Another heart felt round of thank you's to:
Sysnootles ~ Thank you! I think I posted an update the exact same time you posted a feedback! So, again, thank you for reading and I'm glad you like! (Minus the hurt Tara and Willow...)
Lady6String ~ Thank you for posting! I'm flattered as I think you're story is simply amazing. You've done such a nice job with your character lines...I only hope I can do half as much justice to mine.
Shuyaku ~ I am ready for the second round! With the mint sprig, of course. I'm glad you're enjoying this story and don't you worry a bit! Willow and Tara lovin' on it's way...:)
StrokeOfLuck ~ Hey girl! The stones shall reveal themselves shortly! I'm happy to know you're addicted to the story line. I hope I continue to do it justice.
Taras Shadow ~ Thank you, errrm, Holly, for being a faithful reader of this fic! :) I'm glad you're posting and letting me know your thoughts...it really helps me so much.
irishlassie101 ~ I know I'm keeping everyone on those evil cliffhangers. But you know, this is why people tune in to soap operas...they love em'! Thank you for reading and being ever so patient though...:)
LostWithoutTara ~ Oh, yes, you must get off the edge of the seat as it can lead to major discomfort after a while. I'm glad you stayed on long enough to read the updates! Thank you for letting me know your reactions to the story.
littlecrazy80 ~ I thank you most appreciatively for reading and reading...even though the cliffhangers are probably annoying :)
Arwen276 ~ Have I managed to avoid the bat finally? :) I'm thrilled you liked my Willow part to the last update. I wanted her to have some humor whilst in the throws of being panicked with Tara's welfare.
eccentrictulip ~ Howdy! I guess you'll have to miss more updates so you don't throw pens and other warfare at the computer! :) I know my updates are short...but hopefully, they'll keep you coming back.
Good2cats ~ Oh no! Last nerve?? Eek! I better post quick!
bluewillowwitch ~ So happy you are enjoying the story line, too! Seriously, it helps me plug along...so although I know the updates aren't lengthy, I hope they are enough to keep you hooked.
So, here we go...onward to part whatever the number I last left on as I can't remember anymore!
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She frantically pushed the same button a dozen times. The elevator was taking much too long. She’d just run up the stairs. She’d get there faster anyway. Willow bolted off for the exit/stair sign...no sooner had the door shut behind her when the ding of the elevator doors opened. A well dressed man approached and entered, pressing the button to the floor he wanted. He turned to face the doors, waiting for them to close.
Willow was no sloucher but she hadn’t figured running up four flights of stairs would leave her so breathless. The coke had jostled about on her rocky journey upwards. She had it on her hand, on her arm and a new spilt patch was forming on her left thigh. She tripped up the last two stairs and the can flew out of her hands, splashing it’s caramel existence all over her, the walls and the stairs.
“Have a Coke and a smile my ass...shit!”
She tried to wipe the remnants on her pants as best she could. She was a sticky and sweaty bull in the proverbial china shop.
'Wouldn't Tara love to see me now...'She flung the door open to the 4th floor.
‘Go right. She said to go right...’A janitor was making his way to the end of the hallway.
“Sir, somebody dropped a can of soda all over the stairs back there..it's kinda messy....”
He rolled his eyes. “God, I hate this job...”
Willow hurried forth, feeling guilty for having the poor man clean up her mess. She just couldn’t deal with the injustices of her foibles right now. She had to see Tara. She powered her way to the receptionist desk speaking over the din of the other nurses at the station.
“Hello? Excuse me...”
The ensemble of nurses were bunched together, like a badly huddled football team, clucking about the nuances of allergies this time of year.
‘You’d think they would have more important things to do...’ Willow uttered under her breath.
They turned, as if hearing her, and looked at the young woman with an unmistakable ‘you’re interrupting us’ expression.
“Yes, it’s me. Thank you. Sorry to disrupt the flow of conversation there but could somebody tell me if Tara Maclay is out of surgery now?”
A slightly husky nurse came over to the desk leaving the others to continue their conversation. She didn’t look the type to irritate. In fact, she was rather intimidating.
“Who are you?”
Willow didn’t care for the curt tone and found herself feeling a little upset. “I’m Willow, that’s who I be...and, well, since you so curiously brought it up, who might you be?”
The woman, not to be trifled with, pointed to her badge. “What does it look like. I’m the head RN in charge.”
“Oh. Great.” Sarcasm seeped into the statement.
The head nurse cast Willow a dull expression, none too pleased with the red head so far. “Tell me exactly who are you in relation to the patient?”
“I’m...I’m family...” Willow gave her a sheepish grin, hoping cuteness might win her over.
The RN twitched her mouth to one corner, picking up on Willow’s uncertainty. “Are you sure you wouldn't care to revise your statement?”
“Why, of course, I’m sure! I’m as sure as sure can be!” Willow’s eyebrows arched and her eyes widened, conveying the utmost seriousness of her tone.
“Maybe you'd like to confer with the gentlemen who just arrived
exactly what relation you are then? He's the only immediate family in the area...so I find what you’re saying a little hard to grasp.”
She was no nonsense and painfully straight to the point. Willow seriously doubted any chances to win Nurse Nazi's affections.
The woman continued. “Like I said, immediate family only. Visiting hours are from 9-7 tomorrow. You can wait in the lobby should you so desire...”
Willow glanced at the clock. It was 3:30 in the morning. She didn't want to wait another 4 hours...
“Well, I AM family, you know...”
Willow began a rambling plea in one glorious, last ditch effort and went in full, uninterrupted, white-lie babble mode.
“I’m a cousin, twice removed, from out of town, and I was making a surprise visit to see her, Tara, that is, when a friend, her friend, who is also my friend, had said she was hurt, and that's why she's here, in the hospital obviously, and so, while I'm not immediate, per se, I'm very close to..”
The nurse folded her arms and pointed to the lobby. She wasn’t buying it.
Willow desperately needed see her girlfriend.
'My girlfriend...' She loved the way it sounded. She considered the truth but who would even begin to comprehend their strange circumstances? Certainly not Frau Honcho blocking her way...
She turned away from the desk contemplating another method to see the blonde. She had to somehow touch her again...if she could just touch her.
‘I’m here and I’ll find a way...’She took a few paces when she felt light-headed...nearly fainting in the process. The stones were humming loudly in her pocket again. Startled, she placed her hand against them. She could feel their intense energies. So much, in fact, she had to reach into her pocket to remove them. What she found surprised her. The two broken stones had merged together and were now seemingly whole again.
The second stone, still buzzing with life, begged to be removed from the cloth interior of her jeans. The moment they both were exposed in her hand a prism of colors enveloped her. “The protection spell...” She could feel the magic surrounding her, filling her with power.
She slowly turned to face the group of nurses again. They stared, slack-jawed in bewilderment. She extended a hand and carefully pointed to the RN in charge, omitting a white thread of light from her fingertips. Her eyes were dark.
“Let me see Tara. Now.”
Willow was in no mood to bargain. As an added nicety she offered a ‘please’ for good measure. Even high on the magics, she tried to maintain some sense of consideration. Obediently, the nurse obliged. “Yes, of course. This way. Follow me, please.”
“Thank you.” Willow seemed taller, seemed more confident of herself. Whatever mojo Tara and her family concocted for this stone, it surged through her body like the very blood which coursed through her veins. It felt natural.
"I thought you might take a change of mind..."
She followed the woman down the corridor, her feet barely skimming the surface.
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Tara had been sleeping and still dreaming of her Willow. The dreams had remained interrupted and peaceful, and she reveled in the intimacy they shared, and all the various ways of kissing they had experienced. She knew Willow was close by and would find a way to see her. She felt her presence and sought comfort in this knowledge.
‘I’m here and I’ll find a way...’ The words resonated in her dreams.
She felt a hand touch her forehead. She initially smiled at the touch... but the hand was cold and hard. This wasn’t Willow...she abruptly opened her eyes and looked at the form hovering over her.
“Yes, Tara. It’s me.”
The man’s voice was cold and unfeeling.
“I know you were not expecting this...but I heard, from someone, from your side, that you were hurt. Obviously, you can't handle being in a big city like this. You were fortunate you didn’t hurt someone else with your carelessness.”
Tara stared and swallowed hard. The tears wanted to flow but would not.
“Dad...you d..d..didn’t need to come here.”
"Of course I did!" He laughed dryly. "Who else would? You always seem to land in these kinds of situations.”
“What s..s..situations? I haven’t b..b..been in any....”
“You’ve been in one the moment you arrived. Don’t hassle with me."
His voice remained icy.
"You need to remove yourself from this so called ideal of yours. You should be married, have children and behave like a normal woman should. This counseling position of yours is ridiculous...how can you possibly feel good about helping others when you have family at home you should be considering...and we need you, Tara."
Tara recognized the manipulation tactic he was using.
"They need you, too. You know your brother and little sister are lacking for a mother figure. Don’t you care about them?”
Tara couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She fought tooth and nail to be free of her isolating and demanding family. He knew of her attraction for women and her strong sense of self and independence. It conflicted with the family ideals. This had nothing to do with her siblings. It had to do with stuffing her feelings and beliefs in a dirty linen closet of lies. He felt shame for her and the desire to inhibit her dreams and goals became his only objective since her mother died.
“Dad. You need to go.” She turned her head away from him.
“Where’s your charm, Tara?”
She faced him again. “W..w..what?”
“I see you’re without it.”
“Yes, it’s being f..f..fixed.” She swallowed hard again.
Her father pulled the sheets off of Tara’s body. “You’re coming with me. Now!”
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TBC (ifin' ya'all don't wring my neck!)
Edited by: VicariousSmoochies at: 9/16/03 10:22 pm
by Little M » Sun Sep 14, 2003 8:42 am 
i wanna know why those 2 stones are so important! U will tell us the secret behind them....
Cute!
yay that is what i needed
the next part A S A P heheh but i guess i wont read another one this evening!
). Poor Willow, good job there weren't any police vehicles around, I get the feeling that she broke a few speed limits in order to get to the hospital on time... 
,
OMG! How can you do tha to 
? She is freaking out. I love how 
wakes up with thought of kisses. 
I can't wait to see where you take this wonderful fic. I hope 
I agree with Catie, this fic is rockin'.
Oh that Man needs a really good KICK into his crotch...
