Fic: No More

[willntlover]

Oh I think i peed my pants



Just kidding, i was VERY surprised I thougth for sure Beth was goign to catch Tara.



I do feel a bit bad that Tara lied to her, that is going to hurt or come back somehow later on in the story I know it.



Excellent job! Can't wait for the next part

-Will

"Hear that baby? You're my always."

[fairydust]

OMG *wipes sweat off forehead* I think my heartrate is returning to normal now.....my goodness that was intense. I hope that she CAN actually trust Beth.

Im still very nervous for Tara just getting out of the house and to the station.

Ok... *breathes* I think I'm gonna be okay now lol.....I really want another update, I need another update after that

*****Faye*****I LOVE YOU JENNA

[TheWhiz]

Just read updates!! Wow, intense stuff, extremely well written.

Can Beth be trusted??!! Can't wait until next update to find out.

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

[pikescoob]

Beth may be acting all nice but I still don't trust her. I got so nervous that I scrolled down to cheat and see what happens...I'm so bad. Can't wait to see if Beth will keep her trap shut and go back to sleep.



--Michelle

[LeatherQueen]

Ack! And she still has the hard part of sneaking out of the house to get through.



These last two updates were great.

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


"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

[mollyig]

Quick thinking Tara. That should appease Beth's curiosity if she hears her going out later.

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

[fidds]

Great update! you had me worried when Beth knocked and it looked like Tara wasn't going to escape- Quick thinking from Tara- i hope she gets out alright

Can't wait for the next update!



*Hannah*

********************************************
I just needed someone to talk to, you were just too busy with yourself, you were never there for me to express how i felt ,i just stuffed it down- *STAIND -FADE*

[tommo]

Heh, that was great. I like the way you diverted the reader with Beth's discovery of Tara's note. That was clever. And you know, the way you write Beth, she sounds like she's very naive and innocent. I'm sure that given a year of hard work and indoctrination she would totally become the person we saw in Family. You've set her personality up really well here.



And poor Tara, having no girlfriend to call her own. I'm assuming that that will happily change. Heh heh. All in good time, I'm sure.



This is a wonderful read; it's detailed and thoughtful and very involved in the character. Marvellous stuff. Thanks.

----------
Squish. Squish. Squish.

[TwiLightJoy]

Okay peoples, here's the next chapter! Fear not! Thanks for reading, and all that jazz. Especially the feedback jazz. On with the show!



All right, no more false starts. This time, it’s real. I’m getting out of here. Tara gave herself a pep talk as she straightened, stretching out the muscles of her back, shoulders, and legs. Good bye, secret floorboard. Good bye, window seat. Good bye, Dad and Donnie.



For the second time tonight, the Wiccan opened the closet door and put her jacket on, shouldered her backpack, and wheeled the hand-truck out. She was pleased to note that it barely made a sound, only the wheels rolling over an uneven floor. And that noise wasn’t so bad, especially if she went nice and slow. A few cleansing breaths later, it was time. She had lay in the dark since Beth left, allowing her eyes to adjust to the darkness of the house and her ears to attune themselves to the house's sounds. Navigating the residence in pitch darkness would not be a problem now, and she was alert enough to notice any differences as she passed through the house. She only hoped that her father had not been doing the same.



She pulled her sneakers on over navy, red, and white Cat-in-the-Hat socks, tucking the laces inside the shoes so she wouldn’t have to bother with tying them, but they wouldn’t be able to trip her up. Finally, she turned the doorknob. Silently pulling the door open, she had a momentary vision of her father standing just outside, waiting angrily. No, it’s not real. He doesn’t know, you’ll make it out. And no one can stop you.



Holding her breath, she looked down the hallway. Completely empty, she smiled. She pulled the hand truck behind her, quiet as a cloud passing between the earth and the moon. Past her father’s door, now past Donnie’s. Each step brought her closer, her mouth partially open and her breathing deep and low. She peeked her head around the corner into the living room, and Beth’s breathing came slow and even from the sofa-bed. All signs indicated that she was asleep.



Slowly, cautiously, Tara eased the cart’s wheels over the transition from hardwood floor to carpet through the living room. She paused over the sofa, reaching into her jeans pocket and pulling out a second note. It was folded and stapled with “Beth” written on the outside. She placed the note carefully next to Beth, then continued on her way, rolling the truck gently back onto hardwood as she entered the kitchen. She continued to slink towards the exit, when she heard a door open down the hall. She abruptly ducked behind the kitchen table on the far side of the room, bumping her knee on a chair leg and biting her lip to keep from yelping, while still pulling the hand-truck soundlessly along after her. Donnie stumbled sleepily across the hall to the bathroom, out of Tara’s line of sight.



After a couple minutes, the door opened and she expected to hear his bedroom door closing again, but instead his footfalls were coming this way! She crawled backwards to keep the table between herself and her brother, looking behind her to make sure the hand-truck wouldn’t be visible from where Donnie was, now no more than six feet away. The light flickered on dimly over the counter to Tara’s left, and she heard her brother rummaging through a cupboard to get a glass. Water ran briefly until the glass was full, and she caught the sounds of him drinking. The glass was again topped off, and the counter light blinked out. Donnie’s footsteps retreated, and when she heard his bedroom door shut, she let out her breath, unaware that she’d even been holding it.



She waited until all was quiet again, and after what felt like an eternity, straightened to stand behind the table. The cart trailed along obediently as Tara began creeping towards the door again. She almost expected something else to happen, to stop her, but she rounded the corner and stood facing the door. A broad grin stole its way across her face, and she disengaged the lock, then the deadbolt. Each click seemed to Tara as loud as a train whistle, but Beth probably wouldn’t have noticed if they were up. Quietly, she turned the doorknob, feeling a cool rush of nocturnal November air across her right hand. She pulled the door all the way open, turning the doorknob back to the locked position out of habit as she stepped through, pushing the screen door open with her knee and easing the wheels of the cart over the threshold and out onto the sidewalk.



Tara closed the inner door behind her, cringing at the comparatively earsplitting sound of the door shutting with the lock engaged. The screen door eased shut quietly, and then the witch stood on the sidewalk for a few moments, allowing her heart rate and respiration to return to normal, almost unable to believe that she had gotten out of the house. She pressed the Indiglo button on the side of her pocketwatch, the bluish glow highlighting Mickey’s arms pointing out 12:50. Wow, I better go catch that bus! It leaves in twenty minutes! Tara mentally chastised herself, then took off at a jog for the bus station, the freshly oiled wheels of the hand-truck rolling along at the same pace. She didn’t look back to see the back-lit silhouette standing by the window at the front of the house, arms folded across the chest.



At 12:55, an exhilarated girl with dancing blue eyes arrived at the bus station, wheeling behind her the most astounding-looking cart. She went inside the station with a giddy grin on her face to check about her bus, stammering a bit as she spoke. The few people in the station seemed unable to stop themselves from studying the cart, which held a pair of boxes and an odd-looking bag, all three strapped tightly in place. She tagged both her carry-on and the cart with her name, but no street address, only a city, then sat eagerly watching the window. When the Los Angeles bus pulled in, the girl left the station with her tickets ready, hauling the cart behind her to check it under the bus. The man behind the counter shook his head in silent laughter as the sweet-looking stuttering girl boarded the bus. He wished the kid well, God knows she was gonna need it out there.

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[Rally]

Great update thanks, glad to see Tara made it out of the house without too much trouble.

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




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

[momentum]

Yay! I just caught up with this fic and absolutely adore it. Its so suspenseful- I was literally reading from in between my fingers. But again with the yay, because Tara did it. Woo hoo. Who was it at the window, though? Beth? Dad? Donnie? Are they going to go after her? I hope not. I'm eagerly waiting for the next part. xo.

Edited by: momentum at: 6/20/02 11:29:06 am

[willntlover]

Yay!!! She made it out! :: happy dance:: Oh, and she even left a note for cousin beth.



-Will

"Hear that baby? You're my always."

"well, you know, when you play a lesbian witch you've gotta get killed in this fun kind of exciting way, so the heart was the way to go..."

"we have the most amazing fans though they LOVE us."

[TwiLightJoy]

Quote:

---

Who was it at the door, though?

---

I'm not telling!



~Joy

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[tommo]

Thank god she made it out of there. I'm willing to bet it was sneaky Beth at the window, just waiting to tittle-tattle. That's so like her. Heh.



I wish you'd made more of that actually, the silhouette, to up the tension a notch. However, what you did do was give us a breathless account of Tara's escape, because I believe that it is an escape. Thanks.

----------
Squish. Squish. Squish.

[LeatherQueen]

Wow, this was excellent. I was holding my breath the whole time right along with Tara. And your description of the other people at the bus station looking at Tara like that was perfect. Loved this!

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


"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

[fidds]

Brilliant update!

i'm glad that Tara made it out okay



*Hannah*

********************************************
I just needed someone to talk to, you were just too busy with yourself, you were never there for me to express how i felt ,i just stuffed it down- *STAIND -FADE*

[Lola19]

Yeay she made it, she made it.

I hope no one goes after her, uve got me worried that someone knows. Im very nervous for her now!

Great update, thanks

Love Lolaxxx

[AmberBensonRockzMyWorld]

TwiLightJoy~~ Awsome update, I love it. SHE MADE IT, FINALLY. You Rock! I can't wait for the next update to be posted, I want know who that was.

Much Love to ya,

Lisa

This is our Last Embrace, Must I dream and Always see your face.~ Jeff Buckley "Last goodbye"

[tkheaven]

woohoo woohoo

She made it out! I betcha it was daddio looking out that window....but hey, who knows...

Can't wait for the next update

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

[Zahir al Daoud]

Ah, the story could almost end here. Couldn't it? Almost...



Meanwhile, I am enjoying this so much!

"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

[mollyig]

Very courageous. I'm so happy she escaped!

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

[TwiLightJoy]

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

Author: TwiLightJoy/Joy C

Email: twi_light64@hotmail.com

Distribution: Email me, and I will say yes.

Feedback: Pleeeeeeeeeease!

Setting: This chapter (also the next couple) take place between Revelations and Lovers Walk, in Season 3.

Other Stuff: Chapter 10 starts a new part, A New Life, beginning with Tara's arrival in Sunnydale. I still don't have a title for the entire fic yet, I usually don't have one for a story until it's completed anyway, and since this one is my first chapter fic, I'm not sure how long that will be. I'm also not revelaing our shadowy onlooker's identity until Part 3. Just so you know you've got a wait til it comes up again.



Anyway, hope you enjoy!



Tara’s eyes fluttered open as the bus squeaked to a stop in front of a bus station about the same size as the one back home. No, not home any more. Now this is home. “Sunnydale station!” the driver announced as Tara pulled the headphones off her ears, letting them loop around her neck. Lisa Loeb still strummed through “Jake” in the tiny speakers, and Tara rose and stretched, yawning, her lower back giving a quiet pop. She reached for her bag from above and headed for the front of the bus before stepping into the morning sun.



Hours of being confined on the bus made the fresh air and sunshine all the more wonderful, and she took a deep breath, waiting for the driver to retrieve her belongings from under the bus. Taking the hand-truck, Tara grinned and took a good look around. The first order of business would be to get a place to stay. Probably the lady behind the counter in the station would know a place.



She went inside and stepped up to the counter, asking if the lady knew of an inexpensive place that she could get a small apartment. The woman seemed very nice, and directed her to the Court Street apartments, which were only a couple blocks away. Tara thanked the woman and headed over to check it out.



The place doesn’t look that bad, she thought. It wasn’t falling apart or anything, like she’d half-expected. The building was three stories high, brick, and pretty old looking. It wasn’t covered in graffiti, which the fair-haired girl took as a good sign. She followed the arrows directing her to the landlord’s office, and knocked at the door.



“Come in,” a harried sounding voice replied. Opening the door, Tara saw a short, dark, balding man who seemed to be somewhere in his forties seated at a desk buried under a small heap of papers. She gave a hesitant smile to the man, and he brightened a bit and smoothed his hair down, seeming to relax more by the moment. “Hello there, young lady, and what can I do for you?”



“I, I’d like an apartment. Just a small one, I, I heard that this w-was a good place to go.” She smiled shyly again, fighting the urge to let her hair fall across her face.



“And I take it from the luggage there that you’d like to move in immediately?” he chuckled, and Tara nodded. “By the way, my name’s Gil Dickinson. And it so happens, little lady, I have a studio open on the second floor. Would you like to take a look at it?”



Tara nodded again eagerly. “Y-yes, sir!”



The man smiled and opened a cabinet with one of the many keys that dangled from the right side of his belt. “Let’s see, 227, here we go.” He took a pair of keys and turned back to Tara. “You can leave the cart here in the office if you’d like. I’ll lock the door once we leave; it’ll be perfectly safe here. Now the stairs are to your left,” the man directed. Tara turned and headed up the stairs, and the landlord followed her up and took the lead once they reached the second floor.



The floors were covered with worn-looking but clean tile, and a variety of doormats sat in front of most of the apartment doors. After a short walk and another left turn, the salt-and-pepper-haired man unlocked apartment 227, the green painted door swinging in to reveal a compact, sparsely furnished dwelling. “Like I said, it’s a studio, you have your living room right here, the kitchen/dining area right over there.” No walls separated this space, but there was a doorway on the right side of the living room, which Mr. Dickinson led Tara towards. “Then the bedroom’s in here, and the bathroom is on the left. Take your time and look it over.”



Tara smiled and did just that, walking slowly around the bedroom and checking out the closet space and the bathroom. Everything looked well used, but obviously cared for and clean. The living room area was pretty much the same, a cushy couch and an old television.



“Everything you see here comes with the place, but you can feel free to get more furniture on your own.” Tara nodded and walked through the kitchen, checking out the cupboard space, which seemed more than adequate for one person. “Now there are a few rules. We’ve got a lot of people on a lot of different schedules here, so you need to keep it quiet most of the time. No blasting music, no parties, that kind of thing. You get reported for too much noise, and you won’t see me looking this happy when I have to come up to talk to you about it. Just be considerate of your neighbors, and they’ll be considerate of you.



"We’ve got laundry in the basement, machines run on quarters. No pets. Right now it’s past the 15th of the month, so what you pay today will cover you ‘til the first, it’s $75, if you decide to take it. I’ll also need a $75 deposit. After this month, it’s one-fifty a month ‘til you clear out. If the place is still in this good shape, you’ll get the full deposit back. If not, I’ll keep it; if it’ll cost me over seventy-five to fix what damage you did, you’ll get a bill from me. And again, I won’t be smiling.” Gil raised his eyebrows. “So what do you think, young lady? Any other questions?”



“Um, are the utilities included?” she asked. “And what about the um, the phones?”



Gil smiled. “Utilities are included, but the phone’s up to you. You can call from my office to set up a time to get them to hook your line up, but I’m sure not paying for it!” he chuckled.



Tara nodded eagerly. “Sounds r-reasonable. And it’s, it’s okay for me to move right in? Now? A-and, is cash good?”

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[tkheaven]

Tara's first apt. Cool, I'll move in with her....

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]

Yes, Tara got a good deal on her apartment. In case readers are wondering why it's so cheap - I figure Sunnydale has cheap-ass rent because of the unusually high death rate. Would you want to own a home/business in a place infested with supernatural boogymen eating humans left and right? You'd probably ask for whatever you could get, knowing probably at least one tenant a month would come to a bad and mysterious end. Tara doesn't really realize this yet, being her first day in town, and is pretty thrilled with her place.

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[pikescoob]

Yay Tara got out!! That's cool that she found a place so quickly...and smart of her to ask about utilities cuz that can make a big difference.



--Michelle



Oh my gosh tkheaven your avatar is hilarious!! hehe

Edited by: pikescoob at: 6/22/02 10:56:53 am

[fairydust]

YAY!!!!! She made it out, and now she's moving into an apartment. This is so great

(Id move in with Tara also )

*****Faye*****I LOVE YOU JENNA

[xita]

Yeah Joy I was wondering why it was so cheap. I kept thinking no way something like that is so cheap. I am glad she's escaped finally thanks for the update!

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

Willow: (to Tara) I could heal.

Tara: (to Willow)And we’re gone.

[Lola19]

Yeay, fab update, independant Tara, i like it.

Im really enjoying this, its sooo great.

Looking forward to more

Love Lolaxxx

[Zahir al Daoud]

Hmmmm...apart from natural character, methinks we now know why Tara wasn't as freaked as she might have been in "Hush." I mean, if she'd been in Sunnydale for awhile, she'd have some real idea of what's going on.



But if she's in Sunnydale this soon, might she run into some characters Tara never met on the show? Like Harmony? Or Larry? I can just see her running acrossing the Mayor sooner or later.



Heh heh heh...

"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

[fidds]

great update!

very interesting

i'm glad that Tara has escaped and is setting out on her own

can't wait for the next update



*Hannah*

********************************************
I just needed someone to talk to, you were just too busy with yourself, you were never there for me to express how i felt ,i just stuffed it down- *STAIND -FADE*