New Fic : The Game Of Love.

[littlecrazy80]

That´s so depressing to see both girls so down.



*lil´c*

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



SweetAmber ~~~ Amber Board

[DreamsToDream]

Oz Is A Bad Boyfriend! All The More Reason For Willow To Dump Him...And Go To Tara!!! So, Go Willow Go!!!!!

D2D





Dreams To Dream In The Dark Of The Night, When The World Goes Wrong, I Can Still Make It Right...- Dreams To Dream



I Don't Know About You Miss Kitty,But I Feel A Whole Lot Yummier. - Catwoman

[BurningWhiteRose]

No smoochies yet? Oh well. We'll get there...soon, hopefully!



Onwards with your splendor!



Stupid Antwone Fuqua comercials...



Sincerely,

BWR

Edited by: Warduke at: 7/3/04 1:16 pm

[wimpy0729]

Hey Sheba!



Okay -- bringing it on!



Yes, it's sad to know they're both miserable. I knew Tara would be, but Willow is definitely feeling it too. She is finally realizing that she shouldn't be with Oz. She's learning that you shouldn't be with someone just to have someone to be with. Does that make sense?



But she knows there's a person that she should be with now, wants to be with, and she's admitting it to herself by thanking Buffy. So, that's a great leap forward.



Sooo...on with more goodness soon please!??



Wimpy

"There was plenty of magic." ~ Tara

[willohand]

well,well,well... im on the verge of yet another emotional attack. and why would that be sheba? could it be because our willow and tara are sad? let me think...YES! what are you doing to me? what are you doing to all us kitties?

pleasse if you care for my mental stability at all you will please do something about this small problem called oz. so close yet so far. how much more do you think we can take? could you make me anymore insane? i beg of you... please get them together even if only to talk of their feelings of what happened before oz showed up and then what they both felt that he showed up.

[ophelia11]

So...If Willow is noticing that she'd rather spend time with Tara than Oz...does that mean we'll have Willow and Tara time soon?



I gotta say. YOU. ARE. KILLING. ME. Seriously. I've read some fics where the authors take their time getting the two together, but ay, ay, ay...



Another great update. After all the thinking that Tara's done the last 12 hours or so, has she figured out that she's attracted to Willow yet?



Can't wait for more.

[WillowPowered]

For goodness sake, I've known snails that move faster than these two. Get with the smoochies already!!!!



Jill

~~~~~~~~

Willow - Say, you all didn't happen to do a bunch of drugs did ya?



My Home Page | Amber Powered | Alyson Powered



There is a little bit of Amber in all of us.

[Red Jassy]

hey sheba

you know rl 's been stoppin me from reading your updates.. but man.. start with the sm0ochies already ahehehe..



oooouuu... Willow checkin Tara's ass.. hmm... cool.. and STUPID OZ!! oh! wrong timing.. humph@!

i just hope Anya and Cordelia make Tara admit she likes willow.. and make it sooner..

can't wait for more.. thanks. take care.

ciao

j0an

---

Cause you were made for me/Somehow I'll make you see/How happy you make me

/I can't live this life/Without you by my side/I need you to survive/ So stay with me/
You look in my eyes and I'm screaming inside/]that I'm sorry. » Evanescence

[Shy One]

I'm really beginning to hate Oz.

Willow is obviously NOT happy with him. Jealous of her friends' relationships. Hello?!!!! Get a clue Willow!



It's time to dump Oz and run off with Tara!



More soon Please?!!! I just gotta know what Willow does about Oz. Please make her break up with him.

I can't take sad Willow and Tara.

They need smoochies. (hint, hint)

Great update!! (except, of course, for Oz) Grrrrr.



Cara

[Grimlock72]

For some reason I didn't find this story earlier, odd...



Anyway, up until a couple of chapters ago I felt sort of sorry for Oz. After all it is not his fault Willow is developing feelings for Tara . However, seeing him just barging in and taking Willow from her Tara-night... and esp. the lack of attention for Willow in the latest update made me less Oz-friendly.



It's cute to see both Willow and Tara not entirely realising what they're feeling. Hopefully they'll figure it out eventually .



Still wondering what Tara is shielding herself from, probably related to her 'crazy year' I guess.



Grimmy

--
"You hurt Tara," Willow said too calmly. "The last one who tried that was a god. I made her regret it." -- Unexpected Consequences by Lisa of Nine

[ShyTemptress]

-chants- dump Oz, dump Oz, dump Oz

Shy Southern Temptress

[Rane018]

rarely now, very rarely, do i start a fic that is not finished. it drives me to not have resolution. I stumbled across this fic and so glad I did.



I've never really paid attention to hand ball and what a fascinating game it is! you write it so well, makes me think that you play this sport. The game scenes are descriptive and even nerve wracking to see how does what and who wins, etc... I used to be the sporty type once upon a time (just had knee surgery for a tear. lol) but never was exposed to this particular game.



loving all the characters. It's still a bit hard for me to get used to Cordy and Anya being so normal and sweet but I absolutely adore them and their friendship with Tara. And Buffy and Willow are so well written as well. Willow is so adorable and realistic. so is Tara... sigh... what a great person she is in this fic (not that she wasn't already). Love her love her extra curricular activities and jobs. i wish i could go chapter by chapter as to how wonderful certain scenes are. If i wasn't doped on painkillers still i'm sure i'd be more coherent.



I love the slow buildup of their relationship although sometimes I get angsty and want them to at least kiss already. lol. (and people complain I'm slow?) you can feel their growing love for each other and you can certainly feel for them when bumps in the road come up like Oz. but i'm looking fwd to the next chapters and to their confessions and resolution...



great job, Sheba!!!!

"Take care of my heart, won't you please? Take care of it because it's all that I have. And if you let me, I'll take care of your heart too." Pure sweetness in the look between Willow and Tara. (shooting script)

[Sheba]

Alright guys, we’ve reached the half century mark! Hehe! Woo hoo…yeah yeah, and still no smoochies…I can hear ya! Just be patient my loves! Thanks to everyone for the feedback! I know I’ve been neglecting you’ll for a long while now, so here, this is me trying to make up to everyone who took out the time to writ me! Merci beaucoup you all!



Willow Friendly – Thank you for understanding that I want the smoochies as bad as everyone else! Yup, it is hard not to just give in a put in some lip on lip action, but I’m holding on and waiting for the right time! Thanks for the compliments!



Stroke of Luck – Lol! I love your optimism! I promise you that there will be oodles, tons, loads of smoochies and Willow Tara love, but I just wanna build up to it in the right way! Please be patient with me!



Mikaelah Braenna – Hehe! Nice fit you’re throwing there! All in good time love! Ooh, and remember, you can’t let people kill me!



veiled isis moon – Don’t worry, they’ll be happy! I promise!



littlecrazy80 – Heeeeyyyyy…don’t go depressing yourself…you and I both know that good things are in store for them!



DreamstoDream – LOL! I love the bounce! Someone’s sure enthusiastic! She’ll get going…thanks for the support!



BurningWhiteRose – Thank you! Don’t worry…we WILL get there!



wimpy0729 – Thanks for bringing it on! What you said made complete sense, so don’t worry about that! J



willohand – Hehe…someone’s getting worked up! LOL! I do care for your mental stability! Now all I’m asking for is a lil more time…and I know you’re not gonna deny me that!



ophelia11 – LOL you guys are making me out to be some kinda mass murderer! Here’s the ‘more’ you couldn’t wait for!



WillowPowered – Haha! You’re comment actually made me giggle! Thanks for that!



Red Jassy – Nice to hear from you again! I’m happy you’re liking how I’m going with this, and I hope I don’t disappoint you with the rest J



Shy One – Wow! What a subtle hint! LOL!



Grimlock72 – Yup, I can understand the sympathizing with Oz earlier bit. I mean it’s not fair to hit on someone else’s someone, at least I think so! I’m glad you’re all for Willow and Tara now!



ShyTemptress – I think I can hear the rest of the kittens joining you on that chant!



Rane018 – Thank you so much for the lovely feedback! It honestly means a lot to me! Cheers!



Title : The Game of Love.

DIsclaimers : Some people are lucky enough to actually know and have seen a Willow and Tara...unfortunately I am not one of those people...the two lovely ladies, and all the other names that u might recognize belong to the lucky production company people...*sticks tongue out at Joss*...

Rating : Still totally PG.

Summary : Its about our favorite girls, but has nothing to do with the Buffy stories, except for the fact that its based in Sunnydale.

Pairing : Duh!

Spoilers : None...this ones AU...

Dedication : For two beautiful women, Julietta and Mirr



Chapter 50!!!



It was seven p.m, and Tara was just locking her office, on her way out of work. Pocketing her key, she began walking towards the elevators, when she was stopped by her boss. “Tara?”



Stopping, Tara turned towards the voice, and spotting the tall, tanned woman she said, “Yes Gabrielle?”



“Everything ok with you?” Gabriele asked.



“Yeah…you know, it’s just been a tiring day, that’s all…” Tara replied, stifling a yawn.



It was true, Tara had left straight for work as soon as she was done collecting her prize money from the sports department at college. On her way out she’d spotted Willow standing talking to Buffy, Xander, Anya and Zak, and she’d been about to go over and say ‘hi’ when she’d noticed Oz sitting a few steps away from Willow, strumming his guitar. Suddenly Tara’s feet had seemed to get stuck to the ground, and all she could do was stare. She watched as first Xander, and then Willow had pulled Buffy into hugs, and then walked away, as Willow had sat back down next to Oz.



‘He’s probably writing her a song…’ Tara thought. ‘Someone like Willow deserves to be serenaded with songs that are written just for her…’



All at once Tara could take it no more, and turning she’d gone to her car, and gone straight to work, where she’d buried herself in things to do all day. Remembering that the kids were due to come over today, Tara had called up the school and spoken to Melody, and told her to collect the spare key from the neighbours, go into the house with the other kids, and watch a movie. Finally when even she had to admit to herself that there was really nothing left to do, she’d sighed and gotten up to leave.



And that’s when Gabrielle had caught her on her way out. A part of Tara hoped that maybe Gabrielle needed something to be done immediately, which would give Tara an excuse to bury herself in work again.



“Oh alright. Wel, I wanted to speak to you all day, but it seemed that at any given point, at least one of us was busy doing something. I just heard you come out of your office, so I rushed out to speak with you” Gabrielle said.



Tara waited patiently for her boss to continue, and after taking a breath the taller woman said “We’ve tied up with Magnus Entertainment on the Californian leg of their Michelle Branch concert, and now we’ve got the exclusive rights to play the concert live on air!”



“That’s brilliant!” Tara said, genuinely pleased with the news.



“Well, I know that you and Michelle have worked together before on one of her earlier tie ups with the station, and anyway I think that you’re the best person for the job, that’s why I’ve decided to send you there as the spokesperson and overall representative of our station…” Gabrielle said.



Tara took a moment to absorb what had just been said to her, and another two moments to understand that this was really a big deal, and then she reacted! “Me???” she said, her eyes going wide. “I’m the official representative????” Tara asked.



“Yeah…” Gabrielle said, smiling herself at the younger girls shocked expression. “You’ll be making all the decisions, and pretty much calling the shots. Oh, and between you and me” she said, her voice dropping to barely a whisper as she moved closer, “you’re in for a promotion and raise after the concert”.



Tara’s face held an incredulous look as she pulled back. “Why me??”



“Oh that’s easy. You’ve been with us for like forever now, and everyone knows that you’re one of the most hard working people in the station. It’s your dedication. Tara, we all know that you give everything your best shot, and that’s exactly what we need at the station” Gabrielle ended, smiling.



Tara was overwhelmed by everything that had just been said to her. All she could say was “Thank you…” and then shook her head, as she still absorbed it all.



“Ok, now you should get going. Celebrate Tara, it’s your night!” Gabrielle said, and began to walk back to her office. When she was almost there she stopped, and looking back at the still stunned blonde she said “Oh, by the way, the concerts in LA on Sunday, and you have to be there by Saturday afternoon”, with that, she opened the door to her office and disappeared.



Tara turned and continued to walk back to the elevator. On the way to the parking lot she thought about everything, and gave her mother a quick call to tell her the news. As she expected, her mother was as happy as she was about the new responsibilities, and proud that her daughter was being promoted. But what she was most pleased about was that the concert was in LA, and she would be seeing her daughter over the weekend!



“Yes Mom…I’ll be staying there. No, no party! Mom! Fine. No I’m not bringing anyone! Mooommmm!” Tara said, smiling at her mother’s line of thought. “Yeah Mom…I love you too…bye!” she said, hanging up with a grin.



On the drive home Tara passed a liquor store, and thought about what Gabrielle had said about celebrating. ‘But who should I celebrate with?’ she thought, stopping the car to go buy herself a bottle of champagne. She thought about Willow, and dismissed that thought, knowing it was silly. She bought one bottle anyway, and went back into the car, thinking that she would call and ask Anya and Cordelia if they were free when they got home. She tried her friends numbers on her phone, and as it turned out Anya was busy with Xander that night, and Cordelia had a family do. Both of them were happy for their friend, and promised that they’d do something tomorrow to celebrate Tara’s success at work.



‘Well, if there’s no one else, I could always drink to myself’ she thought, parking the car and getting out.



Letting herself into the building, she walked up to her house, and heard noises inside. ‘The kids are watching a movie…good’ Tara thought, turning the key in the hole and letting herself in.



Closing the door behind her she turned to look at the sofa and for the millionth time that day, was rendered speechless. “Willow?” she said, taking in the sight of the smiling red head seated on her sofa amidst the kids.

**************************************



....?

[BurningWhiteRose]

Please Say she Dumped Oz, Please Say she Dumped Oz, Please Say she Dumped Oz, Please Say she Dumped Oz, Please Say she Dumped Oz, Please Say she Dumped Oz, Please Say she Dumped Oz, Please Say she Dumped Oz, Please Say she Dumped Oz, Please Say she Dumped Oz, Please Say she Dumped Oz, Please Say she Dumped Oz, Please Say she Dumped Oz, Please Say she Dumped Oz, Please Say she Dumped Oz, Please Say she Dumped Oz, Please Say she Dumped Oz, Please Say she Dumped Oz, Please Say she Dumped Oz, Please Say she Dumped Oz, Please Say she Dumped Oz, Please Say she Dumped Oz, Please Say she Dumped Oz, Please Say she Dumped Oz!



Pwease?



Sincerely,

BWR

***

If homosexuals dont reproduce, why are there so many of them?-Jim David

[wimpy0729]

Oh Yay!



Her day started out crappy but got so much better! Loved her Willow surprise! Now on with the celebrating! A little champagne, a little candlelight?



Now, I gotta agree with BWR about the dumping of Oz!



More soon please!



Wimpy

"There was plenty of magic." ~ Tara

[Mikaelah Braenna]

Woooo... I have to agree with BWR...

Sheba, you are killing me. I am not going to be able to protect you from the masses of kitties soon. At least, that cliffhanger had a certain hope to it. We can -FINALLY- have Willow and Tara alone time? And with champagne... hmm. Maybe even feelings revealed? Wonderful update.



~Mikaelah

That'll teach me to challenge her. ~Tara ... ~Something New by Ophelia11

[Shy One]

I'm joining in with BurningWhiteRose......

*chanting*

Please say she dumped Oz, Please say she dumped Oz

Please say she dumped Oz .........



Well......you get the idea.

Fabulous update, as usual!

More soon, please?

Oh yeah, one more thing..........................

MAKE WITH THE SMOOCHIES ALREADY!!!!!!

And with that, I bid you adieu.



Cara

[BFR from Paris]

It's about to get ugly...

[Arwen276]

Let's have a



Please SAY SHE DUMPED OZ march!!!



COME ON EVERYONE!!!!





Loved the update!!





~Arwen

Hear That Baby? You're My Always... Willow

[Stroke of Luck]

Hi!!!



Hey whom are u telling to be more patient??? I am the most patient girl ever lol jk..i just love to see them happy and well its moving ok but sometimes i am a bit pushy an want to see SNUGGLES already...a girl can dream, right?



OH i love to see Tara all happy and excited. i bet she has a great evening now with Willow in her house and champagne. Maybe they are even a bit tipsy and some kisses will follow and and and *sigh* oh yeah alc is GREAT so helpful sometimes hihihihi



Great update btw and i stop my babbling now...otherwise u will tell me again to be more patient TZ more patient no one can be more patient than i am



Cu

SoL/Natti

"I wish that you were here or that I were there, or that we were together anywhere!"

Edited by: Stroke of Luck at: 7/12/04 12:21 pm

[littlecrazy80]

Great update! And I´m joining the Please say she dumped Oz, march.



*lil´c*

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



SweetAmber ~~~ Amber Board ~~~ Fred the Elephant

[Grimlock72]

Ha! Like Willow would dump Oz without so much as pressure having to choose between Oz and Tara. Willow is too nice to everybody for that, eventually she'll end having to choose of course (though Tara will likely want to spare her that) but she needs a bigger event to kickstart that...



Aaaanyway, I forgot to thank you properly for writing your other story _Love Thy Neighbour_. It was one of the first stories I read and stored, still got the .doc file in my archive . Fun story that one, clumsy Willow falling in the pool due to staring at Tara's ass, heh .



I do feel sorry for Tara, good thing Willow is there... don't know if I would want Tara to get drunk all alone while thinking about her (perceived) loneliness. Hmm... not to sure I want both of them drunk together either, could lead to stuff they might somewhat regret later.



Heh, I can just see Willow sitting on that cough casually waving hello to Tara. Of course Tara will keep her troubling thoughts as far away from Willow as possible, should be easy to do now that she the gig in LA to celebrate.



Hmm... she DID promise her mother not bring anyone with her right ? Too bad



Grimmy

--
"You hurt Tara," Willow said too calmly. "The last one who tried that was a god. I made her regret it." -- Unexpected Consequences by Lisa of Nine

[veiled isis moon]

Let them get drunk, all sorts of things happen when your drunk............like accidentally tripping over and managing to get your lips to land on someone else's lips!!

Nah...............only joking. Wouldn't want our girl's first kisses to be some drunken mistake.............but the way i'm feeling at the moment, i'll take what ever i can get. Big tease!!

[amberfan87]

sooo yeah..hehehe..lol...drinking in order..hmm..i agree with the gurl before me...heheh let them get drunk and do things...naughty things? lol..just kissing maybe and some...other thigns..heheh.i wonder why joan is being so dormant nowadays? hmm..ianne maybe? *think**waggles brows*

[Drumbly]

HAahha ..wow sheebie...u done it again...

whens the next update?! I MISS YOU DUDE!!!!!!!!!!



want more of this soonish...cliffs are not very nice to have hahaha...if u kno wut i mean ..



Love : Jesse/Drumbly

"...I'm multi-talented, cause i can talk and piss you off at the same time... "

[YMKA]

....Well I guess at least Willow is in Tara's apartment.... that's promising ....now a bottle .....and kids on their way home....you can actually have some alone time.... but you won't have it....eh? 50 chapters without them even saying something to each other?!?!?!?[well, they do say things...just not THAT thing ] Let's see how next 50 chapters will go.... Did I mention that I love it? I do *sits back and patiently waits for next update where Sheba will give W/T some smoochie time



Laters!



M.

[Willow Friendly]

OK you have to please update soon! I have to know what happens. I can just picture it now, the girls have some champagne, the kids are all asleep, they are cuddled up on the couch, one thing leads to another. Please make my dreams come true, you're killing me with the suspense here. Which probably says that you are really good writer, of which you are, but please take pity on us and throw us a little bone. Please .



Can't wait for more



WF

[little miss 666]

Sheba.



I've been reading this since you started it though I only just registered like a few seconds ago! AHH The excitement! This is my first offical reply to a story hehe. yay! Anyway this is one of my favourite stories on the board. I love the way you've written the girls! Especially Tara, i mean, who can honestly resist her when she's all sporty and sexy like that!



okay, i'm rambling, i do that when i'm nervous. So anyway! the point of this: KEEP GOING! I can't wait till they actually get together *hint *hint *nudge nudge* hehe. bye then!



- lilmiss

can i keep you?

[Sheba]

Alright guys, here's a new one! Before I get to teh story though...



BurningWhiteRose – Could you have said that any more time?!?!?!? LOL!



wimpy0729 – Woo hoo! I got a yay! Annnd you joined the chant! Lesse what you think of the UD!



onyxsundrops – Loved the shot sentences! Hehe! Got your point through!



Mikaelah Braenna - *goes off to prctice kick boxing* Hehe!



Shy One – Ooh another one! Yes Cara, I got the idea! Loud and clear!



BFR from Paris – *runs* Hehe!



Arwen276 – Man! That’s quite a march! LOL!



Stroke of Luck – Yeah yeah, you’re the epitome of patience! Just a lil more!



littlecrazy80 – Aah...And you’re marcher number…?



Grimlock72 – First of all, thanks for the compliments on Love Thy Neighbour! They are much appreciated! Hopefully you’ll think this ones god enough to save too!



veiled isis mon – Yeah yeah, I’m a tease! LOL! You’re idea of getting them to kiss made me laugh! Not that it’s a bad idea! It’s just funny how you wanted it to happen! Am I driving you guys that cwazy?!



amberfan87 – Hehe…any luck finding joan? Thanks for the feedback…see what happens next…



Drumbly – Where the f#ck are you woman?! I never see you online anymore! Send me your sms number again…lost my old fone, but my numbers the same…just lost the numbers I had saved! Enjoy the update!



YMKA – Hehe…I hop you enjoy the next 50 chapters…if there are that many! And hey, they do say stuff in the fic! LOL!



Willow Friendly – Your dreams will come true love! Just be patient! Here’s ‘more’ for you!



Iittle miss 666 – I am absolutely flattered that you chose to respond to my fic first! Go me! Yeah, don’t we all love the sporty, sexy types?! Thanks for the hints! I’ll just add your name to the list! LOL! I hope you enjoy the new installment!



Disclaimers and all as usual!



Chapter 51.



“Willow???” Tara said, blinking a couple of eyes to make sure she wasn’t imagining things. When the figure before her didn’t disappear, Tara started believing that maybe, just maybe, she wasn’t hallucinating!



For her part, Willow was having a hard time keeping her jaw from falling to the floor! ‘God…it’s like I’d forgotten how beautiful she is…’ she thought, looking at Tara in wonder.



‘Is someone calling me?’ Tara thought, as she slowly began to come back from being lost in green eyes. ‘Ok now I think someone’s pulling my hand’ she distinctly thought, and tearing her gaze away from Willow she realized that Melody had been tugging on her arm, trying to get her attention.



“Yeah sweetie?” Tara asked, looking down at the concerned brown eyes staring at her.



“Are you ok Tara?” Melody asked, genuinely worried since Tara hadn’t been responding to her for the better part of 20 seconds.



“Huh?” Tara asked, taking a quick glance in Willow’s direction, only to see the redhead staring at her hands, as if she’d never seen them before! Tara also noticed that she looked slightly red, as she turned her attention back to Melody.



“Well, you seemed sorta…umm…like you were in a trance or something when you came in, and then I walked up to you, and tried to get you’re attention, but you were, like, lost or something!” Melody explained.



Tara finally got it. “Oh, no, no Mel…don’t worry, I’m fine. I just had a tiring day…” she said. ‘And I couldn’t stop staring at Willow, who looks absolutely edible sitting there in those overalls…wait…did I just think Willow’s edible???’ she thought, and immediately began to blush.



Willow was now staring at her, Tara’s statement of having had a tiring day catching her attention. ‘Aww, poor baby…she looks tired’ Willow thought, and then watched Tara get lost in some thought again. Willow watched many emotions play over the blonde’s face, and the resulting pink tinge that showed on her face.



Tara shook herself out of her thoughts again, and decided that it was now time to change the subject! “Sooo…what’re you guys watching?” she asked, although what she really wanted to know was when Willow had come there, what had made her come there, and if she could keep her there forever!



“102 Dalmatians” Mike replied, not taking his eyes of the screen as he and the rest of the kids bean laughing at Cruella!



Tara looked at her watch and announced, “Alright guys, enjoy the movie, and right after that you gotta head home. Capish?”



This statement was greeted by groans and muted ‘Yes Moms’, and grinning, Tara walked into her room to drop off her back pack, and a few seconds later she was back in the kitchen, placing the brown bag that held the champagne on the counter. Opening a box of cookies for the kids, she poured them all one glass of milk each. What Tara didn’t know was that Willow, who seemed watching the TV along with the kids, was actually staring at the slight reflection that you could see of the kitchen on the screen! The redhead was mesmerized by the way Tara moved, which to her seemed just as graceful in the kitchen as it did on a handball field!



Putting the glasses and a plate full of cookies on a tray, Tara carried it to where everyone was watching TV, and placed the tray on the small center table. Standing tall again she addressed Willow for what was really the first time that evening, ‘Unless I count saying her name out loud like a moron…’ he thought. “Umm, Willow…what can I get you?” Glancing at the kitchen she said “I have cappuccino, regular coffee, umm, herbal tea, regular tea, Coke, Dr. Pepper and…yeah, that’s all! Oh, I could whip up a chocolate or banana milkshake if you like…” That seemed to bring the kids to life, and just as many of them seemed like they were about to say something Tara said, “The offer was extended to Willow, and Willow only!”



That silenced the kids, and smirking, Tara looked back at a grinning Willow, who said, “I’ll have whatever you’re having Tara.”



Tara smiled, and walking back to the kitchen she thought ‘Why did my name never sound as good before???’



Willow resumed watching Tara ‘on TV’ as she put it, and giggled at the idea. Hearing her Tara smiled in the kitchen ‘She’s got the cutest laugh…’ Shaking her head, she thought ‘God, I sound like the world’s most lovesick, lovesick puppy!’



10 minutes later she was walking back to the sofa with a tray that carried 2 steaming hot cups of cappuccino, and a plate of chocolate chip cookies. Keeping it next to the tray that held the by now empty milk glasses and almost empty plate of cookies, Tara settled herself onto the floor, with her back to the sofa…and Willow.



‘Good, now I don’t have to watch her on TV!’ Willow thought, and happily began inspecting Tara’s from the back. Taking in a deep breath, she reveled in the smell of Tara… ‘All vanilla-y’ she thought, sighing happily. ‘God, I’ve missed her more than I realized…’



Tara knew she was being watched…and she knew exactly who was watching her. ‘What’s she looking at??? Oh God, I probably look awful…even from the back! Why didn’t I go wash up? Ok, and why would Willow care about how I look? Hello!? Straight girl, with a cool, musician boyfriend…wake up Tara!’



Tara realized that the movie had ended, and rose to switch the player off. 10 minutes later the kids were trooping out the front door, with Tara promising them that they would definitely be doing some actual studying on Wednesday. She’d already apologized about missing out on that today. “Call me when you get home” she reminded Mike, and shut the door, leaving only herself and Willow in the house.



“Sooo…” Willow said “It was a sweet movie…”



Tara nodded her head, and then had to ask “How come you came?” Willow looked up quickly, and Tara hastened to say “Wait, that sounded a little harsh. What I meant was how come you came today, in like, a good way! You know what I mean?”



Willow smiled, understanding. “Well, I remembered that you worked with the kids today” Tara began moving towards the couch, and Willow followed “And I wanted to come…is that ok?” she asked, sitting down.



“Oh of course it’s alright! So were the kids already here when you came?” Tara asked.



“Yeah, apparently they’d just gotten in like 5 minutes before I got here…” Willow said. “So…I didn’t see you at college today…” she let off.



“Yeah…I had to rush straight to work…”Tara answered, not looking Willow in the eye.



“Yeah…So…how was work?” Willow asked.



“Oh great!” Tara said, and began telling Willow about her conversation with Gabrielle.



“That’s brilliant! Congratulations! So tell me…why are you not out partying?!” Willow exclaimed.



“Well….” Tara told her about her talks with Anya and Cordelia, and tried not to sound like she was sad about it or anything. “They’re just busy you know…but I’m sure we will do something tomorrow…I already have the champagne…so we can just pop it and celebrate” she ended.



Willow wanted to tell her that she was more than willing to spend the time with her, and would have loved to celebrate, but she didn’t want to sound pushy, or like she was an alcoholic after some free booze!



Tara wanted to ask Willow if she would like to pop the bottle of champagne and share a celebratory drink with her, but SHE didn’t want to sound too pushy! ‘What the heck! I just got a raise! Forget that you’re crushing on her, cause that’s never gonna go anywhere anyway! Just ask her of she’ll have a drink with you!’ Taking a deep breath Tara finally said, “Willow…would you like to, like, open the bottle? I mean…”



“I’d love too!” Willow said, surprised by how happy she was that Tara had asked her.



Tara just smiled, and was in danger of getting lost in Willow’s matching grin when the redheads cell phone rang. Quickly reaching into her pocket, Willow answered “Hello? Oz…hey…I’m at Tara’s…the Bronze? What time…?”



‘She’s gonna go’ Tara thought, already resigned at the idea. She tried not to think about the fact that in 5 minutes she would probably be all alone at home again…all alone without Willow.



“You know Oz…I’d rather not tonight…no I’m at Tara’s…we’re just sitting around…yeah, I’m gonna stay here a while…wait, if that’s alright with you Tara?” Willow asked the blonde.



“Oh…oh of course…” Tara said, as a wide smile graced her features, making her glow.



Willow smiled back, and spoke into the phone again “Yeah, I’ll call you later Oz…yeah you too…bye…” Hanging up, Willow put the phone away, and grinning at the blonde she said “So…where’s the champagne lady?!”



*************************************



So...?

[WillowFever]

How can you leave us there....CRUEL...CRUEL...CRUEL I tell ya.... I WANT SMOOCHIES.....SMOOCHIES...SMOOCHIES....





okay...now that I have that out....sort of.....I just gotta say...I love this fic more and more with every update...it is so sweet and adorable....Willow watching Tara on tv.....too cute



So...update soon...like....in a few minutes....



thanks for the wonderful story....



Rachel