Never Ending Story – KB Round Robin 2017
Pairing: W/T
Rating: G
Angst/Drama Rating: None, not a bit.
Disclaimer: I in no way, shape or form own the characters from BtVS, they’re owned by Joss Whedon/Mutant Enemy. All original characters are in no way connected to them except by me in this forum. I own nothing but my soul, and even that is only a fleeting ownership… such is life.
Author's Notes: So here is my entry. All mistakes are mine and Grammarly's. I'm still trying to figure out how to steal Artemis' rainbows, but alas I failed. Damn! Now I need a drink and a nap! Anyway, on to the story, I hope you all enjoy!
Edited to include Artemis' rainbows he was kind enough to let me use! YAY!
Chapter Two
The room they were standing in faded to black and the clockwork kitten’s purring became the overwhelming sound to Willow’s ears. There was no time for panic. No time to second guess this decision, just the feeling of Tara’s hand in her’s and the sound of purring.
Just as quickly as the room faded out, they jolted to a stop and then the sensation of falling prevailed as Willow screamed. Much like when Tara appeared in her room they both came to an abrupt stop and then dropped an additional few inches to the ground making the Harry Potter movies briefly raced through Willow’s mind.
When Willow looked around for Tara, she found her standing next to her looking down with her hand outstretched toward her. Willow took the offered hand and tried to stand as Tara pulled but her knees were like Jello causing Willow to stumble into Tara and looped her arms around Tara’s shoulders trying not to fall. Without thinking, Tara put both arms around Willow to help steady her while she got her legs to work properly again, holding her close in the safety of her arms.
“You’ll get used to it after a few hops,” Tara said softly with a reassuring smile.
Willow blushed as she had no choice in holding on to Tara, it was either hold on to her or fall flat on her rear end again. “Where are we?” she asked softly as she began to look at their surroundings.
It was night and they appeared to be in an alleyway open at both ends. The night was warm and smelled of rain and creosote. The street beneath their feet was wet, and water still dripped from power lines that ran near the street lights at each end of the alley.
“I’m not really sure,” Tara replied. “Are you ok?”
Willow stood up straight and let go of Tara. “I think so,” Willow replied as she took a step backward and her legs held up. She straightened her coat and picked up her backpack swinging it up onto her shoulder.
“I think I’m ready,” Willow said looking at Tara she shyly held out her hand.
Tara beamed again, taking Willow’s offered hand. “Then let’s find out where and when we are.”
They leisurely walked to the end of the alley, pausing to briefly look around the corner to try and get their bearings before blithely wander out into who knew what. The street was deserted, but the light was coming from a small dinner that had a neon “Open 24 Hours” sign flashing in its window just a short walk from where they stood peeking out from the alley.
As both women looked at each other Willow’s stomach growled loudly causing her to blush violently and Tara to giggle. “I guess that decides that, shall we go to the diner?” She asked.
“Sounds like a plan,” Willow replied with a small embarrassed grin of her own.
They quietly left the alley and headed towards the diner. The bright light spilling out onto the wet pavement reminded Willow of the famous painting by Edward Hopper. She paused a little away and just looked at the diner causing Tara to stop as well.
“What is it, is something wrong?” Tara asked.
“Wrong?” Willow asked after a few moments of looking. “No, no, nothing is wrong,” she paused. “Ok, this is a little weird and I’m new to all of this time jumping, but in my world, there was a famous painting called “
Nighthawks” that looked pretty much like this,” she said waving her hand in front of her to indicate the dinner.
“When was the painting made?” Tara asked.
“Sometime in the 1940’s if I remember my art history correctly,” Willow replied sheepishly. “The only difference is this one is missing the customers,” Willow paused again as she thought. “If time correlates as I think it is then we dressed VERY oddly for this time period. Maybe they have a newspaper in there and we can get the date from it because I could be completely wrong. This isn’t exactly an episode of Doctor Who, although you would make a really great Doctor.”
“An episode of what?” Tara asked not getting the reference.
“Oh, ok, again, um how much do you know about the world I come from?” Willow asked and Tara shrugged in response.
“I knew next to nothing about your world itself, I was just aiming for you,” Tara said which made Willow smile.
“So back in my world or in my “timeline of origin”, there is a weekly science fiction television show based on an alien that is the last of his kind called Timelords. He travels through time and space, fighting the good fight, saving the girl and often planet earth all while kickin’ butt and takin’ names! The main character’s traveling companions all call him the “Doctor” and he swings by earth every so often and picks up a new human companion or two who travel with him on his adventures… I love that show,” Willow enthused.
“Sounds… interesting. What’s a television show?” Tara inquired as she led Willow the rest of the way to the diner.
Willow’s eye grew large as she was led into the diner. “Oh boy, we have lots to talk about, don’t we?”
“So it would seem,” Tara smiled as she continued to gaze fondly at Willow. “But that’s all part of getting to know one another, isn’t it?”
Willow smiled in return and walked up to the counter and sat down, Tara took her hat off and sat next to her. I young man in a sparkling white uniform came out from behind a dull mustard yellow colored door with a round window in it smiling cheerfully.
“Well, hello my name is Ray,” He handed them both a menu. “Can I get you both something to drink?”
“Could I have a Coke, please?” Willow answered as she opened her menu and began to look through it.
Ray looked at Tara, “And you, Miss?”
“Um, I’ll have the same thanks,” she answered not really sure what she had just ordered.
“Sure, two Coca-Cola's. I’ll be right back,” Ray replied and slipped back through the door.
“What’s a “Coke”, Willow?” Tara asked.
Willow looked up surprised from her menu, “It’s a soft drink, a non-alcoholic beverage,” Willow looked at Tara, who shook her head in the negative. “Technically, it's carbonated water with added sugar and flavoring, I don’t know the exact stuff. Um, you might like it, there’s always milk or water, and look,” She said pointing back to the menu in her hands. “There’s juice or coffee too.”
Willow spied a folded newspaper laying further down on the countertop. She held up one finger to Tara before getting up and going to grab and then scurrying back to her seat. She unfolded the page to front page of the local newspaper.
The headline told of the “
Battle of Los Angeles” from an alien invasion. Willow started laughing at the headline and slid the paper closer to Tara so she could see it too.
“It appears that we didn’t go far, we’re in L.A.,” Willow said. “But, we’re in 1957.”
Tara looked up from what she was reading. “Is that a problem?” She asked. “I didn’t know where I would find you. If it would be earth as I know it, would it be past or future? I didn’t know and could not fully predict by magical methods.”
“Problem? No, not really, but you and I obviously stick out so we’re going to need different clothes so we can blend in. How long will we be here?” Willow replied and just then Ray arrived with two glasses of soda.
“What’s buzzin’, cousin,” Ray said cheerfully, but both girls just looked at him blankly. “What can I get you, girls?” He asked taking a pencil from behind his ear and licking the tip as he pulled a pad from the pocket of his shirt.
Tara just looked at Willow, who grab the menu and quickly looked it over.
“Uh, I’ll have a cheeseburger with everything, an order French fries, ooo beer battered onion rings and an order of those, too, please,” Willow answered Ray who then once again looked at Tara.
“Err, I’ll have the same,” Tara said.
“As you like it, dollface, I’ll be back in a jiffy,” Ray said turning away and slipping back through the door again. They could hear him yelling to a “Sal” that they have two orders.
Alone again Tara opened her coat and dug around an inside pocket and pulled out a slim silver charm bracelet and two charms.
“Do you have a good idea of what the clothing of this time looked like? Tara asked Willow.
“Enough to get us by, I think,” Willow answered.
Tara spoke softly to both charms before adding them to the bracelet in her hand and then coiled it in her palm. “Take a deep breath and exhale on the bracelets,” Tara instructed Willow who did as requested. “Ok, give me your wrist,” she said to Willow and then she slipped the bracelet on Willow’s wrist.
Willow looked at the pretty pieces of jewelry and then looked up at Tara and gasped. She was no longer dressed in her duster, she appeared to be in a charcoal gray skirt with black heels and a matching sweater. She looked like she just stepped out of a Veronica Lake movie.
“I used a glamor spell that pulled what our clothing should look like from Ray, it helps me blend in wherever I may land and be safe while I get my bearings. Since you know what they should look like as well, the charms will make it easier and more realistic,” Tara said and nodded. “Your outfit has gotten crisper looking since I put the bracelet on you.”
Willow looked down at herself and still saw the clothes she had been wearing all day. “But I don’t see...” Willow was cut off as Ray returned with two plates full of food.
“Here ya go, two c.b.’s walked through the garden, frog sticks, and onion rings,” Ray said with a wide smile. “Can I get you anything else?”
Both girls shook their heads in the negative. “Ok, just holler if you need me,” Ray said and slipped back through the door again.
It was quiet in the diner as they dug into their food. After several minutes of eating, Willow wiped her mouth with her napkin and started to finish her earlier sentence. “I still see my clothes when I look at me, and your clothes have changed color. Your skirt and sweater were gray now they’re blue. I really don’t understand.”
Tara swallowed her food before answering. “It’s a spell of mine, our clothes don’t actually change but the people around us seem them as similar to whatever they should be for when we land. If there is no point of reference then they don’t change.” She looked over at Willow. “So you put me in blue?” she asked coyly.
“Well, yes, it brings out your eyes,” Willow said as she blushed and focused on her food again.
This made Tara smile, her eyes roamed over Willow’s face and hands taking in the expressiveness and noticing the sadness her eyes held as well. “What would you like to do while we are here?”
Willow’s brow furrowed as she thought about Tara’s question. “I’m not really sure. Is there something we should do while we are here? I don’t know what the jumps entail, are we on a mission for something? Are we only here for a certain amount of time?”
Tara laughed, and it delighted Willow making her smile goofily in return, feel warm and happy. “No, my mission was accomplished the moment we met. Now we get to do whatever you would like, so I ask again, what would you like to do my lovely new friend?” Tara replied.
“I say we finish our food and then we find a room somewhere for the night. Maybe Ray won’t mind if we take his paper with us?” Willow replied. “I mean, there’s no rush, right? We can take our time so to speak? How does time work here compared to where I came from?” Willow asked. “I have a month before I’ll be missed by anyone. Can I go back if I have to or can I stay with you? Would you stay with me?” Willow finally took a breath and looked over at Tara who was chewing on a french fry.
“Well, that sounds very reasonable and I think maybe you are a bit overloaded at the moment,” Tara replied.
The two finished the food in silence, and Ray came back to top off their drinks and bring the check. “How do we pay, my money will look fake in this time?” Willow asked as she looked at the ten dollar bill in her hand.
“I’ll take care of that,” Tara said and called to Ray, as he approached Tara took the ten dollar bill in Willow’s hand and gave it to Ray. In the course of the passing of money, she did another glamour to make the money match what Ray thought it should look like, and he quickly came back with the change. Tara also asked about a place to stay and Ray told them of a place that was clean, quiet and safe for “two lookers like them”.
“Keep it,” Willow said leaving a three dollar tip.
“Gee, thanks,” Ray said excitedly. “Enjoy the rest of your evening, girls.”
With a friendly wave, both girls walked out into the night. Willow slipped her hand into Tara’s again and let Tara lead her off down the street opposite of the way they came to get to the diner. They walked for several blocks before Tara made a left down the tree-lined street that was obviously residential.
They walked on leisurely for another fifteen minutes before Tara stopped in front of a large house that had an ornate black lacquered wooden sign in front of it announcing it as “Whitby’s Fine Boarding House” in gold lettering. There were lights on in the downstairs windows and as the two started up the steps, the front door opened and a couple walked out and down past them.
Casual greetings were exchanged and they turned back to the door to see the face familiar to at least one of them. Willow made a surprised squeaking sound and Tara stepped in front of her protectively.
“Hello, girls, I’m Mrs. Whitby. Ray from the diner called and said you might be stopping by, are you in need of rooms? How long did you want to say?” Asked a smiling woman that looked remarkably like Joyce Summers. “Well don’t just stand there, come on in!”