AU- The Midnight Players of SHS **Updated 11/16!!!!!!!

[writerfreak]

AWWWW thats so sweet. i love it. the awkwardness was perfect. how they were wierd and yet so comfortable with each other. awesome, its really good.



writerfreak

[WillowTaraGaiden]

Yay, loved it! Oh, and don't worry about the technical terms, you're doing great!

[WillowRulez]

Awww... Willow buying chocolate for Tara to cheer her up. How cute is that! Also that Willow uses her school day to figure out her feelings for Tara Good that Tara told Willow about her 'preferring women'. No more boundaries now! I hope...

[Artemis]

There's plenty to like here, with the sweetness and awkwardness and, well, the general 'high-school-ness' - but what's really standing out for me is the way you're mixing the everyday sweet and/or awkward moments with scenes of genuine, deep emotion. Tara's sadness for her mother, and the grief at her girlfriend's suicide, even Willow's first day at school, cute yet written with the vividness of such a young age, when the most mundane things (like breaking a crayon) can seem life-or-death - these make Willow and Tara's slow, hesitant and somewhat unconscious courtship of each other much more meaningful and satisfying.

At least, I hope it'll be satisfying It certainly seems that way, if Tara's dreams have anything to say about it.

[mangled_monkey]

writerfreak- THANK YOU!!! *jumps about* I'm so glad you like it.

WillowTaraGaiden- Oh good. I've been stressing slightly over the technical terms, which is why I'm mostly leaving them out. Thanks for letting me know I'm not royally screwing them up!

WillowRulez- No more boundaries? I think you're seriously underestimating my creativity there. There can ALWAYS be something else. Not that I'm saying there WILL be... Just leaving the possibility open.

Artemis- Ok, this feedback makes me most excited, because I am a HUGE fan of your site. Thank you for reading and replying. It really means alot to me that you took the time to do that. THANK YOU!!! And it will be satisfying, but I'm not sure to what extent that will be. I've only dappled in love scenes a little. Expect possible one shot stories from me that are just smut so I can work on that.


To everyone who's not replying, and those who are: It has come to my attention, through a PM that I recieved, that some of you might want to leave feedback, but not here. I then realized that the only contact info I have in my profile is through PM. I added AIM and YAHOO messenger handles to my profile for anyone that wants to reply to this, give me ideas, or just chat. I am extremely open to chatting with new people, because that is how I make friends. Unlike in real life, where I'm very shy, I am very open to people IMing me as long as you do not start caressing my feet (long story) through IM. That is rather creepy. Don't do it. Ok, that's it for now, hopefully the next bit will be up in a few hours, depending on when I go to the doctor's.

[ShallowLikeUs]

YES! I got the best update yet! what with the cuteness, and discovering the mutual gayness!!

My birthday sucked! Stuck in traffic for 5 freakin hours. but, what can ya do. Thanks you for the dedication and the Spam. It was very touching. (the spam, not the update. XD ) Actually the update was very touching, and the spam was good, and took no moves to touch me in any way shape or form.

Wonderful update. I await the next.
-Dani

[Guppy]

I come back and there are 2 new updates! Awesome! Very cute that Willow thought to buy Tara chocolate. And I'm glad Tara's out now, Willow has figured herself out a bit, now we'll make headway.

[mangled_monkey]

ShallowLikeUs- Wait, there was mutual gayness? Where did Willow come out? I'm confused. Hehe. This update has more fun than the last, at least in my opinion. I'm sorry you had a sucky birthday, but I am glad that the Spam didn't molest you. There's always a silver lining, eh?

Guppy- Yay for headway!

AN: I am very sorry that this update took so long. I am the biggest procrastinator ever when things actually matter. So um... yeah, I'm sorry. The next updates should be quicker, I hope, since I'm on spring break till Monday. Enjoy this, and I will try to get more up soon.



The Midnight Players of SHS


****
Willow found Tara the next morning before school, sitting in the techie lounge. Well, lounge was a strong word for the back room behind the stage that was used to store wood and an old couch, but it was a central hangout for the techies. She sat down on the couch next to Tara, who was finishing her homework. “Why didn’t you do that last night?”

Tara looked up. “What? Oh… I um… I had a lot on my mind last night.”

“Oh… Like what?” Willow asked, strictly out of curiosity, having no idea that everything Tara had been thinking was about her.

Tara was silent for a moment. There is no real way to tell someone you were thinking about them all night and that’s why you didn’t get anything done. It’s not a good idea. “Just… things.”

Tara was saved from having to explain further when the bell rang and she got up to go to class. “We uh… we’ll be late.”

Willow stood there slightly baffled as Tara rushed off toward the class they shared. The redhead followed, but at a distance. She didn’t want to crowd Tara, since there was obviously something bothering her.



Willow didn’t push it, and found that Tara didn’t actively seek her out. During lunch, Willow decided she needed to talk to someone about this, but couldn’t figure out who to turn to. Then it hit her, and she called upon the only person she knew she could always count on.

She knew Polly would be just waking up for school at this time, and she hoped that she would have enough time to talk before she had to leave for class.

The girl answered her phone in her usual cheery tone, since for some reason defying all explaination, she was a morning person. “Hello?”

Willow smiled to hear the voice. “Hey Polly…”

“Willow! Oh, it’s great to hear your voice. How are things going? Shouldn’t you be in school?”

“I am in school, Poll. I just wanted to talk to you.”

Polly heard the worried tone in the other girl’s voice and her smile faded. “Willow, what’s wrong?”

Willow sighed slightly, Polly could always tell when she was upset. “I have this thing… this huge crush thing…”

Polly grinned until she remembered that Willow was upset about it. “And he has a girlfriend?”

Willow grinned slightly, since even her lesbian best friend assumed. “No… SHE doesn’t…”

Polly smiled widely. “She? She being…?”

Willow hesitated, before speaking her name timidly. “Tara.”

“I KNEW IT!!!” Willow had to hold her phone away from her ear. “I FUCKING KNEW IT!!!” She could still hear from a foot away.

Willow was laughing when she brought the phone back to her ear. “You done?”

Polly laughed also. “I guess so… just… I KNEW IT!”

Willow jumped, having almost forgotten Polly’s tendancy to do that. She was too late to move the phone away, so she switched ears. “Stop that. I need advice.”

Polly became serious almost immediately, wanting to help her friend. “What do you need?”

Willow took a deep breath, ready to spill her heart. “I’m scared, Polly.”

Polly allowed Will a moment of silence to say something else before asking, “Is she gay?”

“Yes…” Willow smiled, that small fact giving her a gigantic glimmer of hope.

That small bit of news gave Polly a good feeling about Willow’s crush. It seemed, that unlike her other crushes, usually on teachers, this time she actually had a chance. More than a chance if they really had been holding hands on a somewhat regular basis as Willow had said. “So what’s the problem? All you gotta do is tell her you like her in a more than friendly way and get with the smoochies.”

The redhead sighed slightly, switching the phone to her other ear. “I can’t just tell her, I mean, what if she doesn’t like me the same way I like her and she thinks I’m some kind of freak for getting a crush on her so fast and she doesn’t want to talk to me because it’s weird or something?”

Polly grinned despite herself and tried not to giggle. She failed miserably. “Will, sweetie… if the girl has any brains at all, she already loves you. You have nothing to worry about, ok? Just… go tell her now.”

“Now?” All the blood drained from Willow’s face. “I couldn’t tell her now… she’ll just laugh at me.” Even though Willow knew Tara would never do that. “I can’t tell her now.”

Polly sighed. “Willow, I know you. If you don’t tell her now, you’re never going to tell her, just wait and hope for her to bring it up. Now go march yourself right over to wherever she is and spill it!”

“Fine. I’ll tell her now.” And Willow resolved to do just that.




At the same time that Willow was talking to Polly, Tara was having a very important conversation with Xander. She had found the boy cuddling with Anya in the drama hall, and politely asked if she could speak with him. Anya had glared at her, and after much convincing by Xander that Tara wasn’t trying to steal him with her “lesbian wiles”, she went away, leaving the two alone to talk.

Xander smiled at the blonde and put an arm around her. “So, Tara… what’s on your mind?” Tara frowned, looking down at the floor. This immediately made Xander worry a little, because she hadn’t avoided eye contact with him in a long time. “Are you ok, Tara?”

Tara nodded. “Just… a bit worried. I um… Willow.”

“You um Willow? What does that mean, Tare?” Xander wasn’t at all good at picking up on subtleties, and it’s not like Tara gave him much to work with.

Tara looked up, meeting Xander’s eyes. “I like her.”

Xander nodded. “I like her too. She’s a very nice girl… why are you so worried by that?”

Tara looked down again, then back up. “I um… I like her, Xander… a lot.”

Xander nodded slightly. “Oh…” Then he really understood what Tara meant. “OH! That’s um… how does she feel?”

“That’s the problem, Xand. I don’t know. I mean… I guess we’re pretty close, and she didn’t seem freaked when I told her that I like girls…” Tara found slight hope in that fact, though her accepting her didn’t mean she was the same way…

Xander grinned slightly. “So she didn’t react like Buffy?”

Tara laughed slightly, “No… Willow didn’t fall into the orchestra pit from shock.”

Xander laughed. “Good thing there were all those matresses in there thanks to ‘The Princess and the Pea’.”

Tara nodded, then got serious again. “What should I do, Xander?”

Xander thought for a moment. “Just tell her, I guess. I mean, Willow seems pretty cool. I don’t think she’d freak out on you or anything.”

Tara nodded, knowing that Xander was right. Willow would just tell her if she didn’t feel the same way. “I’ll do it. I’ll… I’ll tell her after school.”

Xander smiled. “Good… do you mind if I go find Anya now? She’s probably sulking.”

Tara smiled back. “Go ahead, Xander… and… Thanks.”

Xander gave the girl a hug, picked up his bag and stood up. “Any time.” He walked away as Tara sat there trying to plan out how to tell Willow her feelings.

That’s where Willow found her a few seconds later. “Hey Tara…”



****

Hehe, I'm evil, I know. But I just wanted to actually get something up before leaving for work. Enjoy!

[Missocki]

Yes, yes you are very evil!!!!

But at least it's the good kind of evil, if there is such a thing. And for being a procrastinator, pfft! I doubt you're as bad as me... *coughs*Ihaven'tupdatedanystoriesinFourmonths*coughs*
So don't feel so bad!

Can't wait for the next installment and of course the that somehow ALWAYS shows up here on any story on this board. *wink, wink, nudge, nudge*

[BigBlueEyes]

Ooh *Pouts* you are sooo evil. I want Tara and Willow smoochies. I can't for more!!! The banana is dancing for you. Which is good because it can dance way better than me. Hehe.

[WillowRulez]

I wasnt underestimating your creaitvity, I was just really hopeful
I know that you can probably throw them some curves and that's what makes a story, right? Let's hope they won't chicken out now
Great update!

[writerfreak]

i wont say how cruel you are for the cliffhanger, everyone else will say it for me, so ill just say i love it and its wonderful. yet again fabulous.



writerfreak

[VixenyTarasHot]

Aww nooo... don't leave it there :(

It's getting so good... And I wonder who's gonna spill first.. or if either of them are REALLY gonna spill at all... cuz you know how they are.. in some stories, all with the getting shy and giving up and running away and then there's more confusion and angst.. and yeah, lets not have this be one of those times ok?

I'll be waitin here for the next part

Ashleigh

[Guppy]

Grr! So they decide they are going to tell each other and we don't even get to find out if you are going to bring some event between the reveal? You serously love cliffhangers don't you?

Yet another good update. I like that Xander and Tara are such good friends. I think they would be natural friends. And thank god for friends who actually have reasonably good advice!

[willowspiritus]

Very nice story! I will always have a weak spot for stories about Willow and Tara and their highschool romance. The akward moments are just cute and bring a smile to my face. Buffy's reaction to Tara coming out was just soooooo funny, i could see it happen

Thanks and i cant wait for the update

[mangled_monkey]

Before I start with replying to feedback, I must say... SEVEN feedback in two nights? WOW!

Ok, on to replies.

Missocki- Hmm... I wonder why would appear on a message board dedicated to ... that is SO odd!

BigBlueEyes- YAY! A dancing banana! COOL! Oh, welcome to the board.

WillowRulez- Me? Throw curves? When have I EVER... Oh, alright. I can't even pretend to be curveless with a straight face. ...That didn't come out right. Oh well... you get what I mean.

writerfreak- Aww, you didn't want to join the crowd? *Teacher voice* Remember boys and girls... Always give in to peer pressure because who knows what kinds of drugs are best for you better than your friends?
Hehe, Joking!

VixenyTarasHot- Well, no promises on spilling here, but you can find out when you read the update! Isn't that convienent? The update is just a short scroll away.

Guppy- *Hides from the grring Guppymonster* AHH!!!
*Pokes out head* I do love cliffhangers. And yes, Xander and Tara do seem to be capable of a great friendship.

willowspiritus- Hey! You seem to be a new reader! HI!!! *waves* I also have a thing for high school stories involving everyone's favorite couple. That's why I wrote one, actually. Funny how that works. And the things that seem to be funniest in this story are the things that actually happened. Though it wasn't because someone came out to me, I did fall in the orchestra pit when there were about fifteen mattresses being stored in it one time because my sister thought it would be funny to scare me when I was standing at the very edge of the stage. Oh well... it was fun.


*Hands out a round of cookies. Extra special ninth chapter cookies.*

This update is short, I know. Sorry.



The Midnight Players of SHS


****
“Hey Tara… There’s something I want to tell you.” Willow spoke the words before she lost the nerve.

Tara smiled at Willow, then frowned when she saw who was fast approaching over Willow’s shoulder. The thin brunette looked like she meant business and she walked quickly past Willow and grabbed Tara’s hand. “We need to talk, Tara.”

Tara didn’t have any time to protest as she was dragged off her feet and further into one of the corners of the hall. “Joey, let go of me. That hurts.” She wrestled her hand free. “You can’t just go around grabbing people like that.”

Joey turned and looked at her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you, I’m just excited… I got two tickets to an Eminem concert and I want you to go with me.”

Tara rolled her eyes, not something she usually did, unless someone did something with complete disregard to her and expected her to love it, like Joey was doing now. “Joey, I’ve told you at least five times that I don’t like rap.”

“Oh… Right… Well, you could still go out to dinner with me the night of the concert… I don’t have to go…” Joey sounded somewhat desperate, but by this point, Tara had no remorse for repeatedly turning her down.

“Joey… Look, I’m not interested in you. I’ve tried to let you down easy, but you just won’t stop. The truth is, I’m interested in someone else.”

Willow had been standing at the end of the hall, trying not to listen, but failing miserably. She heard Tara say she was interested in someone, and immediately hoped that that someone was her, but the doubt also set in. She couldn’t possibly mean me. I mean, she could possibly, but there’s only a one in four-hundred and fifty-three chance that she means me. But that’s only the female students. What if it’s a boy she likes? I mean, I know she said she prefers girls, but what if she realized she likes boys also? Then there would be a one in eight-hundred and seventy-four chance. That’s not including the teachers though, she could like one of the teachers… Then there would be a one in nine-hundred and six chance. But that’s not even factoring in transfer students and part-time positions at this school because they don’t list those in the county statistics… She couldn’t possibly mean me.

Willow was brought out of her thoughts by Tara moving closer to her and speaking her name. She jumped slightly and looked at Tara. “Oh uh… hey.”

Tara smiled slightly, her smile shyer that Willow would have expected from their current level of friendship. “Hey, Willow… what was it you wanted to tell me?”

Willow looked at Tara, truly wanting to spill everything to her, but found she had lost the courage because of the statistics stacked against her. “I um… I don’t remember.” Way to go, Rosenburg. First you chicken out like a… well, chicken… then you lie to her. Great way to make her like you. “I…”

The bell rang, cutting off whatever it was Willow was about to say. This was good, because Willow still had no clue what it was going to be. “…class.” She finished.




Tara spent all of fifth, sixth and seventh period planning exactly how she would tell Willow about her feelings. She had finally decided to just tell her outright exactly how she felt. Put it out there quickly so she wouldn’t stutter through it.

She climbed the stairs to the lighting booth and tried the doorknob, surprised to find it unlocked. That meant Willow had beat her up here. She took a deep breath, she had been hoping to have time to practice before the redhead got to the booth. She turned the knob completely and entered the booth, smiling apprehensively at Willow, who looked up when she came in and smiled.

“Hi Willow. I uh… you’re usually up here after me.”

Willow was a little disappointed, because the way Tara said that made it sound like she didn’t want her there. “I um… Do you want me to come back later?”

Tara sighed, not having meant her words to come out that way. “No… I… I didn’t mean to say it that way.” She sat down next to Willow, not too close. “I um, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

Willow smiled slightly, glad Tara didn’t want her to leave, but frowned when she heard the tone in the girl’s voice. “You can talk to me about anything, Tara.” She gently put her hand on Tara’s knee.

Tara looked at Willow’s hand, and it’s placement gave her the courage to speak the four words that held so much meaning and so many implications. “I like you, Willow.” After the words were spoken, she quickly looked up to gauge the girl’s reaction.

Willow looked at her for just a moment in surprise, before a brilliant grin spread across her face. “I like you too.”

The wide smile that broke out on Tara’s face faltered when she realized, She could just mean as friends. “No, I mean… I l-like you… more than friends.” Tara was glad she managed to say that with only minimal stuttering and held her breath for the inevitable disgust that Willow would exhibit, but it never came.

Instead, Willow just smiled wider and squeezed Tara’s knee. “I know.”


The End.
****






Just kidding.

****
Note: That babble of Willow's is my favorite so far that I've written. It beats out the cheese babble just barely, because it is a babble that is uniquely Willow in it's geekiness and random-knowledgeness. I hope everyone enjoyed!

[writerfreak]

you are so right i love the willowbabble. in the perfect geeky way that screams willow. and i liked the twist on the joey character, that was very good. once again you have not ceased to amaze me with this fic.



writerfreak

[willowspiritus]

Woohohohooo they did it! Well ok you wrote it so you did it!!
Very nice and sweet update. Cant wait to read more.

So the fall in the pit was a true story!? Your sister IS funny. Thank god for the matresses tho

[Artemis]

I think you enjoy this twisting-the-knife at the end of the chapter thing - that's two in a row And while, yes, it would have been a possible note to end on, with that first admission of attraction, and the potential of all their lives ahead of them... well, I'm glad that wasn't really the end.

I really liked Willow's call to Polly - especially her reaction, And I suppose it was inevitable that something would keep them from 'fessing up their attraction to each other at the beginning of the most recent chapter, I'm glad they took that step by the end - it would have been a shame had that one setback discouraged them.

[WillowRulez]

Hihi, Willow was just too cute calculating the chances that Tara might be interested in someone else. Really glad Tara brushed off Joey the way she did. Pity isnt always good.
I might have missed something but from Artemis comment I gather that it's not really the end? I hope so! You cant stop now

[ShallowLikeUs]

Baha! evil trick. I read "The End" and exclaimed "WHAT?!" and i'm so glad my room mate left for home earlier today... or i would have woken her up and had to listen to her for an hour about how inconsiderate i am...

may i say "YAYFUL!" i'm glad they know... and i love when people scream into the phone " I KNEW IT! I FUCKING KNEW IT!" especially when everyone else in the near or.. not so near vicinity does it... I find it utterly hilarious...(i'm usually the one doing it... on purpose... just cause i know it'll make people on the other end give who ever i'm talking to funny looks.)

Haha, I still think "The End" was funny... in a massochistic type of way...

I await the next update... and am off to do my french homework.

-Dani

[Guppy]

I almost threw my computer when I read your cruel joke! I loved the Willow babble and that she knew how many students and teachers and all that jazz! LOL, perfect Willowbabble!! Yippee for confessions!

Willow knew?

[writerfreak]

-lurks on this fic waiting for an update-

[writerfreak]

-still lurking-........

[sweet_southern_sex_kitten]

hmmm... this is takeing for ever come on more more more

[mangled_monkey]

I'M HERE!!! *skids to a stop* Just in time, before this hits the second page.

writerfreak- Wow... three replies to the same chapter. You must like me alot... COOL! Willowbabble is insanely fun to write.

willowspiritus- Yep, my sister is fricken hilarious. My bum hurt for a few days after that, but it was rather fun to fall. It's the stop that got me.

Artemis- Yeah, I'm pretty damn good at twisting the knife. I love it when authors do it, because it makes for interesting reading in my opinion. So, I include some of it myself. And Willow's call was fun to write. Polly is partially based on a friend I had in high school, who knew first when someone had a crush on someone else. It was really uncanny how she always knew before you did who you liked.

WillowRulez- Nope, not the end, just a hiatus so I could concentrate on my personal life for a bit. Tara HAD to brush off Joey, because Joey was really inconsiderate.

ShallowLikeUs- Yeah, I'm mean that way sometimes. I've done the "I fucking knew it" to a few friends, all of whom killed me because they were near their parents when I did it. That's always fun. Making parents hate you before you even meet them. Hehe.

Guppy- Willow knew what Tara meant. She didn't know beforehand. I was hoping that that was clear, but maybe not. Oh well.

writerfreak- I don't actually have anything to say here, but replying makes it seem like more people are replying to my story, so I'm going to reply and take up as much space as i possibly can pretending that I actually had something to say.

writerfreak- Don't you hate it when people ramble on about having nothing to say? Isn't it completely pointless and kind of annoying?

SSSK- More will be coming soon, I promise. I have actually started the chapter at this point.

[writerfreak]

i love that, a whole babble about talking about nothing and its even broken up into 3 parts. so cute!! cant wait for the update hon.

writerfreak

[mangled_monkey]

Hey guys, sorry this took so long. I've been really busy. School, work, other things... Yeah. Busy. And I've been distracted by that stupid thing called life. I've also been distracted by thinking. I'm updating now because I'm not sure how long till I'll be able to again, hopefully this weekend.

AN- This chapter is longer, but this is all I've gotten finished. So... This is part a.




The Midnight Players of SHS
****

Tara let out her breath. The answer came in a form she hadn’t been expecting and she was pleasantly surprised by Willow’s response. She had figured on losing the friendship. Well, that’s not true, she had figured on Willow feeling the same, otherwise she wouldn’t have said anything. She would have kept it a secret as she had with Faith a few years earlier. The crush she’d had on Faith had long since dissapated, however, so it wasn’t an issue now. Anyway, that crush had been based on how cool Faith was. Tara hadn’t known all the insecurities Faith held, all she saw was the confident bad girl. She’d had a thing for bad girls then, though she’d never admit it. Now? Now she had grown up enough to move past the sheer erotic thrill she got at the idea of a bad girl doing naughty things to her and moved on to the idea of a love that could last for a long time being more appealing.

Deep down, she had known that Willow and her shared a connection. Something deep that neither could define, but both felt. Tara recognised it more than Willow did at this point, she knew. Willow finally broke the contented silence that had enveloped them with a simple question. “Tara… What are you doing tonight?”

Tara smiled at her, knowing why she asked and thought about it. “Nothing. Dad and Donny aren’t home, they went to a game.” She grinned a moment more before adding “Why?” even though she knew the answer.

Willow grinned cheekily. “Well, I was wondering… if maybe you’d like to go on a date with me.” Willow marveled at the way her stomach still felt all acidy and nervous when she already knew the answer.

Tara nodded. “Of course I want to.”

Willow smiled adorably and hugged Tara in excitement. The hug lasted longer than she meant it to, but neither girl wanted to let go. They luxuriated in the feel of their bodies pressed together for close to a minute, before Tara reluctantly pulled back out of fear the hug would last TOO long and scare Willow. When she had pulled back far enough so that she could look at Willow’s face properly, she stopped, even though she was still really close to the other girl. “Where do you want to go?”

Willow thought about that for a moment, it was something she hadn’t actually thought out before asking. Multiple possibilities ran through her head, before she finally settled on one. One singular resturant that would hold all the romantic atmosphere she had been hoping on for their date. She had noticed, on her way to her house when she was just moving in, a small Italian place on the corner of Sunnydale’s main street. She knew the place was expensive, but she got enough in allowance to cover it easily. “How about Mario & Luigi’s… you know, on the corner of the main street?”

Tara’s eyes went wide, she knew that resturant. She had been there only once, with her mother. They had enjoyed the food immensely, it was a wonderful resturant, but they hadn’t been able to go back because of how expensive it was. Finances had always been tight in the Maclay household, so Tara couldn’t imagine spending that much on a date. “Willow… that place is too expensive… why don’t we just go to Joe’s?”

Willow frowned slightly, realizing that Tara was right. The expensive resturant should wait for a more important date. A more important date?!? This is our first ever date. What could be more important than a first date? Then it hit her, all at once. The only date more important than the first. Senior prom. Of course! How could I forget prom? I have to take Tara to prom. She probably didn’t go last year, and neither did I… Prom is supposed to be really special. A night you remember for the rest of your life… I want to make Tara’s prom the specialist night of her life. Well, so far. I’m sure there’ll be specialer nights, like her wedding night. Or the first night she… No, Willow, don’t go there. It’s way too soon for that kind of thinking. “You’re right… We should go to Joe’s… That is, if you even want italian… here I am, just being all ‘tralala… I’m assuming what you want for you and not asking you what you’d prefere’ being all pushy… What kind of food would you prefer, Tara?”

Tara grinned, doing her best not to laugh at how adorably worried Willow looked. “Italian’s fine, Willow.”

Willow smiled sheepishly. “Sorry… I panicked.”

“It’s alright, really. We um… we should probably get to work on the lighting program… you said that’s how you wanted to do it, right?”

Willow nodded, all business now. They had decided that it would be easier for future lighting generations if they hooked all of the lighting commands and movements up to just a simple button on the computer, so all one had to do to move a light, or turn it on, is click. “Yeah… you need to manually move the light the way it should move with the program, so I can record the movement and save it, ok?”

Tara did just that as Willow got to work, tapping away on the keyboard. An hour later, they had catalogued a fourth of the light movements commonly used in the shows. Willow pushed back from the computer and smiled up at Tara from the chair. “I think that’s good enough for today… We have a date to worry about.” And, as if the fact that they were going on a date just hit her, Willow smiled brilliantly.

Tara picked up her jacket and walked over to where Willow was sitting, not that it was a long walk, three steps maybe. “Are you ready?”

Willow kept the smile and stood up. “I’m very ready. I’m so ready that I’m… well… prepared. Because being prepared is the same as being ready and… can you stop me when I do that?”

Tara laughed. “Aw, but I learn so much about you from your babbles.”

“Like what? That I’m a freak?” Willow picked up her backpack, slightly sad now.

Tara took Willow’s hand. “No, Willow… I learn how you think, the thought processes that run your brain. I learn how truly complex and smart and interesting you are. By listening to the babble, I know you better… Plus… It’s really cute.”

Willow’s smile returned and she squeezed Tara’s hand in her own, wanting to keep it there forever. And they wordlessly began the walk to the resturant, and their date.



****
This chapter would have been longer, and extended to a bit PAST the date, but then I realized how long that would take me to write, so I stuck with this nice transition point.

[will]

Hey! Wow the update was awesome i love it.
I can't wait to see how their date will go, please update soon.
I have the feeling that the lighting booth will be a good place for a lot of smoochies.

[WillowRulez]

Willow kept the smile and stood up. “I’m very ready. I’m so ready that I’m… well… prepared. Because being prepared is the same as being ready and… can you stop me when I do that?”

Smooth Willow
Glad you posted! Have a nice fuzzy feeling inside now... so cute! Can't wait for the date...which I presume will be next?