First time writing a fic, ain't that great? I've decided to try my luck here, I hope you guys like it.

I really love W/T and I seriously think that Joss didn't give them the necessary attention, so I'm doing just that. I basically picked Willow and Tara and put them in my own little world, but I AM planning on getting them back to SunnyD, rest assured. This will happen later in the story.

This fic is the result of a fanatical W/T shipper and an entire day of watching The Lord of The Rings movies, so be warned, this ain't your garden variety idea.

I'm not a very experienced writer, this is in fact the third thing I write aside from school papers, so don't expect expertise, 'k?

I hope you enjoy the story.

SOULBOUND

Chapter One - Hello Stranger



To the people of the small secluded town, the dark forest had always been a source of mystery. No one that ever entered the strange forest came back. Most believed that the wild animals hiding in the depths of those woods were what made the forest so dangerous.



Tara knew better, though. Her mom had told her all about the forest when she started teaching her about magic. The forest was an area of dimensional convergence. There were an uncountable number of portals that no one could see. Some lead to other parts of the forest, others to different dimensions of the reality. That was why no one ever came back; they either got lost in the maze of dimensional portals or got stuck in a different dimension.



Her mom had warned her to stay away from the forest. That, even with magic, one couldn’t conquer those woods and it was extremely foolish to even try. And she, in all her seven years, had followed those words rigorously up until this day.



Today she had felt a strange need to go into these woods. It was like there was something really important there that she needed to see. It was overwhelming. She wondered if that was the effect the forest had on people. No, her little heart was telling her to enter the forest and her mom had always told her to follow her heart. What harm it could do?



With this though in mind she ventured into the woods no man could ever get out from alive, her need to follow the pull stronger than her mother’s warning echoing through her head.



In the eerie silence of the forest her breath and footsteps sounded too loud in her ears, but she kept walking, never looking back nor thinking about what she was doing. The pull was getting strong with every step she took; it filled her heart with hope and gave her a warm, tingly feeling in her tummy.



She must have passed through at least five portals, for the scenery was constantly changing around her. It surprised her that no animal had made itself known; it was a bit strange that there was no wildlife in this forest. But this was a magical forest, maybe the animals were magical too.



It came sooner than she expected. The pull that had been growing steadily fast was now replaced by an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment and she knew then that she had found what she was looking for.



She was in a beautiful waterfall. The water was incredibly clear and reflected the sunlight that passed through the thick woods. The sound of the water falling was almost as beautiful as the singing voice accompanying the natural sounds of her surroundings.



She couldn’t decipher what was being sung, but it was the most incredible thing she had ever heard in her short life. The lilting voice mingled with the background, creating a natural concert that had an incredibly calming effect on Tara.



Tara followed that voice and what she found amazed her even more than the beautiful song. A small redhead girl about her age sat on a tree branch, her bare feet swinging happily back a forth. The simple green dress she wore danced with the wind as did the long shinning hair that went almost to her waist.



The singing stopped abruptly and Tara knew she had been spotted.



“Please, don’t stop. Your song is so beautiful.” Tara asked shyly.



“Really?” the redhead jumped off the tree and fell gracefully on her feet.



“Yes, I’ve never heard anything like that.” Tara ducked her head bashfully.



“Thank you.” Came the melodic answer. “I could teach it to you, if you wanted. What’s your name?”



“Tara.” The blonde stuck out her hand instinctively.



“I’m Willow.” The other girl grinned and took the offered hand, but stead of shaking it she pulled Tara into a hug. “I like this better.”



An euphoric feeling filled Tara’s being and her whole body tingled. She didn’t exactly understood why, but she was disappointed when Willow pulled away. The gloomy feeling soon faded as she noted something else about her new friend.



“Your ears are funny.” She giggled.



“Nuh huh, yours are funny. Everyone back home has ears like mine.” Willow pulled her fiery hair behind her pointy ears.



Tara frowned in confusion and was about to voice her thoughts when Willow’s liquid green eyed lit up and she jumped up and down excitedly.



“Oh! I know! You’re human!” she exclaimed like it was the most incredible thing in the world.



“Aren’t you?” Tara looked at her strangely.



“No, silly, I’m an elf.” She pointed out matter-of-factly.



Tara’s eyes widened comically. “An elf? Like in the stories?”



“You have stories about us?” Willow seemed even more delighted.



“Um, yeah. Some.”



“Wow!” Willow giggled excitedly but then her face scrunched up as something came to mind. “But… How are you here? Aren’t our worlds supposed to be separated?”



“I don’t know… I came through the forest… to find you…” she added hesitantly.



“To find me? What for?”



“I don’t know…” Tara shrugged.



“Well, you found me so… Wanna play?” Willow grinned cutely and Tara found herself smiling back.



“Sure!”



From that day on the elf and the human girl became best friends. Every single day the blonde would come and the two would play together until sundown. The redhead elf taught Tara about her people, their language, their culture, their magic and, in exchange, Tara would teach her about the humans that fascinated her so much. They laughed and played together and everyday their bond got stronger.



Sadly, good things tend not to last very long.



To Be Continued…



So... *peeking from behind the chair* How is it?

A little short, I know, but I figured I write better this way, shor and to the point. Let me know if I'm going too fast, ok?

Weeelll... Questions? Critics? Praising maybe? *hopefully*

I would love some feedback.

Oh, and sorry about the grammar mistakes, I'm lacking a beta.



Dex



The purpose of writing is to inflate weak ideas, obscure pure reasoning, and inhibit clarity. With a little practice, writing can be an intimidating and impenetrable fog! - Calvin

Edited by: Snooper at: 7/3/04 2:27 pm

Pwease oh pwease oh pwease update soon..like now...it's soooo good..I love this..Willow's an elf..hee hee hee....so cooolll....please update..this story is so great. *hugs you*...and don't be afraid...not all of us bite..



Tisha

Quote:

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I like being a lesbian...it means I can watch girls in the locker room without being noticed

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oh i think this is so cute!! willow as an elf and singing

hiya.

Well i can definately say im intrigued. Good start, and don't worry your writing is very good. Well i'll look forward to the next update which is soon i hope?



Luv Hannah

I think that new ideas make great fics. I really like Willow as an elf. I wonder how things will go wrong this time. They are both around seven, right? There will be plenty of time for them to fall in love then. hee hee. Update please! Loving this!



under_score

Well, I must say, this is an interesting twist. Willow, an elf? You have my attention.Good start. Please continue.



~Mikaelah

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

.. well.. this is certainly interesting.. cute cute..



please continue?



-kristi

Interesting. Very interesting. Willow as an elf is the second strangest thing I've read ivolving her in an AU fic besides her being Buffy's sister.



All the itallics kinda made my eyes go wonky.

"Great, I s-s-stutter even in my t-thoughts..." - my role play character Tara.

Yay! I like it! Kinda reminds me of Zelda...I like it!!!



Please continue



-Rei



PS. Tish, dude, awsome sig. Always a plus.

"Tell them Amber says 'don't do drugs' Amber doesn't endorse drugs." -Amber Benson

An update you want, an update you shall have!

Enjoy!

SOULBOUND

by Dexter Banks

CHAPTER TWO – NOT GOODBYE



The friendship between the elf and the human girl had grown with time. Everyday the blonde human would sneak out of her parents’ house and go meet her friend in the forest. By then Willow had taught her how to move around the woods and use the portals at her will.



No one knew about their friendship. Both had their reasons not to tell their families, which they conveniently chose to left out of their conversations. They were happy to keep their growing bond to themselves and somehow it made everything more special and exciting to them.



The years passed and they grew up, but nothing changed in their friendship. If anything, they grew closer. Willow taught Tara her people: their language, culture, History and some archery – at which the blonde was particularly good. Tara taught Willow about the human race, from History to technology, the latter seemed to fascinate the young elf more than anything.



All was right in their little world until Willow reached her eleventh birthday.



Tara had given her a beautiful drawing of the two of them playing together in their waterfall. Willow had burst into tears knowing that she had to give the news that would shatter her dear friend’s heart as well as her own.



“Will? What is it?” Tara asked worriedly as she whipped the tears away gently.



“I… I…” Willow hugged onto her friend for dear life as she cried her heart out.



“Y-You… didn’t l-like the present, d-did you? I’m s-sorry, Will, please don’t c-cry…” Tara stuttered in despair, her heart breaking for her friend’s obvious pain.



“No, Tare! That’s… That’s not it. I loved the drawing. It’s really beautiful…” Willow reassured her friend through her tears, she knew that Tara only stuttered when she was really nervous and calming the blonde was her first instinct.



“But you’re crying! Why are you c-crying?”



“I… Tara, I…” Willow took a deep breath, bracing herself for what she had to say. “I… got called to the Academy.”



“Willow, that’s great! It’s your dream to be trained there, to follow your dad’s footsteps! Isn’t it?” Tara asked uncertainly when her friend’s tears continued falling.



“Not if I have to leave you…” Willow answered quietly, eyes downcast.



“L-leave m-me?” Tara’s stomach dropped.



Willow nodded sadly. “I won’t be able to come here while I’m being trained…”



“F-For how long?” Tara asked, dreading the answer.



“Five years…”



“Oh…” Tara felt a cold grip tightening on her heart until it became difficult to breath.



“I don’t want to leave you!” Willow pulled her friend into a hug, squeezing as tight as she could without hurting her.



Tara returned the hug with all that she had, but she knew what she had to do. “I don’t want you to leave either…”



“Please, don’t say ‘but’, please…” Willow pleaded, knowing what her friend was about to say. She wanted Tara to ask her to stay, she couldn’t deny her anything, but she knew that wouldn’t happen.



“B-But you have to f-follow your d-dreams… To do what makes you h-happy.”



“Our friendship makes me happy! I don’t want to lose that… I don’t want to lose you…” she added in a tiny voice.



“You won’t. We’ll always be friends, remember? Melda tennoio.” She said the phrase in elvish that was taught by her friend.



“Friends forever. Oira.” Willow nodded, her face buried in her friend’s shoulder.



“Always.” Tar tightened her hold on the redhead, her tears flowing freely.



Willow pulled back a little to look into her friend’s eyes, a determined look took over her green orbs. “I will come back. When I finish my training, I will come back. I promise.”



And Tara believed her. When Willow got something on her mind wild horses couldn’t drive her away from her objective. No one messed with Resolve-Face-Willow.



“And them you can tell me about everything you learned.”



“And we will swim on the lake and have lots of fun.” Willow looked at her hopefully.



Tara nodded and whipped the tears from Willow’s cheeks, blushing slightly when the redhead returned the favor.



“It’s almost sundown… You should go home…” Willow said regretfully.



Tara looked panicked for a moment, before a resigned sigh escaped her lips. “I’m not gonna see you tomorrow, am I?”



Willow shook her head sadly. Then she had an idea. “Here.” She took the silver chain she always wore on her neck and handed it to Tara.



“But… But this is your family token.” Tara protested weakly.



“I want you to have it. You’re my family and I will come back to you.” Willow said resolutely, putting the chain around Tara’s neck and looking appraisingly at the beautifully crafted rose pendant resting on her dear friend’s chest. “It represents my promise to you.”



“Thank you…” Tara didn’t know what else to say, feeling overwhelmed with emotion.



“You… should go now… It’s getting dark.”



Tara nodded sadly. She didn’t want to go, but she had to. She couldn’t let her friend give up her dream because of her.



“See you later, Tar.” Willow made a point of not saying good-bye – that wasn’t a good-bye, after all – and hugged her friend tightly, kissing her cheek gently. Tye-mela’ne, melda nin, she thought to herself.



“See you, Will.”



The two best friends reluctantly parted ways not to see each other for the next five years. Not knowing what changes such a long time would bring upon them.



To Be Continued…



A little sad, I know, but it was necessary. Don’t worry, our girls will be reunited soon enough. I’m not in the mood for stalling, so I’m going to make a little jump in time the next chapter. I’m an impatient guy.

The elvish words I used this chapter are actually Quenya, the language of the High Elves created by the great JRR Tolkien, so they don’t belong to me, I’m just borrowing. I’m not exactly sure about the translation, there’s only so much I can do, but we can call it poetic license if I’m wrong. Oh, and Tye-mela’na, melda nin = I love you, my friend.

Now, I’m happy to say that the next chapter is already written, I just need to review, then I’ll post it. Probably tomorrow.

Also, I’d like to thank all the Kittens who so thoughtfully left me feedback, nothing could make me happier (well, Amber and Alyson could enter through my bedroom’s door, but I don’t see that happening any time soon).

Namarie, melda nin!



Dex



The purpose of writing is to inflate weak ideas, obscure pure reasoning, and inhibit clarity. With a little practice, writing can be an intimidating and impenetrable fog! – Calvin

Oh My God That Is SO Sad! They Wont Be Able To See Each Other For Five Years? Oh Man! Poor Them!

I Feel Their Pain! Great Update I'm Glad To Hear The Next Update Is Just Around The Corner!!!

D2D





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



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

oh this is just so cute and lovely.

so your update is already written? come on get it here...

I just caught this story. I really like it. I can see it becoming one of my favorites. Keep it up! And I definitely think the Elvish adds something to it. Vair cool. Can't wait for the next update!



-The Wicked One

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

"I am like a nerdy, Irish vampire." -Conan O'Brien



"Instead of friends and relationships, you have sarcasm and a gun." -Miss Congeniality

Is there something wrong with elves associating with humans and vice versa that they could not tell anyone about their friendship? What do elves learn in the academy? What do elves become anyway? Do they have really long elven lives like in the "Lord of the Rings"? I think keeping their friendship a secret will reveal to be a start of an interesting twist sometime soon. See how much you provoke my imagination? So far so good! Keep on writing!



under_score

I like this so far. It's really cute.



Keep up the good work and update soon.

Brilliant work!



Really wonderful writing style and the idea is magnificent!



Keep up the good work!



-Rei

"Tell them Amber says 'don't do drugs' Amber doesn't endorse drugs." -Amber Benson

Is this soon enough?

This chapter is most explaining some things, not much action but I hope you like it anyway.

SOULBOUND

by Dexter Banks

CHAPTER THREE – I MISS YOU



The five years that followed dragged themselves in painfully slow motion and Tara couldn’t be more miserable. She missed her friend terribly. She missed the times they would spend talking or playing or when they would sing together. She missed Willow, period. She couldn’t even talk to anyone about it, no one knew about the elf and it was safer that way for both of them.



She moved around almost mechanically, doing her chores, going to school. The only time she felt good was when she was having her magic lessons with her mother and brother. It was always a special time with her mom.



Things got worse when her mom fell ill. At first she tried to brush it off, continuing with her life like always. But then she became too weak to go on, but still she refused to be confined to a hospital bed. Tara tried her best to take care of her mom, but everyday she got weaker as did her hope to see her mom healthy again.



Her father started drinking heavily and his attitude with Tara changed from mostly civil to almost violent. He ranted and raved, blaming her for every single wrong thing in the household. Donnie tried to help her the best he could, but with his going to college soon he wouldn’t be there to help anymore.



Her older brother was her protector; she didn’t want to think that he wouldn’t be by her side for much longer. Donnie wanted to take her and their mother with him to California, to get them away from their father, but she knew that with their mom’s illness that would be very unlikely.



Every night Tara would cry herself to sleep, the rose pendant clutched tightly in her fist, wondering if her friend had forgotten her. Her self-deprecating mind told her that she wasn’t worth remembering, that Willow probably had tons of friends that were better than her. But her heart knew that Willow would be true to her word, that she would come back and make her happy again.





Willow wasn’t faring much better. Sure, she loved her classes, had made quite a bit of friends, but nothing could fill the hole left by Tara. She longed to see her friend again, to hear her laughter, to hold her. She wondered if her friend was happy, if she missed her.



To enter the Túr Academy was every elf’s dream. It was the best Academy for magic, physic and academic training. The Túr Clan was known for their extended knowledge on their field of specialization and there were many of them. The most capable elves came from the Academy.



Still, she couldn’t wait for her training to be over so she could be with Tara. So she focused totally on her classes, giving her very best. She knew she was incredibly intelligent, her tutors said that often enough, but she was surprised with the results she got on the more physical subjects.



Archery was by far her favorite, her father had taught her the art when she was little, but she also did well with the sword and the quarterstaff. Her determination and perfectionism made her a remarkable opponent. Hand-to-hand combat wasn’t really her forte, she couldn’t seem to adapt to the techniques, but her weapon training made up for her lack of fighting skill.



The magical classes were really interesting. She still had some difficulty in summoning the water and earth elements, but her wind was very good and she was a natural with fire, a fire gifted, her sponsor had said. The mental magic class was a bit more difficult; she was just too energetic to be completely relaxed for the trainings and it made focusing a bit harder. Her healing abilities were very good, but she still got very drained after performing a complicated healing.



Five years had finally passed and she was ready to receive the Mark of the Túr - the Elen-Eru - and her golden bracelets, recognizing her as a fully trained elf. The ceremony was beautiful and every apprentice got a bit emotional when their sponsor gave them the Mark, a tattoo-like symbol on their right temple and the golden bracelets with the Túr Clan crest.



After much hugging and hand-shaking Willow was more than ready to take off. She couldn’t wait to see Tara again. She knew it was a bit late, but she wanted to get there as soon as possible, even if she had to sleep in the forest to wait for the dawn.



Willow sneaked out as soon as she could. No one could know where she was going; she had no idea what kind of dangers her dear friend would be in if anyone found out. Most elven families held a great distaste for the human race, a distaste that was formed in the first centuries of the elven existence on earth, before The Rift that separated the human and the elven world. She didn’t know how or why that happened, but she didn’t want her friend in danger, so she headed for the forest trying to pass as unnoticed as she could.



She had no idea of what, or better yet who waited for her in the dark forest.



To Be Continued…



Oh, yeah, all this motivation is inspiring me. Here is Chapter Three and the fourth one is being written. I’m going on a short trip this weekend, so I’ll update again only next week. Don’t cry, I promise the next chapter will be much better. They will meet again! Yay!

I thank again for the wonderful feedback, I love you guys. Hey, under score, I hope you have found some of the answers to your question in this chapter, the rest will be cleared later, don’t worry. Thanks everyone!

Stay tuned for the next update.

Namarie



Dex



The purpose of writing is to inflate weak ideas, obscure pure reasoning, and inhibit clarity. With a little practice, writing can be an intimidating and impenetrable fog! – Calvin

I feel guilty! I missed two updates.



Sweet. It seems that even as children then grew to love eachother. The cliffhanger, though......... Who is it? Is it Tara? Let it be Tara.



Nice chapters. Update soon?

"Great, I s-s-stutter even in my t-thoughts..." - my role play character Tara.

Cherrios! Nice work! Hope you have fun on your vacation. Keep up the good work, you did a very nice job stating Willow's strengths and weaknesses, her energy becoming a problem and so forth. Very nicely done. Can't wait for the update.



-Rei

"Tell them Amber says 'don't do drugs' Amber doesn't endorse drugs." -Amber Benson

I am totally in love with this fic

Hope things workout for our girls

I can't wait for their friendship to turn into something more



Oh, I can hardly wait for the next update



-LR

Please, Oh Please Let That Person Waiting For Willow Be Tara!

And Let Them Be Happy Together And Forever!! Please!

Loved The Update But U Gotta Know That I'm Excited For The Next Update Cuz I Have A Feeling That They Are Gonna Be Reunited Soon!!!

D2D





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



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

i really love this fic! it´s just so lovely!

you wrote the emotions so nice and wonderful!

waiting for the next update

This is great! I never considered Willow and Tara in the Lord of the Ringsy type thing. Which is why this is so great! Continue soon?

Thank you. Yes, my questions were answered even though I was not expecting it. It was a very sound explanation. Very cool! So are their differences as an elf and a human affect their future relationship? hmm... This story is just plain brilliant! If I had was a asked for a wish right now with a time limit of 3 seconds, I probably will wish for an update for this story. Keep going!



under_score

i love this story. its really good.







please update soon.







brittney

Quote:

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Kiss this axe, bitch!---Tara "Bargaining part 2"

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Hey!

I'm back! My trip was very much relaxing and I had a lot of time to think, so I had this next chapter almost completely planned when I started typing. Here things start to get really good. Let's see how long they stay that way.

I hate sounding like a broken record, but thank you again for the lovely feedback. I love you kittens!









CHAPTER FOUR – COMFORTING ARMS



Her mother was getting worse. Tara knew that she wouldn’t have much longer. Her heart ached for the one who had given her life. She didn’t know what to do, she was no doctor and she had no way of healing her mother magically. It was either dark magic or sacrifice magic and she didn’t want to meddle with none. Maybe she was really selfish like her father kept saying.



Today had been particularly hard. Her mom was too weak to even eat and Tara was stressed beyond belief. With her brother away she alone had to do the chores, her father being too drunk to do anything other than sleep and yell at her. Usually it was just that, he yelled, ranting about how useless she was, but today she had made the mistake of breaking a plate.



He was furious. He shoved her against the wall and slapped her face. Hard. She couldn’t take it anymore. She ran. She ran blindly as fast as she could, leaving her father yelling after her, but otherwise too inebriated to follow her.



She wasn’t surprised when her feet lead her to the waterfall in the forest. That was the only place she could actually find peace. She fell on her knees and broke down. She cried not only for her own pain, but also for her mother’s. Her shoulders shook with her sobs and the tears streamed down her face freely. She hadn’t cried this much since her friend left.



Thinking about Willow unleashed another fresh wave of tears. She missed her friend terribly. She didn’t even notice the chill of the night that left goosebumps on her skin nor she notice the presence approaching her.



She almost jumped when two slender arms encircled her shoulders, but her body immediately recognized those arms, seeking the comfort of the warm body pressed to hers. Tara buried her face on the shoulder offered and her lungs were filled with the familiar scent of her childhood friend. Roses and rain, she never could forget that particular smell that belonged to Willow only.



Tara was almost afraid to look up at her friend, as if she would disappear as soon as she looked. Her tense body relaxed almost instantly when her friend’s hands started running through her long blonde hair comfortingly.



Only when her sobs finally subsided she took her face off Willow’s shoulder. Hesitantly, she lifted her head and almost started crying again when she met liquid pools of green. Slender, slightly callous hands cupped her face to gently whip away her tears.



Willow frowned when Tara flinched at her touch. Just then she noticed the darkening bruise on her friend’s right cheek. With a gentle finger she traced the area and sent a little of her energy, her eyes never leaving the blue depths that stared at her in awe.



Tara felt her cheek warm and the pain disappeared slowly. She lifted her own hand and placed it on top of the redhead’s, leaning into the touch she missed so much.



“I missed you…” she murmured.



“I missed you too, Tare.” A lone tear escaped from her eye.



Tara automatically whipped the errant tear, cupping Willow’s cheek lovingly. “You changed.” She observed.



“You did too. Five years do that.” Willow chuckled slightly to cover for the blush that appeared on her cheeks. “I’m so happy to be here. With you.”



Tara blushed too, but she put her friend in a bear hug, sending both of them to the ground. They both laughed merrily. Tara sighed and rested her head on Willow’s shoulders, letting the peace that came from her friend engulf her. She squeezed the redhead tightly, afraid to let go.



“Tara… Oxygen becoming an issue here.” Willow half-joked.



Tara immediately released her hold and sat up, unwittingly straddling the redhead’s waist. “Sorry. I’m just so happy you came back.”



“Hey, I promised, didn’t I?” Willow tried to ignore the position they were in.



“Oh!” Tara exclaimed and took the elven chain from the inside of her shirt to return it to the redhead.



“No.” Willow reached up and caught Tara’s hand. “It’s yours.”



“But-”



“Besides,” Willow interrupted the blonde’s protest. “I won’t be needing it anymore.”



“Huh?” Tara frowned confusedly.



“I won’t go back. I’m staying here.” Willow-grin.



Tara’s jaw dropped open and she stared incredulously at her friend, her heart hammering on her ribcage. “You mean…”



“I’m staying here with you. If you want too, that’s it. Cause if you don’t want to it’s perfectly okay with me, I can still visit you. But if, you know, want me to stay I could rent a room in some inn or I could live here in the forest or-“ Willow’s nervous babble was interrupted when Tara threw herself at her squeezing the breath out of her lungs.



“Of course I want you to stay, silly!”



“Oh.” Willow breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, now that this is settled…”



Tara looked up at Willow when she trailed off and raised an inquiring eyebrow.



The redhead looked at her seriously. “Who hurt you, Tara? Why were you crying?”



Tara’s eyes dropped and she ducked her head shamefully.



“Hey there,” Willow sat up bringing Tara with her. “I thought we had agreed no hiding of those beautiful baby-blues.” She tried to lighten the mood and was happy when she got a small lopsided smile; it felt like forever since she saw that smile.



“I… I…” Tara took a deep breath. “My father, he…”



“He hit you?” green eyes narrowed dangerously.



Tara nodded slightly, not meeting her friend’s eyes. “He… He’s been drinking a lot since… Since mom got sick.”



Willow’s expression softened immediately at the pain in her friend’s voice. “Your mom is sick? What…?”



“Brain cancer.” Her shoulders slumped and her eyes teared up.



Willow frowned and got a pensive look. “Maybe… hm…” she murmured almost to herself.



“What?”



“Tare… Could you take me to her?” she asked gently.



“Why?” then Tara realized what Willow had done to her bruise earlier. “You think you can…?”



“Maybe…” Willow didn’t want to give her any false hope. “It depends on how much the cancer affected your mom. I’ll try my very best.”



Tara couldn’t help the smile that formed on her lips. She finally had hope.



To Be Continued…



Good? No? Let me know what you think!



Dex



The purpose of writing is to inflate weak ideas, obscure pure reasoning, and inhibit clarity. With a little practice, writing can be an intimidating and impenetrable fog! – Calvin

oh my god this is so great!!! i love the update!

maybe willow can help taras mother!

please more soon!!

Stupid Mr. Maclay...



Wonderful chapter by Dex!



Happy Willow and Tara!



Hope for Mom!!!



And I'll try to make longer sentances to praise your story next time...



Sincerely,

BWR

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

I'm always terrified my sister'll get brain cancer, I'm like a hypocondriac, for her though. Lol



Brilliant chapter! I think you're getting everyone hyped and ready for their dose of vicarious smoochies, I know you're getting me all bouncy.



I'm glad to hear that your vacation was relaxing, now you can write more Call me selfish, I don't mind



The reunion was beautifully written, mmmm willow smell



Nice job.

Give me more



-Rei And I think I deserve this today

"I am vindicated, I am selfish I am wrong, I am right I swear I'm right I swear I knew it all along. And I am flawed but I am cleaning up so well, I am seeing in me now the things you swore you saw yourself so clear.

Edited by: ambersagoddess at: 7/13/04 10:31 am

Hey!

Yes! I'm alive and I'm back! Sorry I took such a long time to show up, I've been very lazy lately. But no more! And to apologize to you I'm posting two chapters today!

Here they go!

SOULBOUND

by Dexter Banks

CHAPTER FIVE – HEALING TOUCH



They entered the house as quietly as possible, Willow standing in front of Tara protectively, ready to defend her friend in case her drunk father was waiting for her. In fact, she was hoping he was, just for an excuse to pound that excuse of a man for hitting Tara. Maybe she could even ‘forget’ her principles and turn him into something slimy. Well, slimier.



The redhead scrunched up her nose at the strong smell of alcohol coming from the living room. She unconsciously took her friend’s hand as they passed the drunk snoring loudly on the couch.



They headed upstairs silently. Tara paused at the first door to the right. She was nervous, a lot of ‘what ifs’ running through her head. She was afraid of hoping and… No, she wouldn’t think that. She resolutely opened the door and led Willow inside.



Willow squeezed Tara’s hand in comfort and walked to the prone woman on the bed. The elder Maclay was pale and very thin; one could see how weak she was easily.



“Tara?” the woman opened her eyes slightly, taking sight of her daughter with a strange redhead. “Who –cough- is your friend?”



“Mom, this is Willow.” She put the redhead’s hand on top of her mother’s.



“Hello, Mrs. Maclay.” Willow smiled gently, and then turned to Tara. “How long…?”



“About ten months.” Tara answered quietly.



Willow took a deep breath. It would be a tough one; she just hoped not to fail. She passed her hand in front of the blond woman’s eyes. “Sleep.”



Tara took a step back and watched as her mom’s eyes closed and her breathing pattern deepened. The elf closed her own eyes and placed her right hand on the sleeping woman’s forehead. For a few moments nothing happened. Then a white glow surrounded Willow, bright and pure. The energy started flowing from the elf to her mom’s forehead.



Sweat pooled on Willow’s forehead and upper lip, but her face remained calm and focused. The energy surrounded both woman and flashed brightly, causing Tara to close her eyes against the brightness.



When she opened her eyes, Willow was on her knees, panting heavily and looking slightly pale.



“Willow!” she immediately went to her friend. “Are you alright?”



“Yeah, -pant- I just –pant- get real tired after –pant- a difficult healing.” Willow took a deep breath.



“Oh, Will, you shouldn’t have done that if…”



“Hey –pant-, no guilt trip.” Willow-grin. “Your mom will be –pant- fine. She will start feeling better tomorrow. My magic healed most of it, hers will do the rest.”



“Oh, Will!” the blonde hugged Willow tightly, happy tears escaping her eyes. “Thank you so much.”



“Anytime…” Willow’s eyes were heavy and she was nodding off.



“Will?” Tara looked at her worriedly.



“I’m fine… just tired…” she yawned cutely.



“C’mon, Will, let’s get you to my room.” Tara helped the tired elf up and walked her to her room.



She sat Willow on her bed, took off her boots before making her lie down on her pillow and covering her up.



“If you want to get me on your bed at least seduce me first…” Willow murmured sleepily.



“Goof.” Tara shook her head and kissed her sleeping friend’s forehead.



She watched her friend for a few minutes before going back to her mom’s room. She smiled, noticing that her mother seemed much less pale and thanked Willow silently for this wonderful gift.



“Night, mom.” She whispered before walking out of the room and back into her own.



She took off her shoes and changed into her pjs. She lied down beside the sleeping elf and snuggled close to her, sighing contently.



That night she slept more peacefully than she had in a long time.



To Be Continued…



The next one is just below.



Dex



The purpose of writing is to inflate weak ideas, obscure pure reasoning, and inhibit clarity. With a little practice, writing can be an intimidating and impenetrable fog! – Calvin