So here I am with Part B. Surgery went fairly well I suppose. Thanks to everyone for the good thoughts about that. Now I'm all set up with a nice prescription and floaty thoughts. It's very good. The stitches up my nose I could do without though, and I don't enjoy going around with a runny nose like a toddler. All in all though, I suppose it could be worse. I mean, they could have screwed up royally and chopped the whole nose off. So I consider myself lucky. My main concern (as is the concern of the friend who discussed it with me) is that with all this extra flow going on with my nose, my brain might slide out. I mean, if more air can go in, doesn't that mean there's a potential for stuff to fall out? Let's all hope my brain doesn't fall out. It might not be much, but it's all that I have. So I've talked enough about noses and brains and stuff, here's the update. It's sorta short. I'm going to start working on the next one soon. Hopefully I'll get it done in a timely fashion. Thanks for reading.
Oh, and a little P.S. to Kasey. Are you psychic?
Replies:sabina – Hi to you too. Vodka and cats doesn’t sound so bad. Could be worse I suppose. Yes, if drool and snoring and ooky hair is still beautiful, it must be love, that’s for sure. And since love is this all powerful thing, I guess that means they’ll work it out in the end.
faithy – Sorry to cut it all off and leave you hanging. Hopefully this next bit will help.
bluewillowwitch – They’ll talk when they do. Great answer, huh? It’ll happen. Have faith.
mxgirl314 – It wasn’t up by Sunday, but I hope you didn’t come back and check too often. Sorry. Here you go though.
littlecrazy80 – Maybe you’re speculation is right. Maybe it’s not. Who knows. I’m feeling all cryptic today, so that’s that I guess.
reyjawk – That situation is no fun. Sorry you went through it. Here’s an update.
Yellow Crayon – A Woo and a Hoo? That’s fun. Keep those fingers crossed. Here’s Part B.
JustSkipIt – Glad you liked the update. Again with ‘trust’ issues. Yes, I suppose they are there. More on that later. In other news (I’m practicing for when I become a newscaster, or not cause I don’t want to become one), I tried to get at why she didn’t talk to Buffy, but I didn’t really elaborate. Sometimes you just don’t want to talk to people about stuff. Pretty simple I guess. But she does need to talk to someone and she will. She’s gone now, but who’s to say she won’t talk to Buffy later. Yes, Tara set her alarm for 8:00. That gets explanation in this update. That was the whole ‘huh?’ factor I think this last one left. You’ll understand soon.
RaiStarr – Don’t worry, it wasn’t your fault. She was going to not wake up regardless.
Tibbs – I love juice boxes. That’s not the point though. Yeah, so a Tara thing to do. Plus, soccer moms. Another thing I love. It did seem kind of obvious Tara wouldn’t wake up, didn’t it? I’m having disjointed thoughts, so I’ll just say that sneakers in the snow is still good. Your feet just get cold.
sam darls – We’ll get it all sorted out. Promise.
slayergirluk – Calling is a definite money saver. I’m sure she’ll get a hold of Willow somehow. More on that later.
Washi – Hey. Glad to hear you liked that part. Sorry about the lack of overly romantic notes. I thought about sliding one in there, but decided against it. She is mad at Tara, you know. Well, sort of I guess. Hope you like this next part too.
eccentrictulip – Yeah, I’m going for realism. Plus, challenges are cool. Thanks for the hopefulness about the surgery. I’m enjoying the drugs immensely.
Garner – Hey, thanks for the public post. Sure, I get feedback from you via email and beta-ing, but more feedback is always good. When I read “Sarah’s backup characters” I first thought it said “backup singers.” That one gave me a good laugh. Thanks for the good wishes about the surgery. I really appreciate it.
Kasey – I’ll gladly ship all that wintery wonder down to you. I hate the stuff, but you seem to love it. Take it. Take it all! Don’t worry, it’s okay that you took so long for feedback. I understand that you’re a very busy girl. With finals just around the corner I’m sure it’s hectic. Or not because I know you’re a slacker like me
. You’re speculations about the story are most likely false. Why? Because I said so. Now here’s the thing I want to know. How in the heck did you know that while I was lying in that hospital bed waiting for my doctor to come around and say “You can go home now!” I was watching The Goonies? That’s just eerie (almost as eerie as that Rock You Like A Hurricane song, but not quite). Such a great movie. I just read news that there’s heavy talk of a sequel. I’m happy and sad at the same time. I hope they don’t go and ruin it (as sequels sometimes do). And my 10 lb. weight restriction got broken a few times, but my nose is still, thankfully, attached. I got lucky I think. This next update wasn’t written under the influence of any drugs, as it was completed before surgery. I’ll try to get all doped up for the next one though… just for you
.
allykat – Inner babble is okay. Feel free to have it frequently. I’m glad you’re liking the story. Thanks for the little rose icon thingy.
willow fan7 – Are you sure you’ve never left feedback before? Well, thanks for starting I guess. I appreciate it. You’re “Wake Up Tara” calls get answered here in Part B, but maybe not the way you hoped.
Title: Songs For A Mix Tape
Author: Sarah (unionjill30)
Email: unionjill_30@yahoo.comRating: PG - PG13ish?
Disclaimer: I don’t own the characters from ME, and really I don’t own the other characters so much either. Though Kim would like to think she owns me. I’ve been informed that I don’t have to be Kim’s bitch, I just choose to be. Go figure.
Feedback: Yes please
Track ListTrack 19: Takeoffs And Landings by The AtarisPart B
Tara was warm. She and Willow were curled up together in bed inside their igloo, and it was freezing outside where the polar bears were making snow angels but nice and cozy inside, especially under the blankets. She tightened the covers around them and squeezed closer to Willow’s body. Red hair tickled her nose, and she giggled. Something strange happened then. The tickling continued, but it sounded as if someone were now sniffing around her face. It wasn’t Willow, who was sleeping, and Tara lifted her head up to look around.
A sudden tap to the forehead brought Tara’s dream world to a halt. The real world quickly bled in and took over, and the blonde peeked one eye open to see what was going on. A fuzzy kitten head greeted her just centimeters away causing the other eye to blink open as well.
The kitten let out a tiny meow and nudged her head into Tara’s cheek. She’d had enough playing around downstairs and clawing at the furniture legs and was ready for some interaction. Lucky for her, the first open door upstairs had someone she could play with. She just had to wake the person up.
Tara pulled her arms out from beneath the blanket covering her and gently picked the kitten up, placing her on the floor beside the bed. The morning haze still clouded Tara’s senses, and she rolled over, pulling the blanket back around her whole body.
The blanket didn’t feel right, that much she could tell. It was slightly rougher than the one she had on her bed. Finally, she decided to look down and saw that, in fact, it wasn’t the blanket from her bed. It was one from the linen closet.
Pieces fell in place; the cat, a strange blanket. Tara looked at the clock beside her bed which read a little before two o’clock. “Willow!” she yelled as her eyes widened and her body shot up. “Why didn’t you wake me up?!” she asked the clock, as if it would answer back. Reaching over to push a few buttons, Tara found the source of her problem. She’d set the clock for 8:00pm instead of 8:00am.
Tara groaned and tossed the blanket off her body, effectively covering the kitten on the floor. A muffled meow alerted the blonde to the kitten’s predicament, and she pulled the blanket back on to the bed before jumping up and racing for the nearest phone.
“Please pick up, please pick up,” Tara repeated over and over as she dialed the redhead’s cellular number. Willow was definitely at the airport by this time Tara knew, but there was a chance she wasn’t on the plane yet. Despite her small hope, the phone went directly to voicemail signifying it was turned off. Frustrated, Tara slammed her phone back into its base. “She’s gone,” the blonde whispered, sadness beginning to creep up.
Tara finally realized she was standing in the hallway naked and slowly turned to her bedroom to put on clothes. She was defeated, and she knew it was her own doing.
Traces of anger crept up in the blonde as she dressed. Thoughts of what she could have done differently came forward in her mind as well as the conversation with Anya.
She’s right. I am stupid. Rationalization bled in though, and Tara realized that getting mad at herself wasn’t going to change anything in the present and certainly not anything in the past. After giving the kitten some much needed attention, Tara decided to give any anger or negativity a place to release so she herself wouldn’t be holding on to it.
Late in the afternoon Kim decided it was time to go back to Tara’s and check on the kitten and see if the blonde was finally awake. She made the drive from her apartment to Tara’s house where she saw her friend outside on the deck heavily engrossed in something. Tara obviously didn’t see her pull up, so Kim got out of her car to go inside the house and head upstairs to see what was going on. She could hear the faint sound of music playing as she walked around to the door.
Once upstairs, Kim walked through the hallway and around to the sliding doors to the deck, which were wide open. Tara still hadn’t looked up from where she was leaned over a large canvas panel on which she was applying an array of angry brush strokes in a deep red paint. Kim stood and watched for a moment, listening to an old punk rock tune that flowed from a nearby stereo. She finally decided to announce her presence.
“Hey, angry Oi Punk girl, what’d that canvas ever do to you?” Kim said jokingly as she stepped outside onto the deck.
Tara looked up, slightly startled by the voice. When she saw it was Kim, she half-smiled and went back to what she’d been doing.
Kim walked over to admire the blonde’s work. She noticed a collection of small candle holders resting on the railing of the deck. The insides of the glass had been painted and it looked like they resting there to dry. Turning back to canvas, she commented, “Kinda looks likes clouds rolling in before a storm… except red. The clouds going to rain blood?”
Tara looked up again to give her friend an odd look. “You’re incredibly morbid.” She stood up fully and wiped a bead of sweat that was rolling down her forehead with her hand, effectively leaving a small trail of paint in its wake. She tilted her head to see if she could visualize what Kim did. “I could picture clouds though,” she decided. “Scary ominous clouds.”
“So what is it?” Kim asked, tilting her own head to try and get different angles on it.
“I have no idea,” Tara replied. “I thought I’d just throw something on there and decide the ‘what is it?’ part later.”
“Cool. So it’s arts and crafts time?” Kim joked.
“Pretty much. But I think I’m done for now.” Tara put down her brush and decided to call it quits for the day. She started cleaning up.
Kim pulled the candle holders off the railing so they wouldn’t be at risk of falling to the ground below and took them inside to the kitchen counter.
When Tara finished organizing her things, she walked inside as well.
“So, I was telling Willow earlier about how I woke up early today for work and you weren’t up yet. It was all very exciting,” Kim said with a broad grin on her face.
Tara laughed, ignoring the fact that Kim had mentioned Willow’s name. “If you’d just wake up before noon occasionally it wouldn’t seem like such an accomplishment to be up early.” She started to walk down the hall to the bathroom to clean up.
“I haven’t gotten out of bed early on a regular schedule since high school,” Kim shouted after her friend. “I’m pretty sure I’m not going to start all that again. So what time did you finally get in?” She opened the refrigerator door and poked her head in looking for food.
“I think I made it to bed around six or something, so I got home a little before that,” Tara shouted from the bathroom as she wiped at the paint spot on her forehead with a soapy cloth. It was difficult, but it was coming off.
“You looked awfully adorable snoring and drooling all over the place when we stopped by earlier.” Kim let out a loud laugh. “And what was with the naked?”
Tara’s cheeks turned bright red. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Willow saw me like that? Tara was now completely embarrassed. She finished in the bathroom quickly and came back into the kitchen with her face still red.
“It was too bad I didn’t have a camera,” Kim said, coming up from the refrigerator with a container of hummus in her hand.
Tara stood dumbly as she watched her friend pull a box of rye crackers from a cabinet and begin eating.
“So are you all rested up and feeling great?” Kim asked after swallowing a hummus coated cracker. She continued smirking as she noticed the pink tinge to the blonde’s cheeks.
Embarrassment aside, Tara wasn’t feeling great. “No,” she answered honestly.
“Feeling like a nap?” Kim asked, taking another cracker.
“No,” Tara said again.
“Feeling monosyllabic?”
“Possibly.”
“So what’s up?” Kim prodded. All teasing ceased when she noticed for the first time a far away, sad look in her friend’s eyes.
Tara sighed and let loose with the story. Kim knew a good portion of Tara’s past, which kept the blonde from having to go into huge detail at some points. She barely left out a single fact, making for a very long narrative, and by the end she was crying and Kim was on the verge of tears as well.
“I’ve totally ruined it,” Tara sobbed as Kim moved to embrace her in a hug.
“Hey, you haven’t ruined it,” Kim soothed, stroking blonde hair. “Do you think she would have even bothered to come over this morning if you’d ruined it?”
“I don’t know,” Tara sniffled into her friend’s shoulder.
“Well she wouldn’t have,” Kim assured. “And she seemed kind of sad too. I just didn’t really know why until now.” She stepped back and tilted the blonde’s chin up. “It’s obvious she loves you. So buck up camper. It’s not so bad.” Kim playfully nudged Tara’s chin with her knuckles.
A very tiny smile passed over Tara’s lips. “I cry too much,” she said, wiping at her eyes with both hands.
“No you don’t. You cry when it’s appropriate. That’s not too much.” Kim began to put away the hummus and crackers. “Now, about this uber tool act you had going on.”
“Now I’m a tool?” Tara asked, shocked.
“Definitely a tool,” Kim replied, though she was smiling. “But we can work on it.”
Tara smiled back. Kim wasn’t as blunt as Anya, but she sure was just as honest.
“The thing I’m most worried about is that your tool-esque qualities have gone and ruined my record label. You think she’s going to want to do business with the best friend of the tool?” Kim asked. She was trying to look serious but was failing miserably.
“I’m glad you’re so concerned about my well-being,” Tara said sarcastically as she playfully shoved her friend.
“Of course I’m concerned about your well-being.” Kim smiled innocently. “Now, let’s go get some real food. I’m starving,” she said. “We can even go to that pizza place and have that nasty pizza you like without the cheese because I’m feeling nice. And we’ll figure out what sort of begging tactic you’re going to use when you call Willow.”
“You know you like the pizza. Don’t lie,” Tara teased. It was amazing how her friends knew just how to make her feel better. “And you sound like Anya, by the way.”
“Oh great,” Kim complained. “Well, that’s just something I guess you’ll have to help me work on then.”
Oh baby, baby, you're breaking my broken heart. And try not to rip my favorite shirt. One more thing, can I have the things that you borrowed from me? My self esteem, my stability, and my argyle socks.
Edited by: unionjill30 at: 12/2/03 11:52 am
But, yeah, that would be too predictable... (sorry, I'm kind of having an inner-babble..
)Now, it will make their reunion that much sweeter... 
like that huge Beethoven dog. 
unionjill 
I'm glad that Kim is there to help 
out. 
and chance and none of this would have happened. 
Good thing for 
more. Update soon, please? 
)