The Kitten, the Witches and the Bad Wardrobe - Willow & Tara Forever

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 Post subject: Re: NEW FIC: [AU] Baby Makes Three (8-26-12)
PostPosted: Sun Aug 26, 2012 10:44 am 
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20. Not one Much for the Timber
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TITLE: Baby Makes Three

AUTHOR: Finey_McFine

RATING: R (Language)

DISCLAIMER: Willow, Tara and any other BtVS characters, as well as some random dialog, belong to Mutant Enemy. ALL other original characters belong to me! Mention of any ‘real’ people in this fic is brief and pure fantasy.

SUMMARY: Totally AU! Willow Rosenberg is a senior at Sunnydale High. She and her friends are bullied relentlessly until Willow stumbles upon a huge secret and decides to take matters into her own hands. There is no Hellmouth, just lot’s of teen angst, self discovery and of course Willow/Tara goodness...eventually.

Thoughts are in italics

FEEDBACK: Yes! Any glaring issues…please send me a PM!

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Hi Everyone and happy Sunday! My wife is slaking on her proofing duties, you’d think she has a life or something, sheesh. Anyway, you will probably see typos or grammar stuff. Send me a PM to correct.

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

Chapter 4

The bell rang and Willow gathered her things and headed towards the library, she was ready to put in some quality time researching for her science fair project. For Willow, the annual science fair was like the Olympics. She’d never been much into competitive sports, but when it came to academics, she was a gold medalist. Her drive for academic perfection was unmatched and she never lost at any competition, except for the science fair. It was the bane of her academic existence.

For the last three years, Willow had entered and placed second to Chris Epps, a shy and brainy guy that held the record for most consecutive wins. This was Willow’s last chance and she was bound and determined to win. She’d found out by accident that her science teacher, Dr. Clark, didn’t really understand any of Chris’ complicated experiments and had been giving him higher marks to make it look like he did. Armed with inside knowledge, Willow decided to pick something completely random and so over complicate it, that he would be forced to give her the better grade, instead of Chris.

Smiling proudly, she opened her spiral notebook and wrote at the top of the page: ‘The Effects of Subviolet Light Spectrum Deprivation on the Development of Fruit Flies.’ That ought to do the trick, she thought. She pulled the thick, dusty volume on insect research closer to her and dug her heels in.

Willow was so involved, that she never noticed the group of four girls that had convened a couple tables in front of her. It wasn’t until she heard Cordelia discussing her choice of projects that Willow finally looked up. Mostly in a sort of morbid fascination.

“I chose, The Tomato: Fruit or Vegetable.” Cordy said proudly to the girls. “Ugh,” She continued, “It is not fair that they’re making participation in the Science Fair mandatory this year. I don’t think anyone should have to do anything educational at school if they don’t want to.”

Tara gave Cordelia a questioning look. “What? I want something I can finish in a day.” Harmony and Buffy agreed as Tara shook her head in disbelief; getting up to retrieve a book off the shelf behind Willow.

Willow pretended to be busy when Tara passed by her, but the truth of the matter was that she was too completely dumbfounded by Cordelia’s ridiculous statement to concentrate. She couldn’t believe how idiotic the girl was or how she was passing any of her classes at all.

“Harmony, are you listening to me? I’m sorry to interrupt your all important nail filing, but I need you to help me with this project.” Cordelia stated indigently as she and Harmony began to bicker.

Willow kept her head down and rolled her eyes, “It’s a fruit, you morons.” She mumbled, but it was just loud enough for Tara to hear. The popular blonde cheerleader couldn’t help but snicker; knowing that Willow was right...on several levels.

The bell for sixth period finally rang and the girls moved on to their next class. The library became quiet and peaceful again, until Jesse burst through the swinging double doors.

“Willow!” He shouted.

The redhead jumped, completely startled by the loud noise. The boy looked frantic. “What’s wrong?”

Jesse was panting, completely out of breath, “Xander’s been hurt.”

“Wha...what happened?" Willow felt her stomach drop and a wave of nausea rip through her body.

“He was on his way to gym and he got ambushed. That asshole Percy threw a slushy in his face and it cut his eye or something.”

“I, I don’t understand. How could a slushy cut his eye?” Willow’s head was spinning.

“I don’t know, but it did. He was on the floor with his hand over his eye and screaming in pain.”

“Where is he?” Willow asked; she’d already begun to pack up her things.

“His Mom came and took him to the hospital.”

“I have to go to him,” She said sternly as she threw the backpack over her shoulder and raced out of the library.

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

Willow’s shift at the Doublemeat was slow and she’d relinquished her position at the drive thru to give a co-worker some hands on experience. She was bored, as usual, but was keeping herself busy sorting and organizing the condiments rack in the lobby. It was a job that no one else wanted, but one that Willow throughly enjoyed and one which she had down to a science. She knew exactly how many rows and how many packets of each item fit neatly into the various bins. It was a true organizational work of art.

Doing repetitive work, without interruption, also served a dual purpose. It gave Willow time to think and since Xander’s injury a week ago, she hadn’t had much time to herself. She’d been spending all of her free time at his bedside. When Percy threw that slushy in her best friend’s face, their world changed. It was an innocuous prank that had gone all kinds of wrong and ended up with Xander nearly loosing an eye.

Percy West was Sunnydale High’s star basketball player and as such, was awarded cart-blanche from the school administration. He basically did whatever he wanted, as long as the team kept winning games. Unfortunately, basketball was about the extent of Percy’s knowledge, so when he put the rock salt in the slushy to ‘keep it frozen,’ he had no idea how dangerous a weapon he’d created. When he threw the frozen concoction at Xander, the hard rocky pieces of salt became trapped in his left eye; severely scratching his cornea, requiring laser surgery and an eyepatch.

The incident happened on a Friday and when Willow returned to school on Monday, she learned that Percy had only received a mere slap on the wrist. Four days of in school detention which conveniently ended the day before a scheduled varsity basketball game. Willow was furious and lobbied Principle Snyder for his expulsion; she’d nagged the man so much that he threatened to suspend her for a week if she didn’t let it go. Her mood was dark, as she plotted ways to get back at Percy and all of the popular kids for their constant harassment. Her eyes narrowed and she gritted her teeth thinking about Xander lying in that hospital bed with half of his face bandaged.

She was so completely caught up, that she’d forgotten about several ketchup packets tightly clutched in her fist; that is, until she felt the cool, sticky liquid begin to ooze out between her fingers.

“Ewww gross,” She mumbled and grabbed a few napkins to clean up the mess. Just as she finished, she heard her General Manager, Mr. Flutie, call her into the kitchen.

“Willow, how would you like to get off work early and still get paid?” He asked.

Willow shrugged her shoulders, “Sure.”

“Great, because I have a super special job for you! I need you to deliver this bag of food to my wife over at Little Cuddles Day Care on Union and Pine. She’s working late tonight and it’s on your way home, so I hope you don’t mind.”

Willow smiled sweetly, “Nope, not at all!” She was thrilled to be getting out of there and going home early for a change. She hadn’t spent quality time with her laptop in days.

Willow grabbed the bag, gathered up her backpack and practically sprinted out the door, before Mr. Flutie had time to change his mind. He’d never seen her move quite so fast before.

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

Willow trotted off down the street towards the day care, making a quick stop at the Espresso Pump to pick up an extra large mocha. Unfortunately, the day care was further than she realized and by the time she arrived at the colorfully painted building, she was close to peeing in her pants.

Willow grabbed the handle to open the door, nearly toppling over and dropping the bag of food; as she jerked the handle forward, the door hadn’t budge. Looking down she frowned when she saw there was digital keypad and a sign indicating that the door was always locked for security purposes. She cupped her hands around her face and peered inside. The lights were on, but there was no one in sight. As she picked the bag up off the ground, she noticed the hours of operation on the door read six a.m. to six thirty p.m. Glancing at her watch and seeing that it was already after seven, she briefly panicked before recalling Mr. Flutie say that his wife was working late. Willow knocked several times, but still no one appeared. She was about to give up and run to a nearby gas station to relieve herself when she noticed a door bell button on the other side of the key pad. Durrr! Gosh Willow, maybe you should get a first class seat on the clue train once in awhile. Chastising herself inwardly as she pushed the button several times.

Less than a minute later a middle aged woman appeared from the back carrying an infant. She opened the door and smiled widely, “Sorry hun, have you been waiting long?”

“No ma’am, just a minute or so. Oh! I um, I brought you this from Mr. Flutie, your husband...but I guess you already know that...” Willow babbled as she held up the bag before placing it on the counter. Her nerves getting the best of her as she was completely distracted by the adorable blonde haired baby that was smiling at her with bright blue eyes.

The woman chuckled, “You must be Willow, Bob’s told me all about you. He said you’re the best thing to happen to the drive thru and the condiment racks in years!”

“Uh, thank you,” The blushing redhead replied, “I guess my reputation proceeds me...wow, she is adorable!” Willow said suddenly switching gears. “Hi Sweetie, what’s your name?” The little girl laughed and cooed when Willow smiled and lightly touched her hand.

“This is Chelsea! Her Mommy is a little late picking her up tonight.” Mrs. Flutie replied.

Willow grinned again, “Well hi there Chelsea, I’m Willow,” She introduced herself as the happy little baby grabbed her finger. “Oh, look at that, she’s shaking my hand! Gosh, she’s so beautiful and look at those eyes. They’re so bright and shiny and...blue.”

The phone rang suddenly and Mrs. Flutie turned to Willow, “Can you take her while I answer that? It’s probably her mommy.”

“Sure,” Willow nodded as the little girl slid into her arms without protest. Having been safely transferred, Willow snuggled the tiny blonde to her chest; instinctively placing a kiss on her downy soft hair and inhaling the sweet baby scent. The little girl responded with a giggle and began to bounce playfully.

“Yep, that was her Mom, running late, but should be here soon,” Mrs. Flutie announced to no one in particular. “Willow, would you mind holding her for a few minutes? I’m simply starving!”

“Oh, no problem,” Willow answered delightedly, bouncing the baby on her hip. She was more than happy to continue holding and playing with baby Chelsea.

After a few minutes, Willow sat down on the lobby couch and placed Chelsea on her knee. She lightly tickled her tummy and as Chelsea grew more and more excited, she began kicking her feet wildly. That was when Willow remembered she needed to use the restroom. As soon as Chelsea’s foot came in contact with her bladder, Willow jumped up off the couch, handing the baby back to Mrs. Flutie and excusing herself to the restroom.

Several minutes later, after having finished her business, Willow emerged from the restroom into a small hallway and as she approached the lobby she heard Mrs. Flutie and another female voice. A voice that sounded oddly familiar. Willow crept silently forward and peered around the corner. The newcomer had her back to Willow and was cradling Chelsea protectively in her arms. Must be the mother. Humph, strange outfit. What parent dresses like a teenager? Willow thought as she continued her clandestine maneuvers. The women continued talking, but Willow was too far to hear them clearly, so she waited until no one was looking and quickly moved behind an outer wall in the lobby; it was closer and she could hear better while still going unseen.

As she stood with her back pressed tightly against the wall, the conversation was now coming in loud and clear.

“...I just changed and fed her a snack a short while ago, it should last for the drive home, but I’m sure she’ll be hungry in no time at all.” Mrs. Flutie said.

“Thank you so much Mrs. Flutie and again, I am s-so sorry I’m late. I promise, it won’t happen again.” The young woman replied.

Willow’s brow furrowed and then it hit her, the baby’s blonde hair, the blue eyes, the outfit...

”Tara?”

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Last edited by Finey_McFine on Mon Jun 24, 2013 8:42 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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 Post subject: Re: NEW FIC: [AU] Baby Makes Three (8-26-12)
PostPosted: Sun Aug 26, 2012 11:11 am 
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Jesus christ I was NOT expecting that! This whole time I assumed they were gonna do a project and take care of an egg and fall in love or something asdfginnjwhdaw!

You and your cliffhangers! *shakes fist*

The tomato seen was equally adorable. We get to see that Tara isn't a total dingus, and that she and Willow do seem to share a similar sense of humor. Also, everything came from totally left field, so I'm gonna assume that the baby is the result of aliens and a government experiment. See? Now whatever you come up with won't be so unexpected.

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Last edited by faolan228 on Sun Aug 26, 2012 2:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: NEW FIC: [AU] Baby Makes Three (8-26-12)
PostPosted: Sun Aug 26, 2012 11:26 am 
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I'll admit that I didn't see that one coming, but I definitely see possibilities. This was a great chapter; I really like where you are going with this.

Poor Xander. I've always been partial to Xander since he reminds me so much of my best guy friend. But hey, the eyepatch will definitely make him more popular with the ladies for a while, so there is a silver lining. xD

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 Post subject: Re: NEW FIC: [AU] Baby Makes Three (8-26-12)
PostPosted: Sun Aug 26, 2012 12:00 pm 
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Ha!

I knew it!

Can't wait to find out wno the proud Papa will be. I pray it's not Percy, the village idiot.

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 Post subject: NEW FIC: [AU] Baby Makes Three (8-26-12)
PostPosted: Sun Aug 26, 2012 6:34 pm 
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Oh snap! Shit just got real! And another glorious reference to glee! Do continue soon! Pretty please?!

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 Post subject: Re: NEW FIC: [AU] Baby Makes Three (8-26-12)
PostPosted: Sun Aug 26, 2012 7:08 pm 
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Whoah blimey, that's craziness. I was considering commenting something about how I'm excited for it to diverge from canon but you can't get much more divergent than that. Brilliantly conceived as per usual. Gosh this is better than television, the anticipation is killing me! Babies rule!


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 Post subject: Re: NEW FIC: [AU] Baby Makes Three (8-26-12)
PostPosted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 12:43 am 
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Well...nice little twist. Tara a teen mom... how very MTV of you... minus the drugs and potential jail time, lol.

But now Willow knows what apparently no one else does, just what will she do with her little nugget of knowledge?

Somethings afoot....

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Last edited by vampyregurl73 on Thu Aug 30, 2012 5:48 am, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: NEW FIC: [AU] Baby Makes Three (8-26-12)
PostPosted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 5:08 am 
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Oh wow, seems like Tara is keeping a very huge secret for some reason.

From the first update,

Quote:
Tara had grown up in Sunnydale, moved away and had recently moved back.


And I assume now we know why, but now I have so many questions. This sounds like back in the olden days, when if a girl got pregnant without being married, she was sent somewhere like "a special boarding school" or "she went to live with her aunt" or some other bogus story. But nowadays, things are different, so I can't help but wonder why the big secret. I don't have a good feeling about this. Or perhaps she moved away anyway before this all happened. I should know better to assume. lol

But oh, little Chelsea, a little mini-Tara sounds so adorable. Seems like Willow is already drawn to her, which is cool. Can't wait to see what happens when Tara finds out she knows.

And then, Xander's eye, (thanks to asshole Percy) I can totally feel his pain. Thanks to contacts, I had corneal ulcers several years ago, and it feels like having ground glass in your eyes - not fun. I just prayed for sleep and aggravated my gf constantly asking if it was time for my next Vicodin yet. We spent our first New Years in an emergency room. Good times. lol Just really pisses me off that he just got detention.

Anyway, I really can't wait to see where this goes next.

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 Post subject: Re: NEW FIC: [AU] Baby Makes Three (8-26-12)
PostPosted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 5:21 am 
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Wow, this is really taking off! I think I can guess the next step, but if I'm right I don't want to spoil anybody and if I'm wrong I don't want to go on record :-).

Smooth way to introduce Anya, and I can't wait to find out how she's been treating Xander's hospitalization. Percy is a real doofus here - putting salt and ice around soemthing keeps it colder but putting rock salt in a drink just makes it salty.

Definitely liking how Willow is bonding with Tara's daughter.

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 Post subject: Re: NEW FIC: [AU] Baby Makes Three (8-26-12)
PostPosted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 6:51 am 
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Hmmm. Well my first thing is that Xander should consider suing Percy. Yes, he can't get back his pain and suffering but maybe he can make bullies think twice about doing shit like that. I'm not generally in favor of suing but in this case he should sue both Percy and the school for their extreme negligence in doing any damn thing to keep kids safe. God that make me glad our kids don't go to school.

Lol Flutie is the manger at Doublemeat. Willow seems to really like kids or maybe just Tara's kid. What a wonderful reveal. Tara's a teen mom. And how exactly did that come about and how does she keep it a secret from the Cordettes? And who supports them? And so many more questions. There do seem to be a few connections here with the tomato mutter and with Willow knowing Tara's secret.

Awesome.

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 Post subject: Re: NEW FIC: [AU] Baby Makes Three (8-26-12)
PostPosted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 5:00 pm 
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What a twist!

I agree with Debra. Xander should sue Percy and the school. At the very least, they should bring the incident and cover-up to the local news. I'm sure Snyder would hate to have his reputation ruined. :devil

I'm interested to see how Tara reacts to knowing that Willow knows that there's something to know, you knows? ;) Her fight/flight instincts may cause her to lash out with threats. I'd understand as long as she apologizes after she get the chance to calm down and think.

Can't wait for more. :)

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 Post subject: Re: NEW FIC: [AU] Baby Makes Three (8-26-12)
PostPosted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 3:23 am 
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As soon as you said the baby was blonde I knew it! Oh man! I love knowing things. :P This is gonna be AMAZING! I'm so excited!

jusrjfsdmjsdfjkfdsv <my feels

OMG! Did Tara hear her!? Ah! I want the update so badly! jkfjfjfajksdfrklj


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 Post subject: Re: NEW FIC: [AU] Baby Makes Three (8-26-12)
PostPosted: Wed Aug 29, 2012 3:51 am 
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Gosh darn it Shelby, just when I was about to post feedback and what do you do but put up another chapter so this feedback is now a double header :)

I love it, giving the classic Buffy/Willow intro over to Anya instead and remembering some of the shots they fired off at each other in 'Triangle' this could become a fun pairing, especially when Will learns of Anya's interest in Xander.

“Oh, me and Anya go way back. Old friends, very close. Then there was that period of estrangement, I think we were both changing as people, but here we are and it’s like old times, I’m quite moved.” Xander finished sheepishly.

And thus the mental/language problem known as babbling claims another victim.

Willow found herself once again standing in front of the full length mirror on the back of her closet door, except this time she was fully nude; save for the bath towel wrapped securely around her long red hair.

Hot, naked, sexy, naked Willow. Naked. :drool All of a sudden I wish I was a lesbian then I could wrap my arms round her and give her a big passionate kiss. And I just said that out loud didn't I. :blush

She was examining her body closely. “What’s Anya have that I don’t?” She asked no one in particular. “Well for one thing, boobs.”

Boobs, Willow's sexy boobs :drool You do realise you're killing me with all this talk of a hot nude Willow. I am so going to need a cold shower after this.

After towel drying and brushing out her hair, Willow climbed into bed and made a silent wish. It was the same wish that she’d been making for years every night before bed. “I wish I had someone special; just for me.” She whispered, clutching her favorite stuffed puppy to her chest, closing her eyes tightly and drifting off to sleep.

Awww, now I'm all sad for Willow, now i just want to give her a great big hug and tell her it'll be all right. :(

Ok, now I know that at some point you're going to bring Willow and Tara together but what's going to happen with Buffy? Is she going to remain a meanie or will she defect to Willow's camp and befriend her.?

chapter 4
Liked Tara snickering at Willow's comment that Cordy is a moron, which in this case she definitely is. It could also mean that the two girls may have something in common.

I actually wonder if with Tara she does cheerleading because she just genuinely enjoys it and was befriended by Cordy. Certainly they don't appear to have much in common apart from that.

Poor Xander, having rock salt thrown at him and then he pretty much gets punished for what someone else has done to him. Hope Willow comes up with a good revenge scheme.

I'm with JustSkipIt in that Xander should sue both the school and Percy. Bullies might be more wary of picking on Xander, Willow and Jesse in future and the school would quickly realise that they can't let their pupils run amuck, even if they are basketball team stars. And if the local education authority gets wind of this, well the shit will definitely hit the fan.

Holy crap!!!!!! Tara's a mommy????? At least Willow's bonding with Chelsea might bring them closer together but do the other Cordettes know and if they don't and find out will they all send Tara to coventry or will Buffy stand with her.


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 Post subject: Re: NEW FIC: [AU] Baby Makes Three (8-26-12)
PostPosted: Sun Sep 02, 2012 10:51 am 
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faolan228 - HA! I actually considered the egg project, but this was much more fun and provides even more drama:)

Yeah, sorry for the cliffhanger...not! hahahahaha I was going to split the next chapter, but figured I’d get virtual daggers so, I left it as one. *coughs* You can thank me now.

I always how dumb Cordelia was in canon, especially the episode when Buffy can hear thoughts. That was vintage Cordelia at her best. Anyway, Tara is npt a “total dingus” and I really think that deep down, she is kicking herself for being so mean to Willow, but only time will tell.

Damn it, you gave away the father! Now I have to write the aliens out of the next chapter. BTW...you have a long wait to find out who he is. Happy reading!

Thanks for the feedback!

knightwithoutacause - Yay...a surprise!! You’re not alone in getting blindsided and I’m glad you enjoyed it:)

Yeah, Xander is just a big ole dopy oaf. Typical teenage guy.

Thanks for the feedback!

Grimm - Sure you did, uh huh. You’re gonna have to wait on the ID of the Baby Daddy. Hey, maybe she should go on Jerry Springer?????? Hahahahahahahaha!

Thanks for the feedback!

fhiwa - I’ve written ahead, so you’ll be getting weekly updates for quite awhile:)

Thanks for the feedback!

RoyoNobus - Better than TV?? THANKS!! Maybe I’ll make it into an afternoon special... :hmm Anyway, I’m glad you like it. I’m having fun writing it and seeing everyone’s reactions.

Thanks for the feedback!

vampyregurl73 - Hey Heather! :bigwave Glad to see you back and feeling better:)

MTV?? lmao See what happens when you have a teenager and are forced to watch all that crazy teen TV stuff! Degrassi, Switched at Birth, PLL, etc.

Yes, Willow knows a HUGE secret and don’t worry, she plans on using it.
Thanks for the feedback!


wimpy0729 - I’d love to answer all of your questions but, I don’t want to give anything away. So I’ll just say this, be patient, lol.

Little Chelsea is precious, at least in my mind and Tara gets the bomb dropped on her in this next chapter.

Ouch! Sounds very painful. Thank goodness for good old Vicodin!!

Thanks for the feedback!


DaddyCatAlso - There’s a lot of speculation, but I’m not going to give anything away.

Percy is definitely not the sharpest tool in the shed, although he is quite the ‘tool.’

Thanks for the feedback!

JustSkipIt - Well, no suing in this fic. I’m treating their HS experience similar to canon. So, it’ll be an off shoot of that sort of twisted reality.

Willow does like kids, but it completely taken by Chelsea. Must be the eyes:) I’ll say no more, don’t want to give it all away.

Thanks for the feedback!

BuffyFan4ever - Suing...see above:)

It’s hard for me to reply to some of these comments, because I don’t want to give too much away. Willow does confront Tara in the next chapter, so be ready! Hope you like.

Thanks for the feedback!

Willowfish - Glad you’re liking the fic, I’m having a lot of fun writing it:) Willow vs. Tara...see below!

Thanks for the feedback!

willowtaralover - Ha ha! I guess you’ve gotta be a little quicker than that:)

Willow can already see some of Anya’s interest in Xander and vice versa, but she needs it to push her towards Tara. I think it’s going to work!

Poor dorky hs Xander...lol.

Uh you did just say that out loud and voiced the fantasies of many. :drool

Buffy-Willow-Tara...Yes, W/T will ultimately come together, pun intended ha ha, but the jury is still out on Buffy. You’ll have to wait and see on that one.

Luckily for Willow, Tara actually does have a brain, but it’s gonna take some time for her to pull it out of her ass though and I guarantee it’ll be a fun ride!

Willow does come up with a plan, see below!

Suing: See my answer to that above in my replies to JustSkipIt.

Yep, Tara’s a Mommy. I’ll say no more, don’t want to give away all the fun!

Thanks for the feedback!

UPDATE TO FOLLOW!

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Shelby - Racing The Rain (IN PROGRESS) / Baby Makes Three (IN PROGRESS) / The Santa Line / Everything She Does...Is Beautiful / Calfornia Grass

"Transform your pain. Release your past. And ... uh ... get over it."
~Willow, Where The Wild Things Are


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 Post subject: Re: NEW FIC: [AU] Baby Makes Three (8-26-12)
PostPosted: Sun Sep 02, 2012 10:56 am 
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TITLE: Baby Makes Three

AUTHOR: Finey_McFine

RATING: R (Language)

DISCLAIMER: Willow, Tara and any other BtVS characters, as well as some random dialog, belong to Mutant Enemy. ALL other original characters belong to me! Mention of any ‘real’ people in this fic is brief and pure fantasy.

SUMMARY: Totally AU! Willow Rosenberg is a senior at Sunnydale High. She and her friends are bullied relentlessly until Willow stumbles upon a huge secret and decides to take matters into her own hands. There is no Hellmouth, just lot’s of teen angst, self discovery and of course Willow/Tara goodness...eventually.

Thoughts are in italics

FEEDBACK: Yes! Any glaring issues…please send me a PM!

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

Chapter 5

Willow immediately slapped a hand over her mouth. Her eyes grew wide as she shrank further back against the wall, in fear that she would be caught snooping. Once she was sure they hadn’t noticed, she crept forward again and continued to eavesdrop on the conversation.

Mrs. Flutie sighed, “Tara, I understand your situation, I do, but rules are rules. This is the third time this month and I’m afraid Chelsea will no longer be able to attend this day care.”

“But Mrs. Flutie!” Tara protested, “Please, I-I...this is the only day care in town! You can’t...I have school and my mom has to work. What am I supposed to do?”

Mrs. Flutie’s eyes held a great deal of sympathy for the high school student, but she held fast to her decision. “I’m sorry, but if I allow it to happen with one child, then everyone would expect the same treatment and that wouldn’t be fair.”

Tara looked up with tears in her eyes, “I promise, it w-won’t happen again, ever.”

“That’s what you said the last time and the time before that and the two times before that. I’m sorry Tara.” Mrs. Flutie reached into her sweater pocket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper and put it in Chelsea’s diaper bag, “Here, I made a list of several nanny’s that may be able to help you.”

“Okay, thank you.” The blonde mumbled, virtually inaudible as she turned and headed out the door.

Willow was stunned silent, still with her hand on her mouth and still penned to the wall. Her head was spinning as she silently watched the blonde cheerleader load her infant daughter into the maroon Honda Civic.

As Tara pulled away, the stealthy redhead darted back towards the restroom, opened the door and closed it; as if just exiting for the first time. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and re-emerged into the lobby, making a beeline for the exit.

“Willow!” Mrs. Flutie called out, “Thanks again for dropping off my dinner.”

Willow turned and smiled, “It’s no problem, anytime. Bye Mrs. Flutie!”

“Bye-bye dear, be safe!”

Willow took off down the street towards her house. She walked for several blocks, totally lost in thought and when she finally looked up, she was genuinely confused. Realizing that she’d walked right past her house, the redhead turned and marched back down the sidewalk; her body feeling heavier with the weight of this new information.

A thousand and one questions had formed in Willow’s inquisitive mind. How was this possible? Who was the father? Where was the father? Do Cordelia, Buffy and Harmony know? Surly they can’t, there’s no way that group of ding dongs could keep a secret this big. Oh God, can I keep a secret this big? Should I? How was it that Tara Maclay had a child and no one knew? Willow was truly puzzled.

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

Willow spent most of the evening snooping around online and trying to find out anything she could about Tara. She crept around the blonde’s Facebook page and those of her friends. Willow found several photo’s of Tara’s ‘little sister,’ quickly figuring out how Tara kept Chelsea secret. Then, just for good measure, Willow hacked into the school computer and accessed Tara’s file, which told her even less.

By the next day, Willow was still flummoxed, contemplating exactly how she could use this new information to her advantage; so far she’d come up with nothing. Her first instinct, had been to post it online, but nixed that idea when she realized that it would just ruin Tara and do nothing to stop the jocks or Cordelia from their seemingly endless taunts. It was all she could do not to mention it to Xander or Jesse, but she knew deep down the two of them were just too immature to be trusted with such sensitive information. As she entered the computer lab, she finally decided to give up on it for awhile and focus on her science project. She got comfortable at her favorite terminal and began her science project research as the other students worked on their programming assignment; the one Willow had finished five minutes after it had been assigned over a week ago.

About twenty minutes had passed and everyone was working diligently except for Cordelia and Harmony, whose constant chatting and complaining were making Willow crazy.

“No! It’s supposed to find the syntax and match it. Or, wait...” Cordelia complained.

Harmony, who was slowly typing with her index fingers, trying not to break a nail, changed the subject. “Are we going to the Bronze tonight?” The dingy bottle blonde asked.

“No, we’re going to the other cool place in Sunnydale,” Cordelia answered sarcastically.

Harmony looked at Cordelia as if she had three heads, “Huh?”

“Of course we’re going to the Bronze! Friday night, no cover. But you should have been there last night.”

Harmony pointed at the computer screen, “Uh, I think we did this part wrong.”

“Why do we have to devise these programs? Isn’t that what nerds are for?” Cordelia looked past Harmony and nodded towards Willow, “What’s she doing?”

Harmony craned her neck to see Willow’s computer screen, which currently had a big photo of a fruit fly on it. “Uh, she’s doing something else.”

Suddenly Cordelia began to hit the enter button on her keyboard, “Okay, and then ‘Pattern Run.’ Or ‘Go To End.’ That’s it.”

“Maybe...I think...” Harmony said.

“Well, what does the book say?” Harmony shrugged her shoulders and Cordelia continued, “So anyway, I come out of the bathroom and Anya comes running at me with a pool stick, screaming, ‘I'm gonna eviscerate you if you ever go near Xander again!’ I swear.”

“Wow, what’s her deal?” Harmony asked.

“She’s crazed, a real psycho-loony.”

Willow couldn’t take it any longer and finally spoke up, “No, she’s not.”

Cordelia and Harmony just stared blankly at Willow for several seconds as it registered with Cordy that Willow had butted into their conversation. “What?” She finally asked indigently.

“She's not a psycho. You hardly even know her.” Their constant gossiping was grating on Willow’s last nerve. She wasn’t Anya’s biggest fan, but had taken a slight liking to her since the tutoring started. She was enjoying having another girl in the group, even if she sorta was ‘the competition.’


“Excuse me? Who gave you permission to exist? Do I
horn in on your private discussions? No. Why?
Because you're boring.”

Willow wasn’t sure why she allowed Cordelia to get to her, but she did and the girl’s words hurt. Willow grabbed her back pack and headed to the printer to pick up her work as the girls turned back to their projects.

“There, I think the program is done,” Harmony said.

“Finally, the nightmare ends. Now how do we save it?” Cordelia asked.

As Willow exited the classroom, she made eye contact with Cordelia, “Deliver.”

Cordelia looked back to her monitor and then down to the keyboard, “Deliver...where is that...oh, here it is!” The head cheerleader proclaimed triumphantly as she pressed the ‘DEL’ key causing the entire program on both hers and Harmony’s monitors to disappear.
Willow looked back over her shoulder and snickered as both girls stared in disbelief at the computer screens. She was sick and tired of the constant bullying, it was her turn for retribution and as she walked away...a plan began to form.

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

Willow took advantage of the weekend and spent the next two days plotting, reviewing and revising. She wrote everything down, highlighting points with different colored pens, listing pros and cons as well as all the variables. She’d wracked her brain trying to come up with every possible scenario and wrote out a list of possible questions, complete with answers. She then wrote an outline and committed it to memory. It was a lot of work with hopefully a very big payoff. Monday she would put her plan into action, it was devious and un-Willow like and she was nervous. She told no one, avoided her friends and laid low all day until it was time.

Willow spent her early release time in the library until the school had cleared out, making sure Xander, Jesse and Anya were long gone before venturing out. She snuck down to the gym and peeked inside, making sure Tara was at cheerleading practice. Spotting the blonde immediately, Willow crept out and made her way to the school parking lot to lay in wait for her victim. She found Tara’s Honda easily, pulled out a book and made herself at home on the car’s hood.

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

Cheerleading practice had droned on for what seemed like forever to Tara. She was continuously checking her watch, a repetitive action which finally pushed Cordelia over the edge.

“Geez Tara, preoccupied much? You have some place better to be?”

“Oh, sorry Cordy. I just...my mom has to work tonight and I have to take care of my little sister.” Tara answered the annoyed head cheerleader.

“Ever heard of a baby sitter?” Cordelia instantly shot back.

Tara sighed deeply and simply stared at Cordelia, glancing at her watch once again, “Sorry, I have to go. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

“Fine. Go. Whatever.” Cordelia spat as Tara jogged over to the bleachers to retrieve her bag as she headed out the door to her car.

As she approached her car, she noticed the redhead sitting on the hood. Tara eyed her curiously, “Um, what do you think you’re doing?”

Willow took a deep breath, looking up and raised the book in her hand, “Reading?”

Tara was now officially annoyed, “What do you want Willow? I’m in a hurry, and get your ass off my car.”

Willow clicked her tongue rhythmically as she slid off the hood and dropped the book in her smily face back pack. “Geez, a little testy aren’t we?”

Tara rolled her eyes as she opened the backdoor and tossed her gym bag inside, “Like I said, I’m in a hurry.”

“Hmmm, in a rush to get home and see your daughter, huh?” Willow’s expression stayed steady and Tara froze. BAM! Willow hi-fived herself internally.

Tara’s head slowly turned, the confusion swimming in Tara’s eyes. “What did you say?” Tara hissed.

Willow swallowed hard, but held her ground when she saw Tara’s eyes narrow, “You know, your daughter. Blonde hair, blue eyes, about yay big and goes by the name of Chelsea?”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about Willow. Don’t you have some nerdy math competition to go to or something?” Tara’s attempts to distract Willow failed as the redhead continued to prod the cheerleader.

“Nope, not at the moment, and I know exactly what I’m talking about and so do you. You have a child and you’ve been lying to your friends. Did you really think you could keep this a secret?” Tara said nothing, fidgeting nervously as Willow continued, “Wow, just wait until everyone finds out!” Willow laughed, but the laughter ended quickly as Tara suddenly began marching in Willow’s direction; backing her into the neighboring car.

“You listen to me Willow Rosenberg and you listen good, because I’m only gonna say this once.” Willow cringed, Tara was literally in her face and poking her shoulder. “You leave Chelsea out of this. She’s a sweet, innocent little baby and if you do anything to put her at risk, I’ll..”

“You’ll what?” Willow said defiantly.

“Don’t push me Willow.”

Willow looked Tara right in the eye, which wasn’t hard since the blonde was mere inches from her face, “I don’t seem to be the one that’s currently pushing.”

A look of realization crossed Tara’s face and she backed off. “So you know, big deal. You can’t prove anything.”

Willow shrugged her shoulders, “I don’t have to. All I have to do is put it out there and those brainless friends of yours will drop you like a hot potato. They won’t want to damage their precious reputations and let’s face it, neither do you.”

“I don’t care about any of that.”

“Oh, really? Then why do you keep Chelsea under wraps? Why do you lie and say she’s your sister? Why?Because you’re spineless and shallow and you would rather be a cheerleader than a proper parent.” Willow was quite stunned, she couldn’t believe the hurtful things she was saying and neither could Tara.

The blonde stood stock still with her mouth half open and at a complete loss for words; tears shining in her deep blue eyes as Willow continued. “The way I see it Tara, you have a big problem. You have the girl that you and your friends have bullied relentlessly standing in front of you holding the key to your high school existence.”

“I never bullied you,” Tara said calmly.

“Oh really? Are you kidding...you are kidding, right? You have to know your losers so you can avoid them... ring a bell? Not to mention that crack about my clothes, great example you’re setting for your daughter. You are not a nice person Tara.”

Tara wrapped her arms around her chest and hung her head. She didn’t think Willow had heard her talking to Anya that day at the water fountain. Willow’s words cut. She’d never thought of herself as a mean person before. She was a Mom, she had a child. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about; she doesn’t even know me! Tara told herself.

“So what, you’re gonna go home and post it on Facebook or something?” Tara asked meekly.

Willow shook her head, “No, I’m not going to tell anyone...on one condition.” Tara’ cocked her head in curiosity. “You’re gonna get Cordy, the rest of the Cordettes and the jocks to stop picking on me and my friends. You’re gonna get them all to play nice in the sandbox.”

“So, you’re black mailing me?” Tara asked incredulously.

Willow nodded, “Ummm yeah, pretty much.”

“How in the hell am I supposed to do that? I can’t control what they say and do!”

Willow shrugged her shoulders, “Don’t know, don’t care. That’s your problem, not mine.”

Tara bit her bottom lip in concentration, “Fine, give me a week. I’ll talk to Cordy and the rest of the girls and see what I can do, but I can’t make any promises with the boys. They do their own thing and besides, after that incident with Xander, I doubt they’ll give you any more problems.”

“Fine, one week Tara, that’s it.”

“Fine.” With that, Tara climbed in her car as Willow turned and walked away.

_________________
Shelby - Racing The Rain (IN PROGRESS) / Baby Makes Three (IN PROGRESS) / The Santa Line / Everything She Does...Is Beautiful / Calfornia Grass

"Transform your pain. Release your past. And ... uh ... get over it."
~Willow, Where The Wild Things Are


Last edited by Finey_McFine on Mon Jun 24, 2013 8:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: NEW FIC: [AU] Baby Makes Three (9-2-12)
PostPosted: Sun Sep 02, 2012 11:08 am 
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Dibs!

Okay, Willow, I love you. But you are a dumb-ass. You turn into a dumb-ass whenever you get a hint of power, and this is yet another example. I mean, kudos to Finey for the whole, 'Teenagers: They're hella stupid' thing, because this is super realistic. But still. Is she even thinking about how this will affect the kid? Plus, threatening the cub is the worst thing possible, no matter how unintentional, and seeing Tara's momentary mama bear moment should have been warning enough.

Finey, superb as usual. Willow, go sit in the corner and don't leave until you stop being an ass.

EDIT: Okay, after having most of a day to finally mull it over, I can now see exactly why Willow set me off the way she did. Her threat/blackmail, is oddly reminiscent of someone threatening to out someone else. Neither seem aware of their gayness at this point, but that's basically what it is. Willow is threatening to out Tara. And, typical of someone threatening to out someone else, she doesn't fully seem to realize the type of impact this could have. For all we(Willow and the reader) know, this could threaten Tara or the baby's well-being, mentally and physically. It doesn't matter how mean they are to you, you don't out someone like that.

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Last edited by faolan228 on Sun Sep 02, 2012 7:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: NEW FIC: [AU] Baby Makes Three (9-2-12)
PostPosted: Sun Sep 02, 2012 11:54 am 
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Oh I so love this!!

Weird Science + Glee meets Can't buy me love with Patrick Dempsey...lol

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 Post subject: Re: NEW FIC: [AU] Baby Makes Three (9-2-12)
PostPosted: Sun Sep 02, 2012 12:03 pm 
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Willow's blackmailing of Tara does leave a nasty taste in my mouth but it IS in character. Resentment was always a strong component of her personality. It does make me curious as to how she and Tara will get together. Threatening someone Tara loves is so NOT the way to her heart.

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 Post subject: Re: NEW FIC: [AU] Baby Makes Three (9-2-12)
PostPosted: Sun Sep 02, 2012 12:48 pm 
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I just realized I haven't commented on this story before, so let me tell you now I really enjoy it so far. Seeing Tara as one of the cordettes was really a big shock, and I think she deserved the reality check Willow gave her this update. And contradicting faolan here I think as a teenager Willow acted pretty mature. She could have just dropped the bomb and ruin Tara's reputation, turn Tara into one of the loosers she warned Anya to avoid. But she didn't, she thought it through and realized that although Tara acted cruel towards her in the past (at the water fountain and after the first slush incident) she isn't really evil, more of a cowardly fellow traveller. At least this is how I see her and I blame her for it. I really don't understand why she choose Cordy and Harmony as her friends, as brainless as they are they are far beneath her, and to impress them she has to act mean although she doesn't want it, as we learned from her thoughts at the water fountain. So why? Even if she didn't want to get in trouble by hanging out with "loosers" there must be many other girls in her year (even other cheerleaders, female athletes or other "cool people") she could have been friends with.

Don't misunderstand me, I don't hate your Tara, but I'm fairly disappointed of her so far. I felt pity for her though when she was so desperate because Chelsea couldn't attend this day care anymore.

I for one think Willow's "blackmail" is justified here because she acts in a (somewhat desperate) attempt to protect herself and her friends from future bullying. I'm probably biased because I always identified a little with highschool Willow (because I was a smart kid who wore uncool clothes chosen by parents too - including my older brothers old cord pants which had even been uncool when he had to wear them, so I know how it feels being ridiculed in school). But I think highly enough of Willow that I trust that she wouldn't reveal Tara's secret even when she doesn't manage to convince the cordettes to leave them in peace in the following week.

Now I'm looking forward to see if Tara really tries to stand up to Cordy and Co. and I hope she'll realize she's better up without them as friends.
I don't see yet how you'll manage to get Tara and Willow become friends, let alone lovers, but I have faith in your writing abilities. Maybe Willow runs into Tara with Chelsea somehow and they can bond over their attention for this cute little angel?

So I'm realy looking forward to more, but if it's not too much to ask, I'm anxiously awaiting the next RTR update as well, please don't let us wait too long on this front either...


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 Post subject: Re: NEW FIC: [AU] Baby Makes Three (9-2-12)
PostPosted: Sun Sep 02, 2012 3:50 pm 
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It's strange, I feel like I've always wanted to see Willow blackmail Tara but I never really realized it until now. The beautiful thing about this is it puts things in perspective. Not only is it not a very unlikely "love at first sight" fic, it's a hatred at first sight which we know will eventually grow into something else. I really like that because that's how people actually work. The odds of falling in love with your worst enemy are significantly greater than the odds of seeing a stranger across a crowded room and knowing that you want to spend your life with that person. Often you need a certain degree of unlikelihood to progress a story or make it compelling but I feel like when the story is as genuine as this one promises to be it moves forward on its own merit and not by virtue of some safe but hackneyed theme. Brava, truly very well conceived.


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 Post subject: Re: NEW FIC: [AU] Baby Makes Three (9-2-12)
PostPosted: Sun Sep 02, 2012 4:10 pm 
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Hmm. I have mixed feelings here. On one hand, I like the idea of Willow trying to protect her friends. But on the other hand, I feel for Tara. Pretty obviously she is in a hard position and Willow's being an asshole to her. I do like the fact that Willow told her "you are not a nice person." She's right. Tara has been rude and while not as rude as C/H/B she is still a bully and mean. She needs to start to see that. It's hard to see how a relationship will come from this but I look forward to finding it out.

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 Post subject: Re: NEW FIC: [AU] Baby Makes Three (9-2-12)
PostPosted: Tue Sep 04, 2012 8:16 am 
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Willow eavesdropping on a private conversation, maybe she's been watching 'Harriet The Spy'. And there's my lame Buffy tie in joke lol.

“But Mrs. Flutie!” Tara protested, “Please, I-I...this is the only day care in town! You cant...I have school and my mom has to work. What am I supposed to do?”

This made me wonder what kind of family background Tara comes from. We know that Cordy comes from a very comfortable, well off background but does Tara come from one similar because Cordy doesn't usually allow members of the 'lower classes' into her clique.

Love Willow referring to Cordelia, Buffy and Harmony as 'ding dongs' :rofl

How was it that Tara Maclay had a child and no one knew? Willow was truly puzzled.

Possibly Tara's telling others that it is her sister, as she claims on Facebook. Or that it belongs to another relative. I'm going to assume that a Mr. Maclay is present in this story to help Tara's tale of a sister. Bit of an age gap though 18 and 1 year old.

A big YAY :applause to Willow for defending Anya. If you don't have Buffy become part of the group then I hope Willow and Anya become best friends. I can see Anya actually helping Willow and Tara get together.

Interesting interaction between Cordelia and Tara at cheerleading practice. Could it be that Tara isn't as big a member of that group as we think? We already know that Tara shares Willows belief that the other girls in the group are stupid.

I'm not sure what to think about Willow blackmailing Tara. On the one hand I'm thinking YAY at last she's in a position where she can do something to make the bullies, hopefully, back off a little. On the other hand she is actually being pretty mean herself to Tara and as Tara says she has never outright bullied Willow the way that Cordelia has done, and that Willow doesn't know her or her background. Presumably it's not going to be too long before she, as you say, pulls her brain out of her ass and realises she has been pretty crappy at times to Willow.


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 Post subject: Re: NEW FIC: [AU] Baby Makes Three (9-2-12)
PostPosted: Tue Sep 04, 2012 12:27 pm 
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The plot thickens, Watson. In a way, Tara's concealing of Chelsea's true idneitty, and the ways she does it, is a non-supernatural parallell to Tara's fears of demon heritage on the show. And others have said better than I can about what Willow's actions are.

As always, thesae characters are most beleiveable (and, ultimately, most important to us) when thye have their little and some very-not-so-little faults.

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 Post subject: Re: NEW FIC: [AU] Baby Makes Three (9-2-12)
PostPosted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 2:23 am 
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Interesting twist here, but it only leaves more questions, which, of course, just makes me want to read more to get the answers.

Willow vs. Cordy in the computer lab was always one of my favorite scenes, and it was one of the first times we saw shy little Willow start to stick up for herself.

Quote:
As Willow exited the classroom, she made eye contact with Cordelia, “Deliver.”


All the years of bullying has had a very negative effect on Willow, and understandably so, but I can't say I totally agree with her methods here. Bottom line is, mean kids suck, but is Willow really going to stoop to their level? That doesn't make her much better than them.

Now Tara is truly a mystery to me. I think there's something very fishy going on here. She doesn't really seem to want to be in that group, but for some reason she is. She has some kind of internal war in herself, and doesn't really see herself as mean, so at least Willow has opened her eyes to that. Something very interesting is where Tara gets protective over Chelsea and tells Willow something about "if you do anything to put her at risk". At risk of what, from who? Not to mention the fact that Tara admits that she doesn't care about Cordy and the other dingbats finding out.

Quote:
Willow shrugged her shoulders, “I don’t have to. All I have to do is put it out there and those brainless friends of yours will drop you like a hot potato. They won’t want to damage their precious reputations and let’s face it, neither do you.”

“I don’t care about any of that.”


Like I said, lots of questions, which always makes an exciting read. All I can say is more, pretty please?


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 Post subject: Re: NEW FIC: [AU] Baby Makes Three (9-2-12)
PostPosted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 7:09 pm 
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Looks interesting.
Nice, well thought out characterization.

I am especially loving that Willow and Tara come together naturally,
rather than being mysteriously drawn to each other.

I also like that Will, and possibly Tara don't yet realize that they like girls.
I think that is a bit of potential that often gets missed. :bounce

All i can say, is that i'm onboard for the ride, and by the Goddess, you better finish this, or i will send weasels to nibble on your tender toes. :glasses
Rabid Weasels!

R

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“All I feel is sunlight. All I hear is music.” Willow
How i Met Your Mother - By Ariel


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 Post subject: Re: NEW FIC: [AU] Baby Makes Three (9-2-12)
PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2012 4:53 pm 
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faolan228 - So, lot’s of mixed emotions with this chapter, huh? I totally get what you’re saying, but you have to try and see it from Willow’s POV. She’s been verbally beaten down for years which has now escalated to physical assault. I think it’s safe to say that she’s at her wits end. No one at the school will listen, so she is dealing with it the only way she knows how. She’s reacting with anger. We all know that Willow acts without regard for the consequences and she has no emotional ties with Tara, making it that much easier.

Is she right? Of course not, outing someone for any reason is never a good thing and threatening the well-being of their child...not smart. I don’t think she really wants to go through with it or she would have just leaked the information, but once the ball got rolling, we really got to see the depth of her anger. It was unfortunate that Tara had to be the one to take the brunt of it.

I don’t want to give away too much, but give her some time. Like I said before, she’s a teenager, they do dumb things, lol.

Thanks for the feedback!


Grimm - Hahahahahahahaha! I love it too!

Thanks for the feedback!

Rebecca Ashling - You are correct about that. Our little Willow does harbor quite a bit of resentment. Threatening Tara isn’t the way, but Tara bullying Willow also isn’t the way. It’ll take awhile, but they will eventually get there.

Thanks for the feedback!

Wills redemption - First of all...thanks for the lovely and abundant feedback! :blush I’m glad you are enjoying it.

Willow could have done a lot of damage with her info, but she choose not to and go directly to the source. As adults, our minds look at her actions and think, “That was wrong,” but as a teenager, you are right in saying that she handled it in a mature manner. Well, as mature as you can get for blackmailing someone, lol.

I don’t want to give too much away, because it will all be explained later, but yes I think we are all disappointed in Tara. There are always going to be “mean girls” in school, but you have a choice whether or not you associate with them. Clearly Tara made the choice to be friends with them, but we don’t know why yet. Eventually we’ll see her POV, but until then, we’ll have to just keep guessing.

I’ve written ahead with this story, so you’ll be seeing weekly updates for awhile. As for RTR, *sighs* I’m working on it. I sort of hit a brick wall. I’ve been writing it for almost two years and I guess I just needed a break. It won’t be dropped and I should have something soonish.

Thanks for the feedback!

RoyoNobus - Thanks so much! My all time favorite rom-com movie/book is, When Harry Met Sally. Hopefully you’ve seen it, so you’ll know what I’m talking about. Anyway, these two disliked each other immensely the first two times they ‘met’ and it took nearly ten years for them to change and grow enough to fall in love with each other. Obviously, I won’t be covering ten years in this fic, but I wanted to do something outside the box. Pretty soon you will start seeing little inklings of their mutual attraction, but they both need to mature a little first. Plus, they aren’t exactly enemies either. Willow is more at war with Cordelia, the others are just a nuisance.

Thanks for the feedback!


JustSkipIt - You are correct on both counts. Willow acted irrationally out of anger and Tara caved to peer pressure. Neither having thought one about the consequences of their actions, but I bet they are thinking about it now! It was definitely a reality check for Tara. I don’t think in a million years she expected Willow to “fight” back. So, we’ll just have to wit and see how they handle the situation.


Thanks for the feedback!


Willowtaralover - I’m keeping Tara’s background on the DL for now. She will eventually explain things, but until then, she remains a mystery:)

Tara has most definitely been lying about Chelsea and saying she is her sister. Now we just need to find out why. It might not be as sinister as everyone thinks, lol.

Willow-Anya-Tara-Buffy...who know what will happen??? Cordy likes to be in control and it irritates her when some stands her down. She definitely did not like Tara dictating when she would leave practice. The cracks in their relationship are starting to show.

I think Willow and Tara both think they are doing the right thing, but as readers we can see they are not. It’ll take some time, but I’m sure they’ll both come around.


Thanks for the feedback!


DaddyCatAlso - Ahhh, my dear Sherlock you have found the parallel to canon! Yes, Tara is concealing Chelsea by lying, but in this scenario, two people now know the truth. So, things will obviously play out differently.

Thanks for the feedback!


wimpy0729 - Willow vs. Cordy is classic Willow out smarting a dumbass, lol. With one word, we get to see her, not only sticking up for herself, but doing so in a very intelligent way. Definitely my fav S1 Willow:)

Willow is basically at the end of her rope and desperate to make it stop, while seeking a little vengeance as well. She doesn’t want to be mean, she just feels like she has no other choice. Tara doesn’t want everyone knowing and has her reasons, what she saying she doesn’t care about is her reputation. Willow basically accused her of worrying more about being popular, that being honest.

Questions, questions.....

Thanks for the feedback!

Aziraheal - Thanks! There is definitely no magic love at first sight here, lol. They are going to have to really work for it.

Nope, neither have an inking that they are heading for girls-town.

Don’t worry, most of the story is already written:)

Thanks for the feedback!

_________________
Shelby - Racing The Rain (IN PROGRESS) / Baby Makes Three (IN PROGRESS) / The Santa Line / Everything She Does...Is Beautiful / Calfornia Grass

"Transform your pain. Release your past. And ... uh ... get over it."
~Willow, Where The Wild Things Are


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 Post subject: Re: NEW FIC: [AU] Baby Makes Three (9-10-12)
PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2012 4:59 pm 
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20. Not one Much for the Timber
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TITLE: Baby Makes Three

AUTHOR: Finey_McFine

RATING: R (Language)

DISCLAIMER: Willow, Tara and any other BtVS characters, as well as some random dialog, belong to Mutant Enemy. ALL other original characters belong to me! Mention of any ‘real’ people in this fic is brief and pure fantasy.

SUMMARY: Totally AU! Willow Rosenberg is a senior at Sunnydale High. She and her friends are bullied relentlessly until Willow stumbles upon a huge secret and decides to take matters into her own hands. There is no Hellmouth, just lot’s of teen angst, self discovery and of course Willow/Tara goodness...eventually.

Thoughts are in italics

FEEDBACK: Yes! Any glaring issues…please send me a PM!

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Hey everyone and Happy Monday! Sorry about the late update, but yesterday was opening day in the NFL and we had tickets to the Texan v. Dolphins game. As a rabid Dolphin’s fan, I couldn’t pass it up, even though we were well out numbered. :p Anyway, enjoy!

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

Chapter 6

The school week was coming to an end and Willow had still not heard a word from Tara. They’d passed several times in the hall, but had basically ignored each other. The week had been fairly uneventful and Willow couldn’t tell from Cordelia’s behavior if Tara had gotten through to her or if this was just a lull. There were no notes in her locker and no friendly nods; nothing to indicate that Tara had taken Willow seriously. Willow was beginning to wonder if Tara was trying to call her bluff, and the thought made her physically ill. She didn’t really want to put the information out there.
As the days passed, Willow had become less angry and realized just how uncomfortable she was doing what she was doing. She wasn’t a mean person by nature and she was finding it very difficult to be so calculating. In the beginning her anger had driven her, but now her conscience was taking over.
Deep down Willow knew threatening someone and using their child against them was wrong. The last thing Willow wanted to do was put a baby at risk, especially for her own gain, and she’d beat herself up quite a bit throughout the week.

She’d also eased a little more in regards to Tara’s parenting skills. She realized that she’d been quick to judge and tried to imagine herself as a teen parent. Maybe Tara was just trying to get by the only way she knew how and survive high school like everyone else, but the devil on her shoulder reminded Willow that Tara had gone willingly into the fold. No one was forcing her to be friends with Queen ‘C’ and no one forced her to say those mean things that day at the water fountain. Tara was one of the nicer ones in the group, but it didn’t make her any less guilty.

The lunch bell rang and Willow shook her head. Too much thinking! She grabbed her things and headed out to the commons to meet her friends. As she exited the building the bright California sun blinded her and she squinted her eyes sharply. When they finally adjusted, she saw Tara sitting on their lunch bench, looking nervous.

“Hey,” Willow said with a little wave.

“Hey,” Tara returned the greeting with a slight smile.

An awkward silence fell over them as Willow took a seat next to the cheerleader.

“So um, I just wanted to let you kn-know that I kept m-my end of the bargain and I talked to Cordy.” The blonde looked anxious and Willow wondered, Since when does Tara stutter?

“Oh, okay. What did you tell her?”

“Well, it took me a few days, but I finally came up with something and she pretty much bought it.” Willow nodded, allowing Tara to continue. “I um, I told her that I was flunking computer class and that I needed you to help me get a passing grade. She agreed to lay off since she and Harmony both have D’s in the class. She knows there’s no way you’d help her, so I guess she thinks she can absorb the information vicariously through me to help her own grades.”

“Are you?” Willow asked.

“What?”

“Flunking computer class?”

Tara snickered, “No, it’s not my best subject, but at least I know what the ‘DEL’ key does.” Willow’s eyes widened and Tara shot her a knowing smile.
Willow’s face grew flushed, “I know I shouldn’t have done that. I’m seldom naughty, but I couldn’t help it. She was just so...so-”

“Cordelia?” The blonde interrupted with a smirk firmly planted across her face, “Yeah, I know how she can be. Anyway, she promised to mind her manners and whatever she does, Harmony and Buffy will follow.”

“And the jocks?”

Tara cast her eyes down, “I r-really don’t know what I can do. I asked Cordelia to talk to them, since she knows them better, but...”

“It’s okay, that one was a stretch anyway. I’ll just be happy to be left alone and not get picked on so much. Maybe now I won’t have to walk the long way to all my classes and I can eat in the cafeteria without getting my food dumped.” Willow said with a sigh of relief.

Tara’s face dropped. In the past week she’d had time to do a lot of thinking. She’d never really thought about what the taunting was doing to Willow and how much it affected her.

Two nights after their heated exchange in the parking lot, Tara was putting Chelsea to bed and the question hit her, hard. What if it was Chelsea that was being bullied? That was when the full extent of what they’d been doing really hit home. Willow was an innocent, had done nothing wrong and that was when she decided that she wanted to make things better for the redhead.

“So anyway, I...I just wanted to let you know and I n-need to get going,” Tara said suddenly as she rose and began to walk away, “I’ll see ya.”

“Yeah, bye.” Willow whispered, her head was spinning. She never thought in a million years that the girl would come through for her. Willow rested her hand on the bench to steady herself and felt something underneath it. “Hey, your book!” She grabbed the math book and jumped off the bench to run it to Tara, but the blonde had already disappeared. She placed the book in her backpack just as her friends approached, chatting away and plopping down with their lunches.

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

Willow was exhausted, as she sat cross legged in the middle of her bed on Sunday afternoon. After working a ten hour shift at the Doublemeat on Friday, she’d gotten up early for Temple Saturday and then spent the rest of the day with her parents. She was happy to finally have some time to herself.
Willow leaned over the side of her bed and grabbed her smiley face backpack. As she pulled it open she immediately scrunched her face, “Ugh, what is that smell? I guess it’s time to clean you out.” She mumbled.

Willow turned the pack upside down and dumped the contents on to the bed. “Ewwwww,” She grimaced, as she gingerly picked up a rotten banana peel between her thumb and index fingers and tossed it into the waste basket. She began to sort everything into separate piles. Books, papers, pens and old grimy gummy bears littered her bed, as well as a book that didn’t belong. She’d all but forgotten about Tara’s wayward Algebra book.

She examined the book reverently, as if it were an ancient text. Willow hadn’t seen an Algebra book since having taken the class back in Junior High; her mind these days being filled with AP Calculus instead. As she turned the book over and flipped through the frayed pages, she came across a number of sticky notes. The more she flipped, the more she began to see a pattern.

The blue notes seemed to be general statements, the yellow were questions, the green were things that were understood and the hot pink were things Tara just wasn’t getting and there seemed to be a lot of pink notes. Willow read through them and picked up immediately on what the blonde wasn’t understanding. She smiled to herself, admiring Tara’s organizational system, as she too enjoyed making colorized systems.

As the redhead flipped to the last noted page and her eyes grew wide. Test Monday...STUDY! “Crap.” Willow muttered as she pulled herself off the bed and got dressed.

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

Less than an hour later Willow found herself standing nervously outside Tara’s front door. She fidgeted and bounced anxiously from foot to foot as she wiped a sweaty palm on her shorts before finally getting up the nerve and rapping her knuckles on the door.

A few seconds later the door opened and Tara appeared in an old tee-shirt and a pair of gym shorts, looking tired and disheveled. Her hair was partially tied in a loose pony tail and there were dark circles surrounding her eyes.

“Willow? Hey...” She said quizzically as she tried in vain to wipe several loose strands of hair out of her face.

“Hey, I uh, I guess you’re wondering what I’m doing on your doorstep and on a Sunday no less, but um, you left this on the bench last Friday, and I noticed that you mentioned a test tomorrow and I thought you might need it, not that I was snooping or anything, a-and I did try to find you at school but I couldn’t and well, I was busy the last two days and-”
Willow’s babble was interrupted by an ear splitting scream coming from inside the house. Tara, who had been desperately trying to keep up with Willow’s endless stream of words, sighed deeply and looked as if she was about to cry.

“Sorry, I have to...” She said as she motioned towards the living room, “Um, just...come in. I need to get the baby.”

Tara turned, leaving the front door open for Willow and made her way into the living room, where her daughter sat red faced and screaming in her playpen.

“Shhhh sweetie, please...” Tara said soothingly as she reached in and picked up the infant.

Willow followed her in. She closed the door and stood off to the side, as she watched the tenuous interaction between Tara and her daughter. The blonde bounced the infant lightly and tried to get her to take a pacifier, but the baby continued to wail.

Willow’s eyebrows knitted together in concern, “Is she okay?”

“Teething.” Tara replied flatly.

Willow suddenly had an idea, “Where’s the kitchen?” She asked as Tara answered wordlessly by just pointing her finger in the opposite direction.

Willow disappeared and returned a minute later holding an orange popsicle. “May I?” She asked motioning towards the screeching child. Tara simply nodded and handed Chelsea over to the redhead.

“Hey, what’s with all the big noise from such a little girl.” Willow said as she gently eased the sweet treat into the baby’s mouth; stopping the crying almost immediately as she began to suck and gnaw on the frozen pop. Willow looked up at Tara and smiled widely.

Tara stared back and a frown began to form as she plopped down on the sofa with her head in her hands and burst into tears.

Willow was stunned and not really sure what to do. Especially since she was holding an infant and a popsicle and trying to balance the two. She came around the coffee table and sat down next to Tara. “Hey, it’s okay. Tara, please don’t...do you want me to get you a popsicle too?” Tara was still sobbing, but started to laugh at Willow’s question and seeing the innocent, hopeful look on the redhead’s face, Tara couldn’t help but smile.

“Are you okay?” Willow asked.

Tara nodded as she wiped the tears off her cheeks, “Yeah, I...I just...I’m a terrible mother!” She blurted out, ushering in another round of sobs.

“Oh Tara, no you’re not. Why would you say that?”

“Because, I’ve been trying to get her calmed down since four o’clock this morning and you’re here for two minutes and...and...I’m just so tired,” Tara whined.

Willow somehow managed to balance the baby on her knee and hold the pop with one hand as she grabbed some tissues and handed them to Tara with the other. “I-it was just dumb luck, really. I don’t know all that much about babies, I just happen to catch a story online and I remembered...why don’t you lay back and calm down a little.”

Tara nodded, leaning to the side and resting her head on the sofa pillows. She looked awkward and uncomfortable, so Willow stood with Chelsea; allowing Tara to lift her legs onto the couch.

Willow sat on a chair opposite the blonde, watching as Tara snuggled with the pillow and began to relax. Tara’s breathing evened out and within minutes, she was sound asleep.

Willow turned and kissed Chelsea on the top of her head. “Well, I guess it’s just you and me kid. Looks like your Mommy’s down for the count.” She whispered as she sat back in the chair and watched Tara sleep.

_________________
Shelby - Racing The Rain (IN PROGRESS) / Baby Makes Three (IN PROGRESS) / The Santa Line / Everything She Does...Is Beautiful / Calfornia Grass

"Transform your pain. Release your past. And ... uh ... get over it."
~Willow, Where The Wild Things Are


Last edited by Finey_McFine on Mon Jun 24, 2013 8:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: NEW FIC: [AU] Baby Makes Three (9-10-12)
PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2012 5:38 pm 
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5. Willowhand
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Ah, good to see that both are starting to feel a bit guilty, not to mention some civil interaction between the two.

Also, lucky baby. I wanna eat Popsicles and chill with Willow and Tara.

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"If I can't be a good example, might as well be a horrible warning."

"Friendship is obviously magic. Love is a sorta super strong friendship. We gay people love so hard we broke 'Social Norm'. Ergo, we gay people are ultra-strong wizards."


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 Post subject: NEW FIC: [AU] Baby Makes Three (9-10-12)
PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2012 6:01 pm 
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5. Willowhand
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How cute is that?

I'm looking forward to reading more... Maybe a late study session?

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 Post subject: Re: NEW FIC: [AU] Baby Makes Three (9-10-12)
PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2012 6:08 pm 
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Damn, those loveable babies!

I love where this story is going. Both girls were able to put their anger aside to see things from the others perspective.

I have total faith in your story telling abilities.

Ps. Will someone please give that girl (Tara) some help!

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