Cassie
"what is it gonna take for her to see the missing link?"
Actually, I'm not so sure myself. You see, I like to surprise myself when I write and change things at the last minute.
"Willow was just not seeing the light at the end of the long, and may I add again, extremely long tunnel..." well when we DO reach the end of that tunnel (which,who knows, might be a century from now), the light will encompass everything. Wouldn't that be divine?
"This was a great update Sleek Extremely well written." Thank you m'lady.
s
. And I'm glad you could identify with Tara here and what's she's going through. Getting you kitties emotionally involved with the story assures me somewhat that I am on the right track.
Sleek
Yellow Crayon
"the story is incredible"
Tell me why I don't get tired of reading feedback?
LostWithoutTara
"poignant"... one of my fave words
Yes, Alex IS jealous of Willow and like I hinted Willow IS jealous of Alex. It's just Willow didn't realize the reason for her hostility towards Alex. I mean, if she only had friendly feelings towards Tara, her eyes wouldn't have darted towards Alex and the 'flowers' and made her boiling mad.
xita
"straight girls say that soulmate shit all the time and they don't understand what it means to the gay girls." Well if it's anyu comfort, I believe soulmates transcend romantic relationships.
"tell Tara to run far away from Willow." She could, but she won't. But with the twist of events later, it won't take long for Willow to realize something. Thanks for the feedback Ms. Moderator Fantastico!
michelle
"the angst you've written so far is beautiful, it really gets to me,"
thanks, considering how many times my hearts been trampled on, I should know angst. I'm glad I've managed to turn a bad experience into something remotely beautiful.
"Cant wait to see how Alex helps things along (although I think I might have a guess...)"
justin
"that Willow. The clue train keeps stopping at her station but she just won't accept any deliveries."
! Well said justin.
allykat
Thank you
sabina
"This is such a beautifully written story" Thank you
You have no idea how giddy you guys make me feel with these kinds of feedback.
"Although the angst is killing me"
yeah, well the cliffhangers you leave in "The Artifact" is killing me too. I wish they'd get over it and dive into each other. Yes, I am guilty of reading your fic regularly without leaving feedback. But I promise to leave feedback once I have more quality time with my infernal computer.
mxgirl314
"I just wish Willow would figure out whats going on."
She will. Thank you for
rhis.
Arwen
"I felt like smacking her on the head with Tara's dad's shiny gun!!"
sorry to say the hotness won't ensue just yet.
Tempest Duer
"Yes, me, made-of-stone TD, wanted to
" aww. I don't know whether to feel good or bad about this. Good,I guess coz your able to feel what the characts feel. Bad coz I don't want to make you sad.
"I always find your stuff very touching" SIGH. Nothing could make me feel more inspired to write. Thanks!
lipkandy
Hey melissa
Yeah, I did fashion Aelx after Xander, he can really be a loyal friend and in my alternate verse, he's quite smitten with
.
and speaking of friction and dynamism, there will be more of that.
> Thank you for the compliment. 
snuggle79
"i'm kinda having some hope" Ah! An optimist . And why shouldn't we hope that Willow isn't as blind as she may seem. After all,we only got to look inside Tara's head.
Holly
Hey I'm compelled to throw you a boquet of I don't know why. Maybe because of your sweet feedback from a fellow writer who knows sweet. I'm guilty of relishing "Blue Angel" without letting you know-- until now .
"Genius" = :nerd Sleek
willowfan7
Can you really 
our 
? Our redhead just can't see beyond the choices she makes (now that sounded a little more 'Matrix' than I expected).
"Your writing's got me hanging on every single word!" it won't be a sin if i read this line again and again can I? Love your heartfelt, enthusiastic feedback.
SJ
should've said something. But I felt there is still something holding her back. I'm also guessing myself but at the back of my mind I know.
the vamp nurd
"Yee ha! ride 'em cow girl"
shuyaku
"Poor Tara! What kind of patience is this girl channeling?" Uh, Mother Teresa's? Tara's priority is Willow's happiness. Unless she feels her confessing her love would not upset Willow, she'd take the chance.
"this angsty torture is just a 'frowny' moment flashback" yes indeed but it all lead to that one moment in the present when she finally professes her love.
"I can't wait to see what kind of 2 by 4 clues Willow in" Me too!
Grace
Hey I'm in a kissy mood,I don't know why! next update isn't as angsty -- i hope. 
Insanity
"WILLOW IS A BIG DOOFUS!!!!"
Yeah, but she's our adorable doofus. Let's play that Beatles song "She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeh. She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeh. With a love like that, you know you should be glad."
BV
if the world would be without teasin' what would happen?
sammi
here are some cheer-up- Like Alex, I believe there's a reason why we had to go through the hell of unrequited love. Sleek
Jen
"I think she should keep away from Will for a short while to mend her broken heart, maybe will finally see how much she actually love tare" there are many ways Willow can realize this. the following update is one of those scenarios. Thanks for the feedback
Marie
"I think I lived through what Tara is going through a couple of times with straight women in my lifetime." SIGH I hope it wasn't so hellish for you. I think there is no such thing as a 'straight' woman though, almost all women bond perfectly together with fellow women. And the friendships and commitments they make to each other transcend romantic love. Ask Thelma and Louisse.
"Thanks for your wonderful imaginative mind" well thank you for the sweet feedback
Sonya
"But the world thankfully, is full of hugs and puppies and happy, glorious endings where love conquers all." 
Ever the optimist, my dear friend Sonya. Just like me.
"May I be the first to give Willow a freaking clue?!"
Go right ahead, enter new character Sonya who hands Willow a note during computer lab. In a yellowing piece of parchment, she reads: "YOU LOVE HER!"
"I mean its never an easy task to admit falling in love. Especially when you just assume that that person is just there in all capacities other than lover." SIGH. True.
"And just like Willow I can be as equally dense' you don't say? Don't worry, you're endearing in my book, but know that I update my book every so often so its contents might change.
Alex gettin happy? Why would I do that? Let's see what I'll cook up for him, but in the meantime, Willow and Tara happy happy joy joy is my priority.
You're such a mush, am I glad you are 
Sleek
Lisa
Hey Please to make your acquaintance. Call me a sadist but I kind like when my readers , but I love it when I make my readers too. Just stick around and Willow would get hit by a big honkin clue.
faithy
"But then I really can't blame Willow because we don't know what she's thinking" EXACTLY! A keen kitten you are. I specifically avoided doing Willow's POV, but when things start unravelling we might take a peek into Willowland.
"You should up date more often" Um, define often?
bijoux2
Hello Nalp girl! Yes, I am also guilty of peeking into your fic without leaving proper feedback. Coming from someone with a lush imagination, I'm glad you like this simple fic bereft of creatures and monsters (except for the ones inside the characters).
"this fic is like a breath of fresh air' I think this is one of the feedbacks I'll read again and again. "It's soooooo good to finally find a writer who's not afraid to write something a little angsty" Well angst is my well trodden path. But I hope you'll like the "tra lala lala" parts too.
"don't stop now!!!" I won't. You guys inspire me too much.
Red Jassy
"Tara needs a hug..."
Enter new character Red Jassy who who snucks into Tara's bedroom and gives the sleeping blonde a quick squeeze.
"I hope willow might form some kind of jealous spark w/in herself" Yes, that IS the plan. 
Again, thanks for this until now.
WintersDreamer
I gather you don't like Baileys? I'm quite fond of it, in moderate doses.
"lets all find some " fic dollars" and buy Willow a clue"
==
Dear Lovely Kittens,
Part 7 has two parts. Here is the first part and forgive me if it’s a cliffie. I wasn't sure if I should post this now, or wait for myself to complete part 7B. I guess you know what choice I made.
Choice, I'm still reelin' with the last installment of the Matrix, but this isn't the right thread to post my comments. 
(Sleek looks fearfully around for moderators/agents).
I know I've missed my own deadline and I have no excuse. I just wanna balance Real Life and kitten life. It's kinda sad that kitten life is sometimes sweeter. But alas, Real Life is the real thing. Damn that Matrix movie, I sound worse than Orcale-turned-Agent Smith.
I'll post my additional individual replies with part 7B! Enjoy the update!
and lots of Sleek
==
THREE WORDS
Part 7A
By Sleek
And so the madness starts.
I pretended not to be in love when every minute my heart sings at her presence.
I felt like I have slipped my head through a noose.
I've decided to let her go. I've decided to do the impossible.
But still, there is absolutely nothing, nothing I wouldn't do to make Willow happy.
"Hey guys," I ventured bravely at the couple sitting on the lunch table. I choked at the sight of them, sitting close together. "Y-you got room for one more?"
"Of course, silly," Willow grinned brightly as she scooted to make room for me. "There's a Tara-spot reserved right here." Willow patted the space beside her.
And there's a Willow-spot reserved right here in my stupid heart. So where does Oz fit in this picture? Nowhere!
He doesn't belong here.
"Hi, Tara." He smiled at me, politely. "Willow told me you were grounded for a month, so I told her maybe we could hang at your place instead of going to the Bronze tonight. You like Scrabble?"
Oz and Willow at home? And Scrabble?
"Oh!" Willow chirped. "Scrabble is the only game Tara can beat me. Her vocabulary is just amazing."
My cheeks turned pink. "W-well, it's just a matter of strategizing where to place your tiles, Will. You can beat me any day."
"Yeah, she's quite the whiz. My Willow the Whiz," Oz turned to Willow and kissed her cheek affectionately.
Willow smiled warmly in response and gazed at him.
All oxygen fled my body. I was deflated as a limp beach ball.
My elbow hit my Coke, causing it to topple and spill dark brown liquid all over the table.
"Gotta go," I jumped from my seat. "Need to buy another one. Sorry 'bout the mess."
Run. Flee. Skedaddle. I can't take it anymore!
But before I could move away from the table, a large hand touched my shoulder.
"Here, you can have mine," Muddy brown eyes looked at me, consolingly. He was holding out his drink on one hand, and carried his food tray on another.
"Thanks, Alex," I said as I took the proffered soda can and sank back gingerly on my seat.
He sat beside me and whispered as he wiped the mess on the table with a napkin. "You okay? You look like you're ready to bolt."
But before I could respond, Willow's head swung towards Alex.
"Alex, did anyone ask you to sit with us?"
The frostiness in her voice could've frozen Alex on the spot. But he smiled, and placed his tray on the table with finality.
"No, but I'm sitting with Tara. And she's okay with it," Alex replied calmly, almost as if he was taunting Willow to lose her temper.
Willow's eyes flashed, and before she could shoot another word my hand reached out and squeezed her hand.
"Willow, please," I said as I tried to calm the little storm stirring in her eyes, "Alex is my friend. And h-he's been real nice to me. I really don't mind him sitting with us."
My thumb traced the back of her knuckles and massaged the soft skin in between them.
She sighed as if to calm herself and searched my eyes for assurance.
It's okay Willow. You're my only best friend. No one could replace you.
Willow smiled as if she read my thoughts and said to Alex, "Okay, but the next time you get Tara drunk, I'll make sure a legion of frogs will plague you wherever you go."
"Fine by me," Alex smiled good-naturedly and popped some fries into his mouth. "Hey, Oz man. How you doin? Larry's been asking you guys to play for ages."
"Hey, Alex." Oz smiled, relieved to have someone notice his presence. "We've miss the Blue Bar too, but Devon's made several commitments to the Bronze. We're booked for a month."
"That's too bad," said Alex in between mouthfuls of cheeseburger.
"Yeah, Oz has good guitar hands," Willow informed me with pride. "You should see him do a Carlos Santana riff."
An elated grin shone on Oz's face. I wanted to wipe it with Alex's soggy napkin.
"I composed a piece for you," he murmured to Willow's hair.
Oh really?!
I stuffed my chicken sandwich in my mouth to stop myself from exploding.
"Well, Tara is a gifted musician," Alex faced Willow, pointing a french fry in her direction. "You should hear her play the, um, the cello."
"Alex, I don't— OW!"
A swift kick hit my heel. Alex leaned towards me and winked meaningfully.
"Since when does Tara play the cello? She never told me that." Willow crinkled her brows doubtfully and turned her attention from Oz towards me. "You don't play cello. Right, Tara?"
"I-I, uh…" I glanced at Alex. What is he playing at? He just nodded his head very slightly so only I would notice. "I think I forgot to mention it, yeah."
"She's a bunch of surprises, our cuddly, pretty Tara," Alex drawled as he draped an arm casually over my shoulders.
Willow stopped munching her chips. Her gaze fell on Alex's hand, resting on my shoulder.
God, Alex better know what he's doing.
"So Tara, you ready for that…talk we, uh, talked about?" Alex said, his eyes darting to the quad, indicating he wanted to go away from the lunch table.
"W-what talk? Y-you mean?"
"The talk," Alex supplied cryptically. His muddy brown eyes implored me to cooperate.
Willow's eyes ping-ponged between Alex and me. Oz was peering at her, curiously.
The curiosity was eating me as well. Alex was acting weirder by the second.
"Okay," I said. "You mean, now?"
Alex nodded and stood. His hand slipped under my elbow to prod me up.
"If you'll excuse us," Alex bowed courteously to Oz and Willow and dragged me away from the table.
***
"I don't care if he's a good friend of Tara's or if he's Mahatma Gandhi incarnate — I don't trust him." Willow narrowed her eyes as she craned her neck to get a better glimpse of Tara and Alex, chatting under the oak tree on the quad.
"Will, I know Alex since grade school. He's an okay guy. Goofy, but okay," Oz said as he linked his hand in hers to calm her down.
"It's his hair. Anyone who has dark hair pasted over their forehead like that isn't trustworthy," Willow said, practically standing from her seat to keep the pair in her line of vision. "Don't you think his limbs are extra long for his age? I mean, those limby limbs are quite clingy…like grabby tentacles with velcro. Eww. Tara isn't safe with anyone with velcro tentacles. Do you think we should warn her? Do you think she knows?"
Willow consulted Oz as if it was a matter of consequence.
"That she is currently conversing with an octopus dressed like a teenage boy in a flannel shirt?" Oz quirked an eyebrow, an amused smile lifted his thin lips.
"You think I'm being silly," Willow pouted.
"I think you're cute," Oz whispered. He inched his lips towards her. "Overprotective, but cute."
"Oh!" Willow abruptly turned away as something caught her attention from the corner of her eye. "He's leaning towards her and he's squeezing Tara-paws. Oz, he's mauling Tara-paws!"
Oz sighed, as he glanced towards the pair in question.
"He's just holding her hand, Will. Mauling is different by several degrees," Oz said, a perplexed frown wrinkling his forehead as another thought registered. "You call her hands, Tara-paws?"
"Yeah," Willow smiled sheepishly. "It's a pet name and it stuck since sophomore year."
"You have a pet name. For her hands." Oz stated, incredulously.
"Um, is that weird? Don't you call Devon, 'fast hands'?" Willow said, slightly unsettled by the stoic stare of her boyfriend.
***
"So, are you game?" Alex inquired as he gently let go of my hand
I glanced at where Willow and Oz were seated from afar. They seemed to be engaged in a deep conversation, heads dipped and leaning towards each other.
I felt the bile and the rest of my lunch rise in my throat.
"Just one week?" I said, barely recognizing my voice.
"Yeah," he said, slipping a finger underneath my chin so I could turn my attention back to him. "And in that one week, if she shows any sign of more than friendly feelings for you, I promise to back off. I promise to let you go."
"A-and if she doesn't?" I bit my lip as I voiced my real concern.
Alex sighed.
"I'll still back off, unless you want me to stay," he said, tucking a lock of my hair behind my ear. "I know the only chance of you being attracted to me is if I suddenly sprouted some boobs and a uterus."
I chuckled at the thought of Alex with boobs.
"You'll make a pretty drag queen," I said in consolation.
"Actually, I'm wearing fish net stockings underneath these manly cargo pants," Alex quipped.
I smiled. I know how hard this must be for Alex, and still he wants to help me have a chance with Willow.
I couldn't help but hug Alex gratefully.
"Thanks, Alex." I said to his bony shoulder. "If things didn't work out, I'm glad to have found a friend in you."
Alex shut his eyes and rubbed my shoulders soothingly.
"Me too," he whispered.
***
Operation Pseudo Boyfriend started harmlessly enough.
Or so I thought.
"Um, Will I don't think 'twitterpated' is in Webster or even Oxford," I said as I watched Willow place her letter tiles on the Scrabble board carefully.
We were sitting in my living room. Oz and Willow sat on the couch across me while I settled on the floor.
"Well it's in Disney's 'Bambi' so I think it counts," Willow aimed those pleading emeralds at me, almost crumbling my resolve. "Besides, as educators of the young, I'm sure Disney has an army of researchers who found the word 'twitterpated' somewhere in some ancient dictionary. They can't mislead the youth with nifty words that can't be used can they?"
Oz chuckled from his seat and ran his hand over Willow's silky tresses.
"You're fighting a losing battle, Tara. No one can withstand the Pout of Willow," he said, making Willow instantly grin at him.
Although I've already seen them being affectionate with each other, it still cuts my heart every single time.
Maybe the three of us hanging out wasn't such a good idea. I know Oz is a nice person, but I don't have to subject myself to this kind of pain by agreeing to every opportunity to be with them both.
I sighed and tried to release some of my tension.
"Fine," I said, "that's a triple word score making your total…201. Hey, that means you win Will."
I couldn't help but grin at the delight dawning on her face. Her pink lips curved into a full-fledged megawatt Willow grin. God, she's just precious.
"Wow, I beat the defending Scrabble champion!" Willow jumped from the couch and bounced on the balls of her feet. She hopped towards me and wrapped her arms around me.
"Yeah, this calls for the dance of joy," I giggled as we hugged and bounced jerkily together.
When our movements stilled, I closed my eyes and inhaled her sweet apple and cinnamon scent. I squeezed her soft body against me and tried to forget the horrors of the world, and that Oz was staring at us from the side.
In spite of losing, I can't help but feel I've won. Just a little.
"Hey, a hugging party and I wasn't invited?" Alex sauntered into my living room carrying a flat box that smelled of mozzarella and garlic. "Maybe the sudden presence of pizza would generate affection?"
"Alex," I gently released Willow and gave Alex a quick hug. "How'd you know mozzarella and garlic is my favorite?"
"Your mom told me," he said as he opened the box and settled it on the dining table. He took out a slice and held it inches from my mouth.
"Let me feed you," he said with a twinkle in his eye.
I stared at the pizza slice dripping with stringy cheese and glanced back at Alex. I almost forgot this was part of the plan.
"Tara is perfectly capable of feeding herself," Willow crossed her arms over her chest. Though her voice wasn't as frosty as before, it was obvious she wasn't warming up to Alex.
"I'd love a slice," Oz said quietly and stepped between the path of Alex and Willow. "You want one, Will?"
Willow didn't answer but looked at the pizza as if it was sprinkled with poison.
"Okay, that's it," Alex stated and dumped his slice on the box. He rolled the sleeves of his flannel shirt and faced Willow. "C'mon, you and me. One on one. Outside."
"I'm not gonna fight you," Willow said, surprised by the thought. Sure she didn't like Alex, but she never thought that would entail flying fists.
"Who says we're gonna fight?" Alex said as if it's the last thing he would suggest. "We're gonna step outside and have a talk about your problem."
"My problem?" Willow said, a brow shot up almost to her hairline. Her fingers unconsciously curled into fists at her sides.
"Yeah, you're problem," Alex said, crossing his arms. "About me being Tara's boyfriend."
TBC (I'm just making retouches with Part 7B)
by willow fan7 » Mon Oct 27, 2003 2:43 am 
" sometimes.
Sleek 
Oh 
You have t get them togethr soon. I can't take much more. Can't wait to 
Well since this fic is so great I can pretent to wait paitently. 
