I sing a song of Gay Now,
Her talents bold and bright.
Our girls have come out to play now,
'twas a wondrous, wonderful night.
First of all, girl, I am so, so happy you wrote this; that you're sticking with this. When the words don't come tumbling forth and you have to work, work hard and in frustration, to wrest the story from your psyche...and you do it--that's something to be proud of. I guess what I'm saying is...Rock on, good scribe.
OK, so the update...First of all, I love that Buffy gave us the intro to this section. It made perfect sense, b/c she's been the connection b/w the two over an extended period of estrangement. And goddess, do you do an effective job of portraying that angst that accompanies trying to be a good friend when you truly care about both people. Yes, she's emotionally closer to Willow, but it's a tribute to her essential integrity that she didn't just "dump" Tara, or malign her in any way. I think that canon Buffy had this quality--on her good days--and I always liked it. So her motivation is good, but...WHAT TO DO? Speak up? Speak up a little? Truth with a capital T, as a wise woman once wrote? What's the best, most loving thing to do? And dang, it looks to be quite some distance from the
easiest thing to do, doesn't it? That post-mortem questioning, examining the actions and their motivations...I get that, I truly do. As someone who grapples with analysis paralysis on a near-daily basis, I can attest to the fact that it doesn't make for a simple life.
As ever, your descriptive powers are fantastic. The paragraphs on Willow awakening in Tara's embrace were just so palpable. I could actually
feel Tara's breasts against my back. And then I excused myself for a few moments. And then I came back. This was a great scene, Car.
And finally--their conversation, or the first installment thereof. I like that you retained some tension there (Tara's slight stiffening at the question) b/c let's face it--girls haven't
communicated in a year. Yes, they're joined at the souls but even the most remarkable, resilient plants need some water. But Willow explains herself and Tara steps forward (I love their symmetry in that regard, by the way--they each take these steps forward, like that walk of faith in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, or whatever the last one was), not knowing for sure if they would find secure footing unless they stepped forward and risked it) and the move into that next place. And damn, I love this:
Quote:
Tara’s brow furrowed as she looked at their entwined hands. She looked back up and answered, “I just do. I always have. It’s who I am.”
That really captures it, doesn't it?
So good, girl, and such a satisfying read.
Mucho smoochos~