Zampsa1975: Glad you enjoyed the update.
I hope I can make your wishes come true in this next chapter. Hope you like it!
FIRESIGN: I hope this chapter is long enough for you. . .Took me forever to write it. But I hope it's good. And thanks for reading!
Cyteach: I have 5 brothers and three sisters...I promise you're not missing out on much. LOL But if I had a sister like Rachel, I might think about it differently.
Hope you enjoy the next chapter and thanks for reading. (I hope you're enjoying my story as much as I'm enjoying yours.
)
Alex_Vixen: I'm happy you enjoyed the update and I hope you enjoy this one, too. I put a lil smooch in it just for you! LOL BTW, I LOOOOOVED the Epilogue of SNS. All-growed-up Amber made me tear up a little.
taysla: I hope I'm not the cause of you getting strange looks at the workplace. . .
If I am, I'm sorry and it won't happen again. I hope you like the next chapter!
crushdisaster1104: LOL, I'm glad you enjoyed the update...There will be more kissage in the near future...So keep reading! Hope you enjoy the next chapter.
love_2003: Don't you love when the truth comes out, so to speak? I don't really have sister talks with my sisters because they're so much older than me...and they kinda suck at the talking part. I'm the talkative one of the clan, and I'm still pretty tame, lol. Hope you enjoy reading the next chapter!
rhh21: Yes! I love the "whoop whoop!" And Rachel has finally made the leap, so read the next chapter to find out how far she jumped! Hope you like it!
Codyteddyh: Thanks so much! I was getting upset about Tara always being in not-so-healthy family environment. I didn't want her to suffer here. Our favorite blonde Wiccan deserves some familial peace! I hope you enjoy the next update!
Title: Wishes Do Come True
Author: angieb86 b.k.a. Angela
Feedback: I love it and live for it. . .Makes me better at what I attempt to do.
Spoilers: None.
Setting: AU. Willow and Tara meet in the most magical place on earth...They get to know each other with the help of some new friends and some old ones, too.
Rating: Overall PG-13, but maybe more mature ratings later....
Disclaimer: Please don't sue me ME. I'm a broke college student.
Note: This chapter is centered around the Beck/Rachel dilemma. So if you're not interested in them, then feel freeeee to skip this chapter. Don't worry, though, W/T action will be in the next chapter!
Chapter 10CTara slowly put down her fork. She stared at her sister for a long time, watching the tears fall down her cheeks. She moved around to the other side of the table, grabbing an extra chair and putting it next to her sister. Tara sat down and held Rachel close as she cried, thankful that the restaurant she chose wasn’t too full of people yet. “Oh, Rachel. Why didn’t you say something sooner, sweetie?”
Rachel sniffled, rubbing her face on the sleeve of Tara’s shirt. “Because I thought it would go away, you know. I thought it was just one of those straight girl crushes that everyone gets.” She looked at Tara, her eyes shining with a fresh batch of tears. “But it never went away, Tare. I’ve had these. . .feelings for almost a
year now. How can I be in love with a
girl, Tara? And not just any girl, but my best friend? God, how twisted am I? I am totally stuck in the friend zone, with no hope of coming out.” She looked at the amused grin on her sister’s face. “Only you, Tara. Yes, pun
is intended.”
Tara kissed her sister on the forehead before allowing her to sit all the way up and lean on the table. “First of all, Rachel, I thought having me as a sister taught you a little something about love.”
“Tara, you’ve never been in love.”
Tara sighed. “A tiny, insignificant detail. But listen to me, little sister.”
Rachel dried her eyes. “I’m listening.”
“Rachel, love isn’t about gender or color or any of that physical stuff. It’s about the heart. And the heart of the matter is that I’m almost positive that you’re in love with Beck. I know you’ve like guys, Rachel, but the way you’re talking about this situation. . .I think you have real feelings for Beck. And that’s okay. You guys have known each other since you were barely out of diapers. You grew up together, you guys played together. You told each other your secrets and dreams. You guys even went through
puberty about the same time. Tell me, how many things have you done in your life without Beck around?”
There was no hesitation in Rachel’s reply. “None. She’s been with me, beside me, and for me through. . .everything.”
Tara smiled. “See? How could you
not be in love with the girl? I don’t even have a friend like that.”
“What about Oz? He’s one of your good friends.”
“And how much of a friend is he going to think I am when he finds out that I’m currently interested in his beloved Willow?”
“Yeesh. Good point.”
“But back to you, Rachel, you’re heart is pulling you in a different direction. Go with it because if you don’t follow your heart, you’re going to regret it.”
“I’m
scared, Tara.”
“It’s okay to be scared, too. You don’t have to shout it to the rooftops, but it is imperative that you talk to Beck. And sooner rather than later.”
“What if she hates me, Tara? What if she doesn’t want to be my best friend anymore?”
Tara laughed. “I really don’t think you have to worry about that, Rachel.”
“Why not?”
“Rachel, I know you’re not
that dense. . .”
“Tara, what are you talking about?”
Tara looked at her sister and shook her head. “Maybe so. My mistake.”
Rachel looked momentarily hurt. “Did you just call me dense?”
“Yes. Payback for gettin’ huffy with me earlier.” Tara smiled, grateful that her sister knew she was just joking. “Look, just go find her, will you? All you’ve been doing is pushing your food around your plate, worrying yourself sick. Go find her now, tell her how you feel about her. I’ll cover your lunch.”
“I think she went to MGM today. I’m going to catch a shuttle. I’ll call you later, Tara.”
Tara nodded and waved with a smile. She saw Rachel turn around and head back toward the table. She reached down and threw her arms around her sister and gave her a peck on the cheek. “Thanks, Tara. I hope you know that I love you very much.”
“I know you do. And I love you back. Now get outta here! Go find your girl!”
Rachel smiled and wiped the happy tears from her cheek. “Okay.”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Willow, Buffy and Faith stood in line, waiting to ride the Tower of Terror.
“I can’t believe it’s a two hour wait for this ride,” Willow said, impatiently shifting her weight back and forth.
“Yeah, but it’s totally worth it. I heard it’s one of the coolest rides here, along with that Aerosmith indoor roller coaster.” Faith looked at the redhead, who was fidgeting. She laughed. “Calm down, Red. You’re gonna make a hole in those sneakers. You have to be thinkin’ of that Princess of yours. . .”
Willow blushed and looked away from the amused faces of Buffy and Faith. She looked down at her watch. It was just after two and Willow was contemplating calling Tara and asking how lunch with Rachel went.
They should be done with lunch by now, right? I mean, it doesn’t take two hours to eat, does it? Maybe I should call. . .No, I’ll wait. No need to get in a big furry hurry. . . Willow looked at all of the people standing in line, some just waiting patiently and talking to each other, and some who were copying Willow’s ‘is-this-gonna-take-forever-forever’ dance. As she scanned the line, she stopped as her eyes fell on a familiar face. In line a few rows behind them stood Beck, smiling at and chatting up a cute dark haired girl. They finally locked eyes after a few seconds and Beck smiled at the redhead, waving in greeting. Beck excused herself from the girl’s company and charmed her way through the line. She finally reached Willow and gave her a soft pat in the shoulder.
“Willow, how are you?” she asked with a smile and genuine interest.
“I’m good. . .great even.” Willow smiled back at the younger girl. “How about you?”
Beck shrugged. “Still here, so I guess I can’t complain.” She smiled at Willow. “So. . .Are these your friends?” She asked, pointing to Buffy and Faith.
“Yeah. This is Buffy and Faith. Guys, this is Beck.”
Faith waved and smiled, and Buffy giggled and hugged the girl. “I’m so glad you’re shorter than me!”
Beck laughed and hugged the giggly girl back. “Well, I’m glad to be of assistance.”
Buffy released the girl. “Are you excited about riding the Tower of Terror, Beck?”
“Well, actually this will be my 6th time riding it since I’ve been here. The first day we got here it rained, so everyone just assumed it would be shut down till after the storm, but it wasn’t. The wait was 15 minutes long, so my friends and I rode it back to back for about an hour before the sun came back out and the line started filling up again.”
Faith sighed. “Damn, I bet that was bad ass. We can’t convince Red here to ride it with us. She’s all scared of heights.”
“Thanks, Faith.”
Beck gave the redhead a comforting smile. “It’s okay, Willow. I’m scared of heights, too. But I love amusement park rides. I hate ferris wheels, though.”
Willow smiled. “I hate those, too!”
“So, you’re kinda like me then. I don’t like really small heights, like 8 or 10 feet, I don’t like ferris wheels, and I don’t like really big heights, like riding in airplanes. Does that kinda sound like your fear of heights?”
Willow nodded. “Pretty much.”
“Well then this shouldn’t be a problem for ya. I researched every ride that I planned to ride before I got her. This one is about 13 stories high. It provides a beautiful view of the park before it drops you,” Beck said with a laugh. “It has a really cool background story, Twilight Zone theme. It’s really cool. I think you should definitely give it a whirl.” Beck looked at Faith and Buffy. “And it looks like you have some support from your friends, too. I was supposed to be here with Rachel, but she had a lunch date with Tara.”
“Well, what about the girl you were talking to earlier? Isn’t she your friend?” Willow asked.
Beck shook her hand. “She’s one of those. . .single-serving friends. I just met her in the line. Never seen her before. She is a cutie, though.”
“So you haven’t heard from Rachel yet?”
“Nope. And I’m guessing you haven’t heard from Tara, either.”
Willow shook her head. “They’re probably sitting around having a grand ol’ time.”
Beck nodded in concurrence.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Rachel was the first person off of the shuttle when it pulled up to MGM Studios. She walked fast toward the entrance gate and got her park pass scanned. As she walked into the amusement park, she immediately found a map and attempted to locate the rides and attractions she knew Beck wanted to try out. She looked up from the map and saw the Tower of Terror, hovering over the entire park. Rachel smiled as she started walking toward it. “Sounds like a good place to start.”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The group of four was moving along in the line when a voice from a speaker announced to the waiting people that the ride was shut down until further notice. The crowd started filing out of the entrance. Beck touched Willow on the shoulder. “Hey, you guys follow me. I know a shortcut out of here.”
Willow motioned to Buffy and Faith, and they followed Beck against the crowd until they reached a door a small distance away from where they waited in line. Beck opened it for the others to go through. They went through the door and came out to the side of the attraction, the slow-moving crowd still flowing out of the entrance in front of them. “Wow, that
was faster. Hey, why don’t we get fast passes for this ride, so we can come back later? And we can skip the long line, too.”
“Sounds like a plan to me. How ‘bout some grub? Lil Bit, are you hangin’ with us?” Faith said as she looked at Beck.
“I can do that. I came here by myself anyway.” They started walking toward the Fast Pass machine and waited for their tickets to print. They left the area and began looking for a place to eat lunch. Both Buffy and Faith were holding their stomachs, their hunger could be heard several feet ahead by Willow and Beck. Beck turned to the girls, a look of sympathy on her face. “Do you guys like Italian?”
“I’d like anything right now,” Buffy said with a pout.
“There’s a cool place in the Backlot that has a pretty good brick oven pizza. You guys in?”
“Hell yeah, let’s vamp.” Faith put her hand around Buffy’s waist as they followed Beck and Willow toward food.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Rachel finally reached the Tower of Terror only to find everyone coming out of the line. She searched the crowd, seeing several of her classmates. She stopped a group of them on their way out of the slow-moving line. “Hey, Hannah! Mark! Have you guys seen Beck?”
They shook their heads. “Sorry, Rachel. I haven’t seen her since yesterday,” Hannah replied.
Rachel gave them a sad smile. “Okay. Thanks, guys.”
She spotted more of her friends making their way out of the mass of people moving away from the Tower. Rachel smiled as her friends greeted her. “Hey, Rachel. What’s up?” Her friend Natalie asked with a smile.
“Not much. Just looking for Beck. Have you guys seen her?”
Natalie shook her head, but Katie nodded. “I saw her not too long ago waking around with three older girls. I don’t remember much about ‘em, but one was a really cute redhead.”
Rachel smiled as relief flooded her body. “Do you know which way they went?”
They were headed away from the front of the park, I’d probably say to get some food. That’s where all the good restaurants are. But I don’t know for sure.”
“Thanks, Katie. I’ll see you guys later.”
Rachel turned around, hundreds of people walking by her in a sea of faces. Rachel ran her hand through her hair and blew out a sigh of frustration. “Shit.”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Willow, Beck, Faith and Buffy were seated at Mama Melrose’s Restaurant, stuffing their faces with an amazing pizza. Beck was the first to quit. “Okay, I’m pretty much stuffed.”
Willow came in second. “Me, too. That was some great pizza, though.”
Buffy and Faith were still going at it, no signs of stopping. “God, this is great.”
“Damn, you’re so right, babe. We didn’t even have this great of pizza in Boston.”
After about 10 minutes, Buff and Faith had finished the entire pie and were sipping on their beer. The waitress came up to the table and asked if everyone was doing okay. She gave a lingering look to Beck, a playful smile on her lips. “What about you, can I get you another beer?”
Beck looked at the girl with a smile. “I didn’t have a first beer, so I don’t think a second one is necessary. But I would like the check, please.”
The girl nodded and walked off to get the bill. Beck rolled her eyes as the waitress left the table. “How embarrassing. I hate when people do that. I usually have Rachel here to ward off unwanted suitors.”
“It’s nice to have a friend like that. My friend Xander was my wingman for a while.”
Beck looked at the redhead. “Xander? That sounds familiar. . .Oh! Cordelia’s ex-boyfriend, right?”
Buffy, Willow and Faith looked at the girl. “You know Cordelia?” they asked simultaneously.
“I’ve met her a few times. She would come with Tara for a visit to Tennessee. Or she would hang out with the family when we would come down here to see Tara.”
“So are you guys. . .friends?”
“I wouldn’t say that we are besties, but after our first encounter, she became a lot more tolerable.”
“Well, what happened with the first encounter?” Buffy asked, leanly slightly forward in her chair.
“Well, Rachel is not the biggest Cordy fan, so the first time she met me, I guess she figured I wouldn’t like her, either. She was really curt and rude to me, so I asked her to join me for a little chat on the porch.”
========================
*Flashback*
Cordelia walked through the door that Beck held open for her. The door clicked closed, and Beck took out her pack of smokes, lighting one and handing it to the tall, beautiful girl next to her. Cordelia looked at her. “Aren’t you too young to buy those? And what makes you think I smoke?”
Beck smiled at the girl. “You smelled entirely too good when you walked in here. From one secret smoker to another, never douse yourself in perfume, it makes it so much more obvious. Always carry baby lotion, baby wipes, and a little bottle of febreze with you. The smell isn’t too over-powering and people will just think you like smelling like a baby.”
Cordelia let a grin escape as she took the lit cigarette from Beck. “Thanks.” She took a drag and exhaled. “Hey, Beck. . .I’m sorry I was kind of an ass to you at first. I just figured if Rachel didn’t like me, then you, being her best friend and all, probably wouldn’t like me.”
Beck looked at the woman standing next to her. “Never assume. Never explain. And never complain. At least with me,” she said with a grin.
Cordelia leaned on the railing next to Beck, enjoying the warm and slightly humid Tennessee air. “You’re alright, Beck.”
“You’re not so bad yourself, Queenie.” They continued to smoke their cigarettes, smiling and enjoying the comfortable silence that fell between them.
=============================================
Faith sat back in her chair. Her leg moving and hands twitching. Beck looked at the dark-haired girl. “You just quit, huh?”
Faith nodded and looked at Buffy. Buffy patted her on the knee. Beck felt a pang of sympathy for the girl. “I’m sorry I brought that up. Especially since you just quit, not too long ago, I’m guessing. . .Maybe three or four days?”
Faith smiled. “Good guess, Lil Bit. How long has it been for you?”
“I haven’t quit yet. I’ve tried to because other people have wanted me to, but the truth of it is, and it goes for any addiction, you can’t quit until
you are ready. And I’m just not ready yet.”
Faith nodded. “Words of wisdom from such a young soul.” She turned and gave Buffy a peck on the cheek. “You guys ready to get outta here and ride some rides?”
Faith got mutters of agreement from the group as Beck left money on the table to cover the bill for food and drinks.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Rachel finally gave up her search for Beck as she plopped down on the concrete next to the giant electric guitar in front of the Rockin’ Roller Coaster. Her frustration had grown exponentially as she walked around the entirety of the amusement park. She pulled out her cell phone, in hopes that Beck would answer. Again, the call went straight to voice mail. She sighed and dialed Tara’s number.
Tara answered on the first ring. “How did it go, little sister?”
“It hasn’t gone anywhere because I can’t find her. I know she’s here, there have been sightings of her, but I can’t find her anywhere.”
“Have you tried calling her?”
“Yes, but her phone is turned off. And I’m pretty sure she’s with Willow. Katie told me that she saw Beck with a cute older redhead, and Willow’s the only cute redhead I know.”
“Willow’s supposed to call me later. I’m a dunce and I forgot to get her number. Maybe she’ll call soon and I can give her number to you so you can meet up with them.”
“Don’t worry about doing that, Tara.” Rachel stood up from her seat on the ground, looking at a group of people walking toward her. “I see her right now.”
++++++++++++++++++++++
Buffy, Faith, Willow, and Beck walked from the restaurant toward the rides. “Do you guys want to see a show or do you want to check out another coaster. The Aerosmith coaster is pretty badass. It’s right next to the Tower of Terror.”
Faith clapped her hands together. “I’m definitely down for some coaster action, Lil Bit.” She grabbed Buffy from behind and picked her up, carrying her a few feet as she squealed and laughed. “What about you, babe? You ready for your world to be turned up-side down?” Faith accented her words by tickling the petite blonde’s sides, eliciting another squeal and a peal of laughter.
“Yes, I’m ready now put me down!” Buffy said, the laughter still showing in her eyes. Faith placed Buffy on her feet, immediately grabbing her hand. They gave each other a smile and continued walking. Willow and Beck looked at each other for a moment, both wishing they could be holding hands with the ones they wanted.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
They finally reached the Rockin’ Roller Coaster, several people milling around and enjoying the slight reprieve from the sun in the shaded area around the huge red guitar. Beck always loved seeing the tall instrument because it reminded her of the beautiful red electric guitar Rachel had given her as a Christmas present. As she and Willow walked toward it, followed by Buffy and Faith, Beck saw Rachel stand up with her phone next to her ear. Her hair was blowing in the wind, swirling around her face. It was the most beautiful thing she had seen all day.
After all these years, she still makes my heart stop. . .She and the group walked toward where Rachel was standing. As Beck neared her, she could see tears in her eyes. She immediately ran to the girl. “Hey, what’s the matter, Rachel? You okay?”
Rachel stared at the girl standing in front of her, relieved that she finally found her and scared about what she had to say. “Beck, I. . .”
Beck took a step forward and lightly rubbed the girl’s arms as she watched the tears fall from those blue eyes she had fallen in love with a lifetime ago. “Rachel, honey. . .what’s wrong? Did something happen? Do you and Tara get into a fight or something? Is Tara-”
Beck’s words were swallowed as she felt the most divine lips pressed against her. And not just any lips. . .Rachel’s lips. She slowly moved away from the kiss and slowly opened her eyes, fearing that what she had just felt was a dream. She finally opened her eyes to see Rachel looking at her, her eyes shining with. . .love. Beck felt a hand on her cheek and watched a smile appear on Rachel’s face. “Rachel?”
Rachel’s smile got bigger at hearing Beck say her name. She leaned in and placed another kiss on Beck’s lips. “I love you, Rebecca Lynn. I’m in love with you. You make me feel happy and safe, you make me feel beautiful even when I don’t feel it. You have kept me warm for so many nights, wrapped up in your arms, not complaining about spooning with a ‘straight’ girl. I remember asking you so many times if you would rather be cuddling with Angelina Jolie. . .” They shared a laugh. “And every time, you would give me the same answer. You would say ‘As long as there’s breath in my lungs, I’m gonna keep on smokin’ Marlboros and-”
“-and I’m gonna keep on lovin’ you.” Beck finished it with a smile. “And I meant that.”
“I know. And I mean it when I say this: I’m in love with you, Beck. No one matters more to me than you. You’ve been my best friend my whole life, and there is no way I can keep watching you be with these other girls when it should be ME. I should be the one. I should be. . .yours.”
“You
are, Rachel. Don’t you know that? It’s
always been you.” Beck smiled at the love of her life. “And I’m pretty sure this was obvious to everyone but you. . .but I love you, Rachel Madison Maclay. You’ve been my girl since we were kids. I never pictured a day without you. And now. . .I don’t have to picture,” Beck said as she looked into Rachel’s eyes. “Is that okay?”
Beck wiped the steady-flowing tears from Rachel’s eyes because all she could do was nod in affirmation. Beck pulled the taller girl into a hug, running one hand through Rachel’s silky blonde locks and the other around the girl’s waist, holding her as close as she could. “I love you, Rachel. . .
God, I love you.”
Rachel wrapped her arms around Beck’s shoulders, fresh tears flowing down her face as Beck’s words reached her ears. She said the only thing her happy tears would let her. “I know. And I love you, too.”
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Hey guys, it’s been another long week, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The story’s coming to a close here soon, but I’m starting to work on the sequel,
Life’s Grim Fairytales (I promise it’s not as depressing as the title makes it sound. . .) Look for it in upcoming months!