Fic - The One Where Everyone Has a Go

[ally02]

Oh dear oh dear oh dear!! Oz is back and Tara's hiding stuff...its all bad. But on the plus side...Faith is back in all her sexiness I have a one tracked mind you say? No no no no no no...well yes.



Aly xxxx

You all didnt happen to do a bunch of drugs did ya?

[JustSkipIt]

Yep, I'm up next. Good job Tigerscorpio, giving me something to work with. I'll shoot for getting my update up Monday evening. Tonight I'm going to Shakespeare in the park and work tomorrow so check back after that.



Debra

"Oh man, I wish I WAS a lesbian. I would get laid every night for the rest of my life." - Amber Benson


"I think it's 'I wish I WERE a lesbian.'" - Louden Wainwright III

[TheWhiz]

Just read the last 2 updates.



nika- Great update. I loved how you integrated scenes from TR and NMR, it worked really well. Thanks for finally clearing up what we thought- that Ruby was Faith!



Tiggrscorpio- Great continuation! Looks like Buffy has a rival for the 'Worst Timing Award' in the form of Oz!



Look forward to the next part!

"I am a whiz...If ever a whiz there was"


"Make your own kind of music"-Mama Cass

[XWickedXWiccan]

I missed an update?? How the hell did that happened?? Nice update though. Thanks for explaining the whole Faith thing cuase if you didn't I would get dizzy with all the questions going in my head. Can't wait for the next update though. Can we just have Veruca in the picture then everyones happy!! Though I bet Willow and Tara will be happier.



-Trinity-

--------------------------
Passion is the source of our finest moments. The joy of love, the clarity of hatred, and the ecstacy of grief. It hurts sometimes more than we can bare. If we can live without passion maybe we'd know some peace. But we'd be hollow, empty rooms, shuttered, and dank, With out passion we'd truly be dead. ANGEL in "Passion"

[vix84]

Quote:

---

“Goddess, Willow, no one’s ever kissed me like that before,” Tara continued to catch her breath.

“Better get used to it,” the redhead quirked an eyebrow. “Cause I’m gonna be kissing you like that all the time.”

---

Ahh, beautiful Willow and Tara kissage, at last. *Contented sigh in direction of Tiggrscorpio*



Very interesting developments with Faith. Ooh and yay, Oz is about to find out about Tara (I've been waiting for this moment... )!



Thanks for the great update!

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

Tara: Hey! You're gonna back off. She said no, and that's it. You're not gonna make her do something that she doesn't want to. And if you try, you're gonna have to go through me first. Understood?

[Taras Shadow]

OMG! I am loving every moment of this fic

Oz is gonna find out about Tara, I wonder how that's gonna go down

And our favourites girls with the kissage

Can not wait to see what you have planned for us next!



~Holly~

Quote:

---

"Show me where to touch you"

---

Tara- It Ain't Fickle

[spazz07]

Here i am to wreck tha day Im back and i get 3 amazing updates, how cool is that Firstly Iamyouknowyours, great take off, swerving Ruby from a bad guy to a good guy Nika, loved the rip-offs, plus smoochies are always good. Loved your part Chris, i do feel sorry for Deb for having to follow that but i'm sure she'll do great Loved how you ladies have brought in Faith and set up the showdown between W/T/O very nicely, looking forward to the next part Deb, its Monday night here so update i say



Cheers

Nath

Isn't it funny how you feel your most tired five minutes before you have to get up.

[JustSkipIt]

Hi everyone. Yes, the fic is going great. But if you know me from my other writing (Two Days - shameless plug), you know I LOVE some angst. So here we go. Urn of Osiris is up next and I'm trying to leave it pretty open ended.





Immediately after greeting Willow, Oz ducked in the door. “Commandos after me,” he explained, kissing his girlfriend quickly. Willow reacted with surprise and horror to his uncharacteristic greeting. She pulled back immediately and glanced at her roommate. Tara sat on her bed, looking at the floor and Willow couldn’t read her mood. It was such a change. A few minutes earlier both women were all with the “woo hoo” and definitely enjoying the smoochies and now Oz had arrived and neither woman knew where she stood.



Oz looked past Willow to see Tara sitting on the bed. “Hey,” he directed at her. Thinking for a moment he directed his next question to the blonde: “Uh Tara right? I’m in a hurry. The commandos may be after me and I need to get out of here but first I need to talk to Willow. Can you give us a few minutes?” Neither woman knew how to save the situation as Oz was working from his belief that he and Willow were still a couple.



“Uh sure. Give me a minute,” Tara mumbled toward the floor. She threw a book and some pens in her bag and started toward the door, not looking at either Oz or Willow. As she neared the door, Oz placed his hand on her arm, saying “Actually, do you mind standing, well sitting lookout for me for a minute? If you can just sit outside like you’re studying and let us know if anyone comes up the hall, that would be great.” Tara wanted to help. She nodded that yes she could do that. While Willow felt relieved that Tara wasn’t going to go far, she could see that Tara was conflicted and hurt by the situation.



As the blonde started out the door, Oz spoke again, more quietly this time, “Tara, thanks for doing this and thanks for earlier. I know you tried that spell with Willow and I really appreciate it. And well, thanks for taking care of Willow. I know you two have become really close and you have really become a good friend like she needed. I really appreciate how well I can trust you to take care of her if I can’t be here. So, thanks.” Willow was shocked to hear such a long speech from the werewolf who had spent entire days with her without saying that many words in the past. As Tara started to close the door, she heard Willow’s voice faintly speak, “Yes, thank you Tara.”



As Oz turned to Willow, he started to lose his balance. Knowing that he was weak, she guided him to the bed “How did you get out?” she asked.



“Faith and Buffy came back for me,” he answered.



“What Faith? Faith is here? Is she going to hurt Buffy? Is she going to hurt anyone? What did she say?”



“Woke up,” Oz explained.



“Darn, that was the funnest coma ever,” Willow answered.



“Either way. I gotta get gone from here.” Oz took Willow’s hand in his, kissing it affectionately, “I love you so much Will. My whole life I never loved anything else. Come with me.” Oz held Willow’s hand to his heart and gazed in her eyes.



---



Tara sat with her back against the dorm room door. She tried not to listen to the conversation inside. She tried singing “la la la” and telling herself “knock knock” jokes and covering her ears with her hands, but she couldn’t not hear. She heard bits and pieces of the very intense conversation from the other side of the thin door. She could imagine what was going on in there. She heard both lovers say that they loved the other. And she heard crying and apologies and kisses. And she was pretty sure she heard Willow say something about “the complete college experience.”



The insecure witch’s mood fell. “I knew it,” she thought. I was stupid to think she could love me. She was just having an experiment. A phase. She was waiting for him to return and now she’s going to go with him. Tara’s emotions were starting to get out of control and as she started crying quietly, she noticed that the fluorescent lights in the hallway were getting brighter and dimmer in sync with her uneven breathing. She had to do something.



---



The former watcher literally dropped his brandy snifter as the two slayers rushed through the door to his apartment. “FAITH,” he screamed to Buffy as if she hadn’t noticed that she was with the dark-haired slayer.



“Yeah, I noticed,” Buffy deadpanned.



“Hey G-man,” Faith tossed out.



“Ok, what in the Hell is going on? When did you wake up? What are you doing here? Why aren’t the two of you killing each other?” The watcher was rambling but it seemed reasonable to him considering his history with this slayer.



Faith smiled as she and Buffy took a seat. Faith poured herself a drink of the and smiled, “wanna hear a story?”



---



Willow’s heart ached for Oz as he begged her to come with him. She did still love him but she couldn’t go on the road with a man who was hunted all the time and certainly not with a werewolf. He would have to make his own way. She felt guilt because throughout his speeches and offers, she was distracted thinking about Tara. About her soft lips and blue eyes and beautiful skin. She couldn’t wait to get back to the make-out session that was interrupted when Oz came in. As Oz wound down from his crying and begging, his exhaustion caught up with him as he fell quietly asleep next to Willow on the bed, one arm thrown across her. Although she started had started trying to comfort her former lover, his weight now pinned her down and she wanted to let him sleep for a while before her trip. She leaned against the headboard thinking of Tara and all the softness that was this woman she loved.



---



“Well, that is very interesting. What do we do? I’ll call the council and see what they have to say about all this. Do you want me to tell them you are awake?” the watcher asked Faith.



Faith and Buffy agreed, “Let’s wait a little on that.”



“Oh, G-man, there’s some other stuff we need to be concerned about too,” Faith said. “It’s about Willow and Tara”



Buffy shot the dark-haired slayer a look, “I don’t think Giles needs to hear that.”



“No B, not that. It’s just that when I was down in the compound, I got a look at the files and both Willow and Tara are being tracked.”



“Tracked, what for?” Buffy asked.



“Well, Willow apparently is starting to do some powerful magics.” She answered



“And Tara?” the watcher questioned.



“Um. Well she’s a pretty powerful witch. But that’s not all. Everything may not be as it seems with our sweet blonde roommate,” Faith began.



---



After letting Oz sleep for 30 minutes or so, Willow woke him: “Oz, it’s time to go. Commandos could be coming.”



His eyes were still red from crying but he knew that he had to do this. He had to leave Sunnydale and the woman that he loved. He could see the distress on Willow’s face as he turned to go. As she opened the door, he grabbed her and kissed her for what he knew may be the last time before running down the hall.



Willow breathed a sigh of relief that Oz had gone. Until she looked to the floor, seeing Tara’s bag, books, and pens by the door. But no Tara.



“Tara? Tara?” she questioned quietly looking up and down the hall.

Edited by: xita  at: 11/23/02 9:20:33 pm

[Tara22]

Justskipit!! loved it!!!

now I wanna know what happened to Tara

poor Tara but she and Will, will work it out!! I know they will!!

Tara: Every time I... even when I'm at my worst, you
always make me feel special. How
do you do that?





Willow: Magic

[vix84]

Oh god, I loved your update, Deb!

Quote:

---

“Oh, G-man, there’s some other stuff we need to be concerned about too,” Faith said. “It’s about Willow and Tara”

Buffy shot the dark-haired slayer a look, “I don’t think Giles needs to hear that.”

---

LOL that cracked me up...



I loved the fact that Oz was completely aware about Willow and Tara's feelings for each other, but still kissed Will/acted normal. That really was in character.



Oh no, where's Tara gone? I hope they make up soon, "making up is the best part..."

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

"After one take," remembers Hannigan, "Joss did say, 'Can we have one that's less like you're going to sleep together in about five minutes?' "

(about kissing Amber in 'The Body')

[iceprincess2076]

JustSkipIt........I loved the update!!! But poor Tara If I didnt love this part sooo much I'd say that was just plain mean leaving it like that. I love you fic 'two days' also but still waiting for the happy ending there!

Quote:

---

Willow breathed a sigh of relief that Oz had gone. Until she looked to the floor, seeing Tara's bag, books, and pens by the door. But no Tara.

---

uh.....oh ....... NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Quote:

---

"Tara? Tara?" She questioned quietly looking up and down the hall.

---

ok someone puhleeeaase tell me that Tara just went for a walk or to get a coke and NOT that those creepy initiative guys got her!



oh, update soon, PLEASE!!! OOH, a happy smoochies filled update!!! yeah!!!



PLEASE LET TARA BE OK!!!!



ICE

waiting patiently for the next part! HURRY!!! PLEASE!! I have to know that Tara is gonna be okay!!!

[Urn of Osiris]

Chapter 13 - Coming back to haunt you(I think this is 13)



Willow opened the door. She looked back and forth calling her name, “Tara…Tara.” The hallway was almost empty. A few people walked up and down but there was no sign of the blonde. Willow could see a commotion in the stairway. She looked back at Oz. “I have to go and find her.”



Oz looked down at the floor. “There’s something going on between you two.”



“I’m not sure what it is, I can’t explain it.” Her eyes sparkled at the thought of Tara.



“Maybe you shouldn’t.” He looked away.



“I have to go find her.”



“I know, but I won’t be here when you get back.” He moved through the door and kissed her cheek as he walked by. “I love you, and if you’re ever on a grassy hill in England, recovering from some insane Dark Magic addiction, forcing magic flowers up through the ground maybe I’ll be there and we’ll meet and talk old times and be together again.” He shook his head with confusion. Willow’s eyes shot open trying to process the drivel coming from his mouth. >What the hell is he talking about.< She thought to herself.>Must be all the drugs.<



“Goodbye Oz,” She hugged him once more and ran down the hall. When she reached the stairway door she pushed hard trying to force it open. Something was up against it. She pounded hard and screamed, “Tara are you in there?”



She heard a scraping sound against the door, like something being pulled from the handle. The left door flew open as Buffy grabbed Willow by the arm and yanked her into the stairwell. She closed the door again and forced the pipe back into place. She turned to see Tara slumped down in the corner. She dropped to her knees reaching for the blonde.



“Don’t touch her. She’s a demon.” Buffy yelled. Willow turned to Buffy and shook her head she looked back at Tara as she trembled in the corner.



“NO! She’s not a demon, she’s a witch like me.” Willow refused to accept the news and moved in closer to the blonde. “You’re not a demon, are you?”



Tara shook her head. “I’ve been trying to explain, but Buffy won’t listen.” Tara closed her eyes as Willow touched her hand. She could feel the courage pour into her, and she began to explain. “My family, we’re Circus performers… Magicians really.”



She looked to the ladies for a reaction. They didn’t blink or move they just waited for more information, so Tara continued, “. My father was raised as an animal trainer. One night while stopped in a small town in Louisiana he went to have a tarot reading. When he entered the shop he saw my mother. They fell deeply in love and ran away together.Tara cringed at the thought of them together but continued her story.



"Eventually they joined another circus troop and began to tour, but what my father never knew was that my mother was a witch. He thought she was a con, but he was wrong, she was strong with magic. When he discovered that tarot readings were only the beginning of her power he freaked. I was seven when he finally abandoned us. We stayed with the troop for eight years until he came back, looking for her.” Tara stopped as tears fell from her eye, she reached her hand to wipe them on her sleeve. Willow held her other hand urging her to finish the story.



“Tara it’s ok, if this is too much you don’t have to say any more.”



“No I should tell you everything. When he found us he said we had to stop. That the magic was demonic and if we continued we’d go to hell.” Her eyes filled with tears as she confessed the final sentences. “She refused, Wicca was her life, it was her family tradition. So he took her away, and she never came back.” Tara collapsed into the arms of the red head.



Willow looked up at Buffy. They didn’t know what to say or do. The slayer pulled the bar from the door and helped Tara up. Willow grabbed her around the waist and helped her back to their room. They sat on the bed and wondered what to do next.



Buffy looked at her, “I’m sorry Tara. It’s just that Faith told me that she saw a file in the lab at that commando place. It had your name on it. There was another Maclay file there too. Is it your mom?”



“I think so.” Tara answered sadly. “I think she’s there. I think they know about her power and they want to test her.”



“How do you know so much?” Willow slid her arm around the blonde’s shoulder. Tara leaned into the touch and relaxed.



“My father. He started to drink after,” she paused, as the memories of her mother flashed through her mind, “after he took her away. He was a mean drunk. One night he rambled about how he turned her in to some science group. He told me they would torture her. Make her pay for being a demon. He called me her demon spawn. It was awful.”



“So the nightmares you have, are because of him?”



Tara nodded at her and looked to the floor in shame. Willow lifted her chin and held her until blue eyes met green. “Don’t do that, it’s not your fault. He’s the demon, not you, and not your mother either.” Willow turned to Buffy, “Get Faith, we need to figure out what’s in those files, NOW!”



Buffy turned to leave and paused as she opened the door. “I’m sorry Tara. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I didn’t know, I never would have…” She stopped as she saw the blonde fill with sadness. She opened the door and walked out. Willow turned her attention back to Tara.



“So please tell me everything that you know. If your mom’s in there we’ll get her back. I promise.” She forced a smile to comfort the blonde but Tara couldn’t speak. She was exhausted and needed to rest. “Maybe we can talk later. You look so tired, we’ll figure this out in the morning.” Willow gently lowered the blonde to the bed. She lifted the sheets and covered her tenderly. As she turned toward her bed, Tara grabbed her hand.



“Stay with me, please. I’m scared. I’d really like to feel safe tonight. When you put your arms around me I feel that way.” Tara closed her eyes and asked, “Do you think you can do that.”



Willow lunged toward the blonde, “Oh yes I think I can.” She slipped in behind her and cuddled in tightly. Tara relaxed at her touch and closed her eyes. “I should turn off the lights.”



“Off.” Tara spoke and the room went dark.



“Wow! You really are a powerful witch. “Will you teach me?”



“Oh yes…I want to teach you everything.”



“But not tonight.” Willow closed her eyes and pulled the blonde in tightly. She hoped that Tara would get the rest that she needed.





TBC

Urn of Osiris
_________________**

"Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses."
— George Washington Carver
Voice your opinion about Tara http://www.petitiononline.com/Tara/petition.html

Edited by: Urn of Osiris  at: 9/23/02 9:21:58 pm

[4WiccanLuv]

“My family, we’re Circus performers… Magicians really.”



OMG, rotflmao...this is too funny



and Oz saying the following:



“I love you, and if you’re ever on a grassy hill in England, recovering from some insane Dark Magic addiction, forcing magic flowers up through the ground maybe I’ll be there and we’ll meet and talk old times and be together again.”



I loved Willow's thoughts after Oz said that to her...it was priceless.



Keep it coming Kittens...I'm highly entertained.

- Dime con quien andas y te dire quien eres -

[tiredsoul]

Wow, gone for a couple of days and it's update galore. This story is going great. So many twists and turns. Faith is back, that makes things interesting. And smoochies are always good. And cool, you got rid of Oz. Fun twist on the last part about the circus folk. That cracked me up. And Tara's mom is alive? That should make some nice action getting her outta the Initative. Great job.



--celia

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

"That was just rude. Now I forget what I was saying."

[SlayerTazz]

JustSkipIt & Urn: Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to post...life called (wrong number btw). To both of you - WOW, awesome updates!!



I love the way this fic is going.

~Branny

In my world there are people in chains, and we can ride them like ponies. ~ VampWillow in Dopplegangland

Passion is the source of our finest moments. The joy of love...the clarity of hatred...and the ecstasy of grief.

[spazz07]

Great update Deb, i knew you were up to following Chris (Which is a pretty big ask in itself) you did great. You left some nice juicy parts for Sharon to feed on and she followed up with another cracker. The season 7 mention was too funny and lucky you Sharon finally got Oz out of the picture, love the fact that Tara's mum is still alive and ready to be rescued Looking forward to Piper's part next, jeez its my turn again soon, cant imagine how much im looking forward to that



Cheers

Nath

Isn't it funny how you feel your most tired five minutes before you have to get up.

[Tara22]

great stuff Urn!!

I am loving this fic!!!

Edited by: Tara22 at: 9/24/02 5:51:50 am

[barnabasvamp]

This fiction is great! Using multiple writers was such a good idea.

Urn: Loved the way you wrote the interaction between Oz and Willow!

Can't wait for the next update!

"In front of total strangers won't you kiss me, Flowers for no reason but you miss me - OOH, I wanna be in love"

Melissa Etheridge-Skin

[vix84]

Nice one, Urn! There were so many funny moments...



Aww they were so cute cuddling up together in the dark, "Stay with me, please. I’m scared. I’d really like to feel safe tonight. When you put your arms around me I feel that way.". Very sweet



Woo, there's Jen, and then Nath again! I can't wait

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

"After one take," remembers Hannigan, "Joss did say, 'Can we have one that's less like you're going to sleep together in about five minutes?' "

(about kissing Amber in 'The Body')

[mollyig]

Finally got the time to catch up with this fic. So many twists and turns. Much fun!

Adding up the total of a love that's true, multiply life by the power of two
Indigo Girls

[ally02]

Great update!! The season 7 reference was very very funny And poor Tara, I hope they find her mum, oh and hopefully go hack her dad to death with a rusty spoon

Looking forward to more, from umm whoever's turn it is next



Aly xxxx

You all didnt happen to do a bunch of drugs did ya?

[TheWhiz]

Great updates JustSkipIt & Urn of Osiris

Lots of twists- very entertaining!

"I am a whiz...If ever a whiz there was"


"Make your own kind of music"-Mama Cass

[MissQuirky]

JustSkipIt - Lovely update! I liked how ya handled the Oz thing!

Urn - Lovely also!! They gave Oz a lil too much medication, he made absolutely No since, but it was very funny! And the whole Circus thing



Can't wait 4 the next Kittens addition!!

~Ashley~

Willow: We can come by between classes. Usually I use that time to copy over my class notes with a system of different colored pens. But it's been pointed out to me that that's, you know... insane.
Tara: I said quirky.

[Ginner WTluv]

This fic just keeps getting better and better s I love it! Looking forward to the next part. *makes herself comfy* and i'm not leaving until it's here



~ Jen

[Tiggrscorpio]

Thanks to everyone for your great replies. Glad you liked the W/T smoochies. I must especially thank nika for a great lead in. I'm glad you and I were on the same wave length for where to take Faith.



JustSkipIt and Urn, great updates. Glad to see you were able to do something with the circus thing. I thought it might be fun.

*****

She's my everything!

[Urn of Osiris]

Honestly, you put the circus thing out there and I grabbed on. I crossed my fingers for a good lead in and I got the vacant hall. Damn that so worked for me. I'm too soft when it comes to angst so I needed the snuggles in the end.



Thanks all for the feedback. Thanks to Just skip it for the great place to start. Oh and sorry but Oz needed to be outathere!

Urn of Osiris
_________________**

"Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses."
— George Washington Carver
Voice your opinion about Tara http://www.petitiononline.com/Tara/petition.html

[XWickedXWiccan]

Oh I can't believe I missed updates!! Great updates though. I wonder what is gonna happen in the next update. Love you guys and your creative imagination. People love this story so far.



-Trinity-

--------------------------
Passion is the source of our finest moments. The joy of love, the clarity of hatred, and the ecstacy of grief. It hurts sometimes more than we can bare. If we can live without passion maybe we'd know some peace. But we'd be hollow, empty rooms, shuttered, and dank, With out passion we'd truly be dead. ANGEL in "Passion"

[iceprincess2076]

UPDATE! UPDATE! UPDATE!



Urn I loved the update!!!!!!! but OZ? wha....huh? Nice reference to season severed there. I SOOO HOPE THEY DONT GO THERE THIS SEASON!



Tara's family were circus folk.........hmmmm.....and her dad... oooh.......*evil thoughts*.......but maybe buffy and faith can save Tara's mom........that would be sooo awesome!



I LOVE THIS FIC GUYS!!!!!



ICE :gin

*MORE, MORE, MORE..........PLEASE!!!!!*

[katydid]

I love what everyone one of the writers has done with this fic so farl. This is one of the top three fics I check on each day. I love to see the differences in the writing styles, it almost helps to tell the story better. We get different perspectives each time. I can't wait to read what yall have in store next.

--------------
She practically had genuine molded plastic stamped on her ass.

[foreverpiper]

First of all, to JustSkipIt and Urn i would like to say FANTASTIC JOB! It's going to be hard to fill in your guy's shoes, but i did my best anyway. It hasn't been beta'd so sorry for the mistakes in advanced. Also, i have a very limited vocabulary, so im sorry if i repeated myself at any time during this chapter.



So without further ado...



Chapter 14



After countless minutes that seemed much more like hours, Tara finally drifted off asleep with Willow’s arms around her. As comforting as those arms were though, it didn’t help to quell her subconscious.







Mr. McClay stormed into the house, shirt ruffled, hair unkempt as if it had never seen the right side of a comb, and the mad glint in his eye that showed he had been drinking, and quite a bit of it. He looked over towards the almost spotless kitchen and saw that there were still unwashed dishes in the sink. This infuriated him.



“Get down here girl!” His speech was slurred so as it was almost impossible for anyone to understand what he was saying.



Tara rushed down the stairs, stumbling slightly as she came upon the last one, which was laden with empty beer bottles and cigarette packs. Mr. McClay grabbed her roughly on her upper arm so tightly that Tara cringed. She did her best to try and hide it but it was no use. It hurt too badly. There was sure to be a huge bruise there in the morning.



“What are you doing?” He shouted about 3 inches from her terrified face. His breath stunk of hard whiskey and cigarettes. The smell was almost unbearable but Tara hadn’t the time to worry about that. “Clean up those damn dishes!”



Tara stood still, petrified, not wanting to move in case he had something more to add, as he usually did.



Mr. McClay’s face contorted with rage when she didn’t move immediately. “NOW!”



Tara scampered away from her angry father and began to quickly fill the sink with hot water.



“This was already supposed to be done with!” He strutted over to the couch and collapsed into it. Leaning over, he untied his horribly dirty, heavy, black boots. They were caked with dirt and mud and smelled hideously.



He began to ramble. “Yes, I know! You’re mother was supposed to be doing this!” he spat out the word as if it left something distasteful in his mouth, “But now she’s gone! For good!” He gave a small cruel smirk of satisfaction.



Over by the sink Tara gave out a silent sob as a single tear ran down her smooth cheek.



“Horrible, disgusting, degrading…” he was now mumbling to himself, rather than to her.



Tara slowly turned to face the man whom she was biologically related to, but who had never really considered as a true father, and mustered up the courage to speak. “W-w-what?” She said it in such a small, low voice that it was barely above a whisper.



None-the-less, Mr. McClay had heard it, even in his drunken state. He sat up slightly, gazing at her with cold, hard eyes. “Speak up girl!”



Tara lowered her head to look down at the floor, her hair hanging over and hiding her face. “I-I asked, w-w-w-where s-she w-w-w-went?”



Mr. McClay let out a bark of laughter and got up off the couch. He advanced towards Tara and began to raise his hand, which automatically made Tara recoil in fear. He didn’t strike her, however, instead, the raised hand was to open the refrigerator. Shaking his head at his daughter he reached in and grabbed one of the many beers littering the shelves. Opening his beer bottle, he took a swig and went back to the couch. Once again he flopped into it lazily.



“You want to know where she went now do you?” he drawled, taking another sip.



Silently Tara nodded before lowering her head to look at the floor.



When she didn’t answer he yelled once more, his face beginning to get even redder, “I asked you a question girl!”



“Y-yes. P-p-please.” She was speaking so quietly that Mr. McClay had to physically lean in from his place on the couch to hear. “W-w-w-where i-i-is she?”



Mr. McClay smirked evilly, with a wickedness Tara never knew he possessed. He let out a sharp snort before answering her. “You wanna know where you mother is girl? Well, I’ll tell you one thing…she’s somewhere where you ain’t never gonna see ‘er again!” Letting out a short bark of laughter he continued. “Turned her in I did! Turned her in where she ain’t never gonna do no more evil again!”



He spat at her from where he still sat on the couch. His eyes were so cold, and so hard that when he turned to look at her, she glanced away, trying to avoid her father’s stern gaze.



Turning back, he took another swig.



When he spoke again it was with such mallous that his voice got 3 times deeper and scratchier than it already was. “Gonna torture her they are. Gonna do experiments…find out what makes the bitch tick.”



His eyes began glazing over, the state of his drunkenness finally settling in full force.



Mr. McClay smiled let out a mad bark of laughter. He put his finger up in front of his face and made a swishing motion. Much like that of a mother who was scolding her child. “Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock…Scum like that…horrible!” he turned to Tara, his eyes looking almost through her. Standing up he pointed harshly at her. “It was you! She passed it onto you! That… magic!”



He was quite mad now, his probable sense taking complete leave of him as he rushed at her, his empty beer bottle clattering to the floor.



Grabbing her roughly around the upper arms he shoved her roughly into the counter behind her. The edge jammed into her lower back, making her painfully moan out in protest. Mr. McClay brought one dirty hand up to cover her mouth to cease her sound, still keeping a firm hold on one arm. “You!” he breathed into her face. “You’ll rot in hell, just like her!” spatting into her face he continued, “I’da turned you in too you little demon-spawn, if me n’ yer brothers didn’t need takin care of!”



At this point he totally lost it. He shoved her back even further, the force pushing her even harder into the sharp edge of the counter. Backing away he sized her up viciously. His ugly features masked a disgusted face. “You need punishment.” Tara backed up away from the edge and farther away into a corner. “It’s the only way!”



He undid his belt from his slightly over-sized waist and rolled it up into a sizable whip. Raising it over his head he visiously brought it zipping down over his head coming closer and closer to Tara’s unguarded face…







“NO!” Tara yelled sitting up so quickly that it uncovered both Tara and Willow. Great beads of sweat poured off her forehead in fear.



Tara’s panicked scream had awoken a now terrified Willow. “Tara?” she questioned, grouping for the light next to the bed. She found it after a few seconds and quickly twisted the small knob, filling the room with light.



Gasping for breath, Tara reached up to touch her glistening face.



The redhead was now in a state of frenzy. “Tara? What’s wrong? What happened?” she gently reached over to smooth a strand of hair away from Tara’s face but the blonde recoiled away from the touch, scooting away so quickly that she bumped her head into the wall directly behind the bed the two witches occupied.



This action only made Willow even more concered. “Sweetie,” she said gently, slowly inching her hand over to make contact with Tara’s, “Sweetie, what happened?”



Tara reached over the last few inches to Willow’s hand and grasped it firmly, squeezing onto it tightly. “I-I-I h-had a n-n-n-ightmare. I-it was h-h-horible.” Tara stopped and took a deep breath, trying to both calm down and control her stutter. Willow stayed silent, waiting for Tara to continue. “H-he was there.”



Willow scooted closer and positioned her body so that she was sitting directly in front of Tara. She gently grasped Tara’s other hand in her own. “Who was there?”



“M-my d-d-dad. He-he…” she let out a sob, unable to continue.



Willow reacted instantly, leaning over and taking Tara’s body into her arms, gently rocking her back and forth, whispering comforting words into her ears. “Shh. It’s okay.”

She ran her fingers through Tara’s golden hair, “It’ll be okay. I’m here, I’ve got you.”



After a while, Tara had finally calmed down. She sniffled and murmered softly, “I’m sorry.”



Confused, Willow put her hand softly under Tara’s chin and made her look up into her eyes, “Sorry? For what?”



This time Tara didn’t avert her gaze, “F-for everything.”



Willow shook her head and allowed a tiny smile, “Honey, you have nothing to be sorry for. You did nothing wrong.” Tara tried to look down again but Willow’s hands made her stay put. “Please believe me Tara.”



Tara nodded.



Not wanting to put Tara into any more stress that night, Willow laid back down on the bed, patting the space next to her, signaling for Tara to lie down again. When she did, Willow nestled into Tara and put her arms around her. Not an inch of space was between them.



After at least and hour Tara finally drifted off into a dreamless sleep. Willow, however, stayed up, watching over her blonde-haired-beauty and hoping to the Goddess that Tara would be okay.



***

Willow had fallen asleep about and hour after Tara, before sleep finally overcame her once again. After what must have been only two or three hours, she was awakened once again by a loud ringing noise. The sheets beside her ruffled, signaling that the loud noise must have woken Tara also. Groggily, Willow reached an arm out and grabbed the phone, as she was the closest one to it. She sat up as she answered it, pulling the now awakened Tara up with her.



“Hello? Willow speaking.” She listened for a moment before taking the phone away from her ear and handing it to a now wide-awake Tara. “It’s for you.”



“H-hello?” she said politely into the phone. Her polite demeanor didn’t last long as her face turned into one of shock and surprise.



“C-C-Charlie?” she questioned. “How are yo-”



What the person said next must have been a shock, because Tara gasped and put her hand not holding up the phone to her mouth. She removed it and spoke into the receiver. “A-are you okay?” she asked, worriedly.



Willow leaned forward and her face screwed up as she tried to listen in on the other side of the conversation.



“D-d-did he h-hurt you?” she listened carefully before quickly responing.



“W-well just g-get out of th-there then. J-just pack up s-some of your s-stuff a-and leave.” She said this with such urgency that Willow noticed Tara’s hand was trembling.



“Y-you can come here. Y-y-you can stay with me. He-he doesn’t know w-where I am. You’ll be safe here.” She nodded to what the other person was saying.



“O-okay.” She listened for another minute.



“Okay, I-I love you too. Bye.” When she hung up the phone she looked slightly dazed, her forehead creasing.



Willow had been trying to refrain herself from inturupting Tara’s thought, but her curiosity ran out. “Who was that?”



Tara looked at her, a worried look still etched on her face. “My little brother.”



TBC…





Jen...you're up...

It's better to be pissed off than to be pissed on. - My mantra on a bad day.


And never let it be said that I left a Tara craving unsatisfied. - Willow in Wilderness