Fic - Come Away With Me

[Triscuit7]

Hi Toni - That was tres good. You're actually making me want to go to Las Vegas.... Of course that's just the W/T talking I think. And hey, you used the...y'know...ice. Off stage, but hey, it's all good and I am sooo vanilla. Uh, just forget the last part.



Thanks for the update sweetie.



Ciao, Melissa

**********************


I brought marshmallows!

[MadeinNZ]

I think I hate Willow's boss. No wait... I do hate her. Her timing sucks. Great update.

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Anya: I have finesse! I have finesse coming out of my bottom!

[Kieli]

Mel: Well I was keeping you in mind when I thought of the ice part. I satisfied the moment, I think. Too much detail and it would've spoilt the whole deal.



Madeinnz: *chuckle* I think Tara is hating Willow's boss too The timing of his demand was not good but....there is a reason Hopefully, this will be the final chapter. Then you all can get back to reading the good fics



Thanks for being patient with me, folks.



T.

Love is tricky. It is never mundane or daily. You can never get used to it. You have to walk with it, then let it walk with you. You can never balk. It moves you like the tide. It takes you out to sea then lays you on the beach again. Today's struggling pain is the foundation for a certain stride through the heavens. You can run from it but you can never say no. It includes everyone."--Amy Tan "The Hundred Secret Senses"

[Always E]

Just wanted to belatedly jump into the thread and give thanks for this installment. Be still my heart...Willow & Tara roamin' the streets of Vegas. I can totally relate to Willow's Vegas road rage...something I deal with daily. The cabbies here have got to be the worst. Nice touch with the murder mystery BTW. Also, gotta add that the Randy Travis song is one of my favorites, because like Tara said...kinda sums stuff up.



Sorry I didn't post on Friday, but I was sickly. Anyway, this was a great way to start my Monday morning.



Thanks!



-E

[Kieli]

*comforting hugs* Sorry to hear that you were illin' on Friday. Glad you could stop by in any event. Hope you're feeling much better and glad I could help that along I'm wrapping this up soon so stay tuned!



T.

Love is tricky. It is never mundane or daily. You can never get used to it. You have to walk with it, then let it walk with you. You can never balk. It moves you like the tide. It takes you out to sea then lays you on the beach again. Today's struggling pain is the foundation for a certain stride through the heavens. You can run from it but you can never say no. It includes everyone."--Amy Tan "The Hundred Secret Senses"

[eccentrictulip]

willow has to leave? no.....that's such sad timing!!!

*please use both hands....*

[Kieli]

.....timing is everything You'll see. Last chapter. I got a cute little Stich monster for my birthday today so maybe my writer's block personified will help me get over my figurative one. We'll see.



T.

Love is tricky. It is never mundane or daily. You can never get used to it. You have to walk with it, then let it walk with you. You can never balk. It moves you like the tide. It takes you out to sea then lays you on the beach again. Today's struggling pain is the foundation for a certain stride through the heavens. You can run from it but you can never say no. It includes everyone."--Amy Tan "The Hundred Secret Senses"

[Urn of Osiris]

Oh Toni, I come in and I see you and I get excited and then nothing.



I'm sending all my positive writing vibes. I hope they strike your muse. HARD!

Urn of Osiris
_________________**

"Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses."
— George Washington Carver "Bite me Harris." Anya Beneath you
Voice your opinion about Tara http://www.petitiononline.com/Tara/petition.html

[barnabasvamp]

I'm with Urn, we will all send positive thoughts, cause we Really need an update!!

BV

"In front of total strangers won't you kiss me, Flowers for no reason but you miss me - OOH, I wanna be in love"

Melissa Etheridge-Skin

[Kieli]

I want to thank those who have put up with me not updating for such a long time. Lots of ups and downs and RL stuff that really has just left me spent until recently. Hopefully, this update will more than make up for my absence. Peace and love, y'all.

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"I did my best, Craig but the earliest flight I can catch from here to Philly is tomorrow morning at eight….I know I know! Tell that to USAIR!…ok…fine, just have Markie email me the module and white box test results so I can go over them. And please tell Marketing not to talk to any of the customers until we can get this sorted out….yes….yes, I know Craig. Talk to you tomorrow."

Willow slapped her cell phone shut and threw the offending appliance into the back seat of the car. "Great…juuuust great. What more could go wrong?" she muttered irritatedly.

She was grateful that Tara had offered to drive because her blood pressure was far too high at that moment to deal with the gridlock that is Las Vegas traffic. It was well past 11 p.m. and it was still bumper-to-bumper on Las Vegas Boulevard.

Glancing over at her very frustrated lover, Tara sighed deeply. "Are you too upset to stay on the Strip or do you want to just head back to the room?"

"Nahh, I'm fine. It's just that there are days that I wish I could turn my boss into George of the Jungle and watch him swing merrily from the ceiling of the Board Room. It takes so little to amuse me sometimes," Willow chuckled at the visual that popped into her head.

"Now now, my dear, behave," Tara smiled wryly. "I was thinking that we could hit this cool place that I know called the House of Blues. It's at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and is the best medicine the I can think of for what ails you."

Willow cocked an assessing eyebrow at the blonde who was maneuvering them through the hideous traffic with a skill she didn't know she possessed. Never in a million years would she have figured Tara to be such a multi-faceted person. "Is there anything she HASN'T done?" she mused inwardly.

"Sure, why not?" was Willow's noncommittal reply. "Is there a concert going on or is this kind of a free-for-all? 'Cause, you know, me and my feet have been known to go their separate ways at the weirdest times."

Tara's warm laugh filled the cabin of the car. "I really don't think that will be a problem, babe. Besides, I have another surprise for you," she grinned, her eyes alight with mischief and mirth.

"What did I do to have the honor of being surprised so much?"

"Oh nothing…just being the wonderful woman you are."

"Ah hah. I think you might have sprouted a tail and donkey ears after that one."

"Oh hush. You'll enjoy yourself, trust me."

Willow winced slightly. "The last time someone said that to me, I ended up in a black leather bustier, muttering something about riding people like ponies." Tara stared at her with something akin to mortification. "Hideously long story, SO not worth repeating."

They pulled up to the front entrance of Mandalay Bay and handed the keys to a rather attentive valet. He was so absorbed in admiring the view from behind them, he almost crashed into the car in front of him.

Willow's brow furrowed in concern. "What was his problem?"

"Apparently he thinks that you are more than just passing fair, love."

"Well he can just keep on lookin' because wantin' ain't havin'," she sniffed.

Tara couldn't help but laugh at her lover's quirky sense of humor. As they stepped into the lobby of the hotel, the din of the gambling floor nearly overpowered them. Raucous shouts of success, the incessant clinking of change being cashed out of slot machines and the drunken exuberance of the table game players was pretty close to sensory overload. By the time they reached the House of Blues, the line was surprisingly short but it was apparently a happening place. The tables and barstools were packed with people and the wail of blues guitar flowed out of the open doorway like sweet wine.

"How the heck are we going to find a place to sit around here?" Willow shouted to be heard above the din.

"Not a problem," Tara replied. She pulled aside the bouncer at the door for a few quick words. Next thing, Willow knew she was being gently pulled through the crowd to a suddenly vacant booth by the stage.

"I don't even want to know how you managed that," she said in amazement.

"It's ok. Nothing illegal I promise. Just that I did a favor for the owner once so I decided to collect," Tara smirked. "Wait here…I'll be right back." She slipped out of the booth and around the side of the stage before Willow had a chance to protest. Dropping her hands on the table in resignation, she decided that, with the evening she was having, a fizzy alcoholic beverage was in order. She managed to flag down a passing barmaid whose shockingly transparent uniform made her blush a rosy pink. The woman appeared not a day over 18 and the slightly naughty look in her eyes practically dared Willow to comment.

"What'll ya have, hon?" she smirked.

"Um….um….a-a Sloe Gin Fizz, p-please," Willow stammered, trying to hide her nervousness.

"Sure, anything for you. Back in a flash," the barmaid replied with a wink and disappeared back into the swaying crush of patrons. Willow hadn't realized that she was holding her breath until it came out in a great whoosh once the woman had finally gone. She muttered a silent prayer to whatever deity was listening for the redness in her face would be gone by the time Tara sat down. A burst of applause made her jump in surprise as she realized that the music had stopped playing and a female singer was addressing the audience.

"Thanks everybody, I'm Susan Tedeschi for any of y'all that don't know… and this is my wonderful band.…it's always a kick to be here in Sin City," the musician paused, drawing delighted hoots and catcalls from the crowd. She strummed her guitar absently, smiling broadly to someone off to one side of the stage. "I've got a friend with me tonight who wants to sing a little song to cheer up a certain special someone. Now y'all be nice to my friend Tara. Come on out here, honey."

The crowd erupted with cheers, whistles and raucous applause as a rather bold Tara stepped around the stage, mike in hand. "Hi everyone!" she called out.

"Hi Tara!" the crowd responded eagerly.

"I sometimes think Susan had this next song written with me in mind. See, I was in love with a person I met in a coffee shop. And I had no idea how to convey my feelings for them or even how they felt about me. This song is mostly about what I felt for this person before and what I feel for them now."

Willow stared up at her, totally amazed. It was like everything that had happened in her dreams only better. She considered pinching herself to make sure it was real but decided against it. Having to endure pain was one thing but inflicting it on yourself was a whole different ball o' wax. A hand on Willow's shoulder almost made her fall out of her seat. Standing beside her was the sassy barmaid with her very colorful drink.

"Here ya go, sweetie," she grinned. "Try not to drink it all at once."

"Uh, thanks. Smartass," Willow muttered, glaring darkly after her. She returned her attention to the stage as the band launched into a peppy little number. Her eyes were wide with wonder as Tara started to trade off singing duties with Ms. Tedeschi.

I cry for love that's gone
A love that can't be mine
Well I'll pay every day for loving you
Darling deep down inside

How am I gonna tell you
How am I gonna let you know
That night and day I think about you
And it's killing me slow

Tara strode sensually to the edge of the stage, not ten feet from where Willow was sitting and made eye contact with her. She was making it very clear that this song was her Willow and her alone. Her sultry voice dipped and wailed, keeping pace with the musician's rough and bluesy style. Even the audience was pulled into the women's sexy little world, captivated by two shows it seemed.

The temptation of you is oh so strong
I know I can't have you
Why can't I leave you alone

Oh I know that this trouble
Oh it's here to stay
That's why I'm keeping my distance
Oh I'm praying that you come my way
Praying that you come my way
Oh praying that you come my way

The temptation of you is oh so strong
I know I can't have you
Why can't I leave you alone

Oh I want you to come see me
Oh late at night
That's when we'll pull down the shades darling
And we'll turn down the lights

Ooo I don't want to hurt myself
Don't want to drive you away
That's why I'm keeping my distance
Oh I'm praying that you come my way
Praying that you come my way
Oh praying that you come my......
Oh praying that you come my way

Tara's impromptu performance practically brought down the house. People stood on tables, even barstools and pounded out their approval with staccato-like raps using beer bottles or anything that was handy. She bowed gracefully, accepting the accolades from the crowed and was helped offstage by a pair of solicitous young men who were standing close by. They managed to look a little pained as she paid them no mind, her attentions meant for only one woman. Collapsing in a heap next to Willow, she leaned on the table with both elbows, a truly wicked smirk on her face. "So," Tara chirped brightly. "How'd I do?"

Willow stared at her girlfriend, her lips working to form words but no sound was coming out. She finally gave up trying to put a sentence together and shut her mouth with an audible clack. Bright droplets of unshed tears hung from the corners of her eyes like dewdrops.

"I really don't know what to say," Willow whispered hoarsely. "No one's ever sung to me before. I don't even know if I deserve it."

Tara laid one hand gently over her lover's trembling ones and softly stroked her cheek with the other. "No one in the world deserves it more than you. Trust me."

The redhead swiped at her eyes, annoyed with herself that she'd gotten to weepy in front of strangers. "Can we go back to the room? I'm suddenly feeling like having some alone time with you. Tomorrow is going to come far sooner than I want it to."

"Ask and ye shall receive."


Coming Soon: Chapter 12
Love is tricky. It is never mundane or daily. You can never get used to it. You have to walk with it, then let it walk with you. You can never balk. It moves you like the tide. It takes you out to sea then lays you on the beach again. Today's struggling pain is the foundation for a certain stride through the heavens. You can run from it but you can never say no. It includes everyone."--Amy Tan "The Hundred Secret Secret Senses"

Edited by: BytrSuite at: 12/11/02 3:20:43 pm

[Grimlock72]

Rule #1 for tech support people on holiday/vacation; turn phone of and make sure it stays that way during entire stay. I know exactly how Willow feels, including the frustration with traffic jams... those are so annoying.



Hmm... this update makes reading this fic again from started kinda nessecary. Ah well, I'll survive



Tara singing to Willow like that was neat. Willow being all flushed when looking at her waitress, heh. Thats okay, nothing wrong with looking around and having fun . I'll hope Willow will relax a bit more and at least sleep well.



Tomorrow she can yell at the other techies and developpers all she likes. They should have solved the problem without janking her away from her well earned Tara-time.



Grimmy

"You hurt Tara," Willow said too calmly. "The last one who tried that was a god. I made her regret it." -- Unexpected Consequences by Lisa of Nine

[SilverWingedNemesis]

HEY HEY!!









I just caught up with this fic and I LOVE IT!!



I can't wait for more!!



Keep up the great work!!



~NICKOLE~

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"Everyone's getting spanked but me."

[jixer]

Hello Kittens-



About the update:



YAAYYYYYY!!!



I am so glad to see more! I love the thought of Tara singing jazz. And I hope RL treats you as well as you really deserve. Thanks for everything and I hope the sailing is smooth from here.



Jixer

[Urn of Osiris]

Wow Toni,



Just a wonderful update, well worth the wait.



I just love the image of Tara serenading Willow so openly, so confidently. Just fantastic.



Thanks so much.

Urn of Osiris

__________________**
I'm beyond your peripheral vision, so you might want to turn your head. Someday you're gonna get hungry and eat most of the words you just said 32 flavors

[mollyig]

Toni how I missed this wonderful story. I mean, what could be better, we have our girls and good music!



Love the image of Tara singing to Willow in a crowded room but making her know that it's all for her girl. Lovely stuff! Thanks.

Adding up the total of a love that's true, multiply life by the power of two
Indigo Girls

[Kieli]

Grimlock: Yeah I know that is the first rule of thumb unless you're a peon and your company requires it. When I worked for Lockheed Martin, I was on call 24/7 with a pager and a cell phone. Even now that I am a department head, I still have to be in contact *sigh* There are days....

Glad you came back to read. The lag time in updates sucks I know....Life tends to be a rather unforgiving mistress



SWN: Hey Nick! Glad you could stop by again. You know you're always welcome.



jixer: I just wish RL would give me a real jobby job Happy to see you, my friend.



UoO: I am so impressed with you, Sharon! You were patient with me and I can't thank you for that enough.



mollyig: MOLLS! So glad to see you again and happy you've come back to read. Email me, eh? I have a huge CD list to share with you

Love is tricky. It is never mundane or daily. You can never get used to it. You have to walk with it, then let it walk with you. You can never balk. It moves you like the tide. It takes you out to sea then lays you on the beach again. Today's struggling pain is the foundation for a certain stride through the heavens. You can run from it but you can never say no. It includes everyone."--Amy Tan "The Hundred Secret Secret Senses"

[Always E]

Toni,



Just had to stop in and say...YEAH! An update with more W&T in Vegas. Great way to start the day. I loved Tara singing to Willow...so romantic..<**SIGH**>



Let's add to the image of Willow's boss as George of the Jungle and have him hit the tree...'cause if he's knocked out he can't mess with W&T's alone time...ya think!



Great Update...looking forward to more...I hope Willow solves the problems at work, but I'm guessing she will. I just hate when the job gets in the way of spending much needed quality time with your ladylove...I can soooo relate...unfortunately.



Thanks for taking the time to update the story and I hope RL has calmed down somewhat for you.



-E

[darkmagicwillow]

After the ice in the late episode, I got lost thinking about Willow's quote Is there anything she hasn't done? and missed the rest of the update. (-;

--

"Omnia mutantur, nihil interit." -- "Everything changes, but nothing is truly lost."

[Kieli]

DMW: ROTFLMFAO! I just about choked to death laughing at that comment. You know if never really occurred to me to think about that. Why was my mind NOT in the gutter this time?!



Always E: I can relate to Willow's predicament too, unfortunately. It sucks to say "Been There Done That Bought the Trailer Home"

Love is tricky. It is never mundane or daily. You can never get used to it. You have to walk with it, then let it walk with you. You can never balk. It moves you like the tide. It takes you out to sea then lays you on the beach again. Today's struggling pain is the foundation for a certain stride through the heavens. You can run from it but you can never say no. It includes everyone."--Amy Tan "The Hundred Secret Secret Senses"

[The Rose24]

I am so glad Willow is able to spend a little more time with Tara before she goes back to work.



Love the way Willow becomes almost nonverbal after Tara serenades her with that beautiful song. I am sure Willow will show Tara her appreciation.



Glad to see you have updated. I have truly missed this story.



*Sigh*

Tara: My heart doesn't stutter.


Tara: Willow, I got so lost.

Willow: I found you. I will always find you.

Edited by: The Rose24  at: 12/13/02 7:32:29 pm

[Tiggrscorpio]

Kieli,



So wonderful to see the return of this beautiful gem of a story. Tara is very talented to drive throught that Vegas traffic. It made me crazy.



And what a beautiful, sweet way for Tara to cheer up her girl. So, good to see you writing again. Loooking forward to more!

*****



She's my everything!

[samiamiguess]

Hey there,

Thanks to your last post I actually picked up on this fic. It had passed me by but given the wonderful comments I thought I'd have a quick squiz, so read it all during my lunchtime yesterday. (it was a long break...)



So rather than give the impression of a busy bee I thought I'd come back and drop some feedback as I'd enjoyed it so much.



Personally I love the interplay you have going on between Willow and Tara. They recognise their feelings for each other so early yet their insecurities are playing out so wonderfully. At first we see it from Willow's point of view as she lusts after this woman she doesn't even know and now Tara, as she hopes Willow is sure that she is who she wants.



Lovely, really enjoyed it. So are you back on the writing train? Will there be more?



Thanks

Sonya

[Kieli]

Rose: Happy that you could come back and catch up with our girls. You're such the romantic (and I can so relate ) I'm trying to figure out if I should let everyone in on what happened when they got back to the hotel room or if I should keep y'all hangin'. We'll see





Tigg! So happy to see you again. I think Tara has got the patience of a saint. What better way to show it than trying to manuever through the minefield that is the LV Strip?



samiamiguess: It's good to see a new face in my thread. I'm a feedback ho and I admit it so I was very pleased to see that you like it thus far. I'm back on board the writing train for now. Just keep an eye out



Much love to all,

Toni

Love is tricky. It is never mundane or daily. You can never get used to it. You have to walk with it, then let it walk with you. You can never balk. It moves you like the tide. It takes you out to sea then lays you on the beach again. Today's struggling pain is the foundation for a certain stride through the heavens. You can run from it but you can never say no. It includes everyone."--Amy Tan "The Hundred Secret Secret Senses"

[LeatherQueen]

Ah, Toni... such a lovely update. I had to go back and reread the whole thing, since it's been awhile... But it was more than worth it to do so.



It's great to see you back in here and writing!

"We've got the only librarian who can rip off your arm with his leg. People respect that." - Terry Pratchett

[Kieli]

Wow....it's been forever so it's good to see you again. Hope the re-read didn't bore you too much Thanks for coming back for more.



Love to ya,

Toni

Love is tricky. It is never mundane or daily. You can never get used to it. You have to walk with it, then let it walk with you. You can never balk. It moves you like the tide. It takes you out to sea then lays you on the beach again. Today's struggling pain is the foundation for a certain stride through the heavens. You can run from it but you can never say no. It includes everyone."--Amy Tan "The Hundred Secret Secret Senses"

[dekalog]

Answer: Jazz and W/T in the same fic!!!!

Question: Ways to make me a big puddle of goo?

Now all you have to do is to incorporate some Coltrane and I won't be able to think for at least 24 hours. Thanks for giving me a heads up on what I've been missing here. Being sick is starting to have some advantages!!!

I'm better understanding the smut debate as well, and although I LOVE smut: --> , I'm also a sucker for romance and flowers and needless to say - you do this really well. (Not to say I wouldn't want to know what goes on when they get back to the hotel room.

[Kieli]

Heh, dekalog, you are getting to be a bad influence on me

Love is tricky. It is never mundane or daily. You can never get used to it. You have to walk with it, then let it walk with you. You can never balk. It moves you like the tide. It takes you out to sea then lays you on the beach again. Today's struggling pain is the foundation for a certain stride through the heavens. You can run from it but you can never say no. It includes everyone."--Amy Tan "The Hundred Secret Secret Senses"

[DarkWiccan]

TONI!!!



Heya!



Cool update... I actually read it awhile ago, but was so caught up in trying to finish my own fic that... well... I kinda let my supporto-gal duties fall to the wayside.



But here I am! And here you is!



YAY



Cheers

DW



PS... I'm really much more literate in person...

"Promise me you'll never be linear." "On my trout."

[Kieli]

You haven't been lax, dear. I've just haven't had any motivation. Bitterness overcomes eventually.



K.

Love is tricky. It is never mundane or daily. You can never get used to it. You have to walk with it, then let it walk with you. You can never balk. It moves you like the tide. It takes you out to sea then lays you on the beach again. Today's struggling pain is the foundation for a certain stride through the heavens. You can run from it but you can never say no. It includes everyone."--Amy Tan "The Hundred Secret Secret Senses"

[ExtraFlameyWT]

Okay, after leaving you a reply in your other thread...I couldn't remember whether I had left you feedback in this one. So, in case I haven't...I thought I'd tell you that I love this fic. I love AU stories...and this one is awesome! The tenderness between Willow and Tara is amazing...and you write it so well. I DO hope that you will post something soon...



*sits down and waits for update*



I can be patient...I know I can.



Aimee

"Pope John Paul today confirmed his opposition to gay marriages, said they're unnatural. Gay marriage is unnatural. Then he put on a pointy hat, his dress, and returned to never having sex at all." -Bill Maher