Fic: No More

[tommo]

I love how you're taking this slowly. But it's about time that Willow and Tara got together. In the proper way, that is. I love how Michael and Amy are being proper friends to Tara; it's so cute how she called Willow and they were both tentative about their arrangements.



Thanks for this; it was just so sweet.

----------
"The only thing going for me -
were those moments - just
moments - when Tara would look at
me and I was wonderful."

[xita]

Ooh that's almost like a date It's always fun when the parents are out. I really like Michael, he's just funny. I am glad those 2 pushed Tara, it's probably the only way she would have asked her out.

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

Childie -"Not all girls are raving bloody lesbians, you know!"

George - "That's a misfortune of which I am perfectly well aware."

The Killing of Sister George

[Ittybittykitty]

I know I'm still just another screaming fan but...



WOOOOOOHOOOOOO!



Awesome update Joy, I like reading your fic so much it almost inspires me to update my own. he he he. (RIIIGHT! HAHAHA)

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

[mollyig]

Really glad that Amy and Michael prompted Tara to ring Willow.

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

[vix84]

Wonderful update



I love how we're getting Tara's side of this story, and ase left to imagine how Willow feels/what she's thinking.



Can't wait for the next update!

[TwiLightJoy]

Willow awoke quite early. She’d had the same dream again, and was again frustrated by her failure to remember the details. Who was the person in the dream, the one who trusted in her and made her feel so loved and special? Things had been really confusing this week. The one constant had been Tara, who dropped everything to talk to her, something even Buffy hadn’t been doing since Angel had come back. Well, then, she would have to do something special for Tara when she came over tonight, as a thank you.



~~



As she had expected, Tara’s friends had relentlessly teased her about her date with Willow. “It isn’t a date!” she’d protested, though she kind of hoped it was one. She was lucky to have such good friends, she knew. The anticipation for tonight was about to kill her, and she wasn’t even out of bed yet. Luckily she was all set with Willow’s gift … she just hoped that Willow understood it.



There was still a long time before she could show up at Willow’s house, but what to do until then? There were always little things to do around the apartment, busywork, which she thought would be the best thing to do for the time being. The tedium would get to her after a while. But then, it was better than sitting around watching the clock. Tara got dressed and ready for her day, a long day by the looks of it, but worth the wait in the end.



Several hours later, Tara hung up her last load of clean laundry and looked down at her watch, frowning to see that it was only 12:24. She had planned on getting over to the Rosenberg’s house at around 5 o’clock, which seemed a dreadfully long time from now. She looked around the apartment appraisingly, trying to determine if she needed to do anything else. The tiny kitchen was clean, everything was dusted, and the floors were clean. So that left … nothing. Four and a half hours of nothing.



The television that had come with the apartment had kind of fuzzy reception and no matter how many times she adjusted the color on it, everything kept a greenish tint to it. Nothing really was on today anyway, so that was out. The young woman sat down on the couch and peered into the fish tank.



“Well guys, it’s Christmas Eve,” she said. One of the snails peeked up at her, and the fish hovered near the top of the tank, begging for food. A grin crept onto Tara’s face and she reached down for the food, feeding the darts. “I’m going over to Willow’s tonight, so you’ll be on your own again. I hope you don’t mind, but you have each other for company. I kind of like to be with humans sometimes, instead of fish. And snails.” The fish obliviously munched on the food flakes, while the snail continued to watch her speak.



“But this human is special,” she continued. “I really like her. In fact, I think it’s safe to say I’m in love with her. Now, that may or may not work out, but I’m going to hope it does. So that’s the main reason I’m leaving you guys alone tonight.” The snail that had been paying attention now pulled himself back into his shell for a nap. “I guess that sums up your level of interest in that subject,” Tara grinned, and set the top back down on the tank.



~~



It was finally time to head over to Willow’s house. Tara had decided in the end to read a few chapters of a book and take a short nap before packing her overnight bag. She’d put on her nicest skirt and a comfortable light blue button down shirt, then put her Army surplus jacket in her backpack along with her overnight things, since it was still too warm to really need it. The walk over was quiet and fairly enjoyable, with people making their way to holiday get-togethers with their families and the majority of the shops already closed. The occasional last minute shopper rushed to get their final purchases in at the few stores that remained open.



At last, she walked up Willow’s street, happy to have been invited over, happy that Willow had known how lonely tonight would be and how much she wanted to share the other young woman’s company. Tara climbed the small set of stairs onto the porch and knocked quietly. After a few minutes, nothing happened, so she knocked again, this time more firmly. A quick scamper of feet could be heard before the door rushed open, a slightly red-faced Willow behind it.



And for some reason, she looked surprised and almost curious, just looking at Tara. A slow smile curved its way across her mouth, then she suddenly exclaimed, “Oh! Why don’t you come in, instead of me standing here like an idiot … uh … here, let me take your bag.” She pulled the door all the way open and reached a hand out for the bag, which Tara shrugged off her shoulders and handed over.



“Thanks … are you okay?” the Wiccan asked. “You look a little … um-”



“Oh, no,” Willow said quickly, cutting in. “I’m okay, I’m fine, I was just um, cooking, actually. I heard you knock but I was afraid that stuff would boil over or burn so I had to shut it off. I think it’s done now.” She smiled, setting Tara’s bag down out of the way and indicating the table. “So you can sit right down and I’ll be out in a minute.” With that, the elfish redhead disappeared into the kitchen.



Tara raised her eyebrows, but took a seat and waited patiently. The clank of dishes and cutlery emerged from the kitchen for a few moments, and then Willow came out carrying a couple of loaded plates. “I couldn’t carry the drinks at the same time, is milk okay, or we have juice and water, and I think we have some soda too. And before you say anything, I know it doesn’t really look like macaroni and cheese. I think there was some kind of accident in transit and all the noodles got broken.” Finally pausing for breath, she looked apprehensively at Tara.



In response, the blonde girl grinned widely. “Willow, this is amazing. Don’t worry, I’m sure everything is going to be perfect, and I’m so proud of you for cooking! And yes, milk is fine.”



The smaller girl beamed, then promptly dashed back into the kitchen, coming back out with two glasses of milk. She took a seat next to Tara and smiled excitedly. “I’ve never cooked for anyone before! I know it isn’t like, what you’re used to for Christmas Eve, but I didn’t think I’d be able to pull off anything else. And I’m kinda worried if I was able to pull off this, so….”



Tara gave Willow a reassuring look and gently touched her forearm. “I said not to worry, I’m sure you did everything perfectly.”



Those are the eyes, I know those are the eyes, Tara’s eyes, from my dreams. Those dreams were about Tara, Willow thought, looking again into those clear blue eyes again. She’d noticed it the instant she’d opened the door, as soon as she saw Tara she knew it, she remembered the eyes from her dreams. Tara’s eyes. And she could feel the heat of Tara’s hand slowly warming her forearm where it rested.



Her hand moved seemingly of its own volition to see if her skin was really as soft as it was in the dreams. When Tara abruptly moved her hand away to pick up her fork. Willow quickly picked her own fork up as well.

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!"

[LiangFeng]

Wah! That was it? Too short I say! Too short! I mean, you just can't feed it to us little by little and expect us to not die of anticipation for the next chapter! Oooh, am I first? I better be first, GODAMMIT! Sorry for the language. : )

I would really appreciate it... if you don't do that again. -- Liu Jiuan, "Kiss of the Dragon"

[iceprincess2076]

OOH OOH!!!!!!! Willow knows its Tara in her dreams.....but, but......YOU left it THERE?



Oh please update SOON!!!!! that wasn't enough!!!!!!



ICE

[spazz07]

Great stuff Joy, glad to see Willow FINALLY realised who she'd been dreaming about and lusting after all this time Now all she needs to do is make a move on the blonde girl who is so in love with her then we'll all be happy



Cheers

Nath

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

[vix84]

Omg! Loveddddd it! When Willow recognized her eyes *happy sigh*.



Please update soon!

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

Willow: Those darn Salem judges. With their less-satanic-than-thou attitude.

Tara: Oh, honey, let’s change it. The Discovery channel has koala bears.


Intervention

[xita]

great update! WIllow figured it out! This could turn out to be a real date after all! More more more!

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

Childie -"Not all girls are raving bloody lesbians, you know!"

George - "That's a misfortune of which I am perfectly well aware."

The Killing of Sister George

[mollyig]

Lovely that Willow's dreams helped her become aware of how she feels about Tara. But poor Tara, so insecure, turned away.



Really looking forward to the next chapter. Thanks.

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

[oneinten]

Wow fantastic Joy! I'm loving this fic! Yeah I love the dreams too! Actually you had me for a second there and I thought I'd missed a scene. Hopefully though it will happen soon!!!



Can't wait for an update!



kath

[tommo]

This story is lovely. I really like how Willow realised it was Tara from her dreams; how they have made that connection on a very personal and intimate level. And wow, this is just the beginning. So lovely. Thank you.

----------
"The only thing going for me -
were those moments - just
moments - when Tara would look at
me and I was wonderful."

[jdcioffi]

Excellent update. I love the "i know it doesn't LOOK like macaroni and cheese" line -- I could actually hear Willow say that.



And the eyes -- it's always the eyes.



I look forward to more -- and to Tara's reaction to the food. Is it good? LOL



JD

"Was there a voice unkind in the back of your mind saying, "maybe..." (Jeff Buckley - The Last Goodbye)

[tkheaven]

o/~ Love is in the air, everytime you look around...o/~

Whew! Tension is building up, so is the heat...and I don't think it's from the mac and cheese Love to see who gets to unwrap, umm, the gifts..YEah...

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

[TromDeGrey]

OK, Joy, I never beg/demand for updates, but... AAARRRGGGHHHH!!!!! Update soon PLEASE!!!!!!!!

"Live or die, but don't poison everything..." -Anne Sexton

[MissQuirky]

Great update!! Now the fun is starting!! I Loved how Tara talked to her lil fishy's and snails, so cute!



Willow cooking, Wow she'll do anything 4 Tara! I'm sure all that macaroni n cheese isn't really that bad!



The old reach 4 the hand trick, to bad Tara pulled away. Stuff coulda happened then! I hope some things happen soon! Can't wait 4 more!!

Willow: We can come by between classes. Usually I use that time to copy over my class notes with a system of different colored pens. But it's been pointed out to me that that's, you know... insane.
Tara: I said quirky.

[Magrat70]

Another great part Joy but once again you leave us with the tease more please

These five words in my head scream "are we having fun yet?"

Chad Kroeger

[Zahir al Daoud]

There's a word for what Willow just felt. It is called the "Thunderbolt." Once you feel it, you're never again the same.



Heh heh heh

"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

[TareBearRS]

Need more......



It was a sweet update though i hope for more soon.

I'm glad that Willow remembers that the woman in her dreams is Tara.



R.

[Ittybittykitty]

So how long till she tests out her skin theory? GRUNIONS SOON? please?



I know, I know, patience little poptart! But still!! hehehe.

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

[TheWhiz]

Wonderful update

Glad Willow has finally worked out that it is Tara she has been dreaming about.

Also I thought Tara talking to her fish & snails was really sweet!

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

[TwiLightJoy]

Thanks for your continuing patience with the hella slowness of posting. I will warn you that this one kinda stops abrutply, but I needed a place to cut it since otherwise it would have been double the length of my regular slightly-over-1000-words-per-chapter thing. Tomorrow I WILL be posting the second half of it as Chapter 38. And yes, there is plenty of goodness ahead. Heehee.



~Joy



Throughout the meal, Tara was pleased to catch Willow’s gaze often, though the hazel-green eyes were quick to dart away. It was kind of cute, she thought, how Willow kept looking at her, then away, always returning to Tara in the end. And incredibly sweet that she had made dinner, which was really very good, despite the broken noodles. The texture was actually interesting. Not something she was sure she would enjoy every night, but the effort and thoughts behind the gesture were appreciated.



They did the dishes together afterwards, their hands shyly making contact as the dishes were passed from one girl to the other. Willow was extremely quiet tonight, which was quite unusual for the normally babbling young woman. Finishing the dishes, they moved to the living room onto a comfortably large sofa, sitting close together but without touching.



Tara broke the silence. “So, um, how come you’re so quiet tonight? Not to say that I’m not, you know, having a good time. I am, so much; it’s really great. The dinner, and … everything. Wonderful.” She scooted a little closer to Willow, who glanced happily up at Tara, then studied the carpet intently, her hair falling down to cover part of her pixie-ish face for a moment before she tucked it back behind her ears.



“I’m glad you are, I mean, cooking and everything … it was kinda a big adventure. I’m really glad you liked it.” Her eyes darted again to Tara’s blue ones, held there for a while, then flicked away again.



“But you’re acting like ... different. Like something’s up,” Tara concluded. “You aren’t looking at me like you usually do.”



There’s a way that I look at her? Willow wondered. “Um, well you know when you have a dream, a-and there’s someone in the dream, and then you see them in real life, when you’re awake, and it’s like they’ll somehow know, and you can’t really deal?”



Unable to censor the thought, as it sped directly from its formation to her mouth, Tara blurted out, “You dreamed about me?” Then her brain caught up with her mouth and she sat back a little, giving Willow a little more space. “No, no, you don’t have to say anything … just, just forget I said that, okay? If you want to tell me, you can, but you don’t have to. And … yeah, I know what you mean, a-about the dream thing.” Boy, do I ever….



Willow smiled and became visibly more relaxed, reclining with a sigh closer to Tara. “Okay, whew. I thought I was the only one that happened to for some reason. I mean … it can be pretty weird sometimes, when you have kind of unusual dreams then you can’t look at people in the same way again.” She tilted her head back and regarded Tara for a moment before breaking into a grin. “So you have a present for me, I remember you told me that. Not that I only invited you over for a present, because I just wanted to hang out with you and it’s vacation and my folks are away and it’s your first Christmas away from your family too. So we can keep each other company and stuff.”



She cringed a bit. “I actually got you something too … can I go get it? I hope you like it ‘cause I don’t really have that much money and I know how thoughtful you are so I’m not sure it’ll be good enough. And I’m definitely not sure that the dinner counts as a present because I did it wrong. Oops, I’m babbling again. Sorry.”



Willow stood and quickly excused herself to her room and came out with a brightly wrapped box, haphazardly bedecked in ribbons. Handing the gift to Tara, she sat down practically on top of her and pointed out things. “See, I got blue paper but they didn’t have the blue I wanted to get, so I had to go a little darker. Plus it’s shiny and the other side is silver, which I thought was so cool. A-and the ribbons weren’t very cooperative, so I had to use a lot of tape. I guess I’m better at the theory than the practice.”



Tara accepted the box and tried not to giggle at Willow’s explanation of everything. “It’s a nice color,” she agreed, and carefully turned the box over, slowly peeling the tape off to keep the ribbons and wrapping paper in one piece. Ever so cautiously, the paper was removed then neatly folded with the ribbons placed on top. “Sorry, it’s just so nice. I w-wanted to keep it.” Tara then set the paper aside and opened the plain box and pushed aside the tissue paper to reveal a delicate white peasant top.



The squared off collar was richly embroidered in several shades of blue, and two vertical lines of light blue ran down the front and back. The sleeves were long and slightly flared, edged in the same light blue that ran down the front and back, and the bottom hem was finished the same way. “Oh my gosh, Willow! It’s beautiful! Thank you so much!” She held the shirt up in one hand and wrapped Willow into a hug with the other.



Willow returned the hug, wholeheartedly pleased that Tara liked the top. But now she was bombarded with a hundred different questions: how long should she hold the hug before she let go? Would Tara be able to tell she was wondering about it? Was her heart beating too loudly, and would Tara notice? What would happen next?



The first question, anyway, was answered by just letting go when Tara did. That was pretty simple. And little did Willow know that Tara was asking herself the same things. But she did know what to do next. After all, she had a gift for Willow, too.



The taller girl replaced the shirt into the box, then turned that half-smile on. “So I guess it’s time for me to give you your gift now. But we … we need to go to your room. The, the windows face the right direction. It’s um, well, there’s a story first.”



Willow seemed slightly confused, but nodded and led the way into her room. Both young women sat on the bed, facing Willow’s French doors, which Tara looked out, seeming to search for something as the sun dipped down behind the treetops. She finally took a deep breath and began her story.



Evil, I know. To be continued tomorrow!

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!"

[spazz07]

Great stuff Joy, really liking the continued feelings our girls are feeling for one another. Looking forward to seeing Tara's gift for Willow and of course some eventual smoochies, which were all still holding out for Great update and i'm pleased to know there's one coming tomorrow as well



Cheers

Nath

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

[tommo]

Ah, I love how Willow's almost afraid of her own feelings for Tara. Let 'em out, Willow!



This is such a lovely story.

----------
"Squish. Squish. Squish."

[Grimlock72]

Just read all of this fic, the first chapters were read at very high (ultra-angsty ) speed. Kinda relaxed when Tara managed to get out of the house. I was so scared for her in those first chapters, aaaaaawww... Willow being all determined and going to find her was good. (some nifty spell that was btw)



I like how brave Tara is, all the preparation/determination she shows here. Haven't seen that specific part of her life described before. (the getting away part).



Did I mention I like the getting-together stories ? This has a nice slow (therefore more to read ) pace. One of Tara's familly actually being a demon is kinda scary... see where that leads us.



Oww..and Tara having her own appartment, I adored that esp. what she put in it and such. Could really visualize that, cuuuute .



Grimmy

"Willow’s magic got out of control, and your response was to fight her with even more magic.Do you make a habit of putting out fires with gasoline?" Tara to Giles -- Mission Statement (ch9.5) by Bagheera

Edited by: Grimlock72 at: 9/11/02 12:38:23 pm

[mollyig]

I adored the Willowbabble - she's so cute.



You've captured perfectly how tentative they both are. Its really adorable.



Thanks for this lovely story.

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

[Urn of Osiris]

This is so wonderful. You have written them so tender and gentle. Its so heartwarming. *sigh* Can't wait for Tara's gift. Great fic. Thanks for a smile on a day like today.

Urn of Osiris
_________________**
WILLOW: That's a work ethic! Buffy, you're developing a work ethic.

BUFFY: Oh, no. Do they make an ointment for that
"you can not have more fan fic, you have a fan fic problem"

[vix84]

I adore this fic! I loved how they were both so unsure when to let go of the hug.



Thanks so much for the update!

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

Willow: Those darn Salem judges. With their less-satanic-than-thou attitude.

Tara: Oh, honey, let’s change it. The Discovery channel has koala bears.


Intervention

Edited by: vix84 at: 9/11/02 6:22:22 am