An Everyday Life (New Update 12/13/12)

[AstronSoul]

Grrr Lexi!!! lmao no dibs for me this time

~pouts~ Poor Tara, all Willow has to do is explain, it's not that hard. Then again the emotions make it hard. I hope she speaks to Tara soon, because this can be bad on the relationship if she keeps it all locked up inside.

Great job!!! I want more soon!!!

~AS~

[Grimm]

Shelia and Ira really know how to fuck up a wet dream. The first part of the update was just yummy! But after that, the sh!t just went sidewayz. It's time for Willow to cut the cord.

I think Willow will find that she has a ally in Faith.

[Finey_McFine]

JESS!!!!!!! Can't these two just have a day or two together with someone or something coming between them? Ugh, I hate Willow's parents.

You know how I love this fic and my heart is breaking for Willow. We can all say it a thousand times that she needs to confide more in Tara, but Willow's fear of rejection from the one person that means so much is paralyzing her. I get it, having been in a similar situation, but there comes a point where you have to let go and trust. So, I'm thinking that maybe now that Faith knows, perhaps she can convince Willow to come clean to Tara. Because, you know if Tara finds out that EVERYONE else knew, but Willow didn't trust her enough to tell her...shit's gonna hit the fan and not in a good way. Willow WILL indeed risk losing Tara.

OK, so enough of all that, now let me get to the important stuff...the first half of the chapter. LOVED IT!! You really did a great job showing the raw passion mixed with genuine feelings of love...even if they haven't said it yet.

Anyway, please update soonish!!! Oh, one last thing...yay Buffy! First wielding the golf club and then being support-o-gal!

[zampsa19752001]

Yay for great update-y goodness... Yummy naked time... I truly truly hope that now Willow finally tells everything about her so called parents. And I hope that Tara's first reaction to knowing the truth is to hug her girlfriend and help her deal with the issue...

[Ariel]

Jessica,

So much going on here, have to echo Lexi about the roller-coaster ride and loving it!

Starting with a bit of a show for the cab-driver, then loved this funny bit:

“Good point,” she said as she felt Tara’s lips roam down her neck. “So are we going to do this right here?” She glanced around the dully light stairwell, noticing the flaking yellow paint and chipped stairs, sure that if they did do anything here they’d leave covered in dust and grime. And as gorgeous as the blonde wrapped around her was, she didn’t particular feel like swatting away spiders as she tried to get her sexy on.

The the incredibly sexy, sensuous and HOT counter-sex scene. Oh baby! Let's hop into the cold shower one more time! And the "tumble into orgasmic bliss" *happy sigh* And their awakening in each other's arms - so tender and warm. Love it.

Then breakfast. Loved how Willow claimed her girl in front of Brad! AND loved Tara's comment about taking Anya there early enough to avoid insulting the church people. Now THAT's a scene I'd pay to see - Anya being Anya and chaos ensuing!

Then we come to some very fine writing:

Sheila took one last drag off her cigarette before standing and flicking it into the flower bed to her right. It had lilies this year. Buffy’s mom had always alternated between lilies and irises and after she’d passed, Buffy and Dawn had kept the traditional spring planting going in her honor.

Jess, in two sentences you share so much; there is sadness at Joyce's passing, love in the touching gesture of her flower planting continuing and love renewing, incredible contrast between two mother/daughter relationships and a vivid gesture of such incredible insensitivity in Willow's mother chucking the cigarette butt where she did. I'm bowing before your greatness.

Then friends wielding appropriate objects and Willow crying in Buffy's arms and, yes, it's time to bring Tara into awareness of what's going on. And when Willow can get past some of the shame and let Tara in, then she will.

Thank you for this wonderful story!

Ariel
How I Met Your Mother

[beautiful_love]

Feedback

True_Love – Hey Lexi. I think you dibsed faster than anyone else. It was crazy. Lol.

As much as I loved the hilarity of the last update, my true love of fiction comes from the roller-coaster ride of emotions that a character can endure in a single day/chapter.

Yes. This had been planned all along and I expected to get there much faster but unfortunately it just wasn’t in the cards.

Willow really needs to go to Tara and talk to her before Faith does. It's sad that Tara is the last to know and it should never be that way, but I guess that is probably true to life. Sometime things just work out like that.

You never know what direction life’s going to take you, you know. And unfortunately for Tara, this is where she ended up. But Willow is going to talk to her. It just may take a bit for all the loose ends to be wrapped up.

Thanks for reading and leaving feedback.

AstronSoul -

~pouts~ Poor Tara, all Willow has to do is explain, it's not that hard. Then again the emotions make it hard. I hope she speaks to Tara soon, because this can be bad on the relationship if she keeps it all locked up inside.

No, bottling up emotions is never good. And Willow will talk to Tara. It’s just such a touchy subject and she needs to figure out how to get it out and still be comfortable with her and Tara’s relationship. It’s going to be a process.

Thanks for reading!

SMGOVAN -

The first part of the update was just yummy!

I particularly thought you’d enjoy it. Lol.

But after that, the sh!t just went sidewayz. It's time for Willow to cut the cord.

I think sometimes it’s hard to say when you can stick with the whole ‘enough is enough’ mentality. Especially when it comes to family. But continuing to be hurt just doesn’t work when you’re trying to live your own life.

I think Willow will find that she has a ally in Faith.

The relationship between Faith and Willow is going to become important in the whole ordeal. And Faith will definitely come in handy.

Finey_McFine -

Can't these two just have a day or two together with someone or something coming between them? Ugh, I hate Willow's parents.

They have a little time together where life wasn’t crazy. It was like for a day or so. But yes, her parents suck.

You know how I love this fic and my heart is breaking for Willow. We can all say it a thousand times that she needs to confide more in Tara, but Willow's fear of rejection from the one person that means so much is paralyzing her. I get it, having been in a similar situation, but there comes a point where you have to let go and trust.

Exactly. The trust issue is really a big deal and that’s something that you have to learn at the beginning of a relationship, you know? Sometimes it just takes a little more effort.

So, I'm thinking that maybe now that Faith knows, perhaps she can convince Willow to come clean to Tara. Because, you know if Tara finds out that EVERYONE else knew, but Willow didn't trust her enough to tell her...shit's gonna hit the fan and not in a good way. Willow WILL indeed risk losing Tara.

Question: Can the shit hit the fan in a good way? I feel like you just created a new riddle or something and there’s no answer!

OK, so enough of all that, now let me get to the important stuff...the first half of the chapter. LOVED IT!! You really did a great job showing the raw passion mixed with genuine feelings of love...even if they haven't said it yet.

Lol, I figured that part of the chapter would go over well. Thanks for reading.

zampsa19752001 -

I truly truly hope that now Willow finally tells everything about her so called parents. And I hope that Tara's first reaction to knowing the truth is to hug her girlfriend and help her deal with the issue...

She is going to tell her and Tara’s going to have to be support-o gal or it’s going to totally screw up Willow’s faith in her girlfriend. I’ll make it work out though, no worries.

Thanks for reading.

Ariel – Hey Ariel!

So much going on here, have to echo Lexi about the roller-coaster ride and loving it!

There’s going to be a few more corkscrews before all’s said and done so buckle in.

The the incredibly sexy, sensuous and HOT counter-sex scene. Oh baby! Let's hop into the cold shower one more time! And the "tumble into orgasmic bliss" *happy sigh* And their awakening in each other's arms - so tender and warm. Love it.

Apparently that was a popular part of the chapter. Lol. Glad you enjoyed.

Sheila took one last drag off her cigarette before standing and flicking it into the flower bed to her right. It had lilies this year. Buffy’s mom had always alternated between lilies and irises and after she’d passed, Buffy and Dawn had kept the traditional spring planting going in her honor.

Jess, in two sentences you share so much; there is sadness at Joyce's passing, love in the touching gesture of her flower planting continuing and love renewing, incredible contrast between two mother/daughter relationships and a vivid gesture of such incredible insensitivity in Willow's mother chucking the cigarette butt where she did. I'm bowing before your greatness.

Thank you! While I do like just writing this story, I want to get better at writing too you know. So to hear you say that means a lot.

Then friends wielding appropriate objects and Willow crying in Buffy's arms and, yes, it's time to bring Tara into awareness of what's going on. And when Willow can get past some of the shame and let Tara in, then she will.

Tara’s going to find out. I promise. It just may take some time to get the whole way there. Thanks again for the feedback.

[beautiful_love]

Title - An Everyday Life
Author name – beautiful_love a.k.a. Jessica
Rating – R (for language)
Disclaimer - I don't own these characters.
Feedback- absolutely
Summary- Totally AU - Tara meets Willow - the happy bumblings of falling in love - I'm not too good at this summary thing.
Notes: Special thanks to Ariel for her incredible assistance as my beta.

Chapter Twenty Eight

The sun was still a few hours from setting and was creating a monstrous glare across the freeway as Tara tried to maneuver around the heavy traffic congesting the road. She reached into her center console and grabbed her sunglasses and leaned her head back against the headrest as she came to a complete stop. She sighed, pounding her fist against her steering wheel once in frustration. It didn’t matter that she’d gotten ahead of schedule at work and had landed a huge new contract for her office. It didn’t matter that the wind was gusting off the water at just the right angle to smother the sweltering heat or that the sky was the most incredible shade of blue at that moment. And it didn’t matter that the radio seemed to be tuned to her, playing one great retro hit after another. None of these things could lift her somber mood. She turned off her air conditioner and rolled her window down, letting the breeze into the car, feeling it tousle at the ends of her hair. She sighed again as the traffic around her slowly began to move and she merged her car over into the right lane, anticipating her approaching exit, only to be immediately stopped by a tankard with the same idea.

“Damn it!” she yelled, slamming her palm down on her horn as she tried to avoid having the front end of her car taken out. “Ass hole,” she grumbled when she was sure she was out of harm’s way.

She reached into her purse, looking for her phone, coming up empty as she once again remembered that she’d left it on the charger at home that morning.

“Damn it,” she muttered again, following the line of cars that were now moving towards the exit. All she wanted to do was go home, take a long hot shower and curl up in a ball on her bed. It was a little after six and she didn’t know if she’d beat Faith home or not, but she was hopeful since the brunette had a longer commute in the same horrendous traffic.

Finally reaching her exit, she swerved onto the off ramp and gunned the engine, swiftly getting out of the major congestion and one step closer to home. Luckily she made it to her complex parking lot in record time and parked in her usual spot away from the building. Grabbing her work things and purse she locked the car and walked towards the building, feeling a little of the tension melt as she made her way inside and up the chilly stairwell to her door.

Oddly, she could hear music coming from inside and wondered if Faith had left the radio on this morning when she’d left for work. Her question was answered though when she opened the door and caught a glimpse of her roommate in the kitchen over the sink.

Damn it! How the hell did she get home so fast? I so just want to me alone tonight, she thought as she sighed in disappointment and dropped her things near the door, locking it behind her. The clicking of the chain lock brought the brunette’s attention to the front door and a smile to her face when she saw her roommate.

“Hey!” she said as she reached for a dishtowel to dry her hands and stepped towards the blonde. “Where have you been? I was worried.”

“Work. It’s Monday, Faith,” Tara said as she slid out of her shoes and stepped further into the apartment.

“No shit, smartass,” Faith said with a roll of her eyes. “Where were you yesterday? I got home from Buffy’s and you were gone.”

“Oh, yeah, well I went with Anya back to the bar to clean up and everything. Then I went to the gym and then to work to take care of some stuff. I got home a little after midnight.”

“Everything ok?” Faith asked, already sensing that something was wrong with her best friend. When she arrived at the apartment the day before she’d been immediately worried when she found it empty. After seeing the blow up between Willow and her parents she wondered how much Tara knew about their relationship but didn’t want to step on the redhead’s toes by opening her mouth if the blonde was ignorant.

“Yeah,” Tara said, walking into the living room. “I just want to take a shower and relax.”

“Yeah ok. Well I was going to order something for dinner. Chinese ok?” The brunette was normally all about giving her friend some space when she needed it but right now, she could sense that space wasn’t a good thing for the blonde.

“Um, well actually, I’m not-”

“No, don’t worry about it. Go take your shower and I’ll order. My treat,” Faith said with an air of finality as she made her way back to the kitchen.

“Great,” Tara mumbled, plodding slowly into the bathroom.

*****

Willow stared at her laptop, flexing her fingers until she heard a few pops before she resumed typing, pounding feverishly on the keys as the clock ticked by. She’d been sitting at the dining room table all day, deciding to work from home for a few days to avoid any stares or questions from her co-workers about the enormous bruise on the left side of her face. She touched her hand to the spot, wincing at the tenderness of the giant welt she felt there. Her mom had tried calling twice more the evening before after she’d cried herself out on Buffy’s shoulder but she’d ignored both calls and had deleted both voicemails. She was thankful that her mom had given up for now though because she’d had her phone within reach all day, hoping to hear from Tara. So far she’d called four times, left two voicemails, and three text messages, all without any response.

“Damn it, Willow,” she sighed, contemplating, not for the first time of getting in her car and driving over to the blonde’s apartment with a sincere apology ready.

“Hey Will,” Buffy said as she came down the stairs, changed into her sweats, essay papers in hand from her students to grade. “How’s work coming?”

“Fine. Got a lot done today,” the redhead said, glancing quickly over at her phone to see if she’d missed anything.

“So why don’t you call it a day? Go sit and relax, maybe watch some TV,” Buffy suggested as she sat down.

“Maybe in a little bit,” Willow said as she refocused on her laptop screen.

“Did you get any calls from your mom today?”

“Nope. Just the two last night.”

“What about Tara?”

“She won’t answer,” Willow said, still staring at the computer screen.

“Maybe she’s just busy,” the blonde suggested.

“I treated her like crap and yelled at her Buffy. If I was her, I wouldn’t want to talk to me either.”

“Give it a little time Will. It’ll all be ok,” Buffy said, her voice taking on a reassuring quality. Willow just nodded, resuming the clicking of the keys on the keyboard.

*****

Tara stepped into a pair of old running shorts and pulled her beloved UCLA t-shirt over her head, delighting in the feel of the worn, soft cotton against her skin. She looked back at her bed, longingly, trying to think of any excuse she could give Faith to get out of dinner but she couldn’t come up with anything that the brunette wouldn’t see right through. Pulling her hair into a ponytail, she finally exited her bedroom, hearing voices at her front door.

Food must be here, she thought as she rounded the corner into the living room and saw Faith turn to her, takeout in hand, a look of ‘please help me’ plastered across her face. She looked at the brunette, confused until she heard the familiar voice of their neighbor from across the hall.

‘No way!’ she mouthed to Faith, shaking her head and waving her arms in front of her.

‘Please,’ Faith mouthed before turning back to the man in the hallway.

“Damn it,” Tara grumbled, sighing as she made her way to the door.

“Tara! Hi! I was just asking Faith about you. I keep seeing you running in and out of here with that redhead.”

“Hi Riley,” she said as she leaned against the doorframe.

“How are you?” he asked as he sat down a trash bag outside their door, apparently ready to stay for a while.

“Good. You?” she asked, earning a reproachful side eye from Faith.

“Oh you know. All work and no play. Working on some new spy cameras for the defense department. I’ve been trying to test them out around the building here and they seem to be working really well. They’ve gone completely undetected,” he said, puffing out his chest in pride.

“Cameras?” Faith and Tara both squeaked.

“Yeah. I asked the landlord about it and he said it was ok. Just a couple of video surveillance cameras.”

“Surveillance cameras?” Tara’s eyes grew wide.

“Like in the building?” Faith asked, seeming just a nervous.

“Like in the hallway?” Tara followed up. She turned to Faith and the brunette just stared back, looking absolutely petrified.

“Oh no! No, not in the building. The parking lot,” Riley explained, seeming unfazed by the two girls worry. They both let out a deep sigh and let their shoulders sag as they both realized that perhaps soldier boy most likely hadn’t seen anything they would later come to regret. “The government should be approving them any day now,” he said, smiling with pride.

“Well that’s great,” Tara said. “Congratulations.”

“Yeah, way to go neighbor,” Faith said with an exaggerated punch to his shoulder. “But we should probably let you get back to it. Looks like you’re busy,” she said, nodding towards the trash bag on the floor.

“Oh no. I can-”

“Yeah, it was nice talking to you Riley, but I’m sure you’ve got better things to do than hang out with us,” Tara interrupted as she stepped back and gripped the front door.

“Well maybe we could-”

“Bye Riley,” Faith said as she stepped back into the apartment and Tara shut the door, instantly locking the deadbolt. She turned to Faith and immediately laughed when she saw the irritated look on the brunette’s face.

“God, I swear he just sits there and waits for us to open the door. I bet he has like a stool set up so he can just stare out his peephole,” she said as she moved into the living room, dropping the takeout bags on the coffee table. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he did have video cameras in the hallways and stairwells. Fucking stalker.”

“Well if he does, I’m about to make my soft core porn debut,” Tara said, grabbing two bottled waters from the kitchen and taking her seat on the floor in the living room near the coffee table.

“You and me both,” Faith said as she unpacked their food. Tara smiled as she took the offered chicken and broccoli from the brunette and realized just how hungry she was after having not eaten all day. The two tucked into their meals, seated across from each other on the floor in silence. Tara could tell there was something Faith wanted to talk to her about but she didn’t know if she was ready to talk yet. “So how as Anya yesterday?” Faith asked, finally breaking the silence.

“Good. She called me and asked if we could help. I told her you were indisposed but that I didn’t have anything else to do. So she gave me dibs on the newest shipments from the fall catalog,” Tara explained. “You get seconds dibs for helping Saturday.”

“Oh well thank God for that,” Faith deadpanned. “How hung over was she?”

“Not at all actually. She remembered to eat her cure all cheese sandwich before bed.”

Faith just laughed at the explanation and the two lapsed back into silence as she tried to figure out how to approach the subject of Willow. She looked down into her carryout container and noticed it was already half empty. Setting it down on the coffee table in front of her she decided to just take the most forward approach.

“So how’d your night with Willow go after the party?”

“Good,” Tara answered, thinking the night had been amazing. It was the morning after that was the problem.

“What did you guys do today?” Faith pushed.

“Just picked up her car and went to breakfast.” Tara refused to look at the brunette, focusing instead on pushing her food around the cardboard container in her hand.

“Something happen at breakfast?”

“Why?” Tara asked, finally meeting the brunette’s stare, challenging her best friend to keep prodding.

Ignoring the blonde’s stare, Faith sighed and leaned forward, resting her elbows on the coffee table in front of her.

“How much do you know about Willow’s parents?” Tara huffed in disbelief and turned back to her dinner. “I’ll take it you don’t really know anything then?”

“I know they don’t really get along. That’s all the information I’ve had the pleasure of being privy to,” Tara said, her voice now carrying an edge of warning for the brunette to back off.

“Tare, don’t.” Faith warned.

“Well why are you asking this Faith? Why do you want to talk about this?” she said as she slammed her palms down on the coffee table, her frustration boiling over.

“Look, it’s not my place to tell you about it. But whatever you’re being pissy about, just get over it. I saw her with them yesterday and… It wasn’t pretty,” Faith said, leaning towards the blonde. “You don’t know what she’s going through so don’t pretend to.”

“I never claimed to know!” Tara shot back. “She won’t fucking tell me anything!” Tara looked down at her hands, clenched into shaking fists on the table and instantly realized that she’d bottled up her feelings on this for too long. She unclenched her fists and laid her head in her hands, taking a deep, calming breath and feeling tears of frustration prick her eyes.

“Hey,” Faith said, quietly sliding around to the other side of the table and sitting back beside her best friend. She placed a comforting hand on the blonde’s back and waited as Tara took another minute to compose herself. “What’s up?” she asked finally.

“I just… I’m worried,” she said with a sniffle as she wiped away a few stray tears that had escaped down her cheeks. She sat back, her shoulder brushing Faith’s as she rested back against the couch. “I’m worried about her. She won’t tell me what’s going on with her family but I know it’s bad. That’s actually all I know and it wasn’t like she even came out and said it exactly.” The blonde paused for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts, her brow furrowing in frustration. “I don’t have the slightest clue what she’s been through or is still going through with them. And I’m worried, whatever it is, that she’s going to get hurt. More than she already has been. And I can’t protect her,” Tara said, finally meeting Faith’s understanding chocolate brown eyes. She sighed and looked away again, unprepared to face anyone with what she was about to say. “When you told me about your mom and stuff, we’d been friends for a while but I had to earn your trust first.”

“Which you did,” Faith jumped in.

“I know. And I don’t expect Willow to just automatically throw her arms open and bare it all. But she hasn’t told me anything. I was really thinking about this last night and I’ve shared so much with her. She knows so much about me. My family, you guys, my job, my past. Not everything obviously but I share stuff with her all the time because I want her to know me. I don’t know her. She opened up about her uncle the other night and I was so elated that I got to see a part of her that I was like high for the rest of the night. She gave me something that didn’t involve Buffy or Cordelia or Dawn. But that was all I got. Yesterday morning she completely cut herself off from me and then after breakfast, she blew up at me. But she won’t tell me anything. And I… I just feel lost when it comes to what to do. God Faith, I sound like a fucking nut!”

“You keep doing exactly what you’ve been doing Tare. You can’t force her to tell you anything. She just needs to know you’ll be there, to listen to her, when she’s ready.” Faith put an arm around the blonde’s shoulders and pulled her closer. “Look, I don’t know what’s going on. I just know what I saw yesterday and I know Buffy pretty much despises the ground they slither on.”

“They showed up at her house?” Tara asked, resting her head on Faith’s shoulder.

“Yeah. And they’re both pretty big pieces of shit from what I gathered,” Faith said, resting her head against the top of Tara’s. “I mean, don’t get the wrong idea. I didn’t see a lot and I didn’t ask anyone to explain it to me. It was just a familiar scene, that’s all.” She paused for a moment, carefully considering how to voice her next idea without offending the blonde. “Now obviously Buffy knows all about this mess but who else knows about it?”

“Well Dawn, obviously, and I think their friend Cordelia. She’s never mentioned anyone else.”

“And they all have fairly normal parents.”

“From what I’ve heard.” Tara sat up and looked at her friend. “Why?”

“Well, I was thinking, maybe she never opened up to anyone else because she’s embarrassed. I mean, I was scared to tell you and Ahn anything because you guys have great families. I didn’t want you thinking that I was like my mom but more than that, I didn’t want your pity. I didn’t want you to look at me any differently. And I was lucky because you guys never treated me any different. Even when my mom showed up and you got to see a few live shows, you guys treated me the exact same. Maybe Willow is scared you’d look at her different. Or worse, that you’ll run away because you can’t deal with it.”

Tara sat there for a moment, her face contorting as Faith’s words ran through her head.

“Does that make sense?” Faith asked after the blonde had been quiet for a few minutes.

“Actually yeah. Perfect sense.” Tara finally cracked a small smile. “Thanks master Yoda.”

“You know, you don’t know what that means. The closest either of us has gotten to Star Wars is Space Balls and Family Guy re-runs,” Faith said with a laugh. “Why don’t you give her a call. Not to check on her. Just to say hi.”

Tara just nodded, giving Faith a small, unsure smile.

*****

“Will, seriously, take a break. You’ve been at it for hours,” Buffy said as she set down her red pen and stretched her back over her chair.

“I know. But I’m almost done with the program,” Willow said, still tapping away at the keyboard.

“Willow,” Buffy warned. “You’re done. Close it up.” Willow looked up to see the stern look in her friend’s eyes and immediately complied, saving the program and closing her laptop. “Good. Now, go take a nice hot shower and relax. You can get back to hacking tomorrow.”

“You’re awful bossy right now,” the redhead said as she stood up. Buffy just shrugged and picked up her pen to resume grading when the doorbell rang. “Dawn?”

“No, she’s still in class for another hour,” Buffy said, quickly moving to answer the door before Willow could even move in case it was another unwanted visitor. She glanced through the peephole and quickly unlocked the heavy, oak door, swinging it open to the guest. “Holy shit! What the hell are you doing here?”

Willow could hear the merriment in her friend’s voice and knew the visitor wasn’t anyone she was trying to avoid.

“Surprise! I’m early.”

Willow smiled, instantly recognizing the voice.

“Cordy?!” she called as she bounded out of the dining room, seeing her two friends in a welcoming hug, not thinking twice before joining in.

“Why didn’t you tell us you were coming in today? You’re not supposed to be here until next week!” Buffy said as they pulled away and allowed the brunette to enter the house.

“Well, I wanted to surprise everyone,” she said, looking back and forth between the two friends, taking a few seconds longer to appraise Willow.

“Well, we’re so happy you’re here,” Buffy said, hugging the taller girl once more. “Have you already seen your parents?”

“Yeah, that’s where I’m coming from. I didn’t know if you guys would be here or not so I thought I’d just drive by on my way back to the hotel. Where’s Dawn?”

“Class. She’s taking summer courses this year.”

“Great, so what’s up with you two?” Cordelia asked as she moved into the living room and plopped into the easy chair there.

“Nothing much,” Buffy answered with a quick glance at Willow.

“Yeah,” the redhead agreed. “Just lots of work and stuff.”

“Stuff like two new girlfriends?” Cordelia teased. “Come on, email isn’t cutting it anymore and I'm sick of boring old pre-wedded bliss with Wesley. I want to hear all about these two, who you two are so falling for. I need specific details, including smoochies and maybe some PG groping.”

Buffy tried but couldn’t stop the smile moving across her lips at the thought of Faith. It was dampened quickly though by the sight of Willow out of the corner of her eye, looking as though someone had just kicked her puppy. “What?” Cordelia asked, catching the look. “Something wrong?”

“No,” Willow piped up. “No, it’s just-”

? Oh but they're weird and they're wonderful
Oh Bennie she's really keen ?

Her cell phone blasting Elton John’s Bennie and the Jets from the dining table interrupted her thought and she threw a fearful glance at Buffy before moving towards the dining room.

“What happened to her face?” Cordelia whispered, pointing to the left side of her own face. Buffy just stared back, anger in her eyes with a look Cordelia knew well. She sighed and leaned back into her chair, Buffy’s anger instantly filling her as well. “Ass holes,” she muttered.

? She's got electric boots a mohair suit
You know I read it in a magazine
B-B-B-Bennie and the Jets ?

Willow approached the table, her phone lit up as Elton continued to sing. Taking a deep breath she picked it up and immediately tensed when she was who was calling.

“Hello?” she answered, her voice timid.

“H-Hey Will,” Tara said on the other end.

“Hey. Hi.” She turned to see Buffy and Cordelia looking expectantly back at her and held up her hand, indicating it would be a minute before taking the phone into the kitchen. “Um, how are you?” she asked when she had a little more privacy.

“I-I’m ok. H-How are you?” She cringed at the sound of Tara’s stutter, having grown used to not hearing it as often lately.

“Ok… I guess.” There was silence for a moment as the two contemplated their next words, each trying to gather her own thoughts. “Tare?”

“Will?” They simultaneously began talking again. “Oh s-sorry. G-Go ahead.”

“I just… I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry. I was such a jerk to you and you didn’t deserve it. You were just trying to be supportive and helpful and I totally blew you off. I know I don’t deserve it but if you could just give me another chance… I mean I know I was really shitty to you. And yes, I was mad but I had no right to take it out on you. And if you can just maybe forgive me, you know this once then I’ll-”

“I f-forgive you,” Tara interjected, unable to take the groveling any longer.

“You do?” She seemed almost stunned. “Because I was prepared to do way more begging for forgiveness.”

“I don’t w-want you to b-beg,” she said, taking a deep breath. “W-Will, I d-didn’t call for an apology. Or to m-make you feel b-bad.” Willow flinched, her heart wrenching at the sound of Tara tripping over her words. “I j-just wanted to call and… Well I-I just wanted to call.”

“I called you today but…”

“I know. I-I’m sorry. I l-let my phone die on S-Sunday, S-So I left it at h-home today.”

“Oh, I thought…Maybe you didn’t want to talk to me.”

“N-No. That’ll only h-happen when you r-really piss me off,” Tara joked, trying to lighten the mood. She was relieved when Willow released a small giggle.

“Well, I hope I won’t be doing that anytime soon,” Willow said before continuing. “I know you don’t want to hear it, Tara, but I am sorry. I was an ass and I owe you an explanation.” She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath before continuing. “Tare I want to talk to you about this. But it’s been so long since I’ve told anyone new. And I just… It’s hard.”

“I g-get that, Will. I mean I-I don’t know wh-what you have to say b-but I just… I want you t-to know that…that…”

“I know,” Willow said when the blonde didn’t finish. “Maybe we can set some time aside this week, just the two of us and we can… talk.”

“I’d l-like that.”

“Will? Everything ok?” the redhead heard Buffy call from the living room.

“Yeah. I’ll be back in just a minute,” she answered.

“Are you b-busy?” Tara asked.

“No. Not busy. My friend Cordelia’s here though. She just showed up.”

“Oh I’m s-sorry,” Tara said. “I d-didn’t mean to k-keep you.”

“No. No, don’t apologize, I’m glad you called. Really glad. Can I maybe call you later?”

“How about t-tomorrow? It’s getting l-late and I’m exhausted.”

“Ok, yeah tomorrow. Sure! I’ll call you then.”

“Ok. G-Goodnight Will.”

“Night Tare.” She ended the call and stood there at the kitchen island for a minute, composing herself. She didn’t feel completely better about the situation but it was a start.

[AstronSoul]

DIBS!! MUAHAHAHAAH!!!!

Damn it! How the hell did she get home so fast? I so just want to me alone tonight, she thought as she sighed in disappointment and dropped her things near the door, locking it behind her. The clicking of the chain lock brought the brunette’s attention to the front door and a smile to her face when she saw her roommate.

Yes frustrated Tara is damn SCARY!! Don't get on her bad side, you might not survive.

“She won’t answer,” Willow said, still staring at the computer screen.

“Maybe she’s just busy,” the blonde suggested.

“I treated her like crap and yelled at her Buffy. If I was her, I wouldn’t want to talk to me either.”

“Give it a little time Will. It’ll all be ok,” Buffy said, her voice taking on a reassuring quality. Willow just nodded, resuming the clicking of the keys on the keyboard.

Nice to see Buffy the more sensible one ( at least this time, that includes Faith btw) She isn't just blonde!!!

“Well that’s great,” Tara said. “Congratulations.”

“Yeah, way to go neighbor,” Faith said with an exaggerated punch to his shoulder. “But we should probably let you get back to it. Looks like you’re busy,” she said, nodding towards the trash bag on the floor.

“Oh no. I can-”

“Yeah, it was nice talking to you Riley, but I’m sure you’ve got better things to do than hang out with us,” Tara interrupted as she stepped back and gripped the front door.

“Well maybe we could-”

“Bye Riley,” Faith said as she stepped back into the apartment and Tara shut the door, instantly locking the deadbolt. She turned to Faith and immediately laughed when she saw the irritated look on the brunette’s face

LOL Riley the annoying stalker, hopefully he realizes both women are taken soon.

“Actually yeah. Perfect sense.” Tara finally cracked a small smile. “Thanks master Yoda.”

Can you imagine Faith as a lil green guy saying, "Do there is no try." ? lol

“Cordy?!” she called as she bounded out of the dining room, seeing her two friends in a welcoming hug, not thinking twice before joining in.

“Why didn’t you tell us you were coming in today? You’re not supposed to be here until next week!” Buffy said as they pulled away and allowed the brunette to enter the house.

“Well, I wanted to surprise everyone,” she said, looking back and forth between the two friends, taking a few seconds longer to appraise Willow.

yay for surprises tho sometimes I wonder if Cordy surprising someone is good at all? joking hehehe

“Stuff like two new girlfriends?” Cordelia teased. “Come on, email isn’t cutting it anymore and I'm sick of boring old pre-wedded bliss with Wesley. I want to hear all about these two, who you two are so falling for. I need specific details, including smoochies and maybe some PG groping.”

Hehe she lives vicariously through those two!

“I just… I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry. I was such a jerk to you and you didn’t deserve it. You were just trying to be supportive and helpful and I totally blew you off. I know I don’t deserve it but if you could just give me another chance… I mean I know I was really shitty to you. And yes, I was mad but I had no right to take it out on you. And if you can just maybe forgive me, you know this once then I’ll-”

“I f-forgive you,” Tara interjected, unable to take the groveling any longer.

Awe Willow begging-babble interesting, but I am glad Tara kind of nipped it in the butt, tho she did know Willow was honestly sorry.

“No. No, don’t apologize, I’m glad you called. Really glad. Can I maybe call you later?”

“How about t-tomorrow? It’s getting l-late and I’m exhausted.”

“Ok, yeah tomorrow. Sure! I’ll call you then.”

“Ok. G-Goodnight Will.”

“Night Tare.” She ended the call and stood there at the kitchen island for a minute, composing herself. She didn’t feel completely better about the situation but it was a start.

At least they reconnected and I hope in the morning they can make a time to talk, I hate seeing any strain between these two.

Great Job!!!

~AS~

[Grimm]

Okay, for this fic only, I want to transfer my I-hate-Cordelia-club membership over to the I-want to beat-Ira and Shelia-with a fucking bat fan club !

Tara calling Willow is a start. Rome was'nt built in a day. So, I can't expect everything to be okay between the girls after just one update ...but soonish ?

[True_Love]

Hey Jess!

Okay I loved this update for many reasons which I will get into but my favorite part has to be:

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he did have video cameras in the hallways and stairwells. Fucking stalker.”

“Well if he does, I’m about to make my soft core porn debut,” Tara said, grabbing two bottled waters from the kitchen and taking her seat on the floor in the living room near the coffee table.

“You and me both,” Faith said as she unpacked their food.

Awesome so awesome, I love it.

Okay, now on to my feedback:This is a good transitioning chapter. Nothing really gets resolved but we get the opportunity to see how the characters and their best friends help them to solve problems and provide reason, rationale and guidence. You tucked in a little humor with the whole Riley and Cordy scenes but never let it take over the general feeling of angst in the update. Even in the end, there is little resolution only a plan to discuss, which just makes us as readers want to learn more. We want to be part of that conversation and see how it plays out for our to girls.

Of course I love that you did a 'Family Guy' and even 'Spaceballs' shout out. We see eye to eye on that, lol.

Great job! I'll be looking forward to next weeks update!
-Lexi

[zampsa19752001]

Yay for great update-y goodness... Pissed off Tara is really scary... I'm really glad that Faith told Tara to call Willow so that they can start the getting back together process... Can't wait for their next call & meeting...

[Ariel]

Jessica,

*sighs* Just love this story . . .

Starting with this lovely word picture:

She sighed, pounding her fist against her steering wheel once in frustration. It didn’t matter that she’d gotten ahead of schedule at work and had landed a huge new contract for her office. It didn’t matter that the wind was gusting off the water at just the right angle to smother the sweltering heat or that the sky was the most incredible shade of blue at that moment. And it didn’t matter that the radio seemed to be tuned to her, playing one great retro hit after another.

Nice to see Tara bummed out for a change! And yes, I love her, but she's feeling pretty left out and miserable and she has the right to resent it. It also shows how much Willow's trust means to her - all these lovely things but they don't matter without Willow.

Good exchange with Buffy and Willow; glad Buffy is giving her the reassurance.

I like understanding Faith with the free chinese food, but this moment is a gem:

“Oh you know. All work and no play. Working on some new spy cameras for the defense department. I’ve been trying to test them out around the building here and they seem to be working really well. They’ve gone completely undetected,” he said, puffing out his chest in pride.

“Cameras?” Faith and Tara both squeaked.

“Yeah. I asked the landlord about it and he said it was ok. Just a couple of video surveillance cameras.”

“Surveillance cameras?” Tara’s eyes grew wide.

“Like in the building?” Faith asked, seeming just a nervous.

“Like in the hallway?” Tara followed up. She turned to Faith and the brunette just stared back, looking absolutely petrified.

Naughty girls! Them practically shoving Riley out the door is funny - very creative use of the character!

And a nice Cordelia! Thank you! I think I need it, too! And nice Cordy-esque dialogue, too.

And this is sweet, funny, and a little sad:

“I f-forgive you,” Tara interjected, unable to take the groveling any longer.

“You do?” She seemed almost stunned. “Because I was prepared to do way more begging for forgiveness.”

“I don’t w-want you to b-beg,” she said, taking a deep breath. “W-Will, I d-didn’t call for an apology. Or to m-make you feel b-bad.” Willow flinched, her heart wrenching at the sound of Tara tripping over her words. “I j-just wanted to call and… Well I-I just wanted to call.”

Very touching use of Tara's stutter and her forgiveness to Willow is very loving; also was struck with Willow's apology, very babbly but very, very heartfelt.

And the ending . . . their love keeps growing and that gives me a very warm feeling inside.

Thanks!

Ariel
How I Met Your Mother

[beautiful_love]

Feedback:

AstronSoul – And you’ve reclaimed your dibs throne.

Nice to see Buffy the more sensible one ( at least this time, that includes Faith btw) She isn't just blonde!!!

I don’t think she’s always the “blonde.” Willow needed a friend and she was there, just like a good friend should be.

LOL Riley the annoying stalker, hopefully he realizes both women are taken soon.

He bugged the crap out of me on the show. I thought it’d be perfect for him to be their annoying stalk-y neighbor. Add some comedy into the mix.

yay for surprises tho sometimes I wonder if Cordy surprising someone is good at all? joking hehehe

Lol. No worries. My Cordelia is still Cordelia but she’s definitely not the queen of mean.

At least they reconnected and I hope in the morning they can make a time to talk, I hate seeing any strain between these two.

It’s hard to write but it’s been in the plan for this story all along. Hope you like the next update.

SMGOVAN -

Okay, for this fic only, I want to transfer my I-hate-Cordelia-club membership over to the I-want to beat-Ira and Shelia-with a fucking bat fan club !

With all the I-Hate-Cordelia-Club stories out there, I’ll take that as a compliment. Lol.

Tara calling Willow is a start. Rome was'nt built in a day. So, I can't expect everything to be okay between the girls after just one update ...but soonish ?

I’ll just say I’m working on it. I mean, you know it’s going to be a happy ending because, well there isn’t another choice. But soonish? Depends on your definition of soonish. Thanks for reading again.

True_Love -

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he did have video cameras in the hallways and stairwells. Fucking stalker.”

“Well if he does, I’m about to make my soft core porn debut,” Tara said, grabbing two bottled waters from the kitchen and taking her seat on the floor in the living room near the coffee table.

“You and me both,” Faith said as she unpacked their food.

Awesome so awesome, I love it.

I wanted to add a little humor. Even when this gets dark, I have a hard time not tossing in a witty remark or two.

Of course I love that you did a 'Family Guy' and even 'Spaceballs' shout out. We see eye to eye on that, lol.

I thought you might like that, lol.

This is a good transitioning chapter. Nothing really gets resolved but we get the opportunity to see how the characters and their best friends help them to solve problems and provide reason, rationale and guidence.

That’s definitely where I was going with it. Yes it’s a story about Willow and Tara but there’s more than just the two of them that make their relationship great you know? Thanks again for reading and leaving me some feedback. Always helpful.

zampsa19752001 -

Pissed off Tara is really scary...

I feel like she really could be you know? Like, don’t get on her bad side or you’re in deep shit scary.

I'm really glad that Faith told Tara to call Willow so that they can start the getting back together process... Can't wait for their next call & meeting...

Faith as support-o girl was essential here since she has her own past with her family. Thanks for reading.

Ariel – Hey there beta-buddy.

Nice to see Tara bummed out for a change! And yes, I love her, but she's feeling pretty left out and miserable and she has the right to resent it. It also shows how much Willow's trust means to her - all these lovely things but they don't matter without Willow.

You’re right, she does have a right to feel this way. She’s kind of stuck, you know. And frustration builds up.

And I’m glad the whole Riley and Cordelia bits went over well. You know how I like to throw those zingers in there.

And I’m also glad Willow and Tara’s true feelings came through for earch other through the telephone call. There is something there. We just haven’t fully gotten to the finish line yet, as you are well aware of. Thanks again for reading, both pre and post-post. And for helping me out. Your suggestions are invaluable.

[beautiful_love]

Update

Title - An Everyday Life
Author name – beautiful_love a.k.a. Jessica
Rating – PG-13
Disclaimer - I don't own these characters.
Feedback - Yes please! I need it!
Summary- Totally AU - Tara meets Willow - the happy bumblings of falling in love - I'm not too good at this summary thing.
Notes: Special thanks to Ariel for her incredible assistance as my beta. Holy crap! This is my third post in three weeks! I shouldn't be proud, but I kind of am.

Chapter Twenty Nine

Willow stood in the midst of the large lunch-time group, waiting as her lunch was prepared at the small café on Rowan Avenue that Cordelia had suggested. She looked around, noticing not for the first time, the intricate paintings lining the walls, vivid colors sprouting from each one. She loved this place. The warmth of the paintings hanging on the deep green walls gave her the feeling of being wrapped up on a cold winter day in front of a fire. Not that she really knew what a cold winter day felt like, but in her imagination, it was wonderful.

“Number seventy-two?” She glanced down at her ticket, to confirm her number and then stepped forward and grabbed the tray of soup and sandwiches that had been set on the counter. Turning on her heel, she made her way through the crowd and to the table that Cordelia had saved for the two of them.

“Oh, I’ve so missed this place! I mean, Manhattan has great food, don’t get me wrong but I would literally kill for this soup,” the brunette said as Willow set the tray down on the table and took the chair on the opposite side.

“You’re going to get spoiled staying here for two weeks. You know that right?” Willow teased.

“Oh but it’s so worth it,” Cordelia said as she sunk her spoon into her bowl and took the first swallow.

“So how’s Wesley?” Willow asked with a smile as she tucked into her own meal.

“He’s fine. Busy working on a new book between classes.”

“Oh really? That’s great. His last one was really interesting. I loved all his theories on the design of prokaryotic cell structure.”

“You actually read it?” Cordelia asked in disbelief, her spoon poised between the bowl and her mouth.

“Yeah. You didn’t like it?”

“Well considering I couldn’t get through the first page because I had to look up every other word in the dictionary, no I didn’t. I just ended up looking it up online and getting the basics so I could tell him how proud I was.”

“He and I talked about it for like four hours the night of your birthday party at Savante’s two years ago.”

“I swear Will, if you were straight, he’d leave me for you in a second.”

“Whatever,” Willow said around a mouthful of her tomato basil sandwich. “So how’s the wedding planning coming?”

“Ok. He’s been busy so he’s not much use and I’m working on a new line right now so the whole wedding has just been kind of pushed to the side. I mean, I try to work on it when I can because we’re still booked for next spring but I think I might have to hire an assistant or a wedding planner because I just don’t have time. Oh that reminds me, what did you think of the dress pattern I sent you? I think it’ll look good on you and Buffy.” Willow just nodded around the sandwich in her mouth. “Ok, so tell me about Tara.”

“Switch gears much? I’ve already told you about her,” Willow said with a bashful smile.

“Not really. I mean Buffy stole the show last night with all her Faith talk. ‘She’s so sexy and smart and insert some other flattering adjective here.’ God I feel like I’m dating her now,” Cordelia joked. “But all you’ve told me about Tara is that she’s blonde and blue eyed and that you really like her.”

“I do.”

“So what’s up then? Are you guys moving along? Have you gotten to the ‘I love you’s’ yet?” she asked with a mischievous grin.

“No,” Willow countered. “I mean, we haven’t said it yet.” Cordelia set her spoon down and folded her hands across the table, waiting for more.

“You haven’t said it yet?” Willow sighed and set down the half eaten sandwich in her hand, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips as she finally relented.

“She’s amazing Cord. She’s funny and incredibly intelligent and talented. She’s an architect for Brahm’s and Cooley.”

“They’re a big name for this side of the country,” Cordelia said, impressed.

“Yeah. She’s actually designing my new office. She’s kind and caring and… well, you get the picture. Insert flattering adjective here,” Willow trailed off timidly.

“You’ve fallen for her haven’t you?” Cordelia said, her smile turning tender.

“Yeah,” Willow said quietly, smiling to herself.

“Hard question but does she know about…” Cordelia trailed off as she pointed towards the left side of Willow’s face.

“No,” she answered, barely audible.

“How come?”

“I just… I just didn’t want to tell her yet.” Willow looked up and saw the brunette staring back, waiting for a real answer. She sighed and sat back in her chair, staring down at her hands in her lap. “It’s just, what if I tell her and she freaks?”

“Freaks?”

“Yeah, like what if she decides it’s too much for her to deal with?”

“Willow…”

“No, really. Like what if I tell her and she just can’t take it.”

“What’s there to take? Will, it’s not like you’re the ass hole. They’re completely messed up and that’s not your fault.”

“I don’t know. I mean… Look, I’m going to tell her. I am. I’m just not sure how.”

“Well if she’s as wonderful as you say she is then I’m sure she’ll be able to handle it.” Willow nodded but felt her stomach start to churn. “What do you know about her family?”

“They’re wonderful. She gets along with them and spends whole weekends at her parent’s house with her brother and nieces. They’re like the models for a Norman Rockwell painting.”

“You do realize that he was married three times and treated for psychiatric depression?” The redhead stared at her friend, astonished by the random trivia that had just spewed from her mouth but Cordelia just brushed it off. “Willow, come on, no one’s that perfect.”

“Well compared to my family, yes, they are.”

“Is this really about how Tara’s going to react? Or is it about how you already feel?” Cordelia asked, her voice firm but her eyes soft. Willow looked down at her fingers, entwined on her lap and sighed, unsurprised that her friend saw through her reasoning.

“No, you’re right. I mean, I don’t want her to freak out, that’s true. And I don’t want her to feel uncomfortable with the situation. I know my parents are never going to demand to meet her or anything but I still have to deal with them. And if she’s going to be a part of my life, that means she has to deal with me, dealing with them. And we all know that’s no fun. I mean, it would be one thing if it was hugs and puppies but it’s not and she’s going to have to be there when my mom’s calling non-stop and tailing me around town and my dad’s-”

“Willow, you’re spinning,” Cordelia interrupted, taking a sip of her diet soda.

“Oh, right, sorry. I’m just saying that yes, I do worry about her freaking out but more than that… I don’t want her to associate me with them. I mean, I know they’re my parents and will always be a part of my life whether that’s banging down my door or just leaving me with the memories I have of them. Either way, what if she looks at them and then looks at me and then… I just don’t want a pity party. And I don’t want to be treated with kid gloves. I don’t want anything to be different.”

“Well it’s going to be different Willow. You’re sharing something only a handful of people know the truth about and something that you’ve never told a girlfriend. That’s a big deal for you. But I don’t think you have anything to be worried about. Tara really cares about you and she’s not going to think about the fact that they’re awful parents, and I use that term very loosely. She’s going to be thinking about how amazing it is that you became the person you are today, despite their attempts to keep you down. She doesn’t love you because she feels sorry for you. She loves you because you’re you.” Willow just stared back at the brunette, unsure of what else to say. “Look, I’m not trying to pressure you here but just fucking tell her!” The brunette’s voice had swelled with each passing word and Willow’s eyes grew wide as she watched a grandmother cover her twelve year old grandson’s ears and quickly hurry past their table, a look of disgust aimed at Cordelia.

“Cord, watch your mouth,” Willow chastised.

“Oh my God, that kid probably knows way worse words than I could even imagine,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “Willow I’m just saying you can’t be afraid. I mean, I know this is hard for you but what if she’s like the one, you know? I know you haven’t been together long but what if she’s the girl you’re supposed to end up with? You have to let her in Will.”

“I want to,” she said quietly. “I just-”

“No. No excuses. You need to talk to her.”

“You know, you’re just as bossy as Buffy. I totally didn’t miss having you around.”

“Oh yes you did. Don’t lie.”

“Whatever. So have you found your dress for the wedding yet?” Willow asked, changing the subject as she picked up her sandwich, taking another bite.

“No. I am, of course, having my dress specially made. Off the rack gives me hives.”

*****

Willow took a deep breath as she stared up at the red brick building, thinking it looked much more ominous now than she remembered. She shuffled back and forth on her feet, the sound of her sneakers against the concrete extremely loud in her ears.

Come on, you can do this, she thought. Just go up there and talk to her. She’ll either stand by you or completely freak and end it right now. And you can deal with both possibilities, right? You can handle a life with or without Tara, right?

The last thought made her stomach churn and her chest ache. Could she live her life without Tara?

I mean, we haven’t been together long. But she’s just so… She’s Tara. Willow smiled at the thought of the blonde. And Cordelia’s right. I’ve totally fallen for her. So no, I don’t want to go back to a life without her. I want to spend my life with her. I want my everything with her. She nodded to herself resolutely and took a deep breath, walking towards the apartment building; its solid façade getting larger and more ominous with each step. Just keep walking, you’re almost there. Stepping a little faster she reached the door of the lobby and quickly made her way towards the staircase on the right side of the building.

Someone really needs to clean these, she thought as she climbed the dusty, dirt encrusted stairs. Quickly climbing to the third floor, she opened the door to the hallway and stepped through the doorway. The contrast between the stairwell and hallway always surprised her. They didn’t seem to belong to the same building; the hallway with its creamy, beige walls and burgundy Berber carpet bringing a warmth to thaw the chill the stairwell always gave her.

She made her way to the third door on the right and took one more deep breath before quietly knocking.

Its ok Willow, it’s going to be fine. This is just the beginning. You don’t have to spill everything but you’re on the right track. You’re going to be honest with her. She stood there for a moment, staring down at her toes as they wiggled nervously in her shoes. A long moment passed with no answer and she raised her fist to door again, knocking louder this time. Another long minute and still no answer.

“What the heck?” She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket to confirm that it was seven o’clock, the exact time they’d agreed to meet. She pulled up her contacts, quickly finding Tara’s number and called. The phone rang four times before her voicemail kicked in. “What the heck?” she repeated. Turning back to the door she knocked once more, hearing nothing from within the apartment. Maybe she’s just running late.

Deciding to give the blonde the benefit of the doubt, she sat down outside the door, leaning against the wall as she pulled up her email on her phone, scanning through a few from work and replying to a few she’d been avoiding. All the while she kept one eye on the doorway to the stairwell.

Come on Tara.

When she’d gone through all her emails she opened up her internet browser, pulling up one of the tech blogs she tried to read on a daily basis to see what product they were reviewing this week. But her heart wasn’t in it.

A half hour had passed before she tried calling Tara’s cell phone again and again, she got no answer. She hadn’t actually talked to the blonde since the night before. She’d called but had only gotten a return text message: ‘Sorry I missed your call Will… I’m in meetings ALL day… But I’d love to see you tonight… Seven?’ Willow had instantly agreed, excited at the prospect of seeing her girl but also unable to concentrate on anything but her impending confession for the rest of the day.

Did she change her mind? Willow thought, suddenly petrified at the thought that maybe she’d waited too long and it had pushed the blonde away.

“Shit,” she panicked, standing up and pacing back and forth in front of the door, her phone poised in hand, contemplating whether or not to try calling the blonde again. Decided against it she quickly made her way back to the stairwell, down the stairs and outside to her car in the parking lot. She looked around as she drove out, searching for Tara’s car but found nothing. Feeling her entire body sag into the seat of her car, she pulled out of the parking lot and headed home.

Way to go. You couldn’t let her in so you pushed her away. And now she doesn’t want anything to do with you. She tried to keep the tears forming in the corners of her eyes at bay but found them trailing down her cheeks as she made her way towards Revello Drive. She let them fall as the thought of losing Tara completely clouded her mind. Why didn’t you just talk to her? She’s been so understanding and patient, of course she wouldn’t have freaked out and told you to get lost. But when you blatantly show her over and over that you don’t trust her, well what do you expect?

Her chastising rant continued in her head until she pulled into the driveway behind Buffy’s Mazda and killed the engine. She glanced into the rearview mirror and noticed her eyes were red and swollen. She took a few deep cleansing breaths as she wiped vigorously at her eyes and stepped out of the car. She walked up to the front door and entered, slightly surprised when a cacophonous round of laughter greeted her. Buffy and Faith were snuggled up on the love seat and Dawn and Cordelia were sharing the couch as they watched the famous tazing scene from The Hangover.

“Will! Hey!” Buffy said, turning to her with a smile that immediately melted from her face when she saw the lost look on the redhead’s face. “What happened? What’s wrong? ” The other girls in the room turned to the redhead and the concern on their faces was almost too much. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself.

“Nothing. I just went over to meet Tara and she’s not there. Did she say anything to you Faith about working late or… anything?”

“No. I mean she texted me earlier that you were going to be at our place tonight. That’s why I’m over here. But she didn’t say anything else.”

“Oh.” Willow’s shoulders slumped further.

“Why? She didn’t leave you a message changing your plans or anything?” the brunette asked, pulling away from Buffy and scooting to the edge of the sofa.

“No,” Willow answered, shaking her head. “I waited for about half an hour and I called a couple times but she didn’t answer.” Faith immediately stood up from her spot on the couch and pulled her own phone from her pocket to call the blonde, her eyes never leaving Willow. The other girls just stared at each other, looks of worry and agitation mixing on their faces. Faith let the phone right until the voicemail kicked on.

“Hey Tare, it’s me. Where are you? Call me back as soon as you get this ok,” she said as she walked past the redhead and into the dining room.

“Maybe she got stuck at work,” Buffy suggested. “And lost track of time so she didn’t call.”

“I guess,” Willow said, still rooted to her spot near the foyer.

“Will, I’m sure she’s fine,” the blonde said, unsure whether to be worried about Tara’s wellbeing or royally pissed that the blonde had stood her best friend up. “She’ll call when she’s done with whatever she’s doing. Why don’t you come sit and watch the movie with us.” She patted the spot next to her that Faith had vacated, watching out the corner of her eye as the brunette paced around the dining room, her phone pressed to her ear. Willow sighed and complied, plopping down on the sofa, letting Buffy put a comforting arm around her.

In the dining room, Faith ended her call and returned to the living room, sitting heavily in the easy chair, the only available seat left.

“Sorry. I was just checking with Anya to see if she’d heard from her.”

“And?” Willow asked hopefully.

“No,” Faith said, shaking her head slowly. “But I’m sure she’s fine. Like Buffy said, she probably just got busy at work.” Willow just nodded again. The group looked around at each other uncertainly before turning back to the movie, unsure of what else to do.

*****

It was an hour later when the movie wrapped up but the house had been fairly silent since Willow’s arrival. Both she and Faith had kept their cellphones within reach, each checking periodically that they hadn’t missed a call or text, but so far nothing.

“So what should we do next? Another movie?” Dawn suggested, finding the quiet extremely eerie. The group all turned to Willow, who only nodded once before returning her gaze to her hands in her lap. “Ok. Anchorman?”

“Sounds good Dawn,” Buffy said, keeping her eyes on the fragile redhead next to her. Dawn stood up and made her way over to their expansive movie collection when Faith’s phone rang. The brunette grabbed for it and her face dropped when she saw who was calling.

“Hello?” Everyone stared at her, waiting for some sort of indication that it was Tara or about the blonde. They watched for a long moment as Faith’s face completely crumpled. “What happened?” she asked the caller before listening for another long minute. Willow reached for Buffy’s hand as she watched the brunette’s shoulders sag into her body and her eyes begin to tear up. Faith closed her eyes for a long moment and swallowed hard, successfully keeping them from rolling down her cheeks. “Where is she?” The room was so quiet you could’ve heard a pin drop from down the block. “Ok. I’m on my way.” She hung up, staring down at her phone in disbelief before Buffy snapped her out of it.

“Faith? What is it? What’s going on?”

“It’s Tara. She was in an accident.”

[AstronSoul]

DIBS!!!

Wow you left this on a cliff hanger!!!!

Wow I am glad Willow could hang with Faith and Buffy till they at least heard some sort of news, but I would be hella worried myself. Hopefully Tara isn't too hurt or if she is that she heals fast!


I did like how Cordy was playing catch up, even with talking about her new line, her fiancee's work and all. Hehe needle Willow for more details, and I really wish Willow would just tell Tara, would be so much easier, I mean it's Tara if she freaks it won't last long and they can work through it together!!

Great update!

~AS~

[True_Love]

So the Dibs-Mistress is back, grrr.

Jess, what the frilly-heck! Tara in a car crash just when Willow was going to tell her. Ooooo, now that's good drama. I'm not going to let myself worry too much *biting nails*, because this is the kitten and I know they are going to end up together.

I'm glad someone, Cordy, was finally able to mentally smack some sense into Willow so that she will tell Tara everything. Once Tara is out of the hospital or back at home I know Willow will be all about playing nurse. Hopefully, in more ways than one. Seeing Tara vulnerable maybe be just the equalizer Willow needs to share her feelings of weakness and insecurity regarding her relationship with her parents.

Can't wait to find out what happened to Tara...next week. Pretty please.
-Lexi

[Grimm]

Harsh!...... It's the fricking Holidays !!

I had a Seinfeld flashback during Willow and Cordelia's lunch....Soup Nazi....'No soup for you'!

Poor Willow...just when she gets up the nerve to open up, something horrible (shame on you ) happens to Tara. I hope her accident was minor and that Willow gives Tara all the tlc she needs during her recovery.

I am very happy with your weekly updates. I hope this positive behavior continues for the forseeable future

Ps. Off the rack giving Cordelia hives..... classic!

[zampsa19752001]

Yay for great update-y goodness.... I liked Willow's soup lunch with Cordy... Yay for Cordy saying Willow to tell Tara everything about her so called parents... Typical Scooby "luck" that once Willow was ready to tell Tara everything Tara ends up in a accident. I truly hope that it is not serious accident. I'm sure Willow acts as a model nurse for Tara during the recovery process...

[Ariel]

Jessica,

Okay! This is my SECOND TRY at leaving f/b for this post! I wrote up all this lovely stuff and went to submit and poof! My computer quits. Sorry to vent on your post, but damn! I had really taken time to give good f/b - same thing happened with "Remodeling"!

Okay, once more with feeling!

“Oh really? That’s great. His last one was really interesting. I loved all his theories on the design of prokaryotic cell structure.”

“You actually read it?” Cordelia asked in disbelief, her spoon poised between the bowl and her mouth.

“Yeah. You didn’t like it?”

“Well considering I couldn’t get through the first page because I had to look up every other word in the dictionary, no I didn’t. I just ended up looking it up online and getting the basics so I could tell him how proud I was.”

“He and I talked about it for like four hours the night of your birthday party at Savante’s two years ago.”

“I swear Will, if you were straight, he’d leave me for you in a second.”

This quote has everything, bizarreness, humor, Cordy who doesn't get it, Willow who spends hours discussing it as a party (loveable nerd moment! ) then Cordy actually doing extra research so she can talk to her fiance and respect his accomplishment. I'll say it again, LOVE your Cordy! Great job!

Also enjoyed Cordy's raising her voice and shocking Grandma with her advice to tell Tara! Hilarious!

Then Willow's real insight on why she hesitates to be hones:

And if she’s going to be a part of my life, that means she has to deal with me, dealing with them. And we all know that’s no fun. I mean, it would be one thing if it was hugs and puppies but it’s not and she’s going to have to be there when my mom’s calling non-stop and tailing me around town and my dad’s-”

“Willow, you’re spinning,” Cordelia interrupted, taking a sip of her diet soda.

“Oh, right, sorry. I’m just saying that yes, I do worry about her freaking out but more than that… I don’t want her to associate me with them. I mean, I know they’re my parents and will always be a part of my life whether that’s banging down my door or just leaving me with the memories I have of them. Either way, what if she looks at them and then looks at me and then… I just don’t want a pity party. And I don’t want to be treated with kid gloves. I don’t want anything to be different.”

Solid reflection, you found legitimate reasons for Willow's feelings. Even a child as functional and successful as Willow, is bound to feel real shame in being connected with people like that.

Beautiful imagery on the facade of the building, how someone should clean house etc. A lovely metaphor - the home as a place for fear, perfect reflection of Willow's home. Love this detail:

She stood there for a moment, staring down at her toes as they wiggled nervously in her shoes.

Then Willow sitting outside the door, very touching.

Faith's response to the phone call was powerfully and effective, completely wrenched my heart when the tough girl's eyes are tearing up and her shoulders slump.

Then the ending . . . terribly painful cliff-hanger, felt like I'd had the wind knocked out of me.

Borrowing Astie's Dibs whip for this one! Keep writing!

Ariel
How I Met Your Mother

[Finey_McFine]

Hi Jess!

First, let me just preface my feed back with a...HOLY CLIFFHANGER BATMAN! Ok, now that that's out of my system, I can give proper fb:)

The lunch date with Willow and Cordy was great. It's nice to see them as friends for a change rather than 'frienemies.' Cordy's advice to Willow was spot on, only now with the accident, I fear the talk is going to get put on the back burner. But I do have a feeling that Willow won't wait to tell Tara she loves her, because she's going to feel guilty for not saying it sooner.

I really liked how you wrote everything from Willow's POV and we had no idea what was up with Tara, so the ending was definitely a surprise.

Keep it up!! I'm lovin' these weekly updates!

[love_2003]

You can't leave it on a cliffhanger like that. Why does Tara have to be in an accident? Willow is going to be more of a nervous wreck now.

[vampyregurl73]

Jessica,

After the worried images of Willow sitting in front of Tara's door (which was very bittersweet since Tara never showed in my book) and you leave it like that?!?

Oh, you are evil....

[Wills redemption]

Oh man, the suspense is killing me! This is such a great story, nice twist that here Tara has the intact family and Willow comes from the bad home, it somehow alters their characters a little compared to the original show (for example Tara most of the time being more confident) but they're still recognizable and have these quirks you just learned to love about them (Willow-babble f.e.).
It's cruel that when Willow finally wants to open up to Tara about her abusive parents real life strikes mercilessly and Tara gets in an accident! I really hope she isn't hurt too badly, although Faiths reaction on the phone strikes fear of emergeny operations, hours of waiting in front of the intensive care unit or something like that - please let me be wrong here and Faith overreacting!

I'm just begging you to update soon and let us know that it isn't as bad as it seems now!

[beautiful_love]

Feedback:

AstronSoul – Sorry about the cliffhanger.

And yes, Willow needed her friends. She’s going to need them even more now that Tara’s not there.

And Willow will tell Tara. I PROMISE. It’ll all be ok in the end. It’s just getting to that point that we’re working on. Thanks for reading.

True_Love – Ah, yes it was a bit dramatic. But you’re right, there’s no need to get too worried. I’m legally obligated but all fifty states and six Canadian provinces to make everything all sunshine and puppies, eh.

I thought Cordelia would be a good candidate to kick Willow’s ass. Yes, Buffy’s been around but she’s too involved I think.

This is kind of putting them on equal ground, in a way. They’re struggles are different but sometimes even when it’s different, it’s helpful. Thanks for reading.

Grimm – I’m seriously scared you’re going to throw something really sharp and pointy at me. I know it’s the holidays but it’s either now or I stop posting for a few weeks. Decisions, decisions.

I’ll make it all ok but Tara is going to definitely been in need of some TLC. And Willow will be happy to oblige. Thanks for reading.

zampsa19752001 – Cordy’s still Cordy but she’s going to come in handy when Willow needs a friend throughout all of this drama.

You’ll see in this update what happened to Tara and what the outlook will be like. Thanks for reading.

Ariel – Hope you’re computer’s feeling better. And glad you like my Cordelia. A little different from yours, lol. I’m glad her time with Willow came across like I wanted. Of course you always help with that.

And I know Faith and Tara had talked about the possible reasons Willow didn’t want to talk about her family in the previous chapter but Willow needed to really put it out there, you know. And again, you helped tremendously with that part.

I didn’t want to make the whole apartment description too dark but there was kind of a foreshadowing moment there and definitely with Willow’s mind on her family, she’s ready to “clean house.”

And I know, it was a mean cliffhanger. But in all fairness, I haven’t done a cliffhanger in a few updates so… Yeah. Thanks for reading.

Finey_McFine – Everyone seems to like Cordelia. Yay! Mission accomplished even if this is the only fic on the board where she’s not a crazy monster.

Willow’s going to come forward and it really isn’t going to be that much further along in the story. Patience is a virtue though. Or something like that.

And even though it was a BIG cliffhanger, I’m glad you liked how it was written from Willow’s POV. I had written it kind of split between the two of them and I just didn’t like it so in the trash it went. Thanks for reading.

love_2003 – Long time, no comment. Sorry about the cliffhanger. I know it was kind of mean but the next part was so in depth and long, I couldn’t really break it all up anywhere else. So my apologies for making you wait. Both girls will be ok though. Thanks for reading.

vampyregurl73 – Hi Heather! Nice to see someone else reading. I’m trying to catch up on your amazing story but I got way behind. I’m not trying to be evil though, I promise. Things will work themselves out and it’ll all me ok. Promise. Thanks for reading.

Wills redemption - Well hello and thanks for reading. Sorry for the suspenseful cliffhanger. There was really no other place for me to end it. Glad you're liking the story so far though. The changes in each girls background definintely has an affect on their personality but deep down, their still the same characters. Keep reading though, it's all going to come full circle, I promise. Thanks for commenting.

[beautiful_love]

Update

Title - An Everyday Life
Author name – beautiful_love a.k.a. Jessica
Rating – PG-13
Disclaimer - I don't own these characters.
Feedback - Yes please! I need it!
Summary- Totally AU - Tara meets Willow - the happy bumblings of falling in love - I'm not too good at this summary thing.
Notes: Special thanks to Ariel for her incredible assistance as my beta. This fic has been made so much better with her help. So apparently you guys weren't fans of the cliffhanger, eh? Well sorry I kept you hanging for so long. It's been a crazy two weeks but here is a small, though durable rope to pull you all back off that cliff. Thanks to everyone who reads and leaves feedback. It actually pushes me a lot harder to write.

Chapter Thirty

Faith pounded down the corridor, frantically looking for the nurses’ station, Willow only half a step behind her and Buffy bringing up the rear, sounding like a stampede of elephants. The drive to the hospital had been filled with questions that the brunette didn’t have the answers to and she spent most of the time staring out the window as Buffy recklessly sped down Interstate ten, cutting off cars left and right.

“Where the hell are we going?” Buffy called as they rounded another corner to the right. “The nurses’ station is the other way,” she said, hooking her thumb over her shoulder in the direction they’d just come from. Faith stopped in her tracks, her boots squealing against the cold, taupe colored tile and turned back to her girlfriend.

“Well why didn’t you say something when we passed it?” she growled as they retraced their steps, this time with Willow in the lead. Buffy shrunk back from the harsh tone but Faith didn’t seem to notice as she took off after the redhead.

“Up there,” Willow called as the large oak desk came into view. The three girls skidded to a stop at the desk, panting heavily, and catching the two sour looking aides on duty off guard. “We’re looking for a patient that was just brought in about an hour ago. Tara Maclay,” Willow said before either woman could say anything.

“Are you family?” the gray haired woman on the right snidely asked.

“Friends,” Faith chimed in. “She’s my roommate. I’m her emergency contact. I have medical power of attorney over her.”

“Do you have proof?”

“What?”

“You’re kidding right?” Willow and Buffy each spouted off as Faith looked like a deer trapped in the headlights of an oncoming semi.

“Well?” The nasty aide stared at the brunette, a cruel smirk playing at the corners of her lips.

“Not with me, no. But I can get it. I just have to run home really quick.”

“Faith, it’s a half hour drive,” Buffy reminded her. The brunette just stared back, looking lost.

“What’s going on?” a voice called from behind them. The three turned to see Anya coming down the corridor, the echo of her heels against the hard tile filling the empty waiting room. “Where’s Tara?”

“They won’t tell us,” Willow cried, desperately looking to the blonde for help. Anya just rolled her eyes as she reached them and stepped up to the desk.

“I’m Tara’s sister, Anya Maclay and I demand to know where she is,” she said, slamming her fist on the desk.

“Do you have identification?” the slightly softer blonde woman on the left asked.

“I do. I’ve changed my name though since I got married last year,” she said, never skipping a beat as she riffled through her purse on top of the desk, pulling out her license and handing it over. “It was a beautiful wedding. Lilies everywhere. A Peruvian flute band. Sean Connery even made an appearance. He’s an old family friend you know. Now, where the hell is Tara?!”

The two aides exchanged a look before the softer one nodded at them and asked for a moment before stepping away from the desk and out of sight. Faith paced back and forth, staring down at the tile beneath her feet, her brow knit with worry while Willow stood completely still, standing on her tiptoes as she stared in the direction the aide had gone, her face anxious. Buffy stood between her best friend and her girlfriend, unsure of what to do and after a moment, still unable to decide, moved towards one of the nearby vinyl chairs, sitting at the edge of the rusty orange seat, her hands folded in her lap.

“Did Donnie tell you what happened?” Anya asked from her place near the nurses’ station as she put her wallet back into her purse.

“He just said she was in an accident. Apparently she got rear-ended and pushed into another car. The guy that hit her was flying and hit her at a dead stop,” Faith said, still pacing.

“And they’re on their way?”

“Yeah. He said he was driving their parents down now,” Faith answered, stopping suddenly when she saw the nurses’ aide reappear, followed by a fast paced young doctor.

“Mrs. Jenkins?” he asked as she approached Anya.

“Yes. How’s Tara? Is she ok?” the blonde asked, stepping closer to him. The other girls also stepped closer, their faces filled with worry and despair.

“Uh, may I talk to you privately?” the doctor asked, warily looking from one girl to the next.

“Anya go,” Faith said, pushing the blonde forward. She watched her follow the doctor down the hall and felt her heart sink as she watched Anya’s facial expression become more and more distraught with each word the doctor said. Unable to take it anymore, she turned away and walked to the corner of the room, plopping down in one of the available chairs there.

Willow watched the sadness transform Anya’s face and knew immediately the news wasn’t good. Oh God Tara. She turned to Buffy, looking to the blonde for reassurance but Buffy, for her own part, didn’t know what to do. Her own worry for Tara had taken over and she just stared back at Willow, unable to offer any comfort. The sound of Anya’s heels clicking against the tile brought both girls attention back to the normally perky blonde and Willow felt her stomach sinking when she saw the tears in the shopkeeper’s eyes.

“Anya? What is it?” Willow asked, taking a cautious step forward. Faith stood and stepped up beside the redhead, Buffy stepping to her best friends other side.

“Um, they brought her in and she wasn’t conscious. They know one of her arms was definitely broken and her shoulder dislocated… And she had a few fractured ribs.” Anya reached up to wipe away a tear that had managed to escape. “One rib punctured her lung. And they took her right into surgery when they got here. Apparently there was some internal bleeding.”

Willow stared in awe as Anya continued swiping at the tears that were now falling fast, not understanding why her own vision was becoming increasingly blurry until she felt Buffy tug at her arm and she realized her own cheeks burned with hot tears.

“Will?”

“What?”

“Are you ok?”

“I just-”

“Is she going to be ok?” Faith blurted out, still staring at Anya. The blonde just shrugged.

“They said they have to see how the surgery goes.”

Willow watched as Faith ducked her head and lumbered back to her vinyl chair, the tears still present but refusing to fall from her eyes. Anya followed, sitting a few chairs down from the brunette, her head resting in her hands, her eyes hidden from the rest of the room.

For Willow it was like she was floating above this, watching it all unfold like it was a movie of the week.

“Will?” Buffy tugged at her elbow. “Why don’t we sit down?” The redhead didn’t respond as Buffy led her to one of the many available chairs, keeping an arm wrapped around her as they sat.

The group sat in silence for the next few hours, the girls moving from seat to seat, pacing in between as the night seemed to expand. The only sound in the empty waiting room was the soft laughter of the two aides and static from a nearby television. Willow looked towards the TV, seeing it was on CNN, the newscasters bantering back and forth with smiles as the ticker below gave the closing numbers for the DOW that day.

How does life keep going? Why hasn’t it just stopped? Willow thought as she stared down at her hands in her lap.

It was a little after midnight before anyone else entered the waiting room, the quick pace of multiple sets of sneakers alerting the girls to the newcomer’s presence well before they came into sight.

“Hey guys,” Faith said, a small amount of relief settling in her expression at the sight of the three familiar faces.

“Oh, thank God you’re here!” Tara’s mom said as she approached the brunette, wrapping her arms around her as they met.

“We came over as soon as Donnie called,” Faith said, closing her eyes as Carolyn squeezed harder, still trying desperately to keep her tears at bay. The two released each other as Carolyn moved to Anya, engulfing her in the same bone crushing hug. Donnie and John stood back and watched, both looking as though the drive had aged them ten years in the last four hours.

“Have you heard anything?” Carolyn asked as she let go of Anya, looking between her daughter’s two best friends.

“No. I talked to the emergency room doctor a few hours ago but as far as we know she’s been in surgery since,” Anya explained.

“The doctor talked to you?” John asked, a little surprised.

“I lied and said I was her sister,” Anya admitted.

“Nice,” Donnie said was a small grin. “Maybe I should go see if there’s any updates.”

“I’ll go with you,” Carolyn said as she followed him to the nurses’ station, John only a few steps behind them.

The four girls watched as the aides gave the Maclays the same icy treatment they’d received a few hours ago and assumed that there was no new information when the family returned to them.

“What a pair of bitches,” Donnie said as he took one of the nearby seats, throwing a dirty look back at the two women.

“Donald,” Carolyn warned, sitting next to her son. “Watch your mouth please.” He just shrugged.

“Nothing new?” Faith asked as the rest of the group sat down.

“No,” Carolyn said, shaking her head.

“But they have to tell us something soon right?” Donnie asked, almost desperately. “I mean, she’s been in surgery for hours. They have to know something right?”

“Be patient Donnie,” John said, laying a comforting hand on his son’s shoulder. “Just give it a little more time.”

“She’ll be ok,” Carolyn said. “She’s a fighter.” The group just nodded before lapsing back into silence, staring at the static television for ten minutes before anyone said anything else.

“Um, I think I’m going to go find a vending machine and get something to drink,” Buffy whispered to the redhead beside her. “Do you want anything?” Willow just shook her head, looking back at the TV.

“I’m sorry, we weren’t introduced,” Carolyn said, looking back and forth between the two girls. “Are you friends of Tara’s?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, that was really rude of us. This is Buffy and Willow,” Faith said, motioning to the pair. “These are Tara’s parents, Carolyn and John. And this is her brother, Donnie.”

“Lovely to meet you both, though I wish it were under better circumstances,” Carolyn said with a genuine smile.

“Willow?” Donnie asked, a look of recognition in his eyes. “You’re Tara’s girlfriend?”

“Oh, um…” Willow sputtered, unprepared for the question.

“Tara’s told me all about you. Every time we talk on the phone she’s got a new story about you two. It’s nice to meet ya’,” he said, standing and reaching out to shake the redhead’s hand.

“Girlfriend? I didn’t know she was seeing someone.”

“Carolyn,” John softly chided. “You don’t have to know every intimate detail of her life.”

“Well I’d like to know if she’s met my future daughter-in-law.”

“Mom!” Donnie said, a scolding tone in his voice, shooting an apologetic look at Willow when the redhead blushed from head to toe.

“Mr. and Mrs. Maclay?” a voice called from behind. The group turned around and saw an older, kind eyed doctor standing behind them, smiling gently at the group.

“Yes, that’s us,” John said, jumping to his feet and grabbing his wife’s hand.

“I’m Dr. Wylan, your daughter’s surgeon.”

“Is she alright?” Donnie asked from beside his father as the rest of the group congregated behind him.

“The surgery went well. We’ve stopped the bleeding and gotten the broken bones reset but the next twenty four hours are going to be critical. We’re moving her to the ICU right now to observe her overnight. But I think she’s going to be fine,” he said gently, making eye contact with each member of their large group. There was a collective sigh of relief as they looked at one another, eyes still shining with unshed tears.

“When can we see her?” Carolyn asked.

“Soon. Let’s just get her settled in and then I’ll send a nurse to escort you upstairs. I must ask that you don’t stay too long though. She needs her rest.”

“Thank you Dr. Wylan. Thank you so much,” John said, reaching out to shake the doctor’s hand.

“My pleasure. Just have a seat for now,” he said with another kind smile as he walked away. A small sniffle turned the group’s attention from where the doctor had gone to Faith, the brunette’s tears finally spilling over.

*****

“Is this it? Room five-oh-seven?” Carolyn asked as they reached the heavy wooden door where the nurse had told them they’d find Tara.

“Yeah. Should we take turns going in or…” Donnie trailed off as he looked at their large group.

“Why don’t you guys go ahead,” Anya suggested, her arm looped through Faith’s, supporting the brunette. “Family first.”

“Thank you,” Carolyn said with a grateful smile before turning to Willow. “Willow, sweetheart, why don’t you come in with us?”

“Me?” the redhead squeaked, clearly surprised by the offer.

“Yes, of course. Come on dear,” Carolyn said as she reached for the redhead and pulled her along, into the darkened room with John and Donnie right behind them.

The room was small, its walls white and sterile, its floor, the same hard tile that was found throughout the rest of the hospital. In the middle of the room was the bed, surrounded by beeping machines and other contraptions that Willow had never seen. But that didn’t matter. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the frail figure on the bed. She watched as Tara’s family all stepped up to the bed, their faces drawn and worried. The blonde lay on the bed, her face tattered and bruised with stitches running along her forehead and chin. Her arms were just as battered, though the one was in a cast and positioned to keep the blonde’s shoulder comfortable. She was dressed in one of the traditional, thin hospital gowns, a light sheet covering her from the waist down.

Willow stared at her girlfriend for a long moment, biting her tongue to keep any tears from escaping down her cheeks. Even though she’d spent the last few hours waiting to see the blonde, she hadn’t prepared herself for what she was actually looking at.

“Do you think she’ll be ok?” Donnie asked, staring down at his little sister.

“She’ll be fine,” John said from the other side of the bed, his voice coming out shaky and unsure as he held onto his wife. Carolyn just nodded, reaching out to gently touch her daughter’s left arm.

Willow took a small step towards the end of the bed, her eyes never leaving Tara’s face.

God baby. Please be ok. Please wake up and let me see those beautiful blue eyes, she thought as she reached out and cautiously laid her hand on the edge of the bed, careful to not touch the blonde, fearful that it might hurt her.

They all stood there for a few long, silent moments, each praying that Tara would be ok while never taking their eyes off her bruised and battered body.

“Excuse me,” a middle-aged nurse said as she entered the room, smiling gently at the group. “I don’t mean to bother you but I need to take a look at some of her stats.”

“Oh, we’re sorry,” Carolyn said as she stepped away from the bed, making room for the nurse.

“She’s doing very well,” she said after taking some readings from a few of the machines Tara was attached to.

“Really?” Willow asked hopefully.

“Yes,” the nurse said with an encouraging smile. “But she needs her rest and it looks like you do too. Why don’t you all go get some sleep and come back tomorrow during visiting hours. We’ll call you if anything changes tonight.”

“That’s probably a good idea,” John said, reaching for his wife. “Why don’t we get out of here and let Tara relax.” Donnie just nodded and followed his parents out of the room. Willow stayed rooted to her spot at the end of the bed, her eyes only leaving Tara’s face when she heard a small chuckle from the nurse.

“Sorry. I’m going,” she said, sheepishly looking at the nurse.

“Are you family?”

“No, not exactly.” The nurse stared at her, waiting for a more elaborate answer. “She’s my girlfriend.”

“You two make a cute couple,” the nurse said with a kind smile.

“Thanks,” Willow said with a slight blush, her fingers moving along the edge of the blanket, still avoiding touching the blonde.

“Well, my name’s Barbara and I’m the lead nurse on this floor. I’ll take care of her, I promise. If anything changes, we’ll call you right away.”

“You mean, her parents?”

“Well… why don’t you leave me your number and I’ll make sure I’ll let you know if there’s any complications,” Barbara said, sliding up beside the redhead and handing her a pen and a piece of scrap paper from her pocket.

“Really?” Willow asked hopefully. Barbara just winked and took the paper after Willow was finished.

“Now go home and get some rest. That’s an order. You’ll be no good to her if you’re exhausted,” she said as she gently led Willow to the door.

“Ok. “

“Visiting hours start tomorrow at ten.” She smiled at the redhead once more and closed the door behind them, walking to the next room to finish her rounds.

Willow watched her walk away for a moment before turning to find Buffy, Faith and Anya down the hall with Tara’s family. She looked back at Tara’s door once more before slowly moving down the hall to meet them.

“Hey Will. You ok?” Buffy asked as the redhead met them.

“Yeah,” she answered, slightly nodding but keeping her eyes on the floor.

“Why don’t I get you home?”

“What about Faith?”

“Anya’s going to take me home with her,” the brunette answered. “And Tara’s parents are going to stay at a hotel around the corner.”

“Ok. Well I guess we should get out of here then,” Willow said. Buffy just nodded and looped her arm through Willow’s as they followed the group towards the elevator banks.

“How was she?” the blonde whispered.

“She just looked so fragile,” Willow said, staring at the blue flecks in the tiled floor as they walked. “I just wish I could stay with her.”

“She needs to sleep Will. And so do you. We’ll come back tomorrow morning ok?” Willow just nodded and turned to look back in the direction of Tara’s room as they reached the elevators, her heart aching at the thought of leaving her lover in the cold, stony hospital room all alone.

[AstronSoul]

DIBS!

Alright wow tense chapter I have to say.

“I do. I’ve changed my name though since I got married last year,” she said, never skipping a beat as she riffled through her purse on top of the desk, pulling out her license and handing it over. “It was a beautiful wedding. Lilies everywhere. A Peruvian flute band. Sean Connery even made an appearance. He’s an old family friend you know. Now, where the hell is Tara?!”

Anya never misses a beat when it comes to serious situations, I am glad she got some info, but gees those nurses.

Then wow all the MaClays (being nice even!) and so glad Tara's mom is still around. Seems they like Willow which is always of the good. I like how they included Willow in the family seeing Tara. That still is rough, seeing anyone in bad shape resting in ahospital bed.

I like the lead nurse tho, getting Willow's number to let her know if anything changes, AWESOME!!!

I just hope Tara heals fast and that she and Willow have a good talk.

Great job!!

~AS~

[zampsa19752001]

Yay for great update-y goodness... Yay for Willow being introduced as Tara's girlfriend to Tara's parents... I truly hope that the first thing Tara sees when she wakes up is her Willow...

[True_Love]

Jess,

Very awesome. I love how you wrote this chapter, maintaining the sense of seriousness throughout. Even Anya, in her own Anya way, handled the situations with the importance in which it deserved and did everything she could to be informed and keep the group together. It's so different seeing Tara's family like this, but I like it. Tara's mother treated Willow like every partner would dream of being treated in such a situation. Every time I read about one of our girls in the hospital, I am reminded how important it is to have your legal paperwork done. So, for all those out there reading this, 'Do it! Get your POA's done.' It's essential, especially in our community. *steps off soap box*

Looking forward to Tara waking up and seeing, scratch that, reading about her big baby blues again.
-Lexi

[love_2003]

I've been keeping up with the updates, just been slacking on the feedback.
It made me smile when Willow was introduced as Tara's girlfriend to her family and that the nurse (Barbra) was so nice to her. I can't say enough how happy it makes me that you wrote Tara's family as being loving and supportive. Hopefully Tara wakes up soon.

[Ariel]

Hi Jessica,

This is so powerfully done; a really beautiful job. Faith skidding on the floor, growling at Buffy and not being aware of her girlfriend's feelings, the sterile hospital but without using the cliche.

Then this:

“Anya go,” Faith said, pushing the blonde forward. She watched her follow the doctor down the hall and felt her heart sink as she watched Anya’s facial expression become more and more distraught with each word the doctor said. Unable to take it anymore, she turned away and walked to the corner of the room, plopping down in one of the available chairs there.

Willow watched the sadness transform Anya’s face and knew immediately the news wasn’t good. Oh God Tara. She turned to Buffy, looking to the blonde for reassurance but Buffy, for her own part, didn’t know what to do. Her own worry for Tara had taken over and she just stared back at Willow, unable to offer any comfort. The sound of Anya’s heels clicking against the tile brought both girls attention back to the normally perky blonde and Willow felt her stomach sinking when she saw the tears in the shopkeeper’s eyes.

By just showing Anya's face and NOT doing a doctor dialogue you delivered a MUCH more powerful statement. And the choice of Anya to get the bad news was perfect - someone almost manic and relentlessly cheerful and driven so beaten down with sadness. Very, very well done! Honestly, I am hugely impressed with how you wrote that!

Astie stole my quote on Anya's beautifully phrased lie - nice light moment with Anya which again, underscores her transformation when she gets the news - GREAT set-up!

Have to agree with Zampsa and Lexi on how Willow was treated by Tara's parents; I loved it. Very heart-warming so thank you for that!

Finally, I enjoy that Willow doesn't become a tower of strength and struggles to handle all this. Having her withdraw a bit is a very normal reaction and I felt that her emotions and reactions were believable and affecting.

Anyway, great job!

Ariel
How I Met Your Mother