Remember to Breathe...

[LadyJayne911]

Wow! This story is so good! This is only the second story that I've read on this board, but I'm loving everything already. I love how you portray both Willow and Tara in this story. It's such a sweet, romantic, and deep relationship. I can't wait to read more of this story and see how their relationship develops further.



Oh yeah, and I agree with Trape that those emoticons are cute ^^

"A sinner, once passed away, will never return, but the sins will never vanish, and the love will never die. The hermit also spoke thus. The blood of the Soldats will seep; it will seep throughout the wilderness and flow into the great river. The two hands of the Soldats are two maidens. Blacker than black, burdened by sin, reaching out with mercy. Noir."

[Yellow Crayon]

All disclaimers apply

Thanks for all of the feedback.



For Trape- just because I can get mean faces in my replies and still be able to smile at them too.



Chapter 22



“You can’t tell Willow.” Buffy said, spastically.



“I’m not going to lie for you, Buffy.”



“I’m not asking you to lie. I’m asking you to leave details out of conversations you would consider having previously.”



“Buffy…” Tara sighed.



“Look, its not like you’ll see her before I do anyways. She’s gone.”



“Yes true. But I’ll be gone soon too. I told her I’d go home with her again this weekend.”



“Jeepers, are you guys always together?” Buffy yelled, throwing her arms in the air.



“Not when the funny things like this happen.” Tara giggled.



“Its not funny!” Buffy shot back, whining.



“Are you kidding me Buffy? This is like,- ‘Randomest Things You Never Thought Your Roommate Would Do’- funny.” Tara smiled at Jan, who shrugged, unfazed.



“Its not funny though Tara. I really do like her.” Buffy said, sighing and returning to her chair.



“I know, Buff. I know exactly what you mean. But still. Can you blame me? You bet on Willow’s sexuality and you win. Now we bet on your’s and I wi—I mean…” Tara cut herself off. “I gotta pack, busy day.”



“Don’t tell her.” Buffy pleaded. “I want to. Its one of those things… you know?”



“I know. My lips are sealed…” Tara smiled. “Not fully of course because I need them for other things. But, sealed from talking about this.” The blonde nodded.



Buffy kissed Jan goodbye and picked up the rest of her clothes. Tara packed in silence until Jan started clearing her throat.



“Buffy?” She asked.



“Willow?”



“Shut up. Buffy?”



“She’s cute, Tar. I like her. I don’t know if I can see love in our future, but for now, I think she’s swell.” Jan shrugged.



“If you’re talking about a girl you recently slept with ‘swell’ probably isn’t the best word to use. Especially to the girl’s best friend’s girlfriend.”



“Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I really do think she’s a great girl. We’ll see what happens. It was just one of those things.”



“I know, bud. I know. I’m gunna pass out, I gotta leave early.” Tara said, lying down in her crumpled sheets and pulling up the covers.



“Yep. Hey about that… do you want me to--”



Tara shot up out of bed. “Gross! Gross! Gross! Get me new sheets, woman.” She laughed.



Tara tossed and turned for a few hours. She added pillows to her bed as a poor Willow substitute and held onto them for dear life. She put one of Willow’s t-shirts over one of the pillows, just so it smelled like her.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



“Tara!” Willow jumped off of her front porch and ran into Tara’s arms.



“Hey baby.” Tara closed her eyes and melted into the embrace.



Willow pulled back and planted a kiss on Tara’s lips. “I missed you.” She whispered, putting her forehead against Tara’s.



“I’m right here, darling. Not going anywhere.” Tara held on a little tighter, feeling Willow’s need for comfort.



“Hi Tara.” Mrs. Rosenburg said from the doorway.



Tara reluctantly pulled halfway away from Willow. Her one arm still wrapped around the redhead’s waist. She smiled and waved, “Hi Mrs. Rosenburg. How are you?”



“I’m fine, dear. Lets get you inside.” She waved her arm into the house and walked back inside.



“Okay.” Tara said, smiling. She looked down at Willow. “Inside?”



“Do you wanna eat at your house tonight. I like you parents better than mine.” She smiled, still falling into the hug.



“Yeah. Lets talk a little bit though baby, I don’t want to be rude. Then, we’ll go over to mine.”



“Okay.” Willow sighed. “Always the rational one.” She kissed Tara gently and just let her lips rest on Tara’s.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



Tara called her mom from Willow’s house. Her mom was happy she called and told her to come on over whenever. The two were off about four hours after Tara got back into town. Willow was in a rush. The Rosenburgs were nice, of course, but sometimes you just needed to be away from them. Even when you were visiting for them.



“Hey Willow. Tara, two weekends in a row. I’m impressed.” Mr. Maclay smiled.



“How are you both?” Willow asked, taking off her shoes.



“Good, Willow. How’s the college life?”



“Good. Tara makes it great on those bad days though. You’ve raised a good one, sir.” Willow smiled and looked at Tara who was shaking her head, as if saying, ‘no way.’

Willow grabbed her hand and nodded.



“You must be a very special girl, Willow. You got Tara away from U Conn.” He nodded and laughed. “That was my little girl’s dream since she was eleven years old.”



“Really?” Willow asked, shocked.



“Honest to god.” He put his hand on his chest.



The three sat in silence when they heard Tara’s mother call out, “Honey, come help me in the kitchen.”



“Yes ma’am.” Mr. Maclay mocked, saluting the doorway, smiling.



After he left Willow looked at Tara and said, “I thought you wanted to go to Sunnydale.”



“I did…” Tara said weakly.



“No you didn’t. Don’t lie baby.”



“No, Will. I didn’t want to be in Sunnydale.” The blonde sighed. “The point of going to Connecticut was to get away from here.”



“Then why…?”



“I didn’t want to be in Sunnydale. But my faith in us, and my need to be here- with you- was greater than my dreams of Connecticut. I love you more than a college, you know that.” Tara smiled at Willow and looked straight into her eyes.



“Look Tar…”



“Shut that mouth right now!” Tara mock yelled. She sighed, “I know what you’re going to say. You were going to say that if I wanted to leave, I could and that I didn’t have to stay here for you.” Willow nodded. “I know that, Will. If I wasn’t happy, I wouldn’t be here. If I thought this wasn’t going to work, I wouldn’t be with you. And if I didn’t love you- I would’ve have to have never met you. Because I’ve loved you since day one.”



Tara smiled and leaned in to kiss Willow, tenderly. The kiss was full of passion, of need. Of that feeling of just needing to be that close to someone. The kiss was full of love and so were the girls.



~~*~*~**~*~**~*~*



TBC soon.



Feedback??

[The Rose24]

I am glad W/T have talked things over. I know Willow feels a little bad for Tara's decision to stay in Sunnydale, and Tara reassures Willow she has no regrets.

Tara: My heart doesn't stutter.


Tara: Willow, I got so lost.

Willow: I found you. I will always find you.

[TaraBaby77]

Awwww , that was so beautiful!!! Anyhoo, WOOHOO!!! Once again, another great update. I have yet to read this fic and not leave without a smile. Great job. Hope to see more soon. Take care. =)

Aaron

'Tarababy77'

---

"Don't buy into all the media crap. Love yourself for who you are, not what others THINK you should look like. It's DEFINITELY more important in this life to love each other despite our imperfections." - Amber Benson

---

[DreamsToDream]

Awww Tara giving up her childhood dream for a college for Willow Sooo Sweet!!! Great Update!

D2D



Damn You Vile Woman!!!- Stewie Griffin



I Try My Best To Feed Her Appitite, And Keep Her Coming Every Night... - "This Love" By Maroon 5

[sam darls]

Aww that was so beautiful, and so sweet . Love sam xx

"Sometimes things happen between people that you don't really expect. And sometimes the things that are important are the ones that seem the weirdest or the most wrong. And those are the ones that change your life." - Jessie Sammler (Evan Rachel Wood)

[LadyJayne911]

That was so sweet, I cried...but I'm big, blubbery, emotional...do I need to continue? You know, without that last adjective in there, you'd think I was calling myself fat! Anywho! Back to the *relavent* feedback. Your writing style is beautiful, and you are great at getting your intended point(s) across to the reader. Your updates are frequent...but not frequent enough! Update soon! . Maybe next time you'll get two .

"A sinner, once passed away, will never return, but the sins will never vanish, and the love will never die. The hermit also spoke thus. The blood of the Soldats will seep; it will seep throughout the wilderness and flow into the great river. The two hands of the Soldats are two maidens. Blacker than black, burdened by sin, reaching out with mercy. Noir."

[veiled isis moon]

Awwwwww, that was very sweet and cute, i liked it.



Michelle

[littlecrazy80]

Aww that was so wonderful.



*lil´c*

"I am S-E-X-Y" Amber at the FedCon



SweetAmber ~~~ Amber Board

[Yellow Crayon]

All disclaimers apply



Chapter 23



Willow and Tara were sitting in Willow’s room the morning before they left. They were lying on their stomachs, with their heads at the foot of the bed. Tara was contently watching the TV and Willow was contently watching Tara.



Every time one of the characters said something funny or disgusting, Tara scrunched up her nose with a smile. Willow couldn’t help but stare. Tara was one of the most mature people she’d ever met, but still one of the cutest.



The blonde reached over to her left to get a sip of water, eyes still planted on the TV.



“Do you want kids?” The redhead asked her, as soon as she got a mouthful of water.



“What?” The blonde asked loudly, spitting her water back in her glass, but mostly all over Willow. “Sorry.” She said, wiping her hand around Willow’s face and neck. “What about kids now?”



“Do you want them?” The redhead asked again.



“Now- no. Eventually- yes. Why?”



Willow shrugged, “Just a question.”



“This is my ‘Jesus, Willow Tell Me The Truth’ Face.” Tara smiled, rolling Willow on her back and tickling her. “Now. We can do this the easy way or the hard way?”



“What’s the difference?” Willow laughed.



“Well, one involves tickling. And the other involves tickling and then a kissing penalty.”



Willow stared wide-eyed. “You wouldn’t dare!”



“Watch me.” Tara looked at the redhead, eyes planted and her face totally straight.



Willow just looked at her, mouth agape. She debated whether or not to call Tara’s bluff, but decided not to risk it. “I was just thinking. Because that’s kind of like a long-term dream thing. And I didn’t want to grow up thinking we both wanted them, then get to that point and then be like, ‘oops, no.’ You know?”



“In a round about way. You want them then?”



“A couple.” Willow shrugged, getting up. “We should get home, Buffy called this morning and said she needed to talk to me.”



Tara stifled giggles as the two said goodbye to Willow’s parents and got into Tara’s car. The drive home was filled with turned up radio tunes and old eighties music. They both tried to sing along, but it came out mumbles from both.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



When Tara got back to her dorm there was a flyer pinned to her door. “Its Almost Halloween. Why Not Get Naked?” She read aloud. She got a stare from a boy walking past. “No, not you.” He nodded at her, oddly. “No really. I’m a lesbian!” Which got even more stares from members of the hall.



As soon as she went inside her phone was ringing. It was Willow. “Come over.”



So Tara turned right back around and headed for Willow’s dorm. “Hey Buffy. Hey Will.” She said, walking in the room.



“Buff, did you tell her?”



“Oh I knew!” Willow laughed.



“You knew?” Tara asked.



“Why else do you think I suggested sleeping in your room so often? I knew what was going on in this one!”



“You both lied.”



“Shut up. You knew too!” Buffy yelled.



“Touche.”



“I’m going to go find Jan.”



“See ya, Buff.” Tara said. “Look.” She said, throwing Willow the flyer. “Care to be my date?”



“Only if I get to dress up like… Cordelia!”



“You wanna be a hooker?” Tara laughed.



“She only did it one time. She didn’t even mean to. I mean, really… Cordelia. Who would pay to s--” Willow shook her head. “Scratch that. She probably did it every Thursday.”



“So, are you in?”



“Depends.”



“On what?” Tara asked her.



Willow wagged her finger at Tara, motioning her to come closer. And she whispered, “If we go trick or treating…”



“Yes, Will. You can have my candy.” The blonde sighed, smiling.



“I’m in!” She smiled.



“Now about Buffy and Jan…”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



TBC



Feedback?

Another soon.

[CEsgirl13]

drop

When you choose to hold the rose you are also agreeing to bleed.

[LadyJayne911]

Quote:

---

“Depends.”



“On what?” Tara asked her.



Willow wagged her finger at Tara, motioning her to come closer. And she whispered, “If we go trick or treating…”



“Yes, Will. You can have my candy.” The blonde sighed, smiling.



“I’m in!” She smiled.

---

OMG, that had me laughing SO hard! I was really expecting Willow to ask for smoochies, or something along those lines ( ), but I can totally picture this happening too. Willow is so happy-go-lucky; it's really cute! It's too bad everyone can't care about candy like Willow cuz the world would so be a better place . Anywho, thanks for the great update, and we need another one soon! Seriously, this is like soda - sugary goodness that's just so addicting! .

See? I told you I'd give you two! .

"A sinner, once passed away, will never return, but the sins will never vanish, and the love will never die. The hermit also spoke thus. The blood of the Soldats will seep; it will seep throughout the wilderness and flow into the great river. The two hands of the Soldats are two maidens. Blacker than black, burdened by sin, reaching out with mercy. Noir."

[veiled isis moon]

Naked halloween sounds fun!!

[Shy One]

Naked Halloween?!!!

Ooooh, sign me up!



Shy One

[littlecrazy80]

Naked Halloween?



*lil´c*

"I am S-E-X-Y" Amber at the FedCon



SweetAmber ~~~ Amber Board

[Mikaelah Braenna]

... Hmm... The possibilities of naked Halloween ...



~Mikaelah

Willow: "Where would you go? If you felt lost and alone? ..."

Tara: "To You..."

~~Truly and Forever~~

[sam darls]

ooh, I'm with everyone else about naked halloween!! hehe..nice. Great update. Love sam xx

"Sometimes things happen between people that you don't really expect. And sometimes the things that are important are the ones that seem the weirdest or the most wrong. And those are the ones that change your life." - Jessie Sammler (Evan Rachel Wood)

[DreamsToDream]

Naked Halloween Eh? Wouldn't It Be Cold? If They Go Out I Mean...But If They Stay In, Then... Hmmmmm...

D2D



Damn You Vile Woman!!!- Stewie Griffin



I Try My Best To Feed Her Appetite, And Keep Her Coming Every Night... - "This Love" By Maroon 5

[bluewillowwitch]

Yellow Crayon ,

Just caught up in the fic. I love it. . I can't wait to see this Holloween party. Should be very interessting. Can't wait to more. Update soon, please?





Grace

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

"Fate keeps on happening."--Anita Loos

[her BRIGHTeyes]

Oooooohhh... Naked Halloween!!!!!

I'm so there!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

she had eyes bright enough to burn me --conor oberst

[Yellow Crayon]

All disclaimers apply





Chapter 24



Tara and Jan were on their way over to the girls’ room. Jan stopped Tara in front of the door so Tara could inspect her, “Do I look alright?”



“Yes. You look fine.” Tara said, fiddling with the rose she had in her hand as she brought up the other to knock.



“Stop! I didn’t bring a present.”



“Its okay. Just kiss her a lot when you get there, its like overcompensation.” Tara nodded at her and raised her hand to knock.



“Stop! How do you know if you’re a good kisser? I mean… I know you can think you are, but how do you know for sure?”



“A. Ask. B. Wait till Buffy says so. I’m knocking now.”



“Stop!--” It was too late though, Willow had heard them talking and had opened the door.



“Hey g--- oh a flower!” She said, eyes going straight to the flower and not at Tara.



Tara brought the head of the rose up to her own face, so Willow would have to see her as well.



“Thanks baby.” Willow smiled, pushing the flower over and kissing Tara.



Tara looked over to Jan and Buffy who were just kind of looking at each other. She laughed, “You’re better off not even bringing presents, because after you bring one, its debatable why they’re still with you… if they think you’re great, or if they’re in it for the gifts.”



Willow mock hit Tara, “She’s right you know… I haven’t liked Tara since the first week we dated. Now I’m just in it for the presents.”



“Thanks.” Tara laughed, nudging Willow into the dorm room. Buffy and Jan following, Jan pulling Buffy over a little bit and kissing her, “Merry Christmas!” She said as she pulled away.



“Thanks?” Buffy half asked and half stated, turning and sitting on her bed.



Tara got up off Willow’s bed and touched her hand as if to say, ‘be right back.’



“Merry Christmas?!?” She whispered as she neared Jan.



“You know! Presents! You get those on Christmas.”



“Oh wow…” Tara laughed and walked back to Willow.



Willow was lying on the bed watching the TV screen; she and Buffy had already started watching Final Destination. Her left hand was up in her hair, brushing through it with her fingers. “Scootch.” Tara nodded at the bed, as Willow moved over so Tara could lay down with her.



Tara rested her head on Willow’s right shoulder and layed her left hand over the redhead’s stomach and rubbed her thumb softly over the fabric. As Tara layed down with her, all of Willow’s motions stopped. Her hand fell down to her side, her other hand rubbing Tara’s lower back.



Willow lay there and looked over at Buffy and Jan, who looked extremely uncomfortable. Buffy was sitting on the bed, with her knees drawn to her chest and Jan sat next to her, with her arms crossed. She then looked down at Tara, who looked beautiful. Tara felt Willow shift her head around and looked up at Willow, turning slightly so her body was directly to Willow’s side. “What?” She whispered.



“I love you.” Willow said, leaning down and kissing Tara on the forehead.



“Love you too.”



“I’m not the type to throw words to the wind,

I said I loved you,

That’s what I mean.”

(Blessed Union of Souls)



“Hey.”



“Yeah?”



“I was thinking about that apartment. And how it’ll get lonely by myself. You don’t have to pay anything… but will you move in with me?”



“Of course! When?” Tara asked.



“After naked Halloween.”



“Sounds like a plan.” Tara layed back down on Willow’s side. “Will?”



“Yea?”



“Naked Halloween’s tomorrow.”



“I’ll pack fast.”



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~



TBC



Feedback.

[LadyJayne911]

Hey silly girl -



An update...finally...you slacker! But you've been so busy with "other" things that I guess I can forgive you . Anyway, that was an awesome update. Jan is so funny with all her "Stops!" and "Merry Christmas!" Omg, that was priceless! . Poor her and Buffy though! I know how bad awkward silence can be...not to that extent of course, cuz I've never had a girlfriend before, but it's the same concept all around. Not fun . I hope things turn out ok for them...unless you've got other plans for them of course. I hope to see another update from you soon...so don't slack off! Talk to you later ^^



Megan

"You don't PLAN things in life; they just happen. Take me for example - I certainly did NOT plan my period this month, but it happened!"



-Me

[BurningWhiteRose]

Quote:

---

"Sounds like a plan." Tara layed back down on Willow’s side.



"Will?"



"Yea?"



"Naked Halloween's tommorow"



"I'll pack fast"

---

This is an awesome fic.



Sincerely,

BWR

[Mikaelah Braenna]

Woohoo! Tara is, finally, moving in with Willow!

Wonderful update! Though, I can not wait to read about naked Halloween!



~Mikaelah

Willow: "Where would you go? If you felt lost and alone? ..."

Tara: "To You..."

~~Truly and Forever~~

[sam darls]

Hehe..awww such a cute update ..and Tara's moving in..yay!! Love sam xx

"Sometimes things happen between people that you don't really expect. And sometimes the things that are important are the ones that seem the weirdest or the most wrong. And those are the ones that change your life." - Jessie Sammler (Evan Rachel Wood)

[The girl who talks but do]

yey!! great update!

love'n'hugs

cath

I like the quiet.

[My Always]

There's a naked hoilday coming, oooo....



W/T are moving in together. I sure hope it turns out better than it did on the show (breakin' up, death) cuz that just plain sucked.



Your fic is sooo cute, can't wait for the next update!

-LR

[veiled isis moon]

I'm still waiting for naked halloween................come on you, get a move on!!



Michelle.x

[her BRIGHTeyes]

cute update!!!... but... NAKED HALLOWEEN!!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

she had eyes bright enough to burn me --conor oberst

[CEsgirl13]

dang tor..this is really awesome....but u never tell me when you're updating... out: love you anyways!

~Jamie

(ps. Im sorry I scared you, I promise I wont leave- no hesitation)

When you choose to hold the rose you are also agreeing to bleed.