FIC: The Late Shift

[TinyJewishSanta]

Wiccachica,



I just found this Willow walking around. She has no place to go and she followed me home. Can I keep her, please? Please? PLEASE?



I'll take good care of her.

"Willow.... That's a tree. You're a tree! Yeah, uh, uh, are there any nachos in here, little tree?" Band Candy

[UniDagger]

hey if she gets one i want one too. and a tara. gotta have both..its a set.



*tries to think of a good bribe*





......

[jdcioffi]

If I admit -- er -- say I might be -- a Willow ... do I get my own Tara?



JD

...but if I did call, she wouldn't hang up on me.

[LeatherQueen]

Oh wow... wouldn't that just be like Christmas and Easter and your birthday all rolled up in one if you found extra Willows and Taras roaming around the town?

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"Honey, I'm the original one-eyed chicklet in the kingdom of the blind." - Glory


"Futile... like a FOX, baby!" - Tara in The Late Shift by wiccachica

[tkheaven]

LOLOLOLOL

Great Update! Pip bringing out a schedule was TOOOO funny!



Oh Man! I didn't get to read the update til now and I was like...Heeeeyyyyy Multiple Tara's ARE Happenning...an-and Tara wouldn't go for the sharing bit unless there were multiple Taras, uhh, happening

Yippeeee!!



Bouncy Bouncy Bouncy



See? Sometimes a little lack of caffeine can do some good

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"Hey Will, this is me. It doesn't all have to be good and fine. This is the room where you don't have to be brave. I still love you. If you're worried, you can be worried."

- Tara to Willow ~~ Episode 603: "Afterlife"

[wiccachica]

Good Morning kitties!



Sorry about not having an afternoon edition...server problems....it keeps kicking me out! I'll get on here and POOF! I'm gone....



Okay...I haven't started writing today's yet...so it'll be a little while. I thought I'd do a little becking though...



Mollyig...Barmy....I like the thought of someone out there considering my brain to be barmy...has a nice ring to it...heh....Now, Schmarmy...that would be a little different...not untrue...just different....



UniDagger...Tell the truth...you could handle more than one...it's just a simple mathmatical equation of which I am not going to share with you...not because I'm being greedy...no...it's because Math is my weakest point...What would a multiple Willow/Tara equation even look like? Hmmmm....



LeatherQueenEGADS!!! Tornadoes! I am terrified of them! I have nightmares about them! I can't even watch the Wizard of Oz because of the rotten tornado. I'm glad you're alright...and I hope your week gets better! As for the double-handed scritching....I'm going to have to...uhm....make a chart.... heh...



AutumnT...Can't whistle huh? Well that's okay...it's genetic...my mom can't whistle and both of my sisters are without whistle. Although standing there pursing your lips is just fine....heh. Fine indeed...



Owl...What have you been practising your scritches on? hmm? Air scritching like shadowboxing...*scritch!....duck...duck...weave...scritch....sidestep....scritch right....scritch left...*

You know...multiple Tara's appealed to me too...I was going to make a clever quip about the promise of more Tara's and liken it to Lays potato chips and their slogan about not being able to eat just one...but it feel into a fit of meaning something ENTIRELY different...so I'll stick with openly flagrant innuendoes....heh.



tiyodragon...Wait a minute...now all of them are naked??? When did this happen? Why didn't I get a memo??? Why didn't I get a stool and complementary binoculars??? I feel so out of the loop...



Kalita...I used to read Calvin and Hobbes a LONG time ago....I vaguely remember a bit about duplicates...LOL...you have quite the memory!



PIxie...I thank you for the copious panty stash...and I shall keep them safe from harm... plight...and plunder....(digging around to find Sass and help her out of the pile)



Sass...What's gonna be wrong with this story??? Have you no faith that I will keep this story line peppy and full of fun??? No? (hiding my angst-riddled notes quickly under the chair...) I'm hurt....really...just...hurt...



CK...Wow....now we all know what you would do with your very own captive Tara....she ever goes missing we know where to look... I have a feeling you'd make a chart too...wouldn't you?



Grimaldi...Thank you...and thank you for making my day that much brighter with your words and your avatar...I laugh every time...Cheesy Poofs!



TinyJewishSanta...If you found her just walking around...you can keep her... I mean possession is 9/10 of the law...(and that includes the ghostly kind too if you were wondering) Make sure to feed and water her...and put her in a sunny place during the day....



jdcioffi... I knew you were a Willow! Yes...we'll have to make you your own Tara now.......okay....Stop grinning.



LeatherQueen I just have to ask this....okay...the Christmas analogy I get...the unwrapping..the clapping with glee when you see what's under there...the elfen shoes... the unwrapping.(did I say that one already?)..heh....but...explain Easter to me...how is having extra Willows and Taras like Easter...? ( I can't wait to hear this one....)



Update a bit later...



-chica

" I mock you with my Monkey Pants!" - OZ


" You're NOT the source of me" - Buffy


" Tremble!" - Gacknar

[Kalita]

Quote:

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server problems....it keeps kicking me out! I'll get on here and POOF! I'm gone....

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Do you have High Secuity checked in your Preferences? That often creates these kinds of problems.

Quote:

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I used to read Calvin and Hobbes a LONG time ago....I vaguely remember a bit about duplicates...LOL...you have quite the memory!

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Memory, nothin'. I have the entire series in book form, and I reread them now and again. One of my secret pleasures.

"And the fun just keeps on leavin'."

[Grimaldi]

glad that I made your day brighter and that you love my avatar



Cheesy Poofs rule!!

"That movie has warpped my fragile little mind"



"All day I dream about fuckin' "

[wiccachica]

Mid Day Edition....



Busy day today...(whew)



Enjoy!



Chapter 150: You Know We Got a Mystery to Solve…the Scooby Crew Is Right Where It’s At….Well…Sort of…



The lights come up all at once…leaving all six of us standing in the rain…each holding our own now basically useless flashlights.



" The lights are back on." Xander states the obvious.



" Thank you Xander." Buffy says…switching off her flashlight and looking up and down the street. Her blonde hair plastered darkly to her head…looking the worst for wear…but still possessing a determined glint in her eye. When she notices me…she’s a little more than pissed.



" Dawn. I told you to stay at the house with Anya…what? Do you have like a filter on your ears that strains out the sound of my voice and me telling you it’s too dangerous and cold for you to be poking around with us in the dark…?"



" No." I say obstinately. Trying not to let her see my teeth chattering. Really it’s my only comeback right now because she is right. Not that I’d let HER know that. I swipe at an icy trickle of water on my neck…kind of vainly cuz another one follows immediately and courses down my back…



Anya comes splashing up to us…looking flustered.



" Okay…you said you were going to the bathroom, Dawn…" She challenges me.



" I didn’t say WHAT bathroom…" I shrug at her. She has to admit. I have her there.



" Can we find Tara please???" Willow demands angrily…



" You have to admit, Will…we have NO idea where to even start looking for her. We should all get out of this and dry off…you know…think about strategy…." Xander says miserably. His shirt and jeans cling icily to his form.



" Yeah…I might not know where to look…but I have a pretty good idea where to find a certain ‘sensitive’ who can help me find her…You guys are soaked to the bone…you should go back to the house and dry off…" Willow says. Wiping her wet face with an equally wet sleeve.



" Are you thinking of just taking a stroll through the cemetery at night…alone? In the rain?" Spike asks…



" I won’t be alone. You are coming with me." Willow says to him.



" Me?? What? I can’t go dry off with the rest of them?" He asks belligerently. " I’ll catch my bloody death out here…"



" You’ve already caught your bloody death, Spike…you’re coming with me."



" What about the Slayer…??? She’s got super strong Slayer immunities…take HER…"



" Thanks Spike…you’re a peach and a brave man..." Buffy surls his way…" But I have to agree with him…you should have me along…just in case."



" Take them home, Buff…Spike knows where Danger lives…he’s strong enough to keep the vamps off me…and I just….can’t go home…you know that." Willow says.



" I am THAT strong…." Spike says proudly before realizing he is digging himself deeper into the ‘having to help Willow’ pit. " Great." He simps.



" Go back to the house. I’ll call you." Willow says determined.



The rest of us are freezing. We watch Spike and Willow start to walk down the street in the rain…in the general direction of the Gentle Earth Cemetery…. We don’t immediately disband…maybe from guilt…maybe from worry…



" Spike will keep her safe…" I say hopefully…



" Sure…unless the water shorts out the chip in his brain and he decides to eat her with a plate of kidney beans…" Anya says helpfully.



We watch them fading away in the gray wall of rain…



"Okay…INSIDE…" Buffy says tersely… She gives Anya a stoic look.



" What??? I’m just giving you options…opening up your puny little minds to the POSSIBILITY that Willow will be eaten…therefore…END of any surprises…right? " Anya says….Buffy continues to stare at her….her expression speaking volumes.



Volumes of books on violence…and pain…at the hands of a Slayer…



" Okay….I’m shutting up now…." Anya pouts.



TBC...

" I mock you with my Monkey Pants!" - OZ


" You're NOT the source of me" - Buffy


" Tremble!" - Gacknar

Edited by: wiccachica  at: 4/18/02 2:32:23 pm

[Sassette]

Heh ... I was wondering how you were going to do that ... get Willow to the crypt without the rest of the Scooby Gang ... I'm reasonably sure she doesn't want them to know that the two other Willows kidnapped her girlfriend for ... *cough* ... naughty purposes.



Sure, all Willow's think alike - doesn't mean Willow wants anyone but Tara knowing that.



-Sass

[supermus]

Hee. hee hee hee. might want to fix that italicizing thing there, wiccachica. From the looks of it you put an end BOLD tag instead of an end ITALICS tag. BTW, what does the title mean? How does "The Late Shift" pertain to the story?

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Nothing gets in the way of fate. Not time, not space, not distance, no person or creature. Not even death. Eventually fate will bring them together."

-Excerpt from Katharyn's "The Sidestep Chronicle"

[wiccachica]

Thanks Supermus....all fixed! Me and my silly codes!...



As for the title....The Late Shift was just a play on words from the original story...you know....the shifting of bodies and all....but I was going to originally call it JabberWonky...



I opted for the more obscure...as I tend to do...heh.





-chica

" I mock you with my Monkey Pants!" - OZ


" You're NOT the source of me" - Buffy


" Tremble!" - Gacknar

[TinyJewishSanta]

Wow -



I never thought you would actually let me keep her. Still, I think that you need her back for the next installment - and far be it for me to stand in the way of the next installment.



*TJS sheepishly hands a Willow back to Wiccachica. The Willow looks none the worse for wear.*



Besides, I think she misses her Tara - and my partner thought she made the bed a bit crowded. I sent her to the guest room, but she was so lonely that she kept coming back. I couldn't turn her away; I'm no monster.

"Willow.... That's a tree. You're a tree! Yeah, uh, uh, are there any nachos in here, little tree?" Band Candy

[wiccachica]

oh TinyJewishSanta....



No monster...indeed... (chuckling)



I'm sure she made three a very happy crowd.



But thanks for the Willow back...I'll put her in tomorrow's edition...



Sadly today I'm a little under the weather...not from being sick per se...but my pals took me out to celebrate my career liberation...and well...I'm a lightweight.



Today I'm at a loss for the writing of fic...so I'm just floating around reading the fabulous workings of Sass and Ruth...



But tomorrow I will be back in form.





-chica

" I mock you with my Monkey Pants!" - OZ


" You're NOT the source of me" - Buffy


" Tremble!" - Gacknar

[UniDagger]

"UniDagger...Tell the truth...you could handle more than one...it's just a simple mathmatical equation of which I am not going to share with you...not because I'm being greedy...no...it's because Math is my weakest point...What would a multiple Willow/Tara equation even look like? Hmmmm...."



Did you mean 'couldnt'? Cuz that would prob be correct..i wouldnt survive. But I'd die trying hehe and with the biggest grin on my face no doubt...that or from a frying pan upside my head from ~Liz for not sharing. (I SWEAR...I'll share!!!)

As for math...as tempted as I am..not gonna go...ok, i went there. but i'm not saying another word. nope. no math thoughts in my head. nada. zero. -0 even......

[Kalita]

Not up for writing?!? Does your troll need anything? A massage, a mud bath, a scritching? Lemme know.



Oh, and I love the new FiB av. Great scene.

"And the fun just keeps on leavin'."

[Grimaldi]

that was a great part





i would say more, but i am enjoying the KNAC.com web cam right now

"That movie has warpped my fragile little mind"



"All day I dream about fuckin' "

Edited by: Grimaldi at: 4/18/02 4:32:10 pm

[Canadian Kitty]

It's ok wiccachica, I understand the whole lightweight thing. Despite liking my beer ALOT, I'm rather useless after two. So take your time and let the trolls head clear. Then let the updates roll tomorrow. I'll occupy myself with thoughts of multiple Willows and Taras until then.



CK

"You wanna go out sometime, for coffee, food, kisses and gay love?" Willow- Normal Again.

[TinyJewishSanta]

Beer Bad

"Willow.... That's a tree. You're a tree! Yeah, uh, uh, are there any nachos in here, little tree?" Band Candy

[UniDagger]

*shakes head* beer good! beer foamy!!!



*stumble*



lol

[TinyJewishSanta]

Want more beer. Where girl go?



*TJS having forgotten that she voluntarily returned her Willow for the sake of the fic*

Edited to add: and for the sake of her marriage.

"Willow.... That's a tree. You're a tree! Yeah, uh, uh, are there any nachos in here, little tree?" Band Candy

Edited by: TinyJewishSanta at: 4/18/02 6:03:56 pm

[LeatherQueen]

Quote:

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posted by my scritchee...

EGADS!!! Tornadoes! I am terrified of them! I have nightmares about them! I can't even watch the Wizard of Oz because of the rotten tornado. I'm glad you're alright...and I hope your week gets better! As for the double-handed scritching....I'm going to have to...uhm....make a chart.... heh...

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Yes. Tornadoes. Yucky things, they are. Mess up my internet connection and cause loud sirens to go off. Well, my week will get better on Friday when my work week is over. *sigh* Only one more day to get through.



And a chart! Yowza... With different colored pens and everything? Heh... Should be interesting to, um... read.

Quote:

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but...explain Easter to me...how is having extra Willows and Taras like Easter...? ( I can't wait to hear this one....)

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Um... well, see... it's like this... y'know how at Easter you get chocolate and candy... which are all very yummy things to eat... and so... well... yeah... ;p I think you get the, um... picture. 'Cuz, y'know... subtle innuendo? Soooo not my strong point.



And what a loverly afternoon part! I can't wait to see Spike's reaction to the Willows and their wily Willow-plans!

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"Honey, I'm the original one-eyed chicklet in the kingdom of the blind." - Glory


"Futile... like a FOX, baby!" - Tara in The Late Shift by wiccachica

[jdcioffi]

*dancing around happily with a copy of The Late Shift* I get a Tara, I get a Tara, I get a ...



*looks around at all the kittens*



I mean, um, good update. Yeah. Uhm ... fine piece you've got here. Yes, very fine. Very nice ... uhm ... and more would be good. Yes, more.



*looks over her kitten shoulder ... no one is watching*



*starts dancing again*



JD

...but if I did call, she wouldn't hang up on me.

[mollyig]

Sure…unless the water shorts out the chip in his brain and he decides to

eat her with a plate of kidney beans



That Anya, she's just so darn helpful!



Imagining Spike's face when he sees the multi-Willows - heh heh!



I think Danger's in trouble too. Willow won't be happy with him for assisting t'other Willows.

I could paint you in the dark, 'cause I've studied you with hunger as a work of art - Collecting you (Indigo Girls)

[wiccachica]

You all are making me giggle hysterically at work...and since I'm the senior "boss-of-them" It could have consequences.... (Beer Foamy....*chuckle*)



oh well...



Good Morning Kitties!



(passes out one free Willow to everyone for the day..)



The Morning Edition:



Chapter 151: Resistance is Futile….



"Okay…that’s it…I’m LEAVING…" I say and stand up to go.



This move confuses the Willows…as I knew it would.



Duplicate Willows don’t fall far from the tree…so to speak…



" You…You CAN’T just… GO!!! You’re our prisoner!" Pippa says…a little more desperately than I think she meant to.



" What…are you two going to do if I go….HURT me?" I ask calmly.



" M-maybe. Maybe we will…you never…know.." Pippa says…shifting her slight weight from foot to foot…not being convincing in the least.



" Come on. YOU may be Pippa…and YOU may be Prudence….but the bottom line is… you are still Willows…and I know that WILLOW…any WILLOW would never HURT me…"



" Yeah…you never said anything about hurting The Tara…." Danger says…suddenly standing…and moving protectively towards me.



" Danger." I say.



" Yeah?"



" You don’t have to call me THE Tara… just Tara is fine…" He thinks about this.



" Okay…but can I still be mad about the hurting you part?"



" Yes, Danger."



Danger scowls at the duo standing on the other side of the crypt.



" The deal was you get two The…..uhm…two… Tara’s and then you let HER go…No hurting…no charts…."



Pippa sits down heavily on a nearby slab of stone….She looks defeated.



" You know we aren’t going to hurt her, Danger…how can we…she’s TARA…." She says pointing despairingly my way. I almost feel sorry for her….sorry enough to wish she DID have a Tar…a Me…of her very own to console her…but how weird would that be…?



" Pip….you aren’t helping." Pru says firmly.



" You know you aren’t going to do anything to hurt her either, Pru…" Pippa says.



" Desperate times call for desperate measures." Pru says…eyeing with much more convincing intent than Pippa.



Goddess! What part of Willow is this chick from???



" You want her to make you Tara’s of your own…and you can’t even treat the one that you have right?" Danger scolds.



" We aren’t looking for a toy here, Danger…we both want our soul mate." Pru says. " And I’m not going to lie to you…we’re not going to hurt you…But I know you…at least as well as Willow does… and I know that what we are willing to do won’t be pretty…" Pru holds the amulet in her fist …looking quite sure that she is going to win this argument hands down.



Pippa snaps her gaze up to her redheaded counterpart. This all being new news to her.



" What….uhm…what isn’t going to be pretty? We didn’t discuss un-pretty, Pru…I’m not down with the whole not knowing the un-pretty plot thing…" She says.



TBC…

" I mock you with my Monkey Pants!" - OZ


" You're NOT the source of me" - Buffy


" Tremble!" - Gacknar

[NewRuthRising]

now, at first i wasn't too worried about what the willow's would do, but now i've just remembered willows' stubborness (which is doubled) and her love for tara (which is like, huge). " The word GULP comes to mind"

[UniDagger]

hehe. i love the update. when i read about Danger i cant help but say "aw". he reminds me of a....and i mean this in the best possible way...a loyal dog...doesnt always understand, but defends to the death. (or maybe they do understand more than we think hmm?) Speaking of dogs....wheres the puppy? just wonderin *G*



*goes back to pretend-working* look! im at my desk - i must be working. right? hehe

[Sassette]

wiccachica, you are 'pimpin'-fabulous-disco-sexy'. But, umm ... can I trade in my Willow for a Tara? And which Willow do I have?



*peers at Willow closely*



Are these like collector's items, and is it possible to get the whole set? Or are these many copies of Original Willow?



And, umm ... when's the next update? Because, y'know, I'm actually pulling for Pru and Pippa getting their own Tara's. I mean, you can't just >kill< them ... because they've been separate individuals for, what - weeks? months? They're kind of ... people, really ... and just making them cease to exist seems ... wrong.



And Pippa's just cute in the extreme ... we don't want her to be lonely! Pru, especially, needs one to keep her from being, y'know, extreme Ends-Justify-The-Means-Cold-Reason Willow.



Pru >SO< needs to get laid.



Is this wrong? Am I bad? *sigh* All Willow's think alike, y'know, and I somehow think that WILLOW Willow would want the other Willow's to have a Tara, because she knows just how miserable she is without one. Well, she'd want them to have their own Tara AFTER she gets over being pissed off that they took HER Tara. Question is - which Tara would go to which Willow?



-Sass

PS I totally forgot to mention during the update where Tara met the Other Willows ...



" " Date Night in a crypt playing Monopoly with Pippa is NOT my idea of a good time…" Pru says. " besides…neither of us can beat each other at a game involving math, money and strategy…it’s like purgatory…." "



That line cracked me up... I was laughing for hours. Umm ... actually, that one still makes me laugh, so I guess I've been laughing for DAYS. That whole section had some TRULY classic lines.

Edited by: Sassette at: 4/19/02 9:50:38 am

[LeatherQueen]

Quote:

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"I’m not down with the whole not knowing the un-pretty plot thing…"

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Oh THAT was another classic Willow line! I love it... and thanks for the Willow... but, um.. if Sass gets to trade hers in for a Tara, can I, too?



The poor Willows... I don't blame them. They really do need their own Taras to keep them sane and happy. It's like a woncubine... without a wiccachica, a woncubine is very, very sad indeedy.

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"Honey, I'm the original one-eyed chicklet in the kingdom of the blind." - Glory


"Futile... like a FOX, baby!" - Tara in The Late Shift by wiccachica

[Sassette]

The more I think about those poor Willow's ... without any *sniff* Tara's ... I just ... *sniffle hiccup* I'm gonna' go cry now ... *SOB*



-Sass