**tkheaven: Oh, gosh ... I'll miss the 'boob light' avatar ... but that is freakin' hilarious *G* I love it. And of course I won't stop writing. I did, in fact, break down and crank this thing out ... it took about, oh, half an hour. Heh.
**MaClay Magic: I'll definitely try to get one saturday morning, too, but I hope you won't mind that I'm posting one now And yes ... good LORD does that avatar rock *G*
-Sass
Series: Vignettes
Number: 19
Title: Storms
Author: Sassette
Feedback: Can be sent to
pink_overalls@yahoo.com Spoiler Warning: Season Four. Well, actually, set Season Four in a special Vignette AU before NMR when the Scoobies don't know just how 'special' Willow's new 'special friend' really is.
Summary: Willow and Tara have a small fight.
Disclaimer: I didn't create these characters. I do, however, love them, and as they reside in my heart, they belong to me. I'm not making any money off of them, though.
Rating: PG-13
Storms
Part 19 of the Vignettes Series
by Sassette
Tara walked brisky, her head lowered against the wind, the sharp corners of a cross cutting into her hand where she gripped it tightly. It was tucked up under her cardigan sweater, her arms crossed over her chest as she moved through the night, making her way towards the Espresso Pump, where she hoped to find Willow.
"Of all the ..." Tara muttered, mentally berating herself. She felt so stupid - so foolish. Why had she been so accusatory? Why couldn't she have waited for an answer?
Because she'd been hurt, she told herself with a little sigh. She completely understood, and preferred, Willow's need to keep Tara to herself. Tara had no need to be introduced to Willow's friends, the Scoobies, or to try to join the gang of people who had been so close all through high school. She just wanted to spend time with Willow, and frankly, new people frightened her.
Still, despite her support of Willow's reluctance to introduce Tara to her friends, Tara had never expected to be ignored. When she had seen Willow walking with someone at school - Tara guessed it was probably Buffy - and Willow hadn't even acknowledged her, it had stung.
No, stung wasn't nearly a strong enough word. She had felt like someone had wrapped their fist around her heart, the constricting fingers stopping it from beating and threatening to squeeze it until it popped in her chest.
Tara shivered at the mental imagery she had conjured up, the feeling of rejection fresh and new. She supposed she should be used to rejection at this point, but she wasn't - not from Willow. Willow had always been so accepting and kind to her ... she had thought they were such good friends.
She had thought they were more.
And so she had confronted Willow about it, managing to get her message across despite her stutter. If Willow was ashamed of her, she should just say so and leave.
Willow had seemed stunned, then had babbled on about not seeing Tara there, but Tara >knew< Willow had seen her - had looked right at her.
But now Tara wasn't so sure, and thought she may have just made a horrible mistake. When Tara had refused to listen to Willow's pleadings, Willow had left abruptly, and Tara could have sworn she had heard Willow start to cry.
With a rumble of thunder, the sky opened up over Tara's head, the sudden downpour of rain soaking her, water streaming down her face and neck, making her clothes cling to her body.
"Oh, great," Tara whispered into the empty night, lifting her free hand and wiping an excess of water out of her eyes as her shoulders slumped. She looked up into the cloud sky, frowning furiously, the cold wind that had been annoying before now chilling against her wet skin.
Should she go back to the dorm? Keep looking for Willow? Willow could be out on patrol in some dank dark graveyard for all she knew - she was just hoping that somehow she was at the Espresso Pump, drowning her sorrows in a Mocha Grande.
But no matter where Willow was, she hoped against hope that Willow was with Buffy, because that would mean she was safe.
*****************************
"Am I a bad person?" Willow asked plaintively, her wide green eyes begging Xander and Buffy for an honest answer, even as they were afraid of what that answer would be.
"What?" Xander asked incredulously, wondering where that had come from. All he knew was that Buffy had called him saying there was an emergency at the Espresso Pump, and he had shown up to see Willow crying in her coffee.
"Of course not," Buffy protested, shaking her head and laying a hand on Willow's forearm. "You're a great person, Wills."
"But I'm not!" Willow insisted, a tearful look on her face as she sniffed lightly. "I mean, I ... I totally hurt someone really great today, and it was an accident, but it was still mean and bad and I really feel awful and my stomach is all acid-y and I'm a bad, bad person," Willow said, working herself back up to sobbing after Buffy had worked so hard to calm her down.
"Well, you just said it was an accident," Xander pointed out.
"Right," Buffy chimed in, nodding wisely. "Absence of malice and four thoughts. I bet you only had three thoughts. Or maybe just two."
"So if you didn't mean to, then who is this person who's holding a grudge when it was an accident? 'Cuz that sound like >they're< the bad person," Xander said.
"She's not a bad person," Willow snapped, her eyes flashing their ire at Xander, making him hold up his hands in a defensive gesture and scoot his seat a few inches away. "She's the nicest person in the whole wide world - or the solar system - or the galaxy! Yeah, she's the nicest person in the whole wide galaxy," Willow finished on a miserable sigh.
"If she's so nice, then how come she's mad at you for something that was an accident?" Buffy asked, her brow furrowed. "Besides, you don't need someone who holds a grudge like that - and I'm still your best friend. What's the problem?"
"What's the problem? What's the problem?" Willow asked incredulously. "I really, really hurt her today, and I don't like hurting people at all, because it's all, y'know, hurty and bad, and ... and ... then there are bad feelings, and more hurting, and then everything's all bad and hurtful and she thinks I'm ashamed of her, but I'm not ashamed of her! I'm really, really proud of her, but I walked right by her today and didn't say 'hi' because I was still thinking about class and didn't notice she was there - and that was bad in and of itself ... how could I not notice she was there? I >am< a bad person!" Willow wailed, cutting off her babble as Buffy and Xander looked on with wide eyes.
"Then, umm ... maybe ..." Xander began tentatively, glancing over at Buffy, seeking reassurance that it was an okay time to speak. Sometimes, as the 'guy' friend, it was his place to just shut up and fetch more coffee. Buffy nodded her head in an encouraging gesture, and Xander continued. "Maybe you should, umm ... just apologize? Try to explain?"
"But she hates me," Willow sniffed, her blowing her nose loudly on a napkin and attracting the attention of the other patrons of the Espresso Pump.
"She doesn't hate you," Buffy said, tilting her head to one side and regarding Willow curiously. There was something a little ... off about how Willow was behaving, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Buffy was sure there was something more here than just a little fight with a friend. Something was very wrong. "Speaking from great experience as friend to Willow Rosenberg ... it's completely impossible to hate you."
"Oh, yeah," Xander said, backing Buffy up and nodding vigorously. "Totally not possible to hate the Willster."
"So you don't think she hates me?" Willow asked.
"Definitely not," Buffy said, shaking her head vigorously in counterpoint to Xander's nodding.
"So, umm ... who is this girl, anyway? And why are you so worried about it?" Xander asked curiously.
"W-w-Willow?" Tara asked, her teeth chattering in the cold intensifying her stutter as she stood in the rain and looked at Willow sitting there with Buffy and Xander. When Tara had spotted Willow, she had almost turned around, content that Willow was safe and not wanting to interrupt with Willow's friends there. But no, she had decided. She wanted this fight over and done with, and she wanted it over and done with now. Fighting with Willow just hurt too much.
"Tara?" Willow asked in disbelief, looking over at the drenched young woman, her eyes widening. "It's raining," Willow pointed out needlessly, sliding off her stool and stepping towards Tara.
Tara just nodded, a pleading look on her face as she silently begged Willow to understand that she was sorry, feeling like the lump in her throat and the stutter would stop her from being able to express what she was feeling.
Willow saw the apology in Tara's eyes - knew that Tara understood that this had all been a horrible misunderstanding - and a feeling of such profound relief washed over her she stumbled as she walked into the rain.
"Y-y-you'll get w-wet," Tara protested when Willow stood before her on the sidewalk, the rain continuing to fall in sheets, drenching Willow instantly.
"I don't care," Willow said, pulling Tara into a heartfelt hug. She felt tentative arms wrap themselves around her neck, and then felt Tara's body relax against her. "I'm so sorry," Willow murmured, her eyes closed as she held Tara close. "I'm so very sorry."
"No, I.. I'm, umm ... I'm sorry," Tara said softly, snuggling into Willow's embrace and suddenly feeling warm again for the first time since Willow had ran out of her dorm room. "I just ... I jumped to, umm ... conclusions, and I -"
Willow took a deep breath, realizing that she was done listening to apologies, done hiding Tara away, done hiding a piece of herself that gave her so much joy. She didn't care that her friends were just inside watching - didn't care that there were people out and about, or that they were standing in the middle of a storm on a sidewalk.
Willow only cared that Tara was there, and they were together and okay again, and without a second thought, Willow lips found Tara's, stopping her mid-apology.
There was nothing shy or tentative about this kiss as with their previous kisses. Willow's mouth claimed Tara's completely, their lips pressing together again and again, parting to grant access to questing tongues that tangled together, eliciting low moans from the both of them.
The rain and the bitter cold, the thunder and lightning - it was all forgotten, the force of nature that was their love and passion for each other sweeping it all away, and proving that love did, indeed, conquer all.
by Scout » Mon Jun 17, 2002 10:24 am 
i go away for a little bit and I come back to all sorts of Sass' goodness. We 
you ya know
