Fic - A Promise Once Made

[RedIshtar]

Oh, boy... This can't be good. Julian kidnapping Tara, Willow with a gun. no, can't be good at all.

You're evil, ya know? Leaving us like that! *pout*

Update soon, pretty please with chocolate syrup and a cherry on top? *batting eyelashes*





Kayleen Lee

[Arwen276]

He drugged her!!!!!

I so was waiting for something bad to happen!!!

He may be A NORMAL HUMAN but he's all DEMONY inside!!!

I say we send the whole Slayer killing thing after him!!!!



More!!



~Arwen

Hear That Baby? You're My Always... Willow

[faithy]

That was interesting, I don't know abou this Julian guy though. But I have to say that I was surprised to how Julian handled Tara being gay and marrying Willow. He didn't seem to mind as much as I thought he would. But I want to know where Tara went! Has Julian just not dropped her off yet?

[Grimlock72]

new story discovered



Well that was fun reading all in one go . Julian seemed mostly reasonable, though having build your world around a promise for the last ten years is kinda dangerous. The anger thing didn't go unnoticed either...hmm...



To bad really because I didn't distrust Julian all that much initially. He seemed like a good guy, to which Tara had forgotten to say no basicly. So just handle that now and be done with it. Seems Mr. Julian doesn't agree with that though... idiot.



It seems he drugged her yes, unless it's merely coincidence she almost fell asleep and he took her to his car. I'm not such a believer in coincidences. Where's my hammer... ah found it, now where's Julian... heh.



Willow taking a gun from a kitchen cupboard causes me two problems/questions. One: why would witchy Willow need a gun ? Magic is far better in hostage situations compared to crude bullets. Two: bit dangerous to have a gun that easily available with Dawnie around. (good thing the Child Welfare people never came around, heh)



If Julian is lucky he'll rot in jail as a result of California's nicely harsh anti-stalker law. If he's unlucky there won't be enough left of him to rot anywhere, heh : --> . If he indeed did drugged Tara he has pissed of both a witch and a slayer, some would consider that rather unhealthy



Silly idea anyway... you can't make someone love you. Even when they do seem to love you after a while there's no way to tell if it's honest or forced-into-habit. If that make sense . Of course stalker people have their very own logic, which is different from us mortals I'm told.



I say we give Julian to Spike as a birthday present, just to be on the safe side of course



Grimmy

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

[bindingwiccan]

ahh! julian is such a ... such a bitch! lol i still say.. he gets slapped. hehe cant wait for the update!



-bindingwiccan

[allykat]

Oh, I'm soooo going to & that Julian... I don't think there will be much left of him... (Hey, since when am I this violent?

Very good update! Can't wait to read more!!!

[Seldomly Naughty]

S.C. me: Noooooo!!!!! Come back. Tisha has a girlfriend not me...please..ugghhh

Me: hehehehee

S.C. me: *flicks Tisha off*

Me: *Stops laughing*That wasn't cool!

S.C me: Niether is you and scaring away all the hot chicks

Me: I scare no hot chicks away

S.C. me: *mutters something about commited ass*

Me: Hey! At least I have someone

S.C. me: Weel i would if you didn't have to scare all the chicks away with the commitments

Me: Whatever! *walks away*

S.C. me: *turns back to Jess* Please don't leave pllleeaassseeee.....*pouts* *runs after her*





Damned Julian...let me at him...I'll castrate him then sow it back with fishing wire. The slowly cut him with a dull shovel by his lungs. Thespia protect...Tara's gonna need it, he's crazy. I hope Willow doesn't shot him or go back to magic. Update soon pllleeaasseee.



Tisha and S.C Tish

[The Rose24]

Gulp!

Tara: My heart doesn't stutter.


Tara: Willow, I got so lost.

Willow: I found you. I will always find you.

[willow fan7]

Hey Partner!!!

I have to say...cool fic. I like where this is going...though I can't stand that Julian guy. I KNEW it, even before I read, that he was going to be this terrible terrible guy. Jess...it's absolutely necessary that he dies a horrible and painful death.

And yeah, what Grimlock72 said, was wondering about the gun...

I just have one thing to ask of you. First, kill Julian, make him die horribly...and let's have loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooonoooooooooooong updates

oh...that's two things...

Plus I most definitely wanna see more of this fic. So update soon??? (i've never used that emoticon, are you flattered??? )



And damn right Tish is taken Every part of her, even S.C. Tish.

*whispers to S.C. Tish* if you stay, I'd make it up to you...

Willow : So, tell me, is it dangerous?

Anya : Oh, no.

Willow : Well, can we pretend it is?

[Shinnen]

excellent way of using some social problems. I hope nothing bad will happen... and GUNS?! guns baaaad baaaad plus Willow... even if she doesn't want to use magic... couldn't you make her like Charlie's Angels girl and kungfu kick his ass off the Earth ? MORE! FASTER! MORE! O Hungry Student!

CheerZ

Shinnen



She's the most amazing girl in the whole world. She's the only girl who makes my heart beat faster and slower at the same time. When I'm not with her, I'm not living. I'm not existing until I can hold her in my arms again.

[robotguru]

Never go on a tea date with a guy that wants to marry you!!! Bad julian bad bad BAD!



Nice update Jess, i'm looking forward to more.

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



"And the glorified bricklayer picks up a spare!" (Xander, The Gift)

[sam darls]

This is so great so far..I've missed so many updates- my computer is messing up..grrr..but I love this. Love sammi xx

"Sometimes things happen between people that you don't really expect. And sometimes the things that are important are the ones that seem the weirdest or the most wrong. And those are the ones that change your life." - Jessie Sammler (Evan Rachel Wood)

[littlecrazy80]

I hate Julian! I knew something would happen.



*lil´c*

I´m an actress... I don´t pee. Amber in Augsburg



SweetAmber

[Imjustme]

Another great update. This is becoming one of my favorite fic's.

[amberfan87]

ok!!! ok!! heres my feedback. but i gotta make this fast..i got class!!!damn!!!what happened to tara?! well, i think shes preggy.....lol....but that depends on jess!!hehehe..sorry .im reallly in a hurry. ill post another fb later..byee...lov ya sis!!

leslie

[jadeo0]

RedIshtar - I'd like the chocolate sauce! Very good for many many many things

Arwen276 - Well, Willow's pretty angry...Slayer might not have to do anything at all!

faithy - Well, Julian's a nice guy...he just kinda spent his whole life relying on Tara's promise that was half-hearted to begin with. This story's about consequences for past actions, sorta. Tara didn't know how to say "no" and now Julian's come back to haunt her with her promise. Julian shut himself off to the world, and now he has no one to turn to except for Tara, who can't and doesn't love him the way he wants her to.

Grimlock72 - About the gun...the gun is for Dawn, mainly because Slayer and Witches can't be around the house 24/7. As this is set 4 years in the future, Dawn's now 19, and more responsible, I would assume. And Willow has her reasons for taking the gun instead of using magicks - not sure if I wrote it well enough to get the message across of "why," but hey, let me know!

bindingwiccan - Another side of Tara comes out in this chapter (I hope).

allykat - NOOOOOO!!! Don't pound Julian into smithereens with your hammer! He's mine! MINE!!!!!!! *whispers* At least save me the hair? (hair fetish)

Seldomly Naughty - You see, Tish dear, I'm interested, very interesting, but Gimmy would kick my ass all over Kitten Chat if I laid a hand on you our SC. You. And she said it herself, "If you stay, she'll make it worth your while..."

The Rose24 - Gulp indeed! I'll second that gulp! *gulps*

willow fan7 - I addressed the gun issue up there and I'm sorry, but Julian's too hot to kill.

Shinnen - This hungry student needs yogurt! She ran out!!!

robotguru - Julian has a great heart (he just lets his "I MUST GET TARA" side take over him in this fic), and he's hot too

littlecrazy80 - Don't hate him! Hate bad! Hate VERY bad!

Imjustme - Awwww thanks! I'm glad you like it that much!

amberfan87 - Oh thanks, sis! You didn't have to do that! Class is much more important than fic-reading (so says the hypocrite)! And nope, not pregnant.



Title: A Promise Once Made

Author: jadeo0

Feedback: Loved it? Hated it? I don’t care. Just tell me why and I’m a happy camper.

Disclaimer: This ain’t mine. None of it. Except for the dorky hotness of Julian (Mmm…).

Spoilers: Season 5 – This is set about 4 years after “The Body”

Pairings: W/T

Summary: A promise that Tara made in her teenage years is coming back to get her.

Rating: PG-13 – R, it depends, but I’ll give warning

Notes: As this is set in the future, and branches off from canon after Joyce dies, we’ll assume that Glory/Ben was defeated, and Dawn was saved in time at the tower. So Buffy lives, and life goes on with the slayage until Valentine’s Day, 2006.



Part Eight



        Tara let out a shuddering sigh as she awoke, becoming aware of her foreign surroundings. “W-where am I?” It was dark outside, and it registered in her mind that she was staring at a seatbelt buckle – so she was in a car. Her neck was stiff; she must have slept for hours. She stretched, yawning.



        “Tara.” An unfamiliar voice made her sit up in her seat. She looked over.



        “J-Julian?” Tara was confused. It was coming back to her now – she had been tired and Julian had offered to drive her home. But it had been light out then. “What’s g-going on?”



        “I’m sorry I had to do this, Tara.” He held up an opened pack of sleeping pills. “Knocks the toughest gangster out like a baby. I’m sorry it had to come down to this.” Julian placed his hands on the wheels and looked away, unable to make eye contact. “But I can’t let you go now that I have you again. You have no idea how hard it’s been for me. You were my only friend, and you still are. For ten years, I’ve been waiting to see you again, to hold you, to love you –“



        “But you can’t.” There was no trace of a stutter in Tara’s voice as she spoke. “You can’t do this. You can’t make me love you more than I do. You can’t force me, or anyone, to go with you anywhere.”



        “Tara, please, listen to me,” Julian pleaded. He stared directly at her, forcing eye contact. “I can’t live without you. You need to understand that. I’ve been saving myself for you – I wouldn’t let anyone come near me, in the hopes that I would find you and take you back with me.”



        “Do you think that I wasn’t lonely after you left?” Tara didn’t back down from the stare, but intensified it as the emotions inside her built, threatening to explode. She was naturally slow to anger, but Julian was really pushing it. Why couldn’t he understand? Why couldn’t he take “no” for an answer? “You,” she dug a finger into his chest, “were my only friend too. When you left, I had no one. Nobody wanted to be my friend – I was the stupid bimbo who was too shy to say a word. You, you had the chance of a fresh start. You had the chance of making new friends and being happy. It’s your fault if you didn’t take that opportunity and make use of it.”



        Tara knew what she had said was harsh in comparison to anything else she’d ever said to him, but Julian had to be told where to stop. It hurt her to have to shatter his dream…but she had to. She loved Willow, and nothing was going to pull her away from her family. “Let me go, Julian. And go – go live knowing that I’ll always be here for you…as a friend.”



        “No.” Julian shook his head, blinking back hot angry tears. “No. My whole heart belongs to you. W-would you just break it right here, right now? You are my life, Tara. I don’t know how to live without you. Every second of every day, I think of you. Where do I go from here? The only place left for me to go is death. Would you do that to me? Do you care so little about me?” He grabbed her arm. “Give me a chance, Tara. You said ‘yes.’ Now keep that promise.”



        Tara solemnly shook her head. “You know m-my answer already. My place is here – with my family.”



        “No.” Julian tightened his grip on her forearm, causing Tara to gasp in pain.



        “Julian, let go of me.” Her voice filled with fear as she saw her friend’s visage take on that of a wounded animal. “Julian!”



        “You’re coming with me whether you want to or not!” he yelled.



        “You’re hurting me!” Tara tried to pull her arm away, but his hold was too strong. She calmed herself, gathering power. “Off!” Immediately, Julian withdrew, yelping in pain. Tara took advantage of the opportunity as she quickly muttered an incantation to unlock her car door.



        “What the –“ Julian stared after her in amazement. “How the hell did you do that?” But Tara didn’t answer – she was already half a block away and picking up speed. “Come back here!” Hastily unlocking his own car door, he ran after her.



        Tara looked behind her as she willed herself to move faster, desperate to get away. Her mind was in absolute panic. Was he going to catch her? And if he did, would he force her against her will to go with him? “Goddess, give me strength,” she prayed. She knew she wasn’t a runner, and long distances definitely weren’t her thing. But she had to get away. She had to find Willow…but she was lost.



        Her spontaneous take-off into the night had left her somewhat clueless of her whereabouts. Tara paused, unsure of where to go. She didn’t recognize this part of Sunnydale, although she was sure she had been here at least once. Warehouses surrounded her, and with the road she had taken, Tara had no choice but to head into the main bulk of the buildings.



        “Tara! Wait!” Tara could hear Julian’s pounding footsteps as he neared, steadily gaining ground on her.



        Panting, she picked up the pace, darting around the nearest building. Sure enough, Julian appeared from around the corner moments later. He stopped, studying the ground before heading in the same direction as Tara.



        Both failed to notice the group of vampires observing their flight. Nodding to each other, they began to follow.



                                        ~*~



        “Do you have any idea to where he might have taken Tara?” Xander sped up his walking pace trying to keep up with Willow. When she had shown up at the Magic Box, they had all split up and set out to look for the missing blonde and her kidnapper.



        “I can’t sense her, I don’t know what’s going on, or where she is, or if she’s okay…” Willow trailed off, staring down at the ground and moving even faster then she already was.



        “Hey careful there, or you’ll –“ Xander pulled his best friend to the side, keeping her from walking into a tree. He lost his balance, not expecting the resulting weight, and tumbled to the ground on top of Willow – namely, on top of Willow’s bag. “– hit a tree, and damn the devil, Will, what the heck is a gun doing in your bag?” Timidly, he pulled the weapon out from the now-open bag. “W-Will?”



        Willow grabbed the gun from Xander’s hand and picking up her bag, began to speed-walk again. “I’m gonna kill this sick bastard if he’s touched her, and I’m not gonna use magick ‘cause I wanna let the world know that I will do anything, and I mean anything to protect my girl.” Her hands were clenched into little fists as she looked back. “I don’t care what happens to me, but tomorrow, Tara’s gonna be safe and sound. If it means that I’ll have to use this, then I will.”





***

Not sure if I got the intensity right, and is this isn't beta-ed, I would LOVE to know whether you thought I got the right atmosphere going. Thanks. Sorry it was so short - been busy.

It is with words as with sunbeams - the more they are condensed, the deeper they burn.

-Robert Southey

[Washi]

Damn Julian! I want a piece of him! Doesn't he get that sometimes, loving someone is letting them go?

I wanna kick his ass!

Great stuff Jadeo.

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



"See? I've mastered this tact crap." Anya in Tears Of The Goddess by Lisa



The course of love doesn’t always run smooth, especially for the neurotic and accident-prone. ~ LadyB



.:Dark-bliss.net :. .:Blink.Flash.Sparkle.:. .:My blog:. .:Blood and Ink:. .:Washi's 70s Site:.

[The Rose24]

Julian is insane!!! Poor Tara, and now she has to deal with vampires. Which is worse? Julian or vampires?



I love and maybe a little bit afraid of angry Willow. I hope she finds Tara in time.

Tara: My heart doesn't stutter.


Tara: Willow, I got so lost.

Willow: I found you. I will always find you.

[RedIshtar]

Chocolate sauce, eh? I'm more of a ice cream gal myself, you have no idea what a good pot of vanilla ice cream can do *winks*



And this Julian is really starting to get on my nerves! He may be a hottie, but geez, can't the guy get a clue? In love with Tara I can understand, but this is a obsession! I mean, where's the 'I'm happy if my loved one is happy' thing? And he's been 'guarding himself'? He's virgin?? That's just creepy.



And I'm sensing a 'oh-oh' scene coming. Vamps lurking around, never a good thing.



I loved Tara's outburst, that guy is in serious need of some whacks in the head. I was humming to myself the Impossible Mission theme when Tara started running, I swear!



I can't wait for Willow to find them and tell this psycho to get a life, maybe a good kick in the ass will do. *grin*



I'm loving this fic, more soon? *offering a bowl of chocolate sauce as a bribe*





Kayleen Lee

[Imjustme]

that I hope Tara is safe...but I am wondering what is going to happen to Julian.

[numbered words]

Oh geez. Julian really needs to have his ass kicked by some scoobies. Although Willow with a gun scares me a bit. I hope she doesn't use it!

I hope that Tara will be all right. Vamps and Julian don't sound like a good combination.



-Kristyn

[allykat]

Jeepers! Hope Tara's ok..



PS After I'm done with Julian all that will be left IS hair!!

[bindingwiccan]

dont leave me hangin like that i wanna know what happens that was a totally raz update!

keep up the good work babe!





much lovin,

BindingWiccan

[Grimlock72]

Hmm... 'sleep' would have been a better spell Then again I suppose it's something that Tara even could do some spell at all given her confused state. (she has had experience with more obvious monsters though)



Julian is the typical stalker alright, comes complete with reverse-guilt-logic "I can't live without you". The obvious answer to that would be "so don't" : --> . I really don't like people trying to shift their personal problems onto someone else.



Good thing Julian isn't too bright either, stepping out of a car to chase Tara on foot. Car is much faster me thinks :-).



Taking a gun with you to prove a point strikes me as both stupid and silly. If you're going to get rid of Julian it's far better to NOT let the world know you did. Magic leaves far less evidence too, so it would be preferable to use above a crude weapon like a gun. I also fail to see what/how using a gun proves a point compared to magic, I'm rather result orientated



As for Tara being lost, can't she focus on the hellmouth ? She *knows* where that is, should lead her to familiar ground.



Tara really doesn't NEED to run from Julian now does she ? The vampires.. sure she needs to get away from those, but Julian can be easily handled by a number of spells (see _Tough Love_ for some suggestions:-). Would be nice if Tara could handle this problem all by herself, stand up for herself without needing other people's help. Not that I mind Willow helping her of course, it just would be good for Tara to realise she can do a lot more than she gives herself credit for.



At the moment I'm more worried about those vampires than about Julian. (hmm.. I was going to mention Julian doesn't plan to eat Tara but that sounds all wrong: --> ). Anyway, Julian doesn't want to hurt Tara, yet. The vamps definitly want to hurt her, and Julian too which is ok by me. To Tara: if the vamps are busy with Julian run away as fast as you can. two birds, one stone : -->



Grimmy

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

[Seldomly Naughty]

This comment has been rated NC-17 please do not read if your underage...hee hee hee. I've always wanted to say that...hee hee hee

---

This story rocks....I love it...update more. I really understand how hard it must be for Willow to respect her promise to everyone and not use magick but also how hard it must be for her to protect the one's she love without it. I know that where I am I can't protect Gim and that makes it really hard for me but everyday i pray to Thespia and gaia that she'll protect her...*grins* they haven't let me down yet. But I think Julian should be able to respect Tara's wishes and take no for an answer. Tara's right he had a chance to move on...he didn't...Hee hee hee...he's a virgin...hee hee hee.Update soon Jess. This story is really cool.



S.C. me: *looks at Gim then looks at Jess* hmm....

Me: *whispers in S.C. me ear* I'd go forthe girlfriend...she does these cool things with her tongue.

S.C. me: O.O.....*drools*

Me: *giggles*

S.C. me: Hey when are you gonna tell her your getting your tongue peirced???

Me: The day i get it done....tomorrow

S.C. me: Okay...but I wanna try it out first....

Me: Fine with me...I just wanna taste the end results..hee hee hee

S.C. me: *holds out hand* deal

Me: *shakes hand* deal

S.C. me: Dont' worry Jess....I didn't forget you...hee hee hee

[Arwen276]

I'm with Willow on this one!



and GO Tara! I didn't think she'd do it, but I'm glad she did use magic against Julian! What a jerk ! he's really frustrating with how he doesn't care about what she feels, it's only HIM HIM HIM! PFFFFF

Anyway hope Will finds her Tara, and that these vampires make a quick snack out of Julian!!



MORE!!



~Arwen

Hear That Baby? You're My Always... Willow

[littlecrazy80]

Great update! I really like to kick Julian´s ass.



*lil´c*

I´m an actress... I don´t pee. Amber in Augsburg



SweetAmber

[willowtree114]

OMG...... first off i just want to say this story rocks, , i can't wait to see what happens to Julian. hope he gets a good beatin or too well i hope you update soon

[marciam]

Just caught up with your fic. It's great! Forget about the beta for Dreams, concentrate on getting this updated. And even though you're fond, I'll add another for Julian



Marcia

[Shinnen]

i like! i like! more ! *watches carefully if Fic raises inches in the pile of work* More please I really like this story.

CheerZ

Shinnen



She's the most amazing girl in the whole world. She's the only girl who makes my heart beat faster and slower at the same time. When I'm not with her, I'm not living. I'm not existing until I can hold her in my arms again.