TITLE: Racing The Rain
AUTHOR: Finey_McFine
RATING: PG-13
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: Yes! Any glaring issues…please send me a PM!
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Hi Everyone and Happy Sunday! So, I’ve been trying to post this chapter for the last 3 days and I was finally able to get to it tonight…after taking my nephews home. For those of you with more than one child, I salute you! 
Anyway, I enjoyed writing this chapter and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did. Happy reading!*************************************
Chapter 41: Cat and Mouse Tara was sitting outside on the back porch swing, waiting for Willow to finish dressing and come out of the house. Her girlfriend had disappeared about 15 minutes ago to shower and change. They were going to take a tour around town and grab some lunch before picking up Milo for his afternoon practice.
Tara was wearing Capri’s and a three quarter sleeve v-neck cotton shirt, but her attire was proving to be a little warm. She wondered if she should go change into shorts and a tank. It was late November, but apparently, Texas had not gotten the memo. She inhaled deeply as the fresh scent from the marigolds in the planter boxes assaulted her senses. She closed her eyes, pushing off the floor with her bare feet, putting the swing in motion; and that’s exactly where Willow found her about ten minutes later.
Willow peered out the kitchen window, her breath catching in her throat when she spotted Tara on the swing. “Wow…beautiful,” Willow whispered to herself. She stood for a long moment, just enjoying the gorgeous sight in front of her. Tara was sitting crossed legged on the swing with her arms resting on her knees and the late morning sun was casting a radiant glow across her blonde locks. Willow was completely enraptured with her girlfriend. Sometimes Willow felt overwhelmed with her love for the girl and this, apparently, was one of those moments. She took a much-needed deep breath as a sweet smile crept across her face; she wanted to remember this moment forever.
Willow tiptoed to the back door, gently turning the handle and slowly opening the door. When she saw that Tara hadn’t noticed her, she reached in her messenger bag and pulled out a small digital camera. She turned it on and snapped the picture without Tara noticing. Smiling proudly at her stealthy accomplishment, Willow turned it off and returned it to her bag. She jiggled the door handle to rouse Tara without startling her and smiled widely when Tara’s eyes opened.
“Hey baby, are you ready?” Willow asked.
“Umm hmm, just enjoying the moment.”
“Me too,” Willow mumbled.
“What was that sweetie?”
“Oh uh, nothing.”
Tara stretched lazily, her knees aching from their previously bent position. Once her muscles relaxed, she slid her flip-flops on and made her way to Willow. Tara greeted her with a light kiss; gently pressing their lips together. They were full, moist, and wonderful. Kissing Willow was intoxicating, no matter how light the kiss was; Tara knew it was something she’d never tire of.
Willow took Tara’s hand and led her down the steps and across the yard towards the front of the house. As they walked, Tara glanced at her girlfriend’s shirt and chuckled softly.
“What?” Willow questioned.
“Your shirt…” Tara replied.
“What about it?” Willow dropped her head and glanced down at her green t-shirt that had a Jurassic Park Velociraptor with a completed Rubik’s Cube in it’s claws and the saying, ‘Cleaver Girl’ underneath it.
“It’s um…quirky.”
“So, you’re saying I’m insane?” Willow teased.
“No, I said
quirky, and I love all of your little quirks!” Tara squeezed Willow’s hand and began swinging them between their bodies.
Willow grinned, “Nice save…anyway, it seemed appropriate for a bunch of 4 year old boys.”
“They’ll love it,” Tara agreed as she flashed Willow a wide smile. “So, where are we going?” Tara asked, not really caring where they went, as long as they were getting out of the house and away from Sheila for a while. There was only so much Tara could take.
“I thought we’d take a drive downtown, do some window shopping and have lunch. Then we’ll head over and pick up the little guy.”
“Sounds good! As long as we’re together, anything is fine with me.”
Willow pulled Tara towards her, no longer able to resist the urge to kiss her. She firmly pressed her lips into Tara’s and kissed her soundly.
Tara pulled back after several long seconds, “Mmmm, what was that all about?” Tara asked.
“I need and excuse to kiss my girlfriend?” Willow pouted.
“Never,” Tara grinned happily as they finally arrived at their destination, “Wow,
y-you can drive this?” Tara stammered, looking up wide-eyed at the large black F-350 Super Duty.
Willow snickered at Tara’s reaction; suddenly feeling very butch, she reached up and opened the door for her girlfriend.
“This isn’t a truck Will, it’s a tank. I think I may need a step ladder to get in.”
“Oh piffle!” Willow replied, still grinning, “Just grab the handle, step up on the runner and climb in. Here, let me help you.” As Tara followed Willow’s instructions, Willow grasped her ass and pushed her up, squeezing lightly.
“Willow!’ Tara scolded, “That wasn’t help, that was a cheap excuse to grab my ass!”
“And???”
“Vixen,” Tara grinned, playing along.
Willow shut the door and trotted around to her side, climbed in and cranked up the large diesel engine.
“Will?”
“Yeah baby?”
“Why does one need a truck this size?”
“To pull a big honkin’ 5th wheel trailer full of horses, or our camper, or Dad’s boat or a trailer full of hay,” Willow answered as she adjusted the seat and pulled her seatbelt on, “I learned to drive in this bad boy and used to drive it all the time. I didn’t get the Jetta until I got to college. The dually isn’t exactly suited for a college student.”
Tara nodded her head in agreement and sunk back into the deep leather seats. She reached across the console and entwined her fingers with Willow’s as they pulled out of the driveway.
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“Well, whaddya think?” Willow asked.
Tara swallowed thickly, looking for the right words, “Well, it’s umm, very…quaint?”
Willow threw her head back in laughter, “It’s ok baby, I know it’s nothing to write home about.”
“So, this is ‘downtown’?” Tara replied, using air quotations.
“Yep! But, you have to admit, it
is kinda cute. What with the little town square, the gazebo and the one traffic light; kinda like Hill Valley in
Back To The Future. Don’t ‘cha think?”
“Indeed, as long as you don’t run outta here and hop on a skateboard,” Tara winked, reaching across the table to hold Willow’s hand, “It’s adorable Will, just like you,” Tara smiled sweetly, enjoying the blush she saw creeping across Willow’s delicate features. She loved the effect she had on the redhead and sat back in her chair, admiring the beautiful girl in front of her.
Willow and Tara had spent about an hour walking down Main Street, taking pictures and perusing several small shops. Much to Tara’s surprise, no one seemed to recognize her, but they all knew Willow. The redhead was somewhat of a local celebrity as people walked up to her, shaking her hand and snapping photos on their cell phones.
They were currently sitting next to the front window in Willow’s favorite café, the
Blu Moon and enjoying two tall glasses of sweet iced tea. Tara had smiled proudly when they walked in and she spotted a large framed photo of her girlfriend behind the counter, posing with her Olympic medal and the café owner.
My little hometown hero. Tara thought.
“Ummm, this is so good,” Willow commented after taking a long sip of tea, “Tare, you’re gonna LOVE the food here and we HAVE to split a dessert. The chocolate pie is
to die for!”
“Sounds yummy! So, you know the owner?” Tara asked.
“Uh huh, she’s also the town mayor.”
Tara giggled, “You’re not serious.”
“As a heart attack,” Willow replied.
“I suppose she’s also the post master general as well?” Tara quipped.
“Tara!” Willow said, feigning shock, “She is not! That would be her husband’s job.”
The girls both laughed at Willow’s joke, thoroughly enjoying their time together and thrilled to be out of the house. They spent about an hour at the café, eating, chatting, and indulging in the delicious chocolate pie before hitting a few more shops and heading over to pick up Milo.
**********************************
“Willow, are we still in Decker Prairie?” Tara asked, after they had been driving for about 20 minutes. She couldn’t imagine that Willow’s hometown was this large.
Willow smiled and squeezed Tara’s hand as she made a right turn, “No baby, we don’t have any apartment complexes in D.P. We’re in the neighboring town, Montgomery.”
The redhead steered the large truck into the parking lot at Elijah’s apartment complex and parked in front of one of the many two-story buildings. The apartments looked to be about ten to fifteen years old, with several hundred units, a park and a swimming pool.
“How long have they lived here?” Tara asked as Willow shut off the truck and removed the keys from the ignition.
Willow tapped her finger on her chin, contemplating Tara’s question, “Hmm, for a couple of years…I think? They lived at my parent’s house for awhile after Milo was born, and then a couple other places before moving here.”
Tara raised an eyebrow in a questioning glance towards Willow, “At your parent’s house? That must have been…interesting.”
Willow quirked her lips, “Yeah, it was all parades and cotton candy,” she replied sarcastically, “I was still there and believe me, I have never been happier to have the attic bedroom. It was a pretty crazy time, but I really did love having baby Milo around. Stella had postpartum depression pretty bad for several months after he was born, so I took care of him a lot.”
Tara reached out and ran her fingers across Willow’s cheek, “I can tell you two have a special bond.”
Willow leaned into Tara’s touch, turning her head and kissing Tara’s palm, “We do, and it was
so hard to leave him for school, but he’s um…he’s not mine, ya know? Plus, I think it was upsetting Stella a little.”
“But things are ok now, right?” Tara said as Willow held her hand in her lap, idly playing with her fingers.
“Yeah, I mean, as okay as anything can ever be with Stella.” Willow took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, “She’s um, she’s…different. We don’t exactly click; she doesn’t really click with anyone, except maybe Eli and that’s even questionable. I don’t want to say she’s a bad person or a bad parent, because I’m not even a parent so what do I know, but she’s not exactly ‘mother of the year’ either. What Rachael said yesterday, about Eli needing a better job? Well she’s right, he does, but things would be about a hundred times better if Stella worked too. My mom is more than happy to sit for them, but Stella thinks that it’s ‘the man’s responsibility’ to support his family. In other words, she doesn’t see it as a partnership.”
“That’s the part that upsets you isn’t it?”
Willow nodded, “That and the fact that she takes Eli for granted, not to mention how obvious it is that she resents Milo. Did you see her last night, when she got up and left? That was a whole pouty ‘pay attention to me’ thing. She
hates it when Eli’s attention is on anyone else; even their own son. She should be happy that they have a good relationship; instead she craps on it and hurts Milo in the process. That’s what really upsets me the most.”
“Do you think this is caused from her depression?”
Willow shrugged her shoulders, “I don’t know, maybe? She’s been on meds before and they helped a little, but it didn’t stop her from the crazy jealous routine. I just hope they can figure things out, for Milo’s sake at least.”
“Speaking of, maybe we should go up and get him?” Tara asked as she tucked some hair behind Willow’s ear, “He’s probably bouncing off the walls right now.”
Willow nodded, “Tare?”
“Yeah baby?” Tara replied as she started to take her seat belt off and make a move to open her door.
Willow reached out and grasped her arm lightly, “Thank you, for listening and just well…for being here for me. This trip has been so…”
Tara raised her head and caught Willow’s intent gaze. She could see that the redhead was slipping into an emotional mood, “Shhh…none of that today, ok? Today is easy and fun. I love you Will, and you never have to thank me because, as your girlfriend…it’s kinda my job.” Tara pulled Willow’s hand up to her mouth and kissed her knuckles several times, grinning crookedly.
Willow’s breath caught when she saw the glint in Tara’s eye. The redhead reached out, grabbing Tara’s shirt and pulling her forward, into a sweet kiss.
“Umm, I love you Tare.”
“Love you too sweetie.”
*********************************************
True to form Milo was excited beyond words, jumping up and down shouting loudly when the girls knocked on the door. He was dressed, had his gear bag packed, and he was more than ready to go; tugging on Willow’s shirt and nearly dragging her to the floor. The ride to the ballpark was fairly quick with Milo babbling about a thousand words a minute on a myriad of subjects. Willow and Tara were having a hard time following his erratic train of thought; something about bears, trains and fish. Neither had a clue what his point was, but they giggled and enjoyed the chaotic ramblings just the same.
Once they arrived at the ball field, Milo unbuckled himself from the car seat, leapt across the middle console and on top of Willow, all before she even managed to shut the engine off. Willow played along, tickling the little boy into submission. Finally able to exit the truck, she motioned for Milo to jump and gave him a piggyback ride while Tara carried his bag. Once Milo spotted his coach and teammates, he slid off of his aunt’s back and skipped over to meet them.
The coach was a big man, standing easily 6’4”, but even his large stature gave him little hope of rounding up the boys by himself.
Willow chuckled at the chaos, “Wow, it’s like a dozen chickens with no heads,” she whispered to Tara.
“I can’t believe Stella is worried about Milo’s behavior, they all seem to be pretty wild.”
Willow agreed and both girls proceeded to assist in rounding up the kids along with a few of the parents.
Milo ran up to his coach and tugged on his shorts, “Coach Jimmy, Coach Jimmy! This is my Aunt Willow and my Aunt Tara! They’re here from Cali-foamy,” Milo said proudly, grinning from ear to ear.
His little slip didn’t go unnoticed by either girl as their eyes met and they shared a knowing smile.
“Oh Hi!” The coach exclaimed as he nervously shook Willow’s hand, “Wow, it’s a real honor to met you Ms. Rosenberg. Just…wow! Boys! Boys! Gather round, I want you all to meet a
real live Olympic athlete, an honest to goodness gold medalist!”
Willow waved awkwardly and blushed; a bit embarrassed by all the attention. The boys started asking questions and talking loudly until, after several moments, the coach finally got them to calm a bit and herded them on to the field.
Willow and Tara found a seat on the bleachers and settled in to watch the boys. They sat close enough for their legs to touch, but not enough to draw too much attention.
They watched in silence for about 10 minutes until Tara couldn’t take it any longer, “Sweetie, maybe you should help him. He doesn’t seem to uh…”
“…know what he’s doing?” Willow finished.
“Um hmm, it looks like he’s kind of…inexperienced?”
“I don’t mind, but I don’t want to step on any toes.” Willow stated shyly, she certainly did not want to embarrass or undermine the coach. As Willow bit her bottom lip in contemplation, Tara rose and approached the flustered coach; whispering in his ear and then motioning for Willow.
Before Willow even knew what was happening, Tara was waving for her to join in on the conversation. Willow approached, skeptically, she had no idea what the charming blonde had said to the coach, but he was grinning from ear to ear.
The coach cleared his throat, “Um, Ms. Rosenberg-”
“Oh please, call me Willow,” The redhead interrupted sweetly.
“W-Willow, I was wondering if you would like to join in on our practice today? It would be a real honor, and uh…” He leaned in closer and whispered, “Truthfully, I could use all the help I can get. I’m uh, kind of a rookie.” He said as he met her eyes with an expectant gaze.
Willow beamed, “No problem. Um, do you mind?” She said as she motioned towards the chaotic dugout of small boys.
“Be my guest!” The exasperated coach exclaimed.
Willow slid through the gate and walked determinedly towards the boys. Stopping just in front of the dugout she put two fingers between her teeth and whistled loudly, commanding the boys attention immediately.
“Hey guys! How would you like to play a game called ‘Cat and Mouse’?”
The boys looked at each other excitedly, shrugged their shoulders and responded with resounding approval.
Tara giggled, knowing they had no idea what they were agreeing to. She had been standing behind the dugout with her fingers looped through the fence, utterly entranced by the way Willow had confidently marched on to the field and managed to get such quick control over the boys.
“Ok great! But I’m going to need a couple of helpers,” Willow said as her eyes met Tara’s and she winked, “How about Miss Tara?” Willow asked the boys.
“Yay! Yay! Come on Aunt Tara!!” Milo called to Tara.
The blonde nodded her head and blushed furiously, wondering just what her girlfriend had in mind.
“Ok, now I need one more person…,” Willow glanced towards several parents sitting attentively on the bleachers; catching the eye of one of the Dads. He nodded and joined the group on the field.
Willow proceeded to split the boys into two groups of 6 and lined them up. She explained that one group would start at home plate and the other at second base. She then handed the first boy in each line a baseball. She went on further saying that when she whistled, the boy with the ball would start to run around all of the bases and to make sure that he tagged each base on his way around or he would have to go back, losing time. The boy with the ball would then hand it off to his next in line teammate and so on. She looked to her volunteers explaining that each one would be at one of the bases to encourage the boys along and make sure that they touched the bag.
“Ok, does everyone understand?” Willow asked, receiving a resounding yes from the eager boys. “Great! Coach Jimmy will take the Courageous Cats over to second base and I’ll stay here with the Mighty Mice! Tara on first base and Sir, I’ll need you on third. Oh and parents,” Willow shouted, addressing the parents that were occupying the bleachers, “We’ll need a big cheering section! Let me hear a big Whoop-Whoop!!!” The parents leapt to their feet, totally engaged and responded with a resounding cheer.
As Coach Jimmy walked his squad to second base, Willow crouched down and got her boys in a small huddle. She popped up a few moments later and shouted, “WHO ARE WE?!”
“THE MIGHTY MICE!” The boys yelled in return.
“WHO ARE WE?!” She shouted again.
“THE MIGHTY MICE!” The boys screamed.
“MIGHTY MICE SAY WHAT?” Willow shouted, cupping her hand around her ear.
“SQUEAK, SQUEAK!!” The boys replied in high-pitched voices.
Willow placed her hand in the middle of the group as all the boys placed their hands on hers, “1, 2, 3!”
“MICE!” They all shouted and threw their little hands in the air, receiving a standing ovation from the parents.
Getting the hint, Coach Jimmy got his group together in a cheer of their own. Finally, when both squads were ready, Willow whistled, and off they went.
As the boys flew around the bases, Tara clapped and cheered for each of them, desperately trying to get them to touch the base. There were a few that she had to chase down and return to the bag, but much fun was had by all; especially Tara, who was quite literally having the time of her life.
Once the training exercise was over, Willow assisted the coach in a more normal practice. Tara even stayed on the field for a bit to help out as well. When the boys finally fell into place, Tara exited the field and returned to her spot on the bleachers to watch Willow work her magic.
Willow was completely at home on the ball field. She was in her element and Tara had never seen her so relaxed. It was clearly evident to Tara just why Willow was so popular amongst her teammates and the fans. Willow was not only a natural leader, but also a team player and apparently, captain of the cheer squad. She just seemed to have an easy way about her that inspired the people around her and motivated them to be their very best; she made them feel special. Tara knew that feeling well, no one had ever made her feel so wanted or loved; she figured she was just about the luckiest girl on earth.
Tara was completely lost in thought when an older woman sat down beside her, rousing her from her semi-dream state, “Excuse me, aren’t you Tara Maclay?” She asked.
Tara turned to meet her expectant stare, “Um, yes I am,” she answered quietly.
“I thought that was you. Hi, I’m Clara Bose, that’s my grandson over on third base,” the woman pointed to small boy that was kicking the third base bag.
“Oh, it’s very nice to meet you,” Tara responded and extended a hand to the woman.
“The pleasure is all mine,” the kindly grandmother answered, “So are you enjoying your trip to Texas?”
“Yes, very much so…I’m here with Willow.” Tara replied.
The woman smiled at Tara, “Oh I know honey! I picked this up at the store this morning,” The woman leaned down and pulled a tabloid magazine out of her canvas bag and handed it to Tara, “I’ve known Willow since she was an itty bitty little thing. Her Momma’s going to flip when she sees this.”
Tara peered down at the magazine that featured a photo of Tara and an inset of Willow looking sweaty on the ball field,
Shocking GAY Revelation: Tara Maclay Likes her Women Rough and Tough! Tara’s breath caught in her throat and she gulped, “Oh boy.”
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End Chapter 41 TBC…
