Hand-Picks and Red Pens (Sequel to It Ain't Fickle)

[luciddream]

Title: Hand-Picks and Red Pens (if anyone can think of a better title, by all means jump in.)



By: Luciddream



Note: Alright Kitties, the writing bug has bit my ass again. I am writing a sequel to my story 'It Ain't Fickle'. You don't HAVE to read it, but I flashback a little bit and reference it. More than likely, you'll just go 'huh?' and move on.



Summary: Willow and Tara's careers take them on some different paths. It is set 5 years into the future, I finally name the town they are in- Sunnydale (original, I know)... However, Willow doesn't start out there. She's in Turkey. It is all the way AU baby.





Rating: Well, there will probably be some sex, violence, language the usual... I'll let you know if something comes up that should be rated.



Warning: I might not be updating this as often as I did Fickle because real life gets in the way. Fickle was done in the summer when I had more time. I have a general idea how this story will go, but it is largely unwritten. There will be angst, cuz, I like angst. However, the girls will always end up together... Hope ya'll enjoy reading and I wouldn't turn down feedback..



Blah, Blah: I skip around a bit in time, but denote it. The ....... mean a switch from Willow to Tara and visa verse, just as I did with Fickle. Once again, I am my own beta, with MadeinNZ being my psuedo-beta (thanks!). If there any mistakes, holes, glaring irregularities, yell at me. Okay, shutting up now....



Hand-Picks and Red Pens



The Present



'Two months', thought Willow. “I miss you, baby,” Willow sighed aloud as she traced the face in the photograph. She shook off the flash of sadness and focused on what she came into the tent for. She rustled through some papers and found what she was looking for, the rough diagram of the ancient tomb they had began to excavate.



She and her crew had worked well into the night after finding the tablet marked with the ancient cuneiform symbols. This was a significant find, to say the least, especially if it turned out to be what she thought. She paused a moment to pick up her ‘good’ hand-pick and pushed her way through the heavy canvas tent door into the blinding morning sun.



………



Tara was tired. Bone-dead tired. She had been grading her summer school classes’ essays for the better part of 3 hours now and the words were blurring together. “You don’t have to grade them all in one night,” a voice echoed in her head. She smiled, thinking about the person who belonged to that voice. “I miss you, baby,” she said to no one as she leaned back into the couch and closed her eyes.



Two Months ago….



“Wow, Turkey. That’s far.” Tara said dumbly as she read the letter Willow had placed on the dinner table. Willow got up from her seat and stood behind Tara, reading it over her shoulder. “I know, baby, and it’s for two months. If you don’t want me to go…”

“Are you kidding?” Tara said, cutting her off. “You were asked by the Dr. Zane. That’s big, honey. This is your dream. Besides, summer's coming up. You’re going.” Tara ended, sounding a little more forceful than she meant to. "It is one of my dreams," Willow amended stroking Tara's hair. Tara looked up and caught a sweet, knowing look from Willow. "It is big though, isn't it?" Willow said, a grin spreading across her face.



“It says you leave in three weeks. Can you get everything done you need to?” Tara asked as they were clearing the dinner table. Willow nodded. She had been planning for a week now already in the off chance she would be asked to go to the dig site in Turkey when she first got word of the find. “I have already been approved to take that last week of school off. Jeff will be covering for me and grading the finals also. Even the dean is pushing for me to go. This field experience would give me tenure, Tara.” Willow mused. She was getting more excited about it by the minute.



As they lay in bed that night, they talked a little more about the trip and what this would mean to Willow and her career. She had graduated with honors and had been hired on at UC Sunnydale as a temporary professor. She had a bit of field experience, some Native American digs along the coast and foothills, but nothing like the dig in Turkey. Dr. Zane was in the midst of uncovering some artifacts that could shed a lot more light on the ancient Mesopotamian civilization and the first cities in history. The potential importance of this dig would rival that of King Tuthankamen’s tomb and the Dead Sea Scrolls.



Willow had met Dr. Zane back in her undergraduate days. He had been a guest lecturer in a couple of her classes her senior year and he had taken notice of Willow’s intellect and talent for interpreting sources. She was already translating hieroglyphic text and deciphering pictographic symbols the ancient Mesopotamian people used before inventing cuneiform. Dr. Zane knew he wanted to keep his eye on this one. They had kept in touch through letters and emails throughout the years. Dr. Zane had even put in a good word for her, probably helping to get her an interview in the Archaeology department.



Now, 5 years later, he was calling on her to join him in a potentially history re-writing dig. It would be incredibly hard to leave Tara, but she just couldn’t pass this opportunity up.



Her and Tara had been together a little over 5 years now and things had been nothing short of amazing. Tara had moved into Willow’s apartment shortly after that night they had found Donnie. Together they had helped Donnie get clean and find a job. He was now renting Tara’s old room at Martha’s. Willow and Donnie got along really well too. Part of it was the bond they had started to form when Donnie had rescued her from those thugs.



Tara was just glad to have her brother back. Every day for the first year she just enjoyed getting to know him again. He was truly a wonderful soul. She thought of each day as a gift. She had her brother back. She had a wonderful girlfriend. She would never be alone in life again.



As for her professional life, Tara’s aspirations of becoming a social worker veered toward teaching during her first year at UC Sunnydale. She decided to become a high school English teacher instead. She had been teaching at the high school for four years now and had recently been named ‘Teacher of the Year’, a great honor for such a new teacher. She just had a way with teens. She challenged them, taught them and loved them. They had a voice in her classroom and it translated into a willingness to learn that is rare in most students that age. They certainly weren’t just going through the motions in her class.

Edited by: xita  at: 11/24/02 1:21:51 am

[luciddream]

I wanted to add some more here. I guess it would be part 2. Disclaimers, warnings and directions for use still apply.





Part 2- Willow sets off for Turkey



‘Wow, I’m leaving tomorrow. I can’t believe it,’ Willow mused to herself as she was sorting her tools AGAIN to make sure she had everything. Her ‘good’ hand-pick as she liked to call it, was the first to be packed. She picked it up and examined the handle.



On her first dig outside of Sunnydale, she had purchased a nice, expensive hand-pick online. When she got to the site, a crotchety, old fossil, otherwise known as Dr. ‘Simple’ Sample for his direct manner, grabbed the hand-pick out of her pack and tossed it into the dirt. Willow had no idea what to say. She stood there dumbstruck. Then he turned and walked away. “What….why?” Willow sputtered as she started to follow the old man. By the time she caught up to him, he turned, smiled and handed her a hand-pick that looked like an ancient artifact itself. “This,” Dr. Sample said as he put the hand-pick in her hand, “is a ‘good’ hand-pick. I carried it around for 37 years. It brought me luck. Now it is yours. I’m retiring soon and I wanted someone to have it.” With that he gave a curt nod and walked past her, into his car and drove off. Willow stared after him in disbelief. Dr. Sample apparently was retiring that day.



“Tell me the story of when you got that again,” purred Tara as she came up behind Willow and wrapped her arms around her. Willow smiled and turned her face to kiss Tara’s cheek, now resting on her shoulder. “I’ll tell you only if you….” The rest was whispered in Tara’s ear, making her blush.



“Well, if you insist,” Tara smiled and turned Willow around in her arms. Tara covered her lips quickly and forcefully with her own, gaining instant entry into Willow’s velvet mouth. The pace was becoming frantic until Willow jumped back and screamed, holding her foot and hopping around. “What is it baby?” Tara said as she attempted to get a look at Willow’s quickly-turning-purple big toe. “I. DROPPED… MY … HAND-PICK!!” She shouted in pain.



The next morning was a pretty solemn, quiet one. Both women were pretty tired after saying ‘goodbye’ many, many times last night. It started with some ice on a hurt toe and that led to ice on other body parts. They had spent time making love, making each other laugh and making promises. They both knew this would be a bit of a test for them. They had never spent more than a week apart since being together. It would be weird for both of them to live independently of each other after being so used to the other being there.



They had a strong, loving relationship yet could both honestly say had probably grown to take each other for granted to a certain degree. How can you help it in a long-term relationship? So, they made promises to each other to experience this a part time as much as they could. The reunion would be that much sweeter and they knew they’d be that much more in love at the end of the two months. Still, it was very hard for either to let go.



“Got everything, sweetie?” Tara asked as she helped carry Willow’s bag to the airport check in area. “I hope so. Not going to go back for anything.” Willow chided as she took the bag from Tara and set it down. They had already had a rather large cry session in the airport parking garage. “Your eyes are puffy,” sniffed Tara as she brushed an eyelash off of Willow’s cheek. Willow captured her hand and pressed her lips into her palm. “God, I’m going to miss you,” breathed Willow as she stared intently into Tara’s bright blue eyes. Tara, her eyes unwavering, closed the distance and gave Willow a kiss that held a thousand thoughts and promises. She broke off the kiss some seconds later, a lopsided grin forming on her face. Willow’s eyes were still closed. “How am I supposed to get on a plane now?” asked Willow in all seriousness.



……….

[Grimlock72]

Donnie as a good person, I'll adapt eventually I guess



I'm wondering what will happen on/around the turkey site. Somehow I doubt they will just dig up some old stuff and go home happillym even though thats how most digs go in my (non-archealogical) opinion .



Willow dropping her hand-pic, awww... hopefully Tara made it all feel better with the ice, heh.



Grimmy

"You hurt Tara," Willow said too calmly. "The last one who tried that was a god. I made her regret it." -- Unexpected Consequences by Lisa of Nine

[willntlover]

All right!!! Sequel to one of my fav fics And woo! it is rocking too!



-Will



*sig can't be more than 3 lines

Edited by: Warduke at: 11/21/02 7:05:09 pm

[luciddream]

Hello all. I have one more part before I hit the hay. Hope you don't mind the briefish updates. I like small chunks, what can I say....



Special note: Rest of the story deals with some archaeology and ancient civilization stuff. It is one of my hobbies and I've taken great artistic license with some facts and fiction. If it doesn't make sense, please let me know. If it reads really cool, you can let me know that too! Ya'll rock!



Hand-Picks and Red Pens, Part 3





Willow finds something interesting and Tara gets a weird feeling.





The Present



“Dr. Rosenberg! Come a quickly!” yelled Kuyun, an intern from the university in Istanbul. “I think I have found something!” Willow was on the north side of the dig when she heard Kuyun yelling in his rather shrill voice. She handed the piece of broken tablet over to one of the workers and went clamoring down the ladder to where Kuyun stood pointing. It appeared to be some sort of carved stone box, the top of it anyway. It appeared to be about a foot in length and width. Willow bent down and carefully brushed away some of the dirt from the corners. “You said you just found this?”



They were digging here just the other night, near the entrance of the royal tomb of the Assyrian king Nechubaruk II. When they had finally gotten into the tomb after a month and a half of careful excavation, they had found that it had been completely robbed, probably more than a thousand years ago. She’s surprised that they missed this box in the process.



She had been a little discouraged, but had continued digging in the surrounding areas per Dr. Zane’s approval. They had found some great artifacts from the Assyrian Empire, some parts of the gold helmets the soldiers wore and some stone carvings of battles fought some 2700 years ago. The Assyrians had swept over most of Mesopotamia and Jerusalem in a bloody conquering spree that lasted hundreds of years. It made them the first known empire in history.



Willow yelled to some of the workers in Turkish to come and carefully dig out the box. She hovered over the men as they worked the heavy stone box out of the earth. After about an hour she was staring at an amazingly intact stone carved box. She carefully removed layers of ancient dust until she could see some of the carvings on the outside of the box. She had no intention of opening it until she could find out what the carvings told her.



Casey, Willow’s assistant came in to the tent to see what Willow had found. “Wow, that is beautiful,” said Casey as she began laying out some tools Willow might need. She was great like that, anticipating what tools Willow would ask for. “Thanks, Case,” Willow said absently as she cleaned one side of the box. “Looks like a story box of some kind,” mused Casey as she looked over Willow’s right arm. “Yeah, with both Assyrian and Babylonian attributes,” Willow said, noting the slightly different written symbols carved along the bottom. The carvings seem to be depicting a large bearded man royally adorned battling a snake-like creature with a human head. “Hmmm,” Willow breathed as she stood back and rotated the box with some help from Casey.



An hour had passed by and Willow was only a few steps farther than she had been in deciphering the text. Some of the characters had been worn away or chipped off. There was a large crack at the bottom that threatened to dislodge if she wasn’t careful. She began going through her research books, looking up any thing with Assyrian or Babylonian Mythology. The Babylonian Empire co-existed for a while with the Assyrian but not very long as the Assyrian Empire conquered it.



“Willow.” Hmmm… groan. “Willow…” “Baby, let me sleep, please?” Willow groused as she began to slowly open her eyes. “Hey, don’t call me baby. Tara will beat your ass.” Willow’s eyes shot open at the very un-Tara like voice. “Oh, shit, I fell asleep. Hey, Casey.” Willow yawned. “Awww…my back.” She said as she began to get out of the wicker chair she fell asleep in. “You know you were like sleeping on your clipboard?” Casey asked as she picked up the crinkled field notes on the chair. “That’s why my back hurts.” Willow said in mock wonder as she snatched the clipboard from Casey playfully.



“Did you get any further on the box?” asked Casey. She had left a deeply involved Willow at about 2 a.m. so she could go to sleep. “Well, after you left, I stumbled upon a legend about an Assyrian King’s Palace in Nineveh. The picture and the description bore a strong resemblance to our guy on the box. The legend claims that the palace was eaten, or swallowed by something.” “Cool.” stated Casey. “Are all you Brits always this nonplussed?” asked Willow. “Most of us, yeah…” said Casey matter of factly.



………..



“Ms. Maclay, how many pages should the report be?” asked Margaret. “Um… minimum of five, maximum of ten… No groaning aloud, Charles.” Tara said as she pointed to the young man in the back. She smiled her most disarming smile and Charles mouthed ‘sorry’ to his favorite teacher. Even though he was stuck in summer school, AGAIN, he could at least spend it with a pretty if not strict, teacher. “Remember to document your sources-correctly!” Tara told her class as the bell rang. Various, ‘see-yas and goodbyes’ joined the sounds of books closing and chairs scraping the cheap tile floor.



“How is Willow doing in Turkey?” asked Chase, the math teacher next to Tara’s room. They sometimes spent their lunch breaks together in one or the other’s room. They had found they had a lot in common, being gay notwithstanding. It was nice to not have to play the pronoun game when talking about her favorite girl. “As far as I know she’s doing great. She should be coming home in about 10 days. She doesn’t get a heck of a lot of opportunities to call, but we exchange emails quite a bit. She’s working hard, and I’m sure not getting enough sleep.” Tara smiled at that. Willow, her little insomniac is probably getting less sleep there than she does when, well, when she is kept up by her.



“I actually got an email from her last night saying she’d found some sort of story box. Could be a good find. She was researching it when she had emailed me.” Chase nodded and looked a little closer at Tara. “How are YOU doing with Willow in Turkey?” Tara sighed deeply and decided to tell Chase the truth. “I miss her terribly. She’s halfway across the world and it is bumming me out.” They both smiled at the use of the students’ vocabulary. “But she’ll be home in ten days, right?” asked Chase, trying to lift Tara’s spirits.



Willow’s email had been a bit of a relief for Tara. She had not heard from the redhead in three days. It wasn’t that uncommon, but this time was a bit different. Tara felt a weird sense of foreboding. It was making her a bit stir crazy.



       

8/5/02 9:09 P.M

HEY BABY!

I’M OUTSIDE MY TENT WITH MY LAPTOP LOOKING AT THE STARS AND THINKING OF YOU. MY HEART ACHES FOR YOU WHEN I LIE DOWN TO SLEEP. PERHAPS THAT IS WHY I RARELY DO. J I AM DOING OKAY HERE IN THE TURKISH DESERT HEAT, DRINKING PLENTY OF FLUIDS, PLENTY OF SUNSCREEN AND A FLOPPY HAT. FOUND AN INCREDIBLE STORY BOX. I’M RESEARCHING SOME OF THE MARKINGS. THEY LOOK TO BE ASSYRIAN. I’LL WRITE YOU LATER WHEN I AM A BIT MORE COHERENT. I THINK SLEEP MIGHT BE CATCHING UP TO ME NOW.



I LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU, TARA



W





8/5/02 7:32 A.M.

SWEETIE!

I WAS SO HAPPY TO GET YOUR EMAIL. GETTING A LITTLE WORRIED ABOUT YOU. YOU EATING OKAY? YOU’D BETTER BE! SUMMER SCHOOL IS GOING WELL. THEY ARE BEGINNING TO WRITE THEIR BIG RESEARCH PAPERS. WE’LL SEE HOW IT GOES. TED AND KACIE ARE DOING GREAT. THEY SEND THEIR LOVE. DONNIE AS WELL. WE ALL MISS YOU, BUT I MISS YOU MOST! CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU.



LOVE,

T



Tara made sure to keep her emails light and positive for Willow. If she’s saying she’s not getting sleep, then she really is not. Tara knew how Willow could get on a dig. She would not take care of herself. Tara wondered how much weight Willow had lost. She knew her assistant, Casey, wouldn’t let her waste away though.



……….



“Holy shit!” Exclaimed Casey. “This is unreal!” the blonde said excitedly. “Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves, now.” Willow said with just a hint of emotion. ‘Holy shit is right,’ she thought to herself. They had just finished translating the story box and they were quite amazed. The old legend of the Assyrian King’s Palace being swallowed was apparently what the story box was about. It went further to explain why it had been swallowed. It seemed King Sennacherib had toppled the rest of a Babylonian goddess’ temple to build his palace and she got angry and demanded that the underworld open up and swallow it whole. It says the palace stood in Nineveh, now modern day Iraq.



Dr. Zane was presently working on a site in Iraq. It seemed he had unearthed some sort of ruins thought to be part of the ancient city of Nineveh. He had already uncovered some stone carvings of a goddess named Ishtar who stormed her way into the underworld, seeking a favor. There were little more details than that. Could these stories be related? The evidence was tantalizing. Willow quickly gathered up her field notes and digital camera to email a report back to Dr. Zane. “Wow, what if they are related?” said Casey, mostly to herself as Willow was already out of the tent and rushing to the communications area.



“Yes, Dr. Zane. It is quite amazing, isn’t it? I will be opening the box sometime today… yes, it should go out for date analyzing tomorrow morning. I’ll give you a call with the results…. Good luck to you too! Goodbye.” Willow hung up the phone and did a quick happy dance. Dr. Zane seemed to be elated at what she found and was anxious to see it there was a connection to King Sennacherib’s missing palace and Ishtar, the Babylonian goddess. She only wished he could be here to open it with her.

[hondosfirst]

I cant tell you how glad I was to see that we are getting a sequel to that wonderful fic.That one of the best fics I ever read.Thanks for sharing it with us.

Rosemary

[willntlover]

I really like all the archeology stuff. I hoipe they get to be together soon. Tara seems really torn up at being seperated from Willow, but at least seh's got peeps to talk to.



-Will

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

[WillowPowered]

I love it I love it I love it.



I got so excited when I saw this was the sequel to one of my fav fics.



Am hanging out for the next bits . . . . .



Jill

~~~~~~~~

Willow - Say, you all didn't happen to do a bunch of drugs did ya?

Willow - I'm a blood sucking fiend, look at my outfit . . . .

[frau rosenclay]

I am happy that you are doing a sequel to It aint fickle. I loved that story. I really like this one so far. The setting is very interesting, I am sort of obsessed with Israel right now too.

[deixs]

I am glad that you are doing a sequel.

Can't wait to read more!!!



Stef

[snuggle79]

Hey, I'm very glad that you're writing a sequel!

Can't wait for more!

snuggle79

__________________

"I got so lost"

"I found you, i will always find you"

[luciddream]

All previous items apply. I'm taking lots of liberties here with ancient civilization and the like.



Question: Would you guys rather I post in small chunks or hold off for bigger posts? Lemme know.



Hand-Picks and Red Pens Part 4



Tara's sad and Willow has a decision to make.



Part 4



“Ready?” asked Willow as she slipped the small trowel into a crack between the lid and body of the box. “Ready!” confirmed Casey as she braced the box with her arms. One mistake could have them picking up pieces. Willow gently moved the trowel from side to side, loosening the seal.



It seemed to be sealed with bitumen, a natural adhesive mineral that was also used as a water sealer for boats. She had no idea it would stay intact so long. Once she chipped a bit away, the rest came apart with little effort. She gently tilted the trowel and heard a pop as the lid was pried free. It was the smell that hit them first. “Oh, Christ!” Willow exclaimed through a hacking cough. Both women were gagging within a few seconds of lifting the lid. The smell was that of a rancid dead body mixed with something that should never be smelled with a human nose. Both women were out of the tent, hands on their knees coughing and throwing up whatever they had in their stomachs.



Just as soon as they had gotten a whiff of the stench, it was gone. Totally disipated. “That was really strange,” said Casey as she wiped her face. Willow followed suit and grabbed her canteen to rinse her mouth. She offered it to Casey. “That certainly was not one of the elements I was prepared for,” coughed Willow. “It seems to have disappeared though.” Willow started to go back into the tent when Casey caught her arm. “What if that smell comes back. I don’t have anything left in me.” Willow patted her arm and said, “Why don’t you go get my camera, I’ll check it out.” “You sure?” asked Casey as she started walking to the table outside.



Willow cautiously entered the tent. There the box sat with the lid slid halfway off. Willow was a bit afraid to see what was in there, but the archaeologist in her won out. She peered over the top and found a collection of tattered papyrus scrolls. She gingerly picked them up, amazed at what great shape they were in. They were nearly perfectly preserved except for some frayed edges. She slowly unrolled one and was amazed to find Egyptian hieroglyphic writing on them. “That is odd,” she said aloud. “What’s odd? Are we smell free now?” asked Casey. Willow nodded. “Yep and look at this. The writing is Egyptian. It looks to be written in the first person…. Here… it says it is written by Hemsnefu.” “The Egyptian historian?” asked Casey. “I imagine so. What would his writings be doing in an Assyrian story box?”



…………..



“Thanks for having me over guys,” Tara said to Kacie and Ted. “I hope you aren’t feeling sorry for me, though,” Tara continued as she helped Kacie clear the dinner dishes. “I wasn’t, but Ka..” Ted’s sentence dropped off upon the ‘death glare’ given to him by his wife. “I was gonna say worried! Isn’t that different than pity?” Ted whined. “Dig a little deeper Ted, you should be almost to China,” chided Tara. “Oh, right. I’ll shut up now.” Ted put on his best pout as Kacie came to stand next to him and shuffle his hair.



“He WAS right about the worried part. You holding up okay? You look a bit… well, distracted I guess.” Kacie reasoned as she sat down at the dinner table and motioned for Tara to do the same. “I don’t know… It’s just… I have this bad feeling about Willow. It isn’t specific, just some all-purpose ‘ickies’. I don’t want to say anything to her, she might think I’m being silly, or end up being worried about me. Maybe I’m just anxious for her to come home.” Finished Tara as she slumped in her chair a bit. “Has she given you a definite date when she’ll be home?” asked Ted. “No, that’s the thing. She hasn’t mentioned it at all. She’s scheduled to come in the 16th, but she’s said nothing. That is only a week away.”



“Can you call her? Just ask what’s up?” asked Kacie. “The place she’s at has a pretty unpredictable connection. I guess I could give it another try. It has been about 5 days since I’ve heard her voice.” Tara all of the sudden was overcome with sadness. “This really sucks,” she said quietly. Kacie rushed to her side and pulled her into a hug. “Let’s go try and get a hold of her now.” Offered Ted.



Half an hour later they still could not get through. None of them spoke Turkish, so it was becoming fruitless to try. Once, they thought they had gotten through, but they were disconnected after about 2 minutes. Tara decided to just go home and email Willow, hoping she’d pick it up soon.



8/9/2002 7:53 P.M.

HEY WILLOW,

JUST TRIED CALLING YOU WITH NO LUCK. I HOPE YOU ARE DOING OKAY. IF YOU GET THIS EMAIL, PLEASE TRY AND CALL ME, WHATEVER THE TIME. I MISS HEARING YOUR SWEET VOICE, BABY.



LOVE AND MISS YOU

TARA.



…………………..



“So the story box is from the 8th century B.C. The papyrus is dated hundreds of years AFTER the story box? That is very strange.” Dr. Zane mused. “Willow, I want you to accompany me at the Nineveh site. I do believe we are onto something quite big here.” Wow. Willow was in a bit of a daze. She had translated the hieroglyphics and it told of Hemsnefu’s experiences trying to locate the Palace of Sinnecheribs.



It seemed he had read the legend himself and wanted to do some investigating. He claims that between the years of 56-48 B.C. he took several men with him to search for clues as to what had happened to the palace. Each of the groups had had terrible misfortunes as they attempted to get information on where the palace stood. Out of they many years, the only thing he really uncovered was this story box. The story ends there, but there is another papyrus scroll written by another claiming to be Hemsnefu’s son. It chronicles the death of his father and the last of his men in the city of Nineveh.



Now Willow was faced with big a decision. If she stayed on, it would be for probably a few more months. That meant going on sabbatical, if the dean would let her. It also meant more time away from Tara. Even though she had been completely wrapped up in what she was doing, any down time was filled with thoughts of her partner. Was she ever going to get another opportunity like this though? Imagine what kind of depth of experience she could bring to her students. The papers she would write. She made one decision first.



“Dr. Zane, before I make that decision, I need to speak with my… partner… first.” Willow never told Dr. Zane about Tara. He was definitely part of the ‘old boys’ network. She’d been ready to tell him, but Tara told her it might not be a great idea. He did however, know Willow was involved, just not who with. “Of course. Phone me in the morning with your answer.” “I will, Dr. Zane… And thank you… for asking.” “How could I not?” Dr. Zane said through the phone. She could see his eyes crinkling from the warm smile he most likely had on his face.



               

[willntlover]

How come I knew that was gonna happen? (willow being so smart and all )



Little posts are good, and so are big posts. I'm not picky, I'll take whatever you want to give



-Will

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

[frau rosenclay]

I am of the same opinion as willntlover, big or small, they both work for me. But since you asked for preference, I honestly have to say i prefere a longer wait with a bigger update. I would like to stress that it will not affect enjoyment factors whatsoever, thin and fleshy are equally beautiful.



I loved the update. That smell seemed to be a creepy omen, and poor Tara, getting lonsome! Excellent on the emotional involvement.

[luciddream]

Another little part. next one will be longer, promise...



Thank you hondo, snuggle, frau, grim, will, willpower, diexs for the feedback. glad you guys are enjoying so far and thank you for reading.



Note: In my story, Iraq is not the purported 'axis of evil' as the Bush would say. Sure it is a hostile place, but only for the weather and ancient curses in my story. oops, was that a little foreshadowing??



Part 5



Willow stays on and Tara remembers



Part 5



Tara had just gotten out of a long, hot bath when the phone rang. She knew instantly who it was and nearly toppled over the edge of the bed to get to the phone. She picked it up quickly and it slipped out of her hand. “Shit!” she exclaimed as she picked it back up. “Well, I’ll call back some other time then!” Willow laughed as she heard a mammoth sigh on the other line. “I dropped the phone, how are you?” Tara asked in a rush. “I’m um… fine, baby. Are you okay?” “Oh yeah, just trying to get to the phone. I knew it was you.” Tara smiled at the sound of Willow’s far away voice. “You did, huh?” pause… “Listen baby, about the 16th… Dr. Zane asked me to join him in Iraq… I’m not sure for how long…” Willow let the sentence fade as she waited for Tara’s reaction. “Wow, really? What about school?” asked Tara. She felt her chest start to pound in her ears. ‘She’s not coming home,’ was her single thought. “Well, I need to call Dean Rogers and see about a sabbatical. I would say this would really qualify as a good reason.” Willow said reasonably. Inside she was really torn though. She could almost see Tara’s crestfallen face even though she was trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice.



“What have you found, baby?” Willow almost wanted to cry at the endearment. She missed Tara so much. “Well, we believe we found some evidence linking a swallowed Assyrian king palace and a Babylonian goddess. In a nutshell. There are some interesting notes from an Egyptian historian who went in search of the palace and met a very horrific and untimely death.” Willow realized that probably didn’t excite Tara like it did her. In fact it probably would worry her. “It was like 2000 years ago… that he died,” she added.



“Well, I guess you kinda have to stay, huh? I mean, that sounds pretty big.” Tara said, trying to be convincing. “Baby, I’ll do what you ask me to do.” Willow said it and meant it. This didn’t mean anything unless she had Tara’s blessing. “Oh, sweetie, I am so proud of you. You know that? It’s hard to be away from you, but you need to see this thing through. Just, please, be careful will you?” At that, the line started to go. Static was overpowering Willow’s voice. “Tara, I love you with all of my heart and soul….” “I love you too, baby.” Tara echoed as the line went dead.



So another couple of months. Tara sat at the edge of the bed staring at the phone. She was trying very hard not to cry, but couldn’t think of a reason to hold it in so she lay down and cried herself to sleep. She missed Willow terribly but knew Willow needed to prove herself here. It was what she’d always wanted to do. Damned if she was going to stand in the way of what Willow had dreamed of half her life. She would get up tomorrow and continue on with life and wait for Willow’s return.



……….



“Dr. Closter, it is nice to meet you.” Willow yelled over the roar of the helicopter that had brought her replacement to the dig. “Same to you Dr. Rosenberg,” yelled the jovial young man. He had to be about Willow’s age and no doubt a protégé of Dr. Zane’s. He was handsome with blond hair and blue eyes. He was rail thin and looked like a boy scout in his tan shorts and short sleeve shirt. “You’ll be in good hands here with Kuyun.” She called over her shoulder as she grabbed on of his bags and headed into the tent.



“So, you got the big call up,” smiled Closter as he accepted a cup of water from Willow. “Yeah, some finds here have possible connection to what he’s found in southern Iraq.” Willow went on to tell him all about the story box and what she had found in it. “Fascinating. Any thoughts on how Hemsnefu’s writings got sealed in the box?” Inquired Closter. “I have some theories floating around in my head, but I will not know for sure until I get to the Nineveh site.” Willow said as she poured him a bit more water. “I guess I better get my gear into the helicopter.” She reasoned as she glanced at her watch. Something about the way Closter was looking at her didn’t make her altogether comfortable. “I’ll help,” he said as he pulled his lanky frame from the canvas chair.



As they walked to the helicopter, he touched her arm and looked at her intently. “Dr. Rosenberg, Dr. Zane is the world’s most renown archaeologist. There are many ways he has gotten to where he is today.” Willow backed away a bit and asked, “What are you trying to tell me?” Closter closed the distance between them and in a low voice said, “If this find is as significant as we all think it is, watch your back and play things close to the vest.” With that, he turned briskly and walked back across the site, leaving a very confused Willow.



……..



Her thighs were burning now. Really burning. She continued across campus and toward the park at a brisk pace. She was sweating profusely now and realized she’d probably been running for a good hour now. ‘I should slow down or I am gonna collapse’, she thought. Slowing to an easy trot she continued through the park and towards the downtown area. She ducked into the now very familiar coffee place where Willow had once worked. She had a lot of wonderful memories sitting outside waiting for Willow to go on break so they could just sit and talk.



Looking back, she wondered how she could have been so blind not have seen what Willow meant to her. ‘Seems like a hundred years ago and just yesterday, all at the same time.’ She thought as she came out and sat at the table, ‘their table’, and drank her bottled water.



She and Willow still came here, mostly on Sunday mornings to read the paper, drank their coffee and watched people go about their business. She smiled at the times when she remembered being lost in an article and then she’d feel this light pressure on her sneaker. She’d inevitably try to ignore it, but Willow would just increase the pressure until Tara folded down the corner of the paper and look her. “What?” Tara would say in mock annoyance. “Do you know how much I want to take you home and do things to you?” Tara would put her paper back up and feign disinterest. “I have no idea.” It normally took all of a minute for Tara to nonchalantly fold up her paper, take a deliberately long time to finish her coffee and take off in a dead sprint to their bikes parked down the street. Willow of course was not far behind and they would make quick work of the ride home.



Tara made her way home from her run and jumped into the shower. Tonight was her book club night and she wanted to get there a little early. She had joined shortly after Willow left. She was missing out on some intellectual conversation she always had with Willow. Not that her friends weren’t intellectual, it was just that Willow was so insightful on so much. She found that in a couple of people in her book group. It was also nice to have something just hers.



……..



Willow arrived in Bashran a little after noon. She was pretty sure she couldn’t be any hotter than she was right now. She had dirt streaks all over her body from sweat drying and pour out over and over again. Her baseball cap was a bit worse for wear, but at least it kept her hair from looking like a rat’s nest. ‘Man, I hate open helicopter rides,’ she groaned to herself as she made her way across the tiny airfield. There she was greeted by Housaud, Zane’s foreman on the dig.



“So glad you could make it, Dr. Rosenberg. How was the trip?” Housaud asked in his thick Iraqi accent. “Dusty and hot, but good.” She said as she handed him some of her gear. “Dr. Zane is anxious to see you. Do you have the story box?” Willow motioned toward the copter. “It is wrapped and in the back.” “Wonderful, my men will offload it and transport it to the site.” Willow was almost reluctant to let it out of her site, but chided herself for thinking like a child. ‘It’s not like it’s mine, all mine,’ she thought.



Housaud drove Willow to the compound and showed her to her room. “The bathroom is down the hall, with a nice shower and everything you need to get cleaned up. I will come back for you in two hours to take you to Dr. Zane. Zahid is down the hall if you need anything.” Willow shook hands with Housaud and thanked him for the ride over.



The shower was heaven. Willow couldn’t remember when she’d had a real shower with warm, clean water. She relaxed under the spray, putting her arms against the wall and leaning into the water. She looked down and watched all the dirt and muck rinse down her stomach to her legs and down the drain. Thoughts of Tara came unbidden into her mind. ‘Now is NOT the time to be horny, Rosenberg.’ She shook her head and shut off the water. She toweled off and put on some fresh clothes that had been supplied her. She was very grateful for that. Zahid had probably taken her dirty clothes and had them washing already.



Willow felt like a new person after her shower. A new and incredibly exhausted person. She decided to have a bit of a nap before Housaud came to get her. Before she knew it, she was fast asleep and she began to dream….



Her first thought was that she was not herself. She had on a long tunic with a simple tie at the waist. She also had dark olive skin. ‘Okay’… Someone was calling to her, but she couldn’t make out whom it was. It wasn’t her name either, but she knew it was her they were calling. “Annan! Come quickly! You must come now!” All of the sudden she had the sensation she was being buried alive, she was waist deep and the dirt just kept pressing and pressing. She was unable to breath with the pressure and the dirt kept coming, coming… filling her mouth, nose…





               

Edited by: luciddream at: 11/22/02 11:28:44 pm

[Ten10239]

I am really curious as to see where this story goes. And that warning about Dr. Zane was really... freaky. To say the least. Anyway can't wait for the next part.

"I wish that I could hold you. I wish that I could hate you. I wish that I could hold you one more time." - I wish... - Drain Sth

[willntlover]

No! I pictured Dr. Zane as this nice cuddly grandfather type, now he migth be a big old dork? sad. More months? Oh poor Tara. She needs to go to the compound and wake Willow from her bad dream.



Oh well

Still loving it (coz your rock as a writer)



-Will

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

[MadeinNZ]

Yay. I'm so glad that you've started a sequel. I'm really enjoying it so far - all the archeology is fascinating. And I really liked the coffee shop memory. Very sweet and sexy. Can't wait for more.

[Grimlock72]

wow,



talking about fast updates 3 chapters per day or so ??



Anywayz, typically Willow to go investigate possibly dangerous stuff... thats miss Science for you, heh. I'm not too worried about Dr. Zane, at least not in the live-or-die way, he probably wants to take full credit if it's a big find. Thats not uncommon, even over small finds such fights do occur.



I do wish Willow had worn more protective clothing/gear on opening that ancient box. Where DID the smell come from anyway ? Papyrus surely doesn't smell THAT bad .



Do I have to mention not liking Willows dream one bit ??



Thought so



Grimmy

"You hurt Tara," Willow said too calmly. "The last one who tried that was a god. I made her regret it." -- Unexpected Consequences by Lisa of Nine

[Big Dummy]

Just wanted to say that it's really cool that this fic deals with Willow and Tara facing day to day relationship obstacles, like separation. Maybe I think it's cool cause I can relate to the dilemma of wanting to support your gf in doing the things she needs to do to succeed and further her career/education, but also wanting your cuddle time. Anyway, great idea and I can't wait to see what sort've supernatural things are in store for Willow with this story box. At least I think that's where it's going, due to the dream.

[luciddream]

hello all. here is part 6. I AM trying to get the girls on the same continent, really.





Part 6- Willow gets deeper into a mystery and tara gears up for school, and a new colleague.



‘What the hell,’ thought Willow as she quickly awakened from the dream. “Man, that was weird.” She said to herself. Even though it freaked her out, she just dismissed it as a result of researching the story box. What she couldn’t figure out though was why she was being called Annan. She rifled through her backpack and pulled out her field journal and wrote her dream down with all the details she could remember.



As she finished getting dressed, she heard a knock at the door. “Doctor, we are ready to take you to the site.” “Be right out,” Willow called through the door as she gathered what she needed.



The ride to the site would take her to the city of Mosul which was partially built over where the ancient city of Nineveh was believed to have existed. Dr. Zane had largely confirmed Nineveh’s whereabouts during the months he had spent excavating there. The Iraqi government had been especially lenient on the excavation permits, no doubt at the promise of sharing credit with Dr. Zane and his group for any major finds. As she neared the first excavation areas, she was amazed at the size of the trenches and the incredible amount of people working. There were small backhoes, conveyor belts that looked industrial in size and small tents pitched everywhere.



“Welcome, Willow!” Dr. Zane said warmly. She was a little surprised at the use of her first name. He never called her by that, not even when she was a student. It was Ms. until she had gotten her PhD. “It is so good to see you!” He said as he took her hand in both of his and patted it gently. “Good to see you to, Doctor. You’ve got quite a production going on here,” she said as she gestured to one of the backhoes. “This is a very big deal, yes.” He smiled. “Please call me George. We are going to be working together quite a bit, no need for formality out here.” He said brightly as he patted her arm and guided her to the small house he’d had built near the first large trench they dug.



“Casey should be joining us here in another week or so,” said Zane as he led Willow to the den area of the small house. Casey had returned to England for a short time to visit her mother, who had fallen ill in the last week. It made Willow a bit jealous that she was able to fly home. However, she was happy for Casey who had been a bit homesick. “My sister is doing better, but not out of the woods yet.” He said with a twinge of concern. Mollie, Casey’s mom had come down with double pneumonia and had had to be hospitalized. Willow wondered fleetingly if Dr. Zane, George, had wanted to visit her as well.



Willow didn’t agree with the whole concept of nepotism in general, but Casey was a great worker. She was an undergrad at Oxford majoring in anthropology and archaeology. She had taken a semester off to work with her uncle on the Turkey site. When Willow had come aboard the dig, they connected instantly. Casey reminded Willow of herself at a younger age.



“So, Willow, tell me about Hemsnefu’s writings.” Zane said as he settled into a leather chair opposite Willow. “Well, it seems Hemsnefu became quite obsessed with Sennacherib’s Palace when he came across a legend telling of its disappearance. He wrote that based on the descriptions of the size of the palace, it would be impossible for it to be destroyed and leave no trace. Even though the city of Nineveh collapsed shortly after the palace supposedly disappeared around 698 B.C., people still lived around the area in a city known as Khalil. The first of Hemsnefu’s groups went to Khalil and asked some of the people about the palace that stood about 650 years ago. They had figured on at least a few people knowing a bit more about where it might have stood, but they had no luck. Even after so many years, people seemed very reluctant to talk about it. His group then became discouraged and moved on to other things.”



“Tell me about the story box find. He mentioned that in his writings. Are there any clues as to why his writings were stored in there? Why the box was found 400 miles north of Nineveh?” Asked Zane. He had leaned forward now, his elbows propped on his knees. Willow had written most of this in her report, but guessed Zane just wanted to hear it from her. “Nothing as of yet. I’m hoping some digging here and information from the Museum of Cairo where the rest of Hemsnefu’s writings are will shed some light.” Willow told him as the phone rang. Zane got up to answer it. “Perfect. Bring it up to the house. Thanks, Housaud.” Zane hung up the phone and let Willow know that the story box and papyruses were on their way.



“May I use your phone… George?” Willow asked awkwardly. It was strange calling him by his first name. “I need to call home and see how things are.” Willow explained. “Of course. Use the phone in the office for more privacy.” He said as he headed to the kitchen to wait for Housaud.



“Hey, baby!” Willow cooed as Tara picked up the phone. “Willow! How are you doing? Did you make it to the site in Iraq?” asked Tara. “Yep. Now I know why archaeologists in the past never excavated during the summer. They would have died without an air conditioned house to go into.” Willow said. “So you are in a house? No more tents and yucky showers for you, huh?” Tara chuckled. She was actually very relieved that Willow was with Dr. Zane and being well taken care of. Willow chuckled too. “And a real bed to boot!”



There was a small pause in the conversation as both women savored the connection, albeit by phone. As if Willow was reading Tara’s mind, she said, “It hurts to be away from you so long.” A simple statement, but it brought tears to Tara’s eyes. “It hurts me too, baby.” Tara said as she cleared her throat to cover for her quickly slipping composure. “I’m gonna work day and night to figure this out and come home to you.” Willow said, her resolve face in place. “Just be careful, sweetie.” The echo of Tara’s ‘icky’ feeling a week ago began to resurface. She tried desperately to ignore it. “Promise me, Willow.” Tara said seriously. “I promise you with all that I am.” Said Willow. It was her turn to get choked up. She heard Housaud’s truck pull up and reluctantly ended the conversation with Tara with plans to call her in a couple of days.



………



It had been three weeks since Willow called and told her she was going to Iraq. They’d been able to talk a bit more regularly and that made Tara happier. Willow had even emailed Tara some pictures of herself and of the dig near Mosul. Tara smiled at the site of Willow in her big floppy cloth hat, dirty khaki shorts and utility vest. She had visibly lost weight and had a bit of a tan going, but she did look pretty healthy. There were also some pictures of her and Casey. “Hmm… homely looking, my ass.” Said Tara aloud at the less than accurate description of Casey Willow had given her. Tara would be sure to give Willow a bit of grief about that in her next email and a little picture for Willow’s eyes only to remind her of what she had at home. Nothing too bad, just enough to make Willow squirm.



Tara had been able to lose herself in her work, getting ready for the new school year. She was teaching 12th grade honors English this year and was looking forward to it. She had been rereading a lot of Shakespeare and contemporary poetry in preparing for her course requirements. She’d been attending the required curriculum meetings and was preparing to go on a weekend ‘kick start’ retreat with the English Department. The retreat had been her idea last year and had been a great success in building a repoire with the older and newer teachers. Many ‘trade secrets’ were exchanged regarding classroom control, tips on grading papers and how to motivate the seemingly unmotivatable.



She’d been nervous suggesting the idea to her principal at first, but once she’d laid out the reasoning behind it, he’d been all for it. If this year went as well as last, they would probably be working together on an all staff retreat next summer. She hoped it would come about for it would be a great opportunity for the new teachers and it would ‘fire up’ the veterans.



She had decided to carpool with Tracy, the newest member of the English Department. She was a first year teacher and had come highly recommended from her student teaching advisor. Tara had met her twice before at the interview and when she helped her with some new hire paper work. Tara had a suspicion she was gay. She kept referring to a roommate an awful lot.



Tara was of the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ opinion regarding working and being gay in public schools. She didn’t hide the fact that she lived with a woman, but she didn’t advertise or elaborate either. A few on staff knew, but only because they were close friends as well as colleagues. She knew that Mr. Plummer was a pretty progressive principal so she didn’t worry about him finding out. She kept her private life private and did her job very well. She was very well liked by students and staff alike and made every effort to help each student succeed.



“Hey Tracy, come on in,” smiled Tara as she opened the front door wider to let her in. “You didn’t have trouble finding it did you?” asked Tara as she followed Tracy into the living room of her apartment. “No, not at all. This is cute,” Tracy said as she looked around. “Thanks, just let me get my things,” called Tara over her shoulder as she went into her room to get her bag and finish sending Willow an email.



“Is it very far?” yelled Tracy as she had a seat on the couch to wait. “No, only about an hour or so into the mountains. The cabin is awesome too. We don’t even have to share a bathroom with the guys.” Tara said as she got to the end of the hall. Tracy was looking at a framed picture of Willow on the end table. “Is this your girlfriend?” she asked casually. Tara didn’t know what to do. How did she know? While she was trying to figure out how to respond, Tracy looked back at her and smiled knowingly. “She’s pretty hot.” she said as she got up and walked to the door in front of a dumbfounded Tara.



“How did you know?” asked Tara about 15 minutes into the drive. Tracy glanced at Tara and furrowed her brows like she was trying to make a decision. “Well?” smiled Tara as she turned in her seat to look at Tracy as she maneuvered through traffic. “I have a confession to make. When I met you, I figured you were. I have great gaydar, see. I also thought you were really attractive. So, I asked Chase whom I knew from school a few years ago. I knew he was gay and I figured he know about you. He did.” Tara didn’t know what to think. She should have a talk with Mr. Big Mouth.



“Look, don’t get mad. I wasn’t trying to be nosey or anything. I just wanted to confirm. Geez, you must think I’m a freaky stalker…” Tracy frowned and became really quiet. Tara being the ever compassionate, understanding one told her she didn’t think she was a stalker but did tell Tracy that in the future if she has a question, she needs to go to the source. “I like my private life private, Tracy and I’d like the choice to tell or not tell someone something.” “I understand,” Tracy said timidly. Tara smiled to herself then looked at Tracy in mock accusation, “And how do you get off calling MY girlfriend hot?” They both chuckled as the continued on to the cabin.



…………..



“About 10 more inches!” yelled Willow up to Housaud. He let out 10 inches of slack to Willow as she continued to descend into the dark passage way. Her flashlight shown in a small arch as she guided it along the walls of the passageway, first to the right and to the left. She could almost make out a relief or some sort of carving, but with this little light, it was hard. The workers had reinforced this small tunnel just yesterday and she had waited eagerly to investigate it. She felt the cool air and the smell of dry Iraqi clay as she went further into the tunnel. ‘This must have led to a small room or chamber’, she thought as she noticed some holes in the wall that could have been oil torch sconces at one time. They were uniform in size and distance.



They had found the door to this passage way about a week after Willow had reached Mosul. At this time, the structure was unknown because the writing on the door had completely worn away. It was by pure luck that they even saw it was a door. One of the workers had dropped a heavy axe and it had broken part of the hard clay away from the door. It sat at a 45-degree angle, so it could have been some sort of secret entrance.



As Willow traveled deeper down, she felt some sort of… well how could it be? She thought she felt some sort of air movement. She felt the floor began to slope downward about 2-3 degrees. It was this time her flashlight flickered and went out. “Oh, you son of a bitch!” she hissed.



She stood there for a second in the pitch black, trying to get her bearings and head toward the small speck of square light that was the outside entrance she’d come in. From her calculations, she had walked about 45 feet into the tunnel. She tried banging her flashlight against her leg to jiggle the batteries and then felt the ground give way right under her feet…







               

[willntlover]

Eep!!! Crap, that can't be very good! (although i did find the flashlights name endering )



Awesome update!!



-Will

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

[Ten10239]

That was an awesome update! A bit cliffhangery, but i'll live. I bow at your greatness, and beg for the next update!

"I wish that I could hold you. I wish that I could hate you. I wish that I could hold you one more time." - I wish... - Drain Sth

[unionjill30]

I'm loving this story so far. I was watching Indiana Jones on AMC while I read the update, so it was a bit of archaeological overload. You have a really interesting story going so far though. I loved It Ain't Fickle, and this is a great follow-up. I like what you're doing with this one. Keep the updates coming and I'll keep reading.



Sarah

You can stomp my ass into obvlivion, but that doesn't mean I'll put up with your shit.

There are a million fine looking women in the world, but not all of them bring you lasagna to work. Most of them just cheat on you.

[MadeinNZ]

Another great update. I like how you're slowly introducing new characters like Tracy. I like her already. And its all suspenseful and everything. Classic Tara line -

Quote:

---

“Hmm… homely looking, my ass.”

---

hehe

Edited by: MadeinNZ at: 11/24/02 12:41:26 am

[luciddream]

Hello all. I am in the midst of shopping and housework today. I'm about to throw on a hat and mow the lawn. I did want to drop you all a line and thank you for reading. Part 7 is almost done so I'll try to post soon.



Ten and Willnt- Zane might or might not turn into a baddy.... We'll see!



MadeinNZ- I had to throw in some kind of sexy flashback, it will be a while before they get it on again!!!



Grimlock- Yes, Willow should know better than go in unprotected. She was just so excited! And the smell is important...down the road.



Big Dummy- I wanted to explore what it would be like for W/T to be separated for a while and develop them individually. It would drive me nuts to be away from my girl that long, especially if it was ME staying home! And the supernatural thing will play an intriguing part I think. It won't be too far fetched from things and events that have happened on an ancient civilization dig. But again, i will be using lots of artistic license!



UnionJill- I am a big Indiana Jones fan (probably obvious) I always find a way to incorporate that movie into my classes too!!!



Again guys, thanks for reading. I'll either post tonight or tomorrow night.



Lucid

[Ginner WTluv]

Well, this was a plesant surprise. A sequal to one of my all time favourite fics I love this story already Although, i'm not sure fond of this Zane guy... he's seems a little... i dunno, i just have a weird feeling about him. Willow and Tara being away from each other must be awful I feel sorry for them both. The ground just collapsed :O ohmygod!! I hope Will's gonna be okay. Can't wait for the next update



~ Jen

I'd like to take a moment to talk about something that's happened lately. I'm also in love. It's a very special thing and I'm really rather proud of it. Yes, I'm in love with my own breasts. I feel no personal shame about this; in fact, I think this is the one. It's going to last. ~ Ruth

[deixs]

great updates!!!

I hope nothing happpens to Willow and I dont like the idea that this Tracy woman is hitting on Tara!!!



Stef

[luciddream]

Morning to all! Well, morning to me anyway. Got a bit of a an angsty, cliffhangy part here. Things are really starting to move along here.



Part 7- Tracy asks a tough question and tragedy strikes at the dig.



lucid





“Ow,” Willow moaned as she tried to sit up. She wasn’t sure what the hell had happened. One minute she’s cursing her flashlight and the next she’s falling through the air. She did a mental inventory of her body parts and realized she was fairly intact except for the sticky substance on her forehead and some ribs that really, really hurt. ‘Duh’, she thought to herself. ‘I landed on my goddamn flashlight.’ Which now worked because it was shining on one of the biggest spiders she’d ever seen. “AHHHH!” she screamed and tried to jump back and instantly regretted it. Her back hit something and knocked over a really heavy rock or something onto the top of her hand. “Shit!” she breathed as she brought her hand up to her chest.



“Willow! Are you down there! Are you okay?” It was Casey. She was standing at what appeared to be a ledge about 10 or 12 feet above Willow. ‘No wonder it hurt,’ thought Willow. “I’m down here with a very large spider and I think my hand is broken!” she called up. “We’ll get you out in a jiff!” called Casey.



Willow gathered her senses and quickly grabbed her flashlight, still with an eye on the spider. It finally scampered away so Willow took the opportunity to pan around. It appeared she’d fallen through the floor of the tunnel down onto a small ledge. While still sitting, she rotated around and saw a wall about 2 feet away. The heavy object that fell onto her hand had been a clay brick with a cuneiform stamp on it. “Ah ha!” She said, for she recognized that stamp. It was the royal stamp of Sennecherib.



A couple of workers dropped a chair basket down and Willow gingerly made her way into it. They hoisted her up slowly. She had quite an adrenaline rush going right now, so she hadn't felt a whole lot of pain. She handed the brick to Casey and watched as she deciphered the symbols. "Oh my god!" Casey exclaimed as she hugged Willow who then realized she was in a hell of a lot of pain.



Five hours and a whole lot more pain later, Willow was stitched, bandaged, casted and excited. “Christ, woman, we found the lost palace of Sennecherib!” bellowed Dr. Zane as he downed a shot of his best single malt whisky. Willow followed suit with her good hand and grimaced when the liquor stung the back of her throat. “That’s better than any pain killer!” he laughed and poured them another one. It was hard for Willow to not get caught up in the good cheer, but the hardcore archaeologist in her wanted to wait for definitive proof from the lab. Work had already begun on the area Willow had fallen into and Housaud and Casey had found some portions of wall reliefs depicting some battles and other countries bringing tribute to what could have only been Sennecherib since he was the Assyrian King when Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire.



What was even more intriguing was that while down further past the area Willow fell, Casey had found another mud-brick, but this one had a different stamp on it. One she’d never seen before. Casey sketched what was on the stamp and then drove it to the lab for analysis. Willow had wished Casey would have brought it to the house first, but she knew it was better to get it analysed first.



“When you are doing better, I will take you down to the lab and you can begin studying the artifacts as we bring them in. I sent word this morning to the Museum of Cairo that we would like copies of the transcriptions of ALL of Hemsnefu’s writings.” Zane said, with a pleased smile on his face. “You go rest now, Willow. Let me know if I can get anything for you.” Zane said with a gentle pat on Willow’s shoulder.



……..



“Willow!” Tara called out as she awoke. She looked at her clock and calculated that it would be middle afternoon where Willow was. She suddenly felt it necessary to call her. The dream she’d awoken out of was unclear, but there was a real sense of danger and it had something to do with Willow. It was like a blackness or heaviness and Tara felt that Willow was really scared. After she’d come around a little more she calmed down a bit and dismissed it as just a bad dream. Still, she’d try calling her later at the phone number Willow had given her.



Tara fell back to sleep and was awoken again, this time by the phone ringing. “Hello?” “Hey, Tara. This is Tracy. Did I wake you?” Tara looked at the clock. 6:45 a.m. On a Sunday. “Yeah, but that’s okay. What’s up?” Tara fell back onto her pillow and tried to stifle a yawn. “Listen, I wanted to thank you again for including me on the retreat. I had such a great time! Also, I was wondering if you wanted to go biking today. School starts this Tuesday and I wanted to pick your brain a little more. If that’s okay.” Tara thought about it and decided it would probably do her good. “Um, sure. What time did you have in mind?”



Tara met Tracy at the park near the university around 9 a.m. She hadn’t been biking since the last time Willow had taken her mountain biking on one of the local trails. Willow had been extremely patient with Tara in showing her ways to negotiate water, rocks and sand when they’d first been biking a few years ago. Now, Tara was quite good and enjoyed it immensely. Her sometimes questionable coordination had improved ten-fold and she had given Willow a run for her money on some down hills. Knock on wood, no major spills yet either. She left those to the one who captured her heart years ago. Willow was a skillful rider; she was just a bit too hardcore. At least that’s how Tara saw it.



“You wanna go up the canyon?” asked Tracy as she adjusted her helmet. “Sure. I am a bit rusty though. I haven’t been in a few months,” said Tara as she slipped on her riding gloves. “That’s okay, I’ll go slow!” called Tracy as she clipped in and took off. Tara smiled and followed after. “I’m not an old lady!” shouted Tara as she caught up with her quickly.



“So, tell me about your girlfriend, Willow is it? How did you meet her?” Asked Tracy about 30 minutes into the ride. They were pretty evenly matched so they had no trouble keeping up with each other. “Yes, her name is Willow. I met her about five and half years ago. She came in to the photo shop I used to work in and we ran into each other a few other times. We became close friends until I found out she way gay.” “Yeah, that turns me off too…” Tracy said sarcastically, but with a smile. “Well, when you weren’t even close to being out like I was, it scares you off.” Tara said. “So, what made you change, or come out?” Tracy asked. “I dated a boy for all of two hours and realized he wasn’t what I wanted. It was pretty clear to me after that.”



They rode on in silence over some tricky water parts but when they were back on a slight incline, Tracy asked, “ Does she treat you well? Is she good to you?” Tara thought that was a strange question but answered it anyway. “Oh, she is the best. Saved my life, well my poor excuse for one, anyway. She is wonderful to me.” Tracy seemed to take this information in for a few seconds and then asked, “ So why is she halfway around the world for months on end? I wouldn’t let you out of my sight!”



This made Tara a bit uncomfortable. What right did this ‘girl’ have in saying that? “She is an archaeology professor and this was a once in a lifetime dig for her. She has my blessing. It’s hard, but she couldn’t pass this opportunity up.” Tara said a bit haughtily. Tracy must have heard the tone because she apologized for being nosy. This time Tara did not disagree.



They continued the rest of the bike ride in relative silence. What Tracy had said had really started to bother Tara. Not because she was mad at what she said, but because Tara had thought the same thing lately. She knew Willow had a chance of a lifetime here, but why hadn’t she made any effort to come see Tara at all? Or fly Tara out there for a bit? Dr. Zane was paying Willow well; Tara saw the deposits in the bank. On the phone Willow seemed to miss her a lot, but she always seemed distracted. Coupled with the fact that Tara kept having bad feelings about Willow. It was really getting to be too much.



Tara bid Tracy goodbye at the starting point of their ride. It had been a bit awkward, but Tara didn’t care. She told Tracy she’d see her Tuesday morning at the staff meeting and rode off. Tara had been doing a lot of thinking and she just wanted to get home and call Willow and talk this out, one way or another. She didn’t want to put Willow on the spot, but she needed to let Willow what was going on in her head.



As Tara softly kicked open the door to carry her bike into her apartment, she heard the phone ring. She sat her bike outside and went to pick up the phone. “Hello?” she said. “Hey baby, it’s me!” Willow said cheerfully into the phone. “Hey.” Tara said a bit unenthusiastically. “You okay? Did I call at a bad time?” asked Willow. “No, I just got in from a bike ride. Can I call you back in a bit? I wanted to take a shower and get cleaned up.” Tara said. She wanted to plan out what she would say to Willow. She wasn’t ready yet. “Um… okay.” Willow said, disappointment and surprise evident in her voice. “I’ll be in the house the next couple of hours anyway.” She finished. “I’ll call you in an hour”, said Tara.



Tara hung up the phone feeling twice as bad as she had before Willow called. As she went to take a shower, she started to think about what she would say to Willow.



………………..



‘That was kinda weird,’ Willow thought to herself as she hung up the phone. She’d called to tell Tara that they were really getting closer in the mystery here and was going to tell her that she was coming home Thanksgiving, come hell or high water. Being laid up all day had given her some time to think and she’d come to the conclusion that while she was involved in an amazing dig, she was missing her girl terribly. She’d been putting off these thoughts for a while now, dismissing them as being co-dependant. She trusted Tara and loved her with all of her heart. It was only a few months she’d been away. However, she was increasingly becoming sad and missing Tara more and more.



The dig would continue without her, Zane would figure out what happened to Sennacherib’s Palace and she’d go home with some very valuable experience and knowledge for her students. Willow was weighing heavily what her priorities were now and what they needed to be. Is this something she could see herself doing? She’d certainly have a job with Dr. Zane. Fulltime if she wanted. She missed teaching though, very much. She loved watching her students’ eyes light up when they had an insight into something. She loved teaching in Sunnydale. She loved being home with the love of her life. She missed her life at home.



Dr. Zane would be disappointed. He’d have to hire someone else. He might be upset and not talk to her again. That was a bit farfetched though. ‘George’ wasn’t that kind of man. He’d just tell Willow she needs to do what’s best for her.



Willow checked her watch. Tara should be calling back soon. As if on cue, the phone rang. “Hello?” Willow smiled as she picked up the phone. “Dr. Rosenberg!! Something has happened! It is Casey!” Housaud cried into the phone. “Housaud? What’s wrong?” Willow asked. “She’s dead... she's dead!"











               

[snuggle79]

Oh god! Casey is dead?? NO!

__________________

"I got so lost"

"I found you, i will always find you"