FanFic:- A Treasured Gift

[pikescoob]

Awwww...very cool that Buffy and Willow made up Poor Rachael is still in deep trouble I figured the male vamp was Spike but I didn't know Dru was involved too Can't wait for more



--Michelle

[4evaWill]

TITLE: A treasured gift

AUTHOR: 4evawill

SUMMARY: Married and with two children in San Francisco, Willow and Tara couldn't be happier. They swore on their wedding day that nothing would split them apart - but something is just about to test that.

RATING: PG-13

FEEDBACK: Yes, please!

SPOILERS: None

DISCLAIMERS: As you all know, Willow and Tara belong to Joss Whedon. A couple of other usual characters might arrive but who knows. Most of them are my own.



***

PART 5



Gloria glanced around her anxiously as she stepped through the threshold that evening an hour after her curfew. Silence reigned in the household, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Obviously her parents were still in LA 'making up' with Buffy.



"Where have you been?"



Gloria was hanging her coat up on the hook as she heard her Mom's grim voice. Pasting an innocent expression on her face, she turned to Willow, coyly smiling and putting her hands behind her back. "Right here." She replied, flicking her hair over her shoulders and trying hard to ignore Willow's icy glare.



"Gloria, what the hell do you think you're playing at?" Willow exclaimed, for once more out of anger than concern. When she had returned half an hour before and found her daughter not there, horrible thoughts that the same thing that had happened to Rachael had happened to Gloria ran through her head. But then everything had become clear.



"What?" Gloria sauntered into the lounge and collapsed on the sofa, placing her feet on the glass coffee table.



"Gloria Annabell Roseclay!" Willow snapped. The redhead winced at the use of her full name. "Do you not care at all that your sister's been missing for almost a fortnight? And coming back way after your curfew expecting us to be light on you? I really thought you blamed yourself for Rachael's disappearance. I really thought you cared."



Gloria bit her lip. "Mama told me it wasn't my fault."



Willow laughed bitterly. "Well, Mama was wrong. You know what? It is your fault Rachael went missing. Maybe not in the sense that you took her yourself, but in the sense that you left a nine-year-old alone in a house at half ten at night with the front door unlocked. And I think it's about time that we stop thinking you're punishing yourself, because you're not."



Tears began to trickle down Gloria's face but Willow ignored them. Now she had started to speak about how she felt, everything was spilling out.



"You really need to be punished, Gloria. You really need to be stop being so damn immature and start taking responsibility for your actions."



With a sob, Gloria jumped to her feet and stomped up the stairs. Willow looked down at Tara, who was standing in the doorway looking shocked at what her wife had just said.



"You heard every word, huh?" Willow asked with a wry smile.



"I - I cannot believe - how could you say that to her?" Tara stuttered.



"She needed to be told, Tara. She needs to realise what she's done." Willow's eyes lingered on Tara's face as she stooped down and picked the steaming cigarette off the hardwood stairs. Waving it in front of her stunned wife's face, Willow's smile faded. "See what I mean?"



"S-she is going through a bad time." Tara insisted, but not with so much force. The dreadful time that they had had with Gloria as a toddler was now turning to teenage dreads.



"No, she's not. She doesn't act like she loves Rachael at all. She's selfish. She doesn't care what this is doing to us, or Rachael's friends."



Tara paused as she remembered answering the door to Rachael's three best friends the day before, all of them in tears. Gloria had walked past without even a word of apology.



"I don't want to yell at her, Tare-bear. I don't want to make her cry. I don't want to see her suffer. But I want to know that she knows the seriousness of what she did."



***

Rachael swallowed hard. "I don't even know a Buffy." She wasn't completely lying. She had heard her parents arguing about Buffy, but had never met her.



"But Buffy knows you." Drusilla roared with insane laughter. "I can see everything that is going on, my pretty child." She knelt down by Rachael's chair and ran her long fingers through Rachael's filthy hair. "Your beloved mommies and Buffy are teaming together. They are going to find you. They're going to fall into the trap." She paused, resting a hand against Rachael's cheek. "Spikey and I had a little agreement. He got the Slayer and I got everybody else. Your mommies, your sister, and all your little friends."



Rachael reared back and spat right in Drusilla's face. "Bite me." She replied coolly. No one was going anywhere near Tara or Willow.



***

Um, I wasn't sure whether Willow was too hard on Gloria, but then I decided, hey, the girl needs to be taught a lesson. Right? Yeah?

Tara: No, I-I understand. You have to be with the person you l-love.
Willow: I am.
NEW MOON RISING

[Grimlock72]

Not sure it's wise to say "bite me" to a looney Vamp really... like the attitude though .



As for Willow being to hard on Gloria. Given Gloria's appearant behaviour she has some questions to answer for sure, little bit jealous perhaps ? Could also be a boyfriend of course, no need to look for only evil answer... puberty and such is an answer all of its own .



Besides, Tara couldn't have said that anyway. Tara tends to find excuses for other people's behaviour. It takes her forever to finally snap out of that. Since Gloria displayed problematic behaviour when she was younger (don't know what kind of behaviour though) it stands to reason she'll need to be watched a bit more then a average child-in-puberty.



Leaving the frontdoor unlocked ? Who the hell would do that in Sunnydale? How did Dru/Spike get into that house anyway, it's not like they can just walk in now can they ?? (heh, I can think up several very evil scenarios... better not )



In case you hadn't guessed, I liked Willow in the update .



Grimmy

"You hurt Tara," Willow said too calmly. "The last one who tried that was a god. I made her regret it." -- Unexpected Consequences by Lisa of Nine

[pikescoob]

I don't think Willow was being too hard on Gloria at all, cuz she isn't showing that she cares, plus making her parents worry about her by staying out past curfew is very inconsiderate. Loved Rachael's attitude, although if she knew what Dru was she prob wouldn't have used the words "bite me" hehe Thanks for the update



--Michelle

[4evaWill]

TITLE: A treasured gift

AUTHOR: 4evawill

SUMMARY: Married and with two children in San Francisco, Willow and Tara couldn't be happier. They swore on their wedding day that nothing would split them apart - but something is just about to test that.

RATING: PG-13

FEEDBACK: Yes, please!

SPOILERS: None

DISCLAIMERS: As you all know, Willow and Tara belong to Joss Whedon. A couple of other usual characters might arrive but who knows. Most of them are my own.



***

PART 6



Gloria turned over and stared glumly at the wall of her bedroom. Blue. She remembered kicking up such a fuss when her mothers refused to allow her to paint her bedroom black. That had been three months before, but it felt like a lifetime ago.



She had stopped crying almost as soon as she had gotten to her room. Her Mom's words stung her mind, but in her heart she knew that it had all been the truth. Gloria had been selfish, so selfish that it could end up costing her sister's life. And if that happened - her mothers would never forgive her, and neither would Gloria.



The blonde gritted her teeth and sat up. She was going to get her act together right then and there. She knew it was going to take a lot to convince her Mom especially that she wanted to help.



"Mom?" Gloria found herself asking timidly, walking into the kitchen. It was half an hour after midnight and Willow was sitting at the breakfast bar, peering at her hot cocoa. The redhead spun around as the teenager entered and didn't even bother to smile.



"What are you doing up? There's school tomorrow."



"I'm not going." Gloria responded. "You were so right, Mom, every single word of it you were right. And - and I know that if anything happens to Rach, you'll never forgive me. But I honestly do truly care about her, I love her. She's my sister. That's why I want to help."



Willow smiled in what felt like the first time in days. "Oh, Gloria."



It was her turn to realise that Gloria was truly learning her lesson. That little speech Willow had made had really made a difference.



"I - I don't want you to be soft on me just because I say I understand." Gloria held up her hand. "I can't believe I'm doing this but - I think that - you should - you should lower my curfew and allowance and ground me for like, ever."



Willow forced a dry laugh. "That isn't the way it works, hon. We're going to find Rachael first, and then you can be grounded for life. Now, get to bed, you've got school tomorrow."



"I said I'm not going." Gloria repeated. "Seeing as the damn police aren't doing anything, I say we go look for Rach ourselves. She can't be that far away, surely?"



She's so naive. Willow thought.



"Gloria, there is absolutely no way that you are going out looking for Rach, who knows what kind of person took her. Someone deluded and probably mentally insane, obviously, to take a nine-year-old girl they don't even know."



Realisation dawned in her eyes.



***



"That isn't a bad idea, is it, sweetie pie?" Dru whispered to her boyfriend, wiping the spit from her face. She bared her fangs viciously at Rachael, who yelped in terror.



"Now, now, Dru, you know the plan. The Slayer gets here and then we kill the girl."



"But she'll never know that the girl's dead." Drusilla pleaded. "I'm so hungry."



Spike sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever. But whatever you do, don't dump the body. Otherwise the Slayer won't come."



"No, you're right." A voice said from the doorway of Spike's crypt as Drusilla made towards Rachael. The two insane vampires spun around, snarling.



Willow, Buffy, Tara and Gloria blocked Spike and Dru's only escape, each clutching a stake and Buffy equipped with a bow and arrow. Willow, the one who had spoken, moved forwards, great immense relief showing in her eyes as she saw that Rachael was, if a little bruised, relatively fine.



"We're all here. And don't expect to get out alive."



Spike grabbed Drusilla's hand. "If we go down, you go down." He growled.

Tara: No, I-I understand. You have to be with the person you l-love.
Willow: I am.
NEW MOON RISING

[willntlover]

Agggh! DOn't leave it there!!!!! I gotta knoiw what happens!



-Will



loving it

"Hear that baby? You're my always."

"well, you know, when you play a lesbian witch you've gotta get killed in this fun kind of exciting way, so the heart was the way to go..."

"we have the most amazing fans though they LOVE us."

[pikescoob]

It's a good thing Gloria remembered whatever it was she remembered cuz they're all there to save Rachael kind of a mini-cliffhanger there can't wait for the next bit



--Michelle

[snuggle79]

wow, that was very fast!

But bad cliffhanger!

Can't wait for more!

------------------
"I got so lost"
"I found you, i will always find you"

[4evaWill]

TITLE: A treasured gift

AUTHOR: 4evawill

SUMMARY: Married and with two children in San Francisco, Willow and Tara couldn't be happier. They swore on their wedding day that nothing would split them apart - but something is just about to test that.

RATING: PG-13

FEEDBACK: Yes, please!

SPOILERS: None

DISCLAIMERS: As you all know, Willow and Tara belong to Joss Whedon. A couple of other usual characters might arrive but who knows. Most of them are my own.



***

PART SEVEN



Willow's mouth dropped open as Buffy and Gloria backspringed into the crypt and jumped into identical fighting stances, their fists raised warningly. She had no time to dwell on her eldest daughter's sudden speed and ability, however, for she could see Drusilla raising her fangs to Rachael's neck.



"Hey, ugly!" Gloria called to Dru, closing her hand over the vile of holy water. The brunette vampire glanced up, her yellow eyes glowing furiously.



"No one calls me ugly."



"Catch!" Gloria threw the vile at Drusilla. Caught off guard, Drusilla captured the vile in her hands and crushed the glass. She let out a scream of pain as the water burned her hands.



"Bitch!"



Gloria's jaw tightened and she threw the female vamp against the wall quite easily. "No one calls me a bitch." She retorted angrily, motioning to Tara to get Rachael out of there while Buffy still had Spike against the wall.



"Aknoia chamrien vershanee nerusa lavens."



Spike let out a scream of horror as Gloria dove a wooden stake through his love's heart. "Noooooooooo!"



"Oh, don't be such a baby." Buffy tightened her grasp on his neck, knowing it wouldn't kill him but still wanting to make him suffer. The hard way.



The ball of sunshine grew in Willow's palm. Spike's eyes widened in terror and he struggled to get out of her grasp.



"Wait!" Tara snatched the ball out of Willow's hand and dosed it with holy water. The sunshine sizzled and went out.



"What did you do that for?" Willow demanded. "We almost had him."



Tara's eyes hardened and she walked to stand in front of Spike. "Because I want to know why the hell he did this after all you did for him." She replied, a coldness in her voice that no one had ever heard before.



Spike laughed manically. "I'll never tell."



Gloria joined Buffy and Tara in front of the vampire and slowly poured a drop of holy water onto his face. He let out a scream as parts of skin burnt off. "Or we could torture him." She suggested. "That could be fun."



"Hey, my kinda girl." Buffy and Gloria slapped hands.



There was a soft, comforting silence between them all as Rachael was gathered into Willow's arms. "There's a lot to explain, you know." Willow said at last, looking towards Gloria. "And a lot of crap to answer to." Her eyes flickered towards Spike.



"For now, let's just get home." Tara hugged Rachael tightly. "I expect you want something to eat, missus."



Rachael pulled a comical face. "They made me eat bread and butter."



***

I didn't know quite how to end this chapter without accidentally ending the whole fic! Um, there's going to be ten or twelve chapters altogether. It's not over yet!

Tara: No, I-I understand. You have to be with the person you l-love.
Willow: I am.

NEW MOON RISING

[snuggle79]

Yay, they saved Rachael!

Now I'm curious to hear about the explanations!

Snuggle79

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

"I got so lost"

"I found you, i will always find you"

[Grimlock72]

Huh? What's Gloria doing being all slayer jr. ? It would explain the problems raising her for sure... (err...dunno if raising is the right word here, the not-from-the-dead-raising I meant).



Feel free to kill Spike though, just introduce a new villain. Don't keep Spike alive on my account .



Grimmy

"You hurt Tara," Willow said too calmly. "The last one who tried that was a god. I made her regret it." -- Unexpected Consequences by Lisa of Nine

[4evaWill]

Hey!! Thanks for the feedback, I love it when I log on to find someone's replied!! At the moment I'm in half term but I've got exams very, very soon so I'm studying for them and I'm really sorry but I don't think update will come until probably next week. Or longer.



Snuggle79 - Oh, there's going to be a lot of explaining next chapter, believe you me!! I kind of let my stories write themselves so at the moment I'm still trying to figure it out!! Shh, don't tell anyone!!



Grimmy - I know what you meant Bringing Gloria up, you mean? Right? I hope that was right Anyways, there will be a lot of explaining like I said (and I mean a lot a lot) about everything. But I don't want to kill Spike off just yet... I have better ideas... : -->



Thanks again for feedback.



Cath

Tara: No, I-I understand. You have to be with the person you l-love.

Willow: I am.

NEW MOON RISING

[4evaWill]

TITLE: A treasured gift

AUTHOR: 4evawill

SUMMARY: Married and with two children in San Francisco, Willow and Tara couldn't be happier. They swore on their wedding day that nothing would split them apart - but something is just about to test that.

RATING: PG-13

FEEDBACK: Yes, please!

SPOILERS: None

DISCLAIMERS: As you all know, Willow and Tara belong to Joss Whedon. A couple of other usual characters might arrive but who knows. Most of them are my own.



***

PART EIGHT



Willow closed the door softly, blocking out the light from the hallway flowing into Rachael's bedroom. It had taken her almost an hour to comfort her youngest daughter after Rachael's nightmare. A burning anger had begun flowing up inside her when she had stared into those terrified, tearful blue eyes, tried to hug that stiff body but received no answer... in the two days since Rachael had been found, she had become a stranger. Spike had sworn over his grave that neither he nor Dru had done anything to her, but how could they trust him after what he did? He had stolen their baby. How, she had no idea. They hadn't seen him since he had gotten his soul, let alone invited him into their home. Willow pressed a hand to her mouth to cover a whimper. She wanted everything to return to how it had been before Rachael had disappeared - she wanted them to be a proper family again. Sure, Rachael's kidnapping had slapped some sense into Gloria, but almost cost their daughter's life in the process.



"She asleep?" Tara wrapped her arms around Willow's waist and gave her a kiss on the neck.



"Yes, finally." Willow turned, resisting her wife's kisses. "Tara, we need to speak to Spike."



"But honey, we already did. He won't speak."



Willow eyes flashed with fury. "Well, I'm going to make him if the last thing I do."



"But..."



"Tara, nothing's going to change my mind. You've seen what Rachael's become. She's - a stranger. He's going to pay for whatever he did to her. He's going to make things right between us again." Willow swiped at her eyes, which had become wet with emotion. "Come on."



"Wait!" Tara grabbed Willow's arm as she made to open the front door.



"I told you. You can't stop me from doing what I have to."



"I know that." Tara glanced up the flight of stairs to Rachael's closed door at the end of the hallway. "But - I'm not leaving her alone."



Willow reached for the telephone. "Fine. We'll get Dawnie over."



They hadn't seen the twenty-one-year-old much in the past couple of weeks. Dawn was both Rachael and Gloria's godmother, and often babysat for them when they were little, but they hadn't needed her so much. Or thought they hadn't. Now as it turned out, Dawn was the only person they could depend on.



***



"What do you want?" Spike asked rudely. He swigged out of his container of blood and sneered at them, the thick red liquid dripping from his fangs. Willow glanced over at Tara, her hands raised, and the blonde silently shook her head. No dark magick.



"We want to know why you took Rachael." Willow paced up and down his crypt, the small vial of holy water hidden in her jacket. He jumped to his feet, laughing cruelly.



"No way on this earth am I going to tell you, Red."



Willow hastily unscrewed the vial top. Behind him, Buffy crept up, grabbed him around the neck and thrust him to the floor. "Hey!" Willow poured the tiniest drop on his face, making him scream in pain. "I'm - not - going - to - tell - you."



"Isn't there a less painful way?" Tara asked anxiously. As much as she was angry at Spike and Dru (although she was taken care of) for kidnapping Rachael, the light-hearted blonde always looked for the nicer approach.



"No. This is the only way to get him to own up." Buffy nodded at Willow, who dribbled the slightest bit of holy water onto his legs. There was the sizzling smell of flesh burning and his screams grew louder, making Willow nevertheless uncomfortable.



"I'm - not." Spike gasped.



"Spike, I'm going to ask you one more time." Buffy pushed his head as far back as she could without breaking it. He yelled in anger, thrust his arms up and pushed her off.



"Okay. Okay. You wanna know?" Spike grinned manically. "I'll tell you."



Seeing him eyeing the door, Tara pushed the heavy iron door into the door frame as hard as she could. "Go on, then." She swallowed. "Spill."



***



"Rach?" Gloria pushed open her younger sister's bedroom door. Rachael was sitting in her armchair, her long white nightgown hanging off her, her arms wrapped tightly around her legs. "Hey," Gloria sighed with relief that she was still there. "Whatcha doing?"



Rachael stared up at her older sister. "I know who you are." She said quietly. Gloria swallowed, frowning.



"What?"



"I know you took the place of Faith, Mommy's rivalry. I knew as soon as you came into the crypt to save me." She smiled. "You saved me."



Gloria shook her head. "No, I was the one that put you in danger."



"No," Rachael clambered to her feet and went to stand in front of Gloria. "All you did was leave me alone. I was the one that went out of the house in the dark."



Gloria's jaw dropped. "You - you ran out? I thought that you'd been taken from your bedroom."



"I knew their plan from the start." Rachael ignored Gloria's last statement. I knew about Aunt Buffy and Mommy's fall out. Mama told me how they were best friends for so long and then became enemies because of me." She shook her hair back from her face. "I had to make it right."



Solutions began to dawn on Gloria. "So you went and got yourself kidnapped."



"No. I went to Spike. I knew he wanted revenge on Aunt Buffy. I told him that if he kept me there, Aunt Buffy would come and find me. And then he could have her."



Gloria smiled, amazed that her sister was such a genius. "You knew there were two Slayers that could defeat them easily."



Rachael grinned in return. "Bingo. You and Buffy, plus two powerful witches - you would get me freed easily, and everyone would be happy."



***



Willow, Tara and Buffy stared at Spike in complete dismay. "She kidnapped herself." Tara said incredulously.

Tara: No, I-I understand. You have to be with the person you l-love.

Willow: I am.

NEW MOON RISING

[snuggle79]

Well, that's a surprise now!! Rachael did this all by herself. bad bad way...it scared the hell out of Tara and Willow. Can't wait for their reaction, when they hear that...

Great update!

snuggle79

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

"I got so lost"

"I found you, i will always find you"

Edited by: snuggle79 at: 11/2/02 3:13:13 pm

[Grimlock72]

Rachel needs to be grounded for life.



Idiot kid...how to fix things... well lets ask Dru and Spike, they're sooooo trustworthy. Seems both kids are troublemakers then, bad luck for Willow and Tara.



Next time something is up with Rachel no one will bother looking for her, I won't at least. Grmbl...



Stupid...stuuuupid kid...



This doesn't match with previous chapters containing discussions between Rachel and Spike though. Why play-act for all this ?



I'm not to happy with Rachel at the moment, can you tell ??



Grimmy

"You hurt Tara," Willow said too calmly. "The last one who tried that was a god. I made her regret it." -- Unexpected Consequences by Lisa of Nine

[4evaWill]

TITLE: A treasured gift

AUTHOR: 4evawill

SUMMARY: Married and with two children in San Francisco, Willow and Tara couldn't be happier. They swore on their wedding day that nothing would split them apart - but something is just about to test that.

RATING: PG-13

FEEDBACK: Yes, please!

SPOILERS: None

DISCLAIMERS: As you all know, Willow and Tara belong to Joss Whedon. A couple of other usual characters might arrive but who knows. Most of them are my own.



Well, this is the final chapter, and I'd like to say a v. big thanks to snuggle79 who didn't fail to feedback every single part, Grimmy who made me see sense in my writing and learned to PLAN before posting! Bad me. So here you go guys, this one's dedicated to you. Thanks goes to everyone else who replied to this fic as well, and to those who took the time to read it. Right enough babbling, here goes the final chapter... all questions revealed.



***

PART NINE



Willow stormed through the house, slamming the front door in Tara's face. Upstairs, Rachael prepared for a storm, warning her older sister to get out whilst it was safe. Back downstairs, Tara let herself into the house quietly, disappointment in both of her daughters shining in her eyes. And on the stairs, Willow stomped, anger burning up inside her.



"RACHAEL!"



Rachael trembled inwardly. She had never heard her mother sound quite so furious. There was no time to think, however, for the bedroom door crashed open and her Mom stalked over to the nine-year-old, shaking all over from her ordeal. It was all getting too much.



"Would you mind telling me exactly what the hell you thought you were doing?" Willow raised her hand as Rachael opened her mouth to speak. "Don't talk. Let me." She sat down on the edge of the bed. "Spike told us everything, Rachael. How you thought you were being so clever making up a plan to get your mommies and their best friend back together." The anger had quickly drained out of Willow as soon as Tara and Gloria had stepped into the room. "Do you have any idea what you put us through? Do you? All three of us lay awake night and day for two bloo-" She faltered as Tara glared at her. "Two weeks. Although Gloria did do wrong leaving you alone, she had the worst after she realised what she had done. She would have never forgiven herself if you had died, and neither would we. How could you put us through that?” Both Willow, Gloria and Rachael’s lower lips trembled as the redhead spoke. Tara reached over, placed a comforting hand on Willow’s knee, reassuring her.



“I – I didn’t think.”



“No, see, that’s the problem. You only saw the advantage of having another aunt – of your parents not having a rival but an extra friend. You never saw the pain you put us through, the suffering – the misery. You almost let Gloria believe she’d killed you.” Willow sighed and pressed her hands to her forehead. A lone tear ran down Rachael’s cheek as she realised the effects of what she had done. Gloria laughed ruefully, getting a glare from all of them.



“I’m sorry, but… you two really have got it bad, haven’t you?”



Tara frowned, confused. “How do you mean?”



“You got the worst daughters a mother could have.” Rachael whispered, sobs building up in her throat. “You’re right, Mommy. I’m – I’m beyond bad. I’m evil, aren’t I?”



All angry thoughts and words that had come to mind flew out of Willow’s head and she jumped to her feet, shocked by what Rachael had just said. “God no, Rach, you could never be evil. And the worst daughters we could have?”



“Never.” Tara agreed, wrapping an arm around Gloria’s shoulders. “We love you both so much, and – we all make mistakes.”



“But you never kidnapped yourself, did you?”



“I know someone that’s gotten kidnapped quite a few times.” Willow murmured with a small smile, referring to the bored woman downstairs. She had warned Dawn not to step any where near Rachael’s bedroom, for personal reasons of course.



“I did almost kill Aunt Buffy and Aunt Dawn and Uncle Giles and Will and – well, everybody.” Tara admitted.





Tara’s eyes shone with tears as she registered Buffy’s remark. “You want her? Come and get her.” All hope went out of Tara’s mind. “You just gotta go through me.” The tears dried and she stared at Buffy in amazement. She had longed for a good friend for years and she had found more than one in a day.



“Candles.” Willow said softly, glancing behind Tara into the room. “No candles. I got an extra-flamey one.”

Tara stepped back to allow Willow into the room.

“Tara, I…” Willow trailed off, unsure what to say.

“No, I – I understand. You have to be with the one you l-love.”

“I am.” Willow smiled.





“You did?” Rachael asked incredulously. “Well, I guess I’m not bad.”



“Oh, you’re still bad.” Tara reassured her daughter with a small giggle. “Just – not evil.”



Gloria frowned, hesitated and put her hand up like she was in class. “I have a confession to make.”



They turned to her expectantly.



“I’m not sure this is the right time to speak up.”



“Go on, hon.”



“How come you never wondered why I was suddenly brilliant in marshal arts back in the crypt?”



Tara and Willow exchanged smiles. “Oh, we knew as soon as we saw you and Buffy together.” Gloria’s face dropped.



“You did?”



“Uh-huh. It’s obvious. You’re a perfect replica of Buffy. And, well, we just want to let you know – it’s okay. We’ll be here for you when the times get tough, Gloria the Vampire Slayer.” Tara said in her gentle tone.



“You’re not at all freaked?”



“Not at all.” Willow grinned, entwined her and Tara’s fingers. “We’re used to all that. In fact, your ol’ parents have slayed a few vampires in their time, you know.”



“Really?” Gloria exclaimed rather too enthusiastically.



Throughout this part of the conversation Rachael had looked between her mothers, unsure as to what to say. She knew that it would take a long time for them all to forgive her for what she had done. She hadn’t realised until Willow had spoken up what she had done, she had only seen the happy look on Willow’s face when she and Buffy became best friends again. She sighed. Drusilla and Spike had played their part in the crypt all too well – Spike had said to Rachael that it was just so that they weren’t busted if Buffy burst in at any point, but – vampires weren’t that good at drama, anyways. Curious, Rachael wondered why Spike did what he did. He was, after all, a vampire with a soul, but seemed too human. Almost one of them.



“What’s the sigh for, sweetie?” Tara asked, looking over at Rachael.



“I’m sorry, Mommy, Mama, Gloria.” Rachael replied, remembering she had never apologised. The four smiled at each other.



“Forgive and forget, that’s what I say.” Tara looked over at Willow anxiously for her consent. Willow hesitated and nodded.



“Never forget. But forgive.”



The End

Tara: No, I-I understand. You have to be with the person you l-love.

Willow: I am.

NEW MOON RISING

[Grimlock72]

Owww... just realized that the kidnap-period was indeed two weeks, ouch.



I'm more like Willow as far as forgiving/forgetting goes. No way in hell just one stern speech is going to make this all better. Knowing Tara she's probably holding that in more, she does that too much at times



I keep wondering how Gloria is a Slayer, can't get that to match. (unless the spell for that involved Buffy as well, heh)



This is the end already ?? b0000h00000.... on the other hand, watching the entire familly in therapy would be kinda boring



Thanx!



Grimmy

"You hurt Tara," Willow said too calmly. "The last one who tried that was a god. I made her regret it." -- Unexpected Consequences by Lisa of Nine

[snuggle79]

I guess Rachael learned her lesson well. And at the end everyone is happy and W/T and Buffy are friends again.

Thanx for this lovely story!

And hey..you're welcome, always a pleasure to read all the cool and great stories here at the board.

snuggle79

__________________

"I got so lost"

"I found you, i will always find you"

Edited by: snuggle79 at: 11/4/02 12:42:49 pm

[chilled monkey]

I normally prefer 'present' fic to future fic but this is very good. It's highly original and well-written.

BTW, I love the surname Roseclay.

[xita]

new to the archive And you can still leave feedback!

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

Buffy?

Let's change it, the Discovery channel has koala bears.