Hello all you kittens! how'st with you? Sorry, in a bit of a shakespeare mood....and i don't know why......perhaps its the play....could be....wierd....ah well....onto more important things! I've got to say i'm breaking some of my promises of before of who would be in this fic or rather who would be mentioned....and also and diving into a story i had not yet thought up.....so we'll see how it goes..
Replies!
Sappho-ah! you live! you are on the computer! yay for you...and wait...you want kissage? sounds perfectly legit.....
Sappho #2- did you know i was just talking to your twin? and she asked for the exact same thing....and soon i see...hmm i'll have to do that...
intricate mirage-Hellooo again to you too! and yes the offer still stands....ah that's fab you're doing a happy dance for me....i'm so pleased now; my life means something. and yes, bad bad buffy....what if i was to say, she doesn't do very much good in the next update? would you want to hit me? cause i can't stand having angry kittens...oh look you're waiting for me....whoo *does her own little dance*
sam darls-hmm....what IS she gonna do about it....i dont know....the update now is all fuzzy in my mind...it kinda got totally warped since last i read it...and i'm glad teasing is okay...its good to know for future reference...
LostWithoutTara-thanks! i'm hoping its going the right way.ah you know that song is one of my favorites and i can play it on the guitar too....just like it sounds in the beggining with the heavy strums....great sig.
snuggle79-yeah....i have this slight image of instead of lola we have willow....hey, dude, it's one redhead for another....running...funny how that works.....and thankyou for making me laugh so hard...i don't know why that struck me as so funny, but it did.
shuyaku-ah! there you are again! i've found you! you know what? i completely rewrote (okay not completely) the ending! you are such the little muse that i've been needing. and good girl? psh...i doubt it....i doubt it like a fair bought with satan....your power and influence astounds me too...cause without your imput i'd be posting well....crap....in my opinion...and don't you run willy or nilly stay here! and read please? *begs*
foreverpiper-i'm mean now? huh....didn't know that......and yeah that they are with the cluelessness....dear well, i'm glad i suplied the good and the bad...shall i also supply the ugly? hmmm....*looks at pug dog of hers* no....its' already taken care of....and yes the um...alarm incident was very ....interesting shall we say...
Grimlock79-ah yeah...i sorta said i only had 19 parts written so that's where i was thinking of ending it....and thanks for the compliments about the thinking thing....it gets even more complicated in the next update...so we'll see whatcha think of that....yeah it is frustrating to read...sorry dude...heh good idea with the "hi...you forgot this..."....and go you with the waiting!
singgirl-you do? great! i'm happy if you're feeling less sicky...you are right? cause i need my readers 100% non-sicky-feeling so that they don't sneeze onto the monitor and cause the system to collapse from a virus they weren't expecting....or something like that...
The Rose24-Yay! Go willow GO! ah....thanks for the compliment dude....hope you enjoy the next and final bit.
FINAL NOTE: Hmmm.....well....i'm sorry to say that this is the last update that is if people are satisfied with it. i'm kinda sorry to leave you guys, but i really can't think up anything else to write for this story, as of yet. If you all really really really like this story, i'll wrack my brain for something, but updates won't be so quick anymore.....so.....it's really up to the response i get in return. but if this is indeed the end, i want to thank you all for such wonderful words. for my first fic, this has been a blessing because of the replies i received. thanks!
and now for something completely different.....*bum bum bum* the update....
Chapter 19
Buffy was on mission. She was going to face the biggest bad since Godzilla. This monster had to go down. And there was no way to prevent its ass getting kicked. This was a fight to be remembered throughout history as the day heroic and brave Buffy saved the world from anxiety, pain and destruction. A kick. A punch. A jump and a miss. And one wild scream
“Stupid copier thingy! Why won’t you WORK?! I know what you’re doing you evil demonic spawn! You purposefully work only for Willow and Tara and everyone else but ME!” Buffy stamped her foot angrily on the last syllable.
Tara had bended the corner to find Buffy thrashing about against the copier machine. Willow would kill her if she knew what she did to her stuff.
“B-buffy, may I?” Buffy didn’t say anything, just nodded furiously pointing like a wild woman at the gray box as if to say, “See what I have to put up with?!”
Tara leaned in, and said slowly, “See, what you should do in these situations is trouble shoot, or better yet, “ she said frowning slightly, “press the ‘on’ button’,” she said pressing the button causing the copier to awaken with a grumble and groan. It didn’t like being kicked by the dumb secretary; in fact it hated it when she did that.
“Oh,” Buffy said numbly.
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Willow had made it past the first block in a full speed run. She couldn’t believe she had this much energy from just a small white piece of paper. She could be wrong, though. A fortune is just a fortune, what does it have to do with real life, let alone her future with the love of her life? She ran up to the next street waiting impatiently for it to change to green. A second. Another second. And then another. HOW LONG WAS THIS LIGHT? Willow decided too long, so she took the long-cut-route curving around another block to come back up again on the other side of the street. Running, breathing heavily she could see the building looming ahead. She was looking at the sign when she managed to run smack into another body.
“OOF!” Willow was knocked to the side, completely thrown by the unexpected turn of events.
“HEY! WATCH WHERE THE HELL YOU’RE GOING!” Came the harsh reply.
“Excuse ME!” Willow shouted. She was already tired, annoyed and had to get somewhere. But when she saw who it was, she almost regretted shouting. Mr. McClay stood staring furiously back at her. Only, his fury faded to fear when he saw who he had just screamed at.
“Oh, Miss Rosenberg, I’m so, so, so sorry, Ma’am. I didn’t see who it was until it was too late. How’s Tara doing? How’s the business going? You know, we got that doorknob all nice an’ fixed only a day after you said so, it’s all nice and shinny now. Is there anything I can do for you, sir? I mean, ma’am?” came a rushed and nervous reply. Willow did not have time for this.
“Sorry, wrong McClay,” she said as she sprinted off again, happy to have avoided the scary mess it would have been to be ‘nice’ to that man. The WAMK building was in perfect view now, only a block and a half to go. “Come on Willow, just a little bit more,” she prayed inwardly.
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“Thanks, Tara” Buffy said sheepishly. Sometimes she really could be a dork. She could admit to that. Tara seemed off some how though, as if wandering through a world of doors, waiting for one to open for her. “Yo, Tara, I said thanks,” Buffy said snapping her fingers.
“Huh? Oh, yeah, y-your welcome,” Tara said distantly.
“Hey, are you okay? You look a little down,” Buffy said looking sharply into her eyes. Something was up. Or something had happened last night that she wasn’t aware of. “What’s wrong, did something happen last night?”
Tara’s eyes became even more confused as to where they should look. She couldn’t meet Buffy’s or anyone’s eyes about the failure that was last night.
“Hey, did, did Willow do something? Did she say anything?” Buffy said trying to get an answer. If she was wrong about Tara’s feelings for Willow then she was to blame for whatever mess that had been created. And that was a bad bad. A very big bad.
“N-n-no, not really,” Tara said dismissively.
“Listen to me Tara, whatever she was doing, whatever she said, or did, she didn’t mean it. Okay? Remember Willow hopped up on drugs does not mean she’s still the genius she normally is. Whatever it was, I’m sure she wasn’t thinking at the time, got confused or something,” Buffy said trying to comfort the girl. Tara became silent, pensive. “I’m going to get some coffee, you want some?” Tara shook her head.
So it was true. It was all a façade. Willow wasn’t hers, nor ever would be. Tara slowly walked down to the stairs that led to the storage area for newly arrived shipments, as Buffy walked off briskly. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Tara go down. “I’m glad I stopped anymore confusion,” she thought.
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Willow had stormed into the building, cursing the fact that she had never made it mandatory for the elevators to have an emergency “quick” button. Several stairs later, she burst into the open offices facing her employees all staring blankly at the raged form of their once normal boss. She had been such a nice quiet young woman.
She ran down towards Tara’s desk. The seat was vacant. Perhaps she didn’t come in just yet? Or maybe she had left for the day? Perhaps she was too late? Willow looked furiously around the neat desk for anything, anything that would give her a clue of Tara’s whereabouts. She had almost started pulling out the drawers of the desk when she heard a slight beeping behind her. The computer monitor was on; it was asking for a password. Tara had been here. That was enough.
The office workers barely saw the red curls flying after their owner as she dived down the hallway.
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Buffy had been walking leisurely down the hall, when all Hell seemed to break loose. A shout came directly at her, sounding like a bird in distress. When she turned she saw the supposed-to-be-in-bed patient she knew as Willow running at her full-speed. The redhead screeched to a halt breathing heavily pulling Buffy over into the nearest empty room.
“Willow, wha—“ Buffy was cut off by the immense strength that pulled her over; it seemed her redheaded friend she once knew as innocent was in fact a closet body-builder of some sort.
“WHERE…IS…TARA?” Willow said breathing heavily.
“She just went down the stairs…” Buffy slowly said, slightly frightened by the angry girl. Willow tore away towards the staircase. Buffy didn’t know what it was that was going on, but knew she couldn’t let Willow break what was just fixed by her, again.
“Wait! WILLOW WAIT!” Buffy screamed. Willow was almost at the door, when Buffy caught up with her and slammed herself against it, trying to get the redhead’s attention.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!” Buffy said clambering over the doorknob. She held Willow back by the wrist of her right hand while covering the knob with her own right hand. “Think about this, Willow. I just talked to Tara, she seemed really down about what you did, and I don’t think you shooting in there is going to make anything better. You’re just going to confuse her more. I had to convince her that it was just the Valium speaking, and I’m sorry, but I’m not gonna let you go in there destroying what I’ve just barely put together again.”
Willow stared at the door that was partly covered by Buffy. She didn’t know what to do now. If what Buffy was saying was true, then she was just being a fool, and she didn’t have a right to charge in after Tara. Willow’s hand fell limply to her side and Buffy released the doorknob slightly.
“Are you really prepared to get rejected by her?” Buffy asked staring into Willow’s eyes. Willow seemed to fade from the world; everything was slipping away. And she didn’t know what to believe now. Then suddenly it became clear, without any warning. This was no psychological drama she couldn’t control; this was Tara. Perfect and clear, Tara.
“I’m prepared for anything if it means I can live and breathe next to Tara,” with that Willow pushed Buffy aside and forced herself down onto the first stair, then the next and the next as her blond friend stared after her from the doorway, gawking.
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Tara had found herself a nice small cardboard box to sit on. She didn’t know what she was going to do down there. But after what Buffy had told her it seemed like the best place to sit and ponder life’s problems without interruptions. Only, she hadn’t gotten very far in thinking before the tears started to fall and her eyes welled up into a flood of emotion and pain. Tara wept quietly, hugging herself, for fear if she did not she would fall apart right then and there.
It had been a while since she had last cried this much, over one human being. Her mother’s death had been the last time she had mourned so. All at a rushed age of 17, no one to comfort her, no one to protect her, and no one to talk to. To Tara her mother’s passing was more than loosing a friend or a mother. It was loosing all contact with the world. She had closed up. Nothing could reach her true self.
And then there was Willow. Out of the darkness came the brilliant redhead, carrying her into a new world of love, friendship, and happiness. But now, it was lost to her. Her Willow had died that day. And so, she began to mourn.
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At the bottom of the stairs Willow could see a long stretch of boxes, packages, and newly arrived shipments. The room was dimly lit; rarely did anyone come down here save herself to check up on the imported machinery.
Willow walked down an isle of packages, slowly, when she heard a small sniff on her far right. She stopped dead. She heard another sniff; someone was crying. She turned a corner and saw who was the culprit.
Tara was sitting on one of the many boxes, head in her hands weeping quietly. The sight alone made her remember back to the day she gave her this job. Had she turned into a monster like her dad? Was she worse than this? Emotions rang through her head, before she could compose herself she blurted out, “Tara!” Willow ran to her side.
“W-w-willow?” Tara saw the redhead looking at her perplexed and worried. Of all the people to find her crying over her own personal problem it had to be Willow, the very same who made her feel this way in the first place.
“What are you doing down here?” Willow asked quietly.
“Oh. T-t-this is where I come sometimes, when I n-n-need to be alone. I d-d-didn’t expect you to be h-h-here,” Tara said slowly.
“Well, I’m here now and I’m not leaving until you stop crying.” Willow said resolutely.
“I’m okay Willow I just got a little sad that’s all, just personal stuff,” Tara said slowly.
“Personal stuff eh? You couldn’t come to me and tell me? I told you Tara if you ever need to talk, I’ll be more than happy to oblige. I mean since you and Buffy have turned into the San Quinton police capturing all drug-fiend bosses, I don’t have much else to do except talk,” Willow joked, only it seemed to make Tara cry harder.
“Whoa, Tara, hey, I didn’t mean it. It, it’s nice you care so much about me not dying, I was only joking,” Willow said trying to recover the flooding blue eyes again.
“No, it’s just, I’ve got something going on right now, something I just, I can’t tell you,” she sniffed, “I just can’t, I can’t right now--” Tara was slightly cut off by Willow’s shushing.
“Ssh. Tara, it’s okay. I mean you wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve wanted to tell my friends something, and couldn’t." Willow said stroking Tara's knees as she nelt beside the girl.
"Besides, if you really want to tell me, I do have a way for you to say it without really saying it,” Willow said with a glint in her eye. All of Willow’s fear and pain slipped away when she saw Tara; the only thing that was on her mind, was to make Tara happy again.
“H-h-how so?” Tara looked up curiously.
“Well, you see, my friend Xander taught me the best way to get secrets out without letting them out, really,” Willow said cryptically. Tara seemed more confused so she went on explaining.
“If I had something to tell him, for example, I broke a crayon of his, or something, he would turn around and cover his ears while I ‘told’ him. That way, I could tell him what was bugging me without him really knowing. And if I chose to tell him again, with him not so, you know, deaf, I could. It was a win-win situation,” Willow explained.
“Your friend Xander sounds like a genius,” Tara said sniffing and smiling.
“Quite the opposite really, but when it comes to making me feel better, he’s okay,” Willow chirped in. “So, do you wanna try it? It’s a full-proof plan, and it can’t fail if done right,” Willow said egging Tara on.
“I-I-I don’t know, I guess I could try it, but what if I still don’t want to say it?” Tara asked.
“That’s okay, I’ll be deaf remember? It won’t make a difference, just tap me on the shoulder when you’re done,” Willow said matter-of-factly.
“O-o-okay,” Tara said agreeing. The tears had subsided, and this sounded like the best idea yet. The alternative wasn’t too pleasing either; crying in the storage room wasn’t what it was cracked up to be.
With that, Willow smartly turned around, walking a couple feet away and covered her ears, yelling out louder than she would have normally, “Okay! Anytime you want!”
Tara looked at the back of the girl she loved. She couldn’t believe she was thinking of saying the words. It was easier now, though, she had to admit. She stood up, slowly walking towards the silent and still form of Willow who seemed oblivious to anything outside her own view.
Tara stood right behind Willow, and said quietly, “Willow, the reason why I’ve been so sad, is because of you, in a way, I mean, uh, I’m not explaining this right,” Tara paced back and forth behind the unknowing redhead.
“You see, ever since…ever since you first saved me I…” This was harder than it seemed.
“Willow, you see I…I'm in love with you.” Tara said simply. There, the words were out of her mouth. It felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off her chest. She had told Willow, more or less.
“I know you couldn’t ever love me, Buffy told me the reason why you went haywire last week was because of a person in the office, so I know, I know, you l-l-love someone else. I’m so sorry for ever bugging you in the first place, but I just can’t help it.” Tara paced again.
“I truly, sorely, miss the moments when I’m not with you. But I knew if I was near you I’d say or do something inappropriate.” Tara explained. Willow’s body stayed motionless, still waiting for the tap on the shoulder.
“I just, I’ve never felt so strongly for a person before, I love you Willow Rosenberg, with all my heart. I love you.” Tara finished. She sniffed once again, the speech was over, and the time had come to let Willow back into the world of the hearing. She tapped Willow on the shoulder. She turned around quickly uncovering her ears, looking at Tara’s face, which smiled weakly.
“Thanks Willow, I feel a lot better, it’s odd how well that works,” Tara said thanking her with her eyes as well. Willow said nothing. She looked as panicked as Tara had before when she came in.
“Willow? Is something w-w-wrong?” Tara asked curious. Willow was fidgeting with her fingers nervously; something was being rolled around betwixt her two hands. She looked up, with a amazed look, stayed silent, and without any explanation she rushed to Tara’s face, pressing her lips onto to hers.
The kiss was as soft as the new down feathers on a baby chick, and yet possessive, as if forcing it to never end. The two caressed each others mouths slowly, moaning at the delight that both had been waiting to divulge in for so long. The two pulled out slowly leaning their foreheads together sighing. Willow whispered slowly to Tara, “I have and always will love you, Tara McClay.”
“How di-?” Tara’s words were cut off by Willow’s shushing, as she rested her forehead on Tara’s. The two closed their eyes, it seemed nothing could disturb them.
“You see, Tara, there’s just this one small, minute, really
minor detail I forgot to mention. Xander always pretended to cover his ears. He always did that so he could hear what I had to say the first time. It’s kind of an old joke now between us. His theory was if the person could say it when the other was there, they could say it when they could hear as well,” Willow nervously chuckled.
Tara started to cry again, only this time, she was crying for joy. Her heart couldn’t have been any bigger at that moment and everything seemed beautiful. Willow made everything beautiful.
The two clutched each other, silently, too happy to care about the future or who had come in and was now staring at them quietly from the back of the room.
“FINALLY!” Buffy yelled across at the two. She stormed out before either woman could answer back. Willow smiled softly.
“I guess she knew before we did,” Willow smirked.
“I guess so,” Tara replied back. Willow kissed Tara again, as if to make sure it was real. Tara leaned into Willow causing the two to deepen the kiss. Tara’s hands wandered down to Willow’s and felt a slight crumple as she caressed. Perplexed she stopped the kiss and looked down. Willow’s face turned beat red, realizing what Tara had found. Tara didn’t say a thing, only smiled, standing up pulling Willow with her.
“I think from now on my favorite food is Chinese,” Tara said decisively.
“I’ve always had faith in good mu-shu,” Willow said giggling.
“So, you broke crayons when you were young, did you?”
“Yes, I was a renegade looter of Crayola.”
“Oh, did you smuggle as well?”
“Yes, I have a whole shipment in Columbia to arrive pretty soon.”
“Willow?”
“Yes Tara?”
“I love you.” Willow kissed Tara again; she was looking forward to her life now. Everything seemed brighter, and better. All the pain and worry filtered through her brain and out of her system. She would no longer be alone. She was happy. Truly and forever.
The endy?
Well until i get some more ideas i guess it is. and i want to apologize in advance for the lack there of better description of a kiss. i've never really *clears throat* umm...really, uh kissed anyone romantically ever...so i wouldn't know what it's like, really. so yeah. reply to me and i shall to you! just not with another chapter so quickly......like i said....if you really want....bear with me and i'll try to come up with something....
-elizabeth
Last night in sweet slumber I dreamed I did see my own precious jewel sat smiling by me.
And when I awakened I found it not so; my eyes like some fountain with tears overflowed.