Captain Red and the Denizens of Mars

[pipsberg]

Oh my god Alcy, you're killing me!! Great update, fabulous cliffhanger. I love the additional story line between Willow and Buffy... I'm very curious yet patient at the same time to find out where it's going. Loved reading Willow and Tara's flying skills in action - go Tara!! I love this story, more please... =))

-pipsberg



"We live our lives, do whatever we do, and then we sleep - it's as simple and ordinary as that."

Michael Cunningham, The Hours

[WintersDreamer]

Yeah! update!!



Beautiful action scene...at least I think so.



It's amazing how a wall of technology will change a personality. This Tara is a good example, completely different when she gets in the plane than when she is on the ground. Question is though which is the true one... .



Buffy asking Willow for help !?!?!? whoa....

Buffy doesn't get much sympathy from me, being a pilot she should understand about "pilot error" which is another way to say "too many things went wrong that couldn't be fixed... unless your GOD. "



I thought that the planes Willow squad would be using were based on the P-38 Lightening....however my mate says that the P-38's weren't designed with the stresses of carrier landing , and that they were too heavy.



Please update soon....

[blue and green wings]

yay!! an update!! awesome dogfight. i love action. now smooching action is in another ballpark, but i love it even more. *hint hint wink wink nudge nudge* and a good cliffhanger!! what does buffy need willow's help for? hopefully this can help their friendship be mended. waiting patiently!

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If someone like you/ Found somone like me/ Then suddenly/ Nothing would ever be the same/ My heart would take wing/ And I'd feel so alive/ If someone like you/ Found me...
"Someone Like You" from the musical Jekyll and Hyde

[WillowPowered]

This cracked me up:

Quote:

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Cry, crochet a few doilies

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Another wonderful update, can't wait for the next one.



Jill

~~~~~~~~

Willow - Say, you all didn't happen to do a bunch of drugs did ya?



My Home Page | Amber Powered | Alyson Powered



There is a little bit of Amber in all of us.

[lil wiccan]

hey! i just started reading this fic and i think it's awsome! i like how the story is put together and it's weird seeing buffy and willow hate each other...but i'm sure they'll work it out...hehe...please update soon

"How can i/ Beleive that my heart will find/ Someone like you/ You see the really me/ No in betweens/ I had nowhere to hide/ You took away the walls around me/ Make me feel safe to share my truth/ I see the heavens open/ A heart that once was broken/ It's holding nothing back/ Now that i found you

[russ]

A well-written dogfight scene, Alcy. That must be difficult to do. Good to see that Tara is as much of a wildcat in the plane as she is a wallflower out of it.



Dennis got off much too lightly, in my opinion. He deserves to be court-martialled for disobeying orders the way he did. His actions are directly responsible for the loss of four planes and two pilots. This means that each squadron is down to four operational aircraft (as I can't see where they'd get spares). If each engagement costs them 1/3 of their aircraft, this is going to be a short war.



Buffy must indeed be desperate if she's asking Willow for help. I'm presuming it has to do with the "Search and Rescue" in chapter 10; Faith missing in action, perhaps? If anything reconciles those two, it will be the necessity of working together and covering each other's back.



Back to part 1 (sorry I didn't comment earlier); Faith begins to be somewhat less objectionable (though still really annoying) with her sensible advice to Tara. What really worries me is the recurring nightmare that both Willow & Tara are having. Starts out good, but always ends in Tara's death. We don't want them in a scenario where their getting together will automatically result in Tara being killed. Been there, done that. It must have to do with Tara's psychic ability, and Willow picking it up because of her attaction to her.



Much to worry about, much to be worked out, much good reading to look forward to.



Russ

[Xedi]

You have the ability to describe scenes very well without resorting to Tolkienesque verbosity. That's great because it means your action scenes are concise and punchy yet descriptive, and manages to avoid the pitfall of becoming too draggy.



Although for this chapter, I missed the W/T interaction which you write so well. Looking forward to more on their developing relationship.



Kind of wondering, Tad for some reason makes me think of Oz. Did you have him in mind when writing Tad or am I reading something that isn't there?



A nitpick though, sorry.



I've already been having some trouble with the fact that the 1930s military (especially the British) was an equal opportunity employer, but promoting someone who's never seen combat to a Captain in charge of an elite squadron of pilots?



That doesn't quite fit in, no matter how good her skills were in the academy, especially considering the respect Willow commands and that she was around when Teddy died (I assumed in combat). Her deathwish of sorts from earlier also seemed to suggest a sort of survivor's guilt from repeated encounters. I mean, yes, I read the episode with Dawn, but given willow's strength of character imho it'd take a helluva lot of trauma to make her give up on life...

[4WiccanLuv]

Alcy, great action sequences. I was totally riveted! Engaging the LGFs was a pretty stupid move by Dennis, but I understand. He was thinking with his heart rather than his head. Willow let him off much too lightly, a was not enough.



The scene where Willow pulled Alex out of harms way was excellent. I felt the intensity of the heat as his plane went up in flames. I also love the moment when W &T made with the eye contact. Tara needed to know that Willow was safe. It was touching. I cracked up when in the middle of all that, Willow's libido acted up with her naughty thoughts about Tara!



BTW, I'm suspicious of Dennis. Willow watched his plane explode and he claims he bailed out. They weren't inside the net at the time, so how and more importantly, who, fished him out of the water?? See…now I'm just paranoid! HeeHee



Patiently waiting for more!

"Those are my principles. If you don't like them I have others." - Groucho Marx

[frumpycat]

Yay! Enjoyed the update...



Dennis got off light...



Just surmising...4 lost aircraft and 2 dead pilots...I take it the Slayers lost 2 pilots and 2 aircraft due to a Devil pilot's insubordination? I'd expect Buffy to be a heck of a lot more pissed than she is now.



Mmm...I wonder what the Draken's look like...I have a vision of the old Supermarine racing planes that were the precursors to the Spitfires (edited..then maybe again not..I think you stated they had radial engines...some big 'ol blunt nose thing then..). And the gull wings on the Slayers planes...something like the old Corsairs...Overall cool story...has a very Crimson Skies kind of feel to it.



Cool stuff...looking forward to your next update...



FC

Edited by: frumpycat at: 4/20/04 1:23 pm

[sam7777]

Ah the war has begun and Willow and Tara are in the thick of it. As I thought, Tara's shyness on land is in no way reflected in the air. That maneuver she pulled off to get the enemy craft to crash against the net is something I'll bet few of the others can do. I hope that Wilow and Tara get to talking soon. They obvioulsy have some misunderstandings to work out. Buffy's apprach to Willow for help could be a good thing or another way to get back at her. Too soon to tell which way she goes. Willow should be careful here. Hopefully, Willow and Tara will actually send some tine in their quarters together even if they're not in the same bunk.



Here's a site with pix of World War Two Combat Planes



I like the Vought F4U Corsair for the Draken cuz it looks pretty cool to me. It was "Pappy" Boyington's plane for one.

[KiwiAlcyone]

So much great feedback!



pipsberg: I’m killing you?! I had better stop writing then…just kidding. I’m definitely going to resolve the Willow/Buffy story line although they’re not going to become instant friends overnight.

And our girls can kick arse in the air! I love reading books or watching movies with strong action heroines a la Ellen Ripley or Lara Croft so getting to write Willow and Tara in sort of the same mould is a true guilty pleasure.



WintersDreamer: Thanks so much. I’m sure I do witty banter and angst thoughts better than I do action scenes so I’m glad you enjoyed it.

You ask a really good question as to which Tara is the real one…harking back to the brief Summary at the very start where I described Tara as strange and many times in the actual fic she is ‘mysterious.’ So there are a lot of questions to be asked about Tara, her personality and motivations aren’t as clear as Willow’s.

Ah, and a note about the planes. I mentioned in a previous response that the Drakens are based on P-47 Thunderbolts which were never used as a carrier based aircraft – pure artistic license. The Gullstrikes however are based on F4U-1D Corsairs. But these weren’t used until WWII so again with the artistic license.



blue and green wings: I agree that action definitely isn’t the same as smooching…keep a keen eye out for the next chapter.



WillowPowered: Yeah, crocheting dollies sounds so Englishy and something my nana would be doing rather than a fighter pilot. Thanks so much!



lilwiccan: Yeah, it is weird seeing Buffy and Willow hate each other…everywhere except in my fics. I seem to be making a trend of it. I think I’ll really surprise myself if one day I write a fic where they are really great friends!



russ: Thanks so much! Given that this is an action/adventure story based around aerial combat I really want the dogfight scenes to come off well.

And yes, court martial would be the ideal way to deal with Dennis but I’m relaxing protocol given their situation. And as for the lose of aircraft I really wanted to show that the technology they had now just can’t cut it with the Martian planes…and I’m not giving anything more away.

I don’t really want to give too much away about the dreams. Having a looming cloud hanging over the pair of them, seemingly tied with their relationship is to keep everyone on their toes, including me. I like the element of danger. Although this fic will of course have a happy ending.



Xedi: okay, you have no idea how happy your praise makes me! I can’t stand verbose ramblings in my sci-fi reading so I definitely don’t want to start writing it myself. There is a very fine but nevertheless clear line between this and detailed, informative description which I very much enjoy.

As for W/T interaction – check out the next chapter.

Tad reminds you of Oz? Argh, back to the drawing board. Although I can definitely see how he does. Tad is somewhat of a cardboard cut out character, he’s Willow’s sort of conscience and her sounding board but I’d like to think he’s more verbal and…how should I put this…not a boring, monosyllabic moron. I don’t like Oz very much. Hee hee, thanks for bringing that up, I will endeavour to make him less Ozish.

The thing about this fic is that the military I’ve created isn’t supposed to be anything resembling a historically fighting force. I said a while ago that I wanted to strip away the sexism and homophobia of this time period so I could concentrate on the action/adventure. However, the fact that most of my main characters are women makes it a lot more equal opportunity than I wanted it to appear to be. The majority of the fighting force is male.

And as for Willow being Captain. I do tend to dwell more on the angst in her past quite often as well as her ongoing conflict with Buffy and her tenuous and troubled relationship with Tara thus far. The way I write has the down-side of making Willow appear to be less capable than she really is. The fact that she is Captain and hasn’t seen combat doesn’t seem to be too unrealistic (despite my already huge changes to the historical accuracy of everything!) given that it is 1936, the Great War ended 18 years previously and England has been involved in no major aerial conflicts since so most of their pilots at this time would have been unlikely to have had combat experience.

Thanks so much for your time to make these great points and I hope my rambling has been helpful.



4WiccanLuv: Thanks so much, very, very happy to hear the action sequence came across well.

Oh, with the Dennis thing, I think I mentioned that he was fortunate enough to bail out in the fleets path so the launch (kind of a little speed boat type thing used for ferrying people between ships) picked him up.

Look for much more W/T in the next chapter. This one was a bit light on the stuff I enjoy writing most of all.



frumpycat: Thanks so much.

Dennis did get off light…*hint hint* for next chapter…not going to say anymore!

Drakens are essentially carrier based P-47 Thunderbolts which you are very right to say the Gullstrikes are Corsairs and yes, I did draw on Crimson Skies for inspiration for this fic although I have never played the game.



sam7777: Tara is from the same mould as Willow, which means that Willow’s curiosity about this weird blonde is definitely going to increase ten-fold. And I did skip out on the W/T interaction in this chapter, but hopefully you’ll forgive me in Chapter 10.

The Gullstrikes are based on Corsairs, a plane which I’ve always loved and I have a scale model I made up of one.



The next chapter I worked on concurrently with Chapter 9 - Part 2 so its very nearly finished. Look for an update soonish!



Alcy



edited because sam snuck in while I wasn't looking

"You know Hobbes, some days even my lucky rocketship underpants don't help." Calvin and Hobbes

Edited by: KiwiAlcyone  at: 4/20/04 5:56 pm

[TemperedCynic]

Dennis is lucky he's still flying after a stunt like that. Getting your squadmates killed is a heavy toll to pay for a rookie mistake, but this is war now. And war often doesn't allow second chances. Willow is a hero for saving her best friend, and a very competent Captain for getting Dennis to understand the seriousness of their plight. No time for angst and worry - 'tis time for action. Great stuff, Alcy.

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More than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly. Woody Allen (1935 - )

[Tempest Duer]

So... Buffy's actually asking Willow for help? Is this a trick to be extra bitchy, or genuine need? Oh well. Either way, it'll be an interesting twist.

Saying that up is down will not make up, down.



~Gene Burns

[Grimlock72]

Buffy needs Willow's help, thats odd.... I can't figure out for what exactly. Likely Buffy needs something done, which Willow can do... doesn't mean anything between them is fixed.



Dennis should go into public relations, if their were any friendships left between Devils and Slayers he surely took care of those. Idiot. We don't know who died as a result of his action, which makes it easier I suppose.. but what would have happened if the Devils had continued landing? Sure Dennis likely would have died, but no-one else. As a friend of mine used to say 'commit suicide alone, will ya?' Yeah, thats probably a bit harsh. I'm also rather suspicious about Dennis surviving the battle. I don't think they were flying at an altitude where parachutes would be usefull, besides didn't plane change into a nifty fireball ?? Chutes don't help against that :-)



Since they will have a shortage of planes, several pilots won't be flying anyway. Guess who's #1 on my list of Never-Fly-Again ??



Height is recurring problem for me here, Tara wasn't flying that high once inside the net was she ? I wonder about it since she blacked out several seconds yet managed to pull up in time. Of course that is a Good Thing but it makes me wonder about altitude. Nice to see Tara confident in the skies, I'm curious what she herself thinks of that and indeed what she sees as the 'real' Tara.



Hmm.. they escorted a merchant fleet to a net, why didn't the net with ships simple meet the merchants ? Sounds much safer to me



Got to wonder what Boone is going to say about Dennis misbehaving himself so badly. For some reason he doesn't strike me as someone who is going to skip over that, nope



WW-2 planes vs. Flying Soucers... still sounds awfull weird



Grimmy

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"You hurt Tara," Willow said too calmly. "The last one who tried that was a god. I made her regret it." -- Unexpected Consequences by Lisa of Nine

[KiwiAlcyone]

TemperedCynic: yes, Dennis is a very lucky boy. But just remember that Boone hasn’t had time to get to him yet! While you could argue that the squadron would possibly been jumped even if Dennis had stayed in formation, it was still very much his error and his fault.

And yeah, Willow rocks, she’s an adventure heroine now so its definitely time for heroic deeds and saving people’s lives.

Tempest Duer: Yes, very interesting….is it a step towards reconciliation? Or just more fuel to the fire? Stay tuned to find out! Hopefully fairly soon, I’m almost done writing Chapter 10.

Grimlock72: Yup, this is definitely one friendship that ain’t gonna be fixed overnight. Much more work needed.

I did mention that Dennis only just had enough altitude to bail out. His plane also blew up after he had well and truly made his escape. Willow thought he was dead because she only saw the fireball after her attention was diverted…she missed him bailing out.

Plane shortage to be fixed shortly…nuff said.

I should really have stipulated just how high the net was in the second chapter when I described the net going up for the first time. Suffice to say, there is enough room to have a dogfight beneath it…and besides, we can’t have Tara crashing into the ocean.

Why didn’t the ships meet the merchants? Hmmm, you’ll have to wait and see…

And no, Boone certainly wouldn’t skip over something like that…

Since Flying Saucers don’t really exist I have complete license to make them into whatever I see fit for my fic. They’re not hugely technologically superior to the planes Air Command are using otherwise we’d have a very short fic on our hands and no exciting dogfights. I think WW2 fighter planes are so much cooler and more romantic than modern ones which is why this fic is set in 1936 rather than the present day.

"You know Hobbes, some days even my lucky rocketship underpants don't help." Calvin and Hobbes

[KiwiAlcyone]

This is an 'R' rated chapter...so please read at your own discretion.



Chapter Ten – “Search and Rescue.”





The atmosphere could best be described as tense as Buffy faced down Boone in the hanger. Two extremely strong personalities going head to head.



“I lost Hart, his plane blew up in my face,” Buffy said in a controlled voice, “I won’t leave Thompkins out there. I saw his chute so there’s no reason for him not to be in his dinghy somewhere behind us. I won’t leave him there.”



“Or he could have drowned,” Boone replied calmly, just stating the obvious but Buffy bristled noticeably.



“He’s alive!” she hissed, fighting back an urge to jab her finger at the commander’s chest.



Willow just stood quietly in the background, her arms folded across her chest as she listened to the Buffy Summers she remembered. One of Buffy’s strongest traits as a leader was that she would never leave anyone behind.



Willow remembered during their basic PT training when a fellow recruit had sprained his ankle on a long hike. Miles from anywhere, Buffy had enlisted Willow’s help in carrying the young man all the way back to camp. While Willow had struggled just to lift one foot after the other, Buffy had talked about anything and everything to keep their spirits up, even as the chill of night fell. That was the Buffy she saw now and as Boone nodded a sparse approval for the rescue mission, Willow knew that she would go.



There was just one question on her mind, “Who’s going to fly the Auster?” Willow was referring to the tiny two seater float plane carried on the destroyer Agamemnon.



It would be impossible for one ship to leave the protection of the net and diverting the entire fleet was even more of an impossibility. The float plane would be needed…if they could even locate the pilot.



“I am,” Willow spun around to see Tara striding purposefully towards them, her parachute kit in her arms and a resolute expression on her face, the blonde continued, “With your permission Commander, I’d like to take the launch to the Agamemnon now so that we can be underway asap.”



“Very well Maclay,” Boone nodded.



“Wait a second!” Willow couldn’t help but speak up, she stepped forward into the foreground, Tara had started to turn away but now paused and looked over her shoulder at Willow, “You can’t be seriously thinking of flying that plane…an unarmed float plane into the middle…of those things?”



“Rosenberg?” Boone stared at her as though she were a moron, “Someone has to fly it, Maclay volunteered and that’s that. Is it just you that has some particular problem with it?”



Hell yes I do! It’s suicide, she has absolutely no means of defending herself in that rusty little crate. She’ll be cut to ribbons!



Willow felt everyone’s eyes on her, boring into her as though trying to figure out what the hell she was thinking. Every pair of eyes bar one. Willow looked to Tara to see the blonde staring awkwardly at her feet and looking for all the world as though she just wanted to be able to leave.



“No, no problem,” Willow replied, she kept her eyes on Tara although the blonde wouldn’t look at her, “Flight Officer Maclay is more than capable of handling herself.”



“Well quit standing around yapping when you could all be in the air!” Boone snapped, he turned on his heels and strode away.



Tara finally raised her head and met Willow’s gaze, she set her jaw determinedly. Willow couldn’t tell what she was feeling but as Tara turned away to try and leave again, Willow knew exactly what her own feelings were,



“Tara,” she said softly. Tara stopped walking but she didn’t turn around. Willow continued, “I’ve got your back.”



Willow felt a shoulder brush past hers roughly, it was Buffy. The Slayer captain assumed an aggressive stance between Willow and Tara. She spun and stared intently at Willow even though she spoke to Tara,



“We’ve all got your back Maclay.”



Tara was grateful when she could finally slip away from the gaze of the two captains and head for the deck where the fleet launch would be waiting for her, bobbing beside the Odysseus. She didn’t want anyone to see the small smile that had crossed her face as soon as Willow’s words registered in her confused mind. Tara… Tara loved the way her name rolled from Willow’s lips, so sweet and simple, I’ve got your back…



*****



Willow watched Tara go until she could no longer see the young woman, she turned to Buffy as though nothing out of the ordinary had just happened.



“So, who else is coming?” Willow asked, ignoring the Slayer’s glare.



Buffy inclined her head to the left and for the first time Willow noticed Dennis standing there. He had changed his sweater, but his pants were still obviously damp.



“Dennis?” Willow asked seeing the young man in his flying gear, ready to go. He had also borrowed a parachute rig from somewhere, his own floating in the sea somewhere.



“The XO said you needed a few volunteers for search and rescue,” he said in a firm voice.



“You’re not coming,” Willow said bluntly.



“Rosenberg,” Buffy stepped between them, “He volunteered, I’m going to take all the help I can get.”



“You don’t have a plane…” Willow tried another tact…



“I’ll fly the spare,” Dennis fired back determinedly, “I made a serious error in judgement, but it won’t happen again sir…let me do this.”



Willow sighed, he was still damp from his earlier swim, who knew if he was suffered from an undiagnosed internal injury? Reluctantly she nodded.



“Right, let’s get going, I want to do everything we can to find Thompkins before dark.”



*****



Willow couldn’t help but keep turning her eyes to the tiny plane that flew in the middle of the formation. It looked so awkward and fragile with the huge floats attached to it where undercarriage usually was found. She imagined Tara sitting at the controls, a determined expression on her serious face…blue eyes scanning the sky for any sign of trouble.



All four planes hugged the ocean floor, looking for any sign of Thompkins, the missing pilot.



Radio silence never unnerved Willow. She enjoyed talking immensely, sharing jokes with her squadron as they flew but silence gave her time to retreat into herself. It was just her sitting in that tiny metal capsule, the din of the engine was loud and yet it didn’t get in the way of her thoughts. Thoughts which automatically drifted towards the one place they had almost constantly been dwelling.



Willow had the feeling that some part of her should rue the day that Tara had climbed down from her cockpit on the deck of the Odysseus. From that moment on she felt so confused and emotionally fragile. At first Willow had trouble learning what it was she wanted. At first she leapt to the conclusion that it was just sex. Tara was a gorgeous young woman, curvaceous, sexy in her own shy way and she stirred in Willow longings that she did not think she had ever felt before.



It took Willow a while to notice that those longings were not just for hot, sweaty sex with the blonde but rather moments of a simpler nature. Making her laugh, holding her hand…Willow often imagined the blonde’s fingers entwined in her own. In her mind, they always fit perfectly together.



Protecting her…



Willow kept a eagle eye on everything around them and it was out of her concern for Tara that she noticed the all too tiny flash of yellow on the sea far below.



“I think I’ve spotted him!” she said over the radio just before diving down to take a better look.



It was indeed a dinghy, tossing about in the small waves. The pilot was huddled up and Willow could see no sign of movement from him.



“I’m going down,” Tara’s voice said in Willow’s ear, so confident.



*****



Tara felt the floats hit the water smoothly as she brought the Auster into land. She thanked her lucky stars that the waves were no larger else such a landing would have been impossible. She taxied the plane as close to the dinghy as possible before shutting off the engine. Making sure her life jacket was on firmly, she swung the door open and stepped out onto the aircrafts floats. The yellow dinghy bobbed close by and she grabbed the retrieval hook to catch it and hook it closer. All the while the plane was bobbing up and down, making standing on the floats very awkward.



“Hal!” Tara yelled to the pilot, “Hal?”



There was still no response, she hooked the dinghy and towed it in, up against the Auster’s floats. Hal’s usually swarthy skin was a pale shade of blue, dried blood was crusted all over his face. He was curled in a foetal position in what had been an effort to keep warm. Tara reached down, keeping a firm grip on the float supports. He was heavy as soon as she grabbed him despite the fact he was a small man. She braced herself by wrapping her leg around the float struts so that she could reach out both hands and drag him upwards. With the sudden jarring movement, Hal’s eyes opened.



“Wha…” his voice was weak, rasping.



“Hal, it’s Tara,” Tara continued to lift him up until he was on the float, “You’re going to be fine, we just need to get you into the plane.



Hal pushed weakly with his legs, helping Tara as she strained to get him up into the cockpit. He managed to crawl the last of the way himself and collapsed on the passenger seat, shivering violently. Tara climbed up in after him and shut the door with more than a little relief. The three planes continued to circle overhead, keeping an eye out for any company. Willow was up there…watching over her.



“Than…ks,” Hal muttered weakly.



“No problem buddy,” Tara replied, reaching out for a few moments to place one of her hands over his own which were cupped together, “Now lets get you back somewhere where its really warm okay?”



*****



Willow finally allowed herself to relax a little when, after what seemed an age, the Auster left the water and started climbing back into the air. The float plane rejoined formation and Willow took up a protective flanking position. Buffy did the same on the other side.



“Let’s get home,” Buffy said in a relieved voice.



“Buffy’s buying the drinks,” Tara said in an effort to be light.



Willow was imagining what it would be like to sit down and have a drink with Buffy when she saw two shapes screaming at them from her right. A pair of Martians swooped on them and their formation scattered.



Willow yelled over her radio as she tried to latch onto the tail of the Martian nearest her, “Buffy, get the Auster out of here!” she knew full well that she really meant “Get Tara out of here!



Willow watched as the Gullstrike shepherded the Auster away from the fray and back towards the fleet. The Martian she was following peeled off and made to chase them down, it gained quickly on the lumbering float plane.



Her heart stuck in her throat, Willow shoved the throttle forward and gave pursuit. The Draken tore after the Martian plane with Willow squeezing every ounce of speed she possibly could from the screaming engine.



“Get the hell away from her!” Willow whispered to herself fiercely, she let the Martian have a short burst from her 20mm cannons.



She saw the tracers narrowly miss, and hazarded a guess that the Martian would bank right away from her. Willow yanked her stick hard at almost the precise moment as the black shape in front of her. Her gun sight was filled with the perfect target, laid bare and Willow jabbed her thumb down. The 20mms rattled, spitting forth their deadly load. Small flashes appeared on the Martian as it passed her, suddenly black smoke was billowing from its wing. The smoke trailed like a plume behind it as it plunged down into the ocean. Willow didn’t wait to see the splash or dwell on her kill, instead she came back about to find Dennis locked in an uneven duel with the remaining Martian.



“You’ll all clear Buffy, get the hell out!” Willow said before latching onto the tail of the Martian.



“See you at home,” Buffy replied firmly.



Dennis had been twisting and turning frantically to avoid being in the firing line but it was clear that there was no way he was going to get the upper hand. Willow opened fire, missing as the Martian suddenly ducked into a dive. She followed without hesitation and Dennis throttled back to duck in behind as her wingman.



Every move the Martian made, Willow kept up with it. Her hand gripped both the stick and the throttle firmly despite her sweaty palms. She was constantly making adjustments, refusing to be shaken off. So far she had failed to score a single hit on the black shape in front of her.



Willow knew full well that the speed of the Martian planes far outstripped the Drakens top speed. If it really wanted to make a break then there would be nothing Willow could do. She gritted her teeth as it pulled upwards. Willow followed, squinting for a few moments as she passed into the sun’s glare. When she completed the climb, Willow blinked to realise she had lost it in the sun.



Blue lights flashing past her window a few moments later betrayed its position behind her and Dennis.



“He’s on our tail sir!” Dennis barked over the radio.



Willow flicked into a steep turn, “Stay your course Dennis, I’ve had it with chasing this LGF.”



“Sure…I’ll be the bait,” Dennis replied a little glumly, “Be quick about it…sir.”



While the Martian was following Dennis, Willow slipped in behind the Martian. The perfect firing shot as she dived from above. She pressed the trigger…and nothing happened. Willow jabbed her thumb down again, harder and yet with the same result.



“Shit! My guns have jammed!” Willow cursed angrily, repeatedly stabbing the trigger over and over but to no avail.



After a few moments, the black shape in front of her banked sharply right in front of her. It opened herself to Willow’s full view because it knew that something was wrong. Willow broke away and pulled alongside Dennis, realising that she was now flying an almost useless hunk of metal.



“Okay, I’m the target drone,” Willow said calmly, “It’s up to you.”



Suddenly something exploded in front of her eyes, glass shattered and sprayed over her. A dark shape screamed just above her cockpit, stinging her ears. It was so close that she could smell something foul. Willow looked right to see the Martian pulling back for another pass. Chill air blew in her face from the shattered holes in her canopy, mere inches from her head. Willow felt a searing, hot pain in her arm that she tried to ignore.



Dennis was shaking from head to foot as he lined up the Martian in his sights. Willow was receiving a complete drubbing, the weapon-less Draken was turning and twisting in front. There wasn’t something sluggish about her movements and Dennis surmised that the plane had probably been damaged.



Every time he opened fire the black shape evaded his sights. He poured showers of hot lead at it and yet not a single hit. He almost squeaked in fright when he pressed the trigger and nothing happened…he had run out of ammunition. Dennis felt a chill run down his back, his sweat froze on his body. When the Martian turned to avoid him Dennis didn’t move. He kept his course level and steady, ignoring one of the rules that had been constantly drilled into every pilot at Air Academy,



Never fly straight and level in a combat zone for more than thirty seconds…



As he predicted, he glanced over his shoulder and saw the dark shape slot in behind him, Dennis throttled back and his airspeed fell. The Martian was coming closer and closer, waiting until the last possible moment before opening fire.



His insides had turned to jelly but he knew what he had to do…what he owed Willow. Dennis jerked back the stick, climbing sharply before cutting the throttle completely. It took only seconds for the unsuspecting Martian to plough into the back of the stalled Draken.



Willow heard a distant crash behind her and she turned about, her eyes widening when she saw flaming chunks of twisted metal raining down into the ocean. She made a pass but could see no parachute…nothing but debris which was now making splashes in the churning water below.



*****



Willow didn’t quite remember how she landed the Draken on the Odysseus.



For onlookers though, it wasn’t pretty at all. The plane slammed down hard, almost screeching into the crash barrier before its arrestor hook caught on the very last deck wire. Crew members rushed to help the pilot but she was already climbing shakily down from the cockpit.



Willow jumped down to the deck from the wing and landed on a pair of very shaky legs that didn’t feel as though they belonged to her at all.



“Are you alright sir?” someone asked, Willow was beginning to think the question was an all too familiar one.



“I’m perfectly fine,” she impatiently waved away an arm that tried to steady her, “Has Captain Summers landed…”



“A good fifteen minutes ago sir…and the Auster too…”



“The pilots?”



“Both fine…except the chap that they pulled from the water died before the docs could even get to take a look at him. Died mid-flight I think.”



“Would someone please inform Commander Boone that Pilot Officer Emers was killed in action…it will be in my full report…”



Willow just wanted to lie down and stay down for a good week. She managed to extricate herself from the attentions of those crowding around her and make for the nearest door below.



She stumbled forward a few steps, her feet feeling as though they were made of lead. She half-stumbled, half fell her way to the doorway where she tottered forward unstably. There were stairs, Willow made to go down them before she fell over completely. As she fell forward arms caught her from behind, preventing her from falling down the stairs and probably snapping her neck.



The arms gently lowered her to the floor and she sank to her knees, grateful for the walls around her to finally be still rather than spinning. She looked up behind her to see Tara who was staring at her worriedly. The blonde’s face was grimy with sweat, oil and smoke, her gorgeous hair now hung in matted tangles. There was a small cut on her forehead that had barely stopped bleeding.



Still in a daze, Willow reached up her hand to cup Tara’s cheek tenderly. It was almost as though she were reaching out for a hallucination and she did not believe her fingers would really find something solid to touch. The tips of her fingers pressed against the smooth skin first, then her palm as she laid her entire hand against Tara’s cheek.



Tara surprised herself by leaning into the touch, closing her eyes for a few moments. Before Willow withdrew her hand. She left behind a small smear of her own blood atop the dirt that already encrusted the blonde’s once flawless complexion. She stared at the red, her eyes going wide for a few moments…it was her blood…that had to mean…



“Tara…I’m still alive aren’t I…”



“Cap…W-Willow?” Tara frowned at the tone in Willow’s voice, child-like, pleading as though seeking reassurance from a parent.



“I mean, Dennis is dead…but I’m still alive,” Willow had an image of the young man flash through her mind, “Poor little guy…never did get his girl…”



Willow’s voice trailed off into nothing but although no more words crossed her lips, her eyes said everything. A sudden realisation…I’m alive… Willow looked down at the hot, sticky blood gradually congealing on her arm…red for life. Her gaze lifted back to Tara who had never shifted that beautiful blue gaze from her. Willow looked into Tara’s eyes and she knew…



Wordlessly, Tara reached out and gently picked up Willow’s hand in her own. Her fingers entwined with the redhead’s, squeezing tightly as if to say ’m here Willow…here with you…



Willow reached up her hand to cup Tara’s cheek once more, to reassure herself that she was still there and this wasn’t a dream. Her thumb caressing the grimy but still luxuriously soft skin. Her breath caught at the unspoken question clearly asked in Tara’s eyes.



Desire, longing…and yet something else that Willow had trouble recognising.



Willow could barely nod, just a slight movement of her head. The urgency in her eyes however spoke volumes where she could not.



Tara drew Willow up, surprising the redhead with her strength. In one swift movement Willow found herself face to face with Tara, their noses and foreheads pressed together as though they could not possibly be close enough. Willow found both her hands reaching up to cup Tara’s cheeks, both thumbs stroking the strong lines of her jaw…her cheeks and finally her lips. Willow felt the soft, moist contours of Tara’s lips beneath her touch. Tara’s lips parted, she let out a hot breath that made Willow go weak at the knees.



Willow shivered as she felt Tara’s hands moving on her back, there were so many layers separating their bare skin from one another and yet it felt as though the flight jacket, the sweater…none of it was there.



Tara closed her eyes, not needing them to enjoy Willow’s beauty. She could smell her…trace her body with her hands…feel her warm breath flowing over her lips. She brought her hands up to rest atop Willow’s. Tara felt herself trembling uncontrollably and for a moment she was terrified that Willow also felt her terror. However, Willow moved her body closer, nudging against Tara’s thigh with her pelvis, pressing her breasts against Tara’s. Tara knew that Willow felt it, felt the trembling and knew Tara was afraid…the redhead kept her movements slow as she pressed their bodies together.



Tentatively, Tara quested out towards Willow’s lips with her own. Her eyes were still closed but she could sense those moist lips just out of reach…just another millimetre…



Their lips brushed together feather-light, Tara startled herself even though she her whole body had been crying out in expectation of the contact. She pulled back a fraction. Just that brief taste made her hungry for more…Tara licked her own lips as though she were afraid they wouldn’t be quite moist enough before leaning in…



They were so soft…Willow’s lips…as she found them, not drawing away completely this time but keeping her kisses light and tentative. Just tiny brushes of her lips against Willow’s, so light and brief that had they been blown up on a cinema screen, it would have barely passed as kissing.



Yet Willow still felt weak at the knees beneath Tara’s touch…it was painful torture. She wanted so much more…to be able to crush Tara against her. To explore all of her wonderful mouth with a fierce, passionate intensity so that Tara would know how much she wanted her…how much she needed her. Yet Tara’s shy kisses were in a class of their own, exquisite in their sincerity, in their desire to explore as though this were a first time…



First time…



Willow drew back slowly, careful not to make it seem to abrupt lest Tara think that she was doing something wrong. She moved her hands slowly from beneath Tara’s, the blonde let hers fall…but not far, they came to rest around Willow’s neck as though she were making sure that Willow wasn’t going anywhere.



With both hands, Willow reached up and smoothed Tara’s sweaty bangs back from her forehead so she could see into her blue eyes all the more clearly. She found there exactly what she thought she’d find.



Innocence…



With an ever increasing swelling in her gut, Willow realised that the brief kiss they had shared in her office a few days ago had been Tara’s first. Why no one had ever taken this beautiful young woman into their arms and kissed her, Willow could not fathom. She felt a sudden and overwhelming sense of responsibility, the trust that Tara had bestowed in her…to see her desires spelt out so plainly on her face and yet the painful shyness that went with them. Terror followed the responsibility and she found herself wanting to run away and find the ‘Complete Illustrated How-to Guide for Lesbian Love-Making.’ There’s no such book you silly ninny! Willow chided herself inwardly and focused on Tara’s eyes which were still looking into her own, a small amount of confusion creeping in, Willow smoothed the blonde hair back a second time before dropping her hands to cover Tara’s cheeks, You’ve been with women before Rosenberg, hell, there are tricks you could show her that would have her screaming out for you, God and the heavens above all in one breath…right here in this stairwell…and…yes, you are a moron…



Willow stepped back but before Tara could even open her mouth, she picked up the blonde’s hand in her own. She wordlessly led her down into the main hanger, full of bustling mechanics trying desperately to get the planes back in working order. Through welders grinding away at twisted metal, armourers piling belt-loads of fresh ammunition into still hot cannons. Willow saw it all and yet that wasn’t what she was aware of. She felt Tara’s hand in her own, the blonde following just behind her. She was also uncomfortably aware of the growing wetness between her legs…she bit her lip and tried to ignore her inward demands for release.



After what seemed an age and many miles rather than mere meters of walking, Willow shut the door to her office behind them. Almost instantly, the sounds of work in progress in the hanger were dulled. Only thin slits of light filtered in through the closed blinds covering the small window but it was enough for Willow to see Tara’s face clearly, to see her well-defined cheek bones and liquid blue eyes. Her lips were slightly parted, whether in fear or anticipation Willow couldn’t tell. She suspected however that it was a little of both.



Once the door was shut, the tiny room seemed even smaller. It was as though Tara were sitting right in her lap instead of standing, fidgeting with her fingers at least a foot away. It was much too close…and yet too far away at the same time.



I can’t do this, Willow had a momentary panic attack, I’m taking advantage of her innocence…bad Willow…oh god help, she’s so damn gorgeous…



Willow’s infernal internal babbling was cut abruptly short by the sight of Tara’s lips moving closer towards hers. Her hands went up behind Willow’s neck and ran through her hair in the moments just before their lips met again. At first it was hesitant again but after a few moments, Willow allowed herself to deepen the kiss just a little. Tara sighed as her lips parted before Willow’s insistent tongue. Willow delayed her entry, just to savour the knowledge that Tara was here with her.



Her tongue entered Tara’s mouth like a small child entering a candy store for the first time. So much to explore…and yet the comforting knowledge that everything was sweet and good. Her arms went up around Tara’s back, hands searching, caressing.



Tara tentatively met Willow’s tongue with her own, feeling a small shiver as they entwined and began a dance…a slow waltz at first. Lazy strokes of exploration, fully tasting each other for the first time and savouring the experience.



It was Tara who increased the tempo when she sensed Willow’s reluctance to take things any faster. She pushed her body more insistently against Willow’s and thrust her tongue further and faster into the redhead’s mouth. She felt hot and flushed all over…too many clothes on…Willow had too many clothes on as well…Tara found the collar of Willow’s jacket with trembling hands and tried to tug it down over her shoulders. Obligingly, Willow shrugged out of it and it fell to the floor, it was just the start…



Then there followed a frantic few minutes as Willow stripped Tara’s jacket from her shoulders. In mere moments, the pile of clothes on the floor had grown to include boots, grimy sweaters…pants, socks and leggings, chemises, all in one heap. Tara’s hands went to the clasp on Willow’s bra at the same time Willow went for the clasp on her own. In a frantic few seconds, the annoying scraps of fabric were tossed aside.



Willow buried her face in Tara’s throat, breathing in her sweaty but still sweet scent, feeling the blonde’s pulse pumping rapidly. Willow nudged her thigh between Tara’s legs, forcing them to part for her as she ran her hand down over Tara’s breasts, pausing to rub her palm over the already hard bud. Her hands continued over her hard stomach and disappeared beneath the band of her underwear. Tara moaned as Willow’s hand continued downwards and she parted her legs even further of her own accord.



She gasped when Willow found her slit, sliding a finger into the warmth there, searching, probing with an intensity matched by her hot breaths falling on her neck. She jumped when Willow’s finger found her small, hard clit…already engorged. With firm strokes, Willow began moving it back and forth.



Tara bit her lip and slipped her own hand beneath Willow’s panties. Willow spread her thighs and gasped as Tara’s hand ran over her downy hair, a tentative finger probed at her slit.



Shifting her hips slightly for Tara, Willow had to force herself to concentrate on her own ministrations lest she lose herself to the exquisite sensations coursing through her body. She couldn’t contain a small cry when Tara finally found her wet sex, a finger caressing Willow’s hard nub.



Tara was terrified and yet there was something so familiar about all of this. The way Willow’s naked body felt against her own…the smell. She matched the strokes Willow was making between her own legs, still unsure whether she was doing it right even though Willow’s breathing was coming in laboured gasps between their frantic kisses.



A harsh guttural moan was ripped from Tara’s throat as Willow thrust two fingers deeply inside her. Something tore painfully and she cried out, gripping Willow’s naked back fiercely. Tara felt her nails dig into the soft skin, tearing and yet if Willow felt it she didn’t show any signs. Her hips moved with Willow’s insistent, pumping rhythm. She was so close and so very wet for Willow. Tara’s eyes were closed her head went back as she let the sensations she was feeling wash over her.



Tara wanted Willow to come with her. Ever so gently, she entered Willow’s wet passage and heard Willow’s voice cry something incomprehensible in her ear. It was so very wet and warm, Tara felt as though she were coming home.



Together, they matched their strokes, a rhythm that felt so right. At some point, they had ceased kissing. Tara was whimpering softly while Willow was more vocal, her cries were a beautiful sound filling Tara’s ears, becoming more and more urgent as they rocked together.



It began gradually, a sense of being so very close to something wonderful. To almost be able to reach out and touch it but not quite yet. Tara buried her face in Willow’s neck, stifling her cries by nuzzling hard against Willow’s leaping pulse. Everything became so crystal clear despite the pleasurable haze she was enveloped in. She was with Willow…in Willow and in felt like nothing she had ever experienced before. She heard Willow’s cries close to her ear, urging her on without words, their hips and fingers moving frantically in those last final moments before…



Willow arched her back and threw back her head. She cried out, somewhere far away she heard a matching cry that melted her already flaming heart. Her eyes closed as she pressed so close to Tara she felt as though the blonde were joined to her.



Tara lifted her head, keeping Willow in her hazy focus the whole time. Her hand ran up the sweaty channel between Willow’s breasts, around the back of her neck. With firm but gentle pressure she drew Willow back to her…so she could see those green eyes, open wide in the aftermath of what they had shared.



*****



Willow blinked away stars, she felt the cold air on her sweaty back in a direct contrast to the blistering heat she felt where her body was pressed against Tara’s. For the first time she felt the hard desk beneath her, the edge biting into her buttocks. She could hear nothing except her rapidly beating heart in her chest and the combined rasp of their breathing in perfect synch. Willow brought her trembling hand up from between Tara’s legs, her fingers wet with Tara…and she stroked the blonde’s cheek with gentle touches.



Her own cheeks felt strangely damp. It wasn’t until Tara reached up and wiped a finger just beneath her eye that Willow realised she was crying. A small sob escaping served to punctuate the realisation. She didn’t feel weak…or pathetic…or childish.



She felt…



Willow’s lips barely moved as she whispered, “I love you.”





TBC in Chapter Eleven – “Lovers.”

"You know Hobbes, some days even my lucky rocketship underpants don't help." Calvin and Hobbes

Edited by: KiwiAlcyone  at: 4/21/04 7:20 pm

[WillowPowered]

Brilliant!! I love every little bit of it. About time our girls got together.



Jill

~~~~~~~~

Willow - Say, you all didn't happen to do a bunch of drugs did ya?



My Home Page | Amber Powered | Alyson Powered



There is a little bit of Amber in all of us.

[TemperedCynic]

Search and rescue becomes another battle ground as two more pilots and one more plane are lost. Fortunately, Willow and Tara cannot deny what they feel anymore. They consummate their love quickly, yet sweetly. Tara becomes a woman and Willow loses her heart. Beautiful chapter, Alcy.

---

More than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly. Woody Allen (1935 - )

[blue and green wings]

.... ....



such a good update....poor dennis. very noble sacrifice on his behalf. and maybe buffy and willow are going to have a civilized conversation. correct me if i'm wrong, but i believe buffy asked for willow's help in the first place. i'm sure buffy wouldn't have asked if she didn't want something to happen between them



and might i add that the w/t interaction was very sweet. amidst all the pain they just went through (tara loosing a squadron mate and willow loosing a squadron mate who she just yelled at) they can find happiness within each other.



i'll be waiting for the next installment



~ei~

---

If someone like you/ Found somone like me/ Then suddenly/ Nothing would ever be the same/ My heart would take wing/ And I'd feel so alive/ If someone like you/ Found me...
"Someone Like You" from the musical Jekyll and Hyde

[pipsberg]

Alcy,



WOW. That was beautiful. Thank you for another amazing part... and a hot, sexy, yet tender love scene. =)) I love the dicotomy of vunerability and stength in your characters and I love the W/T chemisty. More more more!!

-pipsberg



"We live our lives, do whatever we do, and then we sleep - it's as simple and ordinary as that."

Michael Cunningham, The Hours

[tinnakaren]

That was absolutely incredible Alcy...I mean...wow. Seriously, I'm rather speechless at the moment.



Buffy is a hardass, sure, but I can sort of understand her. I think I would have a hard time forgiving anyone who involuntarily caused the death of any of my siblings. But it's great to see her slowly "accepting" Willow again and Willow seeing a glimpse of her old friend in this "new" version of her. (Does that make sense? hmm)



And the rescue mission was truly very well written. I had such vivid visuals while reading.



And the WT moments... from Tara's bravery and defiance, to Willow protectiveness, to their climatic (in more ways then one) union... again, I say wow.

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

Tinna Karen

-tölvunörd í fyrsta ættlið

[Grimlock72]

I thought for a second that the love scene had been Willow's dream and that was carried to hospital after her landing . Seems not to be the case which I suppose is good, heh. I'm not sure this is a wise idea in the middle of war however...



I thought Willows injuries were a bit more severe, with the icky glass in her face and such. Good to read it wasn't THAT bad appearantly, did worry me a bit when she and Tara went on to make love. You don't want to do such things when injured



Interesting to see that Buffy prefers Willow as escort above all her other pilots (lack of faith, heh). Even more curious is that she accepted Dennis as escort who had clearly shown he wasn't combat ready, never mind indirectly caused her crew injury and loss. I suppose would never handle that well myself, I tend to be little less forgiving :-)



I'm sverely suprised/dissappointed that Boone let Dennis fly at all. It did cost the fleet yet another plane, I doubt they have much more spares. Considering all the remaining pilots I would NEVER have let such an inexperienced pilot fly a precious spare. Must be me, I do wonder what Boone's reasoning for OK-ing that was though.



Why do martians patrol in such small groups anyway ? Where do they fly from ? A single patrol out over the ocean doesn't make sense so where are the others ?



Why would diverting the fleet be such a problem ? Does the fleet have a place to be, a timetable even ? For that matter, what IS this fleet doing at all except floating around ??



Buffy is a problem to me, reason being that she started unlikable and I find it hard to see any change in that. Again, thats probably me. Heck, Willow thinks nicer of Buffy than I do .



Didn't like this line from miss Summers: "Rosenberg," Buffy stepped between them, "He volunteered, I'm going to take all the help I can get." as it clearly is outside her authority. By the way, I don't see this as Buffy accepting Willow at all. She merely needed a good escort for her rescue mission and Willow fit the bill.



I've got to give Dennis points for having the guts to do what he did. His last action was also his best, though that likely sounds mean. Did cost them a plane, need to have a not-so-nice talk with the mechanics that handled Willows plane. Guns are not supposed to jam, jamming is preferred to running out-of-sync however (assuming Devil planes fire through the propellor) . So yes, I grudgingly give Dennis some respect and I won't point the entire problem on him... see ain't I nice ??



Grimmy

--
"You hurt Tara," Willow said too calmly. "The last one who tried that was a god. I made her regret it." -- Unexpected Consequences by Lisa of Nine

Edited by: Grimlock72 at: 4/22/04 1:24 pm

[tinnakaren]

Grimmy:

Quote:

---

"Didn't like this line from miss Summers: "Rosenberg," Buffy stepped between them, "He volunteered, I'm going to take all the help I can get." as it clearly is outside her authority. By the way, I don't see this as Buffy accepting Willow at all. She merely needed a good escort for her rescue mission and Willow fit the bill."

---

I disagree. Because why would she choose Willow if she is still blaming her for her sister's death, and not trusting her as far as she can throw her, let alone trusting her to help keep them all safe in the air?

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

Tinna Karen

-tölvunörd í fyrsta ættlið

[sam7777]

Alcy, WOW. You certainly gave us W/T interaction in this chapter. That was an amazing love scene with their passion reflecting the desperate situation they are in. Tara shows the same passion and gut she shows in the cockpit as does Willow. All that pent up emotion both passionate and sadness was released in one big bang (so to speak). Like Willow I wonder why Tara hasn't been kissed before. It will be interesting to get more on what happened to tara after her mother died and what brought her into air comman. Willow was obvioulsy born with a flight stick in hand but Tara seems to have grown into it. Great stuff. I'm glad that Buffy turned to Willow for the rescure. Despite their problems, Willow is the one she trusts for a difficult mission. Hopefully they can becomes friends again after shared experiences in the war.



I just love this fic. Action, adventure and W/T!!! It's all good.



Thanks for the info on the planes. The P47 Thunderbolt is also a cool looking plane. I like how the guns stick out on the wings. I found a link to a picture that even has red in the color scheme:

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt

Here's another for the Cosair:

Vought F4U Corsair

[barnabasvamp]

Jeezz, the rescue was awesome. Too bad Dennis had to sacrifice himself for Willow, but so noble.



And it was about time our two girls finally got together!

Well done Alcy!!



BV

It's the passion in a kiss that gives to it its sweetness; it is the affection in a kiss that sanctifies it.

[lil wiccan]

... i love ur update!... more please more!

"How can i/ Beleive that my heart will find/ Someone like you/ You see the really me/ No in betweens/ I had nowhere to hide/ You took away the walls around me/ Make me feel safe to share my truth/ I see the heavens open/ A heart that once was broken/ It's holding nothing back/ Now that i found you

[Xedi]

Hehs. Like Grimlock I thought Willow's injuries were pretty severe, what with cockpit glass flying at high velocity, sharp pains and blood on Tara. I was getting visuals of W bleeding all over T during their love scene - would it be wrong to still find the scene hot?



Seems kind of abrupt though. From a tense impasse to shagging like minxes. I kept wondering while reading if the entire portion was maybe a dream Willow had after falling unconscious on the stairs or something hehs. Still, great chapter, was really feeling the emotional vibes.



I think the fleet is needed all the pilots they can spare at the moment, so Dennis' being allowed to fly isn't really that much of a problem considering that Boone hasn't really had time to sort out the mess from the first encounter yet. Poor boy, he seemed nice enough even if a bit too impulsive.



Out of curiosity (the nitpicker in me must know!), are W & T the same age in this fic, or is Tara still 2 years older like in cannon?

[Xedi]

edit: Nevermind. Damn cache. Sorry 'bout the double post

Edited by: Xedi  at: 4/22/04 9:57 pm

[Grimlock72]

Tinna wrote (emphasis mine):

Quote:

---

I disagree. Because why would she choose Willow if she is still blaming her for her sister's death, and not trusting her as far as she can throw her, let alone trusting her to help keep them all safe in the air?

---

The key is (I think) that she likes/wants to blame Willow for her sister's death. By now that has lost most of it's reasoning, she only does it because she feels the need to blame someone more than likely. Deep down she probably realizes Willow wasn't at fault when Dawn died, but thats a loooooooong way from acceptance.



Besides, Buffy did want Dennis to go with them... says enough about trusting people when you need 'm .



As for the fleet needing all the pilots it can get.. that might be true but those pilots also need planes. Dennis cost them one plane before the rescue, spending another plane by letting him fly the spare just doesn't seem wise to me. Willow could easily have replaced Dennis for that mission with one of the more experienced Devils...



Come to think of that, why didn't she replace him ?? Why didn't Buffy ask Faith or anyone else from *her* squadron to escort her on the rescue mission. Still seems odd to me.



Lots of conflict and stuff to think about in this story, I like that.. can you tell ?? . I wonder how friendly/unfriendly the other Devils would have been towards Dennis, or do the other pilots tend to disobey orders as well ??



Grimmy

--
"You hurt Tara," Willow said too calmly. "The last one who tried that was a god. I made her regret it." -- Unexpected Consequences by Lisa of Nine

[her BRIGHTeyes]

wow



more soon?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

she had eyes bright enough to burn me --conor oberst