Here's the update, folks.
Note: A big thanks to my beta, Starcomed! Thanks, sweetie!
Dresden made his way up the stairs. He could still hear Samantha in the living room with Anya; He hadn’t wanted to play tea party with his little sister. What did they think he was, a girl or something?
What he’d really hoped to do tonight was show Xander the new bow he’d made out of a branch and a length of bailing twine, but Xander had fallen asleep on the couch before Dresden had had the chance to mention it. That’s when he’d decided that he’d had enough quality time that evening.
He was so bored and there was nothing interesting to do. He really wanted to be out in the backyard testing out his bow, but he knew his parents would freak out if he went out there alone. They didn’t know he could take care of himself.
Dresden was so tired of not being able to do anything. He was 12, but his adopted parents treated him like he was a baby, or worse - Samantha‘s age. He had to go to bed at the same time she did; he didn’t get to go outside by himself EVER, and what was worse was, that they watched him brush his teeth at night as if he might pawn his toothbrush for a candy bar or something.
Miss kitty curled around his legs as he reached the top of the landing, her nose pushing up against his calf. He bent down as if he might pet the feline, but instead pushed her gently away from himself. “Go on,” he said, when the cat continued to follow him into his room. Dresden shut the bedroom door behind himself. He leaned against the door for a moment with his eyes closed, feeling angry and frustrated with his life in general.
The room was dark but he didn’t care. He went over to his bed and threw himself face down onto the twin-sized mattress. He stayed that way until breathing had become an issue, and then flipped over onto his back. He stared at a familiar shadow on the ceiling; it danced, and slide above him each time the wind blew its source; a branch outside his bedroom window.
Feeling rebellious, he tossed his baseball mitt hard across the room; it hit the bedroom door with a loud thumping sound. He wondered if either Anya or Xander would come up to check on him. When no one came, he got up and went to the window. He tried to push it upward, but it wouldn’t open; it was painted shut. Just his luck.
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Willow slid the key into the lock and pushed the door open. In their new house the air smelled stuffy and unused. She held the door open for Tara, who brushed passed her, silently. She could smell the scent of her wife’s lotion - a fruity blend of blend of berries.
She’d yet to tell Tara about her trip to the doctor’s office that day, even though many opportunities had presented themselves over the course of the evening. She’d yet to tell Tara much of anything at all, actually. They’d spent most of that night in silence. She could tell that Tara sensed there was something wrong, and she felt guilty because of it - which subsequently kept her even quieter. It was turning into a vicious cycle of guilt and silence - one she knew she had to break, and soon.
Willow took a deep breath and rushed head first into the words that had been hidden all night. “Tara, there‘s something I need to tell you,” Willow said, trying to keep her voice from breaking. She looked into Tara’s eyes and saw the questions that lingered there - waiting to be answered.
Willow took Tara’s hand and guided her into what would become their living room - that was if she didn‘t keel over in the next few months.
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Dresden stood before the illuminated walk-in closet, scanning its contents. The mountains of discarded clothes and toys caused his heart to sink. He didn’t think that he’d ever find anything in that pile.
He grabbed one of Samantha’s teddy bears off the pile, and tossed it to the other side of the closet. The bear blinked to life, his furry eyelids opening and closing as if he’d just woken up after being in hibernation all winter.
“Gross!” Dresden exclaimed when the bear began to croak in an inhuman voice--reciting predictable dialogue, offering Dresden a hug and an invitation to be friends in it‘s sugary, yet maniacally charged voice. He picked up a pile of shirts from the heap and tossed it onto the creepy toy.
Dresden continued on with his search for something he could use to scrape the paint from around the window‘s edges. He could have gone down to get a knife from the drawer in the kitchen, but he really didn't want to take the chance that Samantha would see him, and want to tag along.
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Willow and Tara sat with their backs against the wall. The room was darkened, save for the whitish glow from the street lamps that shone through the unclothed window.
The room was empty; in fact, the whole house was empty save for one random, empty paper bag, that had been there when they bought the house, laying tipped on it’s side in the upstairs hallway.
“Why didn't you tell me?” Tara wanted to know. She was hurt that Willow hadn't trusted her to come to her with this before then; but mostly she was worried about Willow.
“I’m telling you now.” Willow’s legs were stretched out in front of her; one ankle latched across the other, her right hand lay limply on the Berber carpet, while her left hand was held firmly in Tara’s. “What will we tell the kids?” She was trying to be brave, even though the thought of not being around for Sammy and Dresden made her resolve-face crumple.
“We’re not going to tell the kids anything, Will.” Tara let out a breath. “You’re really jumping the gun here…after all, this could be nothing.” Tara’s worry was starting to turn into anger. Why was Willow talking as if she was going to be dead tomorrow?
“Or, it could be something…” Part of her wanted Tara to see things as bleakly as she did, but the other part wanted Tara to shake her - to snap her out of her own disturbing thoughts.
“Don’t say that,” Tara said, firmly. She had had enough of Willow’s “glass-half-empty” mentality.
“Say what? That I may die? Say the word death? Dead; dying; to die; to be un-alive.” Willow felt a tear breach the facade of the carefully placed mask she‘d put on in order to protect Tara from what she was really feeling. She tried to stop it before it slid down her cheek, but to no avail. Willow wiped the wetness from her cheek with the palm of her hand.
“I’m sorry, sweetie.” Tara let out the breath she’d been holding. “Come here.” Tara pulled Willow against her, wrapping her arms around the slim redhead. “You’re not going to die.” Tara pressed her lips into Willow’s hair. “We’re witches, remember?” she said consolingly. Willow sniffed and looked up at her through wet lashes.
“But what about not disturbing the balance of Natural Order?”
“Well…that applies to the general population of course…but if I had to, I’d disturb a lot more than the Natural Order if it meant keeping you with me,” Tara said, stroking her finger down the side of Willow’s face. She meant every word of it, too. She would do anything if it meant protecting Willow.
“Would you commit a felony?” Willow was beginning to lighten up and her tears had stopped.
“Probably,” Tara teased, she pressed her forehead against Willow‘s. “Probably…” She repeated, this time whispering the words into Willow‘s hair. She could feel her own tears wetting her eyes.
They’d been together two years - enough to know that two years wasn’t much time in their lives comparatively, but it didn’t feel that way to Tara. Perhaps it was because they were soul-mates that they slide so easily into a relationship together - they had, after all, lived lifetimes together before this one, and given the circumstances of their meeting in this life, well…she’d always heard: “hardship draws people together” … an understatement if anyone asked her.
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Dresden grasped the tree; he could feel the rough bark under his palms. A rush of adrenaline hit him hard in the stomach. His heart sped up as he clung to the branch. Now that he was actually out there he was terrified. The reality of something coming out of the night to snatch him was growing more real to him by the second…but the adventure of what he was doing still outweighed any fears he had.
He swung his legs back and forth to gain momentum as he slid his hands along the branch. Dresden didn’t look down but he knew it would be a long drop if he were to let go. He felt the roughness of the branch cutting little slices inside his palms, and his arms ached from sustaining his weight, but he continued on, roughly guiding his body further down the branch and away from his bedroom window.
After a few more minutes of hard labor, he’d managed to reach the part of the branch that grew closest to the trunk of the tree. He was then able to lift his leg up over the branch in order to hoist himself up.
After standing up on the thickest part of the branch, he took a moment to look around. He felt relatively safe camouflaged inside the leafy green branches of the tree. He could see into the house from where he stood. The light in the kitchen was left on and the glow reflected onto the grass outside the window.
Dresden inched along the branch under his feet, with his hands above him he held on tightly to another branch so that he wouldn't fall.
Dropping to the ground, he wiped the palms of his hands on his jeans, they smelled of sap, and still stung from what he’d just done, but other than that, he felt great. He walked quickly along the side of the house - where he’d left his bow that afternoon. It was still there.
And that’s when a hand, seemingly from out of nowhere, wrapped around his mouth. He felt himself being dragged through the bushes; his heals digging into the grass as he struggled to get free.
)
Thank you. 
I never said there was going to be another baby!! 
well you are so talented I can,t help but beg for more of your storys I love them all and your first one is what got me hooked so here I sit holding my breath . till your next update. 
kittens. 
So Graham with glasses?
Okay!! This Totally Calls For My Happy dance!!!!! 
Thankx Dreamlover,
hitting me Emms just a joke.
you in the nose. 
I'm here and still no update sigh 
but yeah and I hope they find dresden.. which im sure they will 
Dres-Dres-Dresden???!!! 
