Wicked story so far im lovin it and that update was very sweet, with them both feeling all anxious about their date. Loved the ending perfect. Update soon pleasex

Heh, well you know what I think (geez you talk to me every day! LOL) This is exactly what I was thinking (and maybe even a bit more.....so much for that grammar I was talking about DOH!)



Now if you'll excuse me, I have to be getting back to that puddle that I've now become.

Time flies by when the Devil drives.
It's not the pace of life that concerns me, it's the sudden stop at the end.

DW that was adorable. I loved the date and the goodnight kiss and you totally had me expecting that dream at the begining to be Willow's so I was very pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be Tara's. I am so happy to read about them starting out in a relationship, I hope that they both continue to get closer. Thank you for the update

---

So, the day started and I knew my name and had my pants on. So far, so good. Yay.
Amber Benson

Wow! That is pretty much everything my brain can put together right now. That was just amazing and sweet and... Wow



-shuyaku

Oh God, Willow—you’re giving me the gift of Karen Carpenter. Just when I think I grasp the full extent of your love." - Tara

"Why do birds suddenly appear? It’s because, you are queer…" - Willow (Gods Served and Abandoned by AntigoneUnbound)

sam darls -- Thank you, I'm glad you like it.



gabbles -- I hope you continue to enjoy! Thanks!



WillowPowered -- Thank you!



Red Jassy -- More to come. Thanks



veiled isis moon -- First of all, Love.The.Name. Secondly, thanks!



Kieli - Yes, I may know what you think... but what's wrong with sharing it with everyone else LOL

Thanks, chica!



Puff -- Glad you liked Tara's dream. And thank you for falling for my initial misdirect, with you thinking at first it was Willow dreaming instead of Tara... yay.. it worked!! Stay tuned...more to come.



shuyaku -- I know what you mean... after writing that update, my brain is practically mush as well.



Cheers!!

DW

DW,



Oh man, that was great! I loved their interaction. I especially loved Tara's dream. I guess that officially answers the question... She DID like it!! Keep 'em coming.

-pipsberg



"We live our lives, do whatever we do, and then we sleep - it's as simple and ordinary as that."

Michael Cunningham, The Hours

Awww... that was sweet. I hope Tara merely used the movie reference as way to get a goodnight-kiss, not as an example to follow. She does keep a lot of her uncertainties inside, I suppose thats understandable but it must be hard for her.



This line had me thinking: " it was clear that Willow was working to impress her"... was it all that clear ? Maybe Willow just wanted Tara to have a good time, who's to say that Willow wants some so directly in return? Willow is in a awkward position in that she's Tara's "first" and doesn't want to push Tara into anything, yet at the same time she has to give Tara some pointers since the poor girl is soooo lost otherwise. Tara should relax some more, just assume everything is free unless told otherwise . Oh yeah, enjoy life as well... you're allowed .



Seems to me that Tara is more 'lost' than I would expect from a girl who has taken care of her mother for about two years. I don't know, but she seems to have missed somewhat more than that. Maybe that is also because we haven't seen her interact with other girls her age that much, not sure.



The interaction between Willow and Tara was well done, really felt like a first date with the odd silences and such. Highly recognizable :-)



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

AWWWWWWWWWWWWW





That was just.. too sweet.



I find Tara's innocense just adorable.. *sighs*



I feel a somewhat rocky road ahead.. but hopefully its just going to be a few bumbs, and no thing too rough.. right? *looks hopeful*



Thanks for another great update!!!!







Nickole

"Life is eternal; it has no beginning and no end. The loving friends we meet on our journey return to us time after time. We never die, because we were never really born."

How romantic is that? They are so sweet and nervous, almost saying all the wrong things at the wrong time. Still, they work it out in the end. And that wet dream? Tara will never be the same now that she has the hots for Willow. It's all she'll think about for days now. Cranky, horny Tara could be a bad thing, I'm thinkin'. One order of Willow should help the craving.

---

More than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly. Woody Allen (1935 - )

Heya DW,



Wow, wow, wow…excellent in every respect.



I love your characterisation of everyone in the story. Not just Willow and Tara. I’m really enjoying the interaction between Tara and Lisa at the moment. Just when I thought that Lisa was slotting into the big sister role she pulls out the classic sibling line, “You suck!” It was a brilliant way of serving to remind us that Tara is still the big sister even though she needs love advice from her younger sister.



The date itself was gorgeous and I’m pretty sure that I was grinning stupidly the whole time I read it. (Except for the asparagus part – I can’t stand the stuff )



Ahhh, and the kiss, I don't really need to say much except



Alcy

"You know Hobbes, some days even my lucky rocketship underpants don't help." Calvin and Hobbes

Aaahhh, what a lovely date. Tara's anxiety is certainly understandable given that very hot, hot dream she had the morning before. I'm glad she starting to trust Willow a little more, even if it is very slowly. Good for Willow for showing some restraint. I know I couldn't resist Tara for that long. It shows how much she really loves her. More smoochies soon, please. Thanks for the update!

*****



"The history of our nation has demonstrated that separate is seldom, if ever, equal." The Massachusetts Supreme Court upholding its ruling in favor of gay marriage

Perfect first date. Let's hope the dates get easier from now on.

Tara: My heart doesn't stutter.


Tara: Willow, I got so lost.

Willow: I found you. I will always find you.

Hey,

Very good update. I'm struck by how awkward it seems for both girls. That must be very hard for them. On one hand Willow wants to make this a very special date and she does all the "right" things for Tara--picking up, dinner, wine, etc. But on the other, it's as if they are just getting to know each other (re: music taste) even though they've been friends for years. I'm not sure that I've ever been on a "big date" at the beginning of a relationship and would probably be completely frantic. For me, I've always had casual dates to start and worked up to biggies so I can relax. And it does seem that Tara is somewhat uncomfortable. I take it as a very good sign that she went and kissed Willow though. Still, I hope it gets easier.



Also, obviously you're leading to bigger conflict with Lisa. That's a shame but good setup.

---

"Your little will can't do anything. It takes Great Determination. Great Determination doesn't mean just you making an effort. It means the whole universe is behind you and with you - the birds, trees, sky, moon, and ten directions." - Katagiri Roshi

Great update there DW. Cant wait for more.



Sky

Perfectly understandable that Tara would question what it was that she brought to the date. After all, she's so used to being the one to look after people, it must seem odd to her to be receiving so much attention.



Lovely update DW, thanks.

---

pipsberg -- I wouldn't say that the kiss officially answered the "did she like it question". But it is a step in the right direction.



Grimlock72 -- Tara does indeed keep a lot to herself after suffering in silence for so long. Learning to open up is part of the journey she is on. She may have been influenced by the many films she had been watching, but I assure that Tara would not have kissed Willow if she didn't really want to. Tara was caring for her mother for over 5 years, not just two. I believe I made a reference to that timeline several updates ago... I'll have to go back and check. It would have been in the update where Willow recalls the day of Tara's mother's funeral. As Anya had pointed out, and as Willow has obviously noticed, Tara sort of arrested her own psycho-sexual development due to throwing herself entirely into the care of her mother for so long. You almost have to consider Tara a teenager on a first date as opposed to a 25 yr old woman who knows what she wants, or at least has a better idea.



SilverWingedNemesis -- I won't lie, rocks are ahead on the road... but they will eventually smooth out.



TemperedCynic -- Just because she had a wet dream, doesn't mean that Tara has the hots for Willow just yet. Her mind is just working through all the possibilities... Plus I (being evil) wanted to mess with poor Tara just a little bit more, to see how a dream like that would cause her to behave around Willow. I know...I am evil... but it was a great dream, wasn't it?



KiwiAlcyone -- Yes, I felt that it was time to snap Lisa back into her age group. She was getting a little too wise for me LOL. Sorry you don't like asparagus... but I have had that appetizer that Willow ordered.. and it is simply divine!!



Tiggrscorpio -- Willow really does care deeply for Tara, and wants to do absolutely right by her. The risk now is overdoing... which she is capable of doing by mistake.



The Rose24 -- I hope so too. That was a tough one to write. My brain felt all mushy afterwards.



JustSkipIt -- Actually, I'm not building up a larger conflict with Lisa... at least it hadn't occurred to me... She just had a perfectly teenage moment...but now you've got me thinkin'....hmmm...



WhiteSkyFire -- Thanks!



mollyig -- You're right. Tara just doesn't know what to do with herself if she isn't helping out in some way. Hopefully with time she will be able to enjoy Willow's attentions... hopefully...



Cheers!

DW

DW,



I agree, the kiss itself doesn't answer the question. I meant the dream. Whooo boy. =))

-pipsberg



"We live our lives, do whatever we do, and then we sleep - it's as simple and ordinary as that."

Michael Cunningham, The Hours

Hey DW!



Since I don't surf the net very well, I was dog paddling around and found another one of your amazing fics! This is the sweetest story.



Tara hasn't gotten to experience so many things because she had to take on such a heavy burden, so I think she deserves all the goodness that can come to her (no pun intended ) , and I think Willow is ready, willing and able to cater to her needs. I hope they can work out the awkwardness, all in good time. No need to rush.



More soon please!



Wimpy

You know, DW, I loved this story when you first started it. I don't know what all went into the reposting deal, but I'm so extremely glad it's back. Because this has proven to be one of my favorite Pens fics ever.



I sat down with it tonight and read it from start (even the parts I'd already read) to its present point. This is just fantastic stuff.



First of all, you write extremely well, so even when you're not beta'd, your work is smooth. Most of all, though, you capture the vagaries and vacillations of the human heart. You give us such clear understandings of both Willow and Tara, and that's not always easy to pull off. The backdrop of Grace's illness and death serve to illuminate/heighten Tara's uncertainty about her feelings for Willow. It's fascinating from a power dynamic, really: Willow is the one who (from the outset, at least) is emotionally vulnerable to Tara, but Tara is the less experienced of the two w/ re: to dating in general. Their movements toward each other, in all their fits and starts, never feel like the writer jerking us around. They feel like the truth of these two people and their circumstances.



And oh, that first kiss, and the time on the couch, and that last kiss...Honey, you know your way around sexual tension and that is just such a fine town to call home...



Great work, DW. I can't wait for more, although I will because really--what else am I gonna do?



Mary

sorry! wrong thread! i'll come back to this one soon. lol

"Take care of my heart, won't you please? Take care of it because it's all that I have. And if you let me, I'll take care of your heart too." Pure sweetness in the look between Willow and Tara. (shooting script)

Edited by: Rane018 at: 4/22/04 9:49 pm

just reiterating what i said in my other thread.



i am sick and needing to rest for a few days.



thank you.



DW

"Promise me you'll never be linear." "On my trout."

hi. Hope you feel better soon, and update when your ready, we'll all still be waiting its a wicked fic.x

Don't worry abut the fic, you rest and get better soon. We can be patient.

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



"See? I've mastered this tact crap." Anya in Tears Of The Goddess by Lisa



The course of love doesn’t always run smooth, especially for the neurotic and accident-prone. ~ LadyB



.:Dark-bliss.net :. .:Blink.Flash.Sparkle.:. .:My blog:. .:Blood and Ink:. .:Washi's 70s Site:.

Did Washi just say she could be patient?!? I may never be the same...

Anyhoo, get well DW. We'll be here!

---

More than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly. Woody Allen (1935 - )

Hi..I hope you feel better soon, and we will wait Love sammi xx

"Sometimes things happen between people that you don't really expect. And sometimes the things that are important are the ones that seem the weirdest or the most wrong. And those are the ones that change your life." - Jessie Sammler (Evan Rachel Wood)

DW, I hope you're getting some tlc. Feel better!

-pipsberg



"We live our lives, do whatever we do, and then we sleep - it's as simple and ordinary as that."

Michael Cunningham, The Hours

DW,

Get WEll soon..

Take Care.

ciao

joan

---

Cause you were made for me/Somehow I'll make you see/How happy you make me

/I can't live this life/Without you by my side/I need you to survive/ So stay with me/
You look in my eyes and I'm screaming inside/]that I'm sorry. » Evanescence

Hiya DW make sure you take care of yourself.

---

I ask myself the same thing everyday... sigh...



This is a tough fic to write, ya'll... cuz I have to take myself on such an emotional roller coaster to incite my muse to start writing.



But, no worries... I am just about to finish "Special"... I might tinker a little with Broadway Baby... but my mind is forever meandering back to *this* story and what will happen next...



It frustrating... because I know what is going to happen in 18 pages or so... but it's the filling in those preceding pages that's the tricky bit...



Please know that even if I am not writing... I am dwelling heavily on this storyline... and will return and finish it... hopefully soon just so that it quits bugging me.



Thanks for your patience.



Cheers

DW

So, um, lovely DarkWiccan,

I have this terrible habbit, at least I believe I have this habbit, of killing threads once i say, "hi" on them. But, in all candor, I only wanted to encourage whatever writing you might or might not be doing, not that i'm trying to force you to do anything or, i guess, not do anything of the sort...right...well..umm..



Yes, i'm completely and utterly aware that that made absolutely no sense and that I've gone and confused myself. But, you see, after re-reading this fic, for about the seventh time--I tell no lie--and feeling silly for not saying something earlier, plus having the whole fear of you not replying ever again with my feedback killing whatever it touched, I decided to throw in the white towel of shame and weakness. *says in French accent ala 1941* I give UP!



I can't live without reading. And this story is EXACTLY what I like to read. Up til now Willow's character has severly reminded me of, well, me. And i'm not trying to make myself out to be the most romantic girl on Earth, as Willow proves to be by demonstrating such powerful emotions. Nor do I have shimmering curly red locks (alas!) but rather short brunette hair that sticks up when bubblegum gets stuck in it...don't ask...



More or less I do extremely silly things to make those i love feel better, (and even sillier things when it's a person i like) as Willow, I see, finds herself continuously doing.



Her love is painfully clear; bright and heavy, so much so it actually weighs down the target of her affections, Tara. I get that. I also get that it is impossible for Tara not to recognize it, and she feels she owes something to Willow's undying, flattering, and loyal attentions.



But that's a strained relationship. (And painful to bear on both sides.) So, i'm loving this story, partly because you're doing the unknown in my world, and making it have a brighter ending than further confusion and hurt. Bravo!



The other reason being that you're a fab writer, I commend thee! So...while you're feeling better, *sings* getting better all the time, I hope, remember that you have thread-killing-strange-but-happily-reading-elizabeth here, who's positively captivated by your writing. Continue on if you dare have me as a fan!



-elizabeth



p.s. I wonder if I can use the pity strike and say I just had four teeth taken out, and am in a considerable amount of mouthy-pain and because of that couldn't go to the Pride Parade in San Francisco? No...that'd be unfair. No one needs that guilt upon their head...oops.

Last night in sweet slumber I dreamed I did see my own precious jewel sat smiling by me.

And when I awakened I found it not so; my eyes like some fountain with tears overflowed.