hi everybody
just a short one... and just so that everyone doesn't worry about Willow a little appearence by her as well...
hope you enjoy and this tides everyone over on updates until tomorrow... take care kath and beth
Madalene untied the light wool cardigan she had looped around her waist and slowly pulled it on as they entered the parking lot of the second rate motel. She was superficially glad as they had exited that Xander had been there, if only to stop the lecherous older man at the front counter from eying her every time she moved. It seemed even in his perversion he appreciated the stout young man’s presence.
“Is there somewhere in particular to get this magical applesauce?” She questioned her companion as they walked with her vague guidance towards the nearest corner store.
“Oh no, it’s not magical.” Xander shook his head. “I mean yeah Tara was a witch but you know that doesn’t mean like everything she likes was like witchy.” He laughed nervously.
“It was a joke.” She looked at him a bit confused.
“Oh yeah, of course.” Xander blushed more.
“It appears I make you nervous.” She pointed out hoping to get whatever stumbling block they had out of the way.
“Hey me nervous.” He laughed shrugging his shoulders. “Yeah ‘kay. You are kinda imposing.”
“Imposing?” Madalene laughed lightly. “I’m half your size and not very strong at that. You have nothing to fear of me Xander. You have a good heart and are a loyal friend.” She smiled at him.
“I’m sounding kinda like a dog.” Xander grinned happy with the appraisal. “Does Tara remember my snoopy dance?” He looked worried. “She only saw it once as far as I know, but I can understand if that confused her.”
“I’m not sure, perhaps a demonstration would help.” The witch laughed a bit at his enthusiasm.
“I’m being kinda goofish aren’t I?” Xander apologised as he realized what he was saying. “You see I recognize it these days, ever since I was spilt and then put back together. I can know when the goof Xander is at the front and this is when I over compensate by being all suave and sophisticated.” The young man dug his hands further into his pockets.
“You were split?” Madalene questioned still smiling at his attempt to include her.
“Yeah by this demon called Toth, there was this thing, I got split into two people. It was you know intense.” Xander filled in the brief explanation.
“Sounds it. Though I have to be honest and say it’s comforting to have a group of people that take what I say about magic and demons on face value.” Madalene stopped at the sidewalks end waiting for the light to change.
“Well the fact you didn’t walk in wielding a large sword or with black eyes floating off the ground kinda helped your case.” Xander answered honestly with another shrug.
“I don’t know how to wield a broadsword and I assure you I have no need and especially no desire to use black magic?” Madalene promised him.
“Then we’re gonna get along just fine.” Xander kicked at a pebble lying on the sidewalk he watched it bounce along down the sidewalk as they continued at the prompting of the green light.
*****
Buffy hung by the bedroom door unsure she actually wanted to enter. There had been muffled sounds coming from within the room for some time which told the Slayer that her friend was awake but as the redhead had not appeared out of the room Buffy had decided that most probably Willow was having a ‘bad’ start to the day.
“Hey Will.” Buffy wrapped lightly in the door as she pushed down the handle and opened it.
“Hi Buffy.” Willow looked up as she yanked at the corner edge of the bottom sheet trying to free it from around the mattress.
“Hi…” Buffy took a few steps into the room. It took moments for the Slayer to take in the scene before her and fully comprehend what she was seeing. “Wash day?”
“They need changing.” Willow nodded as she finally sprung the corner free. As she did she lost her footing slightly and ended up falling back onto her butt on the carpet.
“Well yeah I was gonna do it...” Buffy hurried forward just missing her falling friend. “Hey steady.”
Willow looked up at the Slayer and blinked for a moment before she started laughing.
“Ow my butt.” She giggled as she leaned her hand back to rub the throbbing muscle.
Buffy scanned her friend’s face for a long moment and then felt herself relax. The sound of once familiar laughter was such a comforting one.
“Well it’s kinda bony Will.” She chuckled.
“I do not have a bony butt.” Willow laughed more as she pushed up and began balling up the sheet. “And you’re one to talk slayer girl.”
“What!” Buffy spun round a little trying to get a look at her own butt. “I have a good butt, it’s a slayer butt.”
“You’re butt is fine.” Willow laughed more as the blonde got worried.
“Are you sure?” Buffy moved over to look in the full-length mirror to get a proper look at her backside.
“You worry too much.” Willow assured her. “Did you bring my meds up?”
“Yeah they’re with a drink on a little tray, I left it outside just let me get it.” Buffy moved to the door as Willow sat down as she balled up the rest of the bedclothes and waited for her to return.
“Here we go.” Buffy returned moments later. “How you feeling?” She checked as she sat down on the stripped bed.
“Okay, a bit sore.” Willow rubbed at her arm before she took the slim glass of water off the tray and slowly swallowed each of her pills. “How are you?”
“Concerned for my slayer butt.” Buffy joked. “I did a quick check over of you, I don’t think you hurt yourself last night.”
“I’m sorry I don’t always remember to ask, things get so jumbled sometimes I mean too and then it’s like whoosh a half hour goes by and I can’t even remember if I did.” She finished off the water and put the glass down.
“It’s ok, no need for sorries.” Buffy’s voice was soft and caring.
“I know how hard it is for you.” Willow’s voice went soft as well but didn’t hold any of its usual distance or cloudiness.
“Hard shmard.” Buffy blew up into her hair and waived her hand giving her best friend a loving smile.
“I’m trying you know.” Willow stood up and looked down at Buffy. “I’m trying but it gets so hard sometimes.”
“Trying to?” Buffy couldn’t quite understand where Willow was coming from so suddenly.
“I know...” Willow tried to explain but she stopped and rethought her words. “I am aware sometimes really that...” She stopped again. “I mean I know it seems like I don’t but I do... know.”
“Know?” Buffy frowned feeling a little confused with both Willow’s apparent lucidity and her words that quite frankly made no sense to the Slayer.
“She’s dead.” Willow’s voice was a hushed whisper as her thin arms came up around her body. “My Tara is dead.” She walked off towards the window.
“Willow I...” Buffy felt her heart lodge in her throat as her eyes followed Willow across the room. Since that day on the road when Willow had choked the life out of the Warrenbot there had been no real talk of Tara. Of course there had been lots of screaming, sobbing and random acts of profound sadness but never any straightforward talk of it.
“I get stuck.” The redhead unwound her arm and reached up to rest her palm flat on the glass. “In that little moment before she was gone, when she was still mine, when everything made sense and I still had hope.” Her voice ended on a bland distant note.
“Hope is good Willow.” Buffy pushed off the bed and made a slight move towards her friend. “Tara will always be yours.” The Slayer whispered resting her hand on Willow’s shoulder.
The redhead didn’t seem to listen or notice as her hand shook slightly against the glass but other than that she stayed motionless. Buffy traced the slight tremor in Willow’s arm with her eyes, coming to rest on a small pale hand.
“Let’s get you someplace comfy.” She reached slowly down Willow’s arm and closed her fingers over the redhead’s attempting to ease the thin fingers off the glass. The redhead let herself be guided away, the warmth in her hand leaving a small patch of condensation on the glass for a moment as Buffy moved her towards her favorite spot on the couch.
******
“So imported bottled water.” Anya sipped at her small glass and smiled at the blonde who was propped up on the bed. “You’re really coming up in the world.”
“Apparently Dawnie was adamant I should have the best. Thank you for bring my things, oh and helping pick out a different outfit.” Tara pointed to the set of clothes on the spare bed.
“You’re quite welcome.” Anya smiled broadly. “So when are you going to see Willow?”
For the first time that day Tara seemed a little taken back by the question, she looked at the vengeance demon hesitantly.
“I-I-I’m not sure.” She admitted quietly. “Buffy thinks i need to be better before I see her.” She put forward the Slayer’s take on the subject.
“You know you don’t have to listen to Buffy but being able to walk might make Willow not freak out.” Anya tried to be supportive.
“Oh yes I understand that. I feel much better today.” The blonde attempted an up beat positive comment. “Stronger.” She tried to pin point exactly what felt different. “More together I guess.” She attempted an appraisal.
“You should get the big witch to do more magic on you.” Anya encouraged.
“I think that was very tiring for her and I’m not sure how much good it did.” Tara frowned softly. “I mean I am sure it did a lot of good, it’s just that, it seemed to get really bad, later in the evening, but then eased right off.” She shook her head a little obviously quite perplexed by it.
“Around eight or nine?” Anya raised her eyebrow as she questioned.
“I’m afraid I have no idea of time frames Anya.” Tara said apologetically. “And it’s like this morning, there’s hardly a trace of it.” She lifted her hand and flexed her long fingers for a moment.
“You could be having a sun cycle thing.” Anya poised thoughtfully. “Maybe this latent power feeds off sunlight, sorta like you’re an anti-vampire. Cause I mean I’ve wracked my brain and I don’t know why you’re a part demon.”
“Sorry,” She apologised trying not to laugh too openly. “But that phrase makes me chuckle.”
“Anti-vampire?” Anya questioned.
“No, no, a part demon. I expect to look down and find I have a long pointy tail or something.” The blonde’s blue eyes crinkled with laughter.
“You’d be damn lucky to have a tail but unfortunately you don’t have that much demon in you.” Anya smiled sadly at her. “I knew a gorgeous demon witch with a tail once back about four hundred years ago. She threw the best virgin sacrifice parties. I mean I went more for the parties than the sacrifices but you know go with the flow right.”
“Four hundred years?” Tara stared at Anya.
“Tara you know this, I’m 1200 years old.” Anya stated proudly. “And still have an ass you can bounce quarters off of.”
“Oh!” Tara blushed a little at the demon’s imagery. “Well you do have a lovely ass?” She said trying to be polite.
“Thank you but remember I’m not gay like you and Willow. I love Xander... well I did love him till he stood me up... oh damn I still love him. Do you think he was being sincere earlier?” She questioned flustered.
“Sincere? When?” Tara looked up confused.
“When he said you were braver than him? Obviously meaning that you’d never stand up Willow at the altar cause of one stupid made up vision of a horrible future, cause your love would be stronger than that.” Anya went on trying to get an answer. “I mean we’ve been apart for along time in human relationship terms, should I forgive him now?”
“Xander stood you up?” Tara’s blue eyes widened as she thought of the young man who had been there earlier didn’t connect with one of a scared young man running from a wedding. He had seemed so nice, so genuine.
“It was horrible, that’s when I went back to being a demon cause I wanted to wish his entrails out of his stomach but I couldn’t do it.” Anya filled in.
“Because you still love him.” Tara reasoned.
“I do, damn you could always see through me.” Anya smiled at the blonde. “But I don’t know how to fix it cause he doesn’t want to seem to fix it. He’s just all living with the guilt and not moving on.”
“If he’s so full of guilt it must be because some of him at least regrets what he did.” Tara reasoned. “Regrets hurting you.”
“I’m glad you’re back, I missed talking with you.” Anya conceded for once letting go of a Xander conversation before someone else. Tara smiled at the vengeance demon, but suddenly a frown flashed across her face.
“The glass is cold.” She said oddly.
“The what is what?” Anya frowned immediately. “Are you feeling alright?”
Tara lifted her hand up holding it flat upright in front of her for a moment, before blinking slowly and looking at Anya almost blankly.
******
"I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine."
by mollyig » Wed Jun 12, 2002 12:47 pm 
Nice update! And a really good Anya/Xander interaction. 
at: 6/14/02 3:23:51 pm
at: 6/14/02 7:09:08 pm
All she needs now is her Tara. I'm just wondering how you are going to have the reunion take place. Will that be soon? 
Willow needs her Tara.