Title: Half of my soul and all of my heart
Author: ladydewinter
Email: ladydewinter@gmx.net
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: W/K first, but I don't really like them...so W/T eventually :-) And this is becoming B/S as well, it seems.
Setting: The story takes place roughly after The Killer in Me, so spoilers up to then. And if you have no idea about Season Three of Angel you'll be spoilt as well...so don't come running to me *lol*
Disclaimer: Willow, Tara, Kennedy, Anya et. al belong to Joss Whedon and ME and - hey you know whom they belong to. The story however is mine. Oh, the title is taken from a book called "Magic's Promise" by Mercedes Lackey. And there may be quotes from the show included in this story - I haven't really marked them, but if it sounds familiar - I mean it as an homage, I don't wanna violate any copyright, really. Please don't sue me!
Feedback: Yes please!!! I really appreciate it.
Distribution: If you want it, you can have it, just let me know where it ends up.
Summary: The morning after the challenge...now you wouldn't have guessed but we're getting closer to...well, you know...
Author's note: Sorry to say that, but it looks as if you'll have to wait for an update till at least Wednesday... I try my best, but - well, I'll be back home by Tuesday, so...
***
Tara opened her eyes. I'm starting to get tired of that, she thought to herself. She tried to remember where she was, or where she could be at least. She was lying on a bed right now. She sat up and looked around her. It was a room she had never seen before, and probably never would again. It was definitely a boy's room - what with all the sport's stuff and the posters and his set of personal hygiene stuff. What am I doing in here? she wondered.
She decided to leave the room, hoping no one would notice her. She was now standing in a hall. Tara turned around and took a look at the door. It seemed as if these were the college dorm rooms. But why had she woken up in that boy's - of course, she thought. This was probably my room right before I died, and so the Powers decided to let me start here. Skip could have told me that, though. She went down the corridor until she arrived at the staircase. This looked vaguely familiar to her. Come to think about it, there wasn't anything vague about its familiarity - this was where Willow and she had met for the first time. Or rather, where they had talked to each other for the first time - Tara had seen her before that day, but had never dared to talk to her. But then... suddenly she remembered what Skip had shown her. She had to find out what had happened to Willow. Now.
But where was she to go? She decided to go to the Summers' house - she figured that if Stevenson Hall looked the same, so would probably the rest of Sunnydale. Well, more or less, she thought. Probably apart from the occasional magic shop or vampire lair. So she left the building and walked across the campus.
It really looked pretty much like the one in her old world. She couldn't help looking for Willow as she made her way to the Summers' house - not knowing exactly if she wanted to find her or not. She decided she wanted to talk to Buffy first - she needed to find out what was going on. Although - it didn't look like the world was on the verge of distraction by the Bad Witch of the - she couldn't remember, was it South or North? Or West? It had been a long time since she had read "The Wizard of Oz", and anyway - this wasn't a fairytale creature she was talking about - this was Willow. Her lover, her soulmate... Tara sighed. This probably was going to be hard.
Finally she reached Buffy's house, who had been her home for the last two years. Except it hadn't - her living in another dimension. She was standing at the front door now, not sure what to do. She glanced at her watch. Ten minutes past twelve... there probably wouldn't be anybody home anyway. She was kind of glad about that idea. Still, she decided to knock. After all, she hadn't cross dimensions only to get overwhelmed by fear at the sight of Buffy's front door.
After she knocked, she heard an unfamiliar voice call, "I'll get it!" Then the door opened to reveal a young woman with dark hair she had never seen before. Had she been wrong? Wasn't this Buffy's house after all? She was so startled she didn't even know what to say.
"Hi, can I help you?", the woman asked her.
"Um, is - is Buffy home?" Tara queried, not really knowing what to say else. Well, you could've asked whether she lives her, she told herself, when her thoughts were interrupted.
"No, I'm sorry, she's at school, I think." Tara sighed, relieved. At least she had found her house. That was a good starting point. She noticed the stranger was eyeing her curiously. Is she checking me out? she wondered.
"Are you a potential?" she asked her.
Tara was confused. "A what?" A potential what? Girlfriend? This was an odd world indeed...
"Um, nothing, forget it. Can I tell Buffy something? Or do you want to wait for her?"
Tara shook her head. "No, thank you." It - she couldn't wait for Buffy what if Willow came home first... Willow! She thought that maybe she could find out if she was alright. "Is W-Willow at home or does she have classes right now?" She congratulated herself for being that clever... because if Willow still had classes, she couldn't be on the 'I'm going to destroy the world' wagon...
"Yes." Tara was shocked. Willow was here? The other woman continued. "I mean, she's at the university. Do you know each other?"
Tara couldn't help blushing. Why was that? "Y-yes, you could say so." Great stutter, she thought. "Um, I - I guess I'll stop by again later, okay?"
"Sure. But - you can stay, if you like? I could make ourselves some coffee." She was flirting with her! She so wasn't used to that... she blushed even more and shook her head again. She had to get out of here - now. Or she would only embarass herself some more. "N-no thanks. 'Bye." Tara smiled at the other woman, turned around and left quickly. Who was that? Suddenly a terrible thought hid her... she remembered having seen Willow making out with a dark haired woman... maybe that was her... but if she was with Willow, why had she been flirting with her? She couldn't imagine anyone would rather be with her than with Willow and anyway... she decided not to think about it right now. Life in denial land was so much sweeter.
But what was she to do now? Her first thought was going back to Stevenson Hall... she couldn't explain it, but something drew her towards that place. So back to Stevenson Hall she went. On her way she thought some more about what to do next. Maybe she should call Buffy later. Yeah, that was a good idea. But what if Buffy didn't answer the phone, what if Dawn did? She wasn't sure if Buffy had told the others about her. Well, judging from the strange woman'sreaction, she probably hadn't...and if she called and Dawn answered the phone... she knew Dawn would instantly recognize her voice. Maybe she should call Buffy at school... or wait in front of her house until she went out alone.
Tara sighed. She was such a coward. But she was afraid of how the others would react... and she wasn't sure if they would be the same as her friends in Sunnydale. Of course they are not the same, she told herself. With all the demons and vampires and stuff - such experiences probably couldn't but change you. And wasn't William - Spike - a vampire in this world? If that wasn't different, she didn't know what was. But then again... the Buffy in her dream had been very Buffylike... maybe the best thing right now would be to stop worrying. Everything was going to be alright, and - she just had to follow her instinct.
When she arrived at Stevenson Hall, she went to the student lounge and sat down, not really knowing what to do. But she somehow had the feeling she should be there, so... it looked as if classes were over right now, as people were streaming in and out. She smiled as she remembered how she had met Willow right here... they had accidentaly bumped into each other, and all of Tara's books had fallen on the ground. When Willow reached out to help her gathering them, their hands touched, and Tara's whole world had changed... probably so had Willow's. They had looked in each other's eyes, not really able to move. It wasn't until someone else bumped into them that they got up and had sat down together. They had talked for what had seemed like ages - about their classes, teachers, friends, favourite books... at some point they realized it was already dark outside... they had obviously completely lost track of time.
After that, they had met every day... talking, reading together, doing homework, watching TV... doing everything together. When two days later, Tara wasn't able to see her one day, Willow had called her in the middle of the night. "I kinda miss you," she had told her. She couldn't believe it. Why would anyone miss her? When she had asked Willow for her reason, she had been silent for a moment. "I'll come over to tell you, okay?"
The next twenty minutes of waiting or so had been both sweet and terrible. She wasn't sure what Willow was going to tell her, but it had to be something good, otherwise she wouldn't come to visit her now. That was what she had been telling herself. She still couldn't really believe it when Willow knocked at her door. "You still wanna know why I missed you?" Willow had asked her, smiling. She only had been able to nodd. "Close the door. It's a secret, you know? And I want you to be the first to know it."
"Okay." Tara still remembered how the butterflies in her stomach had had a hell of a party.
"It's pretty easy really - I missed you because I couldn't see you smiling. I couldn't hear your voice. I couldn't talk to you, laugh with you. I couldn't tell you what I did today."
"You c-can tell me now," Tara had offered her.
She got another smile in return. "I have been thinking about you all day. Every single second. You are the most wonderful person I've ever met."
She had only blushed in reply to that. "Want me to translate that?" Willow had asked, grinning.
"Yes."
"I'm in love with you, Tara Maclay."
It had been the most amazing evening of her life - only to be topped by every other day with Willow. Sure, they too had quarrelled sometimes, she admitted to herself, recalling the fights she had witnessed in Skip's little demonstration. And suddenly she realized something - every moment she had seen between Willow and her had been a downpoint of their relationship - lying, fighting, breaking up - that couldn't have been everything. She knew that hadn't been everything.
She looked up. And her whole world changed again.
***
Author: ladydewinter
Email: ladydewinter@gmx.net
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: W/K first, but I don't really like them...so W/T eventually :-) And this is becoming B/S as well, it seems.
Setting: The story takes place roughly after The Killer in Me, so spoilers up to then. And if you have no idea about Season Three of Angel you'll be spoilt as well...so don't come running to me *lol*
Disclaimer: Willow, Tara, Kennedy, Anya et. al belong to Joss Whedon and ME and - hey you know whom they belong to. The story however is mine. Oh, the title is taken from a book called "Magic's Promise" by Mercedes Lackey. And there may be quotes from the show included in this story - I haven't really marked them, but if it sounds familiar - I mean it as an homage, I don't wanna violate any copyright, really. Please don't sue me!
Feedback: Yes please!!! I really appreciate it.
Distribution: If you want it, you can have it, just let me know where it ends up.
Summary: The morning after the challenge...now you wouldn't have guessed but we're getting closer to...well, you know...
Author's note: Sorry to say that, but it looks as if you'll have to wait for an update till at least Wednesday... I try my best, but - well, I'll be back home by Tuesday, so...
***
Tara opened her eyes. I'm starting to get tired of that, she thought to herself. She tried to remember where she was, or where she could be at least. She was lying on a bed right now. She sat up and looked around her. It was a room she had never seen before, and probably never would again. It was definitely a boy's room - what with all the sport's stuff and the posters and his set of personal hygiene stuff. What am I doing in here? she wondered.
She decided to leave the room, hoping no one would notice her. She was now standing in a hall. Tara turned around and took a look at the door. It seemed as if these were the college dorm rooms. But why had she woken up in that boy's - of course, she thought. This was probably my room right before I died, and so the Powers decided to let me start here. Skip could have told me that, though. She went down the corridor until she arrived at the staircase. This looked vaguely familiar to her. Come to think about it, there wasn't anything vague about its familiarity - this was where Willow and she had met for the first time. Or rather, where they had talked to each other for the first time - Tara had seen her before that day, but had never dared to talk to her. But then... suddenly she remembered what Skip had shown her. She had to find out what had happened to Willow. Now.
But where was she to go? She decided to go to the Summers' house - she figured that if Stevenson Hall looked the same, so would probably the rest of Sunnydale. Well, more or less, she thought. Probably apart from the occasional magic shop or vampire lair. So she left the building and walked across the campus.
It really looked pretty much like the one in her old world. She couldn't help looking for Willow as she made her way to the Summers' house - not knowing exactly if she wanted to find her or not. She decided she wanted to talk to Buffy first - she needed to find out what was going on. Although - it didn't look like the world was on the verge of distraction by the Bad Witch of the - she couldn't remember, was it South or North? Or West? It had been a long time since she had read "The Wizard of Oz", and anyway - this wasn't a fairytale creature she was talking about - this was Willow. Her lover, her soulmate... Tara sighed. This probably was going to be hard.
Finally she reached Buffy's house, who had been her home for the last two years. Except it hadn't - her living in another dimension. She was standing at the front door now, not sure what to do. She glanced at her watch. Ten minutes past twelve... there probably wouldn't be anybody home anyway. She was kind of glad about that idea. Still, she decided to knock. After all, she hadn't cross dimensions only to get overwhelmed by fear at the sight of Buffy's front door.
After she knocked, she heard an unfamiliar voice call, "I'll get it!" Then the door opened to reveal a young woman with dark hair she had never seen before. Had she been wrong? Wasn't this Buffy's house after all? She was so startled she didn't even know what to say.
"Hi, can I help you?", the woman asked her.
"Um, is - is Buffy home?" Tara queried, not really knowing what to say else. Well, you could've asked whether she lives her, she told herself, when her thoughts were interrupted.
"No, I'm sorry, she's at school, I think." Tara sighed, relieved. At least she had found her house. That was a good starting point. She noticed the stranger was eyeing her curiously. Is she checking me out? she wondered.
"Are you a potential?" she asked her.
Tara was confused. "A what?" A potential what? Girlfriend? This was an odd world indeed...
"Um, nothing, forget it. Can I tell Buffy something? Or do you want to wait for her?"
Tara shook her head. "No, thank you." It - she couldn't wait for Buffy what if Willow came home first... Willow! She thought that maybe she could find out if she was alright. "Is W-Willow at home or does she have classes right now?" She congratulated herself for being that clever... because if Willow still had classes, she couldn't be on the 'I'm going to destroy the world' wagon...
"Yes." Tara was shocked. Willow was here? The other woman continued. "I mean, she's at the university. Do you know each other?"
Tara couldn't help blushing. Why was that? "Y-yes, you could say so." Great stutter, she thought. "Um, I - I guess I'll stop by again later, okay?"
"Sure. But - you can stay, if you like? I could make ourselves some coffee." She was flirting with her! She so wasn't used to that... she blushed even more and shook her head again. She had to get out of here - now. Or she would only embarass herself some more. "N-no thanks. 'Bye." Tara smiled at the other woman, turned around and left quickly. Who was that? Suddenly a terrible thought hid her... she remembered having seen Willow making out with a dark haired woman... maybe that was her... but if she was with Willow, why had she been flirting with her? She couldn't imagine anyone would rather be with her than with Willow and anyway... she decided not to think about it right now. Life in denial land was so much sweeter.
But what was she to do now? Her first thought was going back to Stevenson Hall... she couldn't explain it, but something drew her towards that place. So back to Stevenson Hall she went. On her way she thought some more about what to do next. Maybe she should call Buffy later. Yeah, that was a good idea. But what if Buffy didn't answer the phone, what if Dawn did? She wasn't sure if Buffy had told the others about her. Well, judging from the strange woman'sreaction, she probably hadn't...and if she called and Dawn answered the phone... she knew Dawn would instantly recognize her voice. Maybe she should call Buffy at school... or wait in front of her house until she went out alone.
Tara sighed. She was such a coward. But she was afraid of how the others would react... and she wasn't sure if they would be the same as her friends in Sunnydale. Of course they are not the same, she told herself. With all the demons and vampires and stuff - such experiences probably couldn't but change you. And wasn't William - Spike - a vampire in this world? If that wasn't different, she didn't know what was. But then again... the Buffy in her dream had been very Buffylike... maybe the best thing right now would be to stop worrying. Everything was going to be alright, and - she just had to follow her instinct.
When she arrived at Stevenson Hall, she went to the student lounge and sat down, not really knowing what to do. But she somehow had the feeling she should be there, so... it looked as if classes were over right now, as people were streaming in and out. She smiled as she remembered how she had met Willow right here... they had accidentaly bumped into each other, and all of Tara's books had fallen on the ground. When Willow reached out to help her gathering them, their hands touched, and Tara's whole world had changed... probably so had Willow's. They had looked in each other's eyes, not really able to move. It wasn't until someone else bumped into them that they got up and had sat down together. They had talked for what had seemed like ages - about their classes, teachers, friends, favourite books... at some point they realized it was already dark outside... they had obviously completely lost track of time.
After that, they had met every day... talking, reading together, doing homework, watching TV... doing everything together. When two days later, Tara wasn't able to see her one day, Willow had called her in the middle of the night. "I kinda miss you," she had told her. She couldn't believe it. Why would anyone miss her? When she had asked Willow for her reason, she had been silent for a moment. "I'll come over to tell you, okay?"
The next twenty minutes of waiting or so had been both sweet and terrible. She wasn't sure what Willow was going to tell her, but it had to be something good, otherwise she wouldn't come to visit her now. That was what she had been telling herself. She still couldn't really believe it when Willow knocked at her door. "You still wanna know why I missed you?" Willow had asked her, smiling. She only had been able to nodd. "Close the door. It's a secret, you know? And I want you to be the first to know it."
"Okay." Tara still remembered how the butterflies in her stomach had had a hell of a party.
"It's pretty easy really - I missed you because I couldn't see you smiling. I couldn't hear your voice. I couldn't talk to you, laugh with you. I couldn't tell you what I did today."
"You c-can tell me now," Tara had offered her.
She got another smile in return. "I have been thinking about you all day. Every single second. You are the most wonderful person I've ever met."
She had only blushed in reply to that. "Want me to translate that?" Willow had asked, grinning.
"Yes."
"I'm in love with you, Tara Maclay."
It had been the most amazing evening of her life - only to be topped by every other day with Willow. Sure, they too had quarrelled sometimes, she admitted to herself, recalling the fights she had witnessed in Skip's little demonstration. And suddenly she realized something - every moment she had seen between Willow and her had been a downpoint of their relationship - lying, fighting, breaking up - that couldn't have been everything. She knew that hadn't been everything.
She looked up. And her whole world changed again.
***