"Mission Statement" (Post-Season 6)

[Jennpurr]

Yeah, he probably would subscribe to that theory. I see where you're coming from with that. OH, and yes, I remember how he said that to Chantrel, was her name, I think. Good points there.



I appologize.. you have just hinted about the big picture of Tara, I just couldn't remember what you had said about when it might be revealed. It's okay, you don't have to tell me, I was just getting all antsy and was wondering if it would be soon or it we would be waiting for awhile. I'm very impatient sometimes.



Jen

------------------------Willow: strong like an amazon?
Tara: Strong like an amazon, right.

[eccentrictulip]

oh goodness.....i go away for a few days and there are a million and a half questions raised....this is getting very interesting.....

*please use both hands....*

[Bagheera]

Jen - Yes, you're quite right, Angel told a girl called Chantarelle "You're a fool" when she spoke glowingly of meeting with and becoming a vampire in Buffy 2.7 "Lie To Me". I was thinking more about the actress Rebecca Lowell in Angel 1.17 "Eternity".



eccentrictulip - You're very welcome, now here's another update:



Rating M-15 Adult themes

ACK (Anguished Cliffhanger, Kittens) Warning applies.



Willow shuddered and turned off her computer. I’m so glad I didn’t tell him that all this was actually happening to me, she thought. I hope for your sake that there is a benign explanation…but I consider it to be unlikely. At least my instinct to hide Tara’s true nature from Buffy and the others is probably correct.



The redhead lifted her aching body out of her chair and, shoulders bowed, dragged herself down the corridor to the bathroom and turned on the shower. She cowered in the stream of scalding water, trying to draw some of its heat back into her system. She thought back to an earlier time, another shower, during that wretched period after Tara had left her and the red-haired witch was struggling with her addiction to magic. The shower had been a refuge, but only a temporary one, and it could not wash the poison from her soul or the stain of shame from her mind. Willow closed her eyes and let the hot streams run over her pale body which, she suddenly felt, was too thin, too weak to withstand everything that Fate was currently throwing at her.



At last she turned the shower off and the hacker wrapped a towel around her body. She looked at her reflection in the mirror for a moment; then she came to a sudden decision and, still dripping wet, shuffled back to her bedroom. From her drawer of odds, ends and accessories, she took a sealed glass vial of holy water and a crucifix wrapped in a silk scarf. Willow returned with these items to the bathroom.



The redhead stood before the bathroom mirror, the holy water vial and the crucifix on the countertop in front of her. She looked at her sad reflection; saw the worried circles under her eyes. She turned her head this way and that, looking at both sides of her neck. The skin was pale and lightly freckled, but there were no marks or blemishes. No bruises or bites. She loosened her towel and examined the curves of her breasts, turned and looked at what she could of her back. She smiled, thinly. The hot water had lobsterised her skin and any marks or bruises could easily be obscured. Willow stopped for a moment. Tara loves to sit beside me or behind me and caress me there, she thought, looking at the tear drop shape of her shoulder blade and the muscles and ribs around it. If I close my eyes, I can almost feel that delicate touch. Returned Tara, vampire Tara, whatever I call her, is the same. The same soft hands on my shoulders, on my back, while I’m sleeping, and first thing when I wake.



Willow looked down at the wrapped crucifix and the blessed water and hesitated. Is this a betrayal, she thought. Am I saying that I don’t trust her? Should I even be looking in the mirror? Maybe even to check if I still have a reflection is to hurt Tara. And I’ve been doing too much hurting of other people lately. Buffy, Dawn, Anya, Xander, Giles; not to mention Warren and Rack, of course. I almost wish Tara wasn’t showing me these parts of myself, even though I know it’s important. Or maybe even my being here checking to see if I’m turning into a vampire is a part of what Tara is helping me with. I don’t know. It’s trust. Isn’t it? If I can’t trust Tara, why would I let her go out alone with Buffy?



Willow came to a sudden decision. She snapped the lid off the vial of holy water, raised it to her lips and drank it in one go. She unwrapped the cross and pressed it against her breast, hugging it tightly against her skin. She looked at herself in the mirror and saw a tiny smile of triumph in her green eyes. Nothing. I knew nothing would happen. I knew. That mail from Wesley had me all worked up over nothing. Gently she wrapped the cross up again, tossed the empty vial into the rubbish and returned to her room.



Dried and warm, the redhead lay upon her bed, touching her body lightly here and there, stroking the smooth curves of her breasts and belly. Tara will be back soon, she thought, and she’ll touch me in those places too. Mmm, that would be nice. Her nipples sprang to life at the thought. Suddenly, I’m not tired at all. I’m looking forward to…Tarahand. Even with her cool vampire hands, she sets me aflame. Maybe I should turn the electric blanket on for a while…



Downstairs, the front door opened, and Willow heard a single set of footsteps in the front hall. The redhead’s heart lurched. Something’s happened, she quailed. Hastily, she threw the towel back around herself and dashed out of the bedroom. Goddess, what’s happened to Tara? Or Buffy? Oh, please, no…



Willow raced downstairs to find Tara in the front hall, alone. Willow gasped and turned white. Tara noticed her and smiled.



“Hi, Will. Feeling better?”



(To be continued)

[Thanatopsis]

I find it interesting that Willow didn't trust her reflection in the mirror and had to test it with the holy water and cross, but then worries that her actions say she doesn't trust Tara. Years of thinking of vampires as evil can't be that easy to get over, no matter who the vampire is. But no matter what her doubts are, her love for Tara is still there and still very strong.



But on other notes, "Huh?" Where's Buffy? and what happened to Tara that made Willow turn white?

--------------------
Too many of us live desert lives. ~Charles de Lint

[ZipityDoDa]

Uuuuumm.....We're lacking a Buffy...Please tell me that she was hungry and decided to go..eat or something...Eep.



Great update.

=Jessica=

[snuggle79]

Cool Update! But yeah, where is Buffy and why did Willow turn white, when she saw Tara?? Curious!!

Tara:"Maybe we dreamed it."

Willow:"Right. Right. Wrong! (points at her head ) Different Brains." Tara:"Oh yeah."


Can we just skip it? Can...can you just be kissing me now?

[Jennpurr]

I'll second everyone else's thoughts. Where's Buffy and why did Willow turn white? AHHHHH!!!! What a cliffhanger, B.



Poor Willow. It's sad that she felt she had to take those tests. I understand her fear though, and distrust at first. I can imagine how hard it is for her to trust a vampire, even if it is Tara. Poor thing.



Looking forward to more. Soon??



Thank you for the update,

Jen

------------------------Willow: strong like an amazon?
Tara: Strong like an amazon, right.

[darkmagicwillow]

I've been enjoying this story. I like how you're handling both Willow's recovery and Tara's return as a vampire.

--
"Omnia mutantur, nihil interit. "   "Everything changes, but nothing is truly lost."

[LeatherQueen]

Ooh, two new parts for me to enjoy.



Very interesting. Willow's reactions to the email from Wesley are intriguing. Are they brought about by her own concerns, or is she more concerned now that she's finally feeling some of the guilt and sadness from the work that Tara's been doing on her aura, etc?



And Tara showing back up without Buffy... Hm... classic misdirection, perhaps? We'll see, I guess...

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


"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

[Bagheera]

Thanatopsis - Thanks, yes, Willow suffering from some serious conflict at the moment. Coming to terms with herself and vampTara, it is not easy.



Jessica - Hi and thanks.



Snuggle79 and Thanatopsis and Jen - Do you think Willow went pale because i) Tara was there on her own all casual and 'Hi Willow!', and at the same time ii) Buffy was not there? This on the night of all nights when Willow did some soul searching about herself and her feelings for Tara. Classic bad timing.



Jen - PS: Postings are currently running 2nd daily.



darkmagicwillow - Hi and thank you. Very kind comments.



LeatherQueen - That's a very insightful comment. I think there's a bit of both there. There is Willow's fear and doubt about Tara, but at the same time she is, with Tara's help, becoming more like her old self and it's unfortunately bringing sadness and guilt. Not long till the next update is posted.

Willow looks hopeful, then delighted as the words sink in. Tara meets her halfway and they kiss passionately.

"Entropy"

[Jennpurr]

Every other day for posting. Check. Thank you.



Oooh... what you said about her going white, makes sense. I was thinking along those lines, but I didn't want to jump the gun. I was thinking that maybe Willow thought that, since Buffy wasn't there, that Tara had done something to her? I know Willow's struggling with everything right now, and still getting her footing. It's not unfair to say that she might think that, is it?? I just feel really bad for her.



Looking forward to the next chapter.



Thank you,

Jen

------------------------Willow: strong like an amazon?
Tara: Strong like an amazon, right.

[funkyasian]

ummm...so buffy's...?? where again?

[Bagheera]

Jen - All fair comment. I agree, poor Willow.



funkyasian - read below and find out



Rating: M15 Violence, sexual references.



Willow felt a cold hand clamp around her heart. “Buffy?” she managed to whisper. Oh Goddess no, Buffy…



The next moment the Slayer herself walked through the still-open front door, a sour expression on her face, dangling a beribboned rose in her hand. “Another little present from my shy admirer,” she observed. “This is getting old. Hey, Will.” Willow, on the brink of hysterical relieved laughter, suddenly realised that she was only wearing a towel. She blushed.



“I – I heard only one person c-come in and I was…” she hesitated.



“Nah, we’re good, Will,” Buffy breezed. “Tarabot was great, she got two. Right, Tara?” The blonde grinned back at the Slayer. “Actually Will, can I talk to you for a second? Do you need to recharge, Tara – bot?” Tara nodded and after exchanging a brief smile with Willow accompanied by a discreet touch on the arm, trotted upstairs to their bedroom.



“Should I put a bathrobe on first?” Willow asked.



“Only take a minute. Unless of course, you’re cold,” Buffy said considerately.



“I’m good,” Willow said helpfully.



“It’s just this,” the Slayer said, lowering her voice. “Whose fighting style did you use to program Tara?”



“Oh, um, n-no particular style. Mostly – mostly you, I guess.”



“I do NOT fight like that!” Buffy flared.



“Why? What happened? Tara wasn’t any good?”



“Oh, she was great. In a brutal, sadistic, I’m-working-out-my-issues kind of way. Look, we’re jumped by four vamps, I stake one straight off, I’m left with one that knows a few moves, it gets technical. I win – eventually. I stake it, I turn around and Tarabot’s got the other two on the ground whaling on them with a fence post. She broke practically every bone in their bodies before she was done! Staking them was a kindness and I don’t just mean to the world in general. I tell you I’ve never seen anything like it. If she had feelings I’d swear it was something personal.”



“She has feelings Buffy, there are - subroutines…”



“Oh. Well, maybe you could turn the hate down. She’s good in a fight, but she could use a bit more focus on teamwork.”



“Okay, ‘night Buffy.”



“’Night.” The Slayer pecked the redhead on the cheek and gave her a brief hug.



“I freaked Buffy out, right?” Tara said when Willow entered the bedroom. The vampire was in bed, propped on the pillows and looking very relaxed.



“Apparently, you cool monster fighter, she wasn’t impressed with the way you went postal – with an actual post,” Willow smiled wryly. She crossed to the mattress and sat down, taking Tara’s hand.



“Phh,” Tara scoffed. “I don’t think that was it. Buffy saw me fighting and – I think she had a flashback. I think I reminded her of someone else.”



“Someone incredibly violent?” The vampire nodded. “That’s strange. You’ll think I’m obsessed, Tara, but that sort of reminds me of Faith…or maybe Spike.”



Tara nodded. “If it’s any explanation, I recognised one of them from the crypt where I was made; maybe I lost it a little, but I was just – furious. And you know something else? Afterwards, when it was over…please don’t get jealous, Will.”



“Why would I be jealous?”



“Buffy was aroused - sexually. I could smell it on her, Willow.” Tara reconstructed the moment in her mind. Buffy after the fight, panting; a sheen of sweat on her skin, her pupils dilated, cheeks flushed, lips red and filled with hot blood. Tara had been more than a little taken aback when she had sensed Buffy’s sudden musky aroma as the pair had stood facing each other, the Slayer and the vampire, like lionesses after a kill. “I never intended to make her feel…”



“That’s just a Slayer thing,” Willow reassured the vampire, hugging her. “It’s got nothing to do with you. Faith was exactly the same. I remember Buffy used to rush off to jump onto Riley after a good dusting. But you were the only one with her tonight, maybe she was embarrassed or something, to be you know, turned on and you seeing it and everything…or maybe she’s lonely. She hasn’t dated since Spike.”



“Poor Buffy. Maybe I better not go out patrolling with her again…”



“Don’t be ridiculous, Tara. I trust you, and Buffy,” Willow smiled gently.



“Maybe you shouldn’t. I’m evil, remember?” Tara smiled back.



Willow grinned and got up onto her knees. “Tara Maclay, would you like to know just how evil I think you are?” She brought her thumb and forefinger together. “This much, and I’ll show you why.” Willow climbed on top of Tara and kneeled on her, pinning her shoulders to the bed. The redhead took Tara’s hands and covered those soft blue eyes with them. “See no evil,” the hacker said solemnly. Willow then tried to move Tara’s hands to cover her ears, but the vampire decided to resist her. There was a moment of silent, unequal struggle, Willow unable to match the vampire’s strength. Tara grinned in her turn.



“Dammit Tara, cover your ears!” the redhead demanded, giggling. “I’ve changed my mind. You ARE evil! Cover your ears!” Tara lowered her eyes from Willow’s face to the redhead’s lower body, and Willow suddenly was aware that the bottom edge of her towel was riding inexorably up her thighs, leaving absolutely nothing to Tara’s imagination.



“What with, Willow Rosenberg?” Tara hissed. The vampire dropped her voice. “Your silky inner thighs, perhaps?” And she gently peeled the towel from Willow’s body, sat up and proceeded to apply her lips to Willow’s slender curves, lapping like a thirsty tigress at the pale freckled skin, lovingly and gently giving her attention to every single inch.



Willow moaned, sank limply onto the mattress and surrendered herself. “Ohhh…evil’s …good,” were she only coherent words she could manage,



End of Episode 1.4

Willow looks hopeful, then delighted as the words sink in. Tara meets her halfway and they kiss passionately.

"Entropy"

[Triscuit7]

Hi Bagheera - I just wanted to drop in and say how much I've enjoyed reading this. I'm especially enjoying how I can't figure out in advance what the next "crisis" is going to be. You get to jump in one direction, but so far I'm jumping the wrong way - cool. And I have to say I really like vampTara. She's take-charge Tara squared! Thanks again for such a fun read.



Ciao, Melissa

**********************


I brought marshmallows!

[willntlover]

You used the cut lines from SR!!!! It's good to know that the right writers are using them Loved it.



-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."

[snuggle79]

Great Update! Tara has become a cool monster fighter now, even "better" than Buffy..cool.

Can't wait for more!

Tara:"Maybe we dreamed it."

Willow:"Right. Right. Wrong! (points at her head ) Different Brains." Tara:"Oh yeah."


Can we just skip it? Can...can you just be kissing me now?

[Jennpurr]

Hee... Evil's good, indeed. I loved how you snuck those lines in there. Woo and Hoo!



I liked this update, very much. And Tara a cool monster fighter. YAY!!! She probably was fighting better than Buffy. Ooops... did I just say that? OH... and the roses. Can't wait to see where you go with that. I still have my ideas about who they might be from, but I'll hang tight and find out if I'm right.



I was trying to picture Willow and Tara's positions at the end, but I couldn't get the mental pic in my head. Can you help me out with that??



Thanks for the update, B. Can't wait for more.



Jen

------------------------Willow: strong like an amazon?
Tara: Strong like an amazon, right.

[LeatherQueen]

Nice last line there, Bagheera!



Nice part. And I see Buffy's gotten another rose from her secret admirer. Interesting. I'm still waiting to see how that plays into all this.



And Tara's fighting style is extremely sadistic, eh? Well, that's to be expected, I suppose.



Great update!

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


"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

[Bagheera]

Melissa - Wow! Thank you. Stand by for another jump or two in Episode 5 "New Star Rising"



Will - Yes, "evil's good", I thought that line fitted even better in this context, though it was a real struggle to structure that last bit. The way it was first written, it was FAQ-violation-city. I hope the suture marks don't show too much.



snuggle79 - Don't let Buffy hear you say that, she'll be mad with jealousy.



Jen - Okay, we start with Willow kneeling on top of Tara, Tara peels off the towel and starts her comprehensive nibbling, Willow, nearly fainting with pleasure, rolls onto her back onto the bed, Tara rolls on top, presto, evil's good! I sometimes don't have the patience to - ahem - flesh out the details of these things. Sometimes just a word or a phrase or a gasp of pleasure is enough, don't you think? Or not? Oh, it's not is it? Hmm.



LeatherQueen - Thank you. Tara was rather cross. I don't think she likes vampires very much. I guess it's personal.

Willow looks hopeful, then delighted as the words sink in. Tara meets her halfway and they kiss passionately.

"Entropy"

[ZipityDoDa]

Good is evil, wow. Greaaat update.

=Jessica=

[Bagheera]

Hi Jessica - It's more "evil is good", but thanks for your kind words. "Good is evil", let me think about that .....hmm ....hmmmm... I wonder if I can do something with that?

Willow looks hopeful, then delighted as the words sink in. Tara meets her halfway and they kiss passionately.

"Entropy"

[Jennpurr]

Hey B,



Thank you for explaining that to me. I just have this thing for details, is all. I can see it better now, the scene and how it played out. My brain just likes those juicy details. And yes, I think somethings just need a word or a gasp, to spice it up a little. Don't want too much sometimes.



But, I'm looking forward to more.



Take care,

Jen



Edited: Cause I can't spell, I guess.

------------------------"Love is beautiful, no matter who you share it with." My Dad
"Love is never wrong." Melissa Etheridge

Edited by: Jennpurr  at: 8/5/02 6:12:07 pm

[MadeinNZ]

Great update. Seriously.

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


"When someone falls for Willow, they stay fallen" - Normal Again

Edited by: MadeinNZ at: 8/6/02 12:17:47 am

[Bagheera]

Jen - Thank you, and now here's more.



MadeinNZ - Aww. I'm speechless, that was so nice, right after I was all mean and sarcastic to you.



“Mission Statement” Episode 1.5 “New Star Rising”



Disclaimer: JW, ME, blah blah. You owned them, you screwed up, my turn, later.



Rating: M15 Adult themes, violence, moderate Kitten angst.



Update: Tara, returned to Willow as a vampire, though apparently non-violent towards humans, has been helping Willow in her recovery from her Dark Magic rampage and what happened to her subsequently in England. They are currently pretending that Tara is a bot that Willow has made. It’s a couple of weeks since Episode 1.4.



“If you needed any further proof that I’m different to the Tara of old, you’ll see it tonight,” Tara observed as she and Willow walked through the streets of Sunnydale in the early evening gloom.



“Yes and no,” Willow said. “You always had the ability...”



“But never the nerve to appear in public in front of more than one other person,” Tara pointed out.



“Is it just that you’re a vampire? You were always brave, but now you have no fear at all.”



“Not quite. I’m afraid of crosses, sunlight and stakes.”



“I don’t blame you for that,” the redhead smiled. She looked over at her lover as they walked along. Tara was wearing her long black leather coat tonight, the one that was neatly tailored at the waist to make her look even more embraceable than usual, below which the material flowed gently over the hips to accentuate Tara’s womanly curves. Beneath the coat she wore a plain white figure-hugging T-shirt and her legs were encased in blue jeans. Goddess, Willow thought, she’s completely rewriting the concept of “dead sexy” tonight, and the hacker also made a mental note to never utter that thought in public. She might tell Tara later, when they were alone in bed together. Vampire Tara appreciated humour, especially of the dark kind.



They held hands as they walked along shoulder to shoulder, neither hurrying nor dawdling, enjoying one another’s company and the cool early evening. In Tara’s free hand there hung a heavy black flight case, while Willow had a small backpack. This was their first date, in a way, since Tara’s return. Willow stole frequent sideways glances at her lover, but as they crossed a section of broken pavement, the redhead stumbled and barely kept her footing. Tara stopped.



“Oh honey, are you okay?” the vampire inquired.



“Fine, fine,” Willow reassured her.



“Not still woozy from last night?” The pair had continued their probing of Willow’s damaged aura the previous evening. Tara was trying to reestablish some of the links in Will’s aura flow, but it was slow and tedious work. Willow had tolerated it better than most nights, and on this occasion, perhaps feeling less cautious than usual, Tara had dared to venture, albeit briefly, into the forbidding zone of Willow’s darkness.



For an instant, Tara had thought it was death. Instinctively, she withdrew back into herself, and then the blonde witch gasped as a gimlet of pure pain lanced through her. She broke the spell and fell back onto the floor, dimly sensing Willow lifting herself out of her own meditative trance. Willow’s eyes were haggard when she opened them, and Tara knew that her own reflected that look. So much pain. And Tara had reached into that reservoir of hurt for the barest instant and had felt only the smallest fraction of it. It had been intimidating to reflect just how much work there was still to be done, but Tara knew full well that Willow would never be fully free and whole again until she had rid herself of that appalling blackness.



“Really Tara, I’m okay,” Willow insisted, resuming walking. “In a way I’m grateful. I-I knew this whole time that something wasn’t right inside me, and you helped me to see it. At least now I can see some of the way ahead, what I need to do.”



Tara nodded and squeezed Willow’s hand gently. “I’ll be here for as long as it takes, you know that.” Willow smiled and squeezed back.



“Maybe this wish hasn’t turned out all bad,” Willow mused.



“I’ve been wondering about that,” Tara replied. “What if you didn’t wish me back at all, what if you just felt – something - happen, and you interpreted it as making a wish? With so much stuff buried inside you beneath your conscious self, who knows what you felt? You might just have sensed my returning to life and been called to me.”



“I’ll always find you,” Willow murmured.



“And you did,” Tara said. “And I found you.”



“But,” Willow continued, “If I didn’t make a wish, what power brought you back?”



“Maybe it’s my paranoid vampire nature,” Tara began, “But I’m thinking Sunnydale, Hellmouth…probably some powerful, malevolent force. What are the odds? And why was there a big nest of vamps in the crypt nearest to my coffin, almost as if they were waiting for me? Almost as if they wanted to make a vampire out of a witch. There was a remark one of the vamps made the other night when Buffy and I were attacked, something about wanting a witch…”



“If this is true, and I sort of hope it’s not,” Will said, “We need to ask: why would an evil force want to turn a witch into a vampire?”



“To do something evil seems a safe bet. A spell? Maybe they knew who I was, who my friends were. Maybe they want me to kill Buffy.”



Willow sighed. “Happy, happy days on the Hellmouth.” She leant her head gently against Tara’s for a moment, feeling the comforting pressure of that cushion of soft blonde hair. Willow asked suddenly, “You wouldn’t do it would you? If they tried to make you cast a spell? I already know you won’t hurt Buffy.”



“Probably not,” Tara said. “On principle, I resent being used. Just as I resent what happened to you. To mutilate your spirit the way they did in England, to take all your magic away the way they did…”



“Not missing the magic, oh no,” Willow interrupted.



“I disagree,” Tara said firmly.



“But you were the one that warned me about the magic first! If I’d listened to you, none of this…”



“I warned you about misuse,” Tara interjected in her turn. “I never asked you to give it up forever, how could I have been such a hypocrite? It was your choice to give up completely, and I’m cool with that, but now your ability to make that choice has been taken away. They’ve done a freaking ‘Clockwork Orange’ job on you, and let me tell you I’m going to give that limey bastard Giles a piece of my mind about it if I ever see him again.” Tara’s eyes blazed with anger, briefly, then settled.



“But you said they were afraid, they were trying to save me…”



“I know; it still doesn’t make it right.” There was silence for a moment as the two walked on.



A sudden voice behind them said, “Well good evening, and how are my two favourite ladies tonight?”



(To be continued)

[LeatherQueen]

There is something unexpectedly funny about Tara calling Giles a "limey bastard".



Great update! So many questions about this fic, though. I can't wait 'til some of this unravels, and we find out what's happened and why.

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


"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

[snuggle79]

ooh language! Tara is calling Giles a "limey bastard"...kinda funny. So, who is the mysterious person who welcomes them at the end...? Curious! Great update!

Tara:"Maybe we dreamed it."

Willow:"Right. Right. Wrong! (points at her head ) Different Brains." Tara:"Oh yeah."


Can we just skip it? Can...can you just be kissing me now?

[Thanatopsis]

Mmmm. Oh sorry got distracted by Tara in the leather jacket. Hilarious that Tara refered to Giles as a limey bastard. I'd love to see that confrontation. Their conversation about Willow and her magic being taken away intrigues me. Can't wait to see where you're going next.

--------------------
Too many of us live desert lives. ~Charles de Lint

[funkyasian]

tara..in leather...that's an image i love...oh wait..sorry...ummm..distracted...great update...why are there always mysterious voices appearing from behind people in sunnydale?



steph

[Bagheera]

LeatherQueen - Thank you. I guess it's a bit incongruous what Tara said, but it's the angry vampire in her, and I'm sure she's thought a lot worse.



snuggle79 - Language? There'll be worse later, though probably not from Tara. Next update soon, thank you.



Thanatopsis - If Tara ever confronts Giles about what happened to Willow, I suspect that "duck and cover" may not be enough. As for Willow and the magic, as Tara said, she was never a hypocrite about it. When Willow offered to go a month without a spell, Tara said "make it a week". Tara never expected or demanded of WIllow that she give up magic, only that she bring her use of it under control. She loves magical Willow as much as the loves the Willow that doesn't do magic in "Seeing Red", but she's angry that Willow has no choice in it. Understandably. Interesting that Tara chooses a UK film as her analogy for what happened to Willow, eh?



steph - Not sure about "always mysterious voices appearing from behind". I just checked back over the previous 21 updates of this story and this is the first time this has happened exactly in this manner. I agree though that it is the sort of thing that is likely to happen a lot in Sunnydale. Tara in leather eh? I think she'll have to go shopping for some matching pants next, if that's what you like.

Willow looks hopeful, then delighted as the words sink in. Tara meets her halfway and they kiss passionately.

"Entropy"

[Thanatopsis]

Bagheera, you're right Tara onc demanded Willow give up magic, I'd forgotten that. It sort of got lost in the whole "magic addiction" issue unfortunetly. I think it's a shame that happened, when so many other things...I'm getting off track, sorry. I'm glad Tara's angry about it. Someone needs to be, especially since Willow won't, too worried about everyone else's reaction to be so, I guess. As for the choice of "Clockwork Orange" I was actually thinking of the book.

--------------------
Too many of us live desert lives. ~Charles de Lint