Ashley, thank you so much for reading. I appreciate your comments muchly!
Ruth, you’re all talk.
Darkmagicwillow, see, it wouldn’t be Riley-centered story, just a Riley-appreciative story. Huge difference. But I realize I am in a stubborn minority here.
TromDeGrey, thank YOU. You helped so much, and I have appreciated your responses hugely! You’ll never know.
Tk, oh thank you. I suppose it’s my anal-retentive personality that makes me want to tie all loose ends together as tightly as possible. Of course, my non-perfectionist personality makes sure that I forgot to pull a few of those threads tight enough, like, oh say, Doc. And Anya. Oh, well. But you’re so right. Tara is essential. And some trust among the friends is essential. Some love, damn it. That’s all we want, right? A little love? Thank you so, so much for reading this. I have always enjoyed seeing your responses (and hearing about your gf’s, too
).
Always E, thank you so much for your response. And thanks for pointing specifically to that line; I was worried that maybe it was one step too far, and then I thought, no, let Willow say it. You know, I only let them say “I love you” one time in the whole story. As for Riley, I’ve got to get over it. I know I do. Thanks so much for delurking for a little while; that always means a lot.
Thanks, Kittens!
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On ME's treatment of Tara:
"She shared something very intimate with you. And you act like it's nothing more than a bag of some kind of snack food."
--Willow in "Beer Bad."