Title: Broken Wing
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon.
Note: I'd like to thank my inspiration for all the wonderful stories I write, my very own Tara. I love you, baby.
Part 19
Willow sat in the dining commons tapping her foot impatiently under the table. It was so like Buffy to make lunch date with her and then be late. She could have been spending this time with Tara, but no she was sitting alone, in a crowded dining commons, with far too much food for one person on the table in front of her. Where the heck was Buffy anyway? Willow knew she didn't have class, so that probably meant she was with Riley, but Buffy wouldn't blow her off for him would she? Willow would never blow Buffy off for Tara. Sure she'd rather be with the blonde witch, but Buffy was her best friend and if they had plans she would be there, and on time.
"I am so sorry," Buffy said sliding into the seat next to Willow.
"Where were you?" Willow asked sounding angrier than she had intended.
"I was with Riley, and I lost track of the time," Buffy said apologetically. "I really didn't mean to, but we were talking and then kissing, and then..."
"Please don't continue, I haven't eaten yet," Willow said holding up her hand, silencing Buffy.
"Well you know how it is when you're spending time with your significant other," Buffy said smirking, "I mean you and Tara have been spending every second together since this past weekend. How are things going?"
"Great," Willow said smiling brightly now that the conversation had shifted to her favorite topic of Tara. "We mostly just talk, which is lots of fun, cause she's a very funny person, and we kiss," Willow said blushing slightly.
"Oh, that's so cute," Buffy said.
"What?" Willow asked.
"You get all blushy when you talk about stuff like that," Buffy said.
"Well it's private," Willow said smiling.
"So are you guys doing anything this weekend?" Buffy asked.
"Like what?"
"A date," Buffy said.
"I don't know, should we?" Willow asked. "I've never had a girlfriend before, is that the thing to do even if you're already girlfriends?"
"Tara doesn't just want to sit around on campus all day, take her out, show her a good time, and then bring her home, and show her an even better one," Buffy said smirking.
"Buffy! We haven't done that yet," Willow said turning bright red.
"I was only teasing," Buffy said, "about that last part anyway."
"So you think I should ask her on a date," Willow said thoughtfully.
"Yeah," Buffy said picking at some fries, "Hey where are you going?" Buffy asked as Willow stood up.
"To ask Tara on a date," Willow said before running out.
"I didn't mean right now," Buffy said to herself as she watched her friend leave.
"Willow," Tara said surprised to see the red head standing there. She thought Willow had lunch plans with Buffy.
"Hey," Willow said stepping inside.
"I thought you were meeting Buffy for lunch?"
"I did, but then she gave me a great idea, so I wanted to come over and ask you something," Willow said.
"Okay," Tara said smiling.
"Will you go out on a date with me Saturday?" Willow asked.
"Of course," Tara said taking Willow's hand and leading her over to the bed to sit down. "Where are we going?"
"It's a surprise," Willow said, her eyes sparkling mischievously.
"A surprise? How will I know what to wear?" Tara asked.
"Just wear normal clothes and I'll come by at noon to get you," Willow said.
"You mean normal clothes for me," Tara said teasingly.
"I love the way you dress," Willow said leaning forward and kissing her gently, "Mmmmm, can we do this all day every day?" Willow asked kissing Tara again.
"That would be nice, but I have to go," Tara said pulling back.
"Go, why?" Willow asked pouting.
"I have to go to work, Grace is expecting me early today. She said we have some stuff to go through. I'm not sure what she means, but I've got to go," Tara said frowning slightly.
"One more before you go," Willow said as she and Tara walked to the door.
"One more," Tara said leaning in unable to resist Willow's cute, pouty face.
"One more?" Willow said as Tara pulled away.
"Willow," Tara said smiling.
"Really this time, just one more," Willow said pulling Tara close.
"Okay, one more."
"You're late," Grace said when Tara entered the shop.
"I'm sorry, I just..."
"Got distracted?" Grace said smiling at the blonde.
"Yeah," Tara said blushing.
"So how are things with you and Willow?" Grace asked.
"Great, we're going on a date this weekend, but she won't tell me anything about it," Tara said smiling. "I don't really care where we go, as long we're together."
"Young love," Grace said sighing.
"So what do we have to go through, a new shipment?" Tara asked moving behind the counter.
"Not quite," Grace said leading Tara out back. "I have a box of your mother's things. I thought you might want to go through them, and I can answer any questions you have, or you can just go through it alone if you'd like."
"A whole box?" Tara asked. She had thought all her mother's belongings were gone except the few magic books she had managed to save. Her father had removed all her mother's things from the house shortly after she died, and had them burned.
"Yes," Grace said. "I know you thought they all got destroyed, but she had sent me some things she wanted you to have. Every now and again I would get a package in the mail from her containing some small item and a little note explaining why she wanted you to have it," Grace said smiling fondly. "And some of it is from when I lived there, pictures of us, things like that. I want you to have them."
"I couldn't take your pictures," Tara said shaking her head.
"I know you only have the one, Tara. I want you to have them, she was your mother, you loved her."
"You loved her too," Tara said placing her hand on Grace's arm. "I want you to keep them for now."
"Okay, but you can still look through them, some of them are pretty goofy," Grace said remembering times when they had been caught acting silly.
"She always did have a weird sense of humor," Tara said smiling. "I think I got it from her."
"You got a lot of things from her," Grace said, "You look so much like her, and your personality, so kind and giving. She would be so proud of you, she always was. Every letter I ever got from her, she told me how much she loved you and how very special you were."
"She always made me feel special," Tara said a tear slipping down her cheek.
"Oh, look at us, crying," Grace said smiling wiping away the tear. "This is a happy time, a time to remember the good things."
"There's a customer," Tara said drying her eyes further, "I'll go check that."
"Hey," Willow said smiling.
"What are you doing here?" Tara asked coming out from behind the counter to hug her girlfriend.
"Well, I missed you, and decided that I am a witch so maybe I should take a trip to the local magic shop," Willow said kissing her. "What are you up to?"
"Grace has a box, a whole box, of things that belonged to my mother," Tara said excitedly. "Do you want to come back and look with me?"
"Of course I do," Willow said smiling. Up until this point Tara had told her very little about her family, and all of that information had been about her mom. A woman that Willow was very fond of going by what she heard. She was thrilled that Tara wanted to include her in this.
"Hi," Grace said smiling as Tara entered with Willow.
"Hey," Willow said taking a seat on the floor next to Tara.
"I'll go man the shop, you two can look through that," Grace said moving toward the exit.
"You don't want to look?" Tara asked.
"I've already seen it all, I'll be out front if you have any questions," Grace said smiling, leaving the two girls alone.
"I'm so nervous," Tara said looking at the closed box. "I never thought I would see any of my mother's things again, and now here's a whole box full, and she wanted me to have them," she said looking at Willow.
"Why didn't you think you'd see any of it again?" Willow asked confused.
"My father got rid of everything," Tara said looking down. "I woke up one morning and it was all gone. Like she had never been there. I ran downstairs and begged my brother to tell me where her stuff was, I thought he had done it. He pointed outside and there my father stood burning everything," Tara said crying. "I ran outside and tried to reach into the fire to grab something, anything, but he pulled me anyway, and locked me in my room so I wouldn't do it again."
"Oh, baby, I'm so sorry," Willow said putting her arms around Tara.
"I can't remember how she used to smell anymore," Tara said. "I thought I would remember forever, but then one day it was just gone, and I couldn't bring the memory back no matter how hard I tried, and there was nothing there to remind me, just a few books, but they didn't smell like her."
"Maybe something in the box still does," Willow said trying to be helpful, trying to comfort Tara.
"Do you think it might?" Tara asked hopefully.
"I don't know, but maybe," Willow said smiling.
Tara reached forward and carefully opened the box, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before peering inside. There were so many things to look at she didn't know where to begin. Reaching in she pulled out a small velvet box, and smiled over at Willow. Slowly she opened the small box and saw a gold band inside.
"What is it?" Willow asked leaning over to look.
"I don't know, her wedding ring maybe," Tara said. "I thought she was buried with it though."
"Does the box say anything?" Willow asked.
"Oh, wait, Grace said there were notes somewhere that say why she wanted me to have it, are there notes in the box?" Tara asked, and Willow moved some items around carefully until she came to a stack of small papers held together by a rubber band.
"This could be them," Willow said holding them up.
"Can you check, and see if there's one about this ring?" Tara asked still staring at the ring.
"Let's see," Willow said perusing the papers, "Right here, it's your great great grandmother's wedding ring, and it's been blessed, she wanted you to have it for your own wedding day, when you meet Miss. Right," Willow said smiling.
"It actually says that?" Tara said looking at the note.
"You never told your Mom?"
"I never had the chance," Tara said, "by the time I figured everything all out, she was so sick and I didn't want to tell her. I thought it would make things worse. I can't believe she knew," Tara said smiling.
"Do you know what this is?" Willow asked pulling out a beaded necklace.
"I made that for her when I was 7," Tara said. "I spent all day in the closet in my room, hiding and making that necklace for her for mother's day. I didn't want her to see it before it was finished."
"It's beautiful," Willow said.
"No, it isn't, it's terribly ugly, and she wore it anyway," Tara said laughing. "She wore it all day even to church, my dad had a fit and she didn't care she wore it anyway. Oh, and this is the picture I drew her for her birthday that year. It was the house I imagined us living in, far away from there." Tara said taking out the picture. "That's my bedroom window right there, and that's my mom's room right next to mine, and that light on in the basement was for Donnie, my brother."
"You wanted your brother to live in the basement?" Willow asked smiling.
"He pulled my barbie's head off that morning, I was mad at him," Tara said laughing.
"Oh, well that's understandable then," Willow said smiling. "You never mentioned having a brother before. Are you close?"
"We used to be," Tara said, "but he changed, or maybe I changed, I don't know. He just stopped playing with me, and then it was like I didn't exist anymore."
"I'm sorry," Willow said, placing her hand on Tara's knee.
"It's okay, really. It happened a long time ago," Tara said. "I wonder what's in here?" Tara asked pulling out a shoe box and lifting the lid. "Oh, my God, Will, you were right. It's her, it's her smell," Tara said breathing in deeply. "This is a her scarf she used to wear to church every Sunday, and her perfume," Tara said as tears streamed down her cheeks. Willow wasn't sure what to do, so she just put her arms around Tara and held her close. "I never thought I'd smell this again, but I can remember coming down the stairs in the morning and she would walk over and hug me and this is what she smelled like, everyday. And then she would make breakfast and brush my hair, and tell me stories while I got ready for school. And late at night when I was crying she would come in and just hold me close and tell me it wasn't my fault."
"What wasn't your fault?" Willow asked gently.
"Everything," Tara answered. "I thought it was all my fault, everything that went wrong, that's what he told me, so I believed him, and she would come in and put ice where it hurt, or a band aid, if I needed one and just hold me and tell me how special I was. She didn't think I saw what he did to her, but I did, and I knew what was happening, and I thought it was all my fault."
"Oh, Tara, baby, no, you're mother was right," Willow said pulling Tara closer. "It wasn't your fault at all, you are special. What he did was wrong and it wasn't your fault that it happened, it was his fault."
"But maybe..."
"No, there are no maybes. You listen to me, you are a wonderful person, and whatever your father did to you and your mother, was not your fault, you're not to blame for that. You were just a child, Tara. There was nothing you could do," Willow said, as Tara dropped her head onto her shoulder and cried. Willow rubbed her back and held on tight. She was sure now who had given her the bruises when she first met her, and she wanted him to pay for that, and she was sure he would.
"I didn't mean to cry all over you," Tara said wiping her eyes.
"I don't mind," Willow said, "I cried all over you before."
"I didn't want you to know what my father was like, I thought if you knew you wouldn't like me," Tara said.
"Of course I like you," Willow said, "Not so much with the liking your father right now, but at least he let you come to school here."
"He didn't," Tara said quietly. "I ran away."
"He doesn't know where you are?" Willow asked.
"No, I don't even want to think about what he'd do if he found out where I was," Tara said.
"Then he won't find you," Willow said.
"What if he does?" Tara asked.
"He won't," Willow said again this time more firmly.
"Willow, you can't keep him from finding me," Tara said, though she thought it was incredibly sweet that Willow would try.
"Okay, maybe not, but if he does find you, you'll have me, and Anya, and Xander, and Buffy, and she's a lot tougher than she looks," Willow said.
"She is?" Tara questioned smiling at her girlfriend.
"Well, I kinda gotta tell you something about Buffy."
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~Spencer~
"You can't type what a lesbian is. We're anything and everything. The one thing in common is that we make love to other women. So give up trying to limit us." - Amanda Bearse -
by bluewillowwitch » Wed Jun 04, 2003 10:10 pm 
,
I just read the last two updates. They are sooooo very sweet! 
more. 
and 
are just so absolutly adorable together. 
Please update soon. 
I relly want to see what happens with 
~Tara~
That is so very sweet.
= me (that is to say the me that is I, not that me that is mutant enemy cause nobody working for them has a soul and could therefor be ever happy or a kitten but since me is happy AND a kitten then that makes me = I and therefor I = happy kitty and did I just make any sense? 
)
at: 7/25/03 7:09 pm
