GayNow: Thanks, Carleen! I tried to make Willow and Lydie pretty close, kinda like I was with my own godmother. I always thought that Willow would be good with children (since she had so much practice on Xander to begin with).
wiccanbotanist: Hey there! Glad you liked it. More W/T interaction coming, but for now they'll be accompained by the kids. They'll have some alone time soon, though.
Also curious about Willow pseudonym, and what exactly she writes (children's stories I know, but I'm thinking maybe some specifics would be nice).
I'm still trying to think of a good pseudonym for Willow (suggestions?), but I'll try to describe Willow's writings the best I can. Also, keep in mind that Willow doesn't want publicity (hence the pseudonym), so it will be some time before she starts speaking of her books.
VixenyTarasHot: Thanks for reviewing. I think you'll like the next chapters, then, much with the cuteness factor. It will either be very corny or cause many 'aaaawwww's all around.
Miss Kittys Ball O Yarn: You know, Emms, you're a very strange person.
Or maybe I just didn't get the Gone With the Wind reference.
It's the breakfast of champions!
My dogs love those icky smelly goop they're calling dogfood now. It's absolutely revolting. Yikes.
And I just loved Willow's dialogue with Lydie (that name sounds familiar Hmmmm) Anyhoo........I thought the way they communicated with eachother was so very real.
Familiar? I don't get it. What's up with that?
And Willow is kinda a big sister slash surrogate mother to Lydie. At first I thought about giving Willow a daughter, but then I realized that they don't need to be blood related to be close. Plus it's way easier than trying to come up with a back story for the 'father' thing.
Sweetie, you really should try to eat less sugar. Maybe even try a decaf?
viximon: I also happen to love big dogs, which is why I have two Weimaraners, they're sweeties. Doofus is based on my uncle's dog, he's a Great Dane called Elmer, but I always called him doofus.
Foomatic: Hi Foo! The intention was to introduce them in a light, fun mood. I figured if Tara saw how great Willow is with Lydie she won't have many problems letting Willow in (sharp mama lioness's claws, you know?). Plus Willow does seem to be the kind to play around like a big kid herself. I miss my niece *sigh* Hope you keep reading!
DaddyCatALSO: The mystery is the best part of the story! Well, I sure hope you have a high tolerance of sugar, cuz this will be Where-Is-My-Insuline Sweet.
And here I give you chapter 2!
All Disclaimers Apply
Chapter Two - A Walk In The Park
“It’s very nice here.”
Willow nodded in agreement. “I usually come here for my morning jog with Doofus, I always feel peaceful here.”
Tara glanced at her sideways. “You don’t look like one of those 6 AM joggers.” she said, before she realized that the redhead wouldn’t appreciate being judged.
To her surprise, Willow laughed heartily. “I really don’t, do I? I look more like someone who should be in the library with her nose buried in a book.”
“I didn’t m-mean to sound-“ Tara started to apologize, but Willow cut her off with a gentle squeeze on her arm.
“I don’t mind, really. The thing is that I actually am a geek. I just have a best friend obsessed with physical fitness.” Willow grinned. “She sorta got me hooked into track when we were in High School.”
“Godmummy…” Lydie pulled on Willow’s shirt for attention. “Can we play?” she pointed to the swing set.
“Sure, princess.” Willow scooped the small girl in her arms, twirling her around a little. “What about you, munchkin?” she looked at Annie.
Annie frowned. “Munchkin?”
“Don’t tell me you’ve never watched The Wizard of Oz?” Willow exclaimed in mock outrage, making the girls giggle. “We must correct that someday, The Wizard of Oz is a classic.” Willow looked at Tara, her eyes asking.
“Absolutely.” Tara smiled.
“So, wanna play too?” Willow asked again.
“Can I, Mama?” Annie asked excitedly.
“Yes, you may.” Tara smiled indulgently.
“C’mon then.” Willow lifted the other child up and run with both of them to the swings.
She’s strong, Tara observed,
I usually have difficulty carrying Annie for a long time but she carries both of them with no problem at all. She watched with interest as the redhead sat on one of the swings with both children on her lap. A blonde eyebrow quirked up as the redhead started pushing them on the swings higher and higher, giggling along with the girls.
Cute.
“I thought you would push them on the swings.” Tara gave Willow a curious look when they finally stopped swinging.
“But then I would miss all the fun.” Willow winked. “How about we play with Doofus now?”
The girls squealed and took the tennis ball Willow pulled from her pocket. Soon they were both taking turns at tossing the ball to the eager dog.
“Hey, girls, wanna see a trick?” Willow asked playfully, stopping beside them as Doofus ran after the ball once more.
Tara looked on, curious.
“A trick?” Annie asked. Lydie looked equally interested.
“Yeah, look.” She whistled sharply and Doofus came running with the ball clasped firmly in his jaws. Willow extended her hand and Doofus obediently dropped the ball on her palm. She wrinkled her nose at the stickiness of the ball, but tried to ignore it. “Let’s play seal, Doofus.”
Tara’s eyebrows hit her hairline when Willow placed the ball on the dog’s nose. Doofus stood still with the ball balanced on his black nose.
“Wow!” Lydie exclaimed, her eyes wide in awe.
“Cool!” Annie agreed.
“How does he do that?” Tara asked.
“Now that’s a secret.” Willow shook her finger at her playfully. “Look now. Stand up, Doof.”
Doofus stood and put his forepaws on Willow’s shoulders, the ball still perfectly balanced. Tara noticed just how big Doofus was, standing he was as tall as Willow.
The girls clapped, impressed by the display. Willow chuckled and patted Doofus’s back. The dog let go of her and the ball fell to the ground. The redhead picked it up and put it back in her pocket.
“How about ice cream?” she offered, pointing to the small ice cream shop near the park.
The little girls took one of Willow’s hands each and started pulling her towards the shop. Tara followed, giggling to herself. They entered the shop and Willow went to the small Hispanic teen behind the counter.
“Hola, Fernando.” Willow greeted in flawless Spanish.
“Buenos días, señorita Willow.” Fernando smiled and switched to English. “And who are those ladies with you?”
“Well, you know my goddaughter Lydie.”
“Sí, sí, señor Xander’s daughter.”
“And these two lovely ladies are my new neighbors, Tara and her daughter Annie.” Willow caught her Tara’s eye and the blonde blushed at the compliment.
They exchange pleasantries and Willow ordered their ice cream, insisting on paying since she was the one who invited them in the first place.
“Besides, you can always pay mine next time.” Willow reasoned and Tara found herself looking forward to the next time.
“So, how old are you, munchkin?” Willow asked Annie as they strolled along around the park enjoying their ice cream cones.
“Five!” Annie declared proudly.
“Oh, that’s a very important age.” Willow said sagely.
“Really?”
“Of course. You’re starting school this year, right?”
“Yes, Mama and I already went shopping for my school things.”
“And you insisted on having everything Powerpuff Girls themed.” Tara let out a long suffering sigh and Annie giggled.
“Oh, I’m sure Lydie here will put her parents through a similar situation when she starts school next year, won’t you, princess?” Willow winked at the dark haired child.
Lydie nodded enthusiastically. “Spiderman!”
Tara blinked at the unusual choice of favorites.
“Her dad is a comic maniac.” Willow explained, seeing Tara’s confusion. “Xander considers Spiderman and The Fantastic Four perfectly good bedtime stories.”
“And X-Men!” Lydie added, giggling as Doofus tried to lick her strawberry cone.
“I don’t know which is worse, Xander with his comics or Anya and her Accounting Today. At this rate either Lydie will become a money-obsessed accountant or create the next Marvel.”
Tara laughed as she tried to imagine each scenario. “What about you? What are your bedtime stories?”
“Oh, the classics. Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty… My favorite is Peter Pan, though.”
“Peter Pan! I love Peter Pan!” Annie squealed.
“Oh, no. Now she’ll make me read it to her
again.” Tara said melodramatically. “I think I know it all by heart, since this little one here insists on hearing it every night. Of course, then there’s the Disney movie too.”
Annie pouted.
“Uh uh, no pouty face or I’ll get Captain Hook on you.” Tara mock threatened, brandishing an imaginary hook.
“Funny, Mama!” Annie giggled.
“So you like Peter Pan too, huh?” Willow ruffled Annie’s hair. “You know, I had a cat named Mr. Smee.” She said, remembering the feline that had shared her bed for seventeen years.
“Really?” Annie asked excitedly.
“Uh huh. He had a mark on his right eye that looked like an eyepatch, so I named him Mr. Smee.”
“Cool! What happened to him?”
Willow looked sad for a split second, but covered it with a grin. “He went back to Neverland. Knowing him, he’s probably sleeping with his belly up or chasing some poor fairy around. He did that a lot here.”
“Wow! You have seen a real fairy?” Annie looked at Willow, eyes wide with excitement.
“Sure! Maybe one day I’ll show you some.” Willow winked at her.
“Can I see fairies too, godmummy?”
“Hmm…” Willow tapped her chin, feigning deep thought. Then she laughed, picking Lydie up and putting her on her shoulders. “Of course you can. We can all go fairy hunting.”
Tara smiled amusedly, thought she couldn’t help but wonder what Willow meant by ‘fairy hunting’.
“Am I not invited to this hunt?” Tara asked with a pout.
Willow raised an eyebrow at her, then smirked. “Fairy hunting is a serious business, you have to be daring and resourceful.”
“We are, aren’t we, Mama?” Annie asked, trying to fend off Doofus’s advances on her ice cream.
“We sure are.” Tara nodded, giving her daughter a one-armed hug and pushing the playful dog away.
“How about you, princess? Are you prepared for this adventure? There may be even…” Willow shuddered. “Frogs.”
“I’m brave!” Lydie said with a cutely fierce look on her face.
“I know you are. But frogs are tricky. They deceive you with that slimy hop-hopping and that sticky tongue…”
“I can do it, godmummy!” Lydie insisted.
“You’re so brave, princess.”
Lydie beamed.
“Frogs, huh?” Tara gave Willow a sidelong look.
“They’re evil.” Willow said seriously. Doofus woofed, as if agreeing with her. “So, how about we schedule this hunt for tonight? At eight?” she looked at Tara questioningly.
Tara nodded, smiling as the children whooped excitedly.
“It’s a date.”
To Be Continued…
Next Chapter... Fairy Hunting!
Rob
)
that start is quite interesting. I like to see the Willow who keep the child within herself somehow. A believer. That so cute. I trully hope to her to find her Wendy 
, so thank your sister for us will you 
Very cute and sweet. Looking forward to more Willow and Tara interaction. I like the idea of a 'get to know each other game'. Should be lots of fun.
really.. I can't wait. It's an illness. More soon please 
….I’m a bad girl ….but in my defense I was out of town for a few days (work grrrrr) and grumbling about my fic withdrawal 
Sounds interesting, I'll take this into consideration. What I like about Peter Pan is the playfull but deep theme. I wanted to put this into my story, I don't know if I'm doing it well enough, but I plan to keep trying. 