Only a Matter of Time
Renee85 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks for the feedback, sorry for the delay.
PART TEN (Hurry) Willow tightly gripped the steering wheel in her hands, skid marks on the grey pavement as she took off in lightening speed. She was completely determined to get to Tara in time that she hadn’t cared if she passed the speeding limit; no one really followed the speeding limit nowadays anyway, right?
Willow stepped harder onto her gas petal and effortlessly passed by another car, over passing them on the highway like a master. The redhead glanced up at the street lights above and saw that the lights were turning yellow, and instead of slowing down like she was supposed to, Willow pounded on her gas pedal once again, this time harder, and narrowly made it passed the beaming red light. She sighed loudly in utter relief when she realized that she made it, she didn’t think she would, and she was glad that she did.
The redhead briefly glanced at her watch after her relieved breath was finally exhaled; looking down at her Mickey Mouse wrist band she realized that the minute hand and the second hand were still, unmoving in all respect.
She sighed in frustration, ripping off the watch from her wrist and throwing it on the passenger seat, she then tilted her head to her right and checked the time on her car baseboard, she was already late but she still had ample time to get there and catch Tara before she left if she sustained her high speed, the café wasn’t that far away from where she was and the traffic seemed to flow fairly quickly, unusual for this time period but great news for her.
The redhead let out another breath when an automobile in front of her seemed to stall, he or she was driving by so slowly that Willow had begun to wonder if anyone was even behind the wheel, anyone with a brain that is.
The one thing she hated was people who drove way to slow for the speed limit, it was worse than speeding since speeding had its advantages, people needed to get to their destination and driving fast was a necessity. But slow and sluggish drivers needed to be ripped off the street, and ripped off quickly. If they wanted to drive that slowly, they should just move on foot and be done with it. Willow didn’t need this right now and Tara was waiting for her, all she could see was the blonde.
“I can’t believe this!” Willow cursed to herself when the car in front of her continued its painstaking slow speed, she took a quick glimpse to the other lanes beside her and waited for the pristine moment to change positions, if she stayed on this lane she wouldn’t make it in time and Tara would think that she had stood her up, it was the last thing that she wanted the blonde to think.
The only thing she could think of was that she hadn’t been out on a date since Sarah and she was really looking forward to this meeting, she and Tara seemed to have some sort of connection and the redhead want to see what else they had in common, she had felt a few sparks that first day her crimson eyes met with blue and that along with her promise made her want Tara even more.
Willow stuck her head out from her opened window and glanced back, seeing that she had some space to change lanes, the redhead was on her way.
She got a pretty long distance from where she was, passing by cars like they were tiny snails and she was a bouncing wild rabbit in search for the missing rat, she was pushing the highest speed limit possible when she noticed some blue and red lights gleaming brightly from the inside of her car. She narrowed her eyes and took a peek of her rear view mirror, a police car was behind her, no sirens but the lights spoke more than any siren would.
She was busted.
“This is a nightmare come true!” Willow threw her hands into the air in incredulity, she was tempted to keep on going and drive to Tara anyway—cops be damned—but that was entirely and utterly unfeasible, a high speed chase would result and without a doubt would lead to further lateness, not to mention some jail time.
There would be a lot of women there, she knew, but it wouldn’t be the same kind of women.
“If only Tara were a jailhouse security guard. “ the redhead sighed to herself as she pulled over to her right, leaning into her glove compartment for her car registration and other stuff Buffy reminded her to bring along.
Willow watched as the woman cop tottered slowly towards her and her car, the redhead gulped in uneasiness as she held onto her registration, frantically digging into her purse in search for her driver’s license, she had hoped that she didn’t leave it at home because she knew that driving without a valid license was against the law, she may not need a high speed chase to get into jail in the first place.
The almost frenzied redhead haphazardly dumped her purse and its contents onto the passenger seat and began scanning through all her stuff, finally finding her license in the nick of time. “Thank the goddess.” Willow let out an appreciative breath, pressing the small card onto her chest in a tender fashion, her eyes closed.
“Thank the goddess, huh?” The policewoman smirked, shaking her head in amusement as she lifted her dark colored shades off her eyes. “License and registration, ma’am?” her hazel orbs met anxious green, the woman officer leaned against the car and waited patently for her for the girl in the car to hand over the needed papers.
“Oh… yes.” Willow managed to utter, handing the other woman her driver’s license and registration along with a few other stuff that she hadn’t asked for, dumping it all into the cop’s hands in a messy heap, her rushed mind and edgy psyche hadn’t allowed her to handle things in a composed manner, thus the clumsiness.
The officer cleared her throat.
“I know I was speeding but I just—” she couldn’t finish her sentence; she hadn’t the opportunity to when the police officer in front of her interjected.
“Do you know how fast you were going, ma’am?” The officer questioned evenly as hey eyes quickly scanned the redhead’s license, her eyes narrowing.
“Yes…I was…” The redhead stumbled, her fingers playing with each other on her lap.
“You were pushing 70 on a 45 mile per hour highway path.” The cop finished for Willow, handing the redhead her registration but not her license. “You could thank the goddess all you want but I’m going to have to give you a ticket.” She stated plainly, her eyes holding no sign of compassion.
"I understand but I was just..."
“And you may want to ask that goddess for your thank you back because there’s something awfully suspicious with your license here." the other woman continued. "I’m going to have to send the number in to assure that this is valid and actually yours, which may take awhile.”
“That’s MY license!” Willow insisted, her voice rising in a high pitch and growing impatience. “I don’t know what you’re talking about but that is me…I’m Willow!”
“Willow...” the other woman began to say, leaning into the car and showing her the small card in her hands. “If that is your real name…this picture you have here looks nothing like you, I’ve had a lot of people try to fool me with these fake cards that I can’t even keep track, you’re just another one adding to the list.”
“Look, officer…” Willow shook her head and dug into the messy pile on her passenger seat, looking for her identification card. “I’m already late as it is and I REALLY need to get to where I’m going, I don’t know why you don’t think that’s me, but it is.” She maintained, her voice fill with adamancy. “Here’s my I.D., you could check the birthdates and number if you want, they’ll be the same. “She affirmed matter of factly, standing her ground. “My hair color is different because I dyed it that day and I’m looking kind of gruffy but…”
“Mm hmm…” the officer nodded, scanning through her Identification card, comparing both cards, her brow furrowed as she held them side by side. “I’m sorry, Willow…my mistake.” She corrected, handing the redhead her stuff and digging into her back pocket for her notepad. “Let me just write you this ticket and let you get on your way.”
“Please hurry.” Willow pleaded, her eyes losing all hope as she took a quick glimpse of her clock, she was definitely late now and she hated that she was, if she ever saw Sarah again she’d be forced to strangle her, again and again until she passed out, hopefully forever. “I’m late for a date and If I don’t show up she’s going to think that I stood her up and I REALLY don’t want that to happen, she’s amazing and I want her to—“
“All finished.” The police officer smiled, handing the small note of paper to the redhead. “Make sure to pay it in time or they’ll charge you additional.”
“Yes…I was…” Willow started to say but swallowed her words, nodding her head absently. “I will.”
“Late for a date, huh?” the other woman nodded her head in understanding, tapping her fingers on the base upper part of the redhead’s Honda Civic. “You go on ahead and I hope for the best, but no speeding okay?”
“Okay.” Willow nodded her head again. “No speeding.”
The other woman chuckled a bit before leaving. “God, I love my job.” She mumbled to herself, shaking her head.
Willow sighed in relief, happy that the moment was over and that she was off the hook, she wasted precious minutes with that damned police officer chick but if she maintained her speed up to this point she might still have a chance to make it, the window of opportunity was there and she wanted to take it.
She settled into her seat and straightened herself, composing herself enough to begin her drive to the café; she needed to see Tara and she needed to see her now. Sarah went too far and she was sure that her dark haired ex-girlfriend was going to get what she deserved, she was certain that Buffy and her bat would make sure of it.
The redhead grabbed her cell phone began dialing, all the while steering the wheel of her car, she waited for the police officer to turn the other direction before she sped up again, desperate times made for desperate measures, and this was a desperate time.
“Buffy?” she asked through the receiver, her other hand gripping the steering wheel in front of her as securely as possible, trying to dodge past even more cars, the ticket wasn’t a lesson, it was part of the ride and she was ready for another one if that was what were to happen, she’s do almost anything to get to Tara, her resolve face always shone through and that was partly because of Sarah and her unwillingness to move the hell on.
“Willow, did you meet Tara yet?” Buffy asked from the other line, balancing the phone receiver on her shoulder as Dawn and Xander listened on.
“No, I’m still on the road!” Willow exclaimed, steering to the right sharply as she neared another turn, she was a fantastic driver so that wouldn’t be a problem, but she was already late as it is and she was seriously doubting that Tara would still be waiting for her. “I was pulled over by a cop for speeding!”
Buffy shook her head, shocked. “You’re really having a bad day, huh?”
“Like you wouldn’t believe, this is the worst day ever!” the redhead continued over the phone, darting across the highway as fast as she could. “I’m going to kill Sarah and throw her body in the river so no one can find her, that’s what I’m going to do.”
“Willow…” Buffy chuckled, shaking her head once more. “You don’t mean that.”
“The frilly heck I do!” Willow nearly shouted over the phone, continued her driving across the grey pathways. “She’s gone too far, Buffy.”
“Then let me do it.” Buffy suggested quickly, gripping the phone in her hands. “I’ve always wanted to use my bat and Sarah’s head is so perfectly shaped like a baseball.”
“We can kill her together.” Willow was serious, she was so distressed and upset at the whole situation that she’d say anything and planning on actually murdering someone was one of those things.
"Willow, what are you..."
“And it doesn’t matter if we go to jail because it would be so worth it and think about the advantages— people don’t really think about this—you get free food, you don’t have to pay rent, the food trays come to you, and we could ban together and form a group.” The redhead’s eyes lit up as she thought of something. “We could call ourselves the scoobies!”
“Okay, Will…deep breath.” Buffy tried to calm her friend down, she knew Willow didn’t mean it but hearing it some from the redhead’s mouth made it all too real. “You’ll make it there in the nick of time and you’ll meet Tara…I promise you.”
“I’m NOT going to make it.” Willow was almost in tears, the warms liquid falling out of her eyelids as she continued driving, all hope flew out the window when another red light came into effect, delaying her even further, she slammed her hands onto her steering wheel roughly as she was forced to stop. “I should have left earlier, Buffy.”
“Willow…” Buffy sighed, not knowing what to say to make her best friend feel remotely better; she wasn’t too great with words. “I don’t know what to say but the only thing I can tell you is…”
“What?” the redhead asked, utterly and wholly defeated. “What can you say to make things better?”
“I can say good luck.” Buffy stated softly, her voice filled with the utmost sincerity. “And I hope you make it.”
“Thanks Buffy and I hope I make it too.” Willow managed to whisper before hanging up; she tossed her cell phone in the seat beside her and continued on her way. The redhead noticed that the rain was starting up again, small droplets of water falling from the sky lightly as it hit the glass of her windshield, she knew that rain always resulted in traffic and she was more than ever determined to reach Tara in time, she’d do anything to reach her destination, even if it meant speeding in the rain.
*****
Tara fiddled with the red rose in her hand, taking quick peeks of the large clear glass in front of her just in case Willow showed up.
The redhead was already late and she was feeling increasingly uncomfortable sitting alone in a restaurant where everyone was sitting in pairs, people kept giving her weird looks and all Tara could do was try to ignore them. She was so close to leaving but she really didn’t have anyplace to go and a part of her was telling her to wait, that Willow wouldn’t really stand her up, if anything, she was probably in traffic.
The blonde let out a deep breath as she took a sip of water that a waiter had given her, her finger trailing over the glass as she stared at the clear liquid inside, trying to distract herself as she continued to wait for her redheaded beauty, she’d wait forever for Willow and that was exactly what she was going to do, fifteen minutes, an hour, none of it mattered.
The same waiter who had given Tara the glass of water came through again, a sympathetic and compassionate look on his face as he neared the sad blonde. “You still waiting, huh?” the young man asked as he came around Tara and began filling up her glass once again.
Tara just nodded her head, looking up briefly with sad eyes.
“He’s probably in traffic.” The young man shrugged as he balanced a tray in his other hand, his brown eyes meeting with Tara’s blue. “No one in his right mind would ever stand you up.” He said before leaving, giving the blonde as small smile of assurance. “No one.”
Tara nodded her head but said nothing, her hands still playing with the single red rose in her hand.
A dark haired girl went into the entrance of the restaurant, scanning the small space hastily before heading directly to Tara, the blonde noticed this and lifted her head.
“Tara, right?” Sarah questioned the other woman, her eyebrows raised in query. “You’re meeting Willow here?”
“Yes.” Tara stated hesitantly.
“I'M with Willow.” Sarah sat in front of the blonde and shook her head disapprovingly, acting as if Willow had lead Tara on and that they were still together, she seemed to play the part really well. “So it’s best that you leave before you cause anymore trouble between us.”
Tara seemed confused, she wasn’t expecting this. “You’re with Willow?” the blonde asked slowly.
Sarah just nodded her head, a small evil smile gracing her face in an instant, but Tara hadn't noticed, she was busy looking down at her hands.
Tara's hand unexpectedly dropped the rose onto the table in front of her in a soft thump when realization slowly set in, her deep orbs began shimmering with a thin sheen of warm tears. “But Willow was the one that asked me to come here and—"
“She lied.” Sarah stated simply, her eyes hard. “Willow loves me.” she clenched her jaw. "Willow loves me and she doesn't love you and I think you should go."
*****
Willow finally pulled into the parking lot of the café, she was late but at least she made it. The redhead grabbed her purse and hurriedly began stocking all her spilled items back into her bag, making sure to grab her wallet so she could pay for the food inside. She wanted to buy Tara the biggest and most expensive meal to make up for her lateness, maybe even the most luxurious and costly bottle of wine in addition to everything else, none of it matter though, if Tara wasn’t there.
The redhead made sure that everything was in order before shutting closed her car door, it was sprinkling outside but she hadn’t cared, she needed to get to Tara and a little bit of rain wouldn’t and couldn’t phase her.
Willow ran from her car and towards the entrance of the café, the distance was pretty far because parking was very limited and the last available spot was the farthest away, but even that was no match for her, she ran as fast as she could, almost tripping flat on her face when she slipped on a large rock on the solid ground. Fumbling slightly, she continued on her way.
Willow’s purse hung on hand loosely as she continued her fast steps, her red hair swaying in the wind the faster and faster she ran. The redhead had the most determined look on her face, the most unbeatable, unbreakable, and adamant resolve face, no one was going to mess with her, not when it meant her meeting Tara for THEIR date.
The redhead's breath sped up rapidly when she finally reached the café, she swung the door open and rushed inside, immediately being graced with her ex-girlfriend who was sitting on the spot that Tara had once been, holding the same single red rose that Tara had brought for Willow, the blonde was nowhere to be seen.
“Sarah, what the hell are you doing here?” Willow asked her ex-girlfriend, her emerald eyes narrowing in distrust and anger. “Where’s Tara?” she asked after a moment, she knew that Sarah would do anything to get back with her and that included driving Tara away. "I have a feeling you know about her otherwise you wouldn't have slashed my tires and you wouldn't be here."
“I got you a rose.” Sarah smiled, holding up the red flower to the redhead. “You like it?”
“Where is Tara?” Willow demanded, her eyes narrowed in fury, her hands clenched in a ball. "What the frilly heck did you say to her?"
"I just told her to get lost." Sarah smiled, her fingers playing with the stem of the rose in her hand. "We belong together Willow, you know that."
Willow gave the brunette a hateful look before rushing out the door, hoping to see Tara on the other side, just in time to catch her before she left completely. Her hands reached the glass door of the exit hall as she pulled the door open, her eyes immediatley catching the sight of the blonde several feet in front of her. Sarah hurried after her, right behind the redhead without a second thought.
"Tara!" Willow called out, trying to get the blonde to stop. “Tara, please I’m sorry I was….” Before she had anything else to say Sarah grabbed Willow in a fast and forceful kiss, clutching the redhead’s neck tightly.
Tara turned her head just in time to see this and continued her walking, she didn’t know where she was going but she needed to be alone and away, her eyes filled with tears when she realized that the girl hadn’t been lying, Willow was taken.
“What the hell are you doing, Sarah?” Willow demanded angrily, wiping her mouth in distaste, roughly pushing Sarah off and away from her, she didn't want to be anywhere near her. "Why did you do that?"
“I wanted to show you what you were missing.” Sarah stated matter of factly, stepping closer to the redhead. “Don’t tell me that you didn’t feel anything, that you don't want me after all these months, that you don't think of me.”
Willow gave Sarah another hateful look before heading back to Tara, running even faster to the retreating form of the blonde several feet ahead of her. "Tara, wait!"
Tara shook her head and continued walking, she wasn't going to stop for anyone. Willow had just kissed that girl and that was proof enough, she didn't want to get involved with someone who was already taken, the didn't want to be the other woman.
"Tara!" Willow kept on, not wanting to give up on the blonde, she wasn't going to let this woman leave her, she wasn't ever going to let her go. "Tara, I can explain everything to you, just please stop!"
Sarah rushed to Willow's side and placed her hand on her shoulder, tugging her ex-girlfriend away from the blonde. "Willow, I know you love me." the other woman stated adamantly, her face hard in detrmination. "And I also know that this Tara girl is only a rebound to get back at me but..."
Willow groaned in frustration just once before swiftly punching Sarah square in the face, knocking her down in an instant. "I didn't want to do that, Sarah." the redhead stated as she stared down at her ex-girlfriend who was now sprawled on the groundfloor, her nose bleeding a bit at the redhead's force. "But you left me no choice."
Sarah sat on the ground in disbelief, her hand holding her jaw.
"Tara!" Willow rushed to Tara without a moments glance, the redhead placed a tender hand on the blonde's shoulder and gently pulled the blonde towards her, wanting to look deeply into sapphire depths. Tara turned slowly and met the eyes of emerald green, her tears shimmering brightly under the luminous street lights above. Tara gazed into the redhead's green eyes, the unmistakable pain behind them was evident, it made Willow's heart ache at the thought that she was the cause of it.
"Tara..."
The blonde continued to look at Willow, not being able to look away no matter how much she wanted to.
"Tara, I have to tell you..." Willow managed to utter, before being interuptted by the woman in front of her, this beautiful woman in front of her. "I have to tell you that..."
"I understand, Willow." Tara shook her head in understanding, even though it was killing her to say the words she knew she had to say, her azure orbs eyes locking with Willow's deep crimson depths, tears shimmering slightly. "You have to be with the person you love." she uttered out, pulling away from the redhead when she declared those nine words. "You have to be with the person you love and I have to respect that."
"I am." Willow declared adamantly as she pulled Tara by the shoulders. "If you'll let me."she added quietly. "Please tell me that you'll let me."
A beat.
"What about..."
"She isn't my girlfriend." Willow shook her head from side to side. "She's an obsessive ex that wanted to split us up, I'm not with her, Tara and I want to be with you, tell me you want to be with me." she pleaded soflty. "Please tell me that you do."
A beat.
"I do." Tara's managed to say after the longest and most painstaking silence imaginable, a newfound happiness engulfing her entire body as suddenly as ever, it scared her but made her relish in the feel of it at the same time. "If you'll let me." the blonde added after a moment, her finger tracing the redhead's upper lip affectionately.
Willow beamed brightly as she moved her slender arms to wrap even tighter around Tara, lifting the blonde off the ground and spinning her into the air, the small droplets of rain continued to pour but it hadn't mattered. The redhead grabbed Tara in a kiss, her lips meeting the blonde in a passionate embrace, kissing her feverishly. "I'm not with Sarah, I want to be with you."
"I want to be with you too." Tara said before kissing Willow once more, a quick kiss that Willow soon followed with a deeper one. The rain intensified and the two women, redhead and blonde, continued in their kiss...the rain be damned and Sarah be damned as well.
~~~~~~~
To be Continued
"The moment you have in your heart this extraordinary thing called love and feel the depth, the delight, the ecstasy of it, you will discover that for you the world is transformed." -J. Krishnamurti
by bindingwiccan » Sat Jan 24, 2004 1:29 am 
is it just me or does anyone else wanna slap that bitch around a few times? 
keep up the beautiful work hun 
haha sarah is one crazy bitch. loved the update.
at: 2/8/04 9:01 pm
I'm glad that she apologized to Tara. 
. I loved the update soo much.soo good. I hope Willow reaches Tara in time..Love sammi xx 
