccan sighed.



Before lunch, she headed for the restroom, but stopped short when she saw Willow sitting by the sinks talking to Buffy. After a few seconds, she regained her momentum and headed for one of the sinks, washing her hands and, well, she really couldn’t help overhearing.



“Buffy, he won’t even talk to me!” the redhead said, sounding distraught.



Buffy put one hand on Willow’s shoulder, the other hand holding a box of tissues. “I know, Will. It’s gonna take time for him to-”



Willow blew her nose loudly, tossing the tissue into the trash can. “But I apologized! I never meant to hurt him, it was just – we thought we weren’t gonna ever get out of that building, a-and desperation makes you do weird things. We, we weren’t thinking.”



“Cordy isn’t talking to Xander right now, either. You can’t really expect them to get over this right away, but you and Oz really have something. I’m sure he’ll except your apology and get over it. You’ll move on. Together.” The bell rang, echoing through the tiled room. “Look, Will, I really have to go meet Giles. He’ll blow a gasket if I’m late again. We’ll be in the library, you can catch up with us there, okay?” She momentarily pondered exactly what a ‘gasket’ was, then handed her friend the box of tissues she’d been holding and hopped down off the ledge. “It’s gonna be okay, you’ll get through this,” the blonde emphasized as the late bell resonated through the building. “We’ll talk about it more this afternoon, I’m really sorry I gotta go.”



Buffy headed for the door, and Tara moved closer to Willow, reaching for the paper towels. “Hey, W-willow? Are you okay?” Tara asked gently, blue eyes locking with the redhead’s green-flecked brown ones. Willow shook her head ‘no’ and wiped tears from her eyes with a tissue. “No, um, that – that was a dumb question. Is there, is there anything I can do for you?”



“Not unless you can turn back time,” Willow said in a defeated tone.



Tara shook her head. “No, I can’t do that. But if you want someone to talk to, while Buffy’s um, in the library. I’m your girl.” She blushed slightly.



The redhead sniffled. “Not sure you’d want hear about it.” Another tissue landed in the trash can.



Tara smiled sympathetically. “Hey, I offered because I m-meant it. I’m a good listener.”



“Okay. If, if you’re sure.”



Tara nodded. “I’m sure,” the witch stated confidently. She hopped up into Buffy’s vacated seat on the ledge. “I’ll even take over as Kleenex-holder, if you like.”



Willow sent Tara a grateful, if wavering, smile and relinquished the tissue box. “Well, um, I’m sure you heard that Cordy’s in the hospital.”



The look on Tara’s face clearly stated that she in fact had not heard. “Oh my gosh, is she okay? What happened? When?”



“She, she’s okay. I mean, she’s got a lot of stitches and stuff, but yeah, physically she’s gonna be fine. It’s just, um,” Willow puzzled over how to just say this to a complete stranger. Which, she reminded herself, was pretty much what Tara was. No matter how open and friendly she seemed. “Well, see, Xander and I, we got kind of … trapped. In this, this run down building outside of town, pretty much off the beaten track. Well, we couldn’t find a way out, and we started to kind of panic, you know. Because we thought our best-case scenario involved, like, being stuck there until we eventually starved to death. So we had the whole impending death thing going on in our minds, and we kind of … kissed.” She looked up into Tara’s face, and Tara sincerely hoped that there was not a trace of the disappointment she felt inside showing outwardly. “I know, we shouldn’t have! It was so, so blindingly stupid. Oz and Cordelia, they were looking for us, and somehow, they actually found us. And that’s, that’s pretty much when they came in to rescue us.



“So um, they took one look at us and, and needless to say they were pretty upset. Cordelia, she turned and started to head outside, but the staircase collapsed. She fell, and um, she was hurt pretty bad. We, for a while we really weren’t sure she was gonna make it.” Willow reached for another tissue and dabbed at her eyes, which had begun to tear up again. “But we got her to the hospital, and they got her stabilized. But she didn’t want to see Xander at all, or any of us. She made them send us away. He’s pretty upset about the whole thing, I mean, it’s our fault it happened. And Oz, I tried to apologize to him, explain, a-and he’s all avoid-y now. He said he can’t talk to me right now, or even see me, not ‘til he figures stuff out. Oh Tara, I screwed up so bad.”



Tara gently wrapped an arm around Willow’s shoulders, and the dam burst. Willow collapsed into Tara’s arms, and the blonde Wiccan held the other girl uncertainly. The tissue box slipped off Tara’s lap and fell to the floor with an audible plop, but Willow didn’t even seem to register the noise. She wrapped her arms helplessly around Tara, tears flowing, taking refuge in the blonde’s embrace.



Gradually Tara began to get more comfortable with what was happening, now speaking quietly and soothingly to the redhead. Willow seemed to calm marginally, and Tara gently smoothed Willow’s hair, cradling the smaller girl’s body easily against her own. After several minutes like this, Willow slowly pulled away, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand and looking nowhere but at Tara. A click of approaching heels sounded, but neither girl paid any attention to the noise, staying close to one another. That is, until the door swung open.



“Oh my God, I’m not like, interrupting your make-out session, am I?” a taunting feminine voice declared.

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[Latsric]

This fic is amazing and i'm glad that our girls have finally spent time alone together, too bad it had to be in response to the "fluke". Now i'm wondering who just walked in on them. If SD high is anything like my school was, the rumors are going to be flying. this may or may not be a good thing.



keep up the good work and i'll be patiently waiting for the next update.



-Lat-

- I need my obsessions, they keep me sane -

Edited by: Latsric at: 7/4/02 9:23:24 pm

[Rally]

Sounds like resident bitch in training Harmony to the rescue while Cordy is on the mend. Nice update.

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Well officially, of course, I have to say that I have no idea what you're talking about.

[LeatherQueen]

Yep. Definitely sounds like Harmony or one of the other Cordette minions. Great update.

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"But when they're playing your song on the jukebox in Hell, you might as well dance." - K. Simpson


"Futile... like a FOX, baby!" - Tara in The Late Shift by wiccachica

[Zahir al Daoud]

Yeah my vote is for Harmony.



Note to Tara: Hang in there--fact is, you've met your soul-mate even if *she* doesn't know it yet. You'll be floating on air (literally!) before you know it. Promise.

"O Let my name be in the Book of Love!
If it be there I care not of that other Book above.
Strike it out! Or write it in anew, but
Let my name be in the Book of Love!"
--Omar Kayam

[xita]

Oh, I really like the way you are sticking to what happened but integrating Tara. See now that Oz and Willow have split up, Tara has a chance, I am very much doubting w/o get another chance now.. THanks for the update!

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

Willow: (to Tara) I could heal.

Tara: (to Willow)And we’re gone.

[mollyig]

Tara, noble as ever, being a friend to Willow, holding her while she cried. All Buffy, her supposed best friend, did was offer platitudes.

Adding up the total of a love that's true, multiply life by the power of two
Indigo Girls

[pikescoob]

Yay for Tara stepping right in there to help calm Willow....hehe. And yep, I think it's Harmony as well.



--Michelle

[tkheaven]

Tara being all comfort girl with Willow (oh how I with we could trade places sometimes) *ahem* Great Update! Now, who could walk in on such an emotional moment...grr...

Tk's new and improved "GrrArgg"

-----------------------------
Tara was similarly riveted, her body on slow burn as Willow's lips parted and her mouth opened, the food slipping inside and being consumed. Never in her life had Tara ever wanted to be a chicken casserole so badly...Later that night..."It's good to be a chicken casserole," Tara murmured, before passing out. ~ Answering Darkness by Sassette

[TheWhiz]

Great update! Was nice to see some Tara/Willow interaction! I think its great how you have integrated Tara into the timeline of season 3.

"I am a whiz...If ever a whiz there was"

[tkheaven]

ya know..I was thinking about and then had TYG ep running through my head with Faith/Buffy talking to Tara about Willow no longer 'driving stick'. Hmmmmmm

Tk's new and improved "GrrArgg"

-----------------------------
Tara was similarly riveted, her body on slow burn as Willow's lips parted and her mouth opened, the food slipping inside and being consumed. Never in her life had Tara ever wanted to be a chicken casserole so badly...Later that night..."It's good to be a chicken casserole," Tara murmured, before passing out. ~ Answering Darkness by Sassette

[TwiLightJoy]

Willow broke away from Tara’s mesmerizing blue eyes to fix the immaculately dressed blonde with a glare. “Go away, Harmony.”



Harmony cast a dubious look at the pair. “And just what made you think I’d want to hang around here with you freaks? Whatever it was you were doing…” she huffed, “well, I don’t even want to know.” She stepped towards the two young women and took a closer look at Tara, then Willow. “And why are you all cuddly with her? I thought you were dating that musician guy, Oz. Whatever.” She turned on her heel and stalked back towards the door. As she pushed the door open with a manicured hand, she called over her shoulder, “I guess he was too good for you after all.” The restroom door swung shut with a bang.



Tara jumped at the noise, looking back to Willow, who was sliding off the ledge. “W-what was that all about?” the blonde inquired.



“Oh, that, that was just Harmony. She’s always like that,” Willow answered, looking down for her backpack. “No one’s really sure what her problem is. Bet my mom would love to try and figure it out, though.”



Tara hopped down from the ledge as well, straightening her skirt. “So she’s um, with the In Crowd?”



“Definitely with the In Crowd. In fact, she probably is the In Crowd. They’re all just like clones of her, anyway.” The redhead picked her bag up, then noticed the tissue box on the floor. As she stooped to pick it up, Tara crouched simultaneously. They both reached for the box, Willow getting it first. Tara’s hand continued almost of its own will, gently making contact with Willow’s. Both girls looked at their hands for a moment, then Tara pulled slowly away, her fingertips trailing over the back of Willow’s hand. The blonde lifted her gaze again to meet Willow’s. “I, I should go. I mean, you’ve got to go meet up with Buffy at the library. And-” Her fingers unconsciously balled closed as she stood again, blushing fiercely.



Willow nodded. “It, it’s okay. I mean, you’ve got stuff to do too, right?”



“Yeah. But, um,” she fumbled for what to say, not wanting to leave Willow.



“Thanks for listening, Tara,” the redheaded girl said softly but earnestly. “And for being here. I’m really glad you stayed. It, you made me feel … less alone.”



The blonde Wiccan gave a half-smile. “Me too. I’m glad I was here for you. And, I mean, none of my friends … they’re both out today. So I was um, kinda alone, too.”



“Oh. So you probably don’t have anyone to sit with at lunch, do you?” Willow asked carefully. Tara shook her head. “Then, um, why don’t you sit with me? I can meet up with Buffy later, it’s no big.”



“Really? I could sit with you?” Tara asked in disbelief.



Willow nodded. “Yeah, well, me and Xander anyway. Since Buffy’s with Giles, and Cordy’s not in school. And Oz isn’t, isn’t…” she trailed off.



“It’s okay. I know.”



~~



Outdoor lunch, Tara discovered, was pretty neat. There was the whole palm tree overhead thing happening. There were no creepy lunch ladies out here, and students tossed Frisbees and footballs to one another in the courtyard. And then there was Willow. Even though she was kinda down today, and the way she and Xander interacted was somewhat awkward, and it was probably only for today, Tara was seated across from the girl of her dreams.



“…So I called again right before you got here, and she still won’t take my calls,” Xander lamented. “I mean sure, she’s had a pain-filled night, but don’t they say laughter is the best medicine? I could always make her laugh. Well, usually. Okay, sometimes. But it’s been known to happen.”



Willow inclined her head. “Yeah, but she hasn’t said to your face to leave you alone. I mean, recently. Well, besides that one time, a-at the hospital.”



Xander shook his head. “I dunno, Will, it’s not looking good.” He popped a chip into his mouth. “See, normally, she’d take my calls and belittle me. That would be a sign things were getting back on track. It’s like she doesn’t even care enough to yell at me.” He turned to Tara. “We aren’t boring you here with our personal troubles, are we, Tara?”



“Oh, no, I’m okay. It just sounds like you had a really bad night, is all.” She took a sip of her Coke.



“Boy, are you not kidding.” The boy leaned towards Tara. “So why don’t you lighten things up with something fun-filled that happened to you?”



The witch shook her head. “Oh, no, I-I kind of had a bad one last night, too.”



Willow smiled encouragingly. “Well, how bad could it be?”



Taking a deep breath, Tara began, “Well, you know Amy and Michael?” Both teens nodded their heads in affirmation. “Well, they’re both out today because … because of what happened.”



“Wow, and we only took one person out of school,” Xander said, then realized Willow was giving him a look. “Oops.” He smiled apologetically. “Anyway, you were saying?”



“I’m not sure you want to know, it’s pretty bad.” She looked at both of them carefully, but they seemed to be genuinely interested in finding out. “All right, here goes. We went into the magic shop yesterday afternoon; they wanted to show me some stuff. Books and um, candles and other things. But we couldn’t find the shopkeeper. She, she didn’t come out, so they went to the back to find her.”



Willow’s face showed surprise and realization. “I, I was at the magic shop yesterday. I bet that’s where – oh my gosh. The lady in the shop! Her name was Andrea, I think. She was … she was dead, wasn’t she?” the hacker asked hesitantly.



“Willster,” Xander admonished her. “And the prize for subtlety goes to…”



Tara, meanwhile, confirmed that Willow was correct. “Yeah. They, they called her Andi. I guess they knew her pretty well. How did you know?”



“Um, something someone said. Last night.”



“Uh, we should go talk to Buffy. Now.” Xander tugged at Willow’s sleeve, rising to make for the library.



“Well wait, we can’t just leave Tara here, can we? Excuse us a second,” Willow said politely to Tara. She then pulled her friend aside and leaned closer to him, whispering. “If she knows something, something that can help Buffy, she should come with us. She was in the magic shop, hanging out with Michael and Amy. She’s gotta be a witch. I could feel something about her.”



“But we’re not sure how much she knows,” Xander hissed. “And look at her. She’s so … innocent. If we have to tell her, I don’t know what will happen. Some people just don’t take it very well that demons and vampires lurk on the streets of their happy town, waiting to eat them at night.”



Willow gave him a level look. “You know perfectly well what’ll happen, Xander. She won’t know how to protect herself from anything that’s out there, and she’ll wind up as someone’s happy meal. Maybe worse, she’ll end up as one of them, and then we’ll have to dust her.”



The young man was torn with indecision. After a prolonged internal debate, he finally nodded his assent. “You’re right, she should know.”

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[Tiggrscorpio]

TwiLightJoy, I'm not sure if I've commented on your story, before, but I am definitely reading. I love how this is playing out. Tara's become a confidante for Willow and now it looks like she may hook up with the Scoobies. Wonderful story telling. Thank you!

*****

She's my everything!

[Zahir al Daoud]

Very wise, Willow. Frankly, anybody in Sunnydale who *can* believe in vampires should be told about'em!



This is such a cool story. Keep it up? Please?

"O Let my name be in the Book of Love!
If it be there I care not of that other Book above.
Strike it out! Or write it in anew, but
Let my name be in the Book of Love!"
--Omar Kayam

[xita]

Oh wonderful, they are going to make her a part of the group! And harmony hee, sensing it before it even takes off! hee

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

Willow: (to Tara) I could heal.

Tara: (to Willow)And we’re gone.

[scifilover]

Oh I love it. I absolutedly love it. You better keep writing damnit. Or else I'll have to come track you down. jk



~Jewels

[TwiLightJoy]

Hey, glad to see you made it to the Kitten, Jewels! Thanks for the comments, Xita, Zahir, and Tiggrscorpio! You guys rule, coz I thrive on feedback. I'd also like to say a special thanks to Holepunch for the critique she gave me over IM. You rock, and your suggestions shall be heeded. ^_~



The beginning of Part 3 will be up as soon as I figure out what to call it.



~Joy

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[tommo]

Oh wonderful; Tara is finally becoming integrated with the group and, more importantly, with Willow. That's so wonderful. I loved the scene in the bathroom, with Willow throwing herself on Tara like that; I could just imagine the facial expressions that were going on. Thanks.

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What kind of lesbians are you? You love men so much...go love men!