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Fic: No More

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Re: Chapter 29

Postby LeatherQueen » Fri Jul 26, 2002 8:19 pm

Yes! Go Tara! :)



Great chapter! And we finally found out who was tracking Tara and it wasn't anybody I suspected. :grin








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


"But when they're playing your song on the jukebox in Hell, you might as well dance." - K. Simpson


"Futile... like a FOX, baby!" - Tara in The Late Shift by wiccachica

LeatherQueen
 


OMG

Postby Ittybittykitty » Sat Jul 27, 2002 2:36 pm

OMG go TARA! WOOO HOOO! She's gonna get large with the butch with this guy!

Ittybittykitty
 


Chapter 30

Postby TwiLightJoy » Sat Jul 27, 2002 3:48 pm

Wow, this part was a long one. This chapter brings us to the end of Demons. The next update will open Part 4, Closer. Hope you'll stick around! Thanks for reading! You guys rock my socks! ;)



~Joy




Tara extended her hands before her, slightly upwards, her open palms pointing to the creature’s face. She squeezed her eyes shut and reached for the magic that bubbled continuously just below the surface. “Fulgere!” A bright flash of white light, almost like a camera’s flash magnified ten times in intensity, appeared between the girl’s hands and the beast who had once been her uncle, temporarily blinding him. He rubbed vigorously at his eyes with the back of his curled, oversized hands, as if that would bring his vision back to normal.



Blindly, he who was once David Maclay slashed out where he’d last seen Tara, talons whistling through empty air. From behind him now, the Wiccan gestured with one hand, again palm facing the creature, but pointing slightly downwards. “Corruere!” A glowing green burst of light gathered in her hand, then flowed rapidly to the demon, twining around his legs. Blinking against the dark spots floating before his eyes, he spun and dove for the witch. At least, that was what he’d intended to do. Instead, the light seemed to solidify, tangling his legs and causing him to throw his balance off. Arms wheeling, he crashed face-first to the floor.



A loud rapping on the walls came directly after the crash. “Keep it down over there! It’s 10:30!” a muffled voice shouted irately.



“Whoa. Tara’s a witch!” Xander said, slightly surprised, from the living room, where the Scoobies stood frozen watching Tara deal out magical energy that none of them had been fully certain she’d actually had. Willow-theory and actually seeing it happen were two completely different things.



Faith let out what sounded like a chuckle. “Thank you, Captain Obvious. Looks like she’s kickin’ some ass in there, too!”



The demon reached out a clawed hand and grabbed Tara by the ankle. With a fierce yank, he brought Tara bone-jarringly to the floor as well. “You worthless little witch. You honestly think you can hurt me with your light flashes and your foolish tricks? All of this, it’s nothing.” His breath was hot on her face, and involuntarily she cringed away from him. “So, I disgust you too?” he laughed bitterly. “Just wait until it happens to you. But your family will take care of you. Yes. Like they took care of me!”



He couldn’t blame the girl – even he hated himself, what he’d become. At least now Beth would still have a mother, even if it meant nearly eternal exile into this monstrous form. The one thing he hated most of all was what he would become, they had told him, those two shining beings he had pleaded with for his wife’s life. Such was the price, they had said, if she was to live. And it had been slowly killing him, to see her life drain away, seeing what it was doing to Beth, their only child. He hadn’t thought of what that would mean, having to live the rest of his life like this. And not a natural life, either. The beasts had ten times the life of the oldest men, at least. His grasp on his former self slipped a little more with each passing day as the murderous ways of the demon he had become took hold.



When Steven had sent him to retrieve Tara, he had first kept a clear mind about it. The girl needed to be with her family, and so it would be. He tracked her to this place, though, and that was where things began to change. He obviously could no longer be seen during the day, but had gathered enough information, seen enough from the darkened alleys, places that smelt of death and things more monstrous that even he now was. He knew who the girl, as he had gradually come to think of his niece as the demon’s nature became more assertive, associated with. And when he saw one of them late at night, her homo little witch friend, he’d at first intended merely to question him. Find out a few things. That hadn’t ended well … he hadn’t even ended up asking a single question, the demon’s rage fueling him to injure, but he finally reigned the impulse in. Even now he could feel his claws raking over flesh, his gigantic fists cracking and battering the small body of a young man who never even saw the monster coming. And part of him had liked it.



He had been striving for this, the day when he would catch the girl, subdue her, and return her to Steven, to her home. To the family he knew he could no longer be a part of. Then she would be where she belonged, not out here with her freak-show friends, doing witchcraft and who knows what else. It had become his single-minded purpose, now, the thing that filled his days. No matter how far he slipped from what he once was, he would do this thing for his brother. He would put their family back together. And if there was anything left of him that remembered who he had been by then, he would remove himself far from his former life, those he cared for, to protect them from the demon he had willingly become.



On the bed, Willow stirred. She tilted her head, and saw the demon that had knocked her out pressing down over Tara threateningly. “Tara! Noooooooo! Get away from her!” She picked up the bedside lamp and threw it as hard as she could, and it hit dead center on the thing’s back, expelling the air from its lungs in a great cough.



Buffy finally managed to move from the living room, stepping in over Tara and kicking the monster under the chin. Its head snapped back sharply, and it rolled to the side, struggling to remain conscious. Faith rushed in behind it, quickly grabbing either side of the demon’s head. “Wait, no!” Tara called out, but it was too late. The younger Slayer had already snapped the beast’s neck, killing it instantly.



~~



“I know I could have done something,” Tara repeated sullenly. The rest of the Scooby gang had headed back to their respective houses for the night, but Willow had stayed. They had already told her parents that was where she would be tonight, but even if they hadn’t, Willow would have stayed anyway. Both girls were in their pajamas, sitting together on Tara’s bed. The room had been completely cleaned and Buffy, Faith, and Angel had gone to take care of the demon’s body, something that was apparently quite a regular occurrence. Neither of the witches could sleep, not really, so they sat up together talking.



Willow shook her head, gently lifting Tara’s chin. “I’m telling you, that was big magic, Tara. That wasn’t just your garden-variety glamour. He was a demon more than he was your uncle.” Tara frowned, anguish showing clearly on her expressive features. Willow gently took the blonde witch into her arms, now without a moment’s hesitation. “I’m so sorry for what happened to him. But I really think nothing we could do could have changed him back. I know that it doesn’t make it any better,” she sighed, running her slender fingers through that soft golden mane, “but I don’t think he was happy in the slightest. Being turned into a demon? Probably not the most pleasant of things to happen to someone.”



Tara wrapped her arms around Willow’s small waist, snuggling as closely as she dared. And that’s the future I have to look forward to. Becoming a monster, having it eat away at the person I am now. With a sigh, she began, “I wish things were different. I wish … I wish I could, I don’t know, change things.”



Willow’s hands hesitated a moment before continuing their course through her hair. The redhead leaned down and whispered into her ear, “What would you change?”



Tara pulled slightly back, her face close to Willow’s. “Only one or two things,” she whispered. She ached to kiss Willow, right here and now, let everything sort itself out later. But if there was to be anything between them, she couldn’t force it. She had to let Willow choose what she wanted first. “But right now is pretty perfect.”



The other girl smiled, almost lost in those gorgeous blue eyes. “It is, isn’t it?” She leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Tara’s forehead.

IttyBittyKitty: "creme filled though...a little subtle there?"
TwiLightJoy: "There are reasons for everything, I tell ya! Chocolate-frosted reasons!"
IttyBittyKitty: "that is quite enough of YOUR sass!"

TwiLightJoy
 


Re: Chapter 30

Postby Ittybittykitty » Sat Jul 27, 2002 3:56 pm

OMG the first kiss!! Well it wasn't on the lips or anyhting, but it was there!!! YAY!! This is so good!!!!!!!

Shameless plug- Read my fic 7th Hellvan. It isn't half bad:)! "Innerbed".

Ittybittykitty
 


I'm FIRST!!!

Postby LiangFeng » Sat Jul 27, 2002 3:57 pm

I'M FIRST AGAIN!!! WHEEEEEE-!!!*trips and falls* Yay for Faith! Demon is still a demon! Wicked magic on Tara's part too...What's the next chapter gonna be like?

O-Mei Duei! JIA YOU!

LiangFeng
 


Re: I'm FIRST!!!

Postby LiangFeng » Sat Jul 27, 2002 3:58 pm

GODAMMIT SHE BEAT ME!

O-Mei Duei! JIA YOU!

LiangFeng
 


Re: Chapter 30

Postby spazz07 » Sat Jul 27, 2002 4:06 pm

Feel for Tara for having to go through that. It's nice to see Willow and Tara become exceedingly close. I can't wait for the next part. :)



Cheers

Nath

If life was meant to be a bed of daisy's we'd have chicken crap thown on us all the time.

spazz07
 


Ch.30

Postby MissQuirky » Sat Jul 27, 2002 4:08 pm

Great Update!! Go Faith for killin the Demon Uncle thingy!! I can't wait 4 ur next update, hopefully some smoochies soon!! :)

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

MissQuirky
 


Re: Chapter 30

Postby TheWhiz » Sat Jul 27, 2002 4:09 pm

Great updates!! :)

Looking forward to part 4 and seeing whats to come next!!

"I am a whiz...If ever a whiz there was"

TheWhiz
 


Feedback

Postby LeatherQueen » Sat Jul 27, 2002 4:11 pm

:) Very nice ending to this part. And the ending was so very sweet. :)



Loved this, and I can't wait for the next part.








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


"But when they're playing your song on the jukebox in Hell, you might as well dance." - K. Simpson


"Futile... like a FOX, baby!" - Tara in The Late Shift by wiccachica

LeatherQueen
 


Re: Feedback

Postby tkheaven » Sat Jul 27, 2002 4:58 pm

oh oh oh ... i really loved this update ... and the cute little forehead smoochie ... *tk puckers up *muamuamua*

more, pwease :grin

Tk's new and improved "GrrArgg"

-----------------------------
Tara was similarly riveted, her body on slow burn as Willow's lips parted and her mouth opened, the food slipping inside and being consumed. Never in her life had Tara ever wanted to be a chicken casserole so badly...Later that night..."It's good to be a chicken casserole," Tara murmured, before passing out. ~ Answering Darkness by Sassette

tkheaven
 


Re: Feedback

Postby xita » Sun Jul 28, 2002 3:46 am

oh geez, that was a suprise, Tara got a forhead kiss. Looks like Willow is forming an attachment. And poor Tara the demon fear, it is AU so I wonder what you are doing with that , especially considering her uncle. Great update!

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

"Oooh Xita!" - Amber Benson

xita
 


Re: Chapter 30

Postby mollyig » Sun Jul 28, 2002 5:21 am

Thank you, Captain Obvious Heh!



And the perfect moment, showing how close our girls are becoming - lovely!

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

mollyig
 


Re: I'm FIRST!!!

Postby Ittybittykitty » Sun Jul 28, 2002 1:32 pm

Hehe. It's ok...I'll let you post first next time. :grin

Shameless plug- Read my fic 7th Hellvan. It isn't half bad:)! "Innerbed".

Ittybittykitty
 


Y'know ...

Postby Sassette » Tue Jul 30, 2002 7:27 pm

.... I have very little to say, except that I love this fic *G*



The whole idea of taking Tara back to high school - having her escape and shown up at Sunnydale and putting her there when the "temporary" break-up with Oz happened? Beautiful.



I really love what you're doing with this, and I'm looking forward to seeing it continue.



-Sass

______________________________________

I Think The Hellmouth Tastes Like Chicken -- Autumn

Sassette
 


Re: Chapter 30

Postby Zahir al Daoud » Mon Aug 05, 2002 3:02 pm

(catching up on my fanfic)



Oh, that was lovely. But now there's the icky feeling in my mind that maybe, in this reality Tara's family was telling the truth.



Or not.

"O Let my name be in the Book of Love!
If it be there I care not of that other Book above.
Strike it out! Or write it in anew, but
Let my name be in the Book of Love!"

--Omar Kayam

Zahir al Daoud
 


Re: Chapter 30

Postby WillowLikeWhoa » Tue Aug 06, 2002 11:10 pm

More! More!



She's still not letting me read ahead of you guys. Which is fair. *^_^*



Oh, and don't kill the messenger, but if you don't already know, Joy and I are going on vacation from August 8 to August 12, so I don't know if she's going to post another chapter soon. :( Maybe she has some planned for tomorrow though. We hope.



Anyway, just a little bumpity bump.

~Michelle~
My Website

WillowLikeWhoa
 


Part 4 - Closer

Postby TwiLightJoy » Fri Aug 16, 2002 12:54 pm

Title: None officially - still!

Author: TwiLightJoy/Joy C

Email: twi_light64@hotmail.com

Distribution: Email me, and I will say yes.

Feedback: Always welcome and a huge plus motivation-wise.

Setting: This is set just before Amends - This part should be set before, during, and after Amends.

Other Stuff: Chapter 31 begins Part 4 (yes finally!!!) and I must apologize for the slowness factor. My schedule is totally messed up, I'm addicted to playing Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, and I have very few daylight hours to write. This chapter will probably come a lot slower than the previous 3 parts did, and I am muchly sorry! Happy reading!




Chapter 31



The early morning sun filtered in through the blinds, forming lines of light and shadow across Tara’s face as she slept. Willow tried her hardest not to move from the position she had awoken in, just watching how peaceful the witch’s face looked. She looked incredibly soft, not like Oz and Xander’s rougher, more angular features. Plus, no scratchy stubble. A gentle smile curved her mouth slightly upwards at the corners. Her eyelashes were fascinating - long, dark, and delicate. Her hair shone white-gold where ever the sun’s light touched it. And her slender neck curved gracefully down to her clavicles in a smooth, soft line.



In short, Tara was incredibly beautiful. She was prettier than Buffy was, and even prettier than Cordelia, who was not really nice at all but was undeniably good looking. And Tara was so nice! Nicer than pretty much everyone Willow had ever met. Not to mention really brave. And from what Buffy and Xander and Faith said, she was pretty good with the magic stuff, too. Maybe today they could try something together, since they hadn’t even been able to do that warding spell to protect the apartment last night, with everything happening so fast. She continued to study the Wiccan’s face as she thought, completely unaware of the passage of time.



As Willow watched, Tara’s eyebrows shifted slightly, and she inhaled deeply. She stretched, tightly closing her eyes before relaxing and letting her eyes flutter open to meet Willow’s brown-green ones. “Mmm. Hey, you’re up already.” She rolled her shoulders, sitting partway up in the bed. “Did, did you sleep okay?”



“Mm hmm, perfect. You?”



There was that sweet half-smile again. “Never better. Did you want some pancakes, maybe? Weekend breakfasts are kind of my specialty.”



Willow grinned and sat up beside Tara. “Wow, and you cook too! Me, I could make cold cereal wrong. Not that there’s really a way to make it wrong, just it’s kind of a hyperbole for me being no good in the kitchen. I guess I take after my mom there, so yes, pancakes would be great! Maybe I could watch and learn.”



The fair-haired witch giggled. “I’m sure you aren’t that bad. But if you want me to show you how to, um, make pancakes … I could.”



~~



About an hour later, the girls sat at the rather unconventional kitchen table eating the last of the pancakes. “I still can’t believe how you did that flip thing, with the pancake way up in the air like that!” Willow said, gleefully sopping up syrup with a square of pancake.



Tara laughed. “I was just showing off! I never really do that when I’m making them for myself, so I’m kind of surprised it actually worked. I’m not used to having an audience.” She looked a bit shy when she said the last part, sort of hiding behind her hair for a moment before tucking it back behind her ears again.



“It was amazing, it was just like those cooking shows my dad watches sometimes. He gets all excited when they do showy stuff like that. And when they set stuff on fire.” A quick grin came to Willow’s face. “I kinda like that, too.”



Tara began to clean up the table and counter, taking the dishes to the sink to soak in hot water. “I can’t say I’ve ever set anything on fire. At least, not on purpose, and it’s still been a really long time since that happened.” She spoke over her shoulder as she washed the dishes, and Willow came up on her right, picking up a cloth and drying the dishes as Tara finished rinsing them. “You, you don’t have to do that, Willow,” the Wiccan said quietly.



The redhead smiled and continued drying the plate she was working on. “I know. I just want to help.” She grinned and continued, “Once, I was at Xander’s house and I was heating up some broccoli in the microwave, and it caught on fire! It looked really neat, because the flame was all blue and it went off in bursts and made this sound like BZZTTT, but then it was bad because, you know, it wasn’t even my microwave! So I just shut it off really quick before anyone noticed, and I never told anyone about it, not even Xander, and I think the microwave was still fine. And to this day I have no idea what happened, because it was only broccoli and I’ve done it a hundred times and it’s never ever caught on fire before or since. Maybe it was faulty or something.” She looked over at Tara, reaching for the last plate, and saw the blonde struggling to hold in laughter.



Unable to contain it any more, Tara burst out laughing, the plate splashing from her hands into the bottom of the sink. “You set broccoli on fire! In the microwave! That is priceless! I wish I could have been there to see it!” She reached in for the plate, still giggling, and re-rinsed it before handing it to Willow and draining the sink. “Maybe I should just cook for you all the time, that way you’d avoid blowing up appliances.”



“Hey! I’ve never blown up any appliances!” she laughed, setting the plate on top of the other one she had already dried. “But if everything else you make is that good, you can cook for me any time!”



“Oh, I wouldn’t want your dad’s talents to go to waste…” she teased, drying her hands on a light blue towel hanging below the sink on her left. “But really, you’re welcome any time. I can’t guarantee there won’t be ramen involved, though. But I can do a lot with it, other than the traditional soupy way.” Suddenly realizing she had Willow over, and all she was talking about was food, she grimaced and mentally smacked a hand to her forehead.



Willow giggled. “What’s with the face? You look like you just remembered you have a chem test and forgot to study, and the bell’s about to ring.”



The witch smiled apologetically. “Oh, it’s just that, well, you’re here and we have all day and I’ve spent the last like hour and a half talking about food. I mean, we should do something,” she blurted out. “M-maybe, like, I could show you some of my books, or we could, um, you know, m-m-maybe practice a spell or two together? We could probably both learn something.” Agh, could I sound any stupider?



But to her surprised pleasure, Willow beamed. “That would be great.”

IttyBittyKitty: "creme filled though...a little subtle there?"
TwiLightJoy: "There are reasons for everything, I tell ya! Chocolate-frosted reasons!"
IttyBittyKitty: "that is quite enough of YOUR sass!"

TwiLightJoy
 


Re: Part 4 - Closer

Postby tkheaven » Fri Aug 16, 2002 1:05 pm

YAY Update!

:lol Willow setting broccoli on fire! and the whole ramen thing was cute, too...now what about those spells?? :angel

Tk's new and improved "GrrArgg"

-----------------------------
Tara was similarly riveted, her body on slow burn as Willow's lips parted and her mouth opened, the food slipping inside and being consumed. Never in her life had Tara ever wanted to be a chicken casserole so badly...Later that night..."It's good to be a chicken casserole," Tara murmured, before passing out. ~ Answering Darkness by Sassette

tkheaven
 


Re: Part 4 - Closer

Postby Muttley » Fri Aug 16, 2002 1:37 pm

Great to see this story on the go again - sweet update with Willow's attraction for Tara deepening all the time.



Thanks



Jayne

Muttley
 


Part 4 - Closer

Postby AmberBensonRockzMyWorld » Fri Aug 16, 2002 1:45 pm

Wow...I love the update...You Rock! I can't wait for more...:grin

I'll chat with ya on AIM when you get home from work. :grin

Much Love,

Lisa

~~~





Must I dream and Always see your face.~ Jeff Buckley "Last goodbye"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Recomended Reading: IttyBittyKitty's fic...
"7th Hellvan"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AmberBensonRockzMyWorld
 


Pancakes

Postby Zahir al Daoud » Fri Aug 16, 2002 3:31 pm

Hmmmm...this could be an interesting metaphor. "Making pancakes." You know, the stirring and heating everything up, applying just enough oil and turning over when the time is right, combined with the whole putting one on top of the other.



Yep. This metaphor has possibilities!



(and that's without even mentioning syrup!)

Zahir al Daoud
 


Re: Pancakes

Postby LeatherQueen » Fri Aug 16, 2002 4:55 pm

:grin I'm so glad to see this story continue. Love the growing closeness between these two, and the ease with which they relate to each other. Lovely!








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


"But when they're playing your song on the jukebox in Hell, you might as well dance." - K. Simpson


"Futile... like a FOX, baby!" - Tara in The Late Shift by wiccachica

LeatherQueen
 


Re: Pancakes

Postby spazz07 » Fri Aug 16, 2002 5:39 pm

Great stuff Joy, i love reading about their budding relationship in your story. Glad to see this story up and going again :)



Cheers

Nath

Isn't it funny how you feel your most tired five minutes before you have to get up.

spazz07
 


Re: Pancakes

Postby MissQuirky » Fri Aug 16, 2002 5:47 pm

That was really cute! And sweet too!! I can just feel the smoochies comin soon, hopefully i'm right!! ;) Can't wait 4 ur next update!! :)

"Don't warn the tadpoles!...
I-I have frog fear."

MissQuirky
 


Re: Pancakes

Postby mollyig » Mon Aug 19, 2002 12:53 am

That was a lovely image, Willow watching over the sleeping Tara.



Willow's story about the broccoli was funny, plus it was nice that she told something to Tara that she had never told anyone else.

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

mollyig
 


Re: Pancakes

Postby TheWhiz » Mon Aug 19, 2002 11:37 am

Great to see an update on this fic!

Loved Willow telling Tara about the broccoli incident :lol and at the same time see them growing closer together.

"I am a whiz...If ever a whiz there was"

TheWhiz
 


Re: Pancakes

Postby Ephiny2002 » Wed Aug 21, 2002 12:01 pm

This is *such* a cute story, Joy! I'm loving it and can't wait for more. Can't wait for Graduation Day :D ! It's going to be great, I know! Keep it coming.



--Ephiny



"Fine, I don't need to be snuggled."

"Vixen." --Family

Ephiny2002
 


Chapter 32

Postby TwiLightJoy » Wed Aug 21, 2002 1:17 pm

Willow reflected back on her weekend. She’d had a really great time with Tara on Saturday, though she could tell the blonde was still wracked with guilt over what had happened to her uncle. For the most part she was okay, but in quiet moments a deep sadness clouded those soft blue eyes.



Willow had done her best to comfort her friend, who she had come to care very deeply about in so short a period of time. She was so full of life, so sweet and at times shy, yet bold in her own way, going on her own path regardless of any obstacles that stood in her way. Willow really admired that about her, what little Tara had revealed about her past had pretty much shown that she was a very determined person and was true to herself no matter what.



Tara had proudly shown Willow her collection of books that she had toted down the coast with her on the way to Sunnydale. Tara’s mother’s small, precise handwriting lined the margins of many pages, making notes, tips, or clarifications to the text. Tara had written in occasional blurbs, her handwriting also small but more fluid, mostly about mistakes she’d made and how to correct them in the future. These were not written directly in the book, but on small sheets of notepaper and tucked between the pages. Small sketches, mostly of birds and winged sprites with playful smiles, were sometimes on the back of the slips of paper. When she’d questioned Tara about them, the fair-haired young woman dismissed them as “scribbles” and her cheeks had tinted slightly red.



Together that had done one spell, one that had two pieces of paper detailing what not to do, indicating that Tara had attempted it twice by herself with minimal success. One slip was quite yellowed, the writing slightly larger and rounder than on the second paper. Willow had thought that to be a good one to try, because that way they would be covering new ground when they succeeded, as she was confident they would. And succeeded they had, the redhead grinned, remembering the triumphant smile on Tara’s face, the sparkle in her cerulean eyes.



It wasn’t anything big, no vampiric soul restoration or polymorphing or transdimensional gateways, just a fleet of tiny sparkling blue-green lights, it seemed like thousands of them, floating leisurely around the studio for about forty-five minutes. Once they had been summoned, the lights just wafted around shining, and Tara seemed to particularly enjoy the lighting effects they created, making the entire apartment appear to have reflections off a body of water. She watched delightedly, remarking about the great number of lights, and how she’d only gotten between three and five by herself, and the duration of the spell, which continued for the better part of an hour as opposed to fifteen minutes. If it was possible, Willow would have liked to make the spell permanent, just to make Tara that happy all the time.



Yes, it had been a pretty good weekend. And now it was the kind of lazy week before vacation. Everyone was only in school because they had to be, and with winter break coming up, no major projects were being assigned. It seemed even the teachers were looking forward to a couple weeks with nothing to do. The only on who still managed to be a grouch was Principal Snyder, but he seemed to fit the Grinch profile quite well, so it was mostly expected behavior. Anyone who thought Snyder would actually show some holiday cheer would at this point have to be delusional.



Willow headed to her locker alongside Buffy and Xander as the bell rang, trying to hear Buffy’s story about Angel over the excited throng of students pouring into the hallway. After that, they made their way to the student lounge to relax for a bit, but were momentarily interrupted by Cordelia going out of her way to be rude to Xander. This tended to happen a lot now, ever since the kissing fluke. She knew it hurt Xander, so she made an extra effort to put him and the Scooby gang down at every occasion. No sooner than Cordelia left, than Oz quietly approached.



“Hey,” he said casually, stepping up onto the first stair to the lounge.



Willow couldn’t hide her surprise at seeing him, and more, being addressed by him. This hadn’t happened in quite a while. “Hey,” she answered, not knowing what else to say. The Scoobs greeted the musician, and he smiled, but kept his focus on Willow.



“Could we … talk?” At Willow’s affirming nod, he led her away from the lounge.



~~



“This is what I do know: I miss you. Like, every second. Almost like I lost an arm, or worse, a torso. So, I think I'd be willing to ... give it another shot.” Oz looked at Willow with a small, hopeful smile. “What do you think?”



Willow looked more confused than anything else by these words. “Oz, I-I don’t know what to say. I mean, I sorta thought we’d never be at this place. I, you know, I kinda hoped we would, e-eventually. But…”



Oz stepped towards Willow, reaching for her hand with both of his. “Hey, if you need some time, I’m cool with that. I mean, it was kind of a big thing. But just so you know … I’m ready when you are. I’d really like to try again.” He gently squeezed her hand before letting go and exiting the room, leaving Willow alone with her thoughts.



~~



“Will, that’s great!” Buffy grinned. “But wait, you don’t look like it’s great. Why isn’t this great?”



Willow shook her head, obviously baffled by her own reactions. “I don’t know! I mean, yeah, part of me is like yay! Oz! But the other part is all, is that what you really want now.” She got the concentration face, her eyebrows drawing together and her lips forming a thin line. “It’s confusing. I miss him a lot, but I’m not sure I’m ready to, you know, have a boyfriend right now.” She picked invisible lint off Buffy’s comforter, eyes downcast as she admitted this to her best friend.



“Then that’s probably what you should tell him. I mean, Oz is an understanding guy,” the Slayer pointed out. “Just talk to him. You’ll work it out.”



The witch let out a sigh. “Yeah, I guess.” But if Oz was the one she really wanted to be with, why was there so much as a slight hesitation? Why hadn’t she just said yes? She knew it didn’t have a thing to do with Xander, things on that front were completely back to normal. Maybe she should talk to Tara about it. The blonde was really good with figuring out people, their motivations, what made them tick. Yes, she determined, talking to Tara would help.



Edited coz I mis-numbered the chapter! I do that a lot. Heh. ~Joy

IttyBittyKitty: "creme filled though...a little subtle there?"
TwiLightJoy: "There are reasons for everything, I tell ya! Chocolate-frosted reasons!"
IttyBittyKitty: "that is quite enough of YOUR sass!"

Edited by: TwiLightJoy at: 8/21/02 12:22:05 pm
TwiLightJoy
 


talking...

Postby Ittybittykitty » Wed Aug 21, 2002 1:28 pm

Wow, I may just be another screaming fan but-



OMG I LOVE YOU JOY!!!!!



I'm done now.



Really liked it btw.

Ittybittykitty
 

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