A Buried Past

[Pinocchio1940]

Summary: Tara reveals to Willow that the family she introduced to her as her family may not be her biological one.

Theme: “Six Feet Under” . AU

Rating: NC - 17

It seems odd, but I always felt distanced by my father – despite the abuse I never felt like I belonged there. Somewhere in my memories, I remember my mother – not my fathers’ wife, but someone else. Calm and Quiet - until the day she decided she could not truly take care of me. I must tell Willow the truth about my origins, and that when I did not tell her – it had nothing to do with her. I was not ready to find the truth.

When I moved away from the family I had thought were my family, I was roughly given everything I needed – including my birth certificate which didn’t contain the last name of “Maclay” but the hyphenated name of “Kimmel-Fisher”.

“Willow?” Tara quietly brushed her girlfriend’s cheek as she woke up. Tara’s yearning look made Willow look at her strangely, until she got the courage to ask, “What’s going on with you? You look a little sad.”

Tara glanced away from Willow. She didn’t want to tell Willow that she had kept secrets. Finally, she looked at Willow solemnly. “I am, for not telling you the truth about something. The Maclay family may not be my biological family.”

Willow gasped, at both the secret and the idea that Tara was too worried to reveal it. “They’re not your family – Who – Who is?” She covered her mouth in shock. She saw tears running from Tara’s eyes as she reached over and hugged her.

It took a moment for Tara to recompose herself. “When I was eighteen, I decided to get a copy of my birth certificate – I had wanted one even earlier, but my father denied that to me, and when I asked what happened to the real one, he angrily told he lost the original – but I believe I was abducted now.” She showed Willow that names of her real parents – ones she never knew – Nathaniel Fisher, Jr. and Lisa Kimmel.

“Tara, I can help you find them. You know, I am glad the Maclays are not your family because of the abuse you suffered. You have not hurt my feelings.” Willow’s pride found Tara on her back. Willow snuggled Tara, touching her gently. “You just are special to me.”

[Pinocchio1940]

I just noticed Lisa and Nate have brown eyes. Well, I'll be artistic about it. I was trying to figure out a story for "Six Feet Under" and Willow and Tara, also trying to soften my dislike for Lisa.

[magicdanw]

Interesting. I'd like to see where you go with this story. And Six Feet Under is awesome. But I wonder where Tara would fit into the equation, given the fact that Nate and Lisa only seem to have had one child, who grew up with Nate and Brenda.

Good start!

[Pinocchio1940]

Inspiration: In the second season of "Six Feet Under", Nate has a dream-like conversation with three children Nate and Lisa apparantly aborted. I wanted to skew the storyline a little: Make Lisa and Nate younger than they were at the abortions, thus making Tara the age she was in canon.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tara appreciated the sentiment, but wanted to look through the phonebook nearby, so rather than asking; she gleefully tickled Willow to have space to raise herself up, in which Willow moved out of her way in a laughing fit. Afterwards, a mischievous grin plastered Tara’s face.



Tara lifted the phonebook up, and saw Nathaniel Sr. looking at her.

“Trying to call him, are you? I suggest doing it, but it might a surprise him. From what I understand, you were supposed to be an abortion, but Lisa kept you alive. She could not bear it. By the way, you are a sibling. Good luck, Tara.”

Tara found herself sleeping for a second on top the phonebook. It took Willow shaking her to wake her up. She immediately found the page number for Nate and Lisa – which just happened to be the number for the Fisher & Sons Funeral Home. Tara questioned this and then slowly dialed the number.

“Hello, Fisher & Sons.” Nate had answered, and when the other voice stated its reason for calling, Nate would dumbstruck.

“I need to speak to either Nate or Lisa Fisher…It’s something important.” Tara said quietly into the phone.

On the other side of the line, Nate could understand the uncomfortable feeling coming to Tara, so he said, “I’ll talk to you privately, but first I need to know: What’s going on?”

“I believe I’m your….daughter.” Tara said.

Nate gave Tara the address, but it was rare for a stranger to come into those doors without the need for funerary preparations. Willow drove Tara to the funeral home, thinking they had missed the place, not realizing the Fishers also lived there as well.

Nate greeted Willow and Tara and led them upstairs to the upper level. Lisa eyed Tara in interest. Tara grabbed her birth certificate, but Lisa was far ahead of her. She ushered Tara to follow her, went to her bedroom, and lifted the original copy of the birth certificate out of a protective envelope – Tara was right. However, why had she known the Maclay family as her family?

Tara did not want to deceive or be deceived, so she requested a DNA test to confirm her connection with the Fishers. Nate was first reluctant, but then mellowed, and agreed. Lisa immediately agreed with Tara’s decision. Both Lisa and Nate found a free spot in their schedule – For Nate, it meant talking a day off from embalming bodies, a constant reminder of mortality for him, considering he had AVM.

Willow, rather surprised by the turn of the events, volunteered to drive the group to the hospital. Lisa had left Maya with Ruth while she aided Tara, for she had a deep connection with Tara – and in her memory, Tara had disappeared.

When the group finally reached the hospital, they checked in. When called back, the doctor took three individual cotton swabs and took a sample of saliva from each person involved in the case. When the sample was taken, the doctor told them the results would be available in two weeks.

[Pinocchio1940]

Back in the car, Tara sat quietly with tears forming. Lisa touched her gently.

“Tara, if you’re doing this to make our lives easier, you don’t have to. I know you’re my daughter, even if you’ve been out our life – and strangely enough – missing the birth certificate.” Lisa said softly, “You’re back.”

Nate slowly looked up in the mirror reflecting in the backseat, and sighed. “Tara, you are indeed mine. A test will prove that to you, however your connections with me might make you hate me. At the time you were born, we were both very young, and I tried to convice Lisa to abort any possible pregnancies she might have. My relations with your mother turned sour and we didn’t communicate until Maya was born – your sister.”

Tara contemplated the events that were revealed, as Nate continued, “Your mother told me she had adopted you out, and didn’t entirely feel comfortable with the family – the mother seemed to be the only trustable soul.”

Rather than accuse the two new relatives of losing her, Tara introduced them to Willow. Nate smiled, and then to chuckle. “No offense, but this seems to run through the family. Hopefully, you have better chemistry with your partner,” He turned to smile approvingly at Willow, “than your Uncle David.” Lisa had no reaction, used to David, she had no grudge against the choices someone else made.