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Title: How I met your mother*
Author: Ariel
Email:
blaziak@yahoo.com
Feedback: All feedback welcomed, specific input appreciated.
Rating: NC-17 for nudity and sex (maybe an ‘R’ but better too high than too low!)
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, but I love to take them for a ride!
Summary: A/U before season 1, the summer after Willow's freshman year with a large dose of Queen Cordelia at her bitchy best and teen-aged angst.
*no connection to the sit-com of the same name
Thoughts are in italics.
Part 17: Choices and Consequences
Like many other campers, Willow and Tara’s group got slowly to their feet, stunned by what had just happened to Cordelia.
Mouse was confused. “Willow?”
Willow bent down to look into her eyes. “Yeah, Mouse?”
“Cordelia talks all the time ‘bout being popular so people look at you. Was that popular?”
Devola giggled, unable to resist the joke, “More like poop-ular or maybe plop-ular because—“
Suddenly Veronica ran at Devola and gave her a furious push, her face contorted with anger. “She told me how you all hate her!” She glared at Willow and Tara, “How you busted her ankle and broke her fingers! How you hate her and laugh at her and how you hate me too!” Tara tried to put a hand on Veronica’s shoulder but the girl twisted away from her touch, “I don’t care! This was a mean, rotten, stupid, horrible thing to do and I hate you for doing it!” The little girl was sobbing and nearly incoherent with emotion.
Tara and Willow exchanged glances and Willow took charge of gathering the girls and shepherding them out while Tara tried again to lay a calming hand on Veronica’s shoulder.
The little girl swung around with amazing speed and hit Tara a glancing blow to the stomach. She was working herself into a fury, swinging her arms and lashing out in every direction at once. Tara received a few more random punches, then wrapped her arms around Veronica, effectively pinning them to the little girl’s sides. They slid to the floor together, Veronica kicking and thrashing as Tara held her and rode out the tantrum. Finally Veronica began to get tired and Tara relaxed her grip with the little girl sprawled awkwardly across her lap.
“V-veronica, I want to tell you that I don’t know what happened to Cordelia. M-maybe she got sick or maybe somebody got her sick, b-but Willow and I didn’t do it.” She answered the unspoken question, “And I honestly don’t know if anyone else did it.”
Veronica held herself stiffly in Tara’s arms and remained silent.
“Your c-cousin and I h-have had some problems, but I don’t hate her. She poked the back of my hand with her thumbnail.” Tara showed the healing half moon mark on the back of her right hand. “And I squeezed her h-hand pretty hard and it hurt her. I d-did that, but I don’t hate her and I sure don’t hate you.”
Veronica was still breathing hard and avoiding Tara’s eyes. “Then how come they all hate me and call me ‘Moronica’ all the time?”
Tara sighed. “That’s not right and we are d-doing our best to stop it. You can help by doing your best to nice to everyone.”
“Why should I? They’re not nice to me! I want to stay with my cousin!”
“I would be s-sorry to lose you.”
“I wanna go! Nobody likes me here.”
Tara gave her a light squeeze; Veronica tensed under the embrace, but didn’t lash out.
“Veronica, if you r-really want to go then I’ll br-bring it up, but I wish you’d stay.”
“I wanna go.”
Tara sighed again, “Okay. I’ll ask Mrs. Finch at the Counselor’s meeting.” She paused, her voice gentle. “Veronica? Can you look at me?”
Veronica continued to stare at the floor.
“Are you t-too scared to look at me?”
Veronica lifted her head to stare defiantly into Tara’s eyes.
“Veronica, I’m glad you’re n-not scared of me. I know you want to go, but I w-want you to r-really hear me right now.” Tara’s gazed steadily into the little girl’s eyes, “I don’t hate you.” She gave the girl another tiny hug.
For the first time Veronica hesitated and seemed confused. Then she climbed off Tara’s lap, once more avoiding her eyes, and walked slowly to crafts.
[center]*******************************[/center]
Tara raced to the barn, desperate for a moment in Willow’s arms, but her exchange with Veronica had taken longer than she thought and the morning riding group had already assembled.
She saddled Midnight, knowing Faith would be out in time for the next ride, and worked with the beginner eight year olds in the corral, grateful for Mr. Macready’s help in saddling all the horses.
A few children lingered to ask questions and pet their horses.
Finally they were alone. They rushed to each other, held each other tightly and began a searing kiss that seemed to hold all their frustrated longing for each other.
As the barn door began creaking open they jumped apart, terrified at being discovered, only to find Faith lounging against the doorway.
“Heads up. Kids are coming,” she smirked, “sorry to interrupt your tongue-wrestling match but thought you oughta know.”
Willow blushed and looked down while Tara gave Faith a reluctant nod of thanks. A moment later the kids came bursting in and the second ride of the day began.
After the ride, Faith claimed she wanted some fresh air and stood outside the barn door.
They pressed against each other, renewing their kiss and running their hands up inside each other’s shirts. Willow saw it again, the creamy whiteness of Tara’s skin just below her V-shaped tan. She leaned towards it and laid down a trail of soft, burning kisses to Tara’s cleavage.
Tara’s head was back, her neck arched swanlike in an attitude of perfect pleasure; then her hungry fingers were reaching under Willow’s shirt to unfasten the smaller girl’s bra. Then Tara bent down, cupping Willow’s breasts and tasting ‘Milk’ and ‘Honey’ while Willow sighed. Then Tara rolled the hardened nipples between her fingers and Willow began trembling, shuddering so that Tara cupped her mound and felt the heat through Willow’s jeans.
An instant later they heard Faith’s voice, welcoming the riders and letting them know that the class would start soon.
They broke apart, anguished need on both their faces.
Then they turned away from each other, the love flush still burning on their cheeks, and forced themselves to refasten their bras and tend to their respective tasks.
At the end of the ride, Tara and Faith worked quickly with the advanced class 11 year olds to slip the bridle and loosen the girth on each horse, and then Faith hurried off to start serving lunch.
Their eyes locked. They ran towards each other, slipped on the same fresh bit of horseshit and crashed to the ground.
“Damn it! Double damn it! Damn it ten to the tenth power!”
Tara stared; she had never heard Willow curse before and had to smile in spite of it all.
“I mean it! Of all the times, the places, this exact spot. It’s insane! How could anyone predict?” Her math brain engaged for a moment, “A probability graph, square footage with high traffic areas weighted and—“She came back from the land of mathematics with a growl. “There is no way that we can, uh you know, with horseshit on us! The only thing we can do now is—“
Suddenly their eyes lit up and they said it at the same time, “Take a shower!” Then they hugged each other, entirely forgetting about the state of their clothes, and ran to their cabin. They saw Hallie on the way and the small blond agreed to help their kids get set up for lunch.
Then they grabbed their clothes and toiletries, kicking up puffs of dust behind them as they sprinted to the showers.
Everyone was at lunch so they had the showers to themselves, taking the corner stall which was farthest from the door and offered slightly more privacy. Each stall was a small room with four shower heads and benches and small lockers outside for storing towels and clothes.
Tara turned the water on to give it a chance to warm, taking the precaution to turn on another showerhead as well. Then they stripped in record time and stepped into the stall and under the warm water together.
At first they just held each other, letting the warmth cascade down their skin in shining rivulets. Then they moved together, nipples kissing then hardening as they began their first deep kiss. For a long time it was enough, drinking each other’s kisses; then they felt the fire blaze up inside them.
Willow cupped Tara’s face in her hands, then ran her fingers down Tara’s neck and felt her shiver at the contact.
Tara sighed, “Willowhand.”
Then Willow continued, sliding eager hands down Tara’s back and cupping her firm ass in her hands while her fingers cherished the soft skin.
Tara shivered, pressing herself against Willow and slipping slightly from the water so that she felt Willow’s hipbone against her warm center. She groaned deeply then cupped Willows sweet rounded ass in her hands and pulled her closer, grinding against her lover. A moment later Tara freed one hand and began trailing it down Willow’s hard tummy, warm ivory under her touch, and down to those reddish curls.
Willow gasped, and then opened her legs to free a surge of moisture. She met Tara’s eyes, “Need you,” she whispered.
Tara’s eyes were blue fire as she stirred the curls, seeking Willow’s pouting bud, and began a gentle stroking.
“Tara!” “Willow!” Carly shouted from the door.
They froze for an instant, then Willow ducked under the other showerhead as Carly called again, waited a few seconds, and poked her head in.
“Hey, guys. Really, really hate to bug you but the Finchmeister is calling a staff meeting so it’s all hands on deck and all that good shit. It was either me coming to get you or somebody else, if you catch my drift.”
Tara swallowed and took a breath. “Sure, no problem.” Then she watched the older girl turn and go.
Willow was temporarily speechless and the two worked quickly to shut off the water, dry off and get dressed. They walked out together with their arms around each other’s waist and a painful need, left unsatisfied. They felt the tension building and wondered how long they could last without the chance to make love.
They returned to the dining hall with just enough time to eat a fast lunch before joining the circled chairs. They sat leg to leg as usual, but this time it was more torture than comfort.
Cordelia was in her accustomed chair, still furious over the morning’s prank while Dottie Farmer and Kit McCormick flanked her and offered strong support.
Mrs. Finch cleared her throat for attention, but Dottie jumped in.
“Hi everyone, you know I don’t usually have much to say but I have to talk up now. That was a horrible prank, completely wrong, and I’m sorry it happened.” She looked challengingly at the seated counselors. Whoever did this should get fired, period.” She turned back to Cordelia. “Look, Cordy. Kit and I made it totally clear to our gang that this doesn’t get discussed and there’s no jokes allowed, period.”
She paused for breath and Mrs. Finch began talking.
“I agree with Dottie. The less said the better. Unfortunately no evidence has been uncovered since the mug was collected somehow and washed, so we’ll simply have to let it go. But,” she held up a warning finger, “I will personally take action against anyone indulging in this kind of crude and juvenile behavior!” She also looked from face to face, “any comments on this?”
Lawanna spoke up, “Any idea why it happened?”
Mrs. Finch chose her words carefully, “I am not sure, but I have some possibilities. However we’ll set that aside for now.” She turned to Cordelia, smiling, “I want to compliment you on coming forward with some recent concerns about morality as well as your courage in handling this morning’s, uh, mishap. We have a staff shortage and I am asking Carly to shift over and take the Senior Counselor position and work with Mary. Is that okay with you, Carly?”
Carly thought it over and glanced both at Mary and at Cordelia before answering slowly. “I’ll definitely miss the
experience of working with Cordelia but I’m glad to help Mary out.”
“Excellent team spirit Carly! I know you will be the first to offer congratulations when I let you all know that Cordelia is being promoted to Senior Counselor and taking over your old cabin.”
Carly gulped, “Good,” was all she managed to say.
Jenilee looked around the circle, “but who is going to be Cordelia’s JC?”
“Hello All!” A voice called from the doorway and a tall, elaborately coiffed blonde entered. “Cordy! Hi!” The two came together, air-kissed quickly and smiled widely at each other.
Cordelia’s shining teeth flashed in a brilliant smile, “Everybody, this is my best friend from Sunnydale, Harmony Kendall. She’s also my new JC.”
Willow’s jaw dropped and she had slid halfway out of her chair before Tara noticed and gripped her upper arm to hold her in place. Tara leaned in by Willow’s ear and whispered, “What’s wrong?” But Willow shook her head, indicating that they would talk later.
Mrs. Finch gushed on enthusiastically, “And, like Cordelia, Harmony has letters of reference from the Mayor of Sunnydale himself!”
Harmony exerted her considerable charm, introducing herself and shaking hands with everyone except Willow whose offered hand she somehow overlooked.
“Welcome Harmony, you’re already making friends and I know you’ll fit right in with our little family here.” She turned to the other counselors, “Any new business?”
Tara spoke, “I g-got a request from Veronica Chase.” She looked at Cordelia, “She r-really wants to be transferred to your cabin, Cordelia.”
Cordelia’s eyes narrowed, “What did you or your little band of psychos do to her?”
Tara took a deep breath. “Nothing. But she’s unhappy and she needs to be near f-family and she r-really wants to be with you. I promised her to bring it up and ask.”
Mrs. Finch’s voice was firm, “The camp policy is clearly stated on page three of the manual. “’Staff and campers from the same family or with a close personal relationship shall be placed in separate cabins to avoid the appearance of favoritism’.” She looked at Cordelia, “But if you have concerns about Veronica’s safety or happiness, I am willing to make an exception.”
Cordelia frowned. “Veronica needs to stay right where she is.” She looked hard at Tara, “And I’ll explain it to her.”
Tara tried once more, remembering the little girl’s tears, “Please r-reconsider. She is r-really terribly unhappy and this means a lot to her.”
Mrs. Finch’s voice became crisp, “Thank you for your request, Tara. The decision has been made and we will continue to adhere to our time-honored rules; something I wish more of you would do as well!”
She shot a sharp glance at Carly, Jenilee, Mary, Willow, and Tara before asking for any new business.
Tara raised her hand and received an angry glare from Mrs. Finch. “Tara Maclay, what is wrong with you? You’ve taken up quite enough of the group’s time!”
Tara dropped her eyes and tried to speak. She finally shot a pleading glance at Willow who sat up straight, gave Tara’s hand a reassuring squeeze and jumped in. “It’s the softball-y stuff, meaning the we’re-not-good at the softball-y stuff specifically. Our kids got slaughtered and they feel pretty down, not mental health hotline down but definitely downer than usual down and—“
Mrs. Finch cut her off. “Will you quit babbling on and come to the point!” She turned to Cordelia, “Is she always like this?”
Cordelia rolled her eyes, “You have no idea. It’s like Tourette’s syndrome only without the funny.”
Harmony agreed.
Willow took another breath and made herself slow down. “Can anyone meet us before dinner and give our kids some softball tips? We don’t mind losing, but our last game’s score was 17 to 2. Closer to slaughter-fest than softball, if you know what I mean.”
There was a pause, then Hallie spoke. “Sure, I’ll help. My two best sports are basketball and softball, so I got your back.
Tara lifted her head, the blush of embarrassment still on her cheeks, and smiled gratefully at Hallie. “Th-thanks,” was all she was able to say.
The final ride of the afternoon ended and they enjoyed a rare ten minutes to hold each other uninterrupted before it was time to gather the softball equipment and meet their kids for practice. On the way, Willow laced her fingers with Tara’s and gave her lover’s hand a squeeze. “I can’t take this, Tara. I need you so badly it hurts.”
Tara nodded, “I know.”
Willow’s face was serious. “Tonight, please make love with me. I’ll bite the pillow in half if I have to so that I’m quiet, but please love me and let me love you.”
“W-willow, I’m scared! R-really scared.”
Willow’s eyes sparkled with unshed tears, “Please, Tara, be there for me. Be there for us.”
Tara looked away for an instant, struggling with a very real fear, but she couldn’t deny the strength of their feelings for each other. “Yes,” she said softly.
[center]*******************************[/center]
Practice was less than inspiring. Veronica sat out and refused to move. Mouse could not lift the bat well enough to swing it with anything resembling control. She never got a single hit even when Tara pitched her slow easy ones. Bettina, on the other hand, swung ferociously and missed every time. Devola kept forgetting where the strike zone was, but she was very fast around the bases. Lisa, on the other hand, had played some ball with her three older brothers and could hit competently and was good on first base. Connie had played some local parks and recreation league ball and proved herself a reasonably accurate pitcher. Kate was a solid player as was Towanda but Debbie said she had never played in her life.
Hallie was red-faced and sweating by the end of the practice, having done everything she could think of to bring them up to speed in a short time. They were gathered in a clump, getting some encouragement when Cordelia and Harmony walked up laughing.
Cordelia led off with a fake cheer, “Yay, I see the new champions!” Her voice dripped with sarcasm.
Harmony joined in, “You’re just perfect. Please play exactly this well against our team next week!”
They walked off laughing together and Willow and Tara saw their girls slump with disappointment.
Connie said what most of them thought, “We don’t have a chance. We’re gonna get slaughtered again. Why don’t we just quit?”
Towanda straightened. “They’d love that! Love to see us chicken out and give up! Forget it! I’m gonna practice every plop day and whip their ploppy butts or at least make them sorry they took me on!”
Everyone laughed over the use of their swear word and stood a little straighter.
Lisa spoke slowly, “Maybe they’re trying to psych us out.”
“What’s that?” Debbie asked.
Devola jumped in, “Tricking you to feel bad so you do lousy.” Her eyes sparkled, “That’s why they came out here! To psych us out! They know we can do it. They’re scared of us!”
Mouse’s big brown eyes got even bigger, “Of us,” she squeaked.
“Oh yeah!” Devola continued triumphantly, “Their shaking in their boots, shivering in their timbers. What’s a timber? Is that wooden underwear? Never mind! So are we doing this or not!”
Suddenly there were smiles all around and an increase in fighting spirit. And when they walked to the dining hall, they walked tall.
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LOL 
time tonight?
!! This last chapter made me want to do great bodily harm to Ms. Bitch-Ass-Finch!! Cordelia is a minor and a souless monster, the clueless wonder a.k.a Harmony is an idiot and a follower. But, Finch the bitch is an adult and should know better. She is clearly a bigot and more than likely a closet lesbian!! Is she on the Chase family payroll? Because, she is as bias as they come!! Now, i'm starting to wonder about moron... I mean Veronica 
. Could it be that she is simply misunderstood? She's clearly a product of her environment. Being a Chase has to be hard..I mean everyone of them is an Asshole. Hopefully, Codelia's snub will bring her around to our way of thinking...unless she's a spy in which case she can burn in hell along with her cousin and Bitch-ass-Finch!!...I really would like for her to end up being one of the good guys..maybe she'll be a kick ass softball player and help destroy Queen C and her plastic Barbie Squad on the field...just a suggestion 
.
- Is that supposed to mean that she has snakelike qualities too?? 
...Damn, damn damn!!! Can't the bitch just leave them alone 
LOL!!
