Ah as promised by little ol' me i've been busy sitting at my desk writing and have finally brought with me an update. I have my first full weekend off and other than some shopping tomorrow i have plenty of spare time so hopefully i can get a couple more updates done on the weekend. Anyway without much further ado...
Title – All You Wanted
Author – Nathan
E-mail –
nathspazz@yahoo.com.au Feedback – Well I am a feedback whore so it would be greatly appreciated
Spoilers – None, it’s AU so yeah
Rating – Between PG and R18+ ample warning will be given.
Disclaimer – Willow and Tara and any other character that appeared in the syndicated television show “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” is property of Joss and Mutant Enemy, I’m only borrowing them and am not making any money off them. All the others are mine though. Also the title for the fic is a Michelle Branch song so credit goes to her and part names will be named after various songs I like that fit nicely with the story so credit will be given there.
Summary – Set slightly in the future, 24-year-old Willow and Tara run into each other, it’s set mostly in New York so no Sunnydale or hell mouth or anything. Just good ol’ fashioned romance.
Part 4 – Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd)“So what is it?” Willow asked sceptically as she walked into her bosses office, Tara not far behind.
“I just caught you goofing of during work hours, should you not be worried?” Linda asked half amazed.
“Should I be?” Willow answered, still rather sceptical. Linda just smiled and cracked up laughing.
“Yeah right if I fired you two for that I’d have to throw my own ass out the door.” Linda managed to get out between deep breaths as she calmed herself back down. Willow herself was still laughing whilst Tara was just completely relieved she wasn’t getting in trouble.
“Well at least one of you was panicking.” Linda pointed to Tara to help emphasise her point.
“Yeah well, poor Tara here isn’t as used to you as I might be.” Willow smirked as her eyes focused on Tara standing next to her in the doorway.
“So what do you need us for then Linda?” Tara asked, getting the conversation back on topic.
“Willow have you heard of the Jacob’s report.” Linda directed her question to the redhead.
“Yeah, I remember Patrick saying something about it being a major report that the company had a lot of money riding on.” Willow answered and Linda nodded smiling, the redhead’s answer was spot on.
“Right, well it seems they need some major number crunching done and they need it quickly so they threw it at me telling me it was my problem now. Willow I know this is where you excel and it’d be good to get Tara into the nitty gritty of what she’s here for so if you two wouldn’t mind?” Linda looked at the two girls hopefully.
“I’d love too.” Tara smiled at the older woman and Willow looked a bit surprised at the blonde’s instant expectance.
“Looks like it’s settled then.” Willow eventually smiled at the blonde, happy that it would mean spending more time together, something that Linda was quick to point out.
“You two realise that you are gonna have to put a fair bit of overtime in together, this is crucial to the company, you are lucky to be getting this opportunity at such a young age.” The older woman added to her previous words.
“We’re aware of the great opportunity you’re giving us Linda and we won’t let you down.” Willow responded, emphasised by a large smile from Tara who nodded her head in agreement.
“Well it’s settled then, I do hope you two get along well together.” Linda smiled as Willow and Tara looked at each other, there was definitely no way that was going to be a problem.
“Also on the added side there is a business trip one you’ve done, you’ll be part of the group that will be pitching for the contract so I hope you don’t mind.” Linda added for good measure.
“Were exactly would we be flying to?” Willow asked, Tara looked on eagerly wondering the same thing.
“Here’s the part where you’re gonna hate me, they are doing it at a resort in Hawaii, five star, company paid, and pretty much all you have to do is the pitch. Sorry but it can’t be helped.” Linda smiled at the two girls who’s grins where completely covering there faces.
“Well I must day I’m disappointed but if the company insists I go, then being the loyal worker I am, I guess I must.” Willow replied in her most sarcastic possible tone.
“Yeah you realise we’re gonna charge a fortune to room service to voice our displeasure.” Tara added, finally getting in on the mix.
“Be sure that you do then.” Linda smiled as she watched the two very happy girls exit her office.
… … … …
Willow practically danced all the way back towards her cubicle before she came to a halt in front of a wide eyed brunette.
“By the looks of you two, I’d say you just won tickets to Hawaii.” Sam nodded towards Willow and Tara who was standing behind her in her own very happy face.
“Well, we kinda did.” Willow gloated as she continued her happy dance past her friend who just stood there open mouthed before taking off after her friend.
“What do you mean kinda did, what the hell did Linda say?” The curious brunette asked the incredibly gleeful redhead.
“Tara and I have an important report to prepare so if you wouldn’t mind.” Willow smiled and turned away, Sam quickly followed however, her curious nature getting the better of her.
“Oh no you don’t missy, you start talking now else my fingers start getting busy.” Tara raised an eyebrow suspiciously at the meaning to Sam’s wording.
“I’m gonna tickle her if she doesn’t spill.” Sam clarified to the bemused blonde. Tara smiled and nodded, waiting for further interaction between the two girls.
“So…” Sam crossed her arms, waiting for Willow to unload the goss onto her.
“We’re doing some number crunching for the Jacob’s report, we get to go to Hawaii for the pitch so, yay.” Willow squealed with joy as she heard the words come out of her mouth.
“WHAT! How come Linda didn’t ask me, the sun would be perfect for my tan.” Sam pouted in disbelief.
“Yeah well you see we actually have to work before we get to go.” Willow chimed in at that moment.
“Yeah well, you could do that for me, I’d be happy to let you do the3 number crunching stuff and me handle the pitch.” Sam retorted still bitter about the whole thing.
“Yeah, except you wouldn’t know what to pitch if you didn’t do the number crunching.” Willow smirked at the brunette.
“Yeah well I guess so, I could have been there for moral support, you have your public speaking fear remember?” Sam chipped in making another valid point.
“True but Tara will be there, and well quite frankly I’m not sure if I could live with myself if I deprived Linda of someone as motivated as yourself.” Willow cheerily smiled as she finally sat down at her desk switching her computer on.
“Fine missy, I want postcards and plenty of topless photographs when you get back.” Sam pouted and marched out of the cubicle, back to her own little private world she called a cubicle. Tara was struggling to keep her giggling under control, she loved the playful banter between the two girls, it reminded her of her times spent with Alex whilst they were in college. Since the move though things had been pretty subdued between the two but Tara was sure they would pick up quickly.
… … … …
“Hey Tar.” Alex called out from his position on the couch, drinking a beer and watching t.v.
“Hey great news, I got given this really big important assignment at work and I’ll end up spending some time at a resort in Hawaii.” Tara practically squealed as she answered her friend.
“Hey then great news all round, I say we go out for tea, my shout.” Alex stood up from his sitting position positively smiling.
“I’d love to but Willow’s coming over to help out on the report, Linda paired the two of us together. What do you mean your shout anyway… does this mean?” Tara instantly smiled at what she thought it meant and the beaming smile across Alex’s face was a dead give away.
“I got a job, I’m working at the museum.” He smiled and opened his arms wide and Tara quickly embraced him in congratulations.
“My god I’m so happy for you, now you wont have to mooch of me forever.” She smiled as she tightened her grip around him.
“Yeah though I was kinda liking that, though I figured I better put this Archaeology degree to use.” He smiled and swayed slightly in the embrace.
“Wow, with all our money we’ll be able to afford a bigger place.” Tara pondered for a moment.
“What, you think I cramp your space.” Alex smirked down at Tara and gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head before he moved to the fridge to pull out another beer.
“The least you could do is have a drink with me.” He offered and waved a beer to Tara.
“Get your hands off my Heiny.” She joked as she took it out of his hands and popped the cap.
“So am I actually going to get to meet Willow tonight or am I ducking out before she gets here.” Alex smiled to his friend.
“You can stay till I introduce you, then you can duck out. This is pretty important what we’re working on so its best we not be distracted.”
“Yeah whatever, you just want me out of the way so you can put the moves on her.” Alex smiled and Tara stood dumbfounded.
“What no, I mean she’s a she and I’m a she and no.” Tara was able to mumble out pretty unconvincingly. If she couldn’t fool Alex who’d hardly seen them together she would have a mighty hard time fooling herself, though ignorance can be a precious thing.
“Come on Tar, you’re only kidding yourself, you talk about her non-stop and it seems you’ve spent every living minute with her since you got here. Admit you have a crush on her.” Alex reasoned and Tara seemed to be lulling over it for a moment, she knew how persistent he could be and wasn’t sure she could convince him if she didn’t have a crush on her, the hard part was she knew deep down that she did.
“Okay maybe I do, does it make me a bad person, no. However we are work colleagues and I’m not gonna let some frivolous feeling get in the way of a great working relationship.” Tara retorted with a hint of stubbornness, though that was never a thing to get in the way of Alex’s prying nature.
“What Tar, your first girl crush and you’re just going to let it pass you by?” Alex continued to pry.
“Yes, is that so hard to believe.” Tara continued her stubbornness.
“Yes, I mean she’s a hottie, you’re a hottie. Do you have any idea the sort of images that will skip around in my mind if the two of you hooked up.” Alex teased, causing Tara to blush profusely.
“Exactly why I wouldn’t besides she wouldn’t be interested anyway.” Tara’s tone took on a glum feeling and Alex knew that she needed him as a friend now.
“Hey Tar, even if she isn’t that way inclined, you have such a great personality that makes everyone fall head over heels for you, I know I did when I first met you.” Alex stated sincerely and offered a brave smile, which Tara returned meekly.
“You really think so?” Tara managed to get out, all her doubts and fears were coming out to the young lad across from her, she felt she could share anything with him at the moment and it was helping her realise more about herself.
“Of course I do, I wouldn’t have said it otherwise. You are the most amazing person I know, I mean not that I know many people but the people I do meet have an awful high ladder to climb if they want to compete with you there.” Alex’s words brought a healthier smile to Tara’s cheeks as she soaked up his compliments.
“Thanks, I mean I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. She sets my world on fire just by smiling at me, it seems like she’s insecure about herself sometimes but when push comes to shove she is incredibly brave and confident. We were out at a club the night she took me out and a couple of guys got rough with us and she put her own well being on the line to stick up for me. When she comforted me at the end of the evening, I’d never felt safer before in my life.” Tara dropped her head, her hair covering her face as she studied the particular patterns of the floorboards. Alex could see how serious these feelings were now and regretted his earlier mocking, however playful it was.
“Tara, people don’t just do that for people they just met. They do things like that for people they care about, even have feelings for. I think you’re kidding yourself if you think there is no chance the feelings aren’t reciprocal.” Alex offered in his most supporting tone.
“Maybe, we’ll see how things go.” Tara offered meekly and took a swig of her beer.
… … … …
“Wow, getting all dressed up. I thought this was purely business.” Sam quipped at Willow as she sat on the redhead’s bed, watching her change clothes for the evening.
“It is, why are you here again?” Willow retorted, mildly agitated at the brunette’s presence.
“To offer moral support before you head out on your date.” Sam responded with a wicked smile.
“What date, what are you talking about. We’re gonna be working on the Jacob’s report, there is nothing there that closely resembles a date.” Willow spat out, annoyed at the constant accusations.
“Then what’s with the hair-spray and perfume. If this was a casual business meeting neither of those would be required.” Sam pointed out masterfully.
“Yeah well, just because it’s not a date doesn’t mean a girl can’t look her best.” Willow responded as she cheeked her hair in the mirror for the millionth time that evening.
”Ah, so you are out to impress then.” Sam smiled, as she knew her playful bickering was getting under the redhead’s skin.
“No, I mean maybe, I mean I don’t know.” Willow finally blurted and turned around to face her friend with a concerned look upon her face.
“Will it’s okay to be nervous. I mean it’s obvious you have some feelings of attraction towards Tara, weather they’re genuine or the mere fact you’ve gone so long without is hard to tell. I say either way it’s time you let you hair down and get Daniel out of your life forever.” The brunette’s words suddenly shifted Willow’s focus to her ex-lover who she had surprisingly not thought about all night. All she could manage to think about were the golden tresses and the deep blue eyes of the woman she was desperately falling for.
Willow hated the fact that she had been treated like she had so long ago and turned around to look into the mirror. In front of her she saw a woman with shoulder length red hair, sparkling green eyes and a great smile. She was definitely not unlovable, which is how she’d felt all that time ago. She knew that she wanted someone in her life and she felt so comfortable and good around Tara that her mind wondered to the possibility of that someone being the blonde girl she found herself so infatuated with in the few days that they’d met. She just hoped that Tara felt the same way, she was sure gonna be looking for any signs that might prove so whilst she was there tonight.
“I like her… a lot.” Willow said out aloud as she continued to look into the mirror at the woman she’d become in those years since she was but a naive nineteen year old who thought she knew what love was. It was the first time she’d really admitted it to herself and certainly the first time she’d said it out loud.
“Do I look freaked, really Will it’s not that big of a deal. Just because she’s a girl is no reason to deny yourself someone who could be the one person destined to make you happy.” Sam reasoned, Willow wasn’t used to seeing this side of her best friend, but she did know that Sam was always there for her when she needed her to be.
“Yeah well I knew you wouldn’t really react, well at least not like I did that night you first brought a girl back to our dorm room.” Willow smiled as she fondly remembered the event.
“Yeah you were just lying there thinking I’d brought a guy back again.” Sam started giggling as she too remembered back to the evening.
“Yeah and then you were like, oh Lee, yeah that feel so good, right there.” Willow continued laughing right through her little impersonation of a moaning Sam.
“Yeah and little ol’ perv you were just laying there listening in and doing god knows what under the covers.” Sam teased as Willow’s mouth flew open in absolute shock horror that she would suggest anything of the kind.
“Yeah well, when I heard the “oh god Sam”, come from a girls voice I was like “what the” and shot straight up turning the light on.” Willow continued their little reminiscing moment all whilst barely managing to keep a lid on her giggling.
“Yeah, like that’s not a mood killer. I was so gonna score with a cheerleader and you messed it up.” Sam pouted in her mock disappointment as the story went to the part where she didn’t get lucky.
“Oh right, like you two weren’t surgically attached for the following three months. Whatever happened with that anyway?” Willow queried in wonderment.
“I realised I still liked boys as well, unfortunately she didn’t. You know we could have any guy we wanted at the school if she only realised the potential.” Sam stared at the ceiling as her thoughts drifted to a place where only she dared to go and Willow just nodded to herself and giggled silently.
“So are we clear on this whole you liking Tara business?” Sam asked when she finally came back down from her could she was sitting on.
“I guess so, I mean I know I like her now and well at least I can admit it to myself. It’s just a matter now of admitting it to her, only thing is I don’t want to scare her off or make her not want to spend time with me any more.” Willow voiced her new number one concern that was floating around in that quirky mind of hers.
“Sometimes it’s all about taking risks Will, you never, never know if you never, never go. You could die wondering if that’s what you really want.” Sam stated, trying to make what she thought Willow should be obvious all the whilst giving her a choice.
“We’ll see how things go, so how do I look?” Willow asked as she spun around to show off her figure hugging jeans and tight crop top.
“Like someone who wants to score tonight.” Sam smirked with a glint in her eye.
“Stop looking in the mirror and tell me what you think.” Willow responded playfully and well, Sam just couldn’t argue with that statement.
“You look great, I’m sure Tara will love you.” She replied sincerely and offered the redhead a good luck smile. Willow positively beamed at the comment, she wanted to look her best for the blonde girl she was about to see.
… … … …
Willow knocked at the door nervously and crossed her arms as she waited for the door to open. The taller brunette gent that she’d met a few days ago greeted her.
“Hey you must be Willow, we met the other day though we never got formally introduced, I’m Alex by the way.” He extended his arm for a handshake, which the redhead returned with a pleasant smile.
“Charmed, so nice to finally put a name to the face.” Willow replied as their handshake finally came to an end.
“Well, I was just on my way out, play nice okay.” He smiled as he walked past her and headed down the stairs. Willow looked oddly at him wondering exactly what he meant by that. She walked into the apartment looking for Tara before she heard the blonde’s voice call out.
“I’m in here Will.” Willow heard the call from one of the rooms she guessed to be Tara’s and made her way over. She knocked on the door and it opened to reveal Tara standing firmly in front of her. The hip hugging hipsters and that halter-top which left little to the imagination had Willow gasping for air. The blonde looked drop dead gorgeous.
“Um wow, you look great.” Willow managed to stammer out as she struggled to keep her breathing under control.
“You don’t look to bad yourself.” Tara replied with a furious blush creeping over her face at Willow’s comments.
“So um, you mentioned having a computer of some sort here.” Willow tried to breach the subject of work to break the silence that had developed whilst they stared at the beauty that was the woman opposite them.
“Um yeah, I have a laptop sitting on the counter in the kitchen.” Tara pointed towards the door back into the open space as she continued to stare into those green eyes that were beckoning her.
“Um yeah, we should probably…” Willow pointed back out the door herself whilst she continued to look at Tara, with great restraint finally managed to break away and make for the kitchen. If she’d stared for a second longer she knew she would have enveloped the blonde in a passionate embrace and if that wouldn’t scare her off, then nothing would Willow admonished, though she just couldn’t force herself to take that necessary risk.
“Pretty impressive unit you have here.” Willow stated as she looked over the piece of technology in front of her.
“Yeah dad brought it for me before I left, I’m kinda surprised it’s not already an expensive paper weight.” Tara joked at the length of time it usually took for technology to outdate itself.
“Yeah well give it a couple more weeks.” Willow responded and smiled at the blonde.
The two girls moved their stuff onto the lounge and settled themselves in for a long night. The fact that there was plenty of work to be done seemed to distract them enough from their growing feelings for each other. Willow sat cross legged on the couch with the laptop in her lap, conveniently enough, and plundered away at the various accounting and maths programs that they were using to get their numbers right. Tara was sitting next to her, continually going through pages and pages of facts and figures they’d been given as a means to getting a heads up on what they had to achieve. There conversations became more controlled as they let their need to work outweigh those of their personal feelings for one another.
The two girls found that they actually worked incredibly well as a team. They had snacked on food whilst they continued to shuffle through mountain loads of paperwork in an effort to get on the right track. The further they went into the night the more it occurred to them how huge this task actually was. Willow smiled as she looked up and watched Tara flipping through more pages going over the facts and figures once again and realised that she would be spending a lot more time with the blonde. Even if she couldn’t find the courage to tell her how she felt, she enjoyed the fact that Tara was just sitting next to her. With all these happy thoughts of spending even more time with Tara racing through her head, Willow focused once again on the computer screen and went back to work.
Eventually hours of work caught up with the two girl and they decided to switch the t.v on for a quick break. When Alex walked back in the door he noticed Willow snuggled up next to Tara on the couch and the t.v still quietly playing in the background. He smiled to himself at the sight and knew that Tara had found the person she’d been looking for.
TBC…
Hope you all enjoyed it and i will see you all soon.
& 
to you all
Cheers
Nath
Isn't it funny how you feel your most tired five minutes before you have to get up.
by rockit soul » Wed Aug 21, 2002 6:25 pm 
Loved that!
Yes i'm glad you like mischevious Sam, W/T flirting and the mention of cucumbers 
s
Looking forward to the next part.
Ok thats my naughty side showing! It doesnt much but hey, gotta show up sometime! 
I just wanted to let you know that I am loving this fic so far. I just love reading stories of Willow and Tara meeting in an AU, like this one. And I love the idea of an office romance, too. 
I'm sure our girls will have plenty of fun when the time arrives.