Thanks for your patience! 
I’ve traveled more in the past 3 months than I have in the past 3 years, no kidding! As always, your feedback is golden! Thanks for reading and thanks for writing, too! 
Title: How I Met Your Mother*
Author: Ariel
Email:
blaziak@yahoo.com Feedback: All feedback welcomed, specific input appreciated, harsh on me via PM
Rating: NC-17 for W/T love scene, ratings can change on various posts
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, but I love to take them for a ride!
Summary: A/U before season 1, the summer after Willow's freshman year with a large dose of Queen Cordelia at her bitchy best and teen-aged angst.
*not related to the sit-com of the same name
Note: Here are links for Cordelia’s and Willow’s songs just so you can appreciate these wonderful lyrics and share their excitement about the opportunity to perform!
Cordelia’s song, “The Good Ship Lollipop” (colorized version)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLLSqpYyPD8Willow’s song, “The Girl That I Marry”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BFgcoPjrg8 Mrs. Finch clasped her hands together and raised her face to the heavens. “At last, my prayers have been answered!” She returned her gaze to Cordelia, “You will perform ‘The Good Ship Lollipop” in a tribute to Shirley Temple.” She fastened her manic gaze on Cordelia who shrank back, “I have a larger version of the very costume she wore in the movie.” She grinned, “But it only gets better!” Cordelia’s tanned face had assumed a blotchy hue. “I have a curly blond wig, just like her hair, that you can wear for the number!”
Cordelia slid down further in her chair, her face a mask of horror.
Part 38: SingingMrs. Finch looked fondly at Cordelia’s terrified face, “There, there, dear. Of course it is intimidating following Shirley Temple, the greatest performer of the twentieth century! But, it will be a triumph!” She turned to Willow, “I’m afraid Cordelia’s number will be our new feature. I hope you aren’t too terribly disappointed—“
“No!” Willow shouted joyfully, then blushed and lowered her voice, “I mean, I can make the sacrifice! In fact, I could give up my spot completely and Cordelia could do
two Shirley Temple songs!”
Cordelia first gave a low moan, then recovered sufficiently to shoot Willow a vicious glare.
Willow smiled back at her. “Don’t thank me, Cordelia, I’m glad to help!”
Mrs. Finch dabbed briefly at her eyes. “Willow, I am touched, deeply touched that you would give up your chance to shine for Cordelia’s sake and for the sake of the show! That kind of friendship, that kind of sacrifice, it just gets me right here.” Once again she laid a hand over her ample bosom. “But, no,” she said finally, “You’re too talented. It’s wrong to deprive the world of your gift.” She looked around the circle and returned to her former enthusiastic mood, “So everyone get your songs ready for a run through at lunch. Won’t that be fun?” she chirruped merrily.
Everyone else slid down in their seats, stared at the floor, changed color, or simply slumped in despair except for the new girls who didn’t know any better and the die hard performers who were thrilled to have a captive audience beyond their long suffering families.
Mrs. Finch continued to move her gaze around the circle. “You can sing first at lunch, Tara.” She turned, “And Carly, your group will be next. Have a good day, girls! Our meeting is dismissed early, so take the opportunity to work on your songs.”
Tara stood up stiffly, her face white. Willow had already slid an arm around her waist when Carly hurried up. “Tara, don’t feel bad! Look, I know your song backwards and forwards. Mrs. Finch throws it into the show every other year. So how about I teach it to you? I’ll even sing it with you at lunch, too. It’s just this once, though, not in the show!”
Tara gulped, “Y-you’d do that for m-me?”
Carly gave her a pat on the shoulder and a one-armed squeeze. “Sure, what are friends for?”
Tara stood still for a moment, then a genuine smile lit up her face. “Th-thanks, Carly!” Then she stepped forward and gave Carly a hug.
Carly laughed easily, “Hey, it’s no trouble! My kids are away in outdoor games, so let’s just walk to the stables and I’ll teach you the whole song in two minutes.”
They walked and practiced at the same time with Willow trailing behind them.
Carly grinned, “Yeah keep singing it a little lower, in my key and I’ll get my dad to accompany us on his ukelele. Okay, once more.”
They finished and Tara smiled. “Is that all? I got it!” Then the smile slid off her face, “But I g-get so scared w-when they’re w-watching me!”
“Hey, Tara. How about we dance? My Dad learned how to swing dance from his folks and he taught me.”
“I d-don’t know, Carly. I’m n-not much of a dancer!” She blushed, “My m-mom taught me h-how to waltz when I was little but I don’t think that counts!”
“It’s okay, we’ll keep it simple and we’ll face each other the whole time so you don’t have to look at the audience!”
Tara offered a cautious smile, “It
might work.”
Willow stood back, watching Carly teach Tara how to swing dance. Tara started out blushing and moving awkwardly, but Carly was patient and soon she began laughing and having fun with the steps.
“Carly, I can do it!”
“Sure you can. We’re gonna go up first and just get it over with. Remember, keep staring at me. Forget everyone else.”
Tara smiled and nodded, then surprised Carly with another hug.
Carly laughed and blushed, “Hey, Tara, don’t make your girlfriend jealous!” Then she said good-bye and headed back to her cabin for some precious extra sleep while Tara locked the door behind her.
Tara returned happily to Willow, only to see her lover’s hands jammed in her pockets and her eyes staring down at the barn floor.
“W-willow, what’s wrong?”
Willow swallowed, “Nothing! Maybe I would’ve liked to dance with you. I mean in a dance-y kind of way. With you + me = us. In a dance-y kind of way,” she repeated awkwardly. She looked hurt. “You could’ve at least asked me.”
“I’m s-sorry, Willow. I r-really am. I didn’t know that you could dance.”
“I can’t. I mean, maybe I could, but I haven’t tried before. So technically, I can’t.”
“Then w-what difference does it make?”
“It’s the principle of the thing,” Willow said with dignity. “You’re my girlfriend and you shouldn’t just go around dancing with other girls without asking me.”
Tara’s special smile quirked left, then glowed like a sunrise across her face. “I’m your girlfriend?”
Willow’s nod was definite. “Yes!” Then she hesitated. “I mean, I think you are, we’ve never actually exchanged the sacred vows of girl-friendyness but—“ She looked at Tara in confusion, “What
are the sacred vows of girl-friendyness?”
Tara dropped her eyes, “H-how should I know?”
“But you know everything about,” Willow blushed and hesitated, “girl-friendy uh stuff.”
Tara’s blue eyes widened in pleasure from the compliment. “I do?”
Willow stared at the ground. “When we made love, the first time, you just knew.” Willow met her lover’s eyes, “Even when I didn’t know, you knew how to do . . . everything.”
Tara swallowed, her musical voice reduced to a whisper, “I didn’t know. At first, I-I just touched you h-how I like to be touched, then I w-watched you and I saw h-how you felt. I-I learned you, Willow.”
Everything, Willow. The beat of your heart, the music of your breathing, how you moved and tensed and sighed how you swelled and flowed. Then the hitch in your breathing, the stillness that instant before you ‘melted’ - the waves breaking in your body and your pulse beating against my fingers when I was moving inside you. Tara’s face flushed and her heart was in her eyes. “I studied you, Willow.”
Willow glanced up shyly, “You’re a great student,” she said softly and smiled her eager Willow-smile, “And I want to be a great student, too, straight-A’s in all things Taranian!”
Tara looked at Willow, then tilted the smaller girl’s chin up so that their eyes met. “You already are,” she said softly, then she leaned down and laid feather soft kisses on Willow’s lips and down her neck.
Willow swayed under the spell of Tara’s mouth against her skin and felt Tara’s arms slide around her waist. Then she felt Tara’s breath warm against her ear, “Will you dance with me?”
Willow swallowed and nodded as Tara began to sing the song softly:
We’ll build a bungalow big enough for two.
Big enough for two, my honey, Big enough for two!
And when we’re married how happy we’ll be
Underneath the bamboo, underneath the bamboo tree.
Willow giggled at the song lyrics and Tara was inspired. She grinned, stepped back and gave Willow a playful twirl. Willow’s laughter rippled in the air and suddenly Tara swung Willow around and flung herself into the song’s silly exuberance.
If you’ll be M-I-N-E mine, I’ll be T-H-I-N-E thine
And I’ll L-O-V-E love you all the T-I-M-E time.
You are the B-E-S-T best of all the R-E-S-T rest
And I’ll L-O-V-E love you all the T-I-M-E time!
Tara gave her partner a final twirl and Willow spun out of her arms, laughing giddily as she sank onto a nearby hay bale. Tara followed and leaned over. “Are you okay?”
Willow stared up and lost herself first in the bright blue of her lover’s eyes. Then Tara laughed and Willow’s eyes dropped to Tara’s luscious breasts, moving just inches from her eyes. She could feel their warmth and see the faintest glisten of sweat inside Tara’s cleavage. She arched her neck and kissed Tara’s breasts through her work shirt and watched Tara’s nipples swell against the fabric. She looked up and met Tara’s eyes, dark with desire, then she reached up to unbutton Tara’s shirt, unfasten her bra and lift the creamy softness into her hands, loving their warmth and weight.
Tara’s voice was a yearning sigh as Willow brought her mouth to Tara’s nipple, taking it into her mouth and laying satin tongue kisses against the rapidly hardening bud. Then Willow moved to “Amore” while still keeping “Mare” warmed and pleasured with her fingers. Then she sucked first and grazed the brown goodness with the tips of her teeth. Tara shivered and Willow felt her own arousal, pulsing hotly through her body.
Tara’s voice was a groan, “Can we? Is there time?”
Willow lifted her face and stared uncomprehendingly at her watch until she remembered how to tell time. She stared up at Tara, “We have almost sixteen minutes!”
“’Sixteen minutes’?”
Willow nodded and their eyes locked. Then approximately seven seconds later they had removed enough clothing, dropped it on a couple of handy hay bales, and laid down to stroke each other’s thighs and begin exploring.
They locked eyes again, entering each other at the same time and gasping with the pleasure of it.
Tara felt herself clench around Willow’s fingers and felt the answering velvet clasp of Willow’s body as they began thrusting inside each other, then touched each other’s swollen rosebud. There was no hesitation, they dipped into each other, briefly savored the sweetness of each other’s woman scent, then continued stroking. They lay side by side and were pressed chest to chest, nipples dragging against each other’s heated skin as they moved and sighed and shifted, growing closer and closer to their release.
Willow began shaking, her tremors and gasps igniting a fire inside Tara who bucked hard against the younger’s girl’s hand. They struggled to continue the touches while feeling waves of fire and desire crashing inside their bodies. They cried each other’s names, breath rasping in their throats as they came again and again, then finally stilled to silence, clasped in each other’s arms.
They savored the satin kiss of skin to skin and Willow sighed, “You’re beautiful, Tara.”
Tara answered with a rose petal kiss of her full lips against Willow’s ear, “And you’re beautiful, Willow. S-sorry that it was so fast.”
Willow turned her head and whispered back, “I’m not. We needed it.”
Tara nodded, her voice suddenly shy, “H-happy Anniversary, Willow.”
Willow arched up to kiss her ear and whispered, “Happy Anniversary, Tara. You
are my girlfriend. No doubt. Definitely!”
Tara smiled, “So will you dance with me?”
Willow’s voice was lazy with satisfaction. “Any time, baby.”
“At lunch then, for the song.”
Willow sat up with a jerk, “What!” Then she glanced at her watch, “Hurry! They’re coming any minute!”
Tara sat up and began throwing on her clothes, but she was determined to finish their discussion. “You said ‘any time’ and lunch qualifies.”
“Tara! I just went through a hell world-y singing nightmare! I can’t do—“
“You don’t have to sing, just dance!”
Willow groaned, “Dancing in public, a whole new trauma-fest!
“It’s just for lunch, for one tiny number. The song only lasts for about a minute.”
“Yeah, but time is relative. Physicists all agree on that! And sixty seconds of hell-dancing in front of people is entirely different from sixty seconds of Tara-snuggles.” She looked hopefully up at Tara, but Tara’s blue eyes were merciless.
“You were jealous when I danced with Carly.”
“I was being immature” Willow said quickly, “I see that now!”
“Were you being immature when you said you’d dance with me ‘any time’?”
“Uh, no, not exactly, not immature. It was a DUI, uh B.”
“D.U.I.B? Du-ib?”
Willow cleared her throat and attempted a dignified delivery. “Uh D.U.I.B., is uh Dancing Under the Influence of Breasts.” She cleared her throat again, “When I made that dance-y statement I was under the influence of Tara-breasts and not legally responsible for my actions.”
“’Legally responsible’! Are you say my breasts are illegally sexy or something?”
“Absolutely,” Willow said confidently, “And that will be upheld by every court in the country!”
“What do you think I’m going to do, take you to Girlfriend Court?” She looked pleadingly into Willow’s eyes. “Please, Willow, I’m begging you to dance with me.”
Willow whined, “But Carly’s a much better dancer than I am.”
“But you’re my girlfriend and there’s no one I’d rather dance with in the whole wide world.”
Willow stared at her lover, somehow Tara’s plea seemed to hang in the air, echoing and re-echoing in her heart.
Wow, this girlfriend-y stuff is dangerous! She looked at Tara’s blue eyes, fastened hopefully on her face.
It’s Tara, the one I love like I’ve never loved anybody and she’s asked me to walk through hell in the form of dancing. Willow felt herself pulled in two painfully opposite directions as she considered the idea of dancing publicly with Tara.
But it’s for Tara.
But it’s for Tara (see above statement) and you get to dance with her and hold her in your arms and share this insane, dopey, stupid song with her.
Holding Tara . . . Mmmmm.Her green eyes met Tara’s blue eyes. Then she stood up straight and used her best announcer’s voice, “Cue up original ‘Star Trek’ theme music: This is the voyage of the Dorkship ‘Willow’, her ongoing mission to explore strange new worlds of public humiliation. To boldly fail in ways no one has ever failed before. . . Inspirational music, please,” she said weakly, then smiled at Tara. “I’m in.”
Tara stepped towards her and hugged her until they were both breathless then she followed it up with tender kiss.
Willow smiled, “On the other hand, there
are some benefits to my P.T. program.”
“’P.T.’?”
“Pleasing Tara.”
“I feel the same way about my T.W. program.”
“’T.W.’?”
“Tickling Willow!” Tara extended the tickle-fingers-of-terror and Willow raced to the barn door and scrabbled it open feverishly only to come eyeball to eyeball with ten astonished eight year olds and a smirking Faith.
Faith cocked an eyebrow, “Ride ‘em, Cowboy?”
Willow blushed furiously, grateful for the dim light, as the girls trooped in eagerly to begin leading their saddled horses out to the corral.
Then Faith sauntered by her and winked.
*************************************************
Willow and Tara marched through the lunch line and mechanically filled their plates. They sat down silently to eat while their campers stared at them.
Mouse broke the silence, “What’s wrong with Willow?”
Bettina stared at Tara, “With Tara, too?”
“I got it!” Devola said confidently. “They’re turning into Zombies, I saw it on ‘Night of the Living Dead’. In a minute, they’ll stick their arms straight out like this and—“
Connie cut in, “Strangle you for being such a dork, Devola!”
Devola laughed, then affectionately stuck a piece of pepperoni onto Connie’s cheek while Lisa waved her hand experimentally in front of Tara’s face. “Tara?”
“H-huh? W-what? Oh, H-hi Lisa.”
“Tara, what’s wrong?”
“W-we have to s-sing and dance.”
“Both of us,” Willow said miserably.
Towanda was sympathetic, “Can’t you get out of it?”
Willow looked at Tara’s frightened face and was determined not to let her girlfriend down. “No.”
Tara smiled tenderly at her. “Thanks, W-willow.”
Connie looked puzzled, “But I love singing and dancing. Maybe it’ll be fun.”
Mouse was excited, “Can we see? Right now?”
Tara managed a smile. “Sure, but around the side of the d-dining h-hall where no one else can see us.”
Debbie was grumpy, “I’m hungry! And it’s pizza day, too!”
Towanda over-ruled her. “Cabin emergency, come on!”
The whole gang left their food and hurried around to the far side of the dining hall where Tara and Willow started the song. The little girls loved the dancing so much and were so excited about the number that their counselors weren’t even allowed to finish.
Connie hurried up, “Can I be in it? I want to be a hula girl and dance!”
Debbie grinned at her, “Me, too!”
“I want to be in it!” Devola was jumping up and down, “I want to be Mr. Nilsson, the monkey from
Pippi Longstocking!”
“Me, too!” Mouse jumped up and down, “I want to be Mr. Nilsson, too!”
“No,” Devola was firm. “There can only be one!”
Lisa came to the rescue, “You can be Curious George, he’s another really smart, cute monkey and he has a whole bunch of books.”
Mouse beamed, “Dibs on Curious George!”
Lisa continued, “And he has a friend, the man in the yellow hat.”
Veronica stepped up diffidently, “I guess I could do that.”
Kate was enthusiastic. “Yeah! And your riding clothes have the same kind of pants he wears in the book, but you need a yellow hat.”
Lisa grinned at her counselors, “I’d like to be one of your kids. I’m the tallest and it would be funny if I wore baby clothes and had a bottle.”
Everyone laughed, then Kate volunteered to be her older sister.
Towanda stared at Bettina and Bettina stared back. Then Bettina had a flash of inspiration, “Signs!”
Towanda grinned, “Right! We gotta make a bunch of signs and show them right on time. Betts and I can do that together!”
Willow and Tara stood grinning with their arms around each other’s waists.
“You know what, Tara?”
“W-what, Willow?”
“There’s a good chance that we might actually live through this after all.”
They flung out their arms and their kids burrowed in for a mass hug before Debbie called out, “Race you back for pizza!” Then the two lovers were left to hold hands and stroll back together.
*************************************************
Mrs. Finch clutched the microphone excitedly, “And now we have our first show of the day with Tara Maclay singing, “I’ll Build a Bungalow.”
Tara walked up and took the mike shyly from Mrs. Finch, “It’s actually W-willow and I and all our k-kids from our cabin. And th-thanks Carly for singing with us and to Mr. Macready for playing his ukulele!”
“I’m Mr. Nilsson,” Devola announced.
Mouse stuck her bottom lip out at Devola, “And I’m Curious George and that’s my pet, the man in the yellow hat!” Then Mouse leaned towards the audience and whispered, “But you have to pretend because we don’t have the hat yet!”
Towanda nodded importantly, “And you have to pretend that Bettina and I have the signs ready!” There was an awkward pause and Towanda took over. “Go on!” she whispered loudly.
There was a ripple of friendly laughter and Willow and Tara turned away from the audience, faced each other and started the dance.
The number was funny, chaotic, and short. They got in a few nice turns, collected a good laugh when they accidentally crashed into each other and got a nice round of applause; all eleven performers bowing at different times.
Mrs. Finch hurried up, beaming. “Rough, but very nice for a first try! A fine job. However, I do have some constructive criticism for you, Tara. Your voice seems very low, please work with Willow to improve your range.”
Tara nodded seriously, but her blue eyes sparkled with mischief. “I’ll work with Willow on my voice, Mrs. Finch. I promise.”
“Excellent, dear. I’m sure you’ll be perfectly fine. Don’t fuss, we can’t all sing like Willow Rosenberg! Just work hard and do your best.”
Tara smiled, “You’re right, Mrs. Finch.” She gave Willow an adoring glance, “She’s got something special.”
Nice seeing just the two of them with no horrible Finchy or Queen C and the posse.
and you've used it so beautifully in this chapter!!! It's so sad how Willow only got hugs on birthdays or Hanukkah or for good grades. 
When Tara held her in the shower like Mary held Jesus it literally brought tears to my eyes. It's too bad though that there were people patrolling the shower, however it was funny that they were looking for a "short trench-coated pervert." 
Ha! That Devola! I also loved the officer saying that the last time any commotion happened was when a guy put a coconut creme pie in his wife's face. 
and I love that it was inspired by Faith's little improvisation! Ha ha!
)
)
) saying Cordelia and Willow have chemistry together?? Bleach and ammonia used to make MUSTARD GAS in WWI !! 
This woman just gets weirder and weirder!! But I loved her "condemning" Cordelia to singing an even more embarrassing song than than Willow's "On The Good Ship Lollypop" in a short dress and blond wig!! 
or devil
That was one awesone scene in the barn.
I'm starting to think of barns in a whole new light! 
Happy Anniversary Willow and Tara!!!