The Rosenberg Institute

[DreamsToDream]

Oh My God That Was So Incredibly.... Incredible And Hot!!

The Way U Were So Informative... The Details Were Making Me All

Damn That Anna Harris!!!!

D2D





Dreams To Dream In The Dark Of The Night, When The World Goes Wrong, I Can Still Make It Right...- Dreams To Dream



I Don't Know About You Miss Kitty,But I Feel A Whole Lot Yummier. - Catwoman

[willow fan7]

This is what i've been waiting for. Thank you so much! This was definitely worth the wait, not that I entertained the thought that it wouldn't be Fantastic update. Nice peek at Anya's character. Typically Anya heh.

But here, the energy, the collective intelligence. It's like this force, t-this penetrating force, and I can just feel my mind opening up, you know, and letting this place just thrust into and -- and spurt knowledge into -- that sentence ended up in a different place than it started out in - Willow

[willowsgirl]

Wow things are certainly moving along nicely! This was a great update, I really enjoyed it. Apart from the nasty interruption by evil Anna Harris



Stacey xx

"You're the only one I'd be with til the end- When I come undone, you bring me back again- Back under the stars, back into your arms" 'Fall to pieces' by Avril

[JustSkipIt]

Pipsberg,

Well so glad to see an update. I had feared that this would be one of the many stories on pens with wonderful beginnings and then no middle or end. So this update was sorely needed.



The tone is wonderful. I love the unmistakable chemistry between the two girls. Their physical closeness is so needed it's palatable to them and to the reader. I think that the use of Tara's pov is particularly powerful here in bringing us inside the emotions and physical sensations of their joining. Of course, I'm excited by the fact that they even have private rooms and don't have to take each other in the hallway in the future.



Of course Anya's interuption is priceless. She's insulting but friendily so. My only concern is that she seems to be implying that Willow does this all the time: "priceless even for you" or something like that. I'm not crazy about the idea that Willow deflowers every pretty woman she meets.



Wonderful job!

Go Lance!

MoveOn.Org

American Civil Liberities Union

[Artemis]

Now there's something you don't usually see in costume drama... go Tara Getting this story through her mental narration is a very distinctive experience, particularly with her period-accurate manner of speech. I spotted that jibe from Harris at Willow's immodest ways too, but I'm not sure it necessarily implies a great many past flings with pretty women - for the time, just getting around in male attire as she does would be enough to give her a reputation as a walking scandal, that Anna would naturally poke fun at Not to say she's never had a girlfriend of course - who could resist Willow being all cute and dressed up in a suit?



Chris Cook

alia.customer.netspace.net.au/glass.htm

Through the Looking-glass: A Willow and Tara for every world.

[Tempest Duer]

Gah! Xander's awful, even as a girl!

It's insulting to the whole gender[sic] of rap.



~Eminem

[TromDeGrey]

I love how you're bringing their chemistry together through even in this AU setting. Those are the AU's I enjoy the most. The one's where you can still see our W&T even in these wildly different settings. And as we've discussed, that can be difficult. I'm still really captivated by your use of language as well, and the more research I do, the more I appreciate what you're able to do with the respective speech patterns. It's a real joy to read, pips!

My second favorite household chore is ironing. My first being hitting my head on the top bunk bed until I faint. -Erma Bombeck

[sharleen711]

OH YESSSSSSSSS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was waiting so long for this update.... So now i'm happy but also wanting more and more and more .

Thanks for the update...

~ Sharleen ~

[KiwiAlcyone]

heya pips,



Well, it's about time! I've been hanging out for an update in this fic for ages and of course you didn't disappoint at all! This was absolutely splendid and ever so very HOT!!!



The sexual tension between the two of them has been building nicely over the preceding chapters and this was a great way to bring it to the surface. Tender, sweet and yet going a ways to releasing all the pent up desire they feel towards each other...



until Anya...or should I say Anna, ha ha, that's my name, excellent choice Although grrrrr...interupting smoochies!! Well, this is an excellent promise for things to come. And all of this happening in the 19th century? Are things going to be nice and angsty? Ooh, I hope they are



Waiting eagerly for the next bit already



Alcy

Reality continues to ruin my life - Calvin and Hobbes

[LunaMuses]

pips, you're back! YAY!



what a wonderful update! feels like I've been waiting so long for the fix! ;p I just love how wonderfully you portray Tara's thoughts...



I'm glad it was 'Anna' that caught them, hehe. Anyone else, and I think it could have been a bit of trouble ^^'



glad you're back, can't wait for more! ^^

In Memory of Austin Evans...you will not be forgotten...

[good2cats]

Hi Pipsberg,
Thanks ever so much for the spectacular update.I just love the pacing and the flow of your story.Willow's rambling about the code was quite endearing.And Anna's interruption and response to the merriment was a riot.I can't wait to read more.Please update again real soon,
Be well,Karen

[pipsberg]

Hello my lovely kitties. So happy to hear from you all. Just a note of thanks. I will continue to update as regularly as I can, but I am not sure if weekly is all that realistic. I'll do my best!



Wimpy - I'm so happy that your wait was worth it. Glad you like "Anya". She's always been one of my favorite characters to read, and I find that she's fun as hell to write. Almost as fun as Willow.



D2D - LOL, did I tongue-tie you? That's great that you thought it was hot. I am always a little concerned that the more smutty parts will be too contrived or trite to be hot, but so far so good.



willowfan7 - I love anticipating something, but I love just getting it better. I see you feel the same way Thanks for reading.



willowsgirl - Thanks! Anna Harris has gotten a bad wrap so far, but trust me she'll grow on you.



JustSkipIt - Well, you don't know me personally, but let me say I never leave anything unfinished. I also hate disappointing. So, come hell or high water this story will proceed regularly and it will be finished. I do want it to evolve on it's own though. So I will definitely write many smaller parts as I am inspired to do so. I'm very happy to hear that you like the story and that you felt the chemistry. Anya is always priceless and I will definitely have a lot more of her in the story. I wouldn't worry about Willow being a slut-puppy, and hopefully I haven't written her to come across that way!



Chris - You are spot on with your take on Willow and the time. And I don't think anyone with a pulse could resist Willow, dressed as a man OR a woman. Thanks for your continued feedback and encouragement Chris, it means a lot.



Tempest Duer - I think you meant Anya? Hopefully she'll be less awful and more entertaining moving forward...



Trom - Yay for chemistry! I'm so happy it's working. Thanks as always for your comments. By the way, how is your writing going? You'll have to email me about it.



Sharleen - Thanks, I'll try to keep more coming for you!!



Alcy - What a huge compliment from you, oh queen of hotness, to call my fic HOT. I love it. You're the first kitten to bring up angst. It wouldn't be an AU fiction without it. Given the time period, there would almost have to be wouldn't there? I definitely have some plot twists in mind that will make the angst ebb and flow. I'm not in too much of a hurry to use it though. I feel like there are still a lot of details to build. Thanks so much for letting me know what you think of RI!



Luna - Hey, Hey! Yes, I am still alive. Glad you liked the update. I hope I catch you on chat sometime.



Karen - You are very welcome. Thank YOU for the feedback. I'm glad you like the flow and Willow's rambling. I try pretty hard to nail her down, even in this time period. More soon I hope!

-pipsberg



"We live our lives, do whatever we do, and then we sleep - it's as simple and ordinary as that."

Michael Cunningham, The Hours

[amazonaa]

Oh.......um great job.





more soon please.







brittney









~Kiss this axe, bitch!---Tara "Bargaining part 2"~

[wallflower0204]

Hi Pitsberg,

my first feedback, I wanted to tell you that I love this story, you are doing a very good job, please don't make us wait too long for up dates.

I look forward to know how their day is going to end...



Michelle

[Irishgrl3]

What an update and well worth the wait!

I like that Tara was so bold to speak first to get things moving in the smoochie department. And Anya, you've written her brilliantly. Her comments are so frickin hysterical.

Quote:

---

"Oh Willow, even for you this is priceless. You're tussling the new teacher on her first day. I must say, I have a newfound respect for you..."

---

For some reason I was glad it was Anna instead of Anne that caught the two.

[The Rose24]

I am glad you are continuing this. I can't wait to see how the relationship between W/T will progress.

Tara: My heart doesn't stutter.


Tara: Willow, I got so lost.

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

[tarawhipped]

Yay Pipsberg! An update!



You know, there's so much teasing in so many fics that I was a little startled by the smoochfest (and not in a bad way ). Kinda hafta wonder where that would have led if they hadn't been so rudely interrupted. Speaking of, I love your incarnation of Anya! So gleefully naughty!



Regarding the implication that Willow's been around the block before, I think it's fitting to the character. Anyone bold enough to be strutting around Boston in man drag would have to be a hit with the ladies. Plus it helps account for Anne's concern---maybe some chambermaid allowed Willow to take her for a "tumble in the stable" only to run off with a soldier-boy, leaving Willow broken hearted.



I also like that, despite the setting, they're both more or less at ease with the sexual nature of their attraction. Costume dramas in all media tend to play this down, especially when it comes to two women. If it were up to me, the phrase "romantic friendship" that you see so much in Victorian writing would be replaced with "lusty lesbo lovin'."



-Cameron

[thebardgirl]

.....more?



*looks up with sad puppy-dog eyes that no human--possibly the rare wombat--can resist*



-elizabeth

[Tempest Duer]

Eh, Anya, Xander, whatever hun! They're both totally into watching and Though I really can't blame them...

It's insulting to the whole gender[sic] of rap.



~Eminem

[DarkChild]

wow



Update soon please

"Death cannot stop true love. It can only delay it."

The Princess Bride

[BurningWhiteRose]

Anna Harris...



Absolutely brilliant.



I am in love with Anya's character. She's just so...sexual, straight forward, rude...Love it. Plus, the intuition she hides so very well.



So anywho...



LOVE it. Oh and the makeout scene...



...



Sincerely,

BWR

***

If homosexuals dont reproduce, why are there so many of them?-Jim David

[pipsberg]

brittney - Thanks!



Michelle - Thanks for the first time comments. I'll try to not keep you waiting too long!



Irishgrl3 - I'm so happy that you like Harris! I had to make it be her that found them... who else is going to help them keep it secret?



The Rose24 - I appreciate you hanging in there!



Cameron - Gleefully naughty! What an apt description of Anya/Harris. As for Willow being around the block, as Chris pointed out earlier, she really doesn't have to have been to be considered scandalous - even by Anya. All of her quirky behavior would have rocked society in those days. I think your observation about Anne's concern is a very good point. She's extremely protective of Willow. I was LOL at your "lusty lesbo lovin". Sounds good to me



elizabeth - Wombat's are pretty damn cute.



Tempest Duer - I certainly couldn't blame anyone for wanting to watch Willow & Tara That would be wicked good fun.



DarkChild - I'll do my best!



BWR - Glad you loved the make out scene and Anya's character. Stay tuned!

-pipsberg



"We live our lives, do whatever we do, and then we sleep - it's as simple and ordinary as that."

Michael Cunningham, The Hours

[thebardgirl]

OH please, please, please, please, please, please PLEASE update? I mean....i'm having a bad...week, and i'd really appreciate it...that or a mocha. And seeing as I'm drinking a rootbeer right now, that leaves one option: your fanfic to be updated....



-elizabeth (who doesn't do well with begging, in fact, is terrible at it)

Last night in sweet slumber I dreamed I did see my own precious jewel sat smiling by me.

And when I awakened I found it not so; my eyes like some fountain with tears overflowed.

[pipsberg]

• Title: The Rosenberg Institute
• Author: pipsberg
• Feedback: This is my first W/T story, so I would love your honest and constructive feedback. The more encouragement I get, the more I am bound to write!
• Distribution: Please ask me first.
• Spoilers: This story is completely AU and unless you consider the Civil War and events leading up to it to be “news”, you won’t find any spoilers. If I have ruined the history of the Civil War for you, I apologize deeply.
• Rating: At least R, possibly venturing into NC-17 territory. I will give ratings and notes for each part as needed.
• Pairing: W/T
• Summary: As events hurl the United States towards an imminent Civil War, young Tara Maclay accepts a position as a science assistant at a secret teaching institute.






The Rosenberg Institute, Part 9





Rating - PG

After our embarrassing and ill timed interruption from Harris in the alcove, Willow and I spent a few awkward moments murmuring apologies to each other until I realized suddenly that I really wasn't sorry.Perhaps I was regretful that we had been kissing and groping each other in the hall.I was most definitely concerned about my job and any repercussions Willow would face from Anne.Oddly enough, I was not worried about my reputation.What reputation did I have left really?I came to this Institution with the past of a disgraced father, a dead mother and a paying job as a teacher's assistant of some sort.By all accounts I had nothing to salvage.

I emerged from my thoughts to hear Willow wrapping herself up in one giant incoherent rambling, staring down at her hands which were fidgeting wildly.

"...of course, when I said Harris was psychopathic I was completely serious.But she's not dangerous!At least not that we know of.Let's just say that she's never physically harmed anyone though I've wanted to ring her neck often enough.I cannot emphasize enough just how sorry I am about all this.I mean, here I am throwing myself at you in some kind of crazed sexual heat - because I'm pretty sure that's what that just was there - on your very first day when really I'm supposed to be showing you all the classrooms and what you are supposed to be doing here.I feel like such a lout.I really hope you will still allow me to be your friend and -- "

"I'm not sorry!"I blurted out.

As I had listened to her adorable babbling, the thought and conviction came to me suddenly.I really and truly was not sorry.I didn't know what I was feeling, but apology or regret was not one of them.Willow's head snapped up and she stared intently at me.

"You're not sorry?For what just happened?"

"No, I'm not" I shook my head and smiled at her.

Willow scrunched her face up in confusion, tilting her head to the side.

"But Tara, we just kissed and...well, did other things.You're supposed to be sorry and run away and never speak to me again."

My heart welled up with love and sorrow for her then.The venerability on her face touched my heart deeply.Had she been hurt before by some other woman?I was angry for her; then suddenly jealous.I laughed slightly at the kaleidoscope of emotion that she set off in me.I moved closely to her, reaching up to stroke her cheek lightly.

"I'm standing right here Willow.I'm not running from you.I can't promise you that I wont be scared by what happened between us, or what could happen again, but I won't stop talking to you.I find you simply addictive."

She smiled brilliantly then and I couldn't resist kissing her lightly, her sweet lips parting in surprise under mine.I reveled in her softness briefly, pouring the feelings of love and tenderness that I was feeling into our short kiss.When we parted, we stayed but a breath apart, our eyes roaming each others faces.Where Willow's eyes touched my skin I felt warm and chilled at the same time; gooseflesh springing up on my neck as a blush rose again to my cheeks.

"Tara?"

"Yes,Willow?"I responded, my hand still caressing her cheek; keeping a connection between us.

"I need to ask you a question.It may seem odd and difficult to answer.Well, probably not difficult for you because you seem to know your own mind so well.I mean, you are just so smart and self assured and poised...you seem to have an answer for everything and know just what to say at any time.I suppose it's because you have had to take care of yourself for so --"

I cut her off again, this time with a light kiss, followed by two more sensuous brushes of my lips on her jawline.

"I don't know what I did to deserve such admiration from you Willow, but it's very flattering.Why don't you just ask your question and I will do my best to answer it?"

I smiled at her befuddled expression.My kisses seemed very effective in both confusing her and ending her babble.She nodded slightly, staring at my lips, then my eyes.She looked deeply into them.She looked so deep that it took much self restraint to not look away.Her stare was so raw I could swear I was seeing right into her soul.

"Tara, I want to be yours.That is, will you be mine?Will you be my sweetheart?"

The hopeful, needy expression on her face made my heart ache, while at the same time it soared.Hearing her say those things made me tingle all over.I felt so light, as if my heart swelling up in my chest was lifting me clear off the floor.

"Willow, I would love to be your sweetheart."

She threw herself at me suddenly, hugging me with a tremendous amount of strength.I returned it without hesitation and sunk into her embrace.

"We have to be discrete Willow," I spoke into her ear, "Especially with your family and friends".

"I know Tara, I know.We can be though.We can be secret sweethearts."She sighed and held me tighter, stroking my hair and neck."But what about Harris?We can't let her tell anyone, especially Anne!"

"I'll speak to Harris.I'll see if I can reason with her."I hoped against hope that this would be possible.

Willow laughed pulling away from me to look into my eyes.

"Be prepared with bribes darling.Harris won't give anything for free."

I grinned, as if a love stuck school girl, "Say that again Willow."

"What?" she smiled.

"Darling." I smiled back at her shyly.

Willow pulled me toward her again, wrapping me in another close embrace.

"Darling, darling, darling" she crooned into my ear.

I sighed in contentment.I was standing in the telegraph alcove.I was holding my sweetheart.I was holding my heart.






-pipsberg



"We live our lives, do whatever we do, and then we sleep - it's as simple and ordinary as that."

Michael Cunningham, The Hours

[JustSkipIt]

Ahhh, how completely sweet and adorable. This update was so good that it made it worth it to read it rather than play another round of Inspector Parker! And that's saying something. They're so adorable: Sweethearts!



Thanks for the update. Debra

MoveOn.Org

American Civil Liberities Union

Human Rights Campaign

[wimpy0729]

Oh Pips! This was absolutely wonderful.



I loved the whole thing but a few things that really struck me were these:



I loved Tara being bold and saying that she wasn't sorry for what happened.



The stare that was so raw it was like looking into her soul.



And of course, the darling, darling, darling.



This just made me so incredibly happy! Thanks!



Wimpy

"There was plenty of magic." ~ Tara

[thebardgirl]

*bounces up and down with delight* MORE!



*can't stop bouncing and is overecstatic* MORE!



*realizes that soon she will float into the atmosphere with the lightness she's feeling in her head, similar to Tara in this update* MORE!



*doesn't care* MORE!!!!!







MOORRRREEE! That's not Michael Moore, that's not the English moors, and no, it's not even S'Mores....*sigh* IT'S FRIGGIN I WANT MORE.



*bows* thanks for a brilliant story. They said "sweethearts"!!! *melts into happy-go-lucky-puddle*



-elizabeth

Last night in sweet slumber I dreamed I did see my own precious jewel sat smiling by me.

And when I awakened I found it not so; my eyes like some fountain with tears overflowed.

[LunaMuses]

yay, a pips update! awesomeness ^^



"I find you simply addictive"



that line just made me smile. such a foward thing for a shy girl like Tara to say ;P



good to hear from ya, can't for the next chapter! ^^

"I was disappointed. I had thought I would have some revelation of specific evil. I wondered if all women did with other women was lie and hug."
The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath

[mollyig]

I was holding my heart.



Very sweet update. Lovely that they're both so honest with each other about how they feel, and that they're committed to staying together despite the odds.

---

Sheacht mh'anam déag do bhéal, do mhalaí's do ghrua

[Irishgrl3]

Such an awesome update! Sweethearts in the closet so to speak. I have to agree with LunaMuses;



"I find you simply additive"



What a great line...