Return to An American Tale Chapter Two



An American Tale
CHAPTER THREE

Author: Spellbound
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: I own nothing except 2 insane cats, fuzzy socks and and a twisted imagination.The songs used in this fic all belong to whoever wrote them and Im just borrowing them, you could sue me but it'd be pointless as I have nothing at all... the only thing of any worth I have is my girlfriend and there aint no way in Hades you're having her!!! Grr Argh!


Tara had finally managed to drag Julie from in front of her mirror, and together they made their way to the club. "Do you have any classes in the morning?" Tara asked as they crossed the street and into the 'clubbing district'. Julie wrinkled her nose and contemplated the question for a moment. "Erm, nope. On a Monday, I usually just assist the L.A.P.D guys if they want a sparring partner." she replied, "Looking to work off something?" she asked as they approached the newest gay club on the block. "There's been some weird guy hanging about the club." Tara replied, looking up and down the street as she spoke, "I just want to be prepared."

The Flying Handbag loomed before them. It had been open a little over a year and Tara had begun working behind the bar almost on its first night. After a huge punch up on the dance floor in which she had successfully removed two men and a half dozen women, the manager put her forward for a security training course. In her official capacity as "Anti-social person removal technician" or bouncer to everyone who isn't a government official, Tara organised the security teams and more often than not manned the door herself. In this capacity, she had made more than one enemy, usually a drunken person who swore they would return and kill her, by they time they had gotten home, passed out and recovered from their hangover, they had forgotten about their threat, but one guy, about six feet tall and tee-total had been hanging around, or rather lurking, eyeing her up and generally making her uncomfortable. It wasn't so much his presence as his silence that unnerved her, had he been rude, lecherous and aggressive, she could handle him, but he would stand for an hour at the start of her shift and just watch her before entering the club, where he would be polite to everyone, dance and sing before leaving to watch her for an hour at the end of her shift. He never tried to follow her home or even talk to her.

"I'll give you a call and you can ride in with me if you like?" Julie offered as they waited for a motorcycle to buzz past them before crossing the street. "Yeah, that'd be great." Tara told her with a grin.

As they walked past the ever growing queue of people to the main door, they turned the corner and Tara barrelled into a leather-clad redhead, almost knocking her off her feet. "Oh god, I'm so sorry." Tara said as the woman brushed herself down and retrieved her crash helmet from the floor. "No harm, no foul." she replied, a smile pulling the corners of her mouth upwards. Tara grinned and found herself becoming lost in the emerald depths before her.

Willow's smile grew wider, the eternal pools of soul danced before her, drawing her in and tempting her to take a swim. Riot appeared next to her, wrapping his arm protectively around her waist. "Everything ok?" he asked as he looked a strange blonde and her shorter companion up and down. "Oh, yeah," Willow turned and looked strangely surprised at his being there, "We just bumped into each other." she told him.

"Well, let's not keep the ladies from their night." he said, smiling apologetically as he led Willow towards the end of the queue. "Sorry again." Tara called after them, turning to watch the stunning redhead walk away. Looking over her shoulder, Willow beamed before continuing her progression to wherever they appeared to be going.

Grinning madly, Tara returned her attention to her friend. "She was hot!" Tara announced as they nodded at the bouncer on the door and stepped into the coat check area. "Shame about the bloke though. Why are all the good ones straight?" she asked Julie, not expecting her to know the answer. Julie beamed and tucked a ticket for their coats into her pocket. "He's not her boyfriend. He's her partner." she told Tara who adopted a look of confusion.

"And the difference is what?" Tara asked, "Partner, boyfriend, lover. It's all the same no matter what you call it." she said as they paused before entering the main body of the club. Julie shook her head. "No it's not." she said plainly. "He's her partner on the force. She works for the L.A.P.D and is single!" And with the she pushed open the main door and vanished into the mass of people.


Willow tapped her foot impatiently. She hated waiting in queues and the ones outside a nightclub always moved the slowest but she could never work out why. "Check ID, say 'yes' or 'no'" she said to Riot who was shaking his head and laughing. "It's stupid." she finished and spun around on the balls of her feet.

"Will, babe. Calm down, we're almost at the front." he told her, pointing in the direction of the door. "Only about half a dozen people left."

After being granted access and checking their coats, Willow returned her attention to the length of time they had waited. "See, it took us like, 15 seconds!" she said, as if this somehow proved a point she had neglected to make clear. Riot laughed and slapped her ass playfully, "Just dance already!" he told her, pushing her into the mounting throng of people.

From the large stage, a spotlight lit up the people standing before it as well as the stages single occupant. "Good Evening all!" a tall woman announced. Tara and Julie had been dancing for almost a full hour before deciding to grab some 'quiet' time and heading to the small upstairs where seating was available and one could look down over the other clubbers and laugh at their dancing or scan for a friend or potential lover. Tara recognised the woman on stage almost as soon as the spotlight lit up. Known only as 'Snake' because of a tattoo that ran from her neck to her feet, she was Tara's second in command, one of them would almost certainly be at the club and, on the rare occasions they had worked together, had gotten on fabulously.

"Are you ready for some live fun?" Snake yelled into the microphone. The crowd roared with delight. "Then get ready for the 'Blue Brothers'!" she screamed before the lights dropped and the curtain rose.

The spotlight lit up a chubby man who grinned as the ever familiar tone of 'Everybody Needs Somebody' burst into the room.

We're so glad to see so many of you lovely people here tonight, and we would especially like to welcome all the representatives of California's law enforcement community who have chosen to join us in the palace hotel ballroom at this time. we do sincerely hope you'll all enjoy the show, and please remember people, that no matter who you are, and what you do to live, thrive and survive, there still some things that make us all the same. You, me, them, everybody, everybody.

From the side of the room, Tara noticed a flash of red hair and its owner leapt up and down. Squinting to try and get a better view, Tara slapped Julie in the arm. "It's the woman from outside!" Tara yelled over the music, pointing down to the crowded dance floor.

Everybody needs somebody
Everybody needs somebody to love (someone to love)
Sweetheart to miss (sweetheart to miss)
Sugar to kiss (sugar to kiss)
I need you, you, you
I need you, you, you
I need you, you, you in the morning
I need you, you, you when my soul's on fire

Julie followed the direction of Tara's extended digit and frowned when she couldn't see anyone with red hair. "It was her, I'm certain." Tara told her, a huge grin spreading across her face. "Well, let's go down and find her!" Julie said, grabbing Tara's hand and pulling her towards the stairs.


Willow had always loved this song, she didn't know why and had spent the duration of the movie complaining about the incompetence of the police but, according to her anyway, this song was the saving grace of the film.

Bouncing up and down with excitement, she sang along loudly causing Riot to hide his head and temporarily disown her.

Sometimes I feel
I feel a little sad inside
When my baby mistreats me
I never, never, never have a place to hide
I need you

Willow's mind was inexplicably drawn to the blonde with whom she had had her only 'bump in the night' with outside the club, her hypnotic blue eyes drowning Willow's consciousness and making her feel certain she was being watched. Scanning the crowd quickly a rapid movement above her caught her eye and she could have sworn she saw the same woman up on the balcony. "I'll be right back!" she yelled into Riots ear.

Fighting her way through the people, Willow got to the lobby and stared at the double staircase. One flight leading up to the left, the other to the right, both going to the same destination but neither one meeting the path of the other. The sensible option would have been to wait at the bottom to see if the blonde emerged but Willowbrain wasn't registering 'sensible' and she took a second to consider her options. "Left. Right. Left Right." she mumbled. "Right's emptiest." she concluded and took the stairs two at a time.


"I told you the right flight would be less packed!!" Tara complained to Julie as they squeezed past a couple making out on the tiny landing. "Oh shut up and hurry up!" Julie chastised playfully.

They emerged into the crowded lobby and pushed in a side door that emerged at the front of the stage. Looking around quickly, neither woman saw the redhead or the man who had accompanied her to the club. "Fuck it!" Tara growled, "Let's go back upstairs." she said.

There were far too many people for her to be able to spot one, at least while they were down here.

Sometimes I feel
I feel a little sad inside
When my baby mistreats me
I never, never, never have a place to hide
I need you, you, you
I need you, you, you
I need you, you, you
I need you, you, you
I need you

Willow burst into the seating area startling a handful of drinkers who were enjoying the relative peace. After rushing around all the tables, Willow realised the blonde either wasn't up there or she had been seeing things. "Left then." she said, deciding to take the other flight of stairs in a vain attempt to bump into the owner of the bluest eyes she had ever seen.

Tara and Julie had fetched a couple of bottles of water and decided to take the quieter staircase back to the balcony. On reaching their lofty position, they slumped onto a sofa as all the tables over the floor were taken. "If it's meant to be, she'll turn up." Julie said, trying to comfort her friend. She had never seen Tara so wired, especially over a woman she didn't even know. Tara nodded and sighed, there was something special about the redhead, something was almost pulling her to her and she wondered if maybe they were magnetic. Laughing at the absurdity of her thought, she grinned at Julie. "I guess you're right." she said.

You know people when you do find that somebody
Hold that woman, hold that man
Love him, hold him, squeeze her, please her, hold her
Squeeze and please that person, give 'em all your love
Signify your feelings with every gentle caress
Because it's so important to have that special somebody
To hold, kiss, miss, squeeze and please

"Hey Red, where'd ya get to?" Riot asked when Willow finally returned to his side. She smiled sadly before replying; "I though I saw that woman from outside, y'know, the blonde?"

Riot slapped himself in the head, "Oh god, I broke up something, didn't I?"

Willow laughed and caught hold of his hand before it made contact with his head for the third time. "I think she was with her girlfriend anyway." she told him. "C'mon, lets go somewhere else." she finished, pulling him by his arm towards the exit.

Everybody needs somebody
Everybody needs somebody to love
Someone to love
Sweetheart to miss
Sugar to kiss
I need you, you, you
I need you, you, you
I need you, you, you...

Tara and Julie spent another half hour scanning the crowd before deciding that the elusive redhead was definitely NOT there. "You wanna go somewhere else?" Julie asked when she saw the sadness spreading over Tara's face. Looking at her watch, Tara shook her head. "It's almost 2am." she told her friend, "Wanna call it a night?" she asked. Julie nodded and together they made their way into the night.


Continue to An American Tale Chapter Four


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