Hey guys, sorry bout the delay. I've been pretty busy with my choral
concerts and school, and I had PLANNED to post this over the weekend, but I
got 2 and a half feet of snow dumped on me and lost electricity.so I just
got around to it now. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, it means a lot to
me.
~*~Tara~*~
Willow (and, unfortunately, Tara) was woken up about an hour later by noise coming from the main room of the Magic Box. Tara thankfully didn't cry, or scream, or make any type of noise whatsoever. It was obvious though, from the look on her face, that she was not at all a happy little girl. Willow, noticing this, smiled and picked her up, carrying her into the front room.
The noise that they heard in the training room, it turned out, was Giles and Anya having some argument, and Xander and Buffy occasionally put in their two cents. Willow looked at Dawn, who was obviously trying her best to ignore the four adults.
"What's going on?" Willow asked Dawn quietly, so that the others wouldn't hear.
"They're trying to figure out exactly what caused that to happen to Tara and not Buffy...or if the spell was originally intended for her in the first place. They're all stubborn and have their own ideas, and Buffy thinks it's always got to be about her." Dawn replied, a sarcastic tone in her voice.
Willow nodded. "Why don't we take Tara to the park...I would let you babysit so I could help research, but you know how she acted LAST time you went near her...not that I don't trust you or anything, it's just, she doesn't seem to like anyone who isn't me and I don't know why but she does and..." she trailed off, shrugging.
Dawn laughed at Willow's mini babble. "I know, we should. But we're gonna need to get her into something that isn't her pajamas.... Where did you put the clothing? 'Cause I know the exact outfit I want her to wear."
"Oh.... I think I put 'em in the training room...." Willow mumbled as Dawn took off, coming back seconds later with the normal jeans and the lilac tee. How the fighting scoobies didn't notice the three girls, they had no idea. They were on the other side of the room anyway, so that might factor in. Dawn took Tara back into the back room and changed Tara, since Willow felt that she couldn't handle doing that to her girlfriend.
Soon they were ready and, after telling the other scoobies where they were going, Willow, Dawn, and little Tara were on their way to the park. They took with them the small amount of clothing they had bought for Tara, intending to stop by the house at some point while they were out. Willow wanted to make sure that that the clothing wasn't forgotten or left behind.if all Tara had was the pajamas and the outfit she was in.it wouldn't be easy keeping her clean.
Tara wandered around the playground, babbling quietly to herself. It was relatively empty, with a few other tots playing on the structure with their mothers or siblings, and a bunch of highschool boys playing football. Tara, not familiar with the playground, took her time and got to know it and decide what to do. She had gotten herself down a slide, when Willow ran over to her and picked her up.
"Sweetie, I need to go get us some lunch. are you hungry?" at Tara's nod, Willow asked what the little girl wanted to eat.
"Pizza?" Tara asked. Willow mentally kicked herself. What else did small children want to eat? She nodded, setting Tara down.
"You wanna go get food now?" she asked the tot. Tara shook her head.
"Stay here!" she told Willow.
Willow thought for a moment. If Tara wanted to stay, she could let Dawn watch her. It was only a question of Tara allowing Willow to go away like that, which worried Willow.
"Tara.I'll go get lunch if you want, but you have to stay with Dawnie. Do you think you can do that?" she asked, turning the little toddler so they were staring each other in the eyes. Tara seemed to think a little before reluctantly nodding.
"Dawn?" Willow called, and the teen ran over. "Tara's hungry, you want pizza?" When Dawn nodded, Willow smiled. Without warning, to see what Tara would do, the redhead placed Tara into Dawn's arms and watched as the little girl struggled for a minute, before deciding that she liked Dawn.
"Hey, look! She likes me!" Dawn laughed as Tara sat in her arms. She thought it was kind of weird, how Tara was always the one to help her out when there was a problem, and she always took care of Dawn.but now the roles were reversed and Dawn was watching over Tara.
"Tara, you be a good girl for Dawnie, and I'll be back as soon as possible," Willow said, kissing Tara's forehead. To Dawn, she said" Take care of her, and make sure she doesn't get hurt.but have fun!" She smiled and ran off, trying to get to the pizza place and back as soon as humanly possible.
"So Tara.what do you wanna do?" Dawn asked, setting Tara on the ground. Tara grabbed on to Dawn's hand, and tugged her over to the swings. She wouldn't talk to Dawn, but at least she wasn't kicking her or crying or anything. Dawn placed her in the baby swing and pushed her gently.
This was how Willow found the girls fifteen minutes later, when she arrived with food. It was so nice to see Tara getting along with someone who wasn't she, Willow thought.
"Hey Dawnie, you two hungry?" she called, placing the pizza box on a nearby picnic table. Tara lifted her arms and Dawn carried her over to the table, and they sat down.
After dishing out the pizza on paper plates she had picked up with the pizza, Willow realized that she hadn't thought to get any utensils with which to cut up Tara's food so she could eat it.
"I should go back and grab forks and knives," Willow mumbled, getting up.
"Willow, come on. It's a finger food, you're supposed to eat it with your hands," Dawn said, rolling her eyes. When Willow remarked that she needed to cut up the pizza for Tara, Dawn just told her to let the girl eat it the way Americans were supposed to, no matter how young. Reluctantly, Willow agreed. It made sense, though, because she really didn't want to leave Tara again. It wasn't that she didn't trust Dawn, she just didn't trust other people around her girlfriend-turned-toddler.
Not ten minutes later, Willow was regretting listening to Dawnie's advice; Tara's face and parts of her shirt were covered in sauce and cheese from the pizza. This was way beyond napkin cleanup; the tiny tot needed a bath. Willow cringed when she realized she had to carry the little girl home, and did her best to wipe the stains off Tara's clothing and face. Needless to say, the napkins didn't really help.
"Tara, honey, are you ready to go home now?" She asked, looking at the two-year-old. Dawn grinned and took care of the pizza box and plates and such. Tara smiled and nodded. As long as no one left her alone, she was happy to do whatever. She knew that Willow - and Dawn - wouldn't harm her.
Willow picked her up, and the three girls began the walk home. Being Sunnydale, the walk wasn't long and the weather was warm, so it was rather pleasant. Willow just hoped that Tara didn't fall asleep, because then she'd have to wake her up, and she knew from experience that Tara was in no way a morning person.
(TBC very soon; I just need to get back to school so I can grab my notebook..so sue me that I do all the writing in class..that's when I get my ideas. I might (most likely WILL) be on Wednesday night, seeing as how I have a concert tomorrow night and won't be able to post the next chapter..PLEASE REVIEW!!!)
Willow (and, unfortunately, Tara) was woken up about an hour later by noise coming from the main room of the Magic Box. Tara thankfully didn't cry, or scream, or make any type of noise whatsoever. It was obvious though, from the look on her face, that she was not at all a happy little girl. Willow, noticing this, smiled and picked her up, carrying her into the front room.
The noise that they heard in the training room, it turned out, was Giles and Anya having some argument, and Xander and Buffy occasionally put in their two cents. Willow looked at Dawn, who was obviously trying her best to ignore the four adults.
"What's going on?" Willow asked Dawn quietly, so that the others wouldn't hear.
"They're trying to figure out exactly what caused that to happen to Tara and not Buffy...or if the spell was originally intended for her in the first place. They're all stubborn and have their own ideas, and Buffy thinks it's always got to be about her." Dawn replied, a sarcastic tone in her voice.
Willow nodded. "Why don't we take Tara to the park...I would let you babysit so I could help research, but you know how she acted LAST time you went near her...not that I don't trust you or anything, it's just, she doesn't seem to like anyone who isn't me and I don't know why but she does and..." she trailed off, shrugging.
Dawn laughed at Willow's mini babble. "I know, we should. But we're gonna need to get her into something that isn't her pajamas.... Where did you put the clothing? 'Cause I know the exact outfit I want her to wear."
"Oh.... I think I put 'em in the training room...." Willow mumbled as Dawn took off, coming back seconds later with the normal jeans and the lilac tee. How the fighting scoobies didn't notice the three girls, they had no idea. They were on the other side of the room anyway, so that might factor in. Dawn took Tara back into the back room and changed Tara, since Willow felt that she couldn't handle doing that to her girlfriend.
Soon they were ready and, after telling the other scoobies where they were going, Willow, Dawn, and little Tara were on their way to the park. They took with them the small amount of clothing they had bought for Tara, intending to stop by the house at some point while they were out. Willow wanted to make sure that that the clothing wasn't forgotten or left behind.if all Tara had was the pajamas and the outfit she was in.it wouldn't be easy keeping her clean.
Tara wandered around the playground, babbling quietly to herself. It was relatively empty, with a few other tots playing on the structure with their mothers or siblings, and a bunch of highschool boys playing football. Tara, not familiar with the playground, took her time and got to know it and decide what to do. She had gotten herself down a slide, when Willow ran over to her and picked her up.
"Sweetie, I need to go get us some lunch. are you hungry?" at Tara's nod, Willow asked what the little girl wanted to eat.
"Pizza?" Tara asked. Willow mentally kicked herself. What else did small children want to eat? She nodded, setting Tara down.
"You wanna go get food now?" she asked the tot. Tara shook her head.
"Stay here!" she told Willow.
Willow thought for a moment. If Tara wanted to stay, she could let Dawn watch her. It was only a question of Tara allowing Willow to go away like that, which worried Willow.
"Tara.I'll go get lunch if you want, but you have to stay with Dawnie. Do you think you can do that?" she asked, turning the little toddler so they were staring each other in the eyes. Tara seemed to think a little before reluctantly nodding.
"Dawn?" Willow called, and the teen ran over. "Tara's hungry, you want pizza?" When Dawn nodded, Willow smiled. Without warning, to see what Tara would do, the redhead placed Tara into Dawn's arms and watched as the little girl struggled for a minute, before deciding that she liked Dawn.
"Hey, look! She likes me!" Dawn laughed as Tara sat in her arms. She thought it was kind of weird, how Tara was always the one to help her out when there was a problem, and she always took care of Dawn.but now the roles were reversed and Dawn was watching over Tara.
"Tara, you be a good girl for Dawnie, and I'll be back as soon as possible," Willow said, kissing Tara's forehead. To Dawn, she said" Take care of her, and make sure she doesn't get hurt.but have fun!" She smiled and ran off, trying to get to the pizza place and back as soon as humanly possible.
"So Tara.what do you wanna do?" Dawn asked, setting Tara on the ground. Tara grabbed on to Dawn's hand, and tugged her over to the swings. She wouldn't talk to Dawn, but at least she wasn't kicking her or crying or anything. Dawn placed her in the baby swing and pushed her gently.
This was how Willow found the girls fifteen minutes later, when she arrived with food. It was so nice to see Tara getting along with someone who wasn't she, Willow thought.
"Hey Dawnie, you two hungry?" she called, placing the pizza box on a nearby picnic table. Tara lifted her arms and Dawn carried her over to the table, and they sat down.
After dishing out the pizza on paper plates she had picked up with the pizza, Willow realized that she hadn't thought to get any utensils with which to cut up Tara's food so she could eat it.
"I should go back and grab forks and knives," Willow mumbled, getting up.
"Willow, come on. It's a finger food, you're supposed to eat it with your hands," Dawn said, rolling her eyes. When Willow remarked that she needed to cut up the pizza for Tara, Dawn just told her to let the girl eat it the way Americans were supposed to, no matter how young. Reluctantly, Willow agreed. It made sense, though, because she really didn't want to leave Tara again. It wasn't that she didn't trust Dawn, she just didn't trust other people around her girlfriend-turned-toddler.
Not ten minutes later, Willow was regretting listening to Dawnie's advice; Tara's face and parts of her shirt were covered in sauce and cheese from the pizza. This was way beyond napkin cleanup; the tiny tot needed a bath. Willow cringed when she realized she had to carry the little girl home, and did her best to wipe the stains off Tara's clothing and face. Needless to say, the napkins didn't really help.
"Tara, honey, are you ready to go home now?" She asked, looking at the two-year-old. Dawn grinned and took care of the pizza box and plates and such. Tara smiled and nodded. As long as no one left her alone, she was happy to do whatever. She knew that Willow - and Dawn - wouldn't harm her.
Willow picked her up, and the three girls began the walk home. Being Sunnydale, the walk wasn't long and the weather was warm, so it was rather pleasant. Willow just hoped that Tara didn't fall asleep, because then she'd have to wake her up, and she knew from experience that Tara was in no way a morning person.
(TBC very soon; I just need to get back to school so I can grab my notebook..so sue me that I do all the writing in class..that's when I get my ideas. I might (most likely WILL) be on Wednesday night, seeing as how I have a concert tomorrow night and won't be able to post the next chapter..PLEASE REVIEW!!!)