by tru2urheart » Fri Feb 17, 2006 4:10 pm
Title: The Tale
Author: Tru2urheart or Ariel
Feedback: I stand for 5 year olds everywhere when I say, "Please ,Please, Please," Lip quivers and the puppy dog face emerges.
Spoilers: Lots
Setting: AU. 7th Season remake.
Rating: It may get worse than pg-13, but if it does, I'll let you know.
Disclaimer: I don't have a lawyer and there is no profit invovled. Please don't sue.
Angst: 9 out of 10
Summary: Totally angsty guys. If it's too much of an angst I'm sorry, but I figured it would help developments in the story later.
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Chapter Ten: A
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Rain. Tears of the Angel's. The message we get from our loved ones saying that they're still here; Still watching over us, letting us know that they're ok, and that we'll be ok. She wondered who they were falling for now, hoping that it wasn't for her, but having a raw fear in her heart that it was. Even though she was invisible to those still living on the earth (at least in this world that she occupied now), she knew that she would never be invisible to the angels no matter which alternate realm she walked on. If this rain was falling for her that night, then she knew she wasn't going to enjoy it very much.
Her red hair started to soak through, and she wondered why she was able to get wet, but wasn't able to be seen or heard. She turned to the elder woman walking next to her, knowing that as soon as she had turned her head, the woman knew what was going through her mind. She smiled,"Just because you don't exist to those who you are supposed to know, doesn't mean you don't exist at all. You can never hide from the rain, Willow. It knows all of your secrets, all of your thoughts, and everything that it wants to know about you. Rain is freedom, from the world around you. Rain can never hurt you, it can only help you."
Willow nodded. She didn't feel like speaking. She couldn't. Everything was moving so fast. Pictures running through her head of what had been happening to them where she was, and what might be happening to them where she actually belonged. It made her feel dizzy and she didn't want to think about what was going to happen now. She felt as if, at that moment, she was being so worn thin that the rain that Joyce talked so highly about was going to just tear right through her. So deep into her thoughts, she hadn't even realized where they were. She recognized the place quickly, though it seemed more torn up than when she had last seen the place.
The campus seemed almost... deserted? No...Dead? No again... nothing? Yeah, that was it. It had nothing to it. No students running around, though it was like 3 in the morning it seemed, so that might be it, but the vast campus had lost it's... life. The grass seemed , and the trees just seemed to be drooping bushes with rain dripping from the leaves. There was no lively hood like she had seen before, and there just didn't seem to be any life in it at all. They had arrived at a very familiar building to Willow. It was Tara's dorm building.
She wasn't ready. What was going to happen? The thing that scared Willow the most was that Tara was happy and that also felt wrong. She wanted Tara to be happy didn't she? That wasn't even a question, but it felt hollow to know that Tara might actually have been better without her.
Joyce looked over to her, and wished she could do something to wipe the pain from Willow's eyes. She had loved Willow so much; the young had always been right beside Buffy, and had shown her loyalty as a scooby and as a friend. Willow had become another daughter to her, but she knew that she had to show her this. This would help them with the future that held hardships, and happiness.
"You need to realize, Willow," Joyce started, breaking Willow's thoughts,"That you can't always fix everything. The only thing you can do is to try. It's not your mystical abilities that they love, nor your smarts. Those characteristics may come in handy and might save lives, but that's not what they love. It's you they love. They love your loyalty and your babble. They love your childlike heart and your courage through anything you come to. You don't always have to be brave, but don't be afraid. Just enjoy the most important things in life.
It's the littlest moments. The little fights that Buffy and Dawn get into all of the time, the times you're just sitting under a tree watching them socialize, smiling and having fun. It's those little moments when Xander makes a joke to make you feel better, and those moments when Tara takes your hand and you just sit there. It's those moments that make the biggest of impacts on peoples' lives and if you miss those moments, then you miss everything. You miss the happiness, you miss childhood, and so much more," she pauses.
Taking a long breath and sighing she continues,"Take Anya for example. She has very little knowledge of the world she now inhabits, but she doesn't let that get her down. So, instead of getting frustrated and yelling at her, show her, or maybe join in and learn from her. Help Dawn with her homework, even if she won't ask for it. Don't let Buffy be stubborn like she usually is; let her know that she belongs there, or she wouldn't be there. Make Xander understand he isn't his father. Allow your love for Tara to show unconditionally. All it takes is a few simple words sometimes. A little moment. Don't miss those little moments, Willow. Because when you do, you miss out on life." Joyce ended, hoping that it would help Willow with what was to come next.
They entered the building, while Willow just thought about what she had just heard. When they reached Tara's floor, her emerald eyes immediatly found Tara's door. She could never forget that door, having shown up at it so many times in her life. They phased right through.
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The scene was set, but Willow didn't know what to make of it. It didn't seem like Tara's dorm room had changed since she first saw it. There was no sign that witchcraft was done here, and all the light in the room came from only one source, the fairy lights. She saw Tara, beautiful as ever, huddled in her chair looking like she had no hope. Willow noticed a calandar right by the chair, with red X's all over it. The day after this one was going to be Tara's twentieth birthday, but that would mean... No!
Willow backed up and tried to turn around, knowing that she didn't want to see this. She knew what Tara had gone through during her childhood. Tara had told her everything, and it was horrible. Now, she realized, she didn't seem to have anyone to guard her from her father's wrath or her brother's beatings. She would still believe she was demon.
Joyce had grabbed Willow's shoulder and tugged her back. Willow protested, yelling while tears started to streak down her face," I don't want to see this! I don't want to have to see her being beaten, or mistreated by her father. I didn't ready myself for this! I thought I'd walk in here and she'd be with someone else! I thought maybe she'd have gotten a great job without me holding her back, but I did not want this! Anything but this! I don't want to see her hurting again. I caused enough of that myself, please don't make me see this, please!" She was crying hard, kneeling on the floor, and all that could be heard was the plea of not wanting to see this. Joyce had to hold back her own tears, and the rain outside started to pour harder.
All she wanted to do was give in to Willow's pleas' ; the young, child like red head had seen to much horror already, but she knew she couldn't. Willow needed to see this because without it, she could never truly understand the extent of her own love for the young blond, or help the other's understand their own love for their significant other's. Especially Faith (for Buffy), Giles (for his family) and Xander (for Anya). It had to be done; So she reached for the young woman crying on the floor, and yanked her straight up. Looking straight into green depths, she almost had to yell," You need to see this, Willow. I don't want to show you this anymore than you want to see it for yourself, but you have to see this. " Joyce could not look into her eyes any longer. The suffering there was just too much, even for her. She couldn't imagine looking into the eyes of the rest of the people she had learned to love since moving to Sunnydale.
Without further warning, the scene started to unfold between their eyes.
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Tara was shaking in her chair, softly praying to the goddess that maybe she hadn't inherited the demon on her mother's side of the family. She knew there was very little chance of that, but she could hope, couldn't she? She sat there looking up at the stars, and reflecting on her past; Her reason for coming here to Sunnydale, California. She tried to get away from everything that reminded her of her mother's , and get away from her family.
She had hoped that in coming here, she would gain new friends, or at least someone with some sort of common interest as her, but she had found no one. No one had approached her and she certainly couldn't approach them; She was much too shy. No, she had found no one to share her life with or her talents, or even to talk to. She was a nobody here, which wasn't too bad. At least it wasn't like in her hometown. They had resented her there, and made sure she had known it. Of course, the difference was that no one here knew she was gay or did witchcraft.
Twenty minutes later, after just sitting there, she started to fall asleep. 4:00 a.m. in the morning, the day before her birthday, she fell asleep in her chair, and unknown to her, the red head that was supposed to be her world, watched her on her final day of peace, not wanting to know what was to come next.
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Willow stared at the sleeping form of her . Well, not her anymore. She didn't know whose she was, and she so didn't want to know. So, she corrected herself. She stared at the love of her life. The woman who had opened her eyes and had helped Willow back up on her feet. This wonderful, loving, caring woman that had sweeped her off her feet and she hadn't even known it until months after she had done it. The independant woman she had become since Willow had first met her, made Willow more astounded by how strong Tara was.
She walked over to the sleeping form, and silently brushed the remaining tears away, surprised that she could, but knew that Tara couldn't feel it. Maybe by doing this, she could scare away any of the nightmares this blond beauty had tonight, or well, this morning anyway. She knew that Tara had classes in the morning, so Willow moved to the alarm clock, setting it 30 min more than usual so Tara could get a little more sleep, before having to get up for the of the next day. Then she moved back to the blue eyed goddess that she loved so, and kissed her forehead.
Joyce watched the exchange, knowing full and well that she was breaking the rules by letting Willow do these things, like touching the young witch, or setting her alarm for her, but she didn't care right now. If she had to make Willow see what was to happen then she was going to allow Willow this. If they didn't like it, they could kiss her ass for all she cared. (Boy, I hung around my daughter way too much when I was alive. Those stupid shows Buffy watched on t.v. had rubbed off on me and on Buffy.) Joyce sighed and for the first time that night, she couldn't hold back the tiny tear that had been sneaking its way into her eye and down her cheek.
She let Willow have another minute before softly speaking,"We must fast forward now, to when the actual events happen. I'm sorry, but I can't shelter you from it forever." All Willow did was nod before leaving one more kiss, this time on Tara's lips, and stepping away.
Before they dissappeared, Willow softly whispered,"I love you."
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Back in Willow's real world, Tara's lying on the bed that her and Willow had shared, and would share again, if things went right when Willow came back. Boxes filled the room from left to right, most of them now empty and the drawers filled to the top once again. They had seemed so bare when she had opened them and all that was there was Willow's stuff.
Tara was holding Willow's journal to her chest tightly and praying that her baby would return soon, so that maybe, they could solve this and that the scoobies could apologize for their accusing. Just as she was starting to drift off, she felt familiar lips on hers, and a familiar voice could be heard softly echoing in the room,"I love you." She opened her eyes with hope, but found absolutely nothing there. Tears spilled from ocean depths, as they had for so many months, and she finally drifted to sleep.
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As much as I wanted to wait, and as much as most of you thought it would be best, I just found out that I can't. My mom just got out of surgery for the hospital and me being Mrs. Responsible Daughter, I'm doing everything to take care of her for the next 6 weeks till she up and back to her usual self. It probably won't be six weeks till I update, but it may be at least 2. I'll try to work on it as much as possible, but until then, I'll had chapter 10a to keep you going till I'm able to update. I hope you enjoyed it as much as you could, cause it was quite angsty. I promise I won't leave you hanging for too long, and Willow will see what happens to Willowless Tara and will return to her Sunnydale so hopefully there will be a happier end to the next chapter. Thanx for the lovely feedback, you guys never dissapoint. Keep it coming and I will keep on writing.--tru2urheart.[hr]
"Experiance Is A Hard Teacher Because It Gives The Test First The Lessons Afterwards." --Vernon Saunders Law
I always like to read really long posts, i don't know why exactly. I would gladly wait for the longer version. 
Please Please Please CLIFFHANGER MUCH PLEASE UPDATE IT MUST BE FINISHED IS IT TO GOOD!!!
Okay first i'ma start this message with *gets up singing* 
Praying for the next update, so dont be long please. 
