TITLE: As You Wish
AUTHOR: Delayne T. Buranek
RATING: PG-13
DISCLAIMER: Enter standard Disclaimer here. In Other Words, I own none of it, I use it not for profit anyway. I used to do this in hopes it would impress girls but I’m committed now so that is out of the question. But we have nothing to our name except our two dogs and you’ll have to kill me before taking them.
SETTING: Contemporary, AU (it’s so AU you get two for the price of one!)
SUMMARY: After rich and powerful CEO Willow gets an invitation for her 10 year High school reunion, she also gets a visit from a “guardian angel” to see what her life would be like if she was married and had kids.
SPOILERS: Why do I put this on here still? If you haven’t seen Buffy seasons 4-6 yet then I’m wondering why you are reading this much W/T centric fan fic?
EMAIL: dtburanek (at) gmail.com
FEEDBACK: Yes please. Post here, email me or even PM me (the latter two if there is something pretty glaring that I should go in and fix). I’ll even read “I hate you, you are horrible,” but I probably won’t take you seriously.
PS: I didn't do my last edit but I wanted to get this up!
CHAPTER 3
Willow did not sleep well, even with the muscle relaxers. But almost true to Tara's word there was a small strawberry-blonde girl jumping on the bed in the morning. Or in this case on Willow's legs on the couch.
"Mommy!"
The girl was as swiftly picked up as she had plopped down.
"Sorry, our little escape artist got away from me."
"Its okay."
The girl stood next to Willow's head. "Are you sleeping on the couch 'cause you're sick Mommy?"
"Yeah, sweetie I am."
Both Tara and Willow were surprised at her automatic use of the word sweetie. Adele didn't seem to notice.
"I hope you feel better soon."
"Me too."
"I won't hurt you if I give you a hug Mommy?"
"No, sweetie, you can give me a hug."
The little girl gently wrapped her arms around Willow's head and kissed her on the cheek.
"There I kiss you better too."
----
After Adele woke her up, Willow stood looking at the closet and her options. It certainly differed from the one in her penthouse. First of all there wasn't even that much hanging up. Willow's closet 'at home,' as she came to mentally tag it, was as big as the entire bedroom and full of tailored suits. On Willow's side of this tiny closet there were a few button ups (a few white and a few patterned), three slacks (two black and one brown), a few skirts (two plain and one 'funky') and a nice sweater.
There was also a nice green semi formal dress that still had a tag on it. Willow looked at the price. She guessed they probably splurged on that one and then felt a little guilty that she wouldn't even blow her nose on that amount of change. This guilt was actually a first for Willow. It made her uncomfortable.
Tara had come, baby on her hip, and watched Willow scan the closet. When she saw the redhead reach for the tag she commented.
"We bought it for the reunion. You said you wanted to shock everyone. You look...," She hesitated remembering she wasn't talking to *her* Willow but decided to continue anyway. "You look really good in it." She blushed a little.
Tara shifted Simon to her other hip, he didn't appreciate the move and started fussing.
"Do you want to hold him?" she asked Willow.
The redhead looked very hesitant, she was scared but something inside her really really wanted to. She recognized it for what it was. She wondered if that desire had always been there.
"Yes."
Simon settled right in the redheads arms, the fussiness of being moved around forgotten when he was in his redheaded mommy's arms.
"He's really only 4 months old?" Tara nodded.
"You uh, you look good for him only being four months." Tara smirked at the compliment and the redhead panicked. "I mean, you carried him right?," Willow remembered what Tara said about him being attached to her. She didn't, did she? "Because I didn't, I mean I wouldn't, I mean I just don't see me doing it."
Tara kept smirking. "No sweetie, I gave birth to him, even though you're the one he adores, I am just the one who feeds him. But yes I look good in part because Buffy offered an excellent price for her personal training." Willow got a confused look at the mention of Buffy but Tara had more important things to shock her with. Her smirk got wider, "You actually carried Adele."
Willow almost dropped Simon in shock but Tara was quickly at her side her arms wrapped around both of them.
Willow looked at her wide and a little misty eyed, "Really?"
Tara hugged them tighter and kissed Simon on the head. It was really strange for her to resist kissing Willow as well. "Come on we'll go look at pictures, what do you say?"
They made their way to the office and Tara sat down at the old school metal desk that the desktop computer perched. Willow was shocked as she eyed the make and model, that this universe's Willow settled for a cheap inferior computer system and made it known. Tara really didn't want to discuss their finances with this other Willow, especially since it was clear this Willow was well off. But she decided to let her know that Willow got the best she could for their price limit and had beefed it up with upgrades periodically.
Willow agreed she got a good deal because she knew exactly what that system would cost. But like the dress, it wasn't enough for her to even scoff at and she felt guilty.
"I wish I had access to my bank accounts, I would buy you a new computer, and a new car, and set up college funds for the kids."
Which Tara replied, "We really don't need all those things. I for one am perfectly content with what I have, which is family and love. Besides, your parents already started their college funds and put in a decent sum every year, and we put in what we can, when we can."
Willow let it sink in, well she should know better than anyone that money can't buy love. Maybe this was the point of all this? She looked around waiting for a woosh or a Christmas ghost or even Anya to pop out and say "Congrats, you figured it out, let's get you home.".........
Maybe not.
She was enjoying herself anyway and really hadn't thought about home, other than wishing she had access to her resources but that was so she could do things for her family, as strange of a concept that was.
They finished looking through the pictures and video clips. Willow didn't see much of her other-self in them as she seemed to always be behind the camera. She looked at the pictures with half and half eyes, they were new and she was learning them but at the same time they were memories. She could easily insert herself into the memory.
She kept going back to the picture of her as large as a house, standing with Tara in front of their house both smiling larger than she thought possible. She knew without Tara telling her, the house had officially became theirs and Xander had taken the picture.
Willow's mind was starting to spin again, she felt dizzy. Perhaps this was a bit too much to take in. Tara sensed her distress. Even Simon seemed to sense it as he started making noises from his bouncy chair.
"Maybe you should lie back down." Willow started to protest but Tara quickly stopped her.
"Even without this other stuff, you were still in a car accident, and you should be resting. Get in the bed and lie down. I will bring you juice and water now and lunch in a little while. If the kids get to be too much I will just call Dawn over to help."
"Dawn?"
"Sorry, I forget you don't know anyone. Dawn, Buffy's little sister and my 'little sister.'" Tara did the air quotes. Willow continued to look confused. "I volunteered for Big Brothers, Big Sisters. Dawn was in the program because she just lost her mother, and they paired us because I went through that at her age." She noticed Willow getting more distressed at all this new information. "Sweetie don't worry about it, just know we have lots of friends who care about us and like helping out. So you just rest okay."
Tara was able to handle the kids on her own for most of the day. Adele was calm and kept wanting to help. They even took a family nap after lunch all piled in the bed and watching a Disney movie. Tara curled up and quickly went to sleep, while Willow held a sleepy Simon and Del sat between her mothers and quoted the entire first 20 minutes before hunkering down and passing out too. Willow was the last to nod off, sitting up with her son in her arms. Before she drifted she took a mental snapshot and hoped it would never fade.
---
Willow awoke alone in her bedroom. Wait, no still 'our' bedroom. She felt relief she was still there. She knew it was late when she smelled dinner.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" Willow heard as soon as she entered the kitchen.
Her stomach grumbled loudly as if it was answering the question.
"Mommy's hungry." Del said.
"I guess I feel hungry." Willow said sitting down at the counter next to Del.
The little girl eyed her redheaded mother. She must have not been feeling well because any other time when one mommy entered a room both mommies would reach for each other. She looked to her Mama and quirked an eyebrow at her, in a manner very similar to Tara which seemed to ignore all the laws of genetics.
Tara missed the look.
"You must have been sleeping well, you didn't even stir when we all got up."
"Yeah."
"I called Mike for you and got you out of work tomorrow and Tuesday. He said he'd even be willing to give you Wednesday but we really can't afford you to take that much time off. You might have to put in a late shift or a weekend to make up for it."
She mentioned this hesitantly, wanting to make the redhead feel better that she had a few more days to recuperate, or even get the chance to trade back. But the rest of the information was stressful to Tara, making her cringe about how stressful it could be to the redhead. Plus it brought up the finances issue, which after Willow's rant about bank accounts had left her feeling even more sensitive on the subject.
Willow was just about to ask what exactly she did when Tara slipped her a card. On it said Willow Rosenberg and had a picture of a black and white VW beetle.
"Geek squad?"
"Mm Hmm.."
"I thought dealing with greasy pimple faced programmers that hit on me all the time was tough. I have to deal with people who use their DVD-Roms as cup holders and get viruses because they click on anything that says 'Click Me'?"
Tara gave a wry grin, "You also get hit on by greasy pimple faced boys, they just aren't programmers."
"See, like I was saying before. Bank accounts would be very useful."
Tara shook her head. "I did manage to book a last minute party for tomorrow so we will have that. But that means I will be busy and you'll have to pick up Del from school. We can ask Buffy to help you seeing how I'll have Dawn helping me."
"Why do you need help wif taking care of us Mommy?"
Willow turned to the small child. "It is going to be a few days before I'm back to normal, so mommy is going to need all the help she can get."
"I can help."
Tara jumped in on this one. "Yes sweetie, and you are a very good helper. You have been an especially wonderful helper for your Mama today while Mommy has been sleeping. But she and I will both need extra help, just for a little while. Are you up for the challenge?" Adele had Willow's competitive spirit (the one she denies having) and was always up for a challenge.
They finished up dinner. Willow had to fight to be allowed to clean up the kitchen. Tara went to give the children a bath.
As promised they read two stories to Adele that night. Willow read first and got more than a few "Mommy, you're reading it wrong!"
Tara's turn, with her soft melodic voice, resulted in the rest of the room getting sleepy eyed. Tara woke up Willow and ushered her into the bedroom.
"I'll grab blankets and head downstairs." Willow said with a yawn.
"No, you go ahead and take the bed. You look like you slept much more comfortable on the bed today.
They argued back and forth until they finally decided they could share the bed. It was large enough, they did have all four of them sleeping on it earlier.
As they both settled in their respective pillows, and Tara desperately clinging to an extra one, they both decided that sleep might actually be difficult.
"Hey Willow, you awake?" Tara asked quietly after a time. She knew Willow was because of her breathing but she didn't want to be rude.
"Yeah?"
"I was wondering, the only person you've recognized was Anya. How do you know her in your world?" Tara turned to face Willow and Willow did the same.
"Oh, well I actually only just met her last week, well I guess it would be this week since I have come back a week."
"Willow." Tara interrupted knowing both Willows babbled, and how hers at least could have kept running on that for a while.
"Oh, sorry. She was my driver. But not my normal one. Actually it was when I got my invitation to the reunion. I went out to celebrate."
"Driver?"
"Yeah, I uh have a driver. But it is Anya's fault that I am here."
Tara looked at her like she was crazy, a first which was surprising after all that had happened.
"I mean she told me that I wished. But I didn't wish, at least not verbally. But she said I did wish in my heart for a marriage and children."
"And she told you this when?"
"When I woke up in the hospital. She was the nurse."
Tara was conflicted, a swirl of emotion. First off, why in the hell had Willow not mentioned this before. Secondly, if Willow wished for it was this situation going to be permanent? Just poof, she wishes for it and hijacks her life? Tara sat up in bed.
"Did Anya say anything else?"
Willow thought she heard panic in Tara's voice. Willow followed Tara's actions and sat up too.
"Well, she told me that she wouldn't be her next time I saw her. And I thought it meant when the nurse was no longer her. But then I saw Anya so she must have meant when I saw Anya that it wouldn't be the same Anya that apparently grants wishes, like she's some sort of genie."
"So..." Tara didn't know where to start. Should she voice her concerns that Willow could be here to stay? She wimped out with, "then you got in the wreck and ended up in my minivan."
Tara winced as she forced herself to say *my*, something only that came easy when she and Willow would tease each other. Like, 'Look what awesome thing *my* daughter did' or when she would grab Willow's backside and whisper in her ear '*My* ass'.
Luckily Willow couldn't hear Tara's inner monologue.
"Yes, got in a wreck and transported to an alternate universe so I could see what my life could be like."
"Could see? Is that what Anya said?"
"Well, she said she was merely showing me what my life would be like. Specifically. Why?"
"Umm..." Tara paused. If it were her Willow, she would tell the truth. "I, uh, it sounded like you, the wording, at first, like you would be stuck here. Like I would never see my Willow a-a-again." Tara couldn't help it then, the dam burst and the tears came forth. She slumped forward and buried her crying face into her hands
Willow felt herself pause, like someone had hit a button on a remote and it only effected her. She couldn't move as she watched Tara cry. But it was the most heartbreaking thing she had ever encountered.
She wanted to wrap Tara in her arms and make her feel better. But she worried it would only make it worse. The need overcame the fear and she grabbed Tara but held her loosely, giving her the option to break free if necessary.
Finally her sobs muted down to sniffles and Tara pulled herself from Willows arms.
"S-Sorry, didn't mean to cry all over you."
"Tara it's fine."
Tara grabbed tissues from her bedside table and blew her nose.
Willow felt the need to offer more verbal comfort. "I am sure you will get your Willow back. We will figure it out. Okay?"
Tara nodded, blew her nose one more time and settled into her pillows. They both drifted off into a fitful sleep.
--To Be Continued--
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Last edited by dtburanek on Mon Jul 09, 2012 9:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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