New Uber - Don't fear the Reaper (conclusion posted 12/20)

[writerfreak]

oh, .........wow. just wow. i hope she comes back, i hope willow lets her explain. wow.



writerfreak

[beanie]

Hmm...

Well then . . .

Hm . . .

I believe the appropriate word is ARGH. Plus a BOO HISS. Multiplied by a GOOD GOD WOMAN! Are you building a list of how to make your readers cry, cuz this is a pretty darn good one! I'm just surprised Celine Dion didn't show up while I was reading the update. DEAR LORD. I mean. Gah! Willow was all ready . . . and Tara's just like boo hoo I'm a wuss, peace out.

Though anger and frustration aside, I was all with the "AH-HA!" when Willow found Tara's cloak and scythe. But the fact that she tried it on and almost killed herself . . . I guess that is a good justification for Tara's leave-age. The moment with the cloak was also reminiscent of the whole magick addiction stint during the show. Very nice parallel thingy. Can't wait for more so that I can stop fuming.

-beanie

[Darth Pacula]

G'day, UO.

Whoa nelly! Weeping Willow indeed. Way to ratchet up the angst factor there mate.

Again, you've written a superb first sentence. That whole '... about one week ago' bit ... tres magnificent. Great hook.

The roll call of scenarios that prevented Tara from coming out to Willow (from the Reaper closet that is; I think Willow might have twigged to the gay thing by now. The sex is probably a dead giveaway ) was fun, and you can't really blame Tara for procrastinating. Especially given what did end up happening.

The Faith/Dawn interaction was great too. I especially liked the nickname debate. It really does seem like Faith's been accepted as one of the family, though I have to wonder, when Faith too is outed (see above rather than rehashing the same stupid joke) I have to wonder how welcome she's going to be.

The Puffy suit makes a return!

I liked Willow's way of trying to find out if Tara was in fact home and just hiding. I have to think it'd be pretty effective.

But then things take a turn for the worse, when Willow puts on Tara's cloak. So that's what happens if someone who isn't properly trained, or lacks the Reaper genetic material or whatever, puts on a Reaper's cloak huh? Not nice.

Willow's troubles while ethereal gave me a flashback to Tara's own anecdote about her own troubles, though that was in regard to teleporting into a moving object. Willow's would have been more scary though, so it's no surprise she freaked when Tara finally found her.

Tara's note was a fish hook in the guts, which I mean as a good thing. It was profoundly moving.

Great update, UO. Words fail me in describing just how great (mostly because I'm too lazy to walk three steps and find a thesaurus.

Cheers,
Paul.

[sacinema]

That was so lovely in the beginning and so sad in the end. But didn't we all know that if Tara isn't able to speak to Willow her secret will reveal in another way? Surely a bad way? And that would lead to trouble between those two. But running away? Tara is a little coward. She should have at least wait and try to talk to Willow. Only leaving a letter? That's a bit lame. But we all make mistakes. I so could understand Willow's reaction. She was scared.

Hope Faith is able to find Tara soon. But it will take some time to convince her explaining things to Willow. Tara and Willow played cupido on Buffy and Faith. Now it's their time to bring the two lovers back together. The rest like solving the problem they have to do by themselfs. Maybe this hole story will also reveal Faith's being to Buffy. Wonder how this will be going.

This story is just wonderful. Thanks for sharing it.

[Willowtree252]

oh nooooo tara should have just waited please let them find her soon i love this story cant wait for more.

[viximon]

Yo Oxy!! How're u?

Tomorrow, I'll tell Willow everything, Tara had decided resolutely... about one week ago.

Yep, I can relate to that. When you never seem to find the right time.
I'm happy Faith and Buffy goes well (on a way) just lets hopes things between them don't go messy like with Willow and Tara .
By the way, that was so sad heartbreaking scene. snif.snif.
Those two are quite the popheads. Each one loving the other so much and making moves they thing are for her lover benefit but failing. Tsk.

Come on, now that things were over heels. You can't just leave us here. Make Faith or someone find Tara, put some sense on her head. Her and Willow must talk and make all right again. Please?

Great chap, don't make us wait too long till next update.
Take care

[caz]

Hi UO - Good update but now I want to curl up in a dark corner and cry.

Poor Willow. Being under Tara's cloak must have been terrifying, I don't blame her for running away - but at least she came back!

Tara seems to have already convinced herself that Willow won't want her anymore and has gone. Hopefully, Faith will find Tara and persuade her to return.

Serious times ahead for our girls - I think!

Caz

[The person she loves]

wow it was a wonderful update. Tara has to come back, she has to tell willow. and that note was so sad . please you must update soon

[Boschi]

Well then. Poop.

Doesn't this put Miss Skank in an awkward position? Sigh.
Perhaps at least I will get to read a Faith-heavy chapter then, so some good may come of this (I do like Faith).

I'll just be here patiently waiting...

- Boschi

[taralicious]

UO,
Feedback Squared:
Chapter 13
Lord Tara, indeed. Now all I do is picture Tara in a black latex bodysuit with the billowy cape.
I was never much for Zombie movies, either. The only one I did like recently was "Shaun of the Dead" and I think Tara would as well since the survivors fight them off with pool cues to Queen tunes over the jukebox.
Oh, the humanity at the art imitating life showdown between you and the birds.
Makes me think of the Mel Brooks parody in his film "High Anxiety."
Monty Hall never offered so enticing a contents of Box #3 on "Let's Make a Deal as what's found in Willow and Tara's.
So, is that the last we'll see of the painting of Tara's grandfather?
The jaws of the lemon shark just don't have that personal touch but I guess you would have had to have taken on the sea that day to appreciate them.
As for Tara's father, he just wants what he thinks is best for his daughter in a very detatched matter of fact way.
He, like a lot of parents, doesn't look at things from the perspective of Tara following her own path and living her life the way she chooses but merely wants to square her away in the safe predictable fashion so he doesn't have to spare any time worrying about her.
out of sight, out of mind.
Very intolerant and certainly no advocate for interdimensional couples.
As a prelude to Willow and tara having it out, we are treated to the subtext between Faith and human Buffy boiling over and becoming readily apparent that it was indeed Buffy in Faith's room that day and that they have been engaging in mortal/supernatural sex and love as well.
Faith does resemble her core self no matter the variation in that she is afraid to take the risk of opening herself up to Buffy in that she wants to avoid the pain threshold of rejection.
For all concerned, Buffy has Willow and Faith has Tara who can console and comfort their friends and bring them together before having to face their own crisis.
The shout -out to Foreigner was a nice romantic touch as well

[taralicious]

UO,
The day of reckoning is finally upon Tara and woe betide her for keeping the secret from Willow for as long as she did.
The parallels between her and Superman become evident again as now she has to deal with the ramifications and consequences of her choice not to trust Willow with the knowledge and to allow her to make her own decision about the dangers which would result from such a union.
A moment of silence for Willow's beloved fish since fish are not generally considered amongst the soul-bearing creatures and as such are unceremoniously consigned to the nation's sewers upon their demise.
Faith's cleavagey slut-bomb outfit was a cushioning piece of visual imagery for the angst of the chapter that followed as was Willow's sea-faring pirate costume.
Hooray for Faith for having the courage to tell Buffy that she loved her and that they were taking a chance on love.
Tara's word's of friendship to Faith that she had to admit that she was lonely and scared must have prompted Faith to choose life, in an ironic sense of the word.
Hilarious about Joyce having to ask Buffy and Faith to be quiter with their lovemaking next time.
I'm sure Joyce was positively mortified about having to even broach the subject.
Tara and Dawn's conversation was sweet in its exchange as the two do seem like sisters with Tara offering Dawn constructive writing advice and Dawn assuaging Tara's fears with her relentless optimism that love is a platform upon which all ranks meet.
Now we come to it, the moment of THE GREAT REVEAL for Willow.
DUH DUH DUN!
What a way for her to find out to, donning the cloak and being subjected to the inverse dimensional shift/phase without any warning or acclimitization.
She's lucky that her mind wasn't scrambled with the enormity of it all, like a mortal stepping into the Total Perspective Vortex and coming face to face with one's infinitesimal place in the cosmos.
It was a natural reaction, therefore, to run like hell, pardon the pun, until she could even begin to process what that meant and how Tara was involved.
Never mind what this means for her budding relationship with Tara.
As was mentiojned in another Kitten's feedback, since Willow and Tara ably played matchmaker in Faith and Buffy coming clean and expressing their innermost fears about their relationship, here's hoping that Faith and Buffy can return the favour in kind.
Faith needs to find Tara and assure her that Willow is not going to be revolted by Tara's calling especially if Tara reveals what she had to go through to save Willow in the first place.

[Artemis]

Noooo! Poor Willow, poor Tara... poor everyone. Poor me

To cheer myself up, I'll mentioned Faith up front - I love what you're doing with Faith. The banter with Dawn, and especially her in a Columbo outfit, that's just too funny.

On to the at-the-moment-unhappy couple - well, that was about the most traumatic way that Willow could have found out Tara's secret, or rather, that she has a secret. Tara must be in such a state. What got me tearful was how eloquent her letter to Willow was - how strong she is, and her feelings for Willow are, that in the condition she's no doubt in, she could hold herself together to write that so beautifully. Odd word for such a sad letter, but it was beautiful.

Looking at it dispassionately (which naturally, neither Willow nor Tara are going to be inclined to do), at the end of the day this may not be the worst scenario they could be in. Willow had a hell of a shock, but now she's fixed on finding Tara, on getting her back - that's what counts, and I think that'll stay with her once she does, that what matters isn't what Tara's been keeping from her, but the two of them dealing with it, and staying strong. And perhaps Willow won't react so badly to Tara's secret now - her imagination must be in full flight, and when she hears the truth, perhaps it won't seem to bad, compared to what she's fearing might be the case. Once you get your head around it, Tara's job is very compassionate, and natural - Faith (as many people have noted) will probably have some explaining to do, given her piano-dropping escapades and so forth, but Tara's function is caring, not killing. The supernatural side of it will no doubt come as a big shock, and when they get to the part of how Tara first came into contact with Willow that'll be a doozy to get through... but at the end of the day, I think Willow will find that what Tara is, is someone she can be proud of, for what she does.

On the note of what she does - goth girl cracked me up. "Death doesn't care who you are"... well, we know better. Death does care who you are - if you're bad you get unceremoniously stuffed in a jar, and if you're good you get a hug from Tara. I know which I'd rather have as my first post-life experience.

Oh, and yes, I have a Willow action figure. Three, in fact. And five Taras. Plus a pair of W.I.T.C.H. dolls that look very much like Willow and Tara. What I really want now, though, is a Columbo Faith

[grimlock72]

Good thing those cloaks aren't protected like Judge guns in _Judge Dredd_ The best way to protect those cloaks would have been to not activate unless a reaper wears it. Silly cloak activated just the seem but Willow didn't seem to be able to get out of it?? Sounded rather painfull besides confusing as well .

Not much dealing with the whole problem at hand is going to come directly from this. Willow was in state of shock (and possibly injured?) when she ran out... I can't follow why she would blame herself for that, I fear she'll see that as well once she has had time to calm down.

I thought it was interesting how Willow could get out of the dreaded cloak once Tara was in the room. I'd like to think their relation helped with that.

The openingline of this chapter is very recognizable. You know you really should do something, but you don't want to so you delay it . I like the interaction with Faith as well. She's a tough girl, but shows some real feelings underneed. Something I missed in the show at times, hence me not liking Faith much on there.

I don't doubt that Tara left because she doesn't want to cause Willow harm. But she already did that, now she should stick around to at least help Willow deal with the experience. Running away wont help Willow one bit. In a way it is avoiding the problem again.

How was it for Tara the first time she put on a cloak? I suppose it didn't hurt as much, but how quickly did she adapt to moving through things and other science-defying things ?:)

Oh yeah, why did you announce at the top of the chapter what was sort-of going to happen? Kinda spoils the surprise .

Grimmy

[Willowlover]

This story is pretty cool ( so far ). I've only read the first half of chapter one. I plan on reading all of this when I have a little more time. Until the this is mostly to ask you to read my Fic. It's called Dead ike Us ( It's posted under FanFic. DLM (with Willow and Tara). In case you can't tell this is based off of Dead Like Me and I would appreciate it if you could tell me how I am doing with getting Rube, Mason, and Roxy ( I took out Daisy and Georg).

[Willowlover]

I finished the story and it was unbelievable. Since I haven't posted on every ch. I'll start posting per chapter starting with the next one.

[Useful_Oxymoron]

WillowRulez - Alright, I admit it. I was begging for a dib. I say it's okay to like angsty stories. Though I had to admit, I like skipping ahead to the ending just to see if everything'll turn up alright in the end if a story is really angsty. Yeah, putting on the cloak was really horrible for Wills, and I felt terrible for doing it to her. Faith will play a role in the next party, yes. Update in a few seconds.

Erin - Tara went up north. Update will be ready in a few seconds.

Writerfreak - That's not exactly what's going to happen, but I'm glad you liked the update.

Beanie - I take your Boo and hisses with pride, but please never again mention Celine Dion in my presence. I wouldn't exactly say that Willow was ready... because, really, can anyone be ready for this sort of thing? Poor Tara assumed (wrongly) Willow knew everything already, was majorly freaked and blamed her for it. I'm not sure I intended the parallel with Willow's magic addiction. (Especially since it's my personal impression/option that Willow was always more addicted to the power, rather than the magic itself), but it's an intriguing thought. You can stop fuming in a few seconds from now.

Paul - Heya, Dartho!

Yeah, I had to crank up the angst factor. Which means, afterwards, I have to crank up the humor factor again. Believe me, I'm looking forward to that, since I kinda hate myself for doing this to our favorite girls.

LOL! Good joke on the outing, though.

Scene : Willow and Tara lay in each other's arms in bed during a moment of afterglow.
Willow : Baby?
Tara : Hm?
Willow : I think I'm kinda gay.
Tara : *frowns* Well, now that you mention it...

Faith's kinda fitting in better than she did on the show. And, of course, Buffy is actively lobbying with her family for acceptance of Faith.

But then things take a turn for the worse, when Willow puts on Tara's cloak. So that's what happens if someone who isn't properly trained, or lacks the Reaper genetic material or whatever, puts on a Reaper's cloak huh? Not nice.

Hm, training versus genes. I'm not sure on that issue yet, but I've definitely betting on training for now. Willow was untrained and unprepared, hence the pain and confusion.

That note, I have to tell you, was one of the most painful things I have ever had to write, and considering I've been writing for five years now, that's saying a lot. I'm happy that you found it moving.

Sacinema - Is Tara a coward for leaving? I haven't given that much thought, actually. On the one hand, she's leaving because she's convinced herself that Willow hates her, so part of it is because is wants to spare herself the pain. Also, she wants to spare Willow the pain of having to see her again, unknowingly and ultimately hurting Willow more by leaving.

Faith will have a role in this whole mess, that's for sure. And I'm only to happy to share this story with my fellow Kittens.

Dianneswillowtree - Sadly, like with so many tragedies, a misunderstanding lies at the heart of it. Glad you like the story.

Viximon - Oh, I'm doing fine. Recovering from a bit of a stomach ache, but otherwise fine. Thanks for asking.

They do love each other very much, but they making some wrong decisions here. Well, mostly Tara in this case. Don't worry, I know the rules of the KB and know how each story must end.

Caz -

Hi UO - Good update but now I want to curl up in a dark corner and cry.

That makes two of us, actually. :(

Yeah, poor willow was terrified. I don't blame her for panicking. Poor Tara's drawn (the wrong) conclusion from it, sadly. A lot of tings to fix.

The person she loves - Thanks. That note was very hard to write for me. Update in a few seconds.

Boschi - Oh, there will be some Faith-heavy chapters in the near future. I like Faith too. Update soonish!

Taralicious - Whoa, a smattering of feedback. Cool! Tara in a cape and latex bodysuit. Wow, there's an image. I have to admit to being a big zombie-movie buff. I must have seen almost all of them. Shaun is one of my favorites too, followed closely by the original Dawn of the Dead and Undead. The painting of Tara's granddad is expected to make a return.

As for Tara's father, he just wants what he thinks is best for his daughter in a very detatched matter of fact way.
He, like a lot of parents, doesn't look at things from the perspective of Tara following her own path and living her life the way she chooses but merely wants to square her away in the safe predictable fashion so he doesn't have to spare any time worrying about her.
out of sight, out of mind.

That's a very astute observation. I see Tara's dad as someone who does care for her, but in a way like you say, keeping her out of trouble and, thus, not having to worry much about her. And yeah, Buffy and Faith are together. Started out with sex, ended up in love.

For all concerned, Buffy has Willow and Faith has Tara who can console and comfort their friends and bring them together before having to face their own crisis.
The shout -out to Foreigner was a nice romantic touch as well

Yeah, the best friends have each other, always. I heard that song in Grand Theft Auto Vice City, found it very romantic and promised myself to use it in a story sometimes. Uh, even though I was doing a driveby at the time.

Chapter 14 - Willow's fish are actually very important to her, which is something I liked to put into the story. Like you say, fish are often ignored as pets because they aren't 'cudly'.

Faith took a big chance, but is hoping it'll pay off. I should also give Joyce more screentime in further parts. I think the awkwardness between her and Faith would be wonderful opportunities for more humor. I have to admit I put in the Dawn/Tara conversation as a precursor to what would happen... and to remind myself what would be happening to Willow and Tara.

What happened to Willow was definitely not an experience worth repeating and she was damn scared. Running out led to a misunderstand and, but continuation of that, misery. :( But I have an idea how to make things better, luckily. Thanks for the FB.

Artemis - Poor me too. :( I hated myself for a moment after writing chapter 14. :( I'm glad you found the letter beautiful. Like I told the others, I had real trouble writing it. I imagined that Tara cried while writing and that her tears stained the paper, yet felt the need to give expression to her feeling.

Willow will be playing detective, and find out a lot. But a lot of questions will be left unanswered until Tara can fill her in. They will have a lot and a lot and a lot of talking to do, that's for sure.

The supernatural side of it will no doubt come as a big shock, and when they get to the part of how Tara first came into contact with Willow that'll be a doozy to get through... but at the end of the day, I think Willow will find that what Tara is, is someone she can be proud of, for what she does.

Very well put. Beautifully put, actually. I've got plenty of ideas left, so this story won't end after this three-part arc. Besides, I need to bring the humor back.

Yeah, I had to put in the goth girl as an amateur vs professional thing. And you're right. Good people get a hug from Tara.

I picked up the Together Forever W&T at an RPG store of all places. I also have the 12 inch Vampire Willow facing off the 12 inch General Grievous. Place your bets everyone! No Columbo Faith action figure, sadly.

Grimlock - I had a whole bit on how the scythes are actually protected in the way you said, but that bit got the axe when I realized it wasn't really necessary. Willow wasn't able to take off the cloak because her legs were phases through the side of the wall. It's a safetly mechanism, really, because Willow'd be a in world of trouble if she'd take off the cloak and her legs would still be in the wall. I don't know if you've ever seen the ST TNG episode where the Pegasus is halfway trapped into a big asteroid... it'd be simular.

Willow blamed herself for running out without giving Tara the change to explain. Granted, it's not logical, because she was having a panic attack at the time, but in cases of love, logic doesn't always apply.

I like the interaction with Faith as well. She's a tough girl, but shows some real feelings underneed. Something I missed in the show at times, hence me not liking Faith much on there.

Thanks! I love Faith. Like you, I wish they'd have made her a little more human on the show. Though there were signs of it, especially in the season four episodes.

Running away wont help Willow one bit. In a way it is avoiding the problem again

Very astute. And that's something she's going to be confronted with. The first time Tara put on a could was when she was four. The Reapers have a long-term training program, so they're comfortable with phasing from a young age. More on that next chapter.

The title, well, yeah. The original plan for this trio of stories was to call them after the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Star Trek films. Of course, that meant having to call this chapter 'The Wrath of Willow', which wasn't very fitting. So, I went for Weeping Willow. Yet, it gave a lot away, but it was too good not to use.

Willowlover - Glad you like the story. I've replied by now and I think you're doing fine so far.

And without further ado. Here comes the update... board software permitting, of course.

[Useful_Oxymoron]

Part two of the 'coming out' sequence of Don't fear the Reaper. One more to go. Some exposition in this part, but it shows off Willow's detective skills.

Title - Don't fear the Reaper.

Chapter 15 : The Search for Tara

Author name - Useful_Oxymoron

Email Address - Viernadevir@hotmail.com

Rating - PG-13. Humor about death isn't everybody's cup of tea.

Disclaimer - Well, I don't own Willow or Tara. If I did, I wouldn't have made certain... questionable decisions in the latter seasons. In any case, Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own these characters and I don't intend to make any money off them.

Feedback- Is cool. It's always nice to know somebody liked the crap I write.

Summary- Now that Willow and Tara have met, Tara must hide her not-so-usual profession from Willow and her friends, while, at the same time, working to build a stable and loving relationship with the lovely Willow.

Notes- Influences for this story: The wonderful film The Frighteners (which everybody should see), lightly Dead Like Me, Terry Pratchett and the Blue Oyster Cult.

Note 2 : Here's the links to the two paintings mentioned in the story.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Triumph_of_Death
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Schwabe

Italics are thoughts and, in this part, the other speaker during a phonecall.

[hr]
Chapter 15 : The Search for Tara

She watched the trees pass by the window as the train plowed its way across a desolate countryside filled with empty fields and the occasional patches of trees. The train carrying her to her new home and post.

Of course, she could just teleport there, but she had opted to travel by train to give herself some time to think things over, deal with her issues. But now, halfway through the trip, she wished she'd just teleported, considering how miserable she felt now and still only being halfway through the trip...

One moment, she had it all. A girlfriend who loved her and whom she loved so much, a beautiful home, friends, a good job. Then, a single, devastating moment... and she'd lost everything.

Tara just... had to get away from Sunnydale as quickly as possible. She just couldn't handle the fact that beautiful Willow hated her now. And why shouldn't she? Tara not only hid things from her, but also endangered her life. The cloak... how could I have been so stupid?! Tara squeezed her eyes shut. Willow had donned the cloak and phased into an ethereal state... without the required training and acclimatization. The Reapers had an intensive training program which starts from the age of 4. A new Reaper would learn how to phase and then remain in an ethereal state for short times to start, not much more than a few seconds. Learning how to phase should be like easing into a hot tub... not dumping yourself in the hot water like Willow accidentally did. The experience must have been so painful and disturbing... and it's all my fault...

Tara found herself reaching for her handbag.

Don't...

But Tara's hands seemed to move out of their own volition.

Please, don't...

Out came a set of pictures. One was of all of them, Herself, Willow, Buffy, Faith, Dawn, Xander and Anya sitting in front of the tents during their last camping trip, smiling happily and eating hotdogs while Xander, being not of the patient, was in the process of running back to the camera to check if he'd set the timer correctly.

Another picture, of herself and of Willow, trying to make silly faces at Buffy who had taken the picture. And then... a picture of her Willow, looking up from her computer and giving her the cutest smile she'd ever... Tara just pressed the picture to chest and cried quietly. No... Not my Willow anymore.

She put the pictures back into her handbag. The pictures and the memories were all she had left now. And she'd start with her new life soon, a new posting... As soon as she'd gotten to the Head Office, she'd asked her baffled coordinator for a transfer. At this point, only one was readily available, for the one and only reason that nobody else wanted it. But she needed to get away, and it suited her fine.

'Loving enough to let her go'... The person who said that should be kicked in the shins... Still, it's only slightly less worse that 'Better to have lost and loved than never having loved at all'. The person who said that should be hit over the head repeatedly with a piece of heavy mining equipment, Tara thought bitterly, only to feel ashamed at having such violent thoughts a moment later.

She opened her eyes and saw someone handing her a paper hankerchief. She looked and saw that the elderly lady she was sharing her compartment with was smiling at her. Tara took the hankerchief and dried her tears.

"It can't be that bad, dearrie," the lady smiled. "It's a matter of the heart, isn't it? Don't worry, dearrie. You'll get over him. You're very pretty and there's plenty of other fish in the sea."

"No," Tara replied softly. "There's nobody else for me."

"Today it feels like the end of the world. But it'll get better with time," said the lady. "Trust me on that one."

---

"You know, Wills," Buffy smiled when she watched Willow play on her computer. "I might not be big on the whole computer game thingy, but even I know that the point of Frogger is to get the frog across the road safely... not steering the frog right in front of a truck."

"Frogs are pure evil," was Willow's only response. "I'm takin' out the trash!"

"Well," Buffy said when moving to Willow's desk. "These are the books you picked up from the library yesterday? 'About Death and After', 'American Way of Death', 'Death and Dying', 'Philosophies of Death', 'Death : Folklore and Legend through the Ages', 'What Happens When We Die?'. Little light reading, Will?"

Willow paused her game. "It's, um, for a project I'm working on for my philosophy minor. Summer course..."

Buffy picked up another book. "'Fundementals of Quantum Mechanics', 'Advanced Quantum Mechanics', 'Quantum Mechanics and Experience'? I feel my IQ shooting through the roof just by reading the titles."

"Buff, thanks for sleeping over," Willow said softly. "It's... just so quiet here with Tara... out of town."

"Yeah, I know," Buffy sighed. "I miss Faith too. She's not returning my calls, so I guess that big insurance fraud case is keeping them really busy."

"Yeah," Willow pouted and avoided her friend's eyes.

"Faith," a dreamy expression took hold of Buffy. "Did you know, of all the people I've dated, she's the quickest to say the L-word to me."

"Lovecraftian?" Willow frowned.

"No!" Buffy smirked. "You know what I mean... It's ironic, really, but of all the guys I've dated, the greatest one turns out to be a girl... Oh, well, gotta get going. Teaching a class... Oh, and you're eating at our house tonight. Dawn's orders. She's making home-made bread. Tara taught her how to bake it."

After Willow and Buffy said their goodbyes, Willow returned to her computer and clicked away the game. Now that Buffy was gone, Willow could continue her research and could finally take off this brave face she'd been wearing around Buffy. A few days ago, when Tara had left, she'd left Willow confused, but determined. Determined to figure out just what had happened to her, and to find the answers to the questions that were plaguing her mind. And determined to find the love of her life and bring her back.

The net, as always, was the tool of her trade. All she had to go on was her weird experience and the odd 'costume' that Tara'd hidden away. Now, obviously, Tara's cloak and probably her scythe too, held some kind of power she had yet to understand. But from reading the books, she knew that Quantum Mechanics allowed the principle of two objects existing simultaneously in the same point in time and space, given the right circumstances. From her experience, Willow knew that this was more than a theoretical premise, and she knew she was dealing with a valid scientific principle, rather than something of a more 'oogy boogey' nature. It gave her some comfort, at least.

Now, dealing with the fact that her girlfriend was the Grim Reaper... now, that was something else. In a weird way, it all made sense. Of course, Death was something that could not be seen, so Death used a cloak to become invisible and move among the people. But the Grim Reaper was a concept... and old concept. First of all, she doubted Tara was as old as that concept was.

And that wasn't the only thing. When she was four, Willow had questioned Xander's belief in Santa Claus, because how could one person bring presents to every single kid on the whole world in one night? Despite the fact that four-year old Xander's answer of 'You're just a girl, what do you know?!' didn't apply here, the same basic principle did: Tara couldn't be the only one, people a lot of people died every day all over the world. So, Willow had come to the conclusion that there had to be lots. Lots and lots and lots of Grim Reapers.

That conclusion led her to delve into ancient and more recent history. Death had always been a profound experience in every culture, and in an effort to understand Death, many cultures personified the concept into something more tangible. Willow wondered if these depictions were really personifications or... something more tangible. The further back in time she went, the vaguer the references.

Art of the Middle Ages gave more evidence, though. Mainly Pieter Breugel's Triumph of Death was a painting that Willow found profoundly disturbing. Death, depicted as an army of demonic skeletons, were killing the people in the painting in a variety of ways, no matter their station in life, while the painting itself was littered with symbols of destruction and decay. Still, there were many other paintings of a very different nature, mostly from later areas. Paintings as La Mort de Fossoyeur showed Death not as an enemy, but as a companion, an angel come from the heavens to alleviate worldly pain and concerns and guide the souls of the dead to their rightful place.

To examine her findings in more recent times, Willow had to look at websites that were more sketchy... but still, the outcome disturbed her. She found her most promising leads on a big site filled with all kinds of conspiracy theories about aliens, three-headed monkeys being bred in captivity and several bullets fired from a grassy knoll. Hidden away in a corner of the site, were a series of pictures, old and new, of famous disasters : the sinking of the Titanic, the Hindenburg crash, the Challenger Space Shuttle... There was some pictures, fuzzy pictures... very fuzzy pictures, of black-robed people being present at all these events. Of course, the site named these people 'Men-In-Black' and claimed them to be aliens scoping out the planet for conquest. The clearest picture on the site was that of a trio of these cloaked people standing in a trench during World War I.

Juxtaposing this, she read personal accounts of people at death beds of family and friends. Many people felt that they weren't alone in their pain, that there was someone else with them, to take care of the person they loved. Angels that carried the souls of their loved ones off to heaven. Almost the complete antithesis of the traditional Grim Reaper-image. Willow found this a confusing contrast.

But the real goldmine turned out to be the runes on Tara's cloak. Willow had to close her eyes, think very hard, and finally was able to write a few of the runes on Tara's cloak on a piece of paper. She found a forum of ancient languages and texts and posted it there. When she returned to the board a few hours later, she found that it was set aflame with discussion, debates and more than one flame war. Many claimed the runes were fake, others that they were real. Amidst the torrent of discussions, Willow met a nice boy called Malcolm, who was a student of ancient languages, and who actually took the time to take a look at it rather than just spouting drivel. According to Malcolm, the runes had a basis in ancient Sumerian cuneiform writings, with elements of Linear B, with heavy influences of Norse Runes and Sanskrit. He also said that these runes looked to be part of an active and developing language that was now stagnating. Though the rune sequence was incomplete, Malcolm had been able to deduce that the runes appeared to be part of some sort of mystical binding spell. The one thing that he had been able to translate for certain was a symbol that was lifted straight from pure Sumerian cuneiform. According to Malcolm, it meant 'Gatherer and Protector of Souls, Superior', and was a sort of rank insignia.

From this all, Willow had been able to draw several conclusions:

A) Death is a real person that walks among us in secret.
B) There were lots of them.
C) There have been lots of them since the dawn of mankind.
D) Evidence had led Willow to believe there were two kinds of these 'Deathbringers', for lack of a better term. One group being all 'Grrrrr, Arrghh' and another group being compassionate and kind.
E) Tara was one of these 'Deathbringers' or whatever they called themselves. She wasn't 100% certain, but she suspected Faith was one as well.

The why and the how of it all was still a mystery to her, and she was hoping Tara'd be willing to shed some light on that, if... No... when. When I find her. Of course, this research did nothing to help her find Tara, but it at least gave her peace of mind.

She checked up on the progress of WillowSnoop, which was a program she had written a while back to do in depth searches among the net servers. It was a little program to help her out when Google wouldn't suffice for a pin-point accurate search. Right now, WillowSnoop was looking for Tara Maclay. Or, at least, any references to her personally. A single check let a disappointed Willow know that still nothing had turned up.

"Tara," Willow whispered to the screen, feeling her eyes brimming with tears yet again. "Tara, where are you?"

Willow sighed heavily and decided to pour herself a cup of tea. Buffy'd put on a pot for breakfast and it was still on the heater pad. Just as she was about to take a sip, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck starting to itch. She turned around and shrieked when she saw a cloaked figure just standing inches away from her. The cloaked figure roughly shoved her against the wall and, before she knew it, Willow was staring at the business end of the scythe pressed against her throat. With a free hand, the cloaked figure, pulled off her hood.

Faith.

"The only reason you're still alive," Faith menaced, "is that Buffy and Tara would never forgive me if I slice you in half!"

"F-f-f-f-f..." Willow gulped, the fact that there's a big sharp object pressed against her throat seriously impaired her ability to speak clearly.

Willow looked into Faith's eyes, but did not see anger there, but rather a sadness. "Do you know what it feels like to hear your best friend crying herself to sleep, knowing there's nothing you can do or say to help her?"

"T-tara?" Willow whispered. "Tara! Where is she?! Please, you have to tell me."

"So you can do what? Tell her to her face that you hate her?" Faith spat. "How could you do that? She loves you, she just... " Willow could see that Faith was crying now,"messed up, that's all she did. She made a mistake... So what?! Big deal! I mess up all the time!"

"H-hate her?" Willow blanched. "Oh, god... Oh, god, please don't tell me she thinks that. I don't hate her. I could never hate her."

"Shut up!" Faith spat. "I'm here to knock some sense into you! If ever loved Tara at all, you'd do your damndest to find her, Red, or I swear, I'll make you regret it!"

"Uhm, Faith?" Willow started to say while looking at her computer. "I, um, was already trying to find her. Cause, you know, when the love of your life makes weird stuff happen that scares you... well, that doesn't mean she isn't still the love of your life. It's not some button in your brain that you can switch off, you know? I can't say 'well, today you were cranky so I love you one-third less' or 'well, today we had icecream together so I love you one-forth more'. When you love someone you love them, no matter what, and I'm really sorry I made Tara think I hate her. I could never hate Tara and I just wish she'd come home so I could tell her that. So that's why I'm trying to find her... I want her to come back..."

Faith bit her lip for a moment.

And nodded.

"Oh."

"Yeah," Willow said, wiping away her tears.

"Well, forget I said anything then. Uh, sorry about the scythe-against-throat-thingy."

"Okay," Willow felt a bit faint.

"So what are you standing here babbling at me for?" Faith said when she took the scythe away and clicked it close. "Go find her already."

"I, uh," Willow pouted. "Kinda don't know where she is yet. Could you, um..."

"If you really love her," Faith interrupted, "you should find her yourself."

"A hint would be good. A teensy little hint to get me on my way? You see, if Tara had used her creditcard to pay for any trips, I'd have found her by now, but... her creditcard is still upstairs, in her dresser."

Faith nodded briefly. "Okay," she said and paced slowly. "She took a train to Canada. She has a new post there."

Willow smiled briefly. "Thanks Faith... Say, while you're here, I..."

"I'm not here to answer any questions, Red," Faith sighed. "I'm going to be answering plenty of questions a little later. Got a... big confession to make."

"Buffy?"

"Yeah..."

Faith brushed past Willow and pulled a cold beer out of the fridge. "Little dutch courage," she smirked to Faith. "I'm scared shitless, Red."

"You're gonna tell her you're one of the 'Death Bringers'?"

Faith blinked. "What have you been snorting, Red? We're called Reapers. But, yeah... 'So, hey, B. Guess what!' No, that wouldn't really work, would it? 'B? Ever hear of the Grim Reaper? Well, here she is!' No, no, no. 'Hey, B! I can start a pandemic. Wanna see?'."

"Pandemic?" Willow blanched. "How about 'I love you very much, Buffy, but there's something I have to tell you'?"

---

After Faith had left, or rather, disappeared right in front of her eyes, Willow still had her clue. Seeing Tara had been travelling by train, she only had to hack into the Amtrak central records to find Tara.

When Willow was seventeen, she had gained a notoriety among the hacking community under the username 'Red Baroness'. To her, hacking had been a way of dealing with Amy's betrayal. For one year, Willow hacked her way through government and corporate networks. Like an avenging angel, she plagued homophobic and other hate-crime related websites with a measure of relentless electronic terrorism that brought their webmasters to tears and made her somewhat of a hero in certain circles of the net. Then, when she felt she was finally starting to deal with her issues in a somewhat more healthy manner, mostly through help from her friends, she stopped... mostly.

But, just for this one time, Willow pulled the Red Baroness out of retirement. She found out that Tara had booked passage for a trip all the way to Edmonton in Canada. Further hacking revealed that Tara was staying at a small hotel.

Willow wasted no time and left for the railway station, stopping by the bank first. Willow had put the money Amy had returned to her on a savings account... but this seemed like a good reason to use that money.

Willow hesitated for a moment, but then flipped open her cellphone and dialed.

"Hello?"

"Dad?" Willow said.

"Willow, it's so good to hear from you," Ira replied. "Your mother isn't here right now. If you want to talk to her..."

"I don't really need to talk to her. In fact, I'd rather not talk to her until next year or so."

"You might not believe this, but your mother does love you, Willow."

"Last week, she literally asked me to stop being gay and grow up," Willow replied with a sigh. "I've had enough, dad. I meant it what I said..."

"Willow..."

"If she asks me that again, she's out of my life. Not that she was in my life much to begin with."

"Willow, I've talked to her. She..."

"I don't want to hear it right now, dad," Willow sighed bitterly. "I can't deal with this now. I'm going to Canada for a little while. To find Tara."

"Did you have a fight with Tara?" Ira asked. "Buffy's mother mentioned that you were upset."

"No," Willow said. "Well, maybe. But... I let this happen. And now I have to make things well again, dad. I have to fix it."

Willow's father remained silent for a while. "Alright, go find the person you love, Willow. Take good care of yourself."

"Dad?" Willow asked. "Would you call Xander and tell him I'll be away for a while? He can fill in the others."

"I will."

"My train's leaving in a couple of minutes," Willow said. "I'll be back when I've found Tara. Love you, dad."

"Love you, Willow."

---

Tara sat in the dreary little cabin just outside the city limits of Yellowknife that the Head Office had arranged for her. It was barren, dark and cold. But she didn't care...

Under different circumstances, Tara would have enjoying exploring the mountain mining town of Yellowknife. There was a gorgeous lake, lovely woods... but, she just couldn't bring herself to it.

Unfortunately, the town of Yellowknife wasn't her assigned post. Rather, her assigned post were the outlying counties, the entire part of the Canadian North Western Territories that was just below the artic circle. She'd learned quickly why nobody ever wanted this post. Already she'd been called to collect: some drunk lumberjack managed to saw himself in half. When arriving onto the desolate mountainside to collect his soul, Tara didn't blame him for drinking on the job. It had to be one of the loneliest places on Earth.

Coming here had been a mistake. Rather than getting away from her feelings and her now lost love, she found herself thinking of Willow all the time and just how much she missed her.

She just threw another log on the fire in a near-futile attempt to get the cabin to warm up a little. The heater was broken, and the repairman wouldn't be around until tomorrow. She rubbed her hands and held them close to the fire. Yet she wondered if the chill inside of her would ever go away.

"Tara, I know it might not look like it now, but this is for the best."

"Dad," Tara sighed. "Stop."

"Tara," he placed his hands on her shoulders. "I'll put in a good word at the Head Office. We'll have you transferred to a more prestigious post. If it's your career you're worried about..."

"I'm not."

"Well, you should be," her father told her. "Trust me, you'll only benefit from not having to deal with a mortal in your life, like I said."

"Dad, please don't say 'I told you so'."

"Tara, I'm just looking out for you."

"Dad, could we just... not do this now?"

Donald nodded and pulled on his hood after saying his goodbyes, leaving Tara to her sorrows. She wanted Faith to be around now... Faith was the only person in the world she had left. But she knew her friend had her own problems right now: she'd stayed with Faith and she had done her best to cheer up Tara... even made her giggle once when Faith had started juggling pomegranates... In the end, Faith had told her she was going to 'come out' to Buffy as a Reaper. She hoped all would go well and that Faith would find happiness with Buffy.

Tara figured she had no one to blame but herself... She truly felt like the loneliest person on the planet.

---

Willow was in a bind. She'd spent a long time on the train feeling a mixture of regret and worry. Regret for not being there for Buffy... who knows what kind of a wiggins she'd be having right now? And worry... for not knowing. What if she couldn't find Tara? Tara could make herself invisible, so if she really didn't want to be found, there'd be no way Willow could ever track her down. Willow was never good at dealing with situations where there were no clear-cut answers. She'd just have to slog on.

After finally arriving in Edmonton, she hurried to the small hotel where Tara had been staying, only to find out that Tara had checked out a few days ago. It was a small country inn, ran by a nice elderly couple, who tried to be helpful. Willow had showed them a picture of Tara and she felt like crying when the lady told her that it was so nice to see a smile on the face of the girl that had been so sad while she stayed with them.

Sadly, they had no idea where Tara had gone to. Tara had met a young couple who were going in her direction and they had given her a lift. Tara had used no cab, no credit card, no train, nothing Willow could track electronically. All she knew was that Tara had gone 'somewhere up north'. Never mind the fact that she could spent all her life scouring the northern regions of Canada and never find a single trace of Tara.

So here she was. A dead end. Not only that, but her money was running out. This trip had been more expensive than she expected.

Willow decided to rent a room at the inn and sleep on it. There wasn't more she could do and a rest might help her organize her mind.

She got ready for bed, changed into her nightshirt and fuzzy-bunny slippers and, almost on a whim, decided to plug her laptop into the port in her room. She checked her mail... nothing from Buffy, which was a good sign. Xander had sent her some more quiz-lists, but at the moment, she wasn't really interested in knowing what kind of potato she was.

Anya had forwarded her some stock tips, Malcolm had some more info the runes which wasn't very helpful right now, some deposed Nigerian prince was offering her money and she really didn't feel any need to get a penis extention. Her dad had sent her a good luck message, she smiled at that one.

Almost on a whim, Willow dialed in to her desktop at home to check on WillowSnoop's progress... and almost fell over backwards when she found that the program had actually found a usable reference. There is was... a lead!

Tara's name was in what seemed to be some kind of personnel list. Willow knew it was relevant because Faith's name was on the list as well. Immediately, Willow entered hacking mode, loosening the Red Baroness on an unsuspecting computer network.

But when she tried to scope out the central network, she was in for a cold shower. Willow reluctantly admitted that she was impressed with the sheer amount of defenses this computer system had. Layers upon layers upon layers of customly designed firewalls and triple data encryption. The place was an electronic fortress: no backdoors, no unprotected ports, no chances. The Red Baroness had met her match.

Willow sighed in frustration. Given a few weeks... months, Willow mentally corrected herself, she might be able to have the run of the place, but she simply didn't have that much time. Her best bet was to go back to the personnel list she had found and take it from there. After some probing, Willow came to the conclusion that the file was on a server that had been somehow overlooked when whoever run this network had put up the defenses.

Sadly, the server didn't field any open ports of backdoors, but it did have a phone number of some sort of regional manager in Los Angeles in another unprotected file.

Willow took out her cellphone, took a few deep breaths and dialed the number. It rang once... twice...

"Good evening"

Willow stiffened when she heard the pleasant voice of a lady on the other side. "Uh, yeah, hello, I..."

"Please key in your personal password" said the lady.

"Great, a recording... And a password," Willow sighed. And without the help of the tools she had on her computer, she could only play the guess game.

She dialed in W-I-L-L-O-W.

"Password incorrect."

I guess that was too much to hope for, Willow sighed. She redialed the number and tried again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And yet again.

And yet yet again.

And yet yet yet again.

This was getting frustrating. She was so close and yet so far away. Come on, Willow. Think. Think! If I were Tara, what would be my password? Come on, think Tara... Think Tara. Okay, I'm Tara now. Hi, everybody, I'm Tara Maclay and I'm deeply and incredibly in love with Willow. Oh, and I'm great in bed and make Willow squirm, moan and intensely satisfied every time we make love. And I, um... I think Willow's good in bed too, or at least getting better. Ah, no, I already tried 'tongue'. Think Tara... Okay, now I'm Tara again. I love my friends and would do anything for them, because that's the way I am. I'm a bit shy, but I'm always there when someone needs me. I have a great sense of humor and...Oh, that's it!

Willow dialed in S-W-E-E-T-I-E. Her heart almost skipped a beat when the phone started ringing. God, what have I gotten myself into? Breathe, Willow, breathe...

---

Darla was stressed. There was no other way to put it. The past few years she had been living in a permanent state of stressy badness. Even though she was in her late twenties, she already had a nice little family of ulcers growing in her stomach.

When she was offered this position, it all sounded to wonderful. A cushy deskjob, they'd told her. No more field-work, they'd told her. Good pay, they'd told her. Of course, what they didn't tell her was that her office staff would be reduced from 12 to 2 right after she was assigned to become Collector Coordinator of the state of California. How did that make sense?

She was just about to fill out a form in triplet for the umpteenth time today, when the phone rang. She cursed and ripped the receiver off the hook. "What? What?! WHHHAAAAAT!!!" she screamed into the phone.

"Uhhh..." sounded on the other side of the line, more of a strangled croak than an actual coherent answer.

"I'm a busy woman, so speak up!"

"Oh. OH! Oh, hi, I'm, um, looking for Tara Maclay, please?"

"Well, you're too late," Darla replied. "She tranferred to another sector just a few days ago. Shame to lose her, really. She was competent and dedicated. Now, if that's everything?"

"WAIT! Don't hang up. Um, could you tell me where she is now?"

Darla remained silent for a moment. "Who is this?"

"This? Oh, you mean, me?"

"Yes, you."

"..."

"Well?"

"That's a stupid question!" Darla heard the voice on the other end of the line say. Darla punched up a couple of numbers on the phone, revealing that the caller wasn't calling from inside the Head Office. Great, Darla sighed. "A Field Operative. And with that level of arrogance it can only be a Head Hunter."

"You people really are ghouls," Darla spat. "It's bad enough that you steal my crew away, but that you have to take advantage of a poor girl like Tara when she's down on her luck is really low."

"Huh? Oh, no, no! I'd never do that. I just... want to talk to her, that's all. Make sure she's okay."

"Ah, you're councillor!" Darla sighed. "Why didn't you tell me that before. Are you..."

"Yeah, I... want to make sure she's alright and maybe even convince her to come home and... go back, uh, doing death related stuff?"

"So you're telling me to keep her post open and available for her, is that is?"

"Yes! Definitely available, cause she's coming back. I'm sure she's coming back! In fact, don't even think about giving away her post."

"Fine, I'll keep the position open for now. Tara lives at... Ah, here it is. Pine Road 2 in Yellowknife in the Canadian Northern Territories. Death only knows what possessed her to take that post. She must really have had her heart broken badly."

Again, there was that strangled croak on the other end of the line.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm going to bring her back," sounded the voice on the other line, laced with determination. "Count on it."

"Good," Darla said. "Now, if that was everything, I've got work to do," Darla concluded and hung up the phone. Honestly, some people.

---

Willow felt like doing a backflip across the room... but then remembered she wasn't much of a gymnast and just let out a 'yippeee'. It hit just what she had just done and mentally patted herself on the shoulder for being such a wickedly good sleuth. She'd have to get underway immediately, before Tara'd move on. She had to see her, had to make things better.

Just as she had ran outside the room, she realized she was in her nightshift... and when she went back to her room, she found out the door had shut behind her and her keys were inside.

But not even that could spoil her mood.

---

Tara lay on her couch, quietly reading. Not many people had needed her yet, except for that one lumberjack. She got the impression not many people died... or rather, lived, up there. And so here she was, feeling alone and without purpose. No neighbors to talk to, and she really didn't feel liking going into town right now.

She closed her book and put it on the table. She just couldn't get into it.

Tara suddenly heard a knock on her door. She almost dismissed it as a figment of her imagination, but then she heard it again.

Wondering who it could be, Tara strolled over to the wooden door and opened it, only to experience the shock of a lifetime.

"W-w-willow?" Tara stammered when she saw Willow standing at her front door, hugging herself but still shivering. She wasn't dressed for the cold weather this far north.

"Tara," Willow sniffed. "I've found you! I've really found you!"

Like a speeding bullet, Willow rushed inside and wrapped her arms around Tara. A baffled Tara slowly returned the hug, feeling Willow's body pressing into hers. The smell of her hair. Her breath brushing her skin. The closeness of it all.

It felt so good.

It felt so right.

"Willow, you're f-f-freezing," Tara said, when felt just how cold Willow was. "I... I'll w-warm some c-c-chocolate milk for y-you."

"Tara, wait, I... I don't hate you, Tara," Willow said. "I could never hate you."

Tara didn't answer. She was afraid she'd fallen asleep while reading and this was nothing more than a hopeful dream. And even if it was a dream, she wanted to savor it.

Willow took her hands and squeezed gently. Oh, goddess... this is real... She's really here!

"Tara, baby," Willow sniffed. "I... I want you to tell me everything. I'll listen, I promise. And we'll deal with it."

"E-everything," Tara replied with a smile.

"I love you, and I missed you." Willow cried. "Most of all... I just want you to come home."

The two crying lovers embraced again, sharing tears of happiness now.

"Tara?"

"Sweetie?"

"I could really use a cup of hot chocolate now. I've lost feeling in all my limbs."

Tara took a moment to rub away Willow's tears. "Coming right up, sweetie."
[hr]

I feel all fuzzy now, but our gals aren't completely out of the woods yet.

[BigBlueEyes]

Eep! I love this story, it's so cute. I can't wait for more. Keep up the amazing work.

[caz]

Thank God for Willow's persistence!

Faith was wonderful for sticking up for her friend. Now she's got her own confession to make - gulp!

Our girls are together again. Lets hope that Tara can be posted back to Sunnydale.

Caz

[spells42]

Hooray for Tuesdays! 'cos that's when we get another update of your great fic to read.

What a lucky break for Willow, not only to find out where Tara had gone but to also keep her position in Sunnydale open. She deserved it after all the sleuthing. I wonder if Faith's 'confession' has gone ok in the meantime. Looking forward to finding out (except I think I detect the beginning of the end of this story, and I donwanna see that . Perhaps you could keep posting every week for ever?).

BTW, had to chuckle at this:

"Frogs are pure evil," was Willow's only response. "I'm takin' out the trash!"

Probably suited her mood at the time. Although I can't help thinking that Willow would never hate (all) frogs if she'd been introduced to the Tree Frogs I had in my garden as a kid. Some tiny enough to fit on a fingernail, lime green and cream, complete and perfect. (If you're interested: http://www.qmuseum.qld.gov.au/features/frogs/common_graceful.asp)

Anne

[WillowRulez]

Ohmy, this story always makes me laugh and laugh till I spit out my water. For some reason this line: [blockquote]No, no, no. 'Hey, B! I can start a pandemic. Wanna see?'." "Pandemic?" Willow blanched.[/blockquote] had me giggling like a total maniac.
Also, Willow playing Frogger? Priceless.
Nice to see how differently Willow & Tara were dealing with their heartaches. Tara crying and Willow researching instead of falling into depression. I never imagined Xander to be the person to send quiz-lists around but hey, nice touch! I usually like them But I dont need to know what kind of potato I am... Anyway! Moving on.
[blockquote]Some deposed Nigerian prince was offering her money and she really didn't feel any need to get a penis extention[/blockquote]
Grrr, don't you just love those emails???
[blockquote]Ah, no, I already tried 'tongue'.[/blockquote] Loved the whole bit! Ah, I love it all, who am I kidding?
P.S.: Can I have the head office's number? I wanna talk to Darla tooooo

[Willowtree252]

yes thay are back together and Tara knows willow loves her.

[viximon]

AWWWWWWWWWWWW At last. Willow just is scary when resolved like that. I mean, she found Tata through it was almost imposible. Her hackerself sure is dangerous, lucky she's good, if not CIA and company will be out of their minds with someone like the RedBaroness around. Hope they will be together and back home any time now. I wish Faith and Buffy are coping allright too
Anyway, there's something about Willow and the reapers now...I mean, before she could sense them somehow, but after her cloack experience she CAN see them. (She saw Faith before she took her hood out) How's that??

Ok, saying good bye now. Take care Oxy
See you around next chap

[Willowlover]

Yay ch.15. I have to say you did a good job getting Willow and Tara back together. I thought your use of Darla was amazing (Corpral Grunt!)
I acn't wait for the next ch. I want to see how buffy deals with faith. I also wouldn't mind another ch. with Willow and Tara Together through the whole ch.

[Darth Pacula]

G'day, UO.

We open on a desolate Tara, wrapped within her own misery as if a substitute for her usual Reaper's cloak, speeding into the boondocks as she attempts to hide from the pain of losing everything that had come to mean so much to her.

Hey! I though you were lightening up on the angst here!

Is it just me, or was anyone else a little disturbed that the Reapers start training their kids at the tender age of 4? Sure, it's the best time to start training them, but ... c'mon! When I was four ... um ... I think all I was doing was crashing into stuff and playing silly buggers for the most part.

Then we come to Willow, who seems almost normal. At first I was 'what the hell!' before you revealed she was just putting up a brave front. I guess I'm as clueless as Buffy then.

The Frogger bit was a crack up, though.

"Faith," a dreamy expression took hold of Buffy. "Did you know, of all the people I've dated, she's the quickest to say the L-word to me."

"Lovecraftian?" Willow frowned.

Yes, it's not true love if it doesn't conjure images of Call of Cthulhu!

The details of Willow's research was interesting to read, and the little Xander anecdote was suitably hilarious. I especially liked your use of Malcolm; it was a perfect choice for a cameo, though I assume there will be no horned robots this time?

Evidence had led Willow to believe there were two kinds of these 'Deathbringers', for lack of a better term. One group being all 'Grrrrr, Arrghh' and another group being compassionate and kind.

Was this a reference to my favorite studio mascot-thingy?

Yay for Faith though! Yay for protective friends in general! Less yay for the potential for harm when you put klutzy Willow and the words 'scythe at her throat' together. It was very reminiscent of Willow's definitely non-vague disclaimer from season 4.

Huzzah for the Red Baroness! Huzzah! (You'd never tell I like medieval fairs and the like, would you? )

Tut, tut on Tara for using an actual word for a password. You're never supposed to do that. Even if I do it too.

about Darla. I love her method of answering the phone, but who hasn't had days like that?

Willow felt like doing a backflip across the room... but then remembered she wasn't much of a gymnast and just let out a 'yippeee'.

and

Just as she had ran outside the room, she realized she was in her nightshift... and when she went back to her room, she found out the door had shut behind her and her keys were inside.

See, it lines like these that make me like your writing so much.

I feel all fuzzy now, but our gals aren't completely out of the woods yet.

Yes, but there's light at the end of the tunnel now! Woo and hoo!

Cheers,
Paul.

[Darth Pacula]

G'day, UO.

We open on a desolate Tara, wrapped within her own misery as if a substitute for her usual Reaper's cloak, speeding into the boondocks as she attempts to hide from the pain of losing everything that had come to mean so much to her.

Hey! I though you were lightening up on the angst here!

Is it just me, or was anyone else a little disturbed that the Reapers start training their kids at the tender age of 4? Sure, it's the best time to start training them, but ... c'mon! When I was four ... um ... I think all I was doing was crashing into stuff and playing silly buggers for the most part.

Then we come to Willow, who seems almost normal. At first I was 'what the hell!' before you revealed she was just putting up a brave front. I guess I'm as clueless as Buffy then.

The Frogger bit was a crack up, though.

"Faith," a dreamy expression took hold of Buffy. "Did you know, of all the people I've dated, she's the quickest to say the L-word to me."

"Lovecraftian?" Willow frowned.

Yes, it's not true love if it doesn't conjure images of Call of Cthulhu!

The details of Willow's research was interesting to read, and the little Xander anecdote was suitably hilarious. I especially liked your use of Malcolm; it was a perfect choice for a cameo, though I assume there will be no horned robots this time?

Evidence had led Willow to believe there were two kinds of these 'Deathbringers', for lack of a better term. One group being all 'Grrrrr, Arrghh' and another group being compassionate and kind.

Was this a reference to my favorite studio mascot-thingy?

Yay for Faith though! Yay for protective friends in general! Less yay for the potential for harm when you put klutzy Willow and the words 'scythe at her throat' together. It was very reminiscent of Willow's definitely non-vague disclaimer from season 4.

Huzzah for the Red Baroness! Huzzah! (You'd never tell I like medieval fairs and the like, would you? )

Tut, tut on Tara for using an actual word for a password. You're never supposed to do that. Even if I do it too.

about Darla. I love her method of answering the phone, but who hasn't had days like that?

Willow felt like doing a backflip across the room... but then remembered she wasn't much of a gymnast and just let out a 'yippeee'.

and

Just as she had ran outside the room, she realized she was in her nightshift... and when she went back to her room, she found out the door had shut behind her and her keys were inside.

See, it lines like these that make me like your writing so much.

I feel all fuzzy now, but our gals aren't completely out of the woods yet.

Yes, but there's light at the end of the tunnel now! Woo and hoo!

Cheers,
Paul.

[Artemis]

So, how many of Buffy's boyfriends have said the word 'Lovecraftian'?

Willow and Tara were just heartbreaking - Tara in her grief, knowing (so far as she knows) that she'd lost it all, and Willow in her refusal to give up, because she just couldn't face the prospect that it's over. I really liked (i.e. 'was heartbroken by') Tara on the train, heading away from Willow - especially the parallel between herself, unable to stop herself bringing out the photo, and Willow earlier, doing the same with her old photos of Amy when she was worried that Tara was another of the same.

Willow's search was inspiring though - she never let go, and in the end she did it, she found her Tara, through rain and snow and gloom of night. Nice verbal footwork dealing with Darla, "That's a stupid question," And full marks to Willow for working out as much as she did about the Reapers - granted she had the benefit of knowing (very roughly) what she was looking for, but I think Tara might be surprised how much Willow figured out on her own.

That painting of death as an angel was perfectly chosen, by the way - that's exactly how I'd imagine a Collector like Tara would be depicted, and it's a very effective and lasting countermeasure to the negative associations the usual 'grim reaper' figure carries.

And I got a big chuckle out of Faith's redundant, but very sincere, effort to get Willow to go find Tara and make things right. I hope it goes okay with her and Buffy.

Speaking of things going okay, Willow and Tara may be over the first ginormous hurdle, but Tara's still got to tell Willow about the circumstances of their first 'meeting'. That won't be easy. But now that Willow's trekked through the wilds of Canada to find Tara, I can't see her up and leaving again.

(Incidentally, probably just because I'm in Australia, the whole idea of being able to take a train to another country is really strange to me...)

[taralicious]

UO,
What I have come to admire most about this series, apart from it being well-written and poignant, is how erudite and well-rounded it is in terms of various artistic genres and references.
The two paintings you linked to are both powerful works of art expressing Death in its many forms through the ages.
The first scene of Tara's train journey to her new posting in the remote Canadian wilderness should be filmed in one of those long takes with Tara reflected in the glass from the window and the trees reflected back against her face as they moved swiftly past, the sun shining in her face and shadow when it went behind a cloud, the sun I mean.
The photos of she, Willow, and the others are so tempting to Tara in a "my that hot stove looks inviting, I think i'll put my hand on it" sort of way that she has no choice but to turn that cold steel a little further into her lower intestine.
Ah yes, you are speaking my language with the mention of "Frogger"; how many countless hours did I spend as a youth trying to get that sodding frog across the road?
Now this is the Willow we all love, one who puts her unparalleled Internet hacking skills to good use, all bow down before the Red Baronness as she wields the savvy to bend any computer jiggery-pokery to her will in order to compile the information she needds to make an informed decision as to Tara's whereabouts.
Faith, for her part, knows nothing of subtlety or refinement. She'll just go Medieval on Willow's ass when the gloves come off and she thinks Willow has hurt Tara.
This is a distinction between Tara's Rube Goldberg mixed with Machiavelli approach when seeking vengeance against Amy.
Faith seeks vengeance against Willow and tells her that she came to Willow's place to chew some bubble gum and kick some ass and she's all out of bubble gum so slit Willow's throat with the scythe, it is.
Faith's reaction to Willow's admission that she could never hate Tara is befitting Faith as well "Whoops, my, as they say, bad."
I would advise Faith not to use the word 'pandemic' either as it it has become devalued as an arbiter of destruction since too many people love to bandy it around in relation to this bird flu scare.
Is Darla wearing a schoolgirl uniform as she's talking on the phone to Willow? I always loved her dressed that way the most.
Like the Beatles singing "Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter... Here Comes the Sun..." that's how i felt as Willow stood on Tara's doorstep and rushed in to embrace her lover and inhale her essence denied her through miscommunication and fear of rejection.
I hope there is some Willow/Tara make-up sex pretty soon-hint hint.

[The person she loves]

i like it i really do. i like the more emotional Faith it is very nice to see how much she cares about Tara. and i cant wait to see how Buffy takes the whole reaper thing. and the line that made me laugh my ass of was when willow was playing frogger.

[quote] "Frogs are pure evil," was Willow's only response. "I'm takin' out the trash!"


It was wonderful!! and the ending was so sweet i cant wait to see what hppens next! update soon!!!

[AlysonGoddess]

awww yay super update! sorry i dont have anything to say other then that but im super tired and have class in the am so maybe more feedback later! Pz update soon!11
erin