FIC: The Crying Game (AU)

[ExtraFlameyWT]

Hey vix! Great update...I loved the emotion. I'm glad Anya realized that she shouldn't have been there. I hope everything is going to be all right...I'm so sad that Liz is going to be gone soon. I'm glad that Tara has Willow at least...



I can't wait for more!!



Aimee

*****
"Pope John Paul today confirmed his opposition to gay marriages, said they're unnatural. Gay marriage is unnatural. Then he put on a pointy hat, his dress, and returned to never having sex at all." -Bill Maher

[singgirl]

Ooooh...what's with the what?

[vix84]

Taras Shadow: ooh your mind is spinning…that’s a good thing, right? Thanks for your lovely comments, it makes me want to go and write more updates Don’t worry, I’m not going to do anything bad with Will and Dark Magicks (season sux ruined that storyline permanently for me)



The Rose24: Thanks Rose, glad it’s sweet. It actually wasn’t a cliffhanger (lol) I just used it for dramatic effect. Really!



Tara22: hey there, my aussie chickie! Glad that you (and Anya of course) greatly enjoyed the smoochies, there’ll be plenty more. Yay, an update of your fic! What could be better? Ooh I’m glad you felt so special with the name in bold…it was just for you, of course!



Barnabasvamp: there’s not always a catch! Don’t worry, not much angst. I don’t believe in it! And don’t be paranoid about Mr Cliffhanger, he was just there coz I like having an extra word (makes the fic feel special). So don’t be too worried about angst, just wait for the kissage to resume… thanks for reading



Xita: Ooh, you said the kisses were fantastic! Thanks, xita, that made me happy! I hoped I could do them justice (although even a stingy cheek kiss would do W/T kissage justice, come to think of it). Thanks for reading…



MissQuirky: hey Ashley! Hehehe you liked Anya being in there…hearing/seeing everything. Bit jealous of her, are we? Me too...hehe Thanks for always having nice things to say! You inspire more updates!



ExtraFlameyWT: Thanks Aimee I’m also glad that she has Willow. It would have helped her so much in the Buffy-verse, to protect her from Donnie and the mean dad. Don’t worry, it’ll all be hugs and puppies, I am a firm believer in happy endings.



Singgirl:

Quote:

---

Ooooh...what's with the what?

---

? I’ll take that as a compliment! Hehe

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

Alyson brought jelly beans as a gift for the local children, and those kids went nuts!
(Alexis, about their trip to Papua New Guinea)

[vix84]

I felt the urge to write a mini-update. So here you go...



Part 13



“Where’d they go off to in such a hurry?”



Xander stared, perplexed, at the sight of Willow and Tara rushing from the dock, their mermaid skirts trailing behind them.



“Who? Willow and Tara?”



Xander nodded at his best friend.



“Uh, think about it, Xand. It really isn’t that hard. Like, couldn’t you see the way they were with each other? The ‘get-a-roominess’ of them?”



“Oh. Oh. Really?”



Buffy nodded. “If I was the costume owner, I wouldn’t expect those Little Mermaid costumes back intact! I bet they’ve already been ripped off…and lying in some bush nearby. It's a shame, they were cool costumes...”



Xander’s eyes widened. “Wow!”



Buffy felt guilty. She knew that something major had just happened with Willow and Tara. She'd seen it in Willow's eyes. But she couldn't help her natural impulse to exaggerate, and make Xander go crazy. Also, she was slightly curious about their relationship. She wanted to see the 'sparkage' for herself.



They made eye contact and grinned, both knowing exactly what the other was thinking. Then they grabbed each other’s arms and ran off after Willow and Tara.



***



Willow was gasping for breath by the time they reached the hospital. She felt hot, flustered and exhausted in her costume, after running all that way. She tried to fix her hair and then suddenly a thought struck her.



“Tara, baby, should I come in with you? You know, just in case. I want to be with you.”



Tara nearly jumped at the sound of Willow’s voice. She felt as though she’d been pulled out of a deep trance. Then she smiled lovingly at the red-head. “Oh, of course you’re coming in with me. I mean, if you want to. I’m sorry, Will. That I’m acting so weirdly. It’s just, well, those images really disturbed me. They were s-so dark." She turned to look absently down the street, then continued. "But having you here really helps.”



They were walking in to the hospital, past the gift store.



Willow reached out slowly and took Tara’s hand. She covered it with both of her hands, hoping that Tara would feel the warmth of love radiating through her touch.



She did.



Tara did the most unexpected thing she could possibly do. She stopped in her tracks, completely aware of her surroundings, and kissed Willow tenderly on the mouth. "Thanks, Will," she whispered.



The owner of the hospital gift store stared, scandalised, at the passionate kiss that was taking place outside her store. And between two girls, to make things worse. “Excuse me, ladies, want to take that somewhere else? Somewhere more appropriate than my store?”



Willow straightened herself up, trying to feel brave. The woman had pissed her off immensely with the sarcastic emphasis on 'ladies'. But she was scared to respond; she worked with this woman, after all. Her reputation was at stake.



But Tara came first. She would always come first.



“Actually no, I wouldn’t like to take it somewhere else. Your store will do just fine.” Willow wrapped her arms around Tara and kissed her again, more slowly and wonderingly. She looked into the pale blue eyes and felt an urge to explore Tara's mouth properly this time. Then she realised she was being selfish. Tara needed to see her mother.



She kissed Tara once more, then winked at the woman and took Tara’s hand. They walked slowly towards Liz’s room.



***



“Buff?”



The two were jogging along Maine Street, looking out for sparkly costumes sticking out of bushes.



“Mmm?”



“How long have Will and Tara been…”



He made a vulgar motion with his hands. Buffy sighed.



“Doing what, exactly? They do a lot together, Xander.”



“Erm. You know? Having, well, witchy sex?”



“Very eloquent. Ten points. Umm, I don’t know. A while, I guess? I first noticed Willow was ‘getting some’ about a month ago. You could see the post-coital glow about her. I knew it straight away." Buffy grinned, proud of her intuition. She'd conveniently forgotten the fact that she'd imagined Josh, a male beau for Willow, and nearly wrecked Willow and Tara's relationship.



“Whoa! A month? Go Will! She really scored. Does she realise that Tara is one hot girlie? Man, I’m so jealo…hold on.” Something clicked in Xander’s head. “Does Anya know? That they've been sleeping together? As in the naked kind of together?”



Buffy nodded, trying to keep a straight face.



Xander stared, a little mortified. “Does everyone know? Am I the only one that…”



“Shh. For God's sake! Let me think. Uumm, yes, I’d say so. Yeah, everyone.”



“Dawn, too?!?!”



Buffy remembered the smug look on Dawn’s face when she described Willow as Tara’s ‘comforter’.



“Yep, even Dawnie.”



Xander nearly sobbed.



***



The lift opened on level four. Willow and Tara looked at each other nervously, reluctant to continue.



Willow looked away. She was angry at herself. OK, the girl you love is about to get some really bad news. All you can think about is ‘Will her mother like me?’ It’s totally beside the point. I don’t even know what the point is. And I shouldn’t even be thinking about points in the first place!



She noticed Tara was staring at her, a small smile on her lips. “Will, sorry to interrupt the mental blabber, but we’ve reached her room.”



Willow didn’t realise that Tara was also fighting with herself inside her head. What’s wrong with me?! Mom is dying and I’m worrying about Willow. I shouldn't even...Oh, how the heck do I introduce her? ‘Mom, meet my lover…’? No, that’d freak mom out. And it’d probably scare Willow, too. If I say ‘friend’ then Willow might be upset, and I’ll be sort of lying to mom all over again. But I…



Tara opened the door quickly, in an attempt to shut her brain up.



“Tare?”



Liz sat up carefully, wanting to look her best for Tara. She had asked Dawn to style her hair, just in case, and give her a touch of makeup.



“Hi, mama. Are you alright? We came as soon as we could. Literally. We were on a boat, so it was hard to…”



She trailed off, realising that Liz’s eyes were on Willow, not her.



“Oh.” She breathed in and out, several times, trying to calm herself. Her mind had gone blank; she couldn’t, for the life of her, remember how she’d decided to introduce Willow. Then she turned to look at Willow.



The sun was rising and a steady beam of golden light was coming through the window, into the pale hospital room. It lit up Willow’s hair; flecks of silver and gold danced amongst the red. Tara nearly drooled. But then she noticed something. Willow’s eyes were focussed solely on Liz’s.



Tara knew that this was Willow’s job, and that she knew exactly how to act around the patients. But something else was going on. Willow had made a connection with Liz, very quickly, and something was passing between them. She realised quickly what was being passed. An understanding, a relationship, a role. Willow was now going to protect Tara, love her unconditionally and shelter her. Instead of Liz.



The significance of this suddenly sank in. Tara's mouth opened, and she knew exactly what to say.



“Mama, this is my Willow.”



TBC...

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

Alyson brought jelly beans as a gift for the local children, and those kids went nuts!
(Alexis, about their trip to Papua New Guinea)

Edited by: vix84 at: 10/2/02 7:20:22 am

[mollyig]

Heh Xander the last to know.



You handled Tara's introducing Willow to her mother very well. Wonderful scene.

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

[saule77]

AWWW Brilliant update!



I loved this part:

Quote:

---

Willow had made a connection with Liz, very quickly, and something was passing between them. She realised quickly what was being passed. An understanding, a relationship, a role. Willow was now going to protect Tara, love her unconditionally and shelter her. Instead of Liz.

---

Darn tootin'! (Imagine resolve face)

I'm so glad will have to deal with her mother's death and to support her...

"You are Willow Rosenberg, vixen-y lighter of the flame and keeper of my heart.”

(Camp Flutie by Rane)

[barnabasvamp]

Yea, Mini up-date Thanks, vix!



Imagine that...Dense Xander being the last to find out.



Wonderful expression of feelings from Tara. Liked the smoochies, but would love more!

BV

"In front of total strangers won't you kiss me, Flowers for no reason but you miss me - OOH, I wanna be in love"

Melissa Etheridge-Skin

[willntlover]

that was wicked Sigh. tara loves her Willllllllllll0w. Thanks for the mini update!!!!!

-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."

[MorganArcher]

that was so cute...

and after the crap day i've had (family members of my own in the hospital...)

you made me smile

thanks,

morgan

"Hey! Respect the narrative flow, much?"

[MissQuirky]

Hey Vix, Great update!!



Poor Xander bein the only one not to notice W/T w/ all the together-ness! Well it was pretty open and clear, can't believe how blind he is!



Its getting more sad every time i know that Liz is gonna be gone soon! But i'm glad Tara got to the hospital... and introducing Willow as my Willow, Loved it!!

Quote:

---

MissQuirky: hey Ashley! Hehehe you liked Anya being in there…hearing/seeing everything. Bit jealous of her, are we? Me too...hehe Thanks for always having nice things to say! You inspire more updates!

---

Hell ya i'm jealous... who wouldn't want to be in Anya's shoes at that moment! And yer welcome, this fic is sooo awesome! Glad i help inspire more updates!! So keep the wonderful-ness comin!



~Ashley~

Willow: We can come by between classes. Usually I use that time to copy over my class notes with a system of different colored pens. But it's been pointed out to me that that's, you know... insane.
Tara: I said quirky.

[The Rose24]

Ooooooh. Powerful but sad at the same time. Liz knows she is going to die and knows Willow will take care of Tara with all of her heart and soul.

Tara: My heart doesn't stutter.

Tara: Willow, I got so lost.
Willow: I found you. I will always find you.

Willow: Hi, um Tara. I was wondering maybe you want to go out some time for coffee? food? Kisses and gay love?

[Tara22]

Vix!, my immediate reaction to that was an 'AAAAAAAAAAAAAW' that lasted for at least two minutes, which then got taken over by a huge grin, Liz dying is so sad, but Willow & Tara, is just !



loved the last line

Quote:

---

Mama, this is my Willow

---

love it love it love it!







notice my bolding your name it's to make you feel special!



(Good god that's a lot of emoticons!)

Tara: Every time I... even when I'm at my worst, you
always make me feel special. How
do you do that?





Willow: Magic

Edited by: Tara22  at: 12/24/02 11:35:30 pm

[vix84]

Thanks for all the feedback! Part Fourteen is coming soon, on Sunday or Monday. Ooh and thank you all for reading



Mollyig: Thankyou, Molly. I’m glad you liked the scene; it’s interesting to think about the different ways Tara might have introduced Will to her family. It'd be fun to have her be a vixen and make a naughty, suggestive comment about Willow (hmm, getting an idea...maybe Giles will get that honour!) And yeah, laugh at Xander as much as you like. He’s a fool!



saule77: hehe resolve face, I love it! Glad you liked that paragraph, thanks for commenting on it! There'll be lots of Willow support happening, she's a sweetie



barnabasvamp: no problem! mini-updates are much fun for all involved! You want more smoochies, aye? *sigh* OK, OK, if you insist…. don’t worry, I love writing W/T kissage!



Willntlover: Of course she loves her Willllllow! Who wouldn’t? *gasps at the thought* Thanks for reading and feedbacking!



MorganArcher: Aww Morgan, I’m glad it made you smile after your crappy day at the hospital. *worries about next scene*…maybe you shouldn’t read Tara-angst for a while, if you’re already depressed. But thanks for reading and *hugs*, I hope your family members are OK.



MissQuirky: Xander’s an idiot, what do u expect?! I bet that even if they, erm, had their 'fun' in front of him, he’d still not have a clue. I’m also sad about Liz dying, she’s so nice and she loves Willow and Tara…and, well, I’m sorry! For killing her off…



Wonderfull-ness (hehe) is coming your way, sweetie…W/T love amidst all the angst



The Rose24: Thank you. It was a sad moment to write, Liz ‘handing’ Tara over to Willow for love and care, but had to be done. And we know Will we do a wonderful job



Tara22: hey!! I love lots of emoticons, they rock! Hehe you’re so descriptive, I can imagine this big ‘AWWWW’ and you being all mopey, and then suddenly you change into a 'yay for Willow and Tara’ mood and start skipping all around the room. Thanks for your continually nice feedback, it makes me happy and when I’m happy I write extra W/T smoochies. lol (overtiredness becoming an issue...see? I’m blabbering).

Ooh and thanks for the bold name, I feel extremely honoured!

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

Alyson brought jelly beans as a gift for the local children, and those kids went nuts!
(Alexis, about their trip to Papua New Guinea)

Edited by: vix84 at: 10/4/02 5:25:48 am

[Taras Shadow]

Here we go with the great emotional-ness.

You really know how to write the stuff Vix, very big applause for you . I love that fact that Xander was the last to know, and how Willow and Liz connected instantly. Beautiful!!



Oh, and yes, making my head spin is a VERY good thing. Trust me



~Holly~

Quote:

---

"Show me where to tough you" Tara- It Ain't Fickle

---

[singgirl]

ooooh ahhhhh...

[xita]

Oh that was a great introduction. And My Willow, sigh I guess people who truly love Tara recognize each other right away.

- - - - - - - - - - - -
Tara and Willow

Accept NO subsitutes

[Tara22]

Vix, I'm glad you like the emoticons!! (yes, as we have established, that is the strangest one ever, so lets just pretend he's happy ) oooh, you like may imagery? *bows* why thank you! now, about that continually nice feedback, it makes more smoochies? ok well I'm all for it then! GO YOU! (i really do mean that, promise!) I love your fic! (mean that too!), and I wouldn't be at all upset should you decide to write a whole lot more of it... (ooo, funny that, I meant that too (bet you knew I'd say that...)



anyway, off topic, they closed down word assosciation, I think it's kinda my fault , ...



Edited to point out that I made practically all of your message in bold... , don't be frightened, it's how I show that I care

Tara: Every time I... even when I'm at my worst, you
always make me feel special. How
do you do that?





Willow: Magic

Edited by: Tara22 at: 10/6/02 6:07:54 am

[vix84]

They closed down word association? Noooo

What the frilly heck are we going to do from now on, at 3am Aussie time?! hehehe



It's OK, the bold didn't scare me. Well, not too much... As long as it's about the caring (lol) then I'm all for it! Really! Ooh and thankyou for the extra nice comments (even though I know your intentions were not too honourable, u just wanted an update!)



I'm going to update this fic sometime soon, maybe tonight. I really have to do a story for uni, maybe I can just hand in this fic? Can u imagine what they'd think of me???

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

Alyson brought jelly beans as a gift for the local children, and those kids went nuts!
(Alexis, about their trip to Papua New Guinea)

[Tara22]

I know!! *sobs* they said they are gonna make a new, more challenging one... soon, hopefully, otherwise I might just have to go to bed and sleep



oh wow! I didn't scare you? now there's a first. I tend to freak people out no but seriously



what! you thought my intentions weren't honourable? , me? my intentions? never!



but looky here, you say that an update is coming, so I must have done something right



hmmm, handing your story in... could work I was considering handing mine in too, y'know, english creative piece or something (ok, cause regardless of how serious I just sounded I was joking, promise...)

Tara: Every time I... even when I'm at my worst, you
always make me feel special. How
do you do that?





Willow: Magic

Edited by: Tara22 at: 10/6/02 6:09:43 am

[pikescoob]

Just caught up with this fic I thought it was pretty cool that W/T dressed up like mermaids...The Little Mermaid was my fav disney film growing up (and Lady and The Tramp ) how clueless is Xander? lol especially when W/T were dancing so flirtatiously...and yay they shared their first kiss if Willow knew that Anya had been in there she'd be mightily pissed. i loved Tara's introduction of Willow to her mom...very sweet



--Michelle

[Imperfectly Me]

AWWWW!

[barnabasvamp]

Vix;



Oh yes, more Smoochies, and SMUTUS, of course!



I beg for these because I know how well you write them, and I am most happy to find out you enjoy writing them!!

"In front of total strangers won't you kiss me, Flowers for no reason but you miss me - OOH, I wanna be in love"

Melissa Etheridge-Skin

[vix84]

*grrr, evil ezycodes*



Taras Shadow: Ooh, I know how to write emotional stuff? Sweet! Thanks so much for reading, and feedback-ing, and complimenting...heheh ooh and for the applause too, of course!



Singgirl: Your feedback has been reduced to awwwwwwws and ahhhhs and ooooohs ever since W and T got together? Significant, much? Thanks!



xita: It's so true, what you said about people that love Tara recognise each other straight away. It's that connection, y'know, that the kittens have...ok rambling, but yeah *sigh* you gotta love her



Tara22: Hellooooo! yay again for the bold feedback! In your fic, next time, I'm going to give you bold feedback! So u can see how special u feel

Of course your intentions are very...well, suspicious , but yeah you're right, it worked, here's an update.

Hehe one day we should do that, both hand in our fic to be marked. Maybe one of our teachers is really a kitten! How weird would that be?! Oh and yay for you adopting the emoticon as our official stress-related-to-closing-of-w/t-assoc.-thread (well there's a new one, but now it's hard *frown*). It's a cool smiley!

Are u still awake? Am I blabbering for any good reason? *hopes so* Email me or something and we can chat! Or, u'know, there is the whole going to sleep option...



pikescoob Heheh I write this fic (and dedicate it) to ppl like you, that love the lil mermaid! I'll make sure to have a mermaid/smut scene, too..unless the thought scares u?!



Imperfectly Me Hey there Aim! Thanks for the awww, you're a sweetie! Here's an update, enjoy



barnabasvap: wow you really know how to flatter your way into getting an update! But *sigh* you justified the need for smoochies and smut so well that i guess i'll have to oblige. only, not in this update, i'm afraid! thanks

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

Alyson brought jelly beans as a gift for the local children, and those kids went nuts!
(Alexis, about their trip to Papua New Guinea)

Edited by: vix84 at: 10/7/02 6:52:05 am

[vix84]

*glares at the "HTML Comments are not allowed" message*



I didn't mean to double-post! No, really! So pretend it doesn't exist...lalala...



eta: Tara22, I also have NOOO idea what the hell it meant...but *sigh* it's a computer thang, I guess

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

Alyson brought jelly beans as a gift for the local children, and those kids went nuts!
(Alexis, about their trip to Papua New Guinea)

Edited by: vix84 at: 10/7/02 6:49:27 am

[vix84]

Part Thirteen



Golly gosh! I’m…hers. Tara's. She called me ‘My Willow’. 'My' being a possessive pronoun, therefore meaning I belong to her. That's, well, kinda neat!



Willow inhaled, a shallow breath, and attempted to steady herself. Dizziness was always a problem for her, particularly around Tara. Ooh. Her eyebrow's all raised a-and she's openin' her mouth, and I can see her ton...wait a minute, is she being s-suggestive? Ack, need oxygen now. Wow, I'm starting to stammer in my thoughts! That's really disturbing. Oh no... doesn't she realise she's making me all wobbly-kneed?



Willow’s eyes traced the slender body of her girl. She bit her lip, trying to control her raging hormones, and remembered to smile at Liz. Then she turned to Tara and glared at her, hoping she would get the hint. No open flirtage in front of sick mothers!



“It’s wonderful to finally meet you, Willow.” Liz gave Willow a beautiful smile. It was the kind of smile that lingers in one's mind long after the person does. She motioned for Willow to come and sit next to her on the bed, then gazed at her affectionately.



Willow looked into Liz's pale eyes, slightly troubled. She couldn’t help feeling as though she were intruding on their grief, stealing away precious final moments between mother and daughter. She stared out the window, wondering what to say next.



"Is it OK for me to call you Will? I'll give you permission to call me Liz, Lizzie, Zil...whatever takes your fancy.” Liz could sense the red-head’s uneasiness, and tried to relax things a little.



Willow nodded, her eyes wide. "Sure. It's a deal."



Tara quickly sat down next to Willow. She was aware of the tension in the room, tension that stemmed from intense love. Moving strands of red hair aside, she began to stroke Willow's neck softly. Trying to calm her.



It worked.



Whatever fears had rendered Willow speechless just minutes ago suddenly caused her to spurt words, like a disfunctional fountain.



"Oh. This isn't going well, is it? And it's kinda my fault. Well, not fault as in 'Willow Rosenburg is to be be blamed for all sickness from now on', but fault in that I'm causing this to be all quiet and awkward. If I wasn't here, you'd both be all with the merriness. Or with the waterworks. But, at least there'd be words! None of these uncomfortable pauses. Pauses are horrible. They... god, I hate pauses!!" After this last exclamation she breathed in deeply, missing the look that Tara and Liz shared. A fond look, affirming that both women knew how hard this was for Willow, and that they'd try to lessen the tension.



Willow resumed suddenly, before they could interrupt. "Another thing, I'm sorry. Liz, this is just a bit too weird for me. I mean, one second I was crying over unrequited love. Scrunched up in my bathroom with unsightly red eyes and nose, convinced that Tara wanted nothing to do with me. And look! Suddenly Tara and I are all with the vicarious bathroom smoochies, a-and now I'm doing the serious 'meet the parents'! I can't deal with this! It's so fast..."



Liz raised an eyebrow playfully. "Vicarious, huh? Any more goss you want to divulge while you're at it?"



Willow make a tiny noise that sounded like "eep". Then she blushed, more red that either Maclay had ever imagined possible, and clamped her mouth tightly together with her fingers, as though physically restraining herself. She gave Tara an immensely apologetic look.



"Will, baby, it's OK. She can deal with vicarious. In fact, she loves the word." Tara smiled playfully at her mother, who giggled.



Willow uncovered her mouth. "Liz, I need mental help! I either am too shy to say a word and freak out as you saw a minute ago, or I can't stop talking. All my mental blabber suddenly becomes audible. And then I start to reveal things that I shouldn't reveal, like how I can't stop thinking how gorgeous Tara looks in that bikini and how I'd like to take it o..."



Liz grinned and interrupted before Willow could say anything else that would embarass her. "Willow, I love honesty. Really. I have so many visitors in here that come in with long faces and baskets of fruit, wanting to talk to me about funeral plots. Or the doctor wanting to give me another update on the colour of the lumps inside me. But then, all of a sudden, there's this fiery red-head wanting to tell me how hot my daughter is. Now, Willow, take a guess at which one I prefer!"



The three women giggled.



"Hmm, tough one." Willow peeled Tara's hand off her neck and put it in her lap, where she stroked it lovingly. "Wow, we're the perfect combination. You love hearing about Tara's hotness, and I love talking about it. We could go on talking for decades."



She winced at the word decades. Liz leaned forward until her breath was warm on Willow's cheeks. "Willow, don't restrict your words for me. I love them, and they don't offend me. Please just believe me, and say whatever you want to. Oh, and I agree, we could go on for decades about Miss Maclay here."



Her smile faded slightly. “You know, I’ve been wanting to talk to you for so long. I was sort of worried that I wouldn’t get the chance.” She spoke quietly, almost inaudibly, but it got Willow’s attention. Their eyes locked once more.



Tara moved towards the door to the room. “Uh, mom, Will? I’m just going to buy a drink from downstairs. I’ll be back in about ten minutes.” She quickly kissed her mother on the forehead, and then kissed Willow tenderly on the lips. Now wasn't the time for "vicarious smoochies", but she turned to look Willow in the eyes. She knew that Willow would see the love and lust, and that would have to suffice for now, until kissage could be had.



She smiled to herself as the door closed behind her. She was slightly curious as to what her mother wanted to talk to Willow about, but she knew it was their business. A feeling of immense pride flooded her senses. Pride that she had found Willow, and was in love for the first time in her life. Pride that her mother had the chance to see this before she was gone.



A pang of regret stabbed at her but she brushed it aside, wanting to saviour the happy thoughts. She was surprised at how easily she could push the negative thoughts away.



Paying for her apple juice she felt a heavy hand brush against her shoulder. It was a young man. Probably a doctor, she thought, looking him up and down.



“Sorry.” He grinned.



“That’s OK.” She ignored the grin and went to find a seat outside. He followed her.



“So, are you a patient or a visitor? You look too healthy to be the former, and too happy to be the latter.”



She stared at him for a moment before answering. Who the hell is this guy, she wondered with growing irritation. “I’m a visitor.”



“Oh, right. Whoops. My bad. But it’s not serious, I’m guessing?”



“It’s c-cancer.”



“Oh. Benign?” He was getting uncomfortable.



“No. She has a week left to live.”



Tara stood up and threw away her juice. She wasn’t angry. She didn’t want to cry. She just wanted to find a blanket and wrap herself in it for the next few months. A thick blanket, that wouldn’t let in cold, fear, or grief. All the things that she wouldn’t be able to handle.



He was standing next to her again, touching her shoulder with his long fingers. “I’m very sorry to hear that.”



She looked up, curiously. “Are you? Sorry, I mean. Or just embarrassed?” Her look was so cool, assessing, that he cringed.



“Both, actually.”



He was about to continue when he noticed something. She was pale, dangerously so. Her eyes were focussed on nothing in particular and her breathing was coming out in gasps.



Tara covered her face with both hands and shut her eyes, trying to force down her nausea. What the hell is wrong with me? A second ago I was thinking about pride and how settled I am. Good old balanced, happy Tara. And now I’m close to vomiting in a hospital bin. I feel so...heavy...



She wondered how she had fallen apart so quickly.



“Uh, excuse me?” She hated to ask for his help. Hated to rely on anyone other than herself. And maybe Willow. But she needed it now. “C-could you help me get to the bathroom, or somewhere like that? I need q-quiet, lots of it, and water.”



She was shaking now, and he realised how close to the edge she was. He’d been completely wrong when he saw her lining up to buy juice. She was frail. She had spent so much energy holding herself together that she was now having trouble standing up. He took her arm and slowly led her to his office.



***



Dayna frowned as she heard the high-pitched ring-tone version of The Smurfs. The caller was very persistent, ringing for nine rings, hanging up, then redialling, and Dayna could feel their nervous energy pulsating through the mobile phone. With a sigh she pressed ‘answer’.



“Hello?”



“Oh, thank goodness you answered at last. Sharon, it’s Joyce! I really need to talk to you about my daughter. Dawn, not Buffy. I’ve been reading a pamphlet from the Sunnydale Hospital counselling service, and…well, judging from the symptoms, I’m pretty sure that Dawn’s using marijuana.”



“Uhh.” Dayna’s eyes flickered nervously around the room and stopped on the door to the Jacuzzi. She knew that Sharon was in the middle of a relaxing bath, and wouldn’t want to be disturbed. But this woman, Joyce, obviously needed some advice.



Joyce continued, “Anyway, I suddenly remembered that you once had a problem with Willow, when you suspected she was using drugs. Remember, with Principal Snyder and the locker checks at school? I remember you being terribly concerned about the whole incident, you were worried that she’d be expelled. But I couldn’t remember, for the life of me, what you did about it.”



With ease, Dayna adjusted her voice to imitate Sharon’s, and then spoke.



“Joyce, are you certain it’s marijuana? What proof do you have?”



“Well there are funny smells in her room, all the time. And she’s rarely home. When she is, she’s sullen and distracted. In her sleep I heard her mumbling, something about “I invoke thee, Goddess of Insight”. It was extremely disconcerting. Oh, and I found a little baggie filled with strange looking herbs. I sniffed them, to check what they were, and everything in the room turned orange. It was so strange, I saw orange for days!”



Dayna tried hard not to laugh. “Joyce.” She lowered her voice, making it calm and compassionate. “Have you considered that your daughter might be using magic, not marijuana?”



“Magic?” Joyce was incredulous. She wondered if perhaps Sharon, too, was using the drug.



“Well…I was too quick to judge with Willow. If I’d known better, I would have realised that she was a powerful witch, not a drug user. She was using those herbs to conjure up a simple protection spell for her friend.”



Dayna knew she shouldn’t be interfering with her client’s social life. After all, Sharon had told her these details confidentially. But she couldn’t resist. It was so much fun.



“Willow’s a witch…did a protection spell… uh huh. Err, Sharon, I just realised my pot-roast is burning. I better go. Thanks for your help. And, uh, good luck with Willow.”



Joyce shook her head, surprised by the age variation of drug users, and replaced the receiver. She couldn’t believe what had happened to her old friend, Sharon, who had once been so traditional and reliable. Now she was an old crack-pot.



With a sigh, she grabbed her keys and made her way to the car. She hoped that the Sunnydale Hospital counsellors were not drug users, too.



TBC

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

Alyson brought jelly beans as a gift for the local children, and those kids went nuts!
(Alexis, about their trip to Papua New Guinea)

Edited by: vix84 at: 10/7/02 7:03:41 am

[Tara22]

am I making myself look totally stupid by asking what an HTML comment is?

Tara: Every time I... even when I'm at my worst, you
always make me feel special. How
do you do that?





Willow: Magic

Edited by: Tara22  at: 1/11/03 7:30:50 pm

[Tara22]

OMG! loved it! Can I just tell you how much I was cracking up with the whole hot Tara conversation and the marijuana thing had me on the floor



Go you Vix!!!



yay for the update!!



Edited to add OH my gosh at the Tara stuff, I feel so terrible for her, and Liz she can't die



Edited once again to add that I have the utmost repsect for you Vix, just look at how you made an interesting situation (hehe an embaressing double post) into an exciting message. now that is what i call talent!

Tara: Every time I... even when I'm at my worst, you
always make me feel special. How
do you do that?





Willow: Magic

Edited by: Tara22 at: 10/7/02 3:30:28 pm

[mollyig]

Golly gosh! I’m. . .hers. Tara's. She called me ‘My Willow’. 'My' being a possessive pronoun, therefore meaning I belong to her. That's, well, kinda neat! Wonderful Willow mindbabble there.



Liz wanting to talk privately with Willow is perfectly understandable, although I don't like that Tara is gone off alone, and is all with the wooziness.

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

[LostSoul]

YAY!



I'm really liking this fic. Sorry, I don't have time to give you constructive feedback as I need to read your update. LOL.

LostSoul


_____________________________


"I remember you." - Amber Benson

[barnabasvamp]

Vix;

Wonderful...I am more than willing to wait for smoochies, especially when the updates are soo good.



What could Tara's Mom need to talk to Willow about?



Poor Tara, sounds like everything is finally catching up with her

BV

"In front of total strangers won't you kiss me, Flowers for no reason but you miss me - OOH, I wanna be in love"

Melissa Etheridge-Skin