**Miss1234Kitty: Heh ... of course she was upset - Willow's her girl. I mean, we hear that the other way around all the time, but it's true this way, too *G* And thank you - I'm really glad you liked it.
Series: Vignettes
Number: 26
Title: Pride
Author: Sassette
Feedback: Can be sent to
pink_overalls@yahoo.comSpoiler Warning: Set Season Four … no spoilers.
Summary: Parades on the Hellmouth.
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
Pride
Part 26 of the Vignettes Series
by Sassette
Willow scuffed her foot, her eyes downcast as she shuffled along, winding her way through the crowd to find a seat for the parade, Tara's hand held tightly in hers. She noticed vaguely that there were no strange looks, no sudden whispers as they passed, and that cheered her dreary mood a little in ways that the warm sunshine and bright banners couldn't.
"Is, umm … is something, uhh … w-wrong?" Tara questioned softly.
"What?" Willow asked, her head snapping up and her wide-eyed look giving the impression of a deer caught in headlights. "Wrong? Oh, no, no … of course not. What could be wrong? Pretty girl, nice parade, lots and lots of people of the gay persuasion milling about being all happy and, umm … gay … no, nothing's wrong. Why? Does something seem wrong? Is there some general wrongness I don't know about - because I should know about these things. I'm supposed to be all observant cool-monster-fighter girl, and if there's wrongness, I should be made aware, because sure - daylight - but still - Hellmouth."
"No, I… I just mean … you're, umm … kind of … quiet?" Tara ventured uncertainly.
"Quiet?" Willow asked, a strange look crossing her face as she recalled the babble-fest she had just indulged in. "Oh, no - I'm never quiet. Always running of at the mouth, y'know. Well - except for during class, because … well, listening … and - and - learning. Very important to be quiet and listen. Oh - oh! Or during movies, because it's so annoying when people start in with the talking and you can't quite hear what's going on, and suddenly, some major plot-type thing has happened, and you're completely lost, and you've never seen this movie before, so it's not like you already know what happened, so … I'm quiet at movies, too."
"W-w-well, umm … this is kind of a, uhhh … a parade? And people are, umm … they're allowed to talk. Like, I-if maybe … umm … maybe something was, uhhh … bothering someone? I mean, umm … hypothetically …?" Tara tried again, knowing very well that something was on Willow's mind, and having a pretty good idea what it was.
"I just …" Willow started, then sighed, sitting down on the curb where Tara joined her, the milling crowd moving around - some looking for a better spot, and others setting up nearby.
"Just w-what?" Tara prompted when it looked like Willow wouldn't continue. Her expression was open and loving as she gazed at her girlfriend, silently urging her to go on.
"Everyone's been acting funny," Willow said with a little frown, taking Tara's hand in hers, her frown lifting a little, quirking at the edges when she felt Tara's thumb stroking hers softly.
"Umm … funny like, how?" Tara asked.
"They end meetings early, they stop talking when I enter a room … I don't know - maybe I'm just being paranoid," Willow huffed. "All sensitive and stuff, and everything's really just fine, and I'm being all imagination girl and seeing things that aren't really happening - and do you think that's it? That I'm just kind of imagining things, like … like I'm feeling weird, and so I'm thinking they're acting all weird? Except I don't feel weird … I feel better than I've ever felt before," she went on.
"W-w-well, I, umm … I don't know, uhh, exactly," Tara said slowly. "I mean, umm … w-when did this, umm … w-when did it start?" she asked, having her own suspicions.
"When they found out about us," Willow admitted softly. "When I told them I'm in love with you."
"Oh," Tara breathed, her eyes downcast as she carefully extricated her hand from Willow's. A band went by, but Tara didn't see it - didn't hear the music - her head pounding and her heart heavy as she realized that she had somehow become a rift … a point of breakage between Willow and her friends. "I'm, umm … I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice so soft Willow barely caught it.
"What?" Willow said, looking over at Tara and recapturing the hand Tara had taken away from her. "Oh, no - no no no," she said, shaking her head emphatically, bringing her other hand up to lift Tara's chin so she could look into her eyes. "No, this is definitely not your fault," Willow said emphatically. "This is who I am - who I think I've always been. I haven't changed, not really - and if they can't see that you make me happier than I've ever been, then fie! Fie, I say!"
"Fie?" Tara asked, a small half-smile curving full lips.
"Definitely fie," Willow said, nodding emphatically. "And I might throw in a hearty fist-shaking if 'fie' doesn't express my intense displeasure at their behavior adequately."
"But it, umm … it still hurts, doesn't it?" Tara asked, a look of quiet concern on her face.
"Yeah," Willow said simply, letting herself fall into that look - letting the world around her disappear until there was nothing but Tara, the caring she could feel pouring off of Tara in waves, and the sure knowledge that whatever else was going on, this was >right< and it was >good< and it was the one person she was supposed to be with.
"Then I'm, umm … I'm still sorry. I'm sorry you're, umm … h-hurting," Tara said softly. "I w-wish I could, umm ... make it better."
"You do," Willow said, a small smile emerging. Carefully, she leaned in, letting her lips press gently to Tara's, grateful her girlfriend didn't pull away despite the crowd. Sure, it was a big gay parade, but Tara they had certainly never talked about kissing in public, and how comfortable or uncomfortable they were doing so. But Tara didn't pull away, and so they kissed, slowly and sweetly until they pulled back, both blushing.
"Nice," Tara said softly, a shy look on her face.
"Definitely," Willow said, a grin growing.
"The, umm … the parade is nice, too," Tara said, looking into the street where a float for a bar she had never been to went by. "But, umm … not as nice."
"No, not as nice," Willow said happily, content to hold Tara's hand and watch the parade go by.
Gay firefighters and police officers went by, and floats and bands. People marching for causes important to the community carried banners and played music, and Willow found herself noting web addresses so she could check them out later.
"Gay water!" a voice yelled, and a woman with a cooler on a rainbow-painted wagon walked by, a hand-made sign proclaiming the 'gay water' to cost a dollar. "Gay water!" she called again, and Willow and Tara laughed.
"Thirsty?" Willow asked, looking over at Tara.
"Umm … a little," Tara said, nodding.
"Share?" Willow asked.
"Sure," Tara said, nodding again.
"Gay water?" the woman asked, stopping when Willow raised her hand exactly the way she did when she was in class and knew the answer.
"Yes, please," Willow said, handing over a dollar and accepting the perfectly normal bottle of water. "So how do you know the water's gay?" she asked, peering at the label.
"Here," the woman said, pulling a sticker out of her pocket. Carefully, she peeled off the backing, attaching the bright orange sticker to the water bottle in Willow's hand, then cheerfully went on her way.
Willow turned over the bottle, noting that it now said 'Chapstick Lesbian' on it. Her brow furrowed in confusion as Tara started chuckling.
"What?" Willow asked, looking at Tara. "I, umm … I don't get it," she said with a little shrug.
"W-we're, umm … w-we're going to h-have to, um do something - about your lesbian education," Tara said with a little laugh.
"It's not fair," Willow grumbled good-naturedly, pouting for all she was worth as she handed the gay water to Tara. "I'm gay - shouldn't I just, y'know, automatically get all the gay in-jokes now? Or - oh … oh! They should hand out a manual! I could study!"
"You'll, umm … you'll catch up," Tara said with a little shrug. "Do you … I mean, do you w-want to? Catch up?" she asked uncertainly, wondering again how much Willow really had thought about living the 'gay lifestyle'.
"I do," Willow said with a little nod.
"Cool," Tara said, a smile growing on her face as she looked at her girlfriend, marveling that someone so incredibly lovely had chosen to be with her. "Oh, PFLAG!"
"Nevermind PFLAG," Willow said, her head turning. "What is that guy wearing, and, umm … doesn't that unicycle … y'know … hurt?" she asked in a wondering tone.
"Is that … Mr. Giles?" Tara asked, easily spotting the one man in tweed walking amidst the crowd of people more appropriately dressed in shorts and t-shirts for the warm Southern Californian weather.
"What?" Willow asked, her head snapping the other way, her eyes widening as she spotted the unmistakable form of Giles marching with the PFLAG group carrying a 'straight but not narrow' sign. "Oh, my god," Willow breathed, her eyes widening impossibly further when she spotted Xander and Buffy with him.
The crowd cheered as the PFLAG marchers approached, Tara with them, but Willow just stared, her jaw dropped as she saw her friends - no, her family - marching along.
Xander carried a sign that simply read 'I love my Gay Willow', and Buffy held one that similarly expressed 'My Best Friend is Gay'.
"Oh, my god," Willow said again, tears pricking at her eyes as her friends approached, waving and smiling at the crowds as they walked.
"Umm … baby?" Tara asked quietly. "Are you, umm … going to say anything else?"
"Oh, my god," Willow answered.
"Come on," Tara said determinedly, rising to her feet and tugging Willow with her. A few people in the crowd protested their movement, but Tara ignored them.
"What? Where?" Willow asked, focusing in on Tara when she was pulled into a standing position.
"You're, umm … supposed to, umm … w-w-well, I thought w-we could, ummm … go march? W-with your friends?" Tara offered, looking over as Buffy and Xander and Giles spotted them, grinning broadly and waving.
"Yeah," Willow said, and they ran out into the street.
She wasn't sure later how she managed it with her tiny little arms, but Willow grabbed all three of them into a hug, Tara standing by and watching before Buffy pulled her into the group.
"What are you guys doing here?" Willow finally asked, her expression making it clear that she was happy to see them.
"Yes, well," Giles began, only to be cut off.
"We've been going to meetings," Buffy said, tucking her arm into Willow's and walking happily, waving her sign with abandon. Tara walked quietly beside Willow, their hands joined, smiling broadly at the assembled group, so very thankful that they were there to love and support Willow.
"But … I thought … I thought you guys were …" Willow began to say, trailing off.
"Wigged?" Buffy asked. "Kind of, at first - but only because we didn't really understand, y'know? But we wanted to, so … PFLAG," she said proudly, as if she herself had come up with the idea to create such a useful organization. "I kinda' love you, Wills - just, not in a gay way."
"It's mutual, Buffy," Willow said, laughing happily and squeezing Tara's hand.
"And we're proud of you," Xander said. "I remember when we were in kindergarten, and you broke that yellow crayon?"
"I remember," Willow said, rolling her eyes. "I was scared to tell anyone."
"And you started crying," Xander added.
"Awww," Tara said, peeking over at Willow.
"Well, I thought they'd be mad at me," Willow said defensively. "There were only so many yellow crayons."
"Anyway, my point is - you were scared, and you hid something, and you were probably scared about this, too, but you're not hiding, and I'm proud of you," Xander said, nodding emphatically. "You've come a long way … and I just want you to know that I loved crayon-breaking Willow, and I love Big Gay Willow."
"'Big Gay Willow'?" Tara asked, looking over at Xander. "She's, umm … she's not really, y'know, big?"
"Like 'Big Gay Al'," Xander explained. "Don't you watch 'Southpark'?" he asked off of Tara's confused look. "Oh, Tara, Tara," Xander said, shaking his head sadly when Tara indicated that no, she didn't watch Southpark. "You'll have to come watch it with Anya and me - she loves it."
"Xander's bad television habits aside," Giles said, looking seriously at Willow. "We're all proud of you, and we love you," he said softly.
Willow looked down at her hand tucked into Tara's, then looked up at her friends, surrounded by love and support, and insanely grateful to have these people in her life.
Poor Tara though, missing her girl. I can just imagine her staring at that monitor, every few seconds waiting for her Will to land. Her insecurities about Willow and wondering if she may have met someone else, seemed very natural as well. But she should know that that could never happen. 
