Broken Wing

[Mainer]

Title: Broken Wing

Rating:PG-13

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon.

Notes: This story is set around season 4. Bare with me, Willow and Tara will get together.





Part One



She ran. It was all she could do. She could hear him behind her sounding farther and farther away. It was too dark for her to be seen, and she ran througth the field toward the protection of the woods. Her mother told her there was magic in the woods and that they would keep her safe. She never meant to run, it just happened. She had gotten caught looking at her mother's book, practicing the magic inside. Her father told her if it happened again what he would do, but she hadn't believed him, not until he did it. She really didn't know how long she had been chained in the house, it felt like an eternity from the first moment the restraints were clasped around her wrists and ankles. She hadn't made an attempt to escape, because there was no point. She had plans before. She was going to a University, she had already sent ahead most of her things. Maybe he suspected that she was going to leave and that was the real reason he chained her up, or maybe he was just mean. Either way she was free now, maybe there was someway to get to California. Maybe the University would still take her.



Her cheek still stung where her father had slapped her, maybe that really had been for her own good. If he hadn't would she have ever had the courage to leave? It was like the contact jarred something loose in her brain and she knew how to get away. Freedom came in the form of one little word. Eximete. The restraints broke, and she ran. She ran past her father, out of the house, through the field, and into her beloved forest. She couldn't see where she was running, but she knew exactly where she was going. She ran until she was in front of a large Willow tree, she ducked under it's drooping branches and climbed into it's safety. She knew her father wouldn't look for her tonight. The forest scared him. He would wait for the light, his safety. She needed to be gone by then, but she couldn't leave without the book. Why had she been so stupid and not sent it with rest. She had no choice but to go back for it tonight. She could get her money then too, if her father and brother hadn't already found it and taken it. She could at least take a bus part way to California, then she would have some time to decide from there. She jumped down from her tree and started back toward the house. All the warmth and safety she felt in her Willow tree was gone. The cold drove itself through her, reminding her that she needed to leave, she needed to get out. She hoped her mother would be proud, she hoped that she was looking down on her and she would give her the strength to carry on. That's why it was so important that she get that book tonight. Her mother had given it to her only with the promise that she would take care of it, and never let anything happen to it, and now she had left it behind. She couldn't break her promise to her mother. She crept through the field listening closely for any noise that might signify her father was still waiting outside for her. She stood at the edge of the field and starred at the lighted windows in the house. Her bother and father were both downstairs, probably waiting for her to come crawling back. She crept across the lawn to the back porch, she climbed onto the railing and used the old broken trellis to help hoist herself up onto the porch roof. She had probably snuck in the house a million times this way. It was the way she and her mother used to come in after going out at night to practice magic. She crept across the roof carefully, knowing where the unsafe spots were. She crawled through the window in her brother's room, as it was the only one that didn't squeak when it was opened. She cracked the door and listened for any sign that someone was upstairs. Relatively sure she was alone up there she crossed the hall to the attic stairs. This was going to be the difficult part. Navigating the creaky stairs she'd done a million times before, but there was no way to navigate the attic floorboards without making noise.

She tip toed across the floor, cringing at every creak and groan of the old floor. She knelt down, lifting a loose floor board, she found the money she had hidden there. She was praying her father hadn't moved the book when he caught her. If he had who knows how long it would be before she found it and could leave. Her eyes were adjusted to the darkness now and she could see the book laying open on the floor. She retrieved the book and descended the attic stairs, and just as she reached the bottom, she heard the voices. She crossed the hall quickly, and went back out the window. She stood pressed against the back of the house between two windows. She inched her way in the direction of the trellis, stopping at each window to make sure it was safe to cross in front of it. At the last window, the light snapped on. Stuck between the two lighted windows of her father's bedroom, she flattened herself as best she could. She couldn't risk getting caught on the roof, she would never have enough time to get away if he caught her there. The voices grew quiet and the light went out. She heard the attic stairs and knew she had to make it to the ground and back to the woods quickly. Her father would see that the book was missing and he would know that she came back for it. She dropped to the ground and took off running toward safety again. She reached the edge of the forest, and turned back to look at her house one last time. Her father turned the porch light on, and stepped out of the house, looking across the field. The last thing she heard was him scream her name out into the darkness. "TARA!"





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







Spencer

"Hey, Buffy, I think it's pretty safe to say I'm not going to see anyone that's invisible."
-Dawn- Lessons

[Grimlock72]

yezzzz.... a first-meeting story, I *like* those... at least Tara made it out of the house alright. That was the scary part . Brave going back for the book, good Tara , your mother would be proud.



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

[jdcioffi]

Ahhh ... my favorite type of story ... the meeting.



I really enjoyed this bit, kinda a prologue, in my mind. It had the right blend of tension, fear and ... don't think I'm crazy, but tenderness.



Any mention of Tara's mom does it for me ... I shall read this without fail. (For a character never shown on the show, she's one of my favorites just because of the way we kittens have portrayed her so many times).



Looking forward to more, Mainer (your fic always rocks!)

JD

"Was there a voice unkind in the back of your mind saying, "maybe..." (Jeff Buckley - The Last Goodbye)

[Mainer]

Title: Broken Wing

Rating:PG

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon.



Part Two



Willow walked up to her house, dark as always. She made her way to the front door and let herself inside, turning on the light as she entered. The light chased away the darkness, but it couldn't take away the emptiness, it seemed nothing could take that away. It wasn't the same as feeling alone, although at the moment she felt that too. No, the emptiness was different somehow. She didn't always feel alone, even if she was alone. She had Buffy and Xander, two best friends, and most people only get one. When she was feeling alone, thinking of her friends could make it go away, and when that didn't work, talking to them did, but nothing could take away the emptiness. She always felt like a part of her was missing, that she wasn't quite whole. When she had started learning magic it seemed to fill that space a little, and Willow thought she had found the answer, but it never filled up. It could be that she was missing her parents. They were gone again. She had woke up this morning to a good bye note taped to the refridgerator. They could have woken her up and told her face to face, they could have not gone to the stupid conference at all. Who was going to help her move into the dorms now? Buffy had her Mom and Giles, Xander had his parents, they might show up drunk, but at least they'd show up, and Anya had Xander. Stolen Xander might be more appropriate. If it wasn't for her, Willow could have counted on him to help her move, but now she couldn't count on him or anyone else to help her. Alone and empty. Maybe she was just feeling sorry for herself, but didn't she deserve to every now and again? It wasn't easy being Willow Rosenburg. The expectations were damn near impossible to live up to, and sometimes she wasn't even sure she wanted to, but she did. She did, because she was expected to meet the expectations. Some of it didn't bother her anyway. She had alway liked to study and felt pride in the fact that she was smart. She could do without the constant pressure from her parents to get straight A's. She could also do without them telling her what she was going to major in, and what she was going to become. She didn't know what she wanted to become, except that she knew she wanted to be a kick ass Wicca. She didn't really think her parents would approve of that. Her friends, they expected her to be the reliable one. The one you can count on to help you or save you from missing something important, and they expected peppy, and sometimes Willow didn't feel peppy. When she was alone the smile would fall from her face like a mask. She could never remember quite when she started wearing it, only that it had become impossible to let it fall in front of anyone. She couldn't count the number of times she let Buffy cry on her shoulder, or Xander vent about anything and everything, so why couldn't she ever do that with them? She was good at this thougth, keeping it all inside. When her parents had told her that they wouldn't be in town for her graduation, she had smiled and said no problem. Even after they questioned her again, she had said it was fine, but it wasn't fine. Nothing was fine right now. If she had said it wasn't okay, if she had told them she didn't want them to go, would they have stayed? Probably not. Didn't they understand that she needed parents, not academic and career advisors? It pained her to need them, but she did need them. As grown up as she acted, she wasn't grown up, she was still a kid inside. Maybe she would never really grow up. To grow up you have to know things, like how to be okay with who you are, and know what you want in life. She didn't know any of that stuff. Most of the time she was waiting for instructions. So as much as she hated the expectations, she neede them to tell her how to be her. Some part of her would never be anything more than their Willow.



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





Spencer

"Hey, Buffy, I think it's pretty safe to say I'm not going to see anyone that's invisible."
-Dawn- Lessons

[Mainer]

Title: Broken Wing

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon.



Part Three





Tara left the safety of the forest still covered by darkness. It was about a three mile hike to the other side, and another ten miles to the bus station. She walked along the edge of the forest following the road until the forest turned into houses and she was forced to walk along the shoulder of the road. She ran when she could, and walked fast when she couldn't run. The faster she got out of this town the better. The sight of the bus station was like an oasis in the desert, there just when she needed it. She had purchased a ticket on the next bus heading west, not caring what the final destination was as long as it was going west. The bus would take her as far as Las Vegas, and then she would have to find another way to get to California from there. She had an hour to wait before she left, so she took a seat in the near empty station. It occurred to her then how terrible she must look. She hadn't seen her reflection or changed her clothes since her father chained her in the house. There wasn't much she could do about her clothes, but she could at least wash up a bit.



The tile floor of the bathroom was so dirty Tara couldn't tell what color the tile used to be. All she could think looking around the bathroom was, please don't let me look as bad as this. Hesitantly she looked in the mirror. 'I look worse,' she thought. Her clothes were covered in dirt and there were a few tears and stains of blood. Looking closer at herself, she found she actually didn't look that bad for being chained up for a little over two weeks. She had managed to spot a calendar when she'd arrived at the station. She hadn't missed anything at the University, in fact she still had three days to get there before classes started. She used some paper towels to clean face, nothing she could do about the fact that it still looked like a mess. Bruises don't wash off.



She looked at the vending machine against the wall that contained various toiletry items. She could really use a comb, some toothpaste, and a toothbrush. Here she was in the process of escaping and she was concerned about her hair and her teeth. It would be nice to comb her hair and brush her teeth though. She pulled some crinkled bills from her pocket, nine dollars and thirty seven cents. Could she really afford to spend three dollars on those items? She would still have six dollars left for food, she could stretch that.



She emmerged from the bathroom and though she still thought she looked terrible, she felt better. She heard a familiar voice coming from the direction of the ticket counter, her father. She ducked back into the bathroom, positioning herself behind the door, so she could see, but couldn't be seen. He shouldn't have been here yet. He shouldn't be here until the morning, and by then she would be gone. She wondered what story her father was giving the ticket salesperson, she wondered even more if the guy was buying it. She could see the clock from her vantage point and the bus would be arriving any minute. How was she going to get past her father, and why was he talking so long anyway? She could hear the bus pull up, she had ten minutes to get on that bus before it left without her. She glanced around the small station and knew there was no way she could make it out the front door without getting caught. She saw a door which read, employees only, about ten feet from where she stood. If her father didn't turn around she could get there unnoticed. Now she only prayed the door was unlocked and she could get out from inside that room. Clutching her book to her chest she quickly but quietly made her way to the door. She opened the door and carefully closed it behind her. Walking around a row of lockers she saw exactly what she was looking for, an exit. Caustiously Tara crept around the frong side of the station where the bus sat waiting. She saw her brother sitting in the truck, which was parked on the far side of the bus, lucky for her he was looking at a woman jogging past and not at the station. She made a run for the bus, hurriedly handing her ticket to the driver, and sitting down in an aisle seat next to an older woman. She slumped down in the seat below the level of the window. A few moments later the bus jerked to a start and Tara was on her way. When she was sure that she was out of sight of the station she sat up and looked back, but there was nothing to see.



"Running away?" The old woman asked.



"I... Um," Tara didn't know what to say. She didn't know who she could trust not to turn her in.



"Oh, we're all running from something," the woman said. "I'm Mabel."



"Tara."



"From the look of you, it's a good thing you're running," Mabel said. "Hope you got someplace to run to."



"C-college," Tara said.



"Smart girl. Here," Mabel said handing Tara a sweatshirt from her bag, "put this on. It'll be too big, but at least it's clean and whole."



"I... I c-couldn't," Tara said.



"Nonsense. I have plenty," Mabel said. "There's a bathroom in the back of the bus you can change in."



Tara smiled and took the sweatshirt to the bathroom. It would be nice to have a clean shirt on, andit was a lovely shade of blue. She folded her own grey sweatshirt. Once it was washed and mended, it would be okay. She returned to her seat.



"T-thank you," Tara said.



"You're very welcome," Mabel said. "How far are you taking this bus?"



"To Las Vegas," Tara said.



"Is that where you're college is?"



"No, Ma'am," Tara said. "I'm h-headed to C-california."



"Do you need any money?" Mabel asked. "To help you get there?"



"No, Ma'am. I've got p-plenty." It was a lie and they both knew it, but Tara couldn't except money from Mabel.



"It's no sin to ask for help when you need it," Mabel said.



"R-really, I'm... I'm fine," Tara said.



They chatted amiably for the entire bus ride, though Mabel did most of the talking. She told Tara all about her life. How she had grown up working on a farm, married young, took her three children and left her husband because he was abusive, and how she finally met a nice man, and after thirty years of marriage he had died. Now she was on her way to live with her oldest son. Tara had commented on things that Mabel said, but she did't share any of her own life information. When the bus came to a stop in front of the Las Vegas station, Tara took a deep breath before she exited. It would have been all too easy for her father to find out where the bus was going and to have been waiting for her when she stepped off, but he was nowhere in sight. Tara checked the price of a ticket to Sunnydale, California and found it to be much more than she could earn in a couple of days. Had she been more adverturous she would gamble her last few dollars to try to get more, but with her luck she'd just lose it and then she'd have nothing left for food. Gambling was definitely a bad idea, so was hitch hiking, but right now it was her only option.



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





~Spencer~

"Hey, Buffy, I think it's pretty safe to say I'm not going to see anyone that's invisible."
-Dawn- Lessons

[XWickedXWiccan]

Oh I like this continue please. I feel really bad for Tara though chained up for two weeks?? Bad Mr. Maclay he deserves a ass kicking.



-Trinity-

--------------------------
Passion is the source of our finest moments. The joy of love, the clarity of hatred, and the ecstacy of grief. It hurts sometimes more than we can bare. If we can live without passion maybe we'd know some peace. But we'd be hollow, empty rooms, shuttered, and dank, With out passion we'd truly be dead. ANGEL in "Passion"

[Grimaldi]

cool story

Dude, we're surrounded by perverts!

2nd place??? That's just a fancy term for loser!

Screw you triangle thief!

[MissQuirky]

I really like it Spencer! I'm glad Tara got outta there and heading straight for Cali, very good! Hopefully the Willow and Tara meeting isn't too far away cos i'm really lookin forward to readin what ya have in store for us.



~Ashley~

Willow: We can come by between classes. Usually I use that time to copy over my class notes with a system of different colored pens. But it's been pointed out to me that that's, you know... insane.
Tara: I said quirky.

[pacou]

That is great Spencer, I loved it and Im curious where you are taking things from now on. I mean Tara is on her way to college, that might be very interesting



So sweet that someone in Willows life is missing, I think I know who that might be but sssh



Thank you, I definitely would like to read more



And I love your caption by the way.



-Viv-

Well, we can answer questions.
Tara - Checkpoint

Dont dream it, be it.
Rocky Horror Picture Show

[Mainer]

Title: Broken Wing

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon.

Notes: The Matisse painting on Willow's wall can be seen at www.abcgallery.com/M/mati...isse1.html



Part Four



Willow had been up at six. Students could begin moving in at eight and Willow wanted to be there promptly at eight. She found it utterly ridiculous that the University only gave students two days to move in and get settled before classes began. So not only did she prefer to arrive at eight it was absolutely essential if her room was going to be ready by the time classes began. By seven her car was packed, and she found herself having far too much time to wait before she could leave.



The dorms at Sunnydale were quite nice, and the faculty surprisingly distinguished. Apparently when building a University on a hellmouth you need something more than location to attract students. She had been the first and only person in the regestration line at eight and she was quite pleased with herself. She had grabbed a couple of boxes from her car and headed up to the second floor of Stevenson Hall. She and Buffy and Anya had decided to share a suite. Actually Anya had honed in on the idea, and Buffy was too big hearted to tell the ex-demon no. Willow wandered down the corridor glancing into all the open doors. The door to the common room of each suite was left open, and it wasn't long before Willow found herself standing in the common room of 214 Stevenson. The suite resembled a mini apartment. There was the common room which doubled as a living room/kitchen, a bathroom, and two bedrooms, one single and one double. It had been decided for study purposes that Willow would get the single and Buffy and Anya would share. The whole decision was quite pleasing to Willow as she had several eccentricities, most of them dealing with order. Everything in her bedroom had a place and if it wasn't in it's place she knew it, and it drove her crazy. So in her book no roommate was a good thing.



After three trips to her car, Willow had all her things carried up. Each box was clearly labeled with what it contained, and where the items were to be placed. She started first with the items that went in her closet. Mostly it was just clothes, but there were a few book bags, and some board games just in case she found someone to play with her. She systematically unpacked each box going from the closet to the dresser, to the desk, then the bookshelf, the bed, and finally finishing with a few posters for her walls. One of a beautiful rainbow over the Irish country side, which she hung on the door leading to the common room. She had taken the picture three summers ago when she visited Ireland, and had it blown up she liked it so much. The second was a poster of the proof of Fermat's last theorem, which she hung on the door to the hall. She had been fascinated by that theorem since she was ten, and spent most of her free time trying to prove it herself without looking at the answer on her poster. The third was a reproduction of the Matisse painting, the Joy of Life, which she hung over her bed. She had shown it to Buffy when she purchased it this summer and all Buffy could sayy was it seemed like a lot of naked people, but Willow loved it. The second she saw it, she knew she had to have it. She was saving the money for a memory upgrade for her lap top, but it was the first piece of art that ever spoke to her.



Now that the basic framework of the room was in she could go about organizing it. Various office supplies needed to be sorted, as well as her underclothes and socks. She liked everything done by size and color. It was after noon when she heard Buffy and Anya arrive with their entourage. She waited for everyone but Buffy and Anya to clear out before popping her head out of the door and she immediately ha the urge to pop it right back in when she saw the mess the common area had become, but Buffy had already seen her.



"Hey, Will, what time did you get here?" Buffy asked.



"Eight," Willow said stepping out and closing the door to her room.



"I know it looks like a mess, but in a few days it'll be clean again," Buffy said noticing the look on her best friends face. It was just boxes and stuff after all.



"If I help would it be gone faster?" Willow asked hopefully.



"We're in no hurry," Anya said sitting on the only bare spot on the sofa.



"I was afraid of that," Willow said.



"Oh, come on Will, it's just a few boxes," Buffy said.



"I can't walk across the room without having to step over something," Willow said illustrating her point.



"Okay, point taken. Come on Anya, let's start taking care of this," Buffy said picking up a box of her clothes.



"But Xander is supposed to do this for me after he and his parents carry his stuff up to the third floor," Anya whined.



"He's gonna unpack for you?" Willow asked grabbing another one of Buffy's clothes boxes.



"Of course he is. He's my boyfriend, it's his job," Anya said.



Willow could have responded, she could have told her how that isn't the way a human relationship is supposed to work, but instead she just rolled her eyes and the carried the box into the bedroom.



"Do these get hung up or put in the dresser?" Willow asked.



"I don't know, I just threw everything in together," Buffy said unpacking a box. "Hey check out these posters me and Anya got for the common room. We thought they'd be great for us girls."



"They're all of half naked men," Willow said going through the posters.



"I know," Buffy said smiling. "Plus we got this fireman of the month calendar."



"I'm not so sure I want half naked men hanging all over the walls," Willow said.



"Sure you do," Buffy said walking past her out into the common room with the posters. "Do you have any tape?"



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







Spencer

"Too bulky, I prefer my women in spandex."
-Xander- season two, Halloween

Edited by: Mainer at: 10/22/02 9:43:50 am

[xita]

hee, already Willow doesn't want naked men on her walls. That's so tacky though, Buffy has no taste.

- - - - - - - - - - - -
Tara and Willow

Accept NO subsitutes

[Grimaldi]

cool update Anya, Buffy and Willow living together should be interesting

Dude, we're surrounded by perverts!

2nd place??? That's just a fancy term for loser!

Screw you triangle thief!

[pacou]

He he That was great!



Funny to see how Willow is moving in Im more the Buffy-Anya-type myself but I can be like Willow at times too. Its so bad when Im having these moments. Im getting all impatient and stuff.



Anyway, loved this part and Im looking forward to the next part, I guess its a Tara part, isnt it?



Thanks, looking forward to more



-Viv-

Well, we can answer questions.
Tara - Checkpoint

Dont dream it, be it.
Rocky Horror Picture Show

[Mainer]

Title: Broken Wing

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon.





Part Five



Tara sat on the end of her bed with three boxes in front of her on the floor. All of her possessions had arrived and had been waiting for her in her room. She had one box of magic books, one box that contained a few of her paintings, a couple of notebooks, and some pens, and a third that had a few clothes. She only packed what wouldn't be missed by father. He was bound to have noticed the missing items by now though.



Getting to Sunnydale had been easier than Tara thought. She had met a very nice female trucker at a truck stop just outside of Vegas, and she had brought Tara all the way to Sunnydale. Once in Sunnydale it didn't take that long to walk to the University. Walking down Main street she had passed a few places where she thought she might be able to find a job, but she had all day tomorrow to worry about that. She had a couple of hours until dinner and decided to unpack her things. It wouldn't take two hours, but it would kill some time. And she should probably shower before she went to dinner too. She was pleased her room had it's own bathroom. She was assigned to room 302 on the third floor of Stevenson Hall. Unlike the first and second floors, which contained all suites, the third and fourth floors were just regular dorm rooms, either singles or doubles. Tara had requested a single and was happy she got it. She figured the rooms were so nice because it was hard to get students to the University being on a hellmouth and all. The death rate was pretty high. The hell mouth was what attracted her to the school in the first place, there was bound to be other witches in attendance.



After a nice long shower she headed out to the commons for dinner. She felt a bit odd going alone, but it wasn't a position she was unfamiliar with, she was alone a lot. She hardly ever felt alone though. Whenever she would start to feel that way she would think of her mother and she knew she wasn't really alone. The alone never bothered her anyway. It was the emptiness that really got to her. No matter what she did she couldn't get rid of it. Tara often thought she would feel it for the rest of her life. It was like walking around with part of her soul missing. In her feeble attempt to find a reason for it, she had come up with her mother's death, but it had been there long before her mother's death last year. It had always been there. There really was no use dwelling on it.



The cafeteria was crowded which instantly sent Tara into panic mode. She was standing in line fidgeting with her student meal card, shifting from one foot to the other. She glanced around noticing most of the tables were full already. She didn't really care though, because she was going to eat in her room anyway. Had she not been so hungry she was sure the selection wouldn't have looked as good as it did. She grabbed a couple of sandwiches, a couple of apples, and a couple of bottles of water, ignoring her stomachs urgings to buy everything in sight. In her haste to leave the crowded place she bumped into a red head walking in with two friends.



"Sorry," they both said at the same time not really looking up.



After the group had passed her, Tara turned around to look at the girl she had bumped into. The girl too had turned around, and for a moment they just stared at one another, and then as if a bolt of lightening hit them, they realized what they were doing and looked quickly away. Tara walked hurriedly back to her dorm room, the sun was beginning to set. She hoped the red haired girl would be safe. She didn't know why, but her heart ached for her.



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





~Spencer~

"Too bulky, I prefer my women in spandex."

-Xander- season two, Halloween

[Grimaldi]

cool update

2nd place??? That's just a fancy term for loser!


Dude, we're surrounded by perverts!

Edited by: Grimaldi at: 10/23/02 3:15:25 pm

[witchbitchwillow]

awww, just read all fo that in one go and i like the way that u explain each of willow and tara's storys individually. and then when u did bring them together in just a samll passing moment. aww very sweet hehe.



more soon please? i really enjoyed reading the way you explained their emotions so in depth.



xelliex

**"Damn gayly forward!"** Anya- into the woods by blameburner.

[Mainer]

Title: Broken Wing

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon.



Part Six



Willow had been along side Buffy and Anya looking down at the ground, too absorbed in her own thoughts to pay any attention to what they were saying. They were on their way to the cafeteria for dinner. Xander was probably already there waiting with his roommate, Riley. He had insisted over the phone that he was perfect for Willow, but after years of being set up by Xander, Willow was quite sure he didn't know her type. He would most likely be too transfixed by Buffy to even notice her. Buffy could turn heads in a convent. Had Willow been paying any attention at all she wouldn't have collided with a person walking out of the building.



"Sorry," she muttered at the same time the other student had. She hadn't bothered to look up until she heard that angelic voice. It was like she had no will of her own, lifting her head, she turned and saw the most beautiful blonde girl she had ever seen looking back at her. Willow was still walking forward, and then realizing she was staring at this girl, she turned around quickly. Unfortunately she hadn't turned around quickly enough and walked straight into the building.



"Ow."



"Are you okay?" Buffy asked, as Anya laughed, poking her head out from the doorway.



"Yeah," Willow said having gone completely red.



"Window," Buffy said pointing in front of Willow, "door," she said stepping through to join Anya.



"Thanks," Willow said following Buffy. It was good to know she could count on her best friend for support.



Willow hadn't expected the line to be quite so long or the room to be quite so crowded. She hated waiting. She was not good at it. It was so boring, you stand, then you move a step, and then stand some more. They should have games to play or fun facts to read. She had learned that a foot is as big as the distance between your elbow and your wrist while waiting at the doctor's office when she was little.



"Willow," Buffy said when she noticed her friend had neglected to move up with the line.



"Sorry," Willow said stepping forward.



"What is with you tonight? You're bumping into students, running into windows, and you look dazed," Buffy said. "You didn't happen to do a bunch of drugs did you?"



"No, no drugs," Willow said. "I'm fine, just in the middle of a little mental babble, that's all."



"About what?" Buffy asked.



"Did you know that your foot is as big as the distance between your elbow and your wrist?" Willow asked.



"That's what you were thinking about?" Buffy asked.



"Uh, huh," Willow said. "At least that's where the babble ended up."



"Did you know the bigger a man's foot, the longer his penis?" Anya said joining into the conversation.



"That's a myth," Willow said. "The size of a man's penis is about the same as the distance between his thumb and his pinkie finger when you spread your hand like this," Willow said demonstrating by making a Y in sign language and stretching it. Smiling as she watched Buffy and Anya both do it too.



"My penis would be bigger," Anya said comparing her hand to Buffy's. "How do you know that anyway?"



"I read it somewhere," Willow said.



"Has anyone ever told you that you read too much?" Buffy asked.



"All the time," Willow said.





Just as Willow predicted Riley had been completely taken with Buffy. His eyes never left her for the entire meal, even when Xander tried to direct him to Willow. It seemed that Buffy had done her fair share of starring back and Willow was happy for her friend. She hadn't been attracted to Riley anyway. As strange as it seemed she couldn't get the blonde girl she had run into out of her mind. She wasn't sure why, but there was something about her that wouldn't let Willow forget. She had seen the bruises and cuts on the girl's face and wondered who would do such a thing to a beautiful girl like her. She had tried to take her mind off the girl by doing anything she could think of, she even exercised with Buffy at the gym. It was midnight now, and she was completely exhausted, and wide awake. Usually it was something scary that did this to her, like apocalypses or frogs, not beautiful blonde Goddesses. Willow wasn't quite sure where that came from, but it fit so well when she pictured the blonde. She lay there on her bed, a serene smile spread across her face, and slowly she drifted off to sleep thinking about her blonde Goddess.



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





~Spencer~

"Too bulky, I prefer my women in spandex."

-Xander- season two, Halloween

[tiredsoul]

I finally caught up with this fic. I really like Tara and Willow's different perspectives ... and a simple bump into each other causing such reactions. Very sweet. Thanks.



--celia

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

"That was just rude. Now I forget what I was saying."

[miss calendar]

Just wanted to say I'm really enjoying this fic. The opening was immediately gripping, you communicated Tara's urgency and fear so well but also showed her courage and resourcefulness as she makes her escape. I liked the glimpse into Willow's mind and seeing that even pre Tara 'She always felt that part of her was missing, that she wasn't quite whole'. Interesting that she knows Sunnydale is on a Hellmouth and has chosen to go there in the hope of meeting other witches, then again maybe it's fate directing her there to find Willow.

Liked Willow's choice of posters, no Klimpt for her

So Anya is going to UC Sunnydale too and sharing with Buffy ? Could be a lot of fun....

And Willow and Tara are aware of each other but still to have their first real meeting. I liked the way they recognised the connection between each other just when they bumped into each other and how Willow was so preoccupied thinking about her unknown 'blonde Goddess' that she wasn't bothered when Riley fell for Buffy.



Love the story, the characterisation and your writing style. Looking forward to reading the next update.

---

'' A bit of tongue, Miss Astley dear ? ''




from Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters

[Grimaldi]

great update i liked Willow's mental babble about lines.

Dude, we're surrounded by perverts!

[witchbitchwillow]

awww, willow calling tara her blonde goddess was sooooo sweet! i am really getting into this fic now. please update soon!



xelliex

**"Damn gayly forward!"** Anya- into the woods by blameburner.

[pacou]

Again, a great part



Im rather enjoying this... no, Im utterly enjoying this!



Im looking forward to theit first actual talking together!



Thank you



-Viv-

[Mainer]

Title: Broken Wing

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon.



Part Seven



Fear. It was always there, surrounding her like a silhouette. He was coming, she could feel it. She closed her eyes tightly, pulling the covers up over her head as if it would help keep him away, but she could hear him. She could hear the creaky stairs, his heavy footsteps in the hall, and turning of the squeaky door knob to her room. As the door swung slowly open the fear pierced her heart.



Tara bolted upright in the bed, soaked in sweat. She quickly looked around the room, dimly lit by a snoopy night light. She was alone in her dorm room, safe. She scooted back on the bed until she reached the head board, she brought her knees up to her chest, circled her arms tightly around them, and rested her chin on top of them. Try as she might she couldn't stop the tears from falling. They stung the cuts on her face as they dropped down onto her knees. She cried because she was scared, but mostly because she was angry. She was angry that she just couldn't let any of it go. She was safe here, but she couldn't get past feeling like a scared little girl, and she was tired of feeling powerless, because she wasn't powerless. She looked at the tiny clock on her night stand through blurry, teary eyes, barely able to make out that it was a little after three in the morning. There was nothing she could do now, but sit and wait for the morning.



The sun was a welcome intruder in Tara's room that morning. She had already been awake for a few hours when it cast it's first rays into the dark room. By six a.m., she was completely ready to begin the day, unfortunately she had to sit around until seven before the dining hall would be open and she could get some breakfast. Just as she expected the dining hall was virtually empty. She had a lot of things she needed to get done today. She needed to go to Main street and find a job, and then she needed to buy some school supplies before classes began tomorrow. She had put twenty dollars in the pocket of a pair of jeans she had sent. In total she had twently three dollars and forty six cents, she hoped it would be enough to buy what she needed and to get some make-up. She'd never worn it before, but every time she looked at the bruises and the cuts on her face she felt sick. She knew what every one saw when they looked at her, a bad, worthless person who didn't deserve to be at college, she didn't think they needed proof that she was indeed those things, so she couldn't help but want to cover them up until they were gone.



She hurriedly ate her breakfast and then made her way to Main street. It was hard to believe that a town harboring such evil could be so beautiful. She went first for her school supplies deciding if she could buy the make-up it would be better to put it on before job hunting. There were a few people milling about the street, but mostly they were quiet. Some of the stores weren't even open for business yet, fortunately for her the drug store was. She walked through the aisles carefully adding up the price of the items she was getting. Things had turned out cheaper than she expected and she even had enough money for non essential things, like a hair brush and elastics. She used the small mirror in her compact to apply the make-up. It didn't cover up everything, but in her opinion she looked a lot less messed up. She headed to her next destination which was the magic shop. What better place for a young witch to work. She had noticed the help wanted sign in the window when she came into town yesterday. The bell above the door jangled and an older woman came out from the back to greet her.



"Can I help you?" The woman asked smiling at Tara.



"I... I c-came about the j-job," Tara managed to stutter out.



"Do you have any sales experience?" The woman asked.



"No," Tara said lowering her head.



"May I see your hand?" The woman asked reaching her own hands out. Tara extended her hand to the shop keeper. She had seen her mother do this before. Tara watched as the woman's eyes closed and she could feel the warmth of her probe. The woman opened her eyes and smiled warmly at Tara. "I'm Grace, welcome to your new job."



"Thank-you," Tara said.



"You'll just need to fill out some paper work," Grace said. "When can you start?"



"I'd l-like to s-start as soon as p-possible," Tara said. "My

c-classes s-start t-tomorrow."



"Would you be able to come in at two?"



"Yes," Tara said shaking her head.



"Then I'll see you tomorrow at two. Have a nice day, Tara," Grace said returning out back. Tara was half way out the door before she realized she had never told Grace her name.



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





~Spencer~

"Too bulky, I prefer my women in spandex."

-Xander- season two, Halloween

[Mainer]

I just wanted to thank everyone for reading this. I'm glad you're all sticking with it, until they finally meet. Which I am happy to say is coming very shortly.







~Spencer~

"Too bulky, I prefer my women in spandex."

-Xander- season two, Halloween

[pacou]

You know, its not not easy to love this fic, we are stuck with it, because its simply gorgeous.



Just had to say that...



-Viv-

[Grimaldi]

great update

Dude, we're surrounded by perverts!

[MissQuirky]

Had to catch up a lil but still loving it! They did a lil bumping into each other - which i hafta say wasn't so bad. Tara has a job and everythings goin smoothly. Can't wait 4 them to meet!



~Ashley~

Willow: We can come by between classes. Usually I use that time to copy over my class notes with a system of different colored pens. But it's been pointed out to me that that's, you know... insane.

Tara: I said quirky.

[Mainer]

Title: Broken Wing

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon.



Part Eight





Willow headed across the campus with a look of pure determination on her face. Classes were twenty three hours away and she had yet to find a sixth color notebook, not to mention setting up the files for all her class information on her computer, and setting up her e-mail account with the school. Not that she didn't already have three other e-mail addresses, but it was free and this way she could use it for college stuff only.



"Hey, Wills," Xander said as he, Buffy, and Anya strolled up to her.



"You left pretty early this morning, where ya going?" Buffy asked.



"Oh, yeah, I'm just headed to Main street," Willow said.



"This early?" Anya asked suspiciously.



"Yes, if you must know, my first class is twenty two hours and fifty six minutes away, and I have a lot of stuff to do before then," Willow said.



"So why the trip to Main street?" Xandeer asked sounding a little suspicious himself.



"I have six classes, and only five different colored notebooks," Willow said.



"Oh," they all said in unison as if the explanation made perfect sense and they have known it all along.



"See ya later," Xander said and he and Anya haeded off toward their dorm. "You coming, Buffy?"



"I'll catch up," Buffy said, turning back to Willow she said, "so as long as you're going to Main street, could you pick something up for me at the drug store?" Her voice as sweet as sugar.



"What?" Willow asked not agreeing to anything before she knew what it was. She had learned that the hard way after she agreed to pet sit Xander's frogs when she was nine. After that, she always made sure she knew what the yes was for.



"Oh, it's nothing really, just a box of condoms," Buffy said casually.



"No, Buffy, I can't," Willow said turning ten different shades of red.



"Will, it's no big deal. People buy them all the time," Buffy said.



"If it's no big deal, then why don't you go get them yourself?" Willow asked.



"I'd be too embarrassed. I mean, they'll know I'm going to use them, and if you do it..."



"What, like I couldn't have sex?" Willow said very defensively and much louder than she had intended. "Cause I could. I could have sex with anyone on this campus."



"I'll volunteer," a male student passing by with a group of his friends said.



"See," Willow said to Buffy, "but no thank-you," Willow said to the male student.



"I know you could, and that's not what I meant. I just meant that people think I'm slutty, and if I go in and buy them then I'll feel slutty," Buffy said putting on her best wounded puppy dog face.



"I'll do it," Willow relented, " but you owe me big for this."



"I'll do anything, just name it," Buffy said.



"When I think of something, I will," Willow said.



"Thank you so much," Buffy said hugging her best friend and then running off to catch up with Anya and Xander.



Willow continued on her way to Main street no longer concerned with finding the right color notebook. No, now she had a whole other set of concerns. She had let Buffy guilt her into getting the condoms for her, and despite the complete falseness of what Buffy said, she had indeed felt guilty for saying no. She was blushing already and she wasn't even at the drug store yet. She knew she shouldn't be embarrassed by it, but she didn't want people to think she needed them, because she didn't. Not that sex was a bad thing, in fact she heard it was quite good, it just wasn't something she did, at least not yet. Her mental babble stopped when she reached the drug store. She wandered through the aisles looking for notebooks. They had no new colors, so she grabbed a blue one because she didn't want the guy to think she only came in for the condoms. She approached the counter and placed the notebook down.



"Could I get a box of condoms?" Willow asked the clerk in a voice that was too quiet to be classified as a whisper.



"Did you say condoms?" The guy asked loudly.



"Yes," Willow said this time a bit louder.



"Well, what kind? We've got lots," he said motioning to the display behind the counter.



"I don't know, they're for a friend," Willow said her voice almost back to it's usual volume.



"Yeah, sure," the guy said. "I recommend these," he said tossing a box on the counter in front of Willow.



"That's fine," Willow said not looking at them. "Can I get a bag?"



"No."



"Why not?" Willow asked a little pissed off.



"Don't feel like it," he said turning away and laughing.



Willow picked up both items, sandwiching the condoms between her chest and the notebook and left the store. She didn't like that guy when he picked on her in high school, and she liked him even less now. She was so involved in her mental tirade about the obnoxious clerk that she didn't see the person coming out of the magic shop until they collided and fell to the ground, sending both of their purchases to the ground as well. Willow looked up into the face of the blonde girl she had run into yesterday.



"Here, let me help," Willow said helping pick up the girsl spilled items, and then gathering her notebook and looking around frantically for the box of condoms. She didn't want the blonde girl to see them, but she couldn't find them. Finally she noticed that they were in the outstretched hand of the blonde. "Thanks, they're for a friend."



"Sorry," Tara said, though it seemed to come a little late.



"Sorry? For what? Is it because these aren't mine? Cause I'm not that upset about it," Willlow said.



"The c-colliding," Tara said almost smiling.



"Oh that, no it was totally my fault," Willow said. "I was all with the thinking and not with the looking as one should be when walking. Definitely my fault."



Tara looked up into Willow's eyes and gave a small, shy smile. Willow was sure her heart was pounding so hard it would jump right out of her chest, and ususally when she felt that way her mouth just started to run.



"Didn't we just do this yesterday? Maybe you and I should get some sort of detection system so a little alarm goes off everytime we're near each other," Willow said talking excitedly. "Oh, like it'll tell us, you are 15 feet away, and then it'll count down until it goes into red alert, like on Star Trek when the ship is in danger, not that I think you mean danger, but you know colliding isn't all that fun, and I'd like to run into you, without actually running into you, and now I'm not sure I'm even making sense anymore, so I'm just gonna stop before I scare you," Willow said taking a deep breath. "Did I scare you?"



"No," Tara said shaking her head and trying not to giggle.



"Good, cause I wans't trying to, but sometimes it happens inadvertly cause I just can't seem to stop talking," Willow said. "Hey, where'd you get the purple notebooks?"



"The d-drug s-store," Tara said trying her best to keep up with the flow of conversation.



"You must have got the last ones, see I have six classes and I like to have a different colored notebook for every class, but I could only find five, so I was just thinking we could trade and I could give you this blue one I just bought, and you could give me an purple one, it you wouldn't mind, and now I'm sure I've scared you. I'm like some psycho notebook person, and I wouldn't blame you if you just ran away right now," Willow said.



"No, y-you h-haven't s-scared me," Tara said smiling, "I'll trade."



"Really, you don't mind?" Willow asked as they swapped books. Tara shook her head no and smiled again. "You're the best," Willow said hugging her and then pulling away quickly. "Sorry."



"Hey, it's the Willster," Xander said as he and the gang walked over to her. "Who's your friend?"



"Oh, this is... I never even asked you your name," Willow said turning her attention back to Tara.



"Tara."



"This is Tara," Willow repeated, "and Tara, this is Xander, Buffy, and Anya."



"Yeah, and this is Willow," Buffy said figuring Willow probably forgot to mention her own name as well. Tara smiled at her. "We're headed to the Espresso Pump, you guys wanna come?"



"I h-have to get b-back to c-campus," Tara said. She was too embarrassed to admit that she didn't have enough money to buy anything.



"Are you coming?" Xander asked Willow.



"I..." She wanted to get a mocha with her friends, but she also wanted to walk Tara back to campus.



"Well?" Anya asked. "I'm tired of waiting. It was bad enough we had to come find you in the first place."



"She's coming," Buffy said tugging Willow's arm. "Nice meeting you, Tara."



Willow turned back as her friend half dragged her away toward the Espresso Pump. She saw Tara watching them and smiling. She liked seeing her smile. Despite all the things she had to get ready, and everything she had to think about, the only thing that mattered at that moment was seeing Tara again.



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





~Spencer~

"Too bulky, I prefer my women in spandex."

-Xander- season two, Halloween

[MissQuirky]

Great update! Spencer, i gotta say you love Willow and her different color organizing... with the different colored chart in yer other fic and now the different colored notebooks! But i Love it, and it is always funny! And sooo sweet and cute!



Running into each other for a second time, always a joy! And the box of condoms didn't even ruin their small talk... or Willow's babble and Tara's few words. The damn scoobies did, they have such bad timing! But they'll meet again, hopefully it will last a bit longer and more with the talking and such. Can't wait 4 the next update!



~Ashley~

[xita]

I love Willow's notebooks, she's so .. quirky



I am enjoying the way this is going and running into each other twice like that? That's fate!

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

Buffy?

Let's change it, the Discovery channel has koala bears.