Art Appreciation

[watersong84]

Yay! You updated! It's been so long...

An open-mouthed Buffy and Xander examined the drawing again, turning the page upside down and tilting their heads to the side.

HAHA!!! LOL!!! That whole scene was just great, but the last line of it just about did me in. Oh Anya, you gotta love her.

"Hello?" She said breathlessly.

Who is it? Is it Tara? When will we find out?

Oh man, Willow is definately right for going insane. That's just not a good thing to do to a person. But on the other hand, Tara obviously has to sort some stuff out... I hope she does so quickly!

-Alyssa

[taralicious]

Miss Kitty,
Being denied Art for so long makes one's Appreciation for it that much sweeter when a new piece descends from the ether.
Always lovely and trouser-stiffening to start off with some sticky and sweaty Willow and Tara lovin' .
All Tarot cards point to me doing some self-lovin' in response.
Tara's subsequent state of mind really echoes her television persona in that her negative self-worth is so ingrained that her perception of how Willow must see her is tainted by it as well.
Tara can only see her qualities deemed unnatural or grotesque by her verdamnt father and brother so she naturally believes that that is how she is perceived by all.
That hopefully is Tara on the phone and not a cruel red herring so Willow can take Tara's face in her hands and assure her that whatver Tara's past, it doesn't matter.
All that matters is that they have found each other and together they can face down anything.

[AlysonGoddess]

WOW... I cant believe I never read this story what was I thinking!? Someone slap me now before i become unconsious Like all your stories emms this one is wonderful!!!! But but ehy wouldnt Tara call her Poor willow PLease continue I love this story so fat but then again i love all ur stories

ERIN

[Tujeky]

Great story! Always glad to see more. Thanks

[erwfan2002]

I cant wait for the next update..i find myself reading nothing but your fics
i enjoy your style of writing
yea i can def relate to this update bc im sure everyone has a tendancy to shy away from emotional ties
especially those of us with emotional issues and trust issues
beautiful love scene by the way

[DreamLover]

Come on Em you can't do this to me.... one of your stories has to have an update.... right???

Henny

[willohand]

thought I beter leave feedback to all your fics while my computer is allowing it.Anmother good fic.Gee Im shocked at its brillance.NOT!

[singgirl]

you are cruel....

[Emms]

Hi everyone. Here are some long overdue replies to you lovely, wonderful, neat, cool, groovy kittens. I have the next update finished, it's just waiting the beta process. Um....it's going to be a short update, but sometimes that's what it takes to get the creative juices flowing. *cough cough* I said CREATIVE juices....watson and Carleen, you two can get your minds out of the gutter now. Shhhheeeshh!


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Watson

They're subconsciously building a wall between them, and all because of fear and uncertainties.What is preventing them from declaring what is deep inside them. What is Willow afraid of? What doesn't Tara want to tell Willow yet?

I think Tara has deeply seeded issues concerning intimacy because of the way her father made her feel guilty about being gay.If you recall, we found out that Tara's father blamed her "sin" for her mother's death. I don't think Tara believes that in her rational mind...but sometimes feelings can be more powerful than rational thought.

So now, you can't make us wait another 5 months for an update, cos we need to know who is calling? You understand? The wrath of watty is nothing to be laughed at! (well, you might laugh, and others might laugh, but ... um I'm shooting myself in the foot, heehee).

Oh I promise.....not another five months! In fact, I've finished the next update and it's just awaiting Carleen's wonderful skill. So...I wont have to incure the wrath of watty.

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sam

Ooh that was mean ..hehe. Great update Emms. Was it Tara calling?? . Love sam xx

Thanks sam...yes it was mean of me wasn't it? hehe. But you will just have to wait until the next update (which should be shortly) to find out if it was really Tara calling or not.

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Artemis

There were so many moments that sparkled in this update - Anya's drawing and commentary on the likely course of the relationship, Tara peeling cards off herself, Willow's spaz attack and Buffy holding her lips closed while she calmed her down... all great.

Thank you.

But plenty of meaty seriousness too, with Tara's anxiety about revealing her situation to Willow, and the distance it's causing between them. Strange as it sounds to say, perhaps they should be following Anya's advice - excessive amounts of discussion. Then they can get onto the closet-clearing and U-Haul-hiring

I've always thought Anya gave sensible advice. Though her suggestions sound better on paper.....

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Teddy

I'm enjoying the growing complexity of Tara's character. Sad to watch, but such an understandable reaction for someone who has experienced a lot of pain in her past to withdraw from people who are close such as Willow.

Exactly.....

Ok. Probably the most embarrassing snort ever erupted from me when I read this. The detailed drawing with the turning of pages and tilted heads was just too funny.

You snorted?? hee hee YAY! I don't think I've ever made anyone snort before......

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watersong84

Thanks you for leaving feedback sweetie. The mystery caller will be found out in the next update.

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taralicious

Being denied Art for so long makes one's Appreciation for it that much sweeter when a new piece descends from the ether.
Always lovely and trouser-stiffening to start off with some sticky and sweaty Willow and Tara lovin' .

true....

All Tarot cards point to me doing some self-lovin' in response.

Tara's subsequent state of mind really echoes her television persona in that her negative self-worth is so ingrained that her perception of how Willow must see her is tainted by it as well.

I guess that's the downfall of the human race. We always project onto others the feelings we have of ourselves.

Tara can only see her qualities deemed unnatural or grotesque by her verdamnt father and brother so she naturally believes that that is how she is perceived by all.

It's very hard to accept love if you have never been shown love. Even though she had a loving relationship with her mother, I think Donny and her father's abusive additude outweighs the good, in her mind.

That hopefully is Tara on the phone and not a cruel red herring so Willow can take Tara's face in her hands and assure her that whatver Tara's past, it doesn't matter.
All that matters is that they have found each other and together they can face down anything.

Sounds like the cliche "happy ending" *sigh* I love it! yes...lets go with that one!

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AlysonGoddess

WOW... I cant believe I never read this story what was I thinking!? Someone slap me now before i become unconsious Like all your stories emms this one is wonderful!!!! But but ehy wouldnt Tara call her Poor willow PLease continue I love this story so fat but then again i love all ur stories

Thank you Erin! Though there will be no slapping, cause I wont advocate abuse of any kind. I'm glad you've decided to read. Yay for you. And yay for me too, cause that means I get to read your lovely feedback.

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Tujeky

Great story! Always glad to see more. Thanks

Thank you for the kind words.

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erwfan2002

I cant wait for the next update..i find myself reading nothing but your fics
i enjoy your style of writing

Thank you so much. what a lovely thing to say.

yea i can def relate to this update bc im sure everyone has a tendancy to shy away from emotional ties
especially those of us with emotional issues and trust issues
beautiful love scene by the way

I think you're right.

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Henster!

Come on Em you can't do this to me.... one of your stories has to have an update.... right???

Actually....I've been known to go for quite some time without updating....

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willohand

thought I beter leave feedback to all your fics while my computer is allowing it.Anmother good fic.Gee Im shocked at its brillance.NOT!

ummm.......okay....Thanks?...I think...

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singgirl

you are cruel....

*looks around* I am? Me? Cruel? well....let me make it up to you by posting an update.

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xoxo
Emms

[Emms]

Here's the update!

All Disclaimers Apply

Thanks to Carleen for beta'ing and keeping the anxiety level to a minimum in this fic.

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Tara pressed the phone against her ear listening as the first and second rings reverberated against her eardrum. Her heart fluttered and her legs began to tremble with anxiety as the third ring echoed in her ear. Tara fought to keep her breath from sounding like static against the mouthpiece and her finger twitched across the cancel button on the cordless.

Tara still didn't know what had kept her from getting in touch with Willow the last three days. She couldn't explain it, and that frustrated her the most. Her lack of an explanation for her own actions might have been frustrating, but what scared her the most was that Willow would hate her. Tara had missed Will immensely these last few days, but something had kept her from picking up the phone, until now.

On the fourth ring Willow answered and Tara's heart skipped a beat. Instead of another piercing jingle there was the breathless voice of Willow on the other end. Tara's breathing slowed as the silence between them grew exponentially. Tara desperately wanted to say something...anything, but as the seconds ticked by, she found it increasingly impossible to do so. Tara listened to another spoken "hello" into her ear. She opened her mouth to make a sound...to at least let Willow know who it was on the other end, but no sound would come. Tara closed her mouth, and her finger twitched against the "cancel" button again. The silence was unbearable. What could she possibly say to Willow that would make the redhead understand? Tara didn't even know what was going on herself, how could she expect Willow to? Tara closed her eyes and hung up the phone. She felt like such a coward. Tara stared at the red cordless phone intently wondering if it was going to magically become animate, jump off the counter and call her a coward right to her face. The phone didn't move however, and Tara felt silly. She brushed her fingertip lightly across the curved back of the communication device. The plastic still felt warm to the touch from when she'd gripped it so tightly in her palm. Tara thought about calling the redhead back, but decided it was too soon. If she called back now Willow would know for sure that it was she who had hung up on her and Tara didn't want to feel embarrassed.

The phone ringing startled Tara out of her thoughts and she felt her heart start to pick up speed again. She knows Tara thought to herself. She didn't think Willow had caller ID but for some reason, she just knew that Willow had known it was Tara. Tara stood, pacing the room as the ringing continued to sound. And then there was silence. After the momentary feeling of relief, Tara was, once again, cursing herself for being a coward.

************************************************************
Willow set the phone back in its cradle. Her momentary hope that it had been Tara on the phone was dashed and she felt disappointed. Willow wondered what she should do. She thought about going to Tara's apartment and waiting until the blonde showed up, but something about that plan seemed stalkerish and strange, so she dismissed it. Should she try to call again? Maybe Tara had been unable to get to the phone in time, and she missed the call by a split second. Willow stood immobile staring down at the white plastic phone trying to decide whether or not to dial Tara's number again. Part of her wanted to push the redial button over and over again until Tara picked up, but the other part of her wanted to hold onto any semblance of rationality that remained inside her.

Over the past three days Willow had made up every excuse in the book as to why Tara hadn't returned any of her calls. At one point, Willow had been ready to run over to Tara's house thinking that the blonde had become trapped under something heavy and couldn't reach the phone. But she had been successful at suppressing that urge with the rationale that she hadn't seen anything with the potential to tip during any of the visits she had made to Tara's apartment. Willow sighed and forced herself to move away from the phone. She decided that she would give Tara a few more days before freaking out entirely.

Willow picked her laptop up off the table and made her way back to where Buffy sat on the back deck. She grabbed a couple of cokes on the way. Maybe if she got involved in some work she had to do on the computer, she could stop thinking about Tara for the next couple hours.

TBC

[sam]

Aww that was soo great!! and soo frustrating..hehe..I was yelling 'say something!!'.. . Love sam xx

[Tonto]

I just found this story..........it's wonderful but horribly frustrating.

I'm with Sam......I was yelling for her to say something, too! I think Willow should go over to Tara's. It does seem stalkerish but it needs to be done.

Update soon please.............pretty please!

[kindagay]

Update

Hey sweetie,

Yes, it was short, but no less wonderful, and of course there was a generous helping of your usual magic sprinkled into it. Bravo sweetie!
But really sweetie, how do you do it? I mean, those first two sentences, you're telling us about someone listening to a telephone ring, but you make it sound like poetry, it's amazing.

Yay! It was Tara calling Now, if she can just try that again & actually say something that would be even better.

what scared her the most was that Willow would hate her.

Silly Tara, Willow could never hate you. Now, just dial the number again and when Willow answers just say "Hello", or even "Hi", that would be okay too.

Tara stared at the red cordless phone intently wondering if it was going to magically become animate, jump off the counter and call her a coward right to her face.

Lol, that's funny

for some reason, she just knew that Willow had known it was Tara.

Well of course Willow knew it was Tara, duh!

Now, this...

She thought about going to Tara's apartment and waiting until the blonde showed up, but something about that plan seemed stalkerish and strange, so she dismissed it. Should she try to call again? Maybe Tara had been unable to get to the phone in time, and she missed the call by a split second. Willow stood immobile staring down at the white plastic phone trying to decide whether or not to dial Tara's number again.

...was brilliant. It's such a simple thing, but really, who hasn't been in that exact same situation & had those exact same thoughts? It's genius

And then this...

At one point, Willow had been ready to run over to Tara's house thinking that the blonde had become trapped under something heavy and couldn't reach the phone. But she had been successful at suppressing that urge with the rationale that she hadn't seen anything with the potential to tip during any of the visits she had made to Tara's apartment.

Again, it's genius. It's so real, so believable, so sweet.

You deserve awards sweetie, lots of shiny awards for your fanfic genius Uhm, sadly I don't have any awards, so uhm, how about some flowers instead? oh, and balloons, have some balloons too .

Oh Emms, your updates always make me smile, I can't thank you enough for sharing your wonderful, magical creations with us

Hugs
Jeanne

[singgirl]

Yes, you made up for cruelty by updating. Thank you!

[taralicious]

You ball of yarn lovin' Miss Kitty,
You did, as another kitten said, make up for the cruelty of not updating by updating and giving us the tangible and all too recognizable angst of standing there holding the phone in one's hand and trying to will up the courage to call the other person.
Bloody 'ell have I been there.
But I digress...
Nice to see the update even if no headway was made.

[sacinema]

Thank you for the update. I really love your fic and your writing style. I could see the phone picking on Tara and calling her a coward. Funny picture. Hope they get their things in order soon. Can't stand seeing them so sad. Please, update soon.

[binky]

Just reread this story from the beginning (had somehow lost it the past few weeks). Really nice treat for an early Sunday morning, thank you. I guess this is like a community college class Tara is teaching if Willow can drop in and out of classes and start macking with the teacher. The bit with the phone tag was really credible and I like how you used them as chapter breaks.

binky

[Kaia]

Ouch...that was...
I hope you planned to update soon. The suspense is killing me.
Thanks for the update.


K.

[Shy One]

Emms,

I searched high and low for this fic and finally found it.
I wanted to finish reading it as I missed a lot during my
lengthy absence from the board.
And guess what?
It's not finished!
Naughty Emms. A story as interesting and wonderful as this
deserves to be finished. Especially considering where you left off........
Tara too afraid to talk to Willow? Willow going crazy with worry over it?

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, Emms........I know it's been awhile.....
but could you please fix this and get our girls together where they
belong?
This fic really is too fabulous to let it die a lonely death lost in the
kittenboard without a proper finish.

I really mean it when I say that you could be a professional writer.
Your fics truly are worthy of being put in print for all to enjoy.
If you can find the time in between RL and the other 68 fics that you have
going ( ) would you please write an ending to this one?
I'll be happy with a short one, even.

As always, your devoted fan......

Shy One

[Artemis]

(Slaps self in head) I somehow managed to not discover the latest chapter for eight months. How in heck did I do that? Stupid me. Thanks to Shy One for bumping the thread, and thereby bringing it to my attention.

Willow and Tara's mutual anxiety is so real - I can so easily imagine being just like that. Well, I hope someone takes the initiative, or that they bump into each other, or... something. Anything

[db]

I just found this story. So I read it all just now (as my Wednesday day-off-reading-treat).

Hey. Shameless plug. Your story is MY treat! Thanks!

Poor Willow! How terrible to just figure out that she is really really gay and to (finally) make love for the very first time -- and then Tara won't return her phone calls. My heart breaks for her.

... and Tara. She sounds like she has a really scary dad. Ouch. Boo for scary homophobic parents. Poor Tara. She really needs to talk to Willow. Put it out there. Willow will make it all better. I am just sure of it! Plus which, Secrets are bad. They make just everyone feel bad. No more secrets. It's a rule. I made it up.

Plus, this is the Kittenboard. Isn't it like a rule that they end up together in blissful love?

Please make them run into each other or at least talk or something,

Please?

db

[Shy One]

Your very welcome, Artemis.

I just hope that Emms will want to come back to this
wonderful story and get our girls back together where they belong.

See Emms? Artemis, db, and myself would LOVE to see more of
this fic.
*nudge, nudge, wink, wink*


Will sucking up work?

Oh Emms, you know I think you're just the greatest!!!!!


Shy One

[Willowtree252]

don,t want you to this one to feel left out love them all .

[taraforever]

Please update soon

[Shy One]

Hello again, Emms.

I'm once again placing a vote for an update to this GREAT, WONDERFUL,
FABULOUS, BEAUTIFUL story.
Did I mention it was great? Cause it is. Very.

Please, please, could you write an update to get our girls back
together, please, please, please?


Shy One

[Tara.myAlways]

please, please update!
I want to know what happens! You can't leave it at such a sad chapter!
I think i speek for most when I say,
we want and and more

[AlysonGoddess]

awwww :( this is sad! Tara needs to call willow! and they need to get together and tara needs to talk about her past and willow needs to tell tara how muych she loves her! So make them open there dang mouths! haha! On saturday im gunna tell this one girl how much i like her and I hope I will be able to open my mouth I mean she already knows I like her but idk if she knows how much.. but anyways.. haha i love this story its pimp i like art art is awesome! So this story is awesome cuz its art based you should be creative and when they make love next time have them make use of the paint and paint brushes haha but do whatever you want cuz you know best i was just putting out an idea.... but yeah anyways well awesome update and i cant wait for another so update soon please?
erin

[Shy One]

Emms!!!!

You just can't leave all of us kittens hanging with that
UBER sad chapter!
Look at how many other kittens want to see this story
updated?
Oh please, Emms, please!
Willow needs her Tara!!
Please fix this!

I know I've left tons of feedback recently, but I'm trying
to keep this fic on page one.
Help me out here.

Shy One

[Animism]

I've gotta agree this is a great story, here's hoping for an update soon.

[Kaia]

You just can't leave all of us kittens hanging with that UBER sad chapter!

I totally second that!!
It's been too long and it's too sad!! I'm gonna start chewing on my fingernails

Update? Soon? Pretty please????

Karinna