Title: When in Paris…



Part:1/?



Distribution: I just like writing this stuff , but it’s put somewhere else , please let me know…..I like to keep an eye on my baby

Summary: Willow spends a summer in Paris following graduation.

Spoilers: NONE . Nil. NON!

Rating:PG I think.







*****





Joni Mitchell – ‘ California’ "Sitting in a park in Paris, France , reading the news and it sure looks bad , they won’t give peace a chance that was just a dream some of us had"





*****





Willow shifted slightly , getting more comfortable under the weight of her newspaper, currently on an expedition out of her small Parisian guest house and into the wide world. Whatever France was to be for her , it would be better than spending another summer bored in Sunnydale. ‘ Not that I don’t love my friends’ she corrected herself, but somewhere in 18 year old Willow Rosenberg , something had told her to rise up out of everything she was afraid of. So she took up the surprise offer of reporting on the new art galleries as part of a ‘Student Experience’ programme the State had put forward and funded for the ‘most promising’ students following graduation. An opportunity to go out into the world and find what they yearned for , apart from the desperation for independence that is.



The redhead moved to stretch her arms as she rose from the bench pondering both the subject of third world dept.- from a newspaper article - and equally distracting , the argument whether to have a buttered or a *chocolate* croissant for breakfast. Certainly not a decision to rush.



Since arriving in Paris , Willow had made a point to explore the cafés as much as possible ‘as well as the food’ her internal monologue reminded her as she strolled past streets littered with small shops and promises of fresh glorious food , breathing in gratefully both the fresh morning air and the warm freshly-baked-bread aroma. ‘Something I could really get used to’ she whispered to herself.



That was another thing she was enjoying – the solace and independence that Paris was giving her . Not that she didn’t love trying out her French or discussing the Vermeer’s with the gallery guides , but being such a babbler it was kind of refreshing and calm to have such quiet.



Two weeks into her trip , Willow had been to many exhibits and famous sites , but it was as she started to become familiar with the whole area that she dared to manoeuvre the smaller back streets in the early evening , to follow the advice of her Landlady – ‘Madame Georgette’(possibly one of the greatest eccentrics ever) . She was a powerful lady whose red velvet dresses matched the rouge she layered onto her aged face .



Externally she appeared as mad as a bat , but Willow had known better than to judge a stranger by their shovelled-rouge alone. Certainly Georgette had become a freeing influence , as she directed her young guest to the gems of exploration she knew – of small clubs , exhibits and romantic scenery located around Paris – “my darling , a woman without love crumbles like de cheese in David’s han’ fighting Goliath” she had told Willow in her idiosyncratic opinion , albeit four glasses of wine past sobriety at the time.



She wondered what she would be in three months , who she would become for she was sure she was changing more every time she stepped out of the door of ‘Madame Georgette’s’ , or maybe that was just her conscience’s way of telling her that she was beginning to believe Georgette’s tales of the former role of the guest house. Willow had not been too sure what she meant by a ‘good time house’ but ‘brothel’ was most probably a better way to have described it.



Perhaps it was her morals slipping away under the influence of Georgette , or maybe it was just the freedom , good food , sun…….and well everything in Paris accompanied by the soundtrack of Gigi’s old jazz records. (Willow felt quite privileged to be able to use Madame Georgette’s nickname , something she said she has always reserved for “close friends and paying customers” , the latter probably referring to the ‘good time’ days….the redhead cringed at the thought….)



As she past another café she agreed with herself to stop in the next one that looked most full of sugary goodness , one had to be careful of one’s diet when one was independent after all….or something like that…..although Willow didn’t know quite why her internal monologue had suddenly become a Giles-esque proverbial diatribe. ‘Hunger is really going to my head….better get some sugary goodness soon before this obsession with verbose grammatical comment gets ugly’…and with that the red head strolled briskly with a grin into ‘Le Chaton’.



A small but hip looking café filled with 30-something-honey-mooning couples confronted Willow. ‘Suffice to say ‘Love is in the air’’, she thought ‘ anymore love and I wouldn’t be able to describe it without going into the gutter’ and with that she took a table next to the open windows , noting with a pleased thought her developing sharp wit.



Humour ,independence and some good clothes – the three main aims of Willow’s summer in Paris. However , it was not without a slight twinge of jealousy that she looked upon the love-struck couples. Resisting romance in Paris was about as useless as resisting the allure of…….the indescribable joy of chocolate croissants. ‘Except love is probably less fattening’ she pondered.



A cool breeze hit her thankful neck , whispering over the collar of her small , white , linen shirt , finding it’s way under the hem of her thin , dark jeans , sweeping past her ankles.



The breeze was not without a hint of humidity and assured intensity that it carried as a warning or promise of the day ahead.



***********



hey this is my first fic , so be gentle - do tell me if you like it



Sweetjane

"Say i'm weary , say i'm sad , Say that health and wealth have missed me ,
Say i'm growing old but add; Jenny kissed me"

ooh this is a good start!! well done!

ooh is Willow gunna meet Tara in Paris?

can't wait for the next update!!



*Hannah*

********************************************
I just needed someone to talk to, you were just too busy with yourself, you were never there for me to express how i felt ,i just stuffed it down- *STAIND -FADE*

"ooh is Willow gunna meet Tara in Paris?"





well.........*maybe* it's a definate possibility

"Say i'm weary , say i'm sad , Say that health and wealth have missed me ,
Say i'm growing old but add; Jenny kissed me"

Great so far, I like it!

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

"Nothing like gettin your ass kicked, to make your ass hurt!"

Buffy Series 5

Bien! I liked it very much. And I'm curious how they gonna meet each other in the "city of luuuve"...

Oh baby, want me to rub your tummy? She likes it when I ... stop explaining things.

Hi, um Tara..how are you? well...I was wondering maybe you want to go out some time...for coffee? food? Kisses and gay love?

Awsome fic, I'm diggin' it. I can't wait for the next part. YaY. Much Love to ya,

Lisa

This is our Last Embrace, Must I dream and Always see your face.~ Jeff Buckley "Last goodbye"

Haha, seems I'm the first frenchie to actually reply to this...

You know, you just did something quite cool : in this first part, you pretty much nailed everything I like about Paris - that is to say the romantic Paris, the one everyone loves. Heh.

Almost makes me happy to be french...*g*



Nice start sweetjane, looking forward to more.



Rose



Edited to add : 'Le Chaton'. Nice touch, that cracked me up. And if Will and Tara are to meet somewhere, well, this place seems to be meant to be it.*g*

'Magic, thy name is Tara.' - Mariacomet, The Stone Circle.

Edited by: frenchrose888 at: 6/8/02 8:37:27 pm

thanks *frenchrose* thats a real compliment , i just love Paris as well , and this is kinda a thing for me , a treat to write about my favourite girls in a city i really want to take my girl away to . or something like that.



there shall be more soon , i just need to get a few more exams out of the way and then i can retreat back into the summer of luuuuurve in Paris.



Sweetjane

"Say i'm weary , say i'm sad , Say that health and wealth have missed me ,
Say i'm growing old but add; Jenny kissed me"

I think I'm the only person in the world who actually didn't like Paris, but that could have been due to the fact that I was with my mother, her friend and our jewish orthodox cousin. Ever try wandering through the red light district for a koser cafe'?



Anyways, I just wanted to say it was a wonderful start, and the way you described it, it might make me want to go back on my own and try to experience it in another way.





W.I

'It's good to be a chicken casserole'-Sass, answering darkness

'My heart is cleverer then I and it knows what to do.'-MC Legends of the Kiss

You write incredibly well and I like the idea of them meeting in Paris....I hear it's very romantic (when there with a special someone).



--Michelle

Thanks for bringing Willow away from the nasty hellmouth - she deserves a holiday!



I agree that Paris seems like a perfect place for her to meet Tara.

Adding up the total of a love that's true, multiply life by the power of two
Indigo Girls

Title:When in Paris



Part:2



Distribution: I just like writing this stuff , but if it’s put somewhere else , please let me know…..I like to keep an eye on my baby.

Disclaimer:ME and Joss own the characters that I have borrowed , but Madam Gigi is mine!

Summary: Willow spends a summer in Paris following graduation.

Spoilers: NONE . Nil. NON!

Rating:PG I think.





*****



Joni Mitchell – ‘Free man in Paris’ “…I wish I could just walk through those doors and wander down the Champs d’Elyses , going café to cabaret , thinking how I’ll feel when I find that very good friend of mine..”





*****



Now with a higher blood-sugar level than a hyper-active toddler , the red head felt ready to continue with her day. With such great croissant-energy it was not long before Willow found herself outside the newest gallery of her visit yet , covered with fresh white paint and marked with tall ,confidant windows daring the outside to enter.



Stepping inside away from the warming centre of sun and vague breezes of flower scents , she found the smell of newness , cleanliness , fresh wooden floors and the strong aftershaves and perfumes of pseudo art critics. All of whom were wandering around making dramatic hand gestures in efforts to portray large amounts of (lacking) intelligence whilst still wearing their sunglasses.



Pseudo sunglasses aside , today ,Willow’s ‘mission’ was to meet Mr. Largo , head of the new gallery , then she would get to explore the place with all it’s wooden floors and ‘Old Spice / Chanel No.5’ scent……….. and particularly the new Dali and Cézanne exhibitions .



They sat comfortably in his office conversing over expensive coffee .“My dear , where are you staying?” came the polite question of Mr.Largo , a gentle looking man with soft lines of age around his eyes, as he settled to sample some of his fresh black coffee.



“Oh , this small place – Madam Georgette’s…” and with that , the poor man almost choked on his ‘Black Gold’ , spluttering all over his expensive glass bureau.



“erm….sorry?” Willow said , not knowing what to make of the situation.



“No , no it’s not you my dear……” The sudden guilty look upon his face did not go unnoticed by the red head , her eyes widening at the sight of the calm man turned into a jittery fool at the mention of Gigi.



“Well” he coughed after a long pause , trying to regain some sort of dignity and change the subject “you’re in luck today as we have one of our guides available just for you.” He straightened his tie regaining some composure. “ A cancellation by a large school group you see , so you won’t have to be all alone, my dear……she should be here any second to pick you up” he explained , now somewhat eager to get rid of Willow.



With that the door to the office opened - “Hey sorry I’m late , you m-must be Willow.” With an outstretched hand , the guide moved to shake Willow’s hand."I’m Tara”



Willow focused on shaking the girl’s hand , because it seemed to her dismay, that she had lost the ability to speak the second Tara had walked in.



“…….Yes…” was all she got out after a pause , and a conscious effort to breath in. “…erm…”



Your hand is really soft…and…and you smell like summer.



“Tara , now that you’ve been saved from an afternoon of screaming school children by Willow here , how about you start down at the Dali show first eh ?” Mr. Largo suggested with a soft smile as he observed the two silent women.



With a drastic change of scenery from feeling the soft hands of ‘summer girl’ ; Willow found herself amidst the surreal dark energies of Dali and his creations trying to comment on ‘Eggs on a Dish without the Dish’ and….. …..well I suppose the words would be ‘impress Tara’..but that certainly isn’t happening Rosenburg….she chided inwardly.



“…yeah , I really like the way he decided to paint the eggs on a dish , without the dish ……erm….you know? I like the way he just painted that egg all….sassy , hanging from a string and being all eggy….. like eggs are.”



“Sassy eggs?” Tara teased and couldn’t help but let out a tender laugh at the red head’s comments.Willow blushed in response to what was becoming quite a warm rapport between them , which was relaxing both of them considerably.



As the afternoon wore on , turning into early evening , the gallery continued to empty, until the soft movement of the material of the Blonde’s skirt was all that could be heard when they were silent. Well , it was all that Willow heard anyway. As they reached the top floor , the evening sun let it’s fading warm light through the tall windows to flood the varnished wooden tiles , which in turn reflected to reveal the tones of warmth in Tara’s face.



Cézanne’s ‘L’Estaque’ sat upon the vast wall at the far end of the top floor. As both girls approached it , the stinging vibrant beauty of colour rose off the canvas and warmed them both.Willow felt intently moved by the dreamy purple tints in the blue sea at the centre of the painting , a colour she found mirrored in Tara’s eyes. She tilted her head slightly to catch a glimpse of Tara studying the painting , as she did so the blue became more evident and primary in Willow’s vision, observing the sparkling sea of the blonde’s eyes.



Willow turned back quickly with a sharp intake of breath to the painting as she realised Tara was speaking. “….Cézanne p-painted what he felt he saw..…not exactly as it would appear i-in a photograph ….that’s why the c-colours are so vibrant. I love this piece….” Tara’s mouth gently curved into a grin as she continued to get lost with the vibrant colours of nature in the painting.



I want to paint , I want to paint Tara’s eyes right now and show her the beauty I see in them…..I wonder if she knows what she holds in that gaze….



“Yes… ” Willow whispered , unaware she had turned back to gaze at Tara yet unaware of anything else except Tara “……beautiful….”





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



ahh , i just got a warm feeling writing that last bit .



hope you like it .



Sweetjane

"Say i'm weary , say i'm sad , Say that health and wealth have missed me ,
Say i'm growing old but add; Jenny kissed me"

Great start to this fic! Its very sweet, its nice to see Willow and Tara away from Sunnydale. Look forward to the next part

"I am a whiz...If ever a whiz there was"

I have to say how much I am enjoying this story. Willow and Tara in Paris...what a sweet idea

-----------------------
You know, it's a real deal relationship and that's why people can relate to it
Amber Benson

I like that you have Tara working in the gallery. I always thought that she'd be artistic.



Lovely. And Willow is already enraptured!

Adding up the total of a love that's true, multiply life by the power of two
Indigo Girls

nice romantic setting .. i always like it when our girls find an instant connection, and you can't beat the line sassy eggs

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

Willow and Tara Love

Truly and Forever

Very romantic. The line I liked best was when Willow thought Tara "smelled like summer". That's so perfect a description of her. Sunny and fresh and beautiful. Yum. Thanks for this!

----------
Squish. Squish. Squish.

hey thanks for all the support , i'm actually enjoying writing just as much as you are liking reading it i'm sure , as you will have probably worked out by now i'm quite an old romantic of sorts.



as ever thankyou! and there will be more when i have time , and the chapters will get longer , but i don't have time right now , but soon there shall be more goodness



Sweetjane

"Say i'm weary , say i'm sad , Say that health and wealth have missed me ,
Say i'm growing old but add; Jenny kissed me"