Fic: [AU] Racing The Rain (UPDTED: 4/03/18)

[bouncer73]

oh man oh man..oh man...(licks lips)..I want more..lol..give me more..lol..this is getting goood...( running through the house) screaming..I WANT MORE>....love this story

[DaddyCatALSO]

What hasn't already been said, umm, very little. Of course, with the announcment and the paps camped out, Willow should be publically identifed very soon. That in itself, with the team and such, should be extremely interesting.

[brave-little-toaster]

Ahhh! That was kind of awesome... and when I say kind of, I mean really awesome. I can't wait for Tara to meet the parents! And definitely a big congrats to Tara on the whole "coming out" business.
Just FYI, Willow has inspired me to begin wearing all my old t-shirts with the hokey sayings on the front again. Yesterday's said "Feel Me, I'm Organic". :] Where did you get the ideas for all of Willow's? If it's from a t-shirt site, I'm always up for expanding my wardrobe... :]

[Ariel]

Shelby,

Okay, my Wizard of Oz sound-track is going full blast to your title. Maestro, if you will:

Come out, come out
Wherever you are
And meet the young Willow
Who slept with a star!

Tara stopped eating to face Willow, “You don’t w-want me to go now?”

“No! No, that’s not what I mean. I just…grr! Why does she have to complicate things so much?” Asking a rhetorical question to no one in particular, “I’m just saying that…you shouldn’t have to deal with her crap. She’s gonna be a pain in the ass, she’s up to something…I can feel it. Baby, I don’t think I can handle it if she hurts your feelings. We’re there for a week, so it could happen multiple times.”

Tara was touched at Willow’s deep concern and her heart broke seeing the vulnerable look on her lovers face, “Sweetie, I’m a big girl and I can take what ever she throws at me, as long as I have you…that’s all that matters. I love you Willow, and I want to be a part of your life, which happens to include your Mom. Besides, there’s more people in your family than just your mother and I’d like to get to know them as well.”

Touching on a variety of levels: Tara’s hurt that Willow may not want her to go and meet her family, Tara’s sadness seeing Willow’s pain, and their renewal of their desire to be part of each other’s lives.

Glad Tara cried over K. She has lived with the woman and trusted her. She had to make a tough decision, but Tara has a tender heart and you were true to that while still showing her to be strong enough to run her own career.

Lovely moment with Tara giving Willow keys.

Liked the news release and interview, really caught the tone of a real article.

Shirts and banter – love ‘em both!

“Who’s crawling?” Willow asked innocently, returning to the table.

“Tara’s a ‘big ‘ol dyke’ is making the rounds on the CNN news crawl.”

“PAM!” Tara exclaimed as she swatter her friend’s arm.

Willow snorted loudly, “Dyke…hey, maybe you should get a Harley!?”

“Oh yea?” Tara smirked at her girlfriend and tilted her head, “Well, maybe I will! Complete with a side car for my little baby dyke.”

All three women burst out laughing at the absurdity of the conversation, not to mention the visual.

Also like that Tara is nervous about meeting Willow’s parents, but trying to stay strong for her girl.

Okay, Shelby – NEXT STOP TEXAS and a woo and a hoo for that one!!!

Ariel
How I Met Your Mother

[Mac]

Hey,
So I've been following your story for the past few weeks and let me just say it is one of my favorites on the board. I think the whole celebrity aspect is really interesting and the Willow as college athlete is really awesome as well. I won't try to feedback the entire story until now so I'll just stick with the last update.

I liked the coming out statement thingy, I like that they left Willow out of it and totally agree that everyone will know soon enough. Maybe even like airport soon - see below.

I am a little worried how hard of a time they'll have with with the paparazzis at the airport though, I guess those guys can't get in past security, but if they follow the car to the airport they should be able to get some shots and stuff before that. Unless there's some secret celebrity airport entrance I don't know about or something.

I'm really excited for the Texas updates. I feel like there's a lot to work with there. I'm really at a loss for any indication on how Sheila will react, I mean I know she's not really on board with the whole gay thing but I think that there's still a lot of open-endedness when it comes to how she will actually act when she meets Tara in person. I mean she could be mean to her because she obviously doesn't approve, or she could be nice because maybe she'll realize that Tara is really nice and see about much W&T care about each other, or she could be totally fake and suck upy to Tara because she's so famous. Well whatever happens, I'm excited to find out.

Thanks for the great fic!

Edited to say: I just noticed that while I was leaving my first feedback here you were welcoming me on the intro thread, too funny! and Thanks!

[xlaurax1]

Heya, Shel.

I'm counting down the days til they go visit Willow's family, can't wait!

Lovely chapter.

Willow turned in her chair to face Tara, “Tare, you don’t have to go. If you think it’s going to be too much to deal with right now, I’ll completely understand.”

Tara stopped eating to face Willow, “You don’t w-want me to go now?”

“No! No, that’s not what I mean. I just…grr! Why does she have to complicate things so much?”

One day, probably in the far future, these two are gonna stop having these miscommunications at every little thing. Although, knowing them...

I can understand Tara second guessing herself about her decision about Kelly and I can't begin to imagine what it would be like for someone in Tara's position. The bottom line is you've taken the time to reveal to us just how hard it is for Tara to find people to trust and open up to and to have this, for lack of a better word, attack come from someone she thought she could trust, must have been a pretty big blow to Tara personally as well as possibly professionally. I think she made the right choice.

I loved Willow being shocked at getting one of the new spare keys. Who wouldn't trust Willow with their house key? Speaking of Willow, how adorable was she worrying about the pets?!
Naughy Miss Kitty knocking over the vase. What are those two going to get up to while their 'parents' are away?

I liked Tara's interview with People, and it feels good to know that she's out to the press. What a relief to know they won't be outed accidently, or maliciously. Now they just need to find out about Willow.

Now, onto Thanksgiving!!

Laura.

[beautiful_love]

Yay Shel! An update! I specifically made time Sunday to check on here for an update and was so sad not to see one. Now I'm all better.

So anyway... as always, loved it. And you are so right, Willow and Tara are the queens of misunderstandings...

“Tare, you don’t have to go. If you think it’s going to be too much to deal with right now, I’ll completely understand.”

Tara stopped eating to face Willow, “You don’t w-want me to go now?”

But you fixed it so that was ok. And I liked the key exchange. Again, not some big romantic gesture. Just an everyday moment that makes you smile.

Also glad that Tara is driving down the Coming Out Highway at a safe, yet steady speed. I swear I felt like I was actually reading a People article from your writing. Great job.

I guess Tara IS all large with the butch! lol She really had no choice in the matter. The fb on this chapter & everyone’s reactions was so interesting to me. Everyone had a very hard time coming to grips with Tara standing up and putting her foot down. But as I recall, in “Older and Far Away,” she did just that when she got between Anya and Willow. There was no way in hell she was going to let anyone threaten Willow.

You're absolutely right, while Tara's not necessarily large with the butch, she definitely stands up for herself or those she cares about when the time comes around. It never even occurred to me that she may have to take up the same position when they visit the Bigger is Better state and meet Willow's family. Now I'm even more intrigued.

[Grimm]

You were absolutely right in banishing Kelly to the cornfields..there was no other alternative. I have now assumed the crash position in preperation for the introduction of Hurricane Shelia..this is gonna be fun!

[wimpy0729]

Oh, this is so, so good. You have done a great job of developing each character and given the story such depth, that we are drawn in and really care about them and feel what they're feeling. I knew Tara would feel bad for doing what she had to do to Kelly, but she really had no other choice. Tough call, but it shows her maturity. She has been around this biz for a long time and knows how it works, still, she has a good heart and it hurt her for doing it.

The whole exclusive to People, I think, was perfect. Beat them to the punch, and best offense is a good defense, or whatever it is. Anyway, I think it was the best thing to do in this situation. The cat's out of the bag for Tara. I'm just curious if Sheila will actually notice a People mag at the grocery or something. Oh my, I can't wait for the whole Thanksgiving deal. This is gonna be good.

And of course, the key...*sigh*. Brings back lovely memories and makes me all mushy inside. Love is pretty cool. lol

More soon please, cause I really can't wait to see what happens next!


Wimpy

[JustSkipIt]

Hey Shel,

Great update (of course – I expected no less of course).

“I know, but I can’t help feeling the way I do. This business I’m in…it’s cutthroat. I mean, one wrong move and poof! You’re whole career is gone. So, I can’t afford to have unscrupulous people around me, period. That business side of me says, ‘Hey, you did the right thing.’ But the personal side…feels like shit.” Tara finished in a whisper, as a single tear dripped down her cheek.

In a way this is what I meant in my earlier fb about her actions being good business sense but also something that she has to live with as a human being. Years ago I was going through a breakup with a moderate amount of assets to split up and I told my mom that I just didn’t know how aggressive to be. She said that she would tell me the same thing she had told my sister when she was getting divorced: you can do what protects you and that’s fair but also you have to get up every day and look at yourself in the mirror. It was good advice for me. So I think that’s it with Tara. She made a good business decision and she has to accept it on a personal level.

Key – sweet. Passwords – good.

The transition to the next section of the story is a little rough for me. I think partially it’s because I read it on my phone so I didn’t see the asterisks. But I also think that the “spent some time apart” is sort of buried in that paragraph. You might have led with some sort of touchstone sentence to place the reader on Friday: “Much as they didn’t like it the girls saw very little of each other all week. That left them trying to catch up Friday night before leaving town Saturday…” That sort of thing.

Tara’s statement is awesome. It reminds me of Neil Patrick Harris’s statement. “Happily living life as a gay man” or something to that effect. I’ll be curious to see how seriously people take her coming out – whether they think that at 23 it might just be a phase or that Willow sort of has her … spelled or something and that when they’re done (which we know won’t happen) … she’ll go back to boystown as it were. I will say that I keep sort of comparing this in my mind to Lindsay Lohan (who clearly has much bigger fucking problems than a badly handled coming out)and this is the way to come out. Rock it, Tara. It also strikes me that this would be the perfect time to have a good personal assistant. Everyone and their dog is going to suddenly want to talk to her and she’s going to either have to answer the phone calls while on vacation for a week or just ignore it which kind of takes the control away from her. I’m fully expecting Willow to be brought into the spotlight in about 3 minutes since they’re flying to stay at Willow’s house for T-giving right after Tara came out.

“What’s next for me? I just plan on enjoying my life,” she told PEOPLE, “I like where I am and I like where I’m going.”

This is such a wonderful contrast to the start of the story when she was lonely without Ralph and lonely generally and couldn’t sleep. Yay.

T-shirts – awesome and I’m so glad that Tara pulled the Spago strings. Did she pay too? How did Stacey’s boyfriend afford it? I mean I guess he could have money. But how sweet of her to get Tara a shirt.

“So, I’m pleasantly surprised. Willow is pretty, um…wow.”

What? Why? Why is she surprised? Does Tara have notoriously bad taste in women? Did she not believe Tara when she said that Willow was awesome? Why surprised?

Anyway, awesome update and I can’t wait for them to get to Texas. Will they be going into Houston to the museums or zoo? Or maybe up this way to the Blue Bell creamery? Come hear some live music in Austin? Swim in Barton Springs? My mind swims with possibilities!

[wayland]

This is terrific Shel.

I did miss my Racing The Rain fix last Sunday. Guess I'm hooked.

I think you've paced the story really well and built up the drama before Tara's coming out and meeting with Willow's family. I can't wait for the next chapter.

Clare

[willowtaralover]

“Yep, serious as a heart attack.” Willow replied, pulling two plates from the cabinet and placing them on the table.

This line had me chuckling from the off.

It’s good to see Tara reassuring Willow regarding Sheila. Hopefully Ira can intervene on their behalf a few times.
Then, in a little exchange of roles, Willow comforts Tara who is still unsure if she did the right thing or not but at the same time wants to know she can trust the people round her.

I love the use of the phrase ‘Tippy Toes’, a phrase that’s underused in my view

“What cha got?” Willow asked, curiously eying the envelope.

Tara smiled, reaching in the bag and pulling out a shiny silver key, “New house keys.” She said as she gently picked up Willow’s hand, pressing the key to her palm and then closing Willow’s fingers around it.

“Really?” Willow asked, shocked by gesture. After everything that just happened with Kelly, she surely did not expect Tara to entrust her with the keys to the preverbal castle.

Woah, keys to the castle. A very big step taken there. I’m guessing some horrible plot twist is going to happen with those keys. But I really, really, REALLY hope not.

A day after the Kelly debacle rumors started to surface in a few tabloids, although there was nothing concrete to back up their stories. Unfortunately, as soon as the rumors hit the internet, the Paparazzi ramped up their efforts ten fold, knowing that evidence of Tara’s ’gayness’ would be a financial windfall.

Wouldn’t that be hard to get in public, surely the pap’s would realise Tara would be too savvy to do anything in public until a certain amount of time had gone by since her outing?

Little question here. What exactly is the difference between Emmy’s and Golden Globes?

Can it be really tough in Hollywood if you’re gay? I know that when Rupert Everett came out he stopped getting plum acting jobs, but then you have Sir Ian McKellan and he’s had some awesome roles, Magneto and Gandalf to name but two.

Willow rummaged through her duffle bag and pulled out a light brown shirt and held it up to Tara. The phrase, ‘I’m Kind of A Big Deal,’ was emblazoned across the front in a rounded 1970’s style retro font.

A t-shirt with that phrase going to a famous tv actress hmmm, subtle much

Pam chuckled, “You’ll be fine and I bet the paps completely ignore you. Well, except for the twenty or so parked outside your gate.”

“Really?”

“Tara…Duh! Haven’t you looked online today? You’re the lead story on every major entertainment site, not to mention that I saw it in the CNN International news crawl this morning.”

I love Tara’s innocence here, even though she’s been in showbusiness for along time now it’s as if she’s only just become aware of her fame.

Willow snorted loudly, “Dyke…hey, maybe you should get a Harley!?”

“Oh yea?” Tara smirked at her girlfriend and tilted her head, “Well, maybe I will! Complete with a side car for my little baby dyke.”

I just have this awesome image of Tara racing down the street on a Harley, wearing goggles while Willow is half standing in a side-car, pumping her fist in the air and also wearing goggles.

[Finey_McFine]

Laragh:
YAY DIBS!!

Aww, keys. You're wooing me with squee this first half!

My wife and I had been together about a month and she had to fly to Colorado for her brother’s wedding. She gave me a house key AND a car key. Then I got to keep BOTH after she came back! I was so friggin’ excited!! Now, I don’t even have a key to her car, lol.

I like that Tara's 'in the driver's seat'. I hope it manages to stay that way.

Let’s hope so!

at Tara being international news. This story clearly doesn't coincide with real life news events that've taken over the channels

Haha…can you imagine that news being broadcast in different languages? LOL

I dunno why, but I'm picturing them like Dastardly and Muttley right now lol

Texas awaits!

Thanks for the feedback!



vampyregurl73

I love the way Tara handled Kelly.

Thanks!! There was lot’s of different opinions on that, but I thought she did pretty well!

(her comment about "that lifestyle" and just because Willow's girlfriend is famous just about killed me)

I absolutely HATE when people refer to being gay as a “lifestyle choice.” Uh, driving a BMW or not having cable TV is a lifestyle choice, not your sexuality…idiots.

Texas will definitely be interesting…stay tuned!

Thanks for the feedback!!!


Promthea:
I wish I had Willow’s t-shirts too! I may have to start collecting them!

Only problem with Tara coming out…Willow’s gonna be outed as well and in the sports world. We’ll have to see how that goes!!

Thanks for the feedback!


zampsa19752001:
The timing of the coming out did suck and wasn’t what they’d planned. Hopefully, things don’t spiral out of control while they’re hiding down on the ranch.

Thanks for the feedback!


bouncer73:
All that bouncing around is gonna make you too dizzy to read the next update!


Thanks for the feedback!


DaddyCatAlso:
In the small world of Women’s fast pitch…Willow is beloved. We’ll have to wait and see how her fans handle it. Unfortunately, they are on a break and the new season doesn’t start up for a couple months.

Thanks for the feedback!!!


brave-little-toaster:

I can't wait for Tara to meet the parents!.

More like meet the PARENT.

Did you get my PM about with the t-shirt info?????????

Thanks for the feedback!


Ariel:

Come out, come out
Wherever you are
And meet the young Willow
Who slept with a star!

Hahaha…Love it!!

Touching on a variety of levels: Tara’s hurt that Willow may not want her to go and meet her family, Tara’s sadness seeing Willow’s pain, and their renewal of their desire to be part of each other’s lives.

Willow sending mixed messages? Shocking. Lol The real test of Tara’s resolve will be biting her tongue around Sheila.

Glad Tara cried over K.

She needed to. Tough love is never easy!

Texas! Coming up!!

Thanks for the feedback!


Mac:

So I've been following your story for the past few weeks and let me just say it is one of my favorites on the board.

Awww…Thanks so much!!

I am a little worried how hard of a time they'll have with with the paparazzis at the airport though

No super airport drama mentioned in the next chapter, although, it will be discussed at some point. I’m sure there are paps in real life that just constantly stake out LAX, lurking about waiting for celebs to arrive. B-O-R-I-N-G. I’d go stir crazy, lol.

I'm really excited for the Texas updates. I feel like there's a lot to work with there.

It’s gonna be an adventure, that’s fo sho! As for Sheila’s reaction, you’re right it could go in any direction. We’ll just have to wait and see. There will also be sibling reactions and other relatives as well. Fun!


Thanks for the feedback!!


xlaurax1:

One day, probably in the far future, these two are gonna stop having these miscommunications at every little thing. Although, knowing them...

I’m not sure if that’s possible…I think miscommunication is engrained in their DNA, lol.

I can understand Tara second guessing herself about her decision about Kelly and I can't begin to imagine what it would be like for someone in Tara's position. The bottom line is you've taken the time to reveal to us just how hard it is for Tara to find people to trust and open up to and to have this, for lack of a better word, attack come from someone she thought she could trust, must have been a pretty big blow to Tara personally as well as possibly professionally. I think she made the right choice.

I really think that she would have cut Kelly a lot of slack had it not been for the alerting of the paps on more than one occasion. You just don’t bite the hand that feeds you.

I loved Willow being shocked at getting one of the new spare keys.

So should Willow now give Tara a key to her tiny one bedroom apartment? Kinda funny when you think about it, lol

Naughy Miss Kitty knocking over the vase.

And naughty Ralphie was more than likely chasing her…bad puppy!

What a relief to know they won't be outed accidently, or maliciously.

I sure wish that certain other celebs, that are clearly gay, would just come out. But no, they get caught in an intimate embrace or kissing someone on the lips and then deny it. As if we’re that stupid to not realize that it’s totally true.


Thanks for the feedback!


beautiful_love:
Hi Jessica!

I specifically made time Sunday to check on here for an update and was so sad not to see one.

Sorry:/ I seriously hate it when real life gets in the ay of my cyber world.

And you are so right, Willow and Tara are the queens of misunderstandings...

If this happened to me, this often in RL, with my wife, I’d go insane!

And I liked the key exchange. Again, not some big romantic gesture. Just an everyday moment that makes you smile.

Thanks, more often than not, this is the way it goes. I was watching an episode of Nurse Jackie recently where a guy stuck his house key in a sandwich for his girlfriend and she bit into it popping out a filling. It was supposed to be this romantic gesture and it went horribly wrong, so I didn’t even want to go there, lol.

You're absolutely right, while Tara's not necessarily large with the butch, she definitely stands up for herself or those she cares about when the time comes around. It never even occurred to me that she may have to take up the same position when they visit the Bigger is Better state and meet Willow's family.

Yep! The big question is, how will she react if Sheila hurts Willow’s feelings? Should be fun!


Thanks for the feedback!!!

SMGOVAN:

You were absolutely right in banishing Kelly to the cornfields

That made me think about that Children of the Corn movie from the ‘80’s, lol

I have now assumed the crash position in preperation for the introduction of Hurricane Shelia

Probably a wise decision!


Thanks for the feedback!!!!


wimpy0729:

You have done a great job of developing each character and given the story such depth, that we are drawn in and really care about them and feel what they're feeling.

Thanks Pam!!!

I knew Tara would feel bad for doing what she had to do to Kelly, but she really had no other choice. Tough call, but it shows her maturity. She has been around this biz for a long time and knows how it works

You read all the time where a celebrity assistant sells them out, it’s kinda sad really…that there is so little real loyalty.

I'm just curious if Sheila will actually notice a People mag at the grocery or something.

Luckily, they’ll be home before anything is actually printed, but I’m sure the week will get interesting!


Thanks for the feedback too!

JustSkipIt:

So I think that’s it with Tara. She made a good business decision and she has to accept it on a personal level.

I’ve managed people for 20 years and the toughest part is the letting go. I made the mistake of not severing the ties several times and it never turns out well. It’s been my experience that, once they screw you over, they won’t hesitate to do it again, no matter how much they grovel. Someone gave me some good advice once, “Don’t care about your employees more than they care about themselves.” Great advice, but still tough…you definitely have to develop a thick skin.

Transition: Thanks for pointing that out. After I read you comment I re-read it is a little disjointed. So, I’ll have to remember to go back and fix it.

I’ll be curious to see how seriously people take her coming out – whether they think that at 23 it might just be a phase or that Willow sort of has her … spelled or something and that when they’re done (which we know won’t happen) … she’ll go back to boystown as it were.

I already have plans to address this down the road…please put your crystal ball away! Lol

Lindsey Lohan: Two words…train wreck. I think that with her, being gay is secondary to her main issue, which is a horrible drug addiction and an ego the size of North America.

Everyone and their dog is going to suddenly want to talk to her and she’s going to either have to answer the phone calls while on vacation for a week or just ignore it which kind of takes the control away from her.

She still has Cyndi and anyone wanting to get in touch with Tara can go through her. Now the bigger problem will be Willow…she has no people. Let’s just say that the trip home will be an action packed week.

What? Why? Why is she surprised? Does Tara have notoriously bad taste in women? Did she not believe Tara when she said that Willow was awesome? Why surprised?

Patience grasshopper, patience.

Or maybe up this way to the Blue Bell creamery?

I blame you personally for my recent purchase of Moolenium Crunch ice cream…I read this fb before I went grocery shopping.

They’re fixin’ to head to Texas in the next chapter ya’ll!

Thanks for the feedback!!

wayland:

I did miss my Racing The Rain fix last Sunday.

I know…sorry!! I do hate it when life gets in the way of my cyber existence!!!

I think you've paced the story really well and built up the drama before Tara's coming out and meeting with Willow's family.

Thanks! The family stuff should be fun!


Thanks for the feedback!


willowtaralover:

It’s good to see Tara reassuring Willow regarding Sheila.

I’m not sure that Tara knows what she’s in for with Sheila. Hopefully she can handle it.

Woah, keys to the castle. A very big step taken there. I’m guessing some horrible plot twist is going to happen with those keys.

LOL…no horrible key losing plot twist.

Wouldn’t that be hard to get in public, surely the pap’s would realise Tara would be too savvy to do anything in public until a certain amount of time had gone by since her outing?

They’re vultures and they’ll take any crumb they can. I mean, just look at all the mundane shots they get of Alyson on almost a daily basis…walking, siting, eating, walking, shopping, etc. I’ve always wondered if they just sit round the clock outside of her house waiting for her to come out and play with Sati. It’s crazy.

What exactly is the difference between Emmy’s and Golden Globes?

Ok, the Golden Globes are presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and cover TV as well as film. It’s pretty relaxed and they sit at round tables and get food, etc. The Emmys just cover TV and are the TV equivalent of the Academy Awards and Grammy’s. Do you think I pay WAY too much attention to all this stuff?? Um…yes? lol

Can it be really tough in Hollywood if you’re gay?

It most definitely is. For some reason there is a ridiculous double standard. Straight actors can play gay, but gay actors can’t play straight. I believe that’s why so many stay in the closet. Especially if they’re just coming up, but I do believe that more need to come out.
* coughs Jodi Foster – Queen Latifia coughs * Even Portia De Rossi didn’t come out after the tabloids ran pics of her making out with her girlfriend. She completely ignored it because she was scared it would wreck her career. One last thing here in regards to Rupert vs. Ian…it’s also tougher the younger you are. Number one, they’re not established and number two it’s all about sex appeal. Older actors don’t necessarily need it and the younger ones do. They figure Rupert loses points with the ladies, ie not bankable. Wow…that was a lot of babble!

Thanks for the feedback!

NEW CHAPTER DIRECTLY BELOW

[Finey_McFine]

TITLE: Racing The Rain

AUTHOR: Finey_McFine

RATING: R (Language)

DISCLAIMER: Willow, Tara and any other BtVS characters, as well as some random dialog, belong to Mutant Enemy.

SUMMARY: Totally AU, Willow and Tara Meet with not so surprising results! Set in LA with lots of W/T fluff and a little teeny tiny bit of angst, but no Hellmouthyness. Just good old regular day-to-day drama.



FEEDBACK: OK; Any glaring issues…please send me a PM!

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Hello all…Happy Sunday and Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mommy Kittens out there! This chapter was a ton of fun to write and I got a little carried away, so it’s longer than normal and I hope it’s not too rambly. It’s also unedited, I tried to catch as much as possible, but if you see something that needs to be fixed, please PM and let me know. Enjoy!

*************************************

Chapter 32: Family Traditions


Willow was suddenly jerked awake by her head being unceremoniously bounced into Tara’s bony shoulder.

“Owww, what-” Willow blinked several times and was startled again by Tara sneezing for a second time, “Bless you.”

Tara grabbed the napkin on her tray table and blew her nose, “Thanks, sorry.”

Willow yawned and stretched, “You’re not getting sick, are you?”

“I don’t think so, something just tickled my nose I guess.”

“Did you get any sleep baby?”

“No, t-too many people stopping by to chat or a-ask for an autograph. I s-see you didn’t s-seem to have a problem though.”

Willow picked up on Tara’s nervous stutter immediately and took the blonde’s hand in hers, “Nope, slept like a baby. It comes from years of life traveling on a noisy team bus. I learned to just block it all out. This was actually kinda peaceful in comparison, plus these seats and my human pillow…comfy.” She winked at Tara and placed a kiss on the back of her hand.

Tara merely smiled, but Willow could see signs of tension in Tara’s delicate features, not to mention that her palms were quite sweaty. “Aw, you got butterflies, baby?”

“More like bats.” Tara replied nervously.

“You tell those bats that everything is gonna be alright. I promise,” Willow gently gave Tara’s hand a reassuring squeeze, “So, what did I miss?”

“A few autographs, lot’s of whispering and gawking, plus two thumbs up and a huge grin from Frank, the flight attendant.”

Willow giggled and opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by a voice over the PA, indicating that they were beginning their decent into the Houston area. They both put the seat backs and tray tables in the proper upright position and began getting their things together. Tara had several magazines, a book and her iPod strewn about. Where as Willow was just trying to wake up, since she’d pretty much been sleeping for the better part of the last two hours. About an hour in, Willow had snuggled up to Tara, attempting to watch the in flight movie, but had promptly passed out. Leaving the blonde to her own devices.

“I feel kinda jipped.” Willow stated.

“How come?”

“I just don’t feel like I took advantage of my first experience in the front of the plane. I mean, you kinda wore me out last night.” Speaking in a hushed tone with two raised eyebrows.

“But in a good way!” Tara exclaimed.

“In a most excellent way.” Willow smiled, lost in the endless depths of Tara’s beautiful blue eyes. It never ceased to amaze her how just looking at Tara made her feel. Tara melted her heart and strengthened her resolve all at the same time.

Once again her thoughts were interrupted, except this time it was from the intense pressure in her ears. She scrunched up her face and attempted a deep yawn, hoping to pop her clogged ears. Tara’s brow furrowed in concern and she reached into her purse; pulling out a stick of gum and offering it to Willow.

“Here baby, this should help.”

“Thanks. You know, I kinda like to fly, but landing is just…unpleasant.”

“Aw, my poor baby. I wish I could kiss it all better.” Tara whispered.

Willow grinned mischievously, “Well, you could certainly try…no arguments here.”

Tara giggled and they chatted aimlessly while the plane descended, the blonde trying her best to take Willow’s mind off her ears, while at the same time trying to calm her own nerves. Once the plane landed, they waited and let some of the other first class passengers exit ahead of them, attempting to blend in as much as possible.

As they made their way to baggage, Tara took in the sights and sounds of Houston’s Intercontinental Airport.

Tara inhaled deeply, “Ummm, what is that?”

Willow suddenly became very excited, “That would be the best tex-mex food on the planet! Oh Tara, I cannot wait to take you out to eat, you’re gonna love it! You do like tex-mex, don’t you?”

“Well, I like Mexican food, but I don’t know that I’ve actually eaten ‘tex-mex’ before”

“Great! That’s all I need to know, because I guarantee you’ll love it!” Willow was bouncing on the balls of her feet as they descended the escalator, down to the baggage area.

Tara snickered, Willow’s unbridled enthusiasm for culinary goodness never ceased to amaze her. Willow was babbling at breakneck speed and Tara could barely keep up, only catching every few words. Something about beef fajitas, salsa and strawberry margaritas. Tara was too busy admiring how adorable Willow was to really keep up with the endless speed-stream of babble that was erupting from her girlfriend. Willow was clearly excited to be back on her home turf and thrilled to be able to share it with Tara. By the time they’d reached the luggage carousel, Tara was lost in thought; wondering if the entire family talked and babbled this fast or if it was a trait unique to Willow. She sincerely hoped that it was just Willow, because she had no idea how in the world she’d be able to follow along with their conversations.

Tara was snapped from her Willow-babble induced trance by the babbler herself, “…so THEN, the ball of dough flew in the air like it was in super slo-mo or something and landed square in the bowl of salsa. It sprayed everywhere, you should have seen my mother’s face; priceless. Oh, hey! There’s your bag!” Willow exclaimed.

“Sweetie, can you tell me that story again later and uh, slower? Because you lost me somewhere around, This one time at…”

Willow blushed, “Sorry, I must sound like a crazy person.”

Tara smiled and leaned in towards her girlfriend, “Maybe a little, but I love my crazy person.”

“Well, this crazy person loves you too.”

As they stood waiting for their bags, Willow’s cell buzzed with a text message, “Hmmph.”

“Everything ok?” Tara asked.

“Yeah, it’s from Hunter. He said they had a change of plans and that Rachael and Jeff are picking us up instead.”

Tara looked at Willow inquisitively, “Is that good or bad?”

“Both?” Willow answered, “It’ll be good to see Rach, especially since I haven’t seen her since she’s been pregnant, but this means that Jeff will be driving.” Willow scrunched up her face, “Which equates to at least an hour and a half drive home.”

“Will, It couldn’t be that bad.”

“Let’s put it this way, have you ever seen the movie, Cheech and Chong: Up In Smoke?” Tara nodded her head, she couldn’t imagine where Willow was going with this, “Well, it’s like that scene when they’re on the freeway driving and then they think they’re still driving, but they are actually parked in the median. Well, that’s what it’s like driving with Jeff, it feels like you’re parked because all the cars are just passing you by.”

Tara snorted and raised her hand to cover her mouth as Willow continued, “I’m serious, Tare! He’s already gotten two tickets for going too slow on the freeway. My 92 year old Bubbe drives faster, she even gets pissed when she has to ride with him. I’m not kidding, you’ll find out soon enough.”

Tara was still giggling, “So, why not let Rachael drive?”

“Because it’s his last vestige of manhood and he’s not about to give it up. See, Rachael clearly wears the pants and it’s basically all she’ll allow him to do. She’s kind of a type ‘A’ personality…on steroids.”

Tara looked a little worried and gulped audibly at the thought of being scrutinized by Willow’s older sister.

“Oh, but don’t worry, she’s only like that with Jeff. She’s pretty great actually and we’re close considering we have ten years between us,” Willow sighed deeply and ran a hand down Tara’s arm, “I’m sorry Tara.”

Tara cocked her head, completely baffled at what Willow was apologizing for, “For what sweetie?”

“Here I am just yammering on and on, telling you crazy stories, and making you nervous. When what I should be doing is just keeping my big trap shut.”

“Willow, I love your stories and you aren’t the culprit…it’s all me. I’ve never met anyone’s parents before. Maybe friends when I was a kid, but n-never anyone that I was dating.”

“Well, I guess we’re even, because I’ve never brought anyone home to meet my parents before. I guess it’s just something we get to experience together.” Willow smiled sweetly at Tara and they both felt more at ease.

“Hey, your bag!” Tara exclaimed as she lurched forward, accidentally bumping into a young woman in her quest for the runaway luggage, “Oh, excuse me, I’m so sorry.”

“Hey, it’s fine,” The young woman replied as she grabbed the errant bag, turning to hand it to Tara and froze. “Oh my stars in heaven! You’re…you’re Tara Maclay!” She shouted.

It was like a scene out of a movie. Everyone within a 30’ radius stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at the blonde. The only audible sound was the creaking of the luggage carousel…which stopped for no one. Willow anticipated what was to come and moved closer to Tara, taking the suitcase from her and placing a free hand on Tara’s lower back; letting her know that she was there. Oh boy, here we go.

Willow was correct in her assumptions and within seconds a small crowd had formed around them. Asking for autographs, pictures and peppering Tara with questions. The fans were polite and Tara was as gracious and accommodating as always. Willow’s phone buzzed with a text from Rachael, indicating that they were waiting outside in the pick up area.

Willow led Tara slowly towards the exit, with the group of fans following on their heels and growing larger by the minute. Once outside, however, the group began disburse a bit when people realized that they needed to catch their rides as well. Tara leaned over to Willow and asked her to go ahead and take the bags to the car, but to please come back and get her.

It didn’t take long for the redhead to spot her sister, “WILLOW!! WILLS!! OVER HERE!!” Rachael screeched, running forward and engulfing Willow in a huge bear hug.

“Good to see you too,” Willow groaned as her sister squeezed her tighter, “Rach, oxygen...becoming an issue.”

“Oh sorry, Wills. JEFF! BAGS! So, how’s my baby sis?” Rachael had a knack for barking orders to her husband, no matter what else was going on.

Jeff approached quickly, complying with his wife’s demands, “Hi Willow.” He said meekly as he gave his sister-in-law a quick hug. Then scurrying off with the luggage.

“So?” Rachael asked again.

“Oh, I’m good!” Willow’s smile was stretching from ear to ear, “Look at you Rach…wow!” Willow rested her hand on here sister’s bulging belly, “How’s my niece?”

Rachael exhaled, puffing out her cheeks, “Kicking ass in my stomach. Here, feel…” She took Willow’s hand and moved it to the side.

“Woah! I felt it! That is so cool! But I bet it’s kind of a freaky feeling.”

“It’s definitely weird, but you get used to it, Rachael cleared her throat, “Um, Hunter said you were bringing someone…special?”

“Yep!”

“Soooo, where is she?” Rachael said in a singsong voice.

Willow turned and pointed at the small crowed of people, with Tara clearly visible in the center.

“Oh. My. God! OH MY GOD!!! Willow, do you know who that is? It’s Tara Maclay! TARA. MACLAY!! Here, in Houston. She must have been on your flight. What do I do? Should I go over? I need something for an autograph and my phone for a picture. JEFF…PHONE! Holy shit! Do I look ok. Smell my breath.”

“Eww, Rachael, get a grip! Smell your breath? What are you gonna do, make out with her?”

“Willow, don’t be silly. Seriously, should I go over there or what? By the way, which one is your girlfriend?” Rachael was craning her neck and standing on her tippy toes looking through the crowd.

“Oh um, she’s the cute blonde. Right…over…there.” Willow pointed in Tara’s direction.

“The one on the left in the green?”

“No, the one in the blue.” Willow pointed again; having entirely too much fun messing with her star struck older sister.

“Ugh! There are just too many people.”

“Want me to go with you?” Willow asked.

“Really? Good, I won’t feel so much like a stalker. Oh my God I can’t believe I’m gonna meet Tara Maclay!” Rachael squealed and clapped her hands, “I never miss an episode of ‘Grant’s.’ I so identify with her.”

Willow smirked, having first hand knowledge of just how far removed Tara was from the uber heterosexual Laurel Grant.

Willow hooked her arm in Rachael’s as they approached the ever-growing crowd. Willow didn’t want to be rude and push her way through, so she waved at Tara from behind several people. “Tare, are you ready?”

“Tare, wh-what…?” Rachael stammered, glancing quizzically at Willow.

“Um hmm, see? I told you, the one in the blue, my girlfriend.” Willow beamed, pointing directly at Tara and looking much like the cat that just ate the canary.

Rachael laughed sarcastically, “Ha ha very funny. Yeah right, good one Will. Now help me get in there while you find your girlfriend, cuz we’ve got to go before Jeff gets a ticket.”

Willow rolled her eyes, “Stay here, I’ll be right back.” Willow walked around behind Tara and excused herself to several people, slinking her way through the crowd. She put her hands on Tara’s hips from behind, leaning over her shoulder and whispering, “Hey, it’s time to go. Plus there’s someone I want you to meet.” There was an audible groan as Willow led Tara out of the crowd.

The group parted as Willow took Tara’s hand and slowly walked towards her sister. Rachael stood stock still with a look of utter shock on her face, desperately trying to figure out why Willow was holding Tara Maclay’s hand and whispering in her ear. And why Tara was sweetly smiling back and why they were giggling like two school-girls. No sooner had a really bad episode of ‘Punked’ come to mind, than Rachael found herself face to face with her idol.

Willow took a deep breath, “Tara, this is my sister Rachael Greenstein. Rachael, meet my girlfriend, Tara Maclay.”

“Hi Rachael, it’s nice to finally meet you.” Tara held out a shaky hand to Rachael.

Rachael responded by stiffly shaking the celebrity’s hand, “Ok Will, I get it, you two were on the plane together and you somehow convinced her to go along with your evil scheme. Great, when you tell the boys I’ll never live it down, right? But I have to admit…definitely a good one. Very creative, you get extra points for creativity.”

The redhead took both hands and placed them on her sister’s shoulders and looking her straight in the eyes, “No joke Rach. Didn’t you think it was weird when Hunter sent you two to pick us up?”

“No joke?”

“No joke. Now we kinda need to go before things get seriously out of hand.” Willow turned her sister around and led her back to the car, mumbling under her breath, “I’m gonna kill Hunter when I see him.”

Willow opened the door and tucked her shell-shocked sister safely in the front seat, while Tara slipped in the back. Tara gave the crowd of fans one last wave, as Willow slid in next to her. Jeff, of course, was completely oblivious to everything that was going on outside of the car. He’d been completely engrossed in the UT game that was blaring on the radio. He turned in his seat and smiled as Willow introduced them.

“Jeez, let’s get outta here,” Willow said to no one in particular.

Jeff jerked the car into gear and they slowly pulled away from the curb. Willow slipped her hand into Tara’s, pulling it up and kissing the back of it. All the while knowing that Rachael was probably staring at her through the rearview mirror. She looked up and locked eyes with her sister’s reflection.

Willow shrugged her shoulders and raised her eyebrows, “What?”

Rachael continued to glare at Willow, never breaking eye contact, “So, how was your flight.”

“Good.” Willow replied with a quick one-word answer, receiving a squeeze of the hand and a smirk from Tara. Maybe she was having a little too much fun with her sister. She relented, for Tara, deciding to put a full sentence together, “I pretty much slept the whole way, so I’m assuming it was good. So, what’s going on here? Everyone coming to dinner tonight?”

“Um, just us and Hunter. I think Mom is planning a cook out tomorrow. Then you have a day or two before everyone else starts to arrive.” Rachael relaxed chatting with Willow, shifting in her seat and semi facing her sister; nearly forgetting Tara was in the car.

“How many people do you normally have at Thanksgiving dinner, Rachael?” Tara interjected and Rachael froze; snapped back to her former almost catatonic state.

Willow whistled and waved a hand in front of her sister’s face, “Yooooo hoo, Raaaaaachael? Are ya in there?”

“Umm, I…uhhhhh…” Rachael mutter, her mind drawing a complete blank.

“Rach, you can talk to Tara. She’s not going to bite you. In fact, you can say pretty much anything.”

“Sorry, this is just so surreal. I mean, I’ve watched you on TV every single week for years and suddenly here you are…in my car, sitting two feet away and not on my TV and speaking back to me and you’re not Laurel, your Tara,” Rachael babbled, “Tara Maclay, you…you know Brad Pitt!”

Tara giggled inwardly, deciding that the babble must be hereditary. She studied Rachael intently, she had a few freckles here and there, but not as pronounced as Willow. Her skin was also darker and her hair a light brown. There was definitely a resemblance between the sisters, but it wasn’t glaring.

“Tara Maclay? Really? You’re Tara Maclay?” Jeff spoke up, finally putting two and two together. The three girls turned their heads towards Jeff simultaneously, then back towards each other. They promptly burst out laughing; effectively breaking the ice.

“Nice to see you finally get with the program, honey.” Rachael replied and patted Jeff’s arm.

The laughing died down as Jeff slowly entered the freeway, pulling into the right lane and setting the cruise control at 1mph under the posted speed limit. This maneuver was not lost on Willow as she nudged Tara with her elbow, gesturing with her eyes towards Jeff. Tara smiled and squeezed Willow’s hand, she glanced out the window and noticed the other cars whizzing by at, what seemed like, ungodly speeds. She quickly turned her attention back to the conversation between the sisters.

“I met him, by the way.” Willow said.

“Who?”

“Brad Pitt.”

Rachael snorted, “Right, whatever.”

“I did.”

“She did,” Tara stated, finally jumping in to the banter.

“Are you fucking kidding me?!” the older sister shouted, “Oh, sorry Tara.”

“Rachael, Tara’s an adult and you can say fuck. She’s not gonna wither and die.”

Tara giggled, “I took Willow to a Halloween party and that’s where she got to meet him.”

“Angelina too?”

“Yep and they invited us to their house for dinner sometime. We really hit it off. Did you know that he’s a fast pitch fan? He actually knew who I was and everything, said he followed Team USA in the Olympics.” Willow said proudly as Rachael just stared at her with a look that was a combination of shock and confusion.

“Who are you and what have you done with my baby sister?” Rachael mockingly questioned and Willow just sat grinning.

Tara decided it was time to switch gears and was quick to steer the conversation away from her celebrity status and on to other more everyday, less surreal things. “So Rachael, how far along are you?” She asked, wanting to get to know the Rosenberg siblings as much as possible. The light conversation between the three women continued for the remainder of the slow ride out to Decker Prairie.

An hour and fifteen minutes later, Tara had decided that Houston wasn’t at all what she thought it would be. To this point she hadn’t seen a single cow, horse or cowboy. She had decided that Houston was actually one big car dealership next to a strip center next to a dealership next to another strip center and so on. In fact, she had noticed that all the strip centers seemed to contain the same businesses…just with different names. They appeared to be endless and each came complete with a nail salon, hairdresser, donut shop, dollar store, Mexican restaurant and a check-cashing store. She wondered, with so many similar stores one seemingly next door to the other, how they all stayed in business.

When Jeff finally exited the freeway, the landscape became decidedly more Texas.

Tara didn’t have the best sense of direction, however, she noticed that for most of the drive they had been heading north. Their northern trek had brought a distinct change in the scenery, going from flat and urban to a slightly hilly and more rural countryside. It had actually gotten somewhat pretty. They turned off the main road and they were met with a beautiful sprawling landscape. There were clumps of dense wooded areas followed by ranch properties that went on for miles. White tri-rail fencing or rustic split rail fences surrounded the majority of the properties. Some of the enclosed areas housed horses, but the majority of the residents were numerous heads of cattle. The sun had set and the light was fading, making it hard for Tara to see the ranch homes that sat back at a distance on the numerous and vast acres of land. She figured that she’d just have to wait until daylight to really see them in any detail.

The car slowed, coming to an almost complete stop before making a left turn on to a dirt road. Tara wondered why Jeff felt compelled to not only stop, but also turn on his blinker when it was evident that there was not another car anywhere in sight. Willow had been 100% right earlier when she described her brother-in-law’s annoying driving habits. Tara could not wait to get out of the car and hoped that this would be their one and only time riding with Jeff. The now familiar tri-rail white fencing and acres of pasture surrounded the road they turned on to. The car inched forward, the gravel popping and crackling under the slow moving wheels, as they passed through an already open gate and under a black wrought iron arch. The arch itself was not typical of the ones Tara had noticed earlier. It was taller and adorn with two ornate roses on either side, with script wording in between that read, ‘7 Rose Ranch’.

Tara knew that at the end of this long and winding Texas dirt road, Willow’s parents awaited and her nerves were beginning to get the better of her. She took several deep breaths attempting to put the bats to rest when she was startled by Willow’s shouting.

“Stop! Stop the car please!” Jeff complied, although in truth the man was driving so slowly that Willow probably could have just jumped out. “Tare, do you still have that bag of apple slices in your purse?”

“Um hmm.” Tara rummaged around and came up with a small ziplock baggie of now brown colored apple slices.

Willow grabbed the baggie, grinning from ear to ear and kissed Tara on the cheek before leaping out of the car; pausing only to untie the hoodie from around her waist and toss it back in on the seat before closing the door. Tara was baffled as she unbuckled her seat belt, sliding across the backseat and putting the window down to get a better view of what her girlfriend was up to.

It was almost completely dark outside, but Tara could see what had caught Willow’s eye. Off in the distance of the pasture there was a lone horse, aimlessly grazing and swishing its tail. Willow jumped up on the fence and made a series of clicking noises with her tongue to get the horses attention.

“Artemis! Come on girl, come on!” As Willow called out to her horse, Artemis became visibly excited and began to trot towards the fence; prompting Willow to throw a leg over and straddle the top of the fence.

The horse slowed as she approached, shaking her head and letting out a loud whinny before nuzzling her head up to Willow’s cheek. Tara’s breath hitched as the force of the horse’s affection made Willow teeter, looking for a moment as if she may topple over. But she steadied herself and hugged Artemis around the neck, dropping several kisses between her eyes and across her face.

Rachael turned in her seat and smiled at the blonde’s reaction, “Well Tara, I sure hope you’re not the jealous type.”

“I guess I’ll just have to learn to share.” She quipped.

Willow reached in the bag and fed the apple slices to Artemis, all the while cooing and mumbling words of affection to her first love. Then, out of nowhere, she turned abruptly, dipped her head and narrowed her eyes towards her sister.

“You know the rules…no cheating Rachael!”

“Wha- Willow! This is SO not fair!”

“Hmm, to quote my older sister, rules are rules,” Willow said, sarcastically, but with determination, “You can’t switch drivers and I get a 5 second head start.”

“Come on Will, it’s getting late and Mom’s gonna be pissed.” Rachael whined.

“Don’t care.” Willow replied as she leapt on to Artemis’ back, grabbing her mane to steady the excited horse.

“Is s-she going to ride without a saddle?”

“Worse,” Rachael sighed, “She’s gonna race without a saddle or a bridle, damn it! We don’t stand a chance with ol’ grandpa driving.”

“I um, don’t understand. W-What’s going on?” Tara asked.

Jeff finally spoke up, “Well, you see Tara, it’s a ridiculous and juvenile tradition. By-the-way, I sure hope you’re thick skinned and competitive, otherwise…you won’t last around here very long,” Jeff lamented, before turning towards his wife, “Rach, seriously? Aren’t you two a little old to still be doing this?”

“Jeffrey Marion Greenstein! First, you better not freak Tara out, as I’m sure you don’t want to deal with Willow’s wrath and second, get ready and DO NOT disappointment me!”

As the husband and wife began to bicker, Tara decided to ignore the frackus erupting from the front seat; she figured that from the sound of things, this little squabble was fairly commonplace for the couple. Instead, she turned all of her attention to her girlfriend that was currently trotting in a wide circle and building up momentum.

Tara was torn. On the one hand she was worried, it was nearly dark and Willow was going to be riding bareback on an unbridled horse, at breakneck speeds and crossing a pasture that she couldn’t see. On the other hand, Tara was mesmerized by the confidence and beauty radiating from her girlfriend. Seeing Willow atop that horse, with her fire red hair whipping in the wind, sent shivers down Tara’s spine. Oh my, she is absolutely beautiful.

As Willow completed her turn around, she began to pick up speed as she brought Artemis along the fence line and parallel to the car. She leaned forward in a racing position, her fingers woven through Artemis’ thick mane, and locked eyes with Tara. With a mischievous glint in her eyes and a wide grin spread across her face, Willow raised her feet slightly, giving Artemis a gentle kick to her sides and shouted, “Hee yaw!”

The Mare responded immediately, lurching forward and bolting into a full and thunderous gallop; her hooves pounding the hard red clay that sent dust billowing into the air. Tara’s breath caught as she stiffened and craned her neck out the window to get a better view. Rachael counted down from 5 to zero as Jeff revved the engine in eager anticipation. He finally released the brake, spinning the tires and sending a shower of gravel out behind them. Unfortunately, this fancy little maneuver did not get them going as the car sat longer before the tires got a grip. A move that Rachael was quick to criticize; showing her disapproval by yelling at and punching Jeff in the upper arm.

They never did completely catch up to the racing redhead, but did get close enough for Tara to watch in wonder. Willow’s movements on the horse were smooth and fluid, her body was in complete sync with the mare; both horse and rider anticipating the others every move.

Tara was so entranced, that she didn’t seem to notice that the car had stopped and the bickering in the front seat had escalated. She did, however, notice that Willow was slowly cantering towards a gate in the fence line near where the car had stopped. Tara, eager to escape the post race squabble, leapt from the backseat and walked quickly to meet Willow.

Willow was still panting heavily and overflowing with excitement. Before she even had a chance to dismount, Tara had already opened the gate and was inside the fence, anxiously awaiting her lover.

Willow finally slid her right leg over Artemis and jumped to the ground. No sooner had she landed than she found herself swept up in a heated kiss. Tara’s hands were on either side of Willow’s face as the blonde kissed her passionately. Willow’s knees felt weak under the heat of Tara’s full lips and she gripped the blonde’s hips for support.

They finally pulled apart and rested their foreheads together, “Willow, that was…amazing and you looked so damn hot up there.”

Willow blushed and smiled shyly, “Well, if I can get more of those kisses, I’ll ride for you everyday.”

They both chuckled and kissed again briefly before Willow took Tara’s hand and led her over to meet Artemis.

“Oh Will, she’s really beautiful,” Tara complimented, as she stroked the mare on her neck and head.

“Maybe tomorrow I can take you for a ride.”

“I would love that, but um, together…right?” Tara said, with a bit of trepidation.

“Of course.”

Artemis slowly moved away and into the barn. It was dark and she knew her nightly routine well. Willow and Tara followed, getting her settled into the stall; then shutting the stable door behind them.

Willow took Tara’s hand and entwined their fingers as they closed the distance from the barn to the house, “So, are you ready?”

“Yep, let’s do this.” Tara replied with a lopsided smile as they walked up the back steps and into Willow’s house.

[taranwillow4ever]

Dibs!! Never got them before, I love the charactaristics of Rachel, and the obvious warmth between the sisters. Always look forward to this fic. I think it is my current favorite.

[Silent_X]

A very enjoyable chapter. I don't think you got too carried away. Hehe, I really like Rachael. I also really like tex-mex food and the idea of Willow kicking butt in a horse-vs-car race. Coincidentally, we have to drive into Houston to pick up my mother from the airport this evening.

Looking forward to next week's update, as usual! I'm kinda nervous but excited to see what happens when Willow's mom meets Tara.

[brave-little-toaster]

AHHHHHH! SO CUTE! I loved the part where Willow was teasing Rachel. Cracked me up. :]
Going to go check out my PMs now... thanks!

[Laragh]

N'aww, sweet on the plane!

Something about beef fajitas, salsa and strawberry margaritas.

Girl knows her food.

“Sweetie, can you tell me that story again later and uh, slower? Because you lost me somewhere around, This one time at…”

Haha at Rachel just not getting it...and Jeff's delayed reaction. Oh boys.

You delivered on the Texas!! I could picture it in leaps and bounds

I don't like horses, but hot damn, I loved that scene. I think Tara's entracement was the best of all. Awesome.

Looking forward to them meeting Mama and Papa Rosenberg

Awesomely fun chapter!

[Gaga01]

I can't say enough how much I love this story!!

I'm so glad the girls are finally in Texas!!! Poor Tara, she couldn't even rest during the flight...hopefully things won't go too horribly with Willow's mother...Willow teasing her sister Rachael about Tara being her girlfriend was hilarious and awesome!! And Willow horse backriding like that? So cool!! Can't wait for the next chapter!

[zampsa19752001]

Yay for great update-y goodness... I loved Willow's bantering with Rach. And Rach's reaction to Tara... Jeff is so whipped... Big wow for horsie-Willow...

[wimpy0729]

Oh YES, YES! Finally in Texas. I loved it all, but I gotta say I love Rachael's reaction to Tara. Totally had me ROFLMAO. I admit, I about had the same reaction when I met Amber in person. All of a sudden, the brain just seemed to shut down and I just tried my best to not look like a total idiot. But she is so cool, took her time and made me feel very comfortable. This Tara is a lot like that, just a regular person, and I love that about her.

And now we are introduced to Rachael and Jeff -- two more characters you already have us liking and totally enjoying their banter. Can't wait to learn more about them all.

And finally, Willow on her horse. I was right there with Tara and had to get a tissue to catch the drool. Verry nice. I'm so excited to see what's next!

Wimpy

[DaddyCatALSO]

Hee, an _AMerican Pie_ reference.

And I could picutre the scenery quite clearly. (The only part of TX I've been to was the MEtroplex and not since the 80s.)

Nice touch of pssengers giving Tara the thunbs-up. Whenever a star makes a big announcemnt, soem fans make a point of doing that.

[JustSkipIt]

Shel - Woo hoo! Texas! This is probably my favorite chapter yet although I can't put my finger on just why. I love everything about it - the feel of the sleepy airplane ride, Tara's nervousness, Willow's comfort, the mob scene at the airport, and Willow messing with Rachel. BTW - I got a traffic ticket last weekend for not moving to the right when driving the speed limit. No shit. Apparently you need to let other people speed because the cops have a speed trap set up. My wife's best friend wonders if it's because my wife has obnoxious bumper stickers on her car which I was driving. Oh, also my wife's speedometer said I was doing 68-69 and apparently I was going 65. Shit. But setting the cruise control under the speed limit? Preposterous.

Anyway... Willow messing with Raechael is great and Raechel's reaction is just amazing. Is this Willow's parents's place or Jeff & Raechel's? Will her parents be at dinner? I was a little fuzzy on that from Raechel's answer. And also, yay for her sister for the awesome response to Willow bringing someone special "where is she?" So it seems that everyone but Shiela gets the concept of gay.

Oh... I can't wait for the next part...

[willowtaralover]

Willow was suddenly jerked awake by her head being unceremoniously bounced into Tara’s bony shoulder.

Hmm, do either Tara or Amber actually have bony shoulders? I know she has shoulder bones but still.

“I don’t think so, something just tickled my nose I guess.”

I fancy this was the red hair from a certain sizzling hot girlfriend

Tara merely smiled, but Willow could see signs of tension in Tara’s delicate features, not to mention that her palms were quite sweaty. “Aw, you got butterflies, baby?”

“More like bats.” Tara replied nervously.

“You tell those bats that everything is gonna be alright. I promise,” Willow gently gave Tara’s hand a reassuring squeeze

I gotta admit I am a sucker for sweet moments like this so please keep em coming Shel.


“A few autographs, lot’s of whispering and gawking, plus two thumbs up and a huge grin from Frank, the flight attendant.”

Well, we all approve of Tara's excellent taste in women, lol.

“In a most excellent way.” Willow smiled, lost in the endless depths of Tara’s beautiful blue eyes. It never ceased to amaze her how just looking at Tara made her feel. Tara melted her heart and strengthened her resolve all at the same time.

Is it possible to actually find girls this awesome and this hot , or was Tara created just for Willow?

Something about beef fajitas, salsa and strawberry margaritas.

Yummy now that sounds good, oh garçon lol

“She’s pretty great actually and we’re close considering we have ten years between us,”
Now I’m pretty sure that Willow is the youngest sibling, but does this make Rachael the eldest?

I do like the fact that even though Tara is now out there’s no masses of paps trying to photo her with her girlfriend. It was just someone seeing Tara by chance that bought the crowd running.


“Because it’s his last vestige of manhood and he’s not about to give it up

Boys and their toys, typical.

Just loved the scene where Willow is screwing slightly with Rachael’s mind over Tara being her girlfriend.

“How many people do you normally have at Thanksgiving dinner, Rachael?” Tara interjected and Rachael froze; snapped back to her former almost catatonic state

This scene was frickin hilarious, however I have to admit that as I’m going to this years HalloWhedon event where Amber is a guest I will more than likely be reacting the same as Rachael when I meet her.

I love the way that, after having only just met Tara, in a short space of time Rachael feels able enough to talk freely to Tara without freaking.

It’s good to know that Willow has some family on her side with Hunter, Ira and Rachael evidently having a great fondness and respect for Willow and unlike Sheila not having a problem with her gayness.

Wow, the horse vs car race was amazing, though I think Willow cheated a little, knowing who was driving. Jeff even seemed to take the idea of Tara being in the car quite calmly, far more so than Rachael. Especially when he told Tara of the ‘ridiculous and juvenile tradition’, and warning her to be thick-skinned and competitive at Ranch Rosenberg.

Willow took Tara’s hand and entwined their fingers as they closed the distance from the barn to the house, “So, are you ready?”

“Yep, let’s do this.” Tara replied with a lopsided smile as they walked up the back steps and into Willow’s house.

And hopefully they’re not heading into the jaws of doom.


Shel, this has been, as ever, an awesome chapter and I’m loving this story to smithereens. Keep up the awesome work on one of my current fave stories.

[bouncer73]

EXCITED...yahoooo and update...I just love this story..... ....its awesome and can't wait to see what sheila does when she finds out who willows GF is...love it love it love it...

[beautiful_love]

Once again I'm late on leaving feedback. But I have a good excuse this time. I was actually working on my own story. Not that great of an excuse but an excuse none the less. Great lighthearted update. Loved it.

Willow's sister at least seems to be pretty cool. I loved how she flipped out when she saw Tara at the airport. And naughty Willow, teasing her sister like that. Lol. Sibling love.

And Tara's such a gracious celebrity. Makes her even hotter... if that's possible. Though her nervousness at meeting Willow's family is just adorable. I love it. Ah memories... remember when you first met the parents... adn it was awkward as hell... memories. Anyway...

So excited that they're in Texas though finally. Been looking forward to this since you first brought it up. Can't wait for more.

[wayland]

This is great fun to read. I loved the airport scene, and in Rachael and Jeff you've introduced two new characters and made them interesting and believable. I'm impressed.

[nightmask]

I loved the whole part when Willow gets on the horse and how you described how beautiful she looked to Tara
Hehe I guess Tara has a thing for cow girls :]
I really enjoyed reading the way you made Willow's sister and brother in law such distinct characters, I can't wait to read more. ^.^

[Ariel]

Shelby,

I’ve taken my sweet time posting on your latest chapter because it was something really special and I’ve been reading and re-reading it partly because I just love it and partly to try to pinpoint the details of why it works so well. (Okay! Okay! Just looking for an excuse to read it over again! )

However, there is one, only one, SERIOUS MISTAKE in this story that has to be corrected right now: Tara does not have a bony shoulder! She has a discernible bone in her shoulder, yes, but she’s not all bony shoulder-y! (Hope you can accept hard-hitting criticism! )

Willow picked up on Tara’s nervous stutter immediately and took the blonde’s hand in hers, “Nope, slept like a baby. It comes from years of life traveling on a noisy team bus. I learned to just block it all out. This was actually kinda peaceful in comparison, plus these seats and my human pillow…comfy.” She winked at Tara and placed a kiss on the back of her hand.

Tenderness, caring, part of what makes the fic special and it shines here.

Willow smiled, lost in the endless depths of Tara’s beautiful blue eyes. It never ceased to amaze her how just looking at Tara made her feel. Tara melted her heart and strengthened her resolve all at the same time.

Lovely!

Tara merely smiled, but Willow could see signs of tension in Tara’s delicate features, not to mention that her palms were quite sweaty. “Aw, you got butterflies, baby?”

“More like bats.” Tara replied nervously.

First there’s the routine situation: Willow jolted awake, Tara sneezing; and it feels absolutely real. Then there was their tenderness; Willow hearing Tara’s stutter and the famous actress needing reassurance. It touched my heart. Also love the “bats” vs. “butterflies” when you’re REALLY nervous!

Having Hunter set up Rachel to pick them up was a fresh twist that works on a bunch of levels. First, it’s brother playing a joke, then it’s getting to know Rachel and her husband (ol’ whats-his-name) and the whole funny meeting when Rachel gets that little sis actually bagged a star. Then driving hilarity ensues . . .

“Let’s put it this way, have you ever seen the movie, Cheech and Chong: Up In Smoke?” Tara nodded her head, she couldn’t imagine where Willow was going with this, “Well, it’s like that scene when they’re on the freeway driving and then they think they’re still driving, but they are actually parked in the median. Well, that’s what it’s like driving with Jeff, it feels like you’re parked because all the cars are just passing you by.”

Plus hilarious line about Willow’s grandmother getting sick of his driving!

It didn’t take long for the redhead to spot her sister, “WILLOW!! WILLS!! OVER HERE!!” Rachael screeched, running forward and engulfing Willow in a huge bear hug.

“Good to see you too,” Willow groaned as her sister squeezed her tighter, “Rach, oxygen...becoming an issue.”

“Oh sorry, Wills. JEFF! BAGS! So, how’s my baby sis?” Rachael had a knack for barking orders to her husband, no matter what else was going on.

All this dialogue beautifully, effectively, hilarious defines character and puts you right in the middle of that bustling baggage claim area! You get a real sense of a real family with all its foolishness.

But then we come to this . . . *sigh*

Tara was torn. On the one hand she was worried, it was nearly dark and Willow was going to be riding bareback on an unbridled horse, at breakneck speeds and crossing a pasture that she couldn’t see. On the other hand, Tara was mesmerized by the confidence and beauty radiating from her girlfriend. Seeing Willow atop that horse, with her fire red hair whipping in the wind, sent shivers down Tara’s spine. Oh my, she is absolutely beautiful.

As Willow completed her turn around, she began to pick up speed as she brought Artemis along the fence line and parallel to the car. She leaned forward in a racing position, her fingers woven through Artemis’ thick mane, and locked eyes with Tara. With a mischievous glint in her eyes and a wide grin spread across her face, Willow raised her feet slightly, giving Artemis a gentle kick to her sides and shouted, “Hee yaw!”

Wow! *sighs again* Just beautiful! She’s there, red hair catching the last rays of sun and I swear I can feel Tara’s heart pounding as she looks at her. (nice touch back to the title – an overlay of that image “Racing the Rain.”)

Still can’t pin down all the details, but there’s a particularly vibrant quality of freshness and realism. Shelby, you never let us down. Every chapter is either touching/funny/interesting and often all of the above, but this is one of the best!

Thank you!

Ariel
How I Met Your Mother

[faolan228]

Oh man, I'm having anxiety attacks FOR them when it comes to finally meet Willow's folks. Coming out to my dad we just sat in his car and drank a few beers, told him about my preferences, and then fled to Disneyland with my friends for a week. Mom was an entirely different story. She found out a bit later, it's been a couple years, and she still asks when I'm bringing a nice boy home, so I can really sympathize with Willow on the whole Sheila thing.

Gotta love the whole realistic human interactions you have going. You've even got those non-nonsensical conversations that people have everyday.