FIC - Lingering Darkness

[Loco2]

aw, sass, wonderful! that update was fabulous, with miss kitty killing/protecting giles' hand, know how that feels! painful! and the seven dwarfs, highly amusing. i can picture it. probably not an entirely good thing...



thank you for the update!



steph

"Dr. Becker, have you seen the skeleton?" "What do you think I am, a skeleton thief? You want to search me?!"
"Oh, bugger off, you brolly!" - Anya to Giles on his use of the english language
"We'll all be a lot happier without the constant whining....Mom, Buffy, Tara, Waah" - DMW to Dawn

[Sassette]

**SlayerTazz: Heh ... I liked the little bouncing green smilies, too *G*



**VampNo12: Gosh, thanks ... I was really going for that kind of 'family' sense. The Scoobies are great about being there during all kinds of Big Bad's and World Ending Fun .. but often, they fall apart as a group when nothing obvious is going on. For this reason, it's been important to me to kind of address the support structures that are there, because I want to develop other ones, and because the existing ones are going to be important. Did that make sense? *G*



**RaiStarr: Woo and Hoo! I love it when people who don't post often drop a note *G* Of course, I love it when people who post a LOT do, too - and everyone inbetween *G* But thank you - I'm really glad you liked it.



**singgirl: Heh ... likely no update until Saturday, but I'll keep it in mind and post sooner if I can *G*



**xita: *runs over and sits on xita's lap* Hi! And thank you ... the Willow/Tara talk about the Willow and Buffy dynamic wasn't something I was really planning on addressing directly like that, but it's been at the back of my mind as an incredibly important one - so it just kind of slipped out *G*



**WebWarlock: Heh. Slacker. And thank you ... I'm really glad you like what I've got up so far. I've been very slow in posting, because I've been very busy, but I've got quiet a bit of this mapped out in my head, and I'll be updating as often as possible.



**oneinten: Of course you get points *G* And I can't tell you what you use to lure a zoid into a trap ... because that'll be addressed when they actually get around to trapping the zoids, and I don't want to ruin it, y'know?



**Loco2: No, not an entirely good thing you can picture Willow's strange dwarfs running around her head playing with trains. Glad you liked the Miss Kitty bit ... I've been on the receiving end of that sort of thing once or twice myself.



-Sass

[AutumnT]

Quote:

---

I've been very slow in posting, because I've been very busy

---

Busy. Is that what they call constantly jumping in xita's lap?

Autumn

-----------

Buffy Season 6: It grated, like something forced in where it doesn't belong.

[Sassette]

No, they call that lucky.



-Sass

[AutumnT]

snort.

Autumn

-----------

Buffy Season 6: It grated, like something forced in where it doesn't belong.

[Sassette]

Just a short bit, but it closes out this part



Lingering Darkness 3c - Drifting



"Pancakes," Tara said, hoping the word would bring to Willow's mind the associating task, and that would jump-start her brain again.



"Pancakes," Willow repeated, as the efficient little crew in her head, who looked suspiciously like Disney's version of the Seven Dwarfs, got her pancake train back on track and moving. "Right," she said, and they moved to the counter to start making pancakes.



"First, you have to get a bowl," Tara instructed, and Willow nodded, opening up a floor-level cabinet and bending over, peering inside. The sound of objects being pushed around in the cupboard as Willow searched for a suitable bowl drifted through the kitchen, and Tara shook her head self-deprecatingly as she found her eyes drawn to Willow's body, and her mind drifting to naughty thoughts. Perve, she inwardly reprimanded herself, even as a slow half-smile covered her face.



"This one?" Willow asked, straightening up and turning, her face flushed as she presented a bowl that would be just fine for mixing pancake batter.



"Well," Tara said thoughtfully, a wicked gleam entering her eye as she stifled a grin. "That bowl is a little too … shallow. It needs to be deeper," she said, straight-faced.



Willow's brow furrowed and she shrugged, moving back to the cupboard, bending over, and putting the bowl back, looking for one that was deeper. And she had been so sure that bowl would be fine.



Tara smiled lazily, turning her back on the counter and leaning her elbows on it, leaning against it and just looking. Everyone was asleep … she could just … kind of …



No, bad Tara, she thought to herself, mentally slapping her hand. Last time she and Willow had gotten frisky in the kitchen, Dawn had walked in, and that was not an experience she wanted to repeat anytime soon. With a sigh, she went to the drawers, pulling out a wire whisk and a spatula, her eyes never leaving Willow's fine form.



Despite her best intentions, and her inner admonitions to behave herself, Tara rejected three more bowls, finding fault with each one. Willow got more and more confused, having had no idea that the size and shape of the bowl was so very important for pancakes. So, with a sigh, she went back again to find a bowl that was just right, trying to hurry when she saw that Tara had the rest of the pancake fixings out already and was just waiting for a bowl.



Somewhat annoyed at Tara's pickiness, Willow looked helplessly at the assortment of bowls to choose from, very close to telling Tara to just get one herself, since she was clearly the better bowl-hunter. She turned her head, peeking back at Tara, finally catching the look in her eyes and exactly >where< those eyes were looking. Immediately, a warm flush crawled up her neck and her breath caught in her throat.



"I don't think I see anything I like," Willow said innocently, after a moment to compose herself. "Do you?" she asked, shifting so that Tara had a view into the cupboard.



"Oh, yes," Tara said with a smirk, unable to stop herself from walking up behind Willow and placing a hand on her hip, bending over her back and peering into the cupboard. "Ummm … that one," she said, pointing to a bowl.



Unseen by Tara, Willow rolled her eyes, picking up the bowl that was, in fact, the first one she had chosen. Carefully, she pulled her head out of the cupboard and straightened up, bumping back into Tara's body, the bowl in her hands.



Two arms wound their way around Willow's waist and moved her forward again, until her legs were flush with the counter, and Tara's warm body was firmly pressed against her back. "Um, hi," Willow squeaked.



"Hi," Tara said softly, squeezing Willow lightly, leaning in and nuzzling the oh-so-conveniently situated neck. She placed a few kisses against the soft skin there before dropping her arms and stepping back. "We should, uhh, make the … ummm … pancakes now," she said, her voice a little breathless.



"Oh, no," Willow said, turning around and backing Tara up against the center island in the kitchen, reaching around her to put the bowl down with the rest of the pancake things. "You started it," she said, her eyes locking into Tara's.



"Well, yeah, but … um … we could finish … later?" Tara asked, her eyes drifting shut helplessly as Willow's soft curves pressed against her own, Willow's hands finding her hips, and Willow's lips started sliding against her throat, maddeningly soft and light.



"Okay," Willow said cheerfully, stepping back and grinning. Tara didn't move for a moment, her eyes finally blinking open.



"Oh, that was mean," Tara said, mock anger in her voice. "That's just …"



Willow stopped any further complaints with a slow, soft kiss, her lips occupying Tara's and cutting off her powers of speech. She nibbled and licked so very slowly, her breathing quickening as Tara responded, their mouths opening and their tongues meeting again and again. Just as she was about to deepen the kiss, Tara pulled back.



"Pancakes," she said in a shaky voice, her eyes blinking owlishly. "We have to make pancakes."



"And trap the zoids," Willow said with a nod, stepping back and unable to stop a grin from spreading across her face. Tara kisses, she decided, was the absolute perfect prelude to breakfast-making. And perfect for post-breakfast making-out. Or, really, any other occasion she could dream up.



"Right," Tara said, turning back to the counter and arranging all the things there where she wanted them so she could begin.



Willow looked over everything on the island, her brain identifying each item quickly. Bowl, wire whisk, spatula …



"Aunt Jemimah?" Willow asked incredulously, picking up the bright yellow box. "The secret to Tara's Perfect Pancakes is Aunt Jemimah Pancake Mix - Just Add Water?"



Tara shrugged, taking the box out of Willow's hand and dumping some of the mix into the bowl. "If it ain't broke …" she said lightly, eyeing the amount of the powder in the bowl, then dumping in some more.



"Umm … don't you have to … measure that?" Willow asked uncertainly.



"Nope," Tara said cheerfully, finally satisfied with the amount of mix in the bowl, then walking to the sink, turning on the water and putting the bowl under the faucet. "I just eyeball everything."



"Yeah, no kidding," Willow said with a smirk, thinking of just what Tara had been eyeballing earlier.



"Tsk," Tara said with mock admonishment. "Are you insinuating that I was behaving improperly?" she asked, turning her head and looking over at Willow, her eyes twinkling.



"I'm not insinuating anything," Willow said. "I'm saying you're a wicked, wanton woman, Ms. MaClay."



Tara shut off the water without looking, handing the bowl to Willow. "Whisk, woman," she commanded, going to the refrigerator and opening it.



"Slave driver," Willow muttered, grabbing the wire whisk and mixing the batter vigorously. "So what are you doing?" she asked as Tara peered into the fridge.



"I'm getting the zoids," Tara said reasonably.



"And just what, pray tell, are these zoids?" Willow asked.



Tara closed the fridge, turning around and coming back to the island, a basket of blueberries in her hand. "Well, you see, zoids are a very vicious, very evil kind of demon," she said, her voice dramatic and low. "And the only thing that can destroy them is to be consumed by humans. But they're wily - it's very hard to get them to just sit still long enough."



"They look pretty still to me," Willow said, eyeing the blueberries dubiously.



"Like I said - wily," Tara said with a little shrug. "They'd move if you tried to eat them."



"Oh, okay," Willow said with a little nod, her eyes twinkling. "So how do we trap these fearsome zoids?" she asked.



"You're doing it," Tara said, putting the blueberries down and pointing to the bowl. "Their secret weakness is that they love to go swimming," she said solemnly. "So we're making a special swimming hole that will trap them, and then we're going to take the stuff they're swimming in, pour it into the pan in the special trapezoid shape, and the swimming batter will harden, holding them still so we can eat them."



"That's fiendishly brilliant," Willow said with a smile. "Remind me to never be a very vicious, very evil demon."



"Never be a very vicious, very evil demon," Tara said immediately.



"Thanks," Willow said dryly, rolling her eyes and huffing. Tara just laughed, finding the look on Willow's face to be far too precious.



Happily, Tara dumped the zoids into the swimming whole, and Willow kept mixing, settling them into their trap. The pan ready, Tara dumped the batter in, gracefully making it take on a clearly trapezoidal shape.



"Oooh, can I try?" Willow asked after watching Tara very carefully, seeing how she managed to get the batter to go where she wanted it.



"Yes," Tara said with a smile and a nod, handing the batter to Willow. A look of fierce concentration on her face, Willow started to pour, frustration growing as a shapeless blob formed in front of her eyes. "It's all in the wrist, sweetie," Tara said, standing behind Willow and putting her hand over Willow's on the bowl, guiding it. "See?" she asked.



"Is this what you get your impressive wrist strength from?" Willow asked with a snicker.



"Oh, I >so< am not up to listening to your naughty talk this early in the morning," Buffy said, wandering into the kitchen, her hair mussed from sleep and her eyes blurry. "How are my favorite Jewiccans?" Buffy asked. "Aside from the obvious," she tacked on.



"We were just trapping zoids," Tara said, a blush crawling up her neck.



"Trapping zoids?" Buffy asked, her brow furrowing until she looked into the pan. Seeing the familiar geometric shape Willow had taught her in high school, the light bulb clicked on and her expression cleared. "Oh, God! Zoids!" she said, pointing excitedly at the blueberries and laughing, a wide smile crossing her face. "It's a joke - and I got it!" Buffy said proudly, doing her graveyard groove-dance in the middle of the kitchen.



Willow and Tara looked at each other, then burst out laughing.

Edited by: Sassette at: 8/1/02 8:25:46 am

[oneinten]

Sassette you kill me!



The "Graveyard Groove-Dance"??? Umm...can I get a demo of that?



I loved this scene (I think I've done something like it myself when my girlfriend dropped her pen....) and the trapping of the zoids. It makes perfect sense!!! Now I see why you couldn't let the zoid out of the water...



The Aunt Jemimah pancake mix??? LMAO!!!



That was priceless!!!



Can't wait for more!



kath

[Tulipp]

Very nice follow-through on the pancake lovin'. I just knew that all this time, Tara was hurriedly sticking that Aunt Jemima box behind the spelt flour that no one ever uses to preserve her dirty little secret.

[KrisBo5]

May have been short, but it certainly was sweet!

Kris

"Frell that!"

[IsayAmberBensonsgorgeous]

yes, update! i missed this fic, i was considering to re-read AD and what we have of LD for the third time now loved the search for a proper bowl

next update soon?

take care.

C

"Es ist fuer einen Menschen unertraeglich, ertragen zu werden." (Jean Cocteau)

[Loco2]

heh heh, wonderful.



zoids, i never would have guessed.



ooh, i knew it! no-one can be that good at making pancakes. it's just not possible, she's just a big ol' fraud!



thanks for update, very sweet.

steph

"Dr. Becker, have you seen the skeleton?" "What do you think I am, a skeleton thief? You want to search me?!"
"Oh, bugger off, you brolly!" - Anya to Giles on his use of the english language
"We'll all be a lot happier without the constant whining....Mom, Buffy, Tara, Waah" - DMW to Dawn

[AutumnT]

Quote:

---

"Aunt Jemimah?" Willow asked incredulously, picking up the bright yellow box. "The secret to Tara's Perfect Pancakes is Aunt Jemimah Pancake Mix - Just Add Water?"

---

And here I always thought Tara might be a Bisquick girl. Hey, it's all in the bowl. And the wrist apparently.

Autumn

-----------

Buffy Season 6: It grated, like something forced in where it doesn't belong.

Edited by: AutumnT  at: 8/1/02 9:22:15 am

[Sassette]

**oneinten: A demo? Sure ... it goes like this. *does the graveyard groove-dance* See? Heh ... and yeah - I >so< couldn't give away the secret of trapping zoids - it was a very important and integral part of the update, and is, in fact, a metaphor that gives away the entire plot of the rest of the fic. Just kidding.



**Tulipp: Oh, yeah - I couldn't back out on the promise of pancakes. And yes, Tara has >totally< kept her Aunt Jemimah a secret ... she's a sneaky girl.



**KrisBo5: Heh ... thank you *G* I'm going to try to start posting larger chunks, but I'm so darn low on time, and horribly impatient about these things that I've been waking up early, writing, then posting whatever I have done when I have to go.



**Puff: Heh, well ... that was an easy one for anybody who remembers any geometry - and Buffy DID have Willow for a tutor, so I'm assuming (which I shouldn't do - it makes an ass out of you and Xander) some of it stuck *G* And thanks!



**IsayAmberBensonsgorgeous: The Search for a Proper Bowl is definitely going to be one of my personal favorites *shrug* And, umm ... third time? Gosh, that's a lot of reading. >I< haven't read them three times!



**Loco2: Not a fraud so much as a careful planner who just happens to put the Aunt Jemimah back in the cupboard where no one will see it. And thanks *G*



**Autumn: Oh, gosh no - Tara feels about Bisquick the way Willow feels about Microsoft. But yes - the Search for the Proper Bowl and the wrist-action are really what make the pancakes.



-Sass

[Pixie gishmock]

Oh Sass, *holding my hands over my girlfriend's ears* I am SO Smitten!!!!



I am sorry I've been absent for a while, but I've been quite busy and distracted in the last several weeks. *points to above mention of "girlfriend"* *wonders how long I can keep saying that before various Kittens start shaking their heads at me and saying: "Yes, Pixie, we know you have a new gf and yes, it's wonderful and exciting, congratulations, yada yada, we'll contribute to the toaster fund, but.....could you maybe just comment on the fic?"*



I loved the sweetness of these last few updates, as well as the math, the naughty looking, the trapping of zoids! And the trains!!

Quote:

---

finding she had no words as the multiple trains of thought running through her head had a huge collision, bringing her brain to a halt as crews were dispatched to look for survivors and to get the trains back on their proper tracks.

---

I can so identify with this. When I lose track of what I'm saying mid-sentence, I say "I got off the train". And when I have too many thoughts zooming around my head my gf teases me and says they're getting stuck in traffic. I have definitely felt as if I'd had a pile-up in my brain.



I'll be ready to jump on the next update whenever it's ready!



Edited to add: btw, there is a line in Into The Woods by Stephen Sondheim: "It's no sicker than your thing with dwarves. Dwarfs!"

Life is full of changes...The better you are at letting go of things, the freer your hands will be to catch something new. ~from Off The Map by Joan Ackerman
"It's good to be a chicken casserole," Tara murmured before passing out. ~from "Answering Darkness" by Sassette

Edited by: Pixie gishmock at: 8/1/02 10:27:00 am

[Miss1234Kitty]

Oh man! Buffy finally got one of Tara's jokes! I laughed along with Willow and Tara. I can just picture Tara rejecting every bowl in order to stare at Willow's lovely behind.



Gem

Tara: There's just so much to work through... and can you just be kissing me now?

[Latsric]

Oh that was brilliant. The trapping of zoids and the search for the perfect bowl...absolutely hilarious. I love these scenes where we see Willow and Tara just interacting with each other, with that way of communicating that only two people totally in love with one another could understand. You capture it all so well. Plus I liked Buffy's graveyard groove dance, I imagine its a lot like the little dance of joy that I do when something good happens.



-lat-

- I need my obsessions, they keep me sane -

[mollyig]

Heh, Tara the eyeballer! I love the playful interaction whilst our girls are making pancakes. Utterly lovely!

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

[xita]

Oh man that was the best. The impressive wrist strength..



*gets sass off her lap so she can go practice with the pancake batter.

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

"Oooh Xita!" - Amber Benson

[Jennpurr]

Hee... I loved this update, Sass. So much goodness, wrapped up in one package. First, Tara stealing naughty glances at Willow's butt. Then, the sneaky smoochies.



But, I think I laughed the hardest picturing Buffy doing her dance. OMG... I can so see her doing that. And YAY!!! She got one of Tara's jokes. Woo Hoo!!



OH... I'm just loving this, very much, Sass. Thank you.



Can't wait for more,

Jen

------------------------Willow: strong like an amazon?
Tara: Strong like an amazon, right.

Edited by: Jennpurr  at: 8/1/02 1:02:24 pm

[Scout]

Jewiccans? I think you invented a new religion!



Fun update - the bowl hunting, the zoid trapping, the wrist exercising. Gotta love it - thanks!

[Sassette]

**Pixie: Ooohhh ... a brand spanking-new girlfriend? *G* Congratulations I totally understand the distractedness, and it's good to hear from you. I'm glad you liked the update, and yeah - the train thing is pretty much how my brain works, with more requent collisions - Willow's got a much better traffic manager *G* Heh ... and Sondheim quotes are always appreciated.



**NewRuthRising: I am, in fact, rather wily, yes And, ummm ... slip of the tongue? Errr, fingers?



**Miss1234Kitty: Oh, I could picture it, too - quite clearly, in fact - which is why it was in there *G* And yeah, I was pretty happy with the idea of Buffy getting one of Tara's jokes.



**Latsric: Heh ... I love the W/T scenes, too ... they just make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Willow and Tara are just such a joy to write. *G* And that's the beauty of Buffy's graveyard groove-dance ... it can actually be anything you imagine it is.



**mollyig: *G* Thanks! And yes, that Tara certainly has a roving eye: it roves ALL OVER Willow's body.



**xita: I've been dumped for pancake batter. I'm not sure how I feel about that.



**Jennpurr: HeeHee ... Buffy's dance. I was planning on her getting the trapezoid joke ... but the dance thing was a whim, and I'm very glad it popped into my head *G* And yeah, the naughty glances and the sneaky smooches are always fun *G* I mean, ummm ... when I'm, errr ... writing. I, uhh ... would know nothing about that sort of thing in real life. Really. Honest. No, seriously. Anybody buying this ...?



**Scout: *shrug* Well, she can't call them just the 'wiccans' anymore, because there's that nasty magick addiction thing, and Tara DID pull off a traditional Shabbat dinner ... so it certainly seemed like a good idea at the time *G* Glad you liked it *G*



-Sass

______________________________________

I Think The Hellmouth Tastes Like Chicken -- Autumn

[Jennpurr]

Well, I'm glad that, that little detail popped in your head. I can just see her doing it. Very cool.



I hate to say this, but I don't believe ya, Sass. I think you know exactly what those sneaky glances and smoochies are all about. Hee...



Loving this, girl.

Can't wait for more,

Jen

------------------------Willow: strong like an amazon?
Tara: Strong like an amazon, right.

[Rane018]

taht scene with angel was so sadly sweet and the spike getting mugged was hilarious, frisky tara and willow int he morning is cute and *jewiccans*! that's me!



loving it sass!

"She has magic fingers." Then, as though the words had just echoed back to her and sounded not at all right, she perked up and glanced around at the others. "On the keyboard." Tara, The Wisdom Of War...

[MissQuirky]

Ok I don't think I have ever posted 4 this fic, but i've been reading it 4eva!! Just wanted to say that I absolutley love this fic!! Those last 2 updates were just soooo cute and sweet and i just loved em!! Tara n Willow r so cute!! I loved the pancake makin! Love ur fic and can't wait more!!

"W-well, I-I was wondering, maybe, you would wanna go out sometime? For coffee ... food ... kisses and gay love?" - Willow (Normal Again)

[NoveltyAct]

ah, sass, what can i say? this whole chapter just puts a huge, unwipable, pancake-eating grin on my face. kind of like this:



but not really.



and i think i need to make "whisk, woman!" my new sig. (though it's really a toss-up between that and the whole "jeebus was a lebian [sic]" thing).



Novelty



p.s. does the graveyard groove-dance look anything like this?







p.p.s. pixie gishmock,

"Well it's no sicker than your thing with dwarves--"

"Dwarfs!" "Dwarfs?" "Dwarfs!"

"--not forgetting the mountains unscale-able...."

it's the interludey-ness of that part which makes me love it so...

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

The only thing worse than Amber and her tongue is her middle finger.

last words heard from Rally in chat, shortly before my computer exploded

[SlayerTazz]

Sass that rocks!! I love this story!! Tara enjoying the view was too funny...not that I can find fault in what she was doing...very nice um chemistry between those two - hee hee.

A dream is a wish the heart makes.

Willow: "You had two eggs, sunny-side-up. I remember because they were wiggling at me like little boobs."

Tara: "Sassy Eggs."

[VampNo12]

Oh Sassette this update put a smile on my face . I love how you portray W&T just interacting with each other in simple moments (ie making pancakes). In other words, it's the mundane rituals/banter while making breakfast, that conveys so well how at ease they are with each other/depth of their love.



I cracked-up over Tara getting Willow to pick another bowl, in order to get a perfect view of Willow's behind, ! Loved Tara's inner thoughts while admiring the view (ie "Perve", No, bad Tara"), but being so close to Willow not being able to stop getting Willow to bend over continuously. Especially loved Tara using her eyes to measure the ingredients by saying, ("I just eyeball everything"), , which was clearly seen with Tara's pleasure at viewing Willow's "assets". Lastly, I enjoyed the whole "trapping the zoids" dialogue, and yay to Buffy getting one of Tara's jokes (ie great start in Buffy's goal at becoming a better friend to Tara). Can't wait for the next part!

Edited by: VampNo12  at: 8/2/02 12:18:30 am

[NewRuthRising]

Sassette! How dare you inply that I would... Okay, ya got me. Just don't tell anyone. I'm supposed to be a "good girl", whatever the heck that is.



Go Sass!!!!!!!Dwarves all round! Cuz, y'know, it just rolls off the tongue....



Ruth.

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

Sometimes I get the distinct impression that none of us are as cool as we think we are. Hm. - Tommo

[WebWarlock]

Tara the perv. I love it.



Great update! Short and sweet.



Warlock

-----

Web Warlock

The Other Side, home of Liber Mysterium: The Netbook of Witches and Warlocks

What the hell is your problem? - Ozzy Osbourne to me, October, 1997.

[Grimaldi]

loved the update



Tara making Willow keep getting bowls just so she could eyeball Willow was priceless. Aunt Jemimah being the secret ingredient of the pancakes, the zoid explination and the Graveyard dance was funny. About time someone other than got one of Tara's jokes

Dude, we're surrounded by perverts!

Cross my heart, smack me dead, stick a lobster on my head.

We'll roll on with our heads held high - The Living End