text:
Jasmine Cephas Jones
Here's the official track list of the soundtrack of Dog Days, the upcoming drama comedy movie directed by Ken Marino and starring Eva Longoria, Nina Dobrev, Vanessa Hudgens, Lauren Lapkus, Thomas Lennon, Adam Pally, Ryan Hansen, Tone Bell, Jon Bass, and Finn Wolfhard:
Dog Days Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Music by Craig Wedren and Matt Novack.
With songs featuring Jasmine Cephas Jones.
1. Made of Gold (feat. Jasmine Cephas Jones) – Craig Wedren & Pink Ape (3:06)
2. Walking the Dog (feat. Jasmine Cephas Jones) – Craig Wedren & Pink Ape (3:12)
3. Who Let the Dogs Out (feat. Jasmine Cephas Jones) – Craig Wedren & Pink Ape (3:59)
4. Sweet Love (feat. Jasmine Cephas Jones) – Craig Wedren & Pink Ape (2:52)
5. I'm Too Sexy (feat. Jasmine Cephas Jones) – Craig Wedren & Pink Ape (3:11)
6. You've Got It (The Right Stuff) (feat. Jasmine Cephas Jones) – Craig Wedren & Pink Ape (3:18)
7. When We Were Older – Craig Wedren & Pink Ape (4:21)
8. How Am I Gonna Get You Up There? (Elevator Score) – Craig Wedren & Matt Novack (1:21)
9. I Miss You / Walter Home Movies / Goodbyes – Craig Wedren & Matt Novack (5:32)
10. Mabel's True Family / Wake Up / Happy Paws – Craig Wedren & Matt Novack (5:14)
Plot Synopsis:
A hilarious and heartfelt ensemble comedy that follows the lives of multiple dog owners and their beloved fluffy pals around sunny Los Angeles. When these human and canine's paths start to intertwine, their lives begin changing in ways they never expected.
The movie soundtrack of Dog Days will be released on August 10, 2018 by Lakeshore Records.
Here's the movie trailer: Continue reading »
Tags: Craig Wedren, Dog Days, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Lakeshore Records, Matt Novack
COPYRIGHT © 2021 Soundtrack-Movie.com - Privacy Policy
All names, trademarks and images are copyright their respective owners.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Why cant it find the id value by jQuery I am making an app that takes some URL by a JSON file and based on those URLs, get some data from SoundCloud API. So far there is no problem. but when it is loading the data, it put each one of them in a
 tag. and each tag will have a id value based on the gathered data. Now I want to get get the value of each clicked
 tag. But it does not work. I think because it is made dynamically, but do not know any solution for it.
here is my code for loading data: and then the function for showing clicked
 in console:
$.each(data.PlayListArray, function(key, val){
                var track = answer[val.URL];
                var trackTitle = track.title;

                    $(".playerList .list").append(
                    "
" +
                    "
" + track.title + "
" +
                    "
");
});

$(".playerList .list li").click(function(){
    console.log($(this).attr('id'));
});

And this is the demo for full code: http://jsfiddle.net/danials/3JsJe/3/
Any idea?

A: Use event-delegation since you are appending those elements at runtime.
$(".playerList .list").on('click','.playerList .list li',function(){
 console.log(this.id);
});

A: you need to write event for li inside class list and have to use event delegation using on() as li are generated dynamically via ajax, do like this:
    $(".playerList .list").on('click','li',function(){
    console.log(this.id);
});

UPDATED FIDDLE

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


I love to bike. Give me a long, flat trail and I could ride for days. Hills are another story. Unfortunately, where I live here in Connecticut, I can't ride very far without encountering one.
Take it one step at a time. Rather than looking ahead fearfully at the daunting peak ahead, I try to focus on what I am doing in the present moment, knowing that each mindful pedal stroke will bring me closer to my goal.
Look for the breaks in the incline. One thing I've learned about hills is that they usually have breaks. You can't always see them from the bottom but, during the climb, there are usually moments when the ascent is less steep and the peddling gets easier, even if it's just for a moment. Savoring these brief moments of respite can really help me get to the top.
Rest when needed. Sometimes the breaks are not enough. Sometimes my lungs are burning and my legs are screaming and I need a rest. A well-placed rest helps me to regroup, re-energize and feel much stronger when I get back on the bike.
Be prepared. Sometimes a big hill will surprise me out of the blue but, most of time, I have some control over my course. Training on little hills first helps my legs to get strong enough to tackle the big ones later.
Enjoy the accomplishment. When I get to the top of the hill I make sure to celebrate. Life is short, and I want to make sure to fully enjoy my successes. I can also use some of that good feeling to carry me over my next big challenge—whatever it might be!


text:
Stop the Pain
by Penney Kome
All day long she twists and flexes her wrist to scan products, lifts bags that can total thousands of pounds per shift, pushes items along a counter and hoists produce onto scales. like many women, she is in a job where the pay is low, and the benefits paltry or even nonexistent. She is also in a job with a surprisingly high risk of hand, arm, shoulder, and back injuries.
Sitting at a desk five days a week isn't much safer. Pink collar workers, from secretaries to nurses to computer programmers, also report high rates of musculoskeletal injury (MSI). Workstations - as well as cars, bus seats, and the rest of our built environments - are generally designed for the generic 510" man.
Thus, most women sit at desks that are too tall for them, or in chairs wrongly proportioned to be supportive. The contortions we go through in order to fit ourselves to these environments often lead to the crippling pain that is a symptom of MSI.
Statistics on MSIs are sketchy and controversial. One source estimates that one worker in eight has an MSI. What's clear is that women file twice as many workers' compensation claims for upper-extremity MSIs as men do, and only one-third as many claims for everything else. Repetition, force and and awkward body postures are key job factors contributing to an MSI. Low temperatures, vibration, and long working hours without breaks are other risk factors. While truckers and construction workers report high rates of MSIs, the jobs where women predominate - such as needlework, electronic assembly, poultry packing, cashiering, data entry, and patient care - seem virtually tailored to induce MSIs.
Compromising Women's Health
Often called "the number one occupational health hazard of the 1990s," MSIs include a variety of soft tissue conditions ranging from aches and pains to epicondylitis (tennis elbow), tendinitis, bursitis, and frozen shoulder, as well as the infamous and potentially devastating carpal tunnel syndrome. MSIs "account for one-third of all serious workplace injuries," according to Peg Seminario, director of Safety and Health for the AFL-CIO - an estimated 700,000 upper extremity and back injuries a year. And affected women are doubly disabled, as MSIs interfere not only with their paid labor but also their household responsibilities.
"Musculoskeletal disorders represent a very significant, serious, and largely preventable occupational health problem," says Dr. Linda Rosenstock, M.D., M.P.H., director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in Cincinnati, Ohio. NIOSH takes the position that "Through effective programs the pain and disability of musculoskeletal disorders can be reduced, workers' compensation costs can be cut, and productivity and employee satisfaction can be improved."
Workers pay the price when employers ignore NIOSH reports. Take single mother Shirley Mack: after several years splitting chicken breasts in the high-risk poultry packing industry, she developed carpal tunnel syndrome so severe that she can't hang laundry or push a shopping cart. Her employer took the easy way out, and fired her. Her story is all too common in poor, rural areas, where such work often offers the best-paid jobs available to African American and immigrant women.
Health-care workers who specialize in occupational safety say that once a worker reports pain, treatment should be swift - and appropriate. Occupational-health nurse (OHN) Pat Bertsche, manager of the Institute for Ergonomics at Ohio State University, suggests in the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses Journal that "conservative therapy deserves an adequate trial [at least six months] before surgical intervention is contemplated."
As with so many conditions that affect mainly women, surgery is often offered as a first resort, not a last resort. Gary Franklin, M.D., medical director for the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries in Olympia, Washington, says that the Workers' Compensation Board there now refuses to pay for surgery for certain injuries unless the surgeon meets strict guidelines, because otherwise, "surgeons march up and down patients' arms and leave them disabled."
"Medical management should ideally include vigilance, rehabilitation, and familiarity with Occupational Safety and Health Administration [OSHA] record-keeping requirements," writes Bertsche. "One reason MSIs are systematically underreported is that many administrators don't realize that all actual MSI cases are reportable, regardless of whether the worker has to take time off"
Epidemiologist Barbara Silverstein, Ph.D., director of research for Washington State Department of Labor & Industries was originally a registered nurse who hurt her back lifting patients. She returned to school and in 1987 produced a groundbreaking thesis on upper-extremity MSIs. Subsequently, Dr. Silverstein headed the OSHA committee that proposed a set of ergonomic regulations, as well as the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) committee currently working on a voluntary standard. The purpose of both policies is to help employers and workers identify MSI hazards in order to redesign jobs and work stations that would protect workers.
Both OSHA and ANSI ergonomic standards have been fiercely opposed by coalitions of employers and blocked from publication, or in OSHA's case, enforcement. Since OSHA is supposed to be an independent agency, Congress is forbidden to intervene directly in any regulations the agency passes or enforces. Congress has instead put riders on OSHA's funding appropriations, stating that no monies may be spent to publish or promulgate an ergonomics standard. Rep. Henry Bonilla (R-Texas) has even tried, unsuccessfully, to forbid OSHA from collecting MSI data - eliminating a category of "reportable injuries" that has been on the OSHA 200 log (the form on which employers must report workplace injuries and illnesses) since Richard Nixon signed OSHA into existence in 1970.
The 1998 budget allows OSHA and NIOSH to research and to teach ergonomics, but not to enforce ergonomics regulations. In fact, there are no regulations for these agencies to enforce. OSHA has discarded the draft regulations developed by Dr. Silverstein's committee and is looking for other ways to promulgate ergonomic standards. 'This is a policy decision," Dr. Silverstein says of the deep-sixing of her committee's regulations, "not necessarily a scientific decision."
Ergonomics checklists are widely available, she says. OSHA's checklist drew from generally accepted principles. To opponents' charges that the proposed standards were too strict, she points out that "there are 6.2 million workplaces and not enough ergonomists to go around." OSHA's standard was meant to provide a means for triage. It had to be sensitive, rapid and easy to use. NIOSH has picked up the torch and is producing volume after volume of ergonomics information.
Up Against the System
The relatively new field of ergonomics is concerned with redesigning jobs in order to fit workers, so workers don't have to strain themselves to fit job demands. One of the first steps in an ergonomics program is to encourage workers to report any arm pains that last more than a few minutes. This not only protects workers, it also helps identify problem jobs.
Typically, an OHN is the first person in the workplace to spot those problem jobs. "Early intervention is the key," says OHN Kathleen Buckheit of the North Carolina Ergonomics Resource Center, a consulting and education service in Raleigh, North Carolina. "When you're in the plant every day, talking with the workers and watching the workers, you can get them to come in at the early stages, when it's just sore wrists," she adds. "We can ice their wrists, give them NSAIDs [non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs], and put them on light duties. Then we go out and we look at that job and try to find out what's hurting people."
Unions have encouraged OSHA to pursue ergonomics complaints and enforce workplace safety by using its General Duty Clause, which requires employers to protect workers from workplace hazards. OSHA enforcement is particularly important to the jobs that are at highest risk for MSIs (i.e. women's jobs) because those jobs usually don't have the protection of collective agreements or joint health and safety committees.
MSI-inspired national boycotts of meat-packing plants occurred in the mid-1980s, when the United Food and Commercial Workers International made carpal tunnel syndrome a central strike issue. In 1990, then Labor Secretary Elizabeth Dole announced OSHA ergonomics guidelines for meat-packing - an industry where, annually, some plants average one injury per fulltime job and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) figures show an overall annual injury rate of about 25 percent. Since the installation of those guidelines, MSI rates in the industry have not increased; the 1996 BLS figures actually showed a slight decrease. This year, the AFL-CIO launched a national "Stop the Pain" campaign in favor of ergonomic regulations.
Many employers and their insurers, lawyers, and doctors dispute the very existence of MSIs. Anti-regulatory lobbyists, doctors, lawyers and insurers presented their perspectives at a "Science and Policy Issues" conference on "Managing Ergonomics" last June. Their arguments: "Pain may not be disability, depending on personal and workplace factors"; "An increase in MSIs reported in the workplace does not necessarily mean that they're work-related"; "These conditions are common in the general population"; "Doctors are encouraged to blame work so that workers' compensation will pay."
Opponents of OSHA's standard argue that both the incidence and severity of MSIs are overstated. Their argument is that much of what are called MSIs actually result from outside activities or aging; that workers either deliberately malinger or else unconsciously exaggerate their pain for what's called "secondary gain" (e.g., workers' compensation); that "the scientific proof is lacking" to link MSIs with workplace conditions (remember Agent Orange, Love Canal, and, most recently, the smokescreen of the tobacco industry?); and that the proposed standard is both too sensitive to potential hazards and not specific enough about which body parts might be affected. And of course, they complain about their cost estimates for retooling.
The American Trucking Associations estimate that compliance with OSHA's ergonomic regulations would cost its members $6 billion, including $2.5 billion in extra personnel costs. What's really peculiar is that its cost/benefit chart shows that this $6 billion would barely exceed current "unspecified" costs. Costs usually associated with not fixing ergonomic problems include workers' compensation, fines, disability claims, and litigation.
Although OSHA inspections and workers' compensation fines may provide impetus for employers to implement ergonomics programs, many employers become converts when they realize that ergonomics programs improve efficiency and productivity as well as safety. Ford Motor Company, for instance, responded to a 1989 OSHA fine of $1.9 million by incorporating a new documentation program into their ergonomics program. From data collection to line design to monitoring and review, Ford's program is outstanding in the automotive or any other industry.
"We didn't achieve the kind of two-for one dollar return you hear about with ergonomics," says Hank Lick, Ford's Manager of Industrial Hygiene, "but we got a return in other ways. All of our health and safety programs help our relations with our union. It's sort of a jewel in management's crown."
Ergonomic approaches are even more beneficial to small businesses. Gail Sater credited ergonomics programs with helping her employer, Red Wing Shoe Company, in Red Wing, Minnesota, survive in competition with overseas (Asian) manufacturers. This manufacturer enlisted workers' analyses and suggestions to revamp old plants into ergonomic showpieces. Ingenious low-cost, low-tech solutions for potentially crippling tasks included tiltable sewing machines, adjustable tables, and home-sewn forearm supports, strung from plant ceilings. By 1995, their workers' compensation costs had dropped to $800,000 per year, down from $4 million in 1988.
Yet for every company willing to think ahead and prevent injury, there are others who blame the victim. Joseph D'Avanzo, attorney for IBM and other defendants in harmful-products lawsuits, raises one of the most contentious questions in determining culpability: non-occupational factors. "How come nobody integrates into their models what people do outside of work?" he asks. 'Two people work side by side...doesn't mean that both of them are going to complain of pain or injury. So what is the difference between the two?"
"It's the same with tobacco," Dr. Silverstein replies. "Some people can smoke for twenty years and not get lung cancer. That doesn't mean tobacco has no impact on the development of cancer."
While lawyers haggle and lobbyists wrangle, women in and out of unions insist that jobs should not require them to do work that hurts. "When I do something at home that hurts, I can stop doing it," says Tashlyn Chase, CAW National Ergonomics Coordinator for Ford Canada. "When it hurts at work, I don't have that option. When workers go home at night, we go home tired. We can't pick up our children because our arms hurt too much. The onus has been placed on us for far too long."
Penney Kome is an award-winning feminist author and journalist. Her sixth book on women's issues, Working Wounded: The Politics ofMusculoskeletal Injuries, is due to be published next spring by the University of Toronto Press.
© 1998 - 2010 On The Issues.


If you're looking to keep your vehicle's paint bright and shiny for years and years it doesn't come without a fair share of elbow grease. Whether you have a show car, brand new vehicle off of the dealership lot or just had your reliable old commuter repainted there are a few things you can do to keep the new paint looking its best. Here are three tips for vehicle paint care you can begin today.
Use auto industry approved car washing soaps. Dish soap often has tiny particles used to clean grease and other contaminants off plates and pots and pans that don't appear on vehicles. Those particles can cause damage to the vehicle's paint. Use microfiber cloths or gloves for scrubbing and sheepskin or 100 percent cotton towels for drying in order to avoid scratches or paint swirls.
In order to keep a great shine don't forget to wax. Make sure the vehicle is completely clean and is not overly hot before applying wax. The metal should be cool to the touch so the wax can be appropriately applied. There are many different types of waxes depending on weather conditions, paint color and so forth,so be sure to use the right one for your vehicle and read the directions for proper application.
The sun's UV rays can cause vehicle paint to fade, but it usually takes several years to become noticeable, but in places with lots of sunshine the damage can begin to appear rather quickly. The sun spots will often appear on the hood or top of the car as the vehicle is cooked in the hot weather. Any chance you can be sure to park indoors. If you have a garage at home, utilize it for the sake of your vehicle's paint!
With a little scrubbing you'll have a great looking car for years to come. But first things first, you need a beautiful paint job. If you need auto painting in Mansfield or the surrounding area leave it up to the experts at Auto Tech Services. We offer computerized color matching to give your car the perfect factory appearance or we can complete a custom paint job that will make your vehicle the talk of the neighborhood. We also complete all levels of auto body repair to ensure the body of your vehicle is smooth and that it drives safe following any minor or major accident. Call ATS today at (817) 405-3444 to request a quote or schedule an appointment for expert auto body repair in Mansfield!


A selection of items from the Great Exhibition and the Royal Society of Arts were brought together, in 1857, as part of the South Kensington Museum. The collection included machinery from the Museum of Patents and the Patents Office Museum.
In 1883 the contents of the Patent Office Museum were relocated to the South Kensington Museum and, in 1885, the collections were split in two. The science exhibits became the Science Museum, while the art collections were named the Art Museum.
When the Victoria and Albert Museum opened, in 1909, the science exhibits were housed in galleries to the west of Exhibition Road. Effectively a separate entity, this is when the Science Museum effectively came into existence.
The building, which houses the Science Museum, began construction in 1913, with it opening to the public in stages, between 1919-1928. Further expansions have taken place, with the Children's Gallery opening in 1931, the Upper and Lower Wellcome Galleries opening in 1980 and the Wellcome Wing opening in 2000.


Sinks have changed over the last 10-15 years. Back then, you would walk into the store and automatically choose a double sink. Now, there are more style options and brands to consider. In this article, you will learn how to buy a sink and why single bowl sinks have become more popular. Then we will look at your best options.
How Do You Buy a Sink?
Sinks and appliances, in general, follow cabinet specifications. The most common cabinet is 25 inches. You see it all the time with single D-shaped sinks. Other common cabinet sizes are 30, 33, and 38 inches.
Double bowl sinks used to be hugely popular. To this day, many people including my parents have a double bowl sink in their kitchen. The whole idea of a double bowl sink is to separate places for washing and drying dishes. Another use was the smaller side sinks were designed to scrap the leftovers off your dishes before washing them in the larger bowl.
However, it is impractical with larger dishes because of the divider between the two bowls. About 10 years ago, Franke, a well-known company specializing in sinks and faucets, removed the divider. Since then single bowl sinks have become increasingly popular. One of the more common trends we have seen in some of our recent projects is placing a larger sink in your kitchen island. Some people even have multiple kitchen sinks.
Most stainless-steel sinks range from 20 gauges to 16 gauges stainless steel. The lower number is better as it dictates a thicker, more insulated sink. Sinks vary from hollow to sound deadening.
You are probably aware of quietness in dishwashers and maybe hoods, but you can also buy a quiet sink as well. What we mean by a "quiet sink" is that you will not hear the water running.
Some builders and cabinet shops will offer you free sinks with the purchase of their cabinets. Just be careful. You do not want a high gauge, hollow sink.
Now that we have covered the basics of sinks, let's take a look at some of the quality large sinks made by Madeli, Rohl, Franke, and our own private label Yale brand.
Madeli, a Flordia-based sink company, perfects their Italian influenced sink design. Their design concepts are backed by designers with over 50 years design experience. Their motto is "Functional Elegance." You are not sacrificing style for a sink that will suit your needs.
Rohl is a family-owned company founded is 1983 by Ken Rohl. He has since enrolled the help of his sons to run this company. Their sales office is located in San Francisco. They use manufacturers from around the globe to design their products which include faucets, sinks, dispensers, and air switches.
Franke was founded in 1911 in Rorschach, Switzerland by Hermann Franke. They were initially a sheet metal company. In the 1930s, they started producing sinks. Now they are one of the largest suppliers of Kitchen Plumbing products. They produce sinks, faucets, water systems, coffee systems, and food service systems. They were also the first to market a large single bowl sink.
We have our own sinks here at Yale for you to have an unbranded, quality product at a lower price.
Certified 304 Grade 15 gauge stainless steel.
Rectangular bowl with rounded inside corners.
Unique sound-deadening system with sound pads and a special coating.
You have plenty of choices at every possible size for single undermount sinks. Now, answer these two questions: How large do you want your sink to be and, secondly, what is your budget? Our best advice would be to consider Madeli's if you want a sink with the most sound deadening but for a better price with decent sound deadening, consider the Yale brand.
Get the Yale Kitchen Plumbing Buying Guide with the complete breakdown of different sinks, faucets, and accessories available. It is a great way to start your kitchen remodel project. Over 240,000 people have read a Yale Guide.
Todd Rourke is a Sales Consultant for Yale Appliance + Lighting. He has worked in sales for over 17 years. He loves putting dream kitchens together for his customers. In his free time, Todd is a musician and an avid bass fisherman and prefers the Lakes Region in NH. Mainly, he is a Dadda to his 2 beautiful daughters and a housekeeper to his beautiful wife. They take up most of his free time nowadays, but he wouldn't have it any other way. HelloFresh and Blue Apron have saved his nights! Todd loves the outdoors and anything lighthearted and silly.


text:
est un astéroïde de la ceinture principale aréocroiseur découvert en 1989.

Description
 a été découvert le  à l'observatoire Palomar, situé au nord de San Diego en Californie, par Eleanor Francis Helin.

Caractéristiques orbitales
L'orbite de cet astéroïde est caractérisée par un demi-grand axe de , un périhélie de , une excentricité de 0,10 et une inclinaison de 22,76° par rapport à l'écliptique. Du fait de ces caractéristiques, à savoir un demi-grand axe inférieur à  et un périhélie compris entre 1,3 et , il croise l'orbite de Mars et est classé, selon la , comme astéroïde aréocroiseur (aréo venant de Arès).

Caractéristiques physiques
 a une magnitude absolue (H) de 15,5 et un albédo estimé à 0,288.

Voir aussi

Articles connexes
 Liste des planètes mineures (37001-38000)
 Astéroïde aréocroiseur

Liens externes

Références

Planète mineure découverte en 1989
Astéroïde aréocroiseur
Astéroïde de la ceinture principale
Objet céleste découvert par Eleanor F. Helin
Objet céleste découvert à l'observatoire Palomar

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Members of the Zcash team.
Whatever JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon meant last month when he called Bitcoin a "fraud," he sure doesn't seem to view its blockchain in the same light.
His bank is at the forefront of the effort to adapt the technology for use in the financial industry. Even more surprising, though, is JPMorgan's collaboration with the people behind a digital currency that's like Bitcoin except completely anonymous.
It would be understandable if Dimon and other bank CEOs viewed Bitcoin and its cryptocurrency siblings as a threat. After all, Bitcoin, launched during the height of the Great Recession, shows it's possible to use software and thousands of computers connected via the Internet—instead of a bank—to facilitate the peer-to-peer exchange of money. The computers in the network maintain a secure ledger of every transaction, called a blockchain, and use it to prevent counterfeiting (see "What Bitcoin Is, and Why It Matters").
No matter what bank executives think about Bitcoin's currency, though, they see in its blockchain a revolutionary platform that could lead to more secure, reliable, and cost-effective systems for managing all kinds of financial transactions. It's early, though, and most of the work on so-called "enterprise blockchains" is experimental. What's not yet clear is the degree to which financial institutions can adapt the technology to their own needs without sacrificing its advantages—particularly its decentralized nature, which is key to protecting the information in the ledger from getting corrupted.
Privacy is a particularly complicated challenge. Contrary to widespread perception, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum are not anonymous. Users are represented on the public ledger by a string of characters called an address. Someone who manages to connect your identity to your address can see every transaction you've ever made (see "Criminals Thought Bitcoin Was a Perfect Hiding Place, But They Thought Wrong").
That model doesn't work for financial institutions, says Amber Baldet, blockchain lead at JPMorgan. Not only are they bound by anti-money-laundering laws to know exactly who their customers are, but their customers want to transact confidentially. Shifting from Bitcoin's privacy model to one in which participants are known but their transactions are confidential—while maintaining the benefits of a blockchain—is a "nontrivial" endeavor, says Baldet.
Fortunately for Baldet's team, this thorny problem is similar to another one that already appears to be solved: cryptocurrency that's as private as cash. In May, JPMorgan announced that it would team with the developers of Zcash, a year-old cryptocurrency whose Bitcoin-derived software gives users the option to "shield" their transactions from public view. Last month, the bank revealed that it had integrated Zcash's privacy technology into Quorum, its open-source, Ethereum-derived, permissioned blockchain platform.
Zcash relies on an emerging cryptographic protocol called a zero-knowledge proof. One of several techniques that make it possible for cryptocurrency users to hide their transactions, zero-knowledge proofs are generating a huge amount of excitement in the blockchain world, largely because of the mind-bending power they can give a user: the ability to prove something about yourself to someone else without having to reveal any additional information.
In the case of Zcash, users can use this method to prove that they have sufficient funds to make a valid transaction. In an enterprise system like JPMorgan's Quorum, customers could use it to do things like prove they are accredited investors.
Zooko Wilcox, the company's CEO, says Zcash's ultimate goal is to "provide economic opportunity and financial freedom to every human." He calls Zcash's openness—as with Bitcoin, anyone can join the network—a "moral imperative," and his team is stacked with world-renowned cryptography experts who share his vision (see "Why People Get Religious about Bitcoin").
Why would a tiny startup made up of crypto-idealists team up with America's biggest bank, the very kind of centralized authority that Bitcoin was designed to circumvent?
That JPMorgan is interested in the same cutting-edge privacy technology so attractive to cryptocurrency nerds is not surprising at all, says Emin Gün Sirer, a computer scientist at Cornell University. Zero-knowledge proofs are not about skirting the law, he says, but about proving things though selective disclosure. That promises to have plenty of applications in the world JPMorgan inhabits. "The finance industry thrives on privacy," Gün Sirer says.


Note: This image is used as the example image when you use the edit toolbar (English default installation of MediaWiki).
Description: Sunflowers in Fargo, North Dakota, U.S.
Licensing: This image is in the public domain because it contains materials that originally came from the Agricultural Research Service, the research agency of the United States Department of Agriculture.


App reviews are a big deal in the Google Play store. They can make or break your app's future. And just like any other valuable asset, it's caught the attention of bad actors, people who will go to any length to secure good reviews, even if it means paying someone to fake them.
This unscrupulous tactic works so well to fool both the store algorithm and people, that apps with fake reviews get very high rankings in the Play store and many more downloads than those without them. Competition is tough.
The practice has become so rampant that some people have made careers off of it. The desire to make shortcuts is driving some developers to commit to unethical marketing techniques such as false promotion and fake reviews. Several companies have popped up offering black hat app marketing services.
Companies like BuyAppStoreReviews, BestReviewApp, and AppRebates will help you get the reviews you need to climb the ladder in exchange for a fee. But this is illegal. If Google finds you doing this, your account could be suspended. It's just like rigging an election.
Providing fake app reviews in app stores is against the policies of the Google Play Developer Program and Apple's App Store Review Guidelines. Fraudulent activities can actually result in the removal of the app or worse, the expulsion of the developer from the program. It's just a matter of reporting them.
Both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store have a process for fraudulent activities like fake reviews. In the Apple App Store, you can report fake reviews through iTunes support.
Android developers can report suspicious reviews using the Play Console. A specialist will then decide if the review is in violation of policy and needs to be removed or not. This also protects developers from losing ranking due to competitors intentionally reporting them to Google in order to take them down.
You actually have the right people to give you real positive reviews that will improve your ratings – your customers. Reach out to them. Customers who love your app will easily and freely tell the world why they love it and how it has been useful to them. In-app rating prompts are a good tool for connecting with your customers to politely ask them for reviews. Asking the question at the right time can increase reviews without faking them.
Using black hat strategies can be tempting but it comes with a lot of risks. It damages the user experience in the app stores and is not a sustainable way to promote your app. Refuse to be part of the problem and never resort to such tactics. Only use legitimate ways to promote your app. Be the change you want to see in the world.


text:
Macrojoppa rufa (Brulle), een gewone sluipwesp
 Macrojoppa rufa (Szepligeti), een gewone sluipwesp

Wikipedia:Met bot gemaakte doorverwijzing


text:
Board index » Different Colored Pens Archive » Willow/Tara Finished Fics Archive (Authors #s, A-M)
New Fic: The Cross [Complete!] :D
angieb86
Post subject: Re: New Fic: The Cross [Part 14] ANGST WARNING
4. Extra Flamey
This is, by far, the most riveting fic I've read on the KB.
I was supposed to be working on the next chapter of my fic...but here I am, reading your story and getting absolutely hooked, lol.
I'm not a big angst fan, but I'm glad that I stumbled upon this story. Makes me want to try out some darker tones in my stories.
Update soon please??
Laragh's fanfic cock-blocks people.
Zampsa1975
19. Yummy Face
Location: Kaskinen, Finland, citizen of Kitopia
Yay for great update-y goodness... Good that Willow now knows that Mr. Bastard is after Tara... I hope Willow finds Tara very soon so she can take her to someplace safe...
We few, we happy few. We band of buggered.
Posting While Nude Improves Your Mood.
ms_psyhco_pep_squad
Post subject: Re: New Fic: The Cross [Part 14] Updated June 16th!
Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 11:09 pm
1. Blessed Wannabe
Location: Sunnydale, CA
omw!! this is an amazingly addictive story!!!
will and tara need to finally have some non-vicarious smoochies though...
"To be different is more than just odd or strange, its to be inspiration to those that never break the mold."
"You can't have a rainbow without a few clouds and a storm."
"She practically had 'Genuine Molded Plastic' stamped on her ass." *is met with blank stares* "Just... trying a little spicy talk..."
vampyregurl73
8. Vixen
Location: Southern Arizona
Uuugghhhh!!!!! The male members of Tara's family are always good fodder to be awful. It's almost like some weird southern inbred-redneck, overly self-righteous religious thing (I grew up in the south) where the men have to "keep the women-folk in their place" by any means necessary. Even if its lies, manipulation and worst of all force. Crazy, I know but there are reasons for stereotypes, because a large percentage of people fit them. Which is why I no longer live in the south. Not that all people from the south are like that but enough to make it scary. Anyway...
Oh, and the movie night chapter, I have to agree with Willow. I think Imagine Me & You is sweet too. *happier thought*
Looking forward to more.
Heather aka vampyregurl73 aka Riverwillows73
My stories:
"Dry Heat – In Progress (still)" "Penny Arcade - Completed"
My Fic Challenge entries:
"Fireworks" "Promise" "I Did What Last Night?"
LonelyTara
7. Teeny Tinkerbell Light
Location: The Land of Flowers
Yikes, you have to update, please. I feel like I'm having a panic attack!
Wave ... The Wish of Three Hearts
The Yuletide Present ... In From the Cold
"We're in love. We're lovers. We're lesbian, gay-type lovers."
5. Willowhand
Location: ok city oklahoma
any chance of an update
KioNewgo
Location: Liverpool, UK.
This fic is amazing! Full of suspense, I hope it has some happiness soon!
Please post an update ASAP, I don't think I can wait long to find out what happens!
lilcheesenip
3. Flaming O
@angieb86 -- Wow, thanks! Ha ha, I'm so sorry about getting you distracted from your fic. xD I'm kind of in between; I really do like angst, but sometimes you just need a light, happy story. Exploring darker undertones is always fun, though. ^^ Thanks for commenting; enjoy the next update!
@Zampsa1975 -- You'll have to read and find out! ;D Thanks for commenting; enjoy the next update!
@ms_psyhco_pep_squad -- Ha ha, thanks! No worries; that will come up eventually. xD
@vampyregurl73 -- Really? Wow, that's crazy to me. I grew up -- well, am growing up xD -- in Canada, and I've seen too much persecution to begin with. At least it's fairly peaceful up here. As awful as stereotyping is, you're right; there's a reason the stereotype is there in the first place. Oh, glad somebody knew what the movie was. xD I actually did cry at the ending, and, like Willow, was made fun of because of it. xD Thanks for commenting; enjoy the next update!
@LonelyTara -- So sorry for the wait! Here's the next chapter! Thanks for commenting; enjoy the next update!
@cammy -- Yes, ma'am! It's here! Thanks for commenting; enjoy this next update!
@KioNewgo -- Thanks so much! Happiness is guaranteed...some time in the future. xD Thanks for commenting; enjoy the next update!
TITLE: The Cross
AUTHOR: lilcheesenip
RATING: 14A (Is that a rating? xD) for swearing, and generally just darker topics like suicide, drugs, etc.
DISCLAIMER: Sadly, I don't own any of the characters. Wish I did, but Joss Whedon does. >.>
SUMMARY: When Willow Rosenberg came out to her friends, she expected their full support-or at least some of it. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that they would turn their backs on her, leaving her to navigate the hallways of hell in high school friendless. Now alone, and depressed, Willow struggles to make it through life day-by-day until she agrees to show her language arts teacher's niece around school, and her life changes drastically.
Tara is beautiful, and kind, but that is hardly shown. Traumatized by the loss of her mother, which she witnessed and could not stop, she refuses to let down the walls she has built around herself. Willow tries to break through them only to discover she has similar walls around herself. Can two damaged hearts meet, and finally find peace again?
SPOILERS: None that I can think of. It's all AU, so no monsters, or anything. ^.^ May steal dialogue hear and there.
FEEDBACK: Absolutely! I live for it. ^.^
Author's Note 1: Wow, I can't even begin to say how sorry I am for how long this took! I had a busy summer, and then school started, but that's not really an excuse. I am going to update more frequently, I promise! There will only be two chapters after this, and maybe an epilogue; I'll get them up as soon as possible!
Author's Note 2: For those who read SAVING GRACE, I am thinking of doing a sequel to it, but I have no idea on a plot! I have the first chapter written out, but it is mostly just an introductory; I need plot ideas! Any ideas, anyone? If I use them, they will be credited!
The frantic knocking on the door went on for seven minutes before Buffy finally sprinted down to the stairs to answer the door, clutching a towel around her tightly and winding her dripping hair into a messy knot, shooting a glare at Dawn, who was lounging on the couch, watching TV, perfectly able.
"When people knock, Dawn, it's a custom of our people to let them in the house."
Dawn didn't even look away from the screen. "Really? Hadn't heard of that one."
Buffy's eyes darkened. "If it's a stranger – if it's a hot guy – so help me, Dawn, you'll wish you'd used your legs while you still had them."
"Moo-oom!" Dawn hollered in the kitchen's general direction, "Buffy threatened me!"
"Buffy!"
"But, Mom, I didn't –!"
"I don't care what you did or didn't do; in this house, we are kind to our family!"
Buffy scowled; Dawn stuck her tongue out at her. Before Buffy could follow through on her earlier threat, someone banged on the door again.
"You're lucky someone's here," Buffy muttered before she turned to the door. Flicking open the lock, she opened the door a crack, then froze, jaw dropping.
"Yes, I looked everywhere in the house. She's gone. He's out there somewhere." As Buffy watched in stunned silence, Willow turned her head, and looked at her, nodding slightly as she continued her conversation on the phone. "No, don't call the police. Just...please don't. The things he said..." Willow paused to shudder. "Of course I know that. I'm gathering as many people as I can find to help look." Her face darkened with despair. "We will find her. I promise. I won't let anyone hurt her. Yeah. Okay. Call me if you find anything. I will. Bye."
Willow snapped the phone shut, and, in the same movement, slid it into her pocket. She was dressed in preparation for a long search, a rain-jacket over her hoodie, small backpack over one shoulder. She smiled tightly. "Hi, Buffy."
"Wil." It was a barely audible breath; Buffy was still in shock.
When Dawn heard Willow's voice, she turned on her side on the couch, craning her neck. "Willow?"
"Hey, Dawnie."
"Willow!" Dawn scrambled up from the couch and, pushing past Buffy, leapt at Willow, wrapping her arms tight around her. Willow let out a strained laugh as she stumbled back a few steps. "I missed you!"
"I…missed you, too," Willow answered cautiously. She smoothed an errant strand of Dawn's hair, and looked at Buffy over Dawn's head. "I need your help."
Her shock dissolved; Buffy straightened, and folded her arms across her chest, holding the towel tighter to her. "With what?" She asked coolly.
"Tara's gone missing. Her dad's a lunatic, and he's out there somewhere, looking for her. We have to find her before he does."
"Why should I help you?"
Willow's expression was suddenly desperate. "Because he'll hurt her. Kill her, if he gets the chance."
Buffy was quiet, reading the look in Willow's eyes. "Is she your girlfriend?" She sneered the word.
"'Ey, Red!" The shout came from behind them; all three of them turned. Faith, Fred, and Anya were all gathered on the sidewalk, dressed similar to Willow, each with their own backpacks.
Faith waved harder. "Hurry up!"
Willow carefully pried Dawn off of her, and stepped back, meeting Buffy's hard gaze with calm eyes. "No. She's my friend, just like you were. And if you ever really cared about me, you'll help me, because Tara means everything to me."
Buffy snorted quietly. "Sounds like a girlfriend to me."
"Willow!"
"I'm coming!" Willow snapped at Faith over her shoulder. Then she looked back at Buffy. "Okay, fine. Yes, I love her."
Buffy's nose scrunched up in blatant disgust.
Willow sighed, and pulled out her old Walkie-Talkie from her back pocket, holding it up so Buffy could see it. "She could die, Buffy, and I'm not going to waste my time talking to you if all you're going to do is condemn her – us – because of who we love. Sorry for bothering you. Bye, Dawnie."
Willow turned her back to Buffy and Dawn, jogged down their front steps, and down the path that led up to her house. She met up with the small group gathered on the sidewalk.
"Xander's on his way," Anya informed her when she had reached them.
"He's going to help?"
"He's not going to let Tara die just because you guys are gay."
"Willow!" Buffy suddenly shouted from the front porch; Willow turned, and shielded her eyes so she could see her. Buffy held up her own Walkie-Talkie, identical to Willow's.
"Ten minutes!" She yelled. "I'll be ready in ten minutes!"
[center]***[/center]
"This is hopeless. We're never going to find her."
"We have to stay positive, Anya," Willow said tersely. "Sunnydale isn't too big. There are only so many places she can squeeze into."
"You don't even know if she's still in Sunnydale."
"I hate to say it, but she's right, Red," Faith said quietly. "If I were her, I woulda been catching the first bus out of here."
Willow shook her head. "She's still here."
Buffy stared at her. "And how do you know that?"
Willow closed her eyes. "I can feel it."
When it was her turn, Tara stepped up to the booth, and shoved her money under the glass window. "A bus ticket, please." The words were a plea.
The old man hesitated, waiting for her to state her destination, and when she remained silent, his brow furrowed. "To where, dear?" He asked gently, sensing her panic.
"Anywhere. As far away as possible."
His forehead smoothed with understanding, and he scooped the money up. "Of course."
While Tara waited for the man to print the ticket, her eyes wandered, the only way for her to try and release some of the adrenaline still shooting through her veins. As they skimmed over the security mirror just to the right on the ceiling, Donny smirked at her, reflected on the shiny silver surface.
Tara's heart stopped beating; her scream got caught on its way up her throat. She whirled around, eyes wild, searching.
The man behind her looked annoyed with the slow progress of the line; he checked his watch twice as Tara scanned the line. A woman with twin toddlers, one balanced on each hip, smiled, bemused at her terrified expression. A little boy, clutching to his father's hand, smiled at her, revealing a gap where his two bottom teeth should have been.
Donny was nowhere in sight.
When the old man behind her cleared his throat, Tara gave the area one last quick glance, and turned again. The old man handed her the ticket.
"Thanks," Tara whispered. She knew she needed it.
In her rush to get to the bus before her paranoia got worse, Tara ran into a young woman – nineteen? Twenty? – outside the door, begging for money. When they collided the woman's earnings scattered across the pavement, and Tara ended up sitting down hard on the ground.
As soon as she had processed what had happened, she scrambled onto her hands and knees, collecting the change near her. "God, I'm so sorry. I didn't see you."
She looked up, to confirm she was alright, and found the woman was watching her warily, her eyes trained on the handful of coins Tara held. It took Tara a moment, but she soon realized the woman expected her to take the change, and leave.
There were bruises on her bare arms. She had one black eye, and the shadow of a faded bruise on her forehead. She had a split lip that was in the process of healing over.
Tara stood up, and so did the woman. Tara held out her hand. "Here."
Hesitantly, the woman cupped her palms. Tara let the coins slip from her fingers, like fallen stars, into her hands. Another pause, and Tara pressed the ticket she had been holding into her hands, too. When the woman looked up at her, clearly puzzled, Tara smiled.
"Whoever's doing this to you…get away from them. As far as you can."
"Is this a trick?"
Tara shook her head. "A gift. From one victim to another."
The woman closed her fingers over the ticket, a precious jewel that she tucked into a pocket in her shirt, close to her heart.
Tara smiled again. "It's okay to ask for help sometimes."
The woman offered her a parting smile, and then she disappeared around the building, heading to the terminal to catch the bus that might have saved her life.
Tara tightened the straps of her backpack, and tucked her hands into her jacket. She had used up all of her money on that ticket. She had no other way to get out of town, except walk.
She hurried down the steps, and onto the sidewalk. She had only taken four steps when a hand clamped down on her mouth, silencing her.
"Tara." The voice that sneered into her ear brought back a thousand memories that rooted her to the spot with fear. "It's been awhile."
Father.
|Saving Grace| |The Cross||Never Let You Go| |Keeping Destiny|
Post subject: Re: New Fic: The Cross [Part 15] Updated September 16th!
Dibs, I think, maybe today's my lucky day, two in one day.
*shudder* Eeesh, Tara does something brave only to not get very far.
At least Buffy (Xander too) has enough of a conscience to help look for Tara despite her prejudices that didn't seem to bother Dawn, who I'm guessing knew since she would have heard the conversation.
Interested to see how you tie all of this up.
Yikes, yikes, yikes. Still panicking here. I love that everyone is helping Will look for Tara, even if Buffy is being a total bitch about it. That bitch. LOL
Yay for great update-y goodness... Big yay for Willow being able to round up the Scoobies to help her find Tara, even the Bitch formerly known as Buffy... Big yikes for Mr. Poophead finding Tara...
This is still one of my favorite stories on this site...and thank you for updating! Totally made my day!
Buffy...so RUDE! And leave it up to WIllow to get a search party...Love it!
Tara is the epitome of loveliness. I wish there were more people like her. That kind of epic kindness is so sparce in this world.
And I hope Willow finds her just in time...maybe Faith can beat the living poo out of Tara's dad...
Can't wait for the next update!
~Angela
Absolutely epically amazing, incredible, awesome, *insert loads of adjectives here* update!
Tara's kindness cost her (though he probably would have got her anyway) either way, she's so sweet
Made up Buffy has finally seen the light! About time
Xander too
I shall be waiting with bated breath for your next installment of this epic saga :D:D !!!
Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2010 10:28 pm
@vampyregurl73: Isn't it darkly ironic how some right choices can lead us to horrible things? Thanks for commenting; enjoy this next update!
@LonelyTara: Your post made me burst out laughing. xD Yeah, it's good everyone is helping, even though Buffy's being a bitch. Sorry 'bout that. xD Thanks for commenting; enjoy this next update!
@Zampsa1975: Poor Buffy's getting a lot of hate, even though it is well-deserved. xD Thanks for commenting; enjoy this next update!
@angieb86: Really? Thank-you. Yeah, we need more people like Tara in the world. I figured it was something Tara would do, because, when you think about it, she was always putting everyone else first. Even when she had been shot, she said: "Your shirt", showing concern for Willow over herself. Thanks for commenting; enjoy this next update!
@KioNewgo: There are not enough thank-you's in the world to express how grateful I am for your post! Thanks for commenting; enjoy this next update!
Author's Note: One more chapter after this, and maybe an epilogue...
If it hadn't been for Buffy, they never would have found her.
The group entered the bus station with the force of a wrecking ball. If Willow hadn't been so frantic, they could have been mistaken for a terrorist group, all of them shouting at the same time, Willow and Fred waving Tara's picture around while Faith seized the nearest person and shook them until they choked out that they hadn't seen Tara, and Anya bounced on her tiptoes, convinced she would be able to see Tara somewhere in the crowd.
It was Buffy who manoeuvred her way through the chaos to reach the old man working the till, who was watching in horror as Faith proceeded to rattle each potential customer. He was so absorbed in trying to figure out a way to get Faith to stop harassing his customers without directly confronting her that Buffy had to slam her hands down on the counter to get his attention.
The old man jumped, and looked over at her. Buffy placed her own copy of the picture of Tara down, sliding it forward so the man could have a better look.
"Please. We need to find her."
The man leaned closer, then nodded slowly. "Yes...I remember her. She was nervous. Is she alright?"
"Her life's in danger. Please. Do you know where she went?"
He nodded again. "Bus number seven, to Anaheim."
"And when does that bus leave?"
His eyes flickered to the clock on the wall behind Buffy, and then to the window when the bus coughed and sputtered outside. "Right now."
Buffy spun on her heel to face the confusion behind her. "Somebody stop that bus!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, jabbing a finger towards the window.
Faith dropped the college student she had been holding by the collar of his shirt, and bolted out the door, Anya, Fred, and Xander close on her heels. Willow paused only long enough for Buffy to catch up to her before they both ran out together.
The problem of stopping the bus was solved by Faith. She sprinted around the front, in plain view of the driver, planted her feet firmly, and braced herself. The bus driver had no choice but the stop; the bus screeched to a halt, and Faith darted around the front so she could bang on the doors with a clenched fist until they opened.
Faith disappeared onto the bus first; Willow and the others squeezed in after. It took them only two minutes of scanning the half-empty bus to discover Tara's absence.
"She's not on here," Anya announced after a moment.
"No shit, Sherlock," Faith muttered, glaring at her.
Willow's legs shook so hard her knees knocked together. She wobbled, and Buffy and Xander each grabbed an arm to steady her before she fell.
"We have to find her," Willow whispered. She wasn't crying – she couldn't cry; that would make this entire nightmare real – but her eyes and throat ached from forcing herself not to. Her voice was just a breathless whistle.
"We'll find her, Willow," Buffy promised.
"Yeah, chin up, Wilster. She can't have gotten far."
Willow looked between the two of them, these two people who were strangers to her now. But how could they be? Buffy's hair still shone in the sunlight, a natural sheen Willow had never been able to copy, no matter how hard she tried. Xander's hand around her arm was the most natural thing, because he was holding her up again, the same as all those other times she had convinced him to go on a spin-ey carnival ride, and gotten sick because of it. Buffy's grip was firm, yet gentle, just as familiar.
Was it possible to know everything about someone, yet have them be a stranger to you?
"Okay." She drew strength from the moment of familiarity, comfort from her old friends' support. "Okay." She straightened up, placed her feet resolutely on the floor so she couldn't nearly collapse again.
Even when she was standing on her own again, neither Buffy nor Xander let go.
After a quick minute and a half meeting, they decided to break into two groups to search the woods surrounding the bus stop – Buffy the head of one group, and Willow the other, with their walkie-talkies to communicate with each other. They broke apart just outside the station, Faith, Fred and Buffy taking the left side of the road, Xander, Anya, and Willow taking the right.
Once inside the shadow of the forest, Anya wrapped her arms around herself, and shivered.
"It's creepy out here."
An invisible noose tightened around Willow's throat. Was Tara out here somewhere, alone, terrified, lost, or was her father dragging her away by now?
Xander put an arm around Anya, and pulled her in close, placing a kiss on her temple. "I'll protect you, Ahn. Just stick close."
Anya snorted. "So I can get killed when you get knocked down after one hit? No thanks."
Willow wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly freezing, but Tara wasn't there to hold her and warm her up again.
They moved through the woods in a silence that was broken only by their footsteps, and the crunch of dead leaves and decaying plants underneath their feet. Willow kept the walkie-talkie in her hand, praying for a call from Buffy, one where she could barely speak she was so relieved, one where she told her she had found Tara safe, unharmed.
The call didn't come. Eventually, Willow had to put the walkie-talkie in her pocket so its weight in her hand wasn't like a death sentence.
Willow was just about to burst into tears of desperation when Xander suddenly held up a hand, and pulled Anya to a stop. "Wait. Listen. Do you hear that?"
Willow went completely still, and listened hard, the hope nearly choking her. She was about to yell at Xander for giving her false hope when she heard the sound of running footsteps.
It was Tara. She could feel it, bone-deep, burning under her skin. She took off running without an explanation to Xander or Anya, tearing through the undergrowth, screaming Tara's name.
She collided with her thirty seconds later. Tara was running while looking over her shoulder, and she didn't see her coming; Willow caught her when she stumbled, held her tight against her, breathed in the smell of her vanilla soap, and finally, finally, cried.
"Willow?" Tara's voice was wispy, tremulous. She sounded so lost that Willow tightened her grip on her, to reassure the both of them that she was really there. When Willow looked up at her, Tara stared down at her as if she wasn't sure if she wanted to let herself believe Willow was truly in front of her.
Willow stretched up on tiptoe, and pressed her lips again Tara's, refusing to let herself think about the action, because if she did, she would have lost her courage. She needed this; she needed one memory, just one, to warm her on the coldest nights, a memory that would heal her at the same time it tore her apart. She needed this, so she could breathe Tara in, pull her into her lungs so it was Tara keeping her alive, not oxygen, let her hibernate under her skin, so the moment, so Tara, was tattooed on the inside of her skin, irreversible, permanent.
To her surprise, Tara responded, with the same urgency that had propelled Willow to act, gripping her arms tightly, keeping her up on her tiptoes. Maybe, just maybe, Tara needed this, too.
When oxygen became a necessity – for Tara, because Willow was still holding Tara, her new life force, inside of her lungs – they broke apart. Willow lowered her heels back to the ground, and closed her eyes, and Tara breathed in deeply, exhaled slowly.
Could this moment last forever? Could Willow somehow alter time, so that moment of silence when she breathed in as Tara breathed out, that sweet moment where they both processed what had happened, and stretch it out until it reached the end of time?
But time kept moving. Just seconds later, Anya and Xander crashed through the bushes to reach them, and the spell was broken. Tara flinched, and let go of Willow's arms; Willow refused to let go of the blonde, but tucked the moment away, a precious secret that warmed her to her toes, a song just behind her lips that she had to struggle to keep from singing out loud.
Tara had kissed her back.
Tara's fingers wrapped around her wrists with surprising strength. "W-Willow. W-Willow, you have to go."
Willow's eyes finally opened. "What? Why?" Her voice shook, echoes of the pain Tara had caused her that day she had rejected her, and Tara had to close her eyes to block it out.
"W-Willow. Please. It's not safe."
"Then you're coming with me," Willow answered stubbornly. "There's no way in hell we're leaving you behind." She increased her grip resolutely, to emphasize her point.
"Willow, I'm s-s-serious –"
Tara, exasperated, opened her mouth to reply, but never had a chance. Some crashed behind them, followed by a male voice cussing loudly.
"Tara, you little shit, when I catch you...!" He didn't finish his sentence, just let his voice trail off in an unspoken threat that made Tara flinch again.
"Willow, please, go!" She begged.
Before Tara had another chance to plead with her again, her father smashed through the bushes, still swearing at her. Tara paled, and spun around, keeping Willow hidden behind her body.
Her father had a gash on his forehead that was still bleeding – one that she had given him only minutes earlier with a rock so she could escape. She had calculated that she would have enough time to get out of the woods and towards Sunnydale, towards help, but she hadn't fit Willow into her equation, and now it was all falling apart around her.
"I'd go if I were you," Her father warned, pointing at Anya and Xander. He still hadn't spotted Willow, frozen behind her, and Tara intended to keep it that way.
Anya swelled with indignation and opened her mouth to say something that was sure to get in her trouble, but Tara cut her off with a quiet: "Just go."
Before Anya could protest, Xander grabbed her, and dragged her into the bushes. They melted into the safety of the shadows, and Tara switched her focus to getting Willow to safety without alerting her father to her presence.
"Clever trick, you little slut. Thought you could get away and run off to your little girlfriend, did you?"
Willow's body trembled behind her – from fear, or rage? Suddenly, Tara felt too calm – a tiny part of her brain that was still sane took it as a sign of how dangerously close to snapping she was – strong with the knowledge that she would protect Willow no matter what.
"She's not my girlfriend."
Her father snorted. "Don't pretend you're not a whore. We both know better."
Behind her, Willow flinched. Tara kept her back straight, refusing to let herself bow under the weight of his insults. The more defiant she was, the more he felt he had to keep insulting her, giving her more time to come up with a plan to get Willow safely away from her father.
She reached behind her back, offering her hands to Willow. She felt the redhead's fingers twine with her's; they were freezing.
Tara looked him straight in the eye. "She's not my girlfriend," She repeated in a calm, even tone that she knew would piss her father off royally.
Her father's face twisted, and he strode forward, seizing her by the collar of her shirt, lifting her a foot off the ground so they were practically nose-to-nose. Willow shrank behind her, clutching tight to her hands.
"Don't get smart with me, you little bitch," He spat. "You're just like your mother, and that's going to get you killed."
Tara stared back at him coolly, even though her heart was hammering so loudly in her chest she could hardly hear him.
He dropped her, and she struggled to reclaim her balance quickly so Willow was still shielded. He turned his back to her, and took a few steps away. By the time he had turned around again, Tara had edged her and Willow closer to the line of bushes behind them, close enough for Willow to sneak away.
When her father turned around, the faint moonlight glanced off the metal barrel of the gun he was holding. Tara's breath hitched her throat. Suddenly, she couldn't remember how to breathe, or move, even so she could get Willow away. That gun rooted her to the spot with terror, and suddenly, she couldn't think of anything else but that day.
Willow squeezed her hands, a question, but Tara couldn't respond. She couldn't remember how to. She couldn't remember anything but that moment. The moment her father had shot her mother.
Her father laughed when he saw the raw fear in her eyes. "You remember. How are your hands, by the way?"
Tara tried to swallow, so she could move her tongue, answer him, keep him talking so Willow could get away, but her body failed to respond.
"A little sore, I imagine. Third degree burns are nasty business."
Willow couldn't help herself; a little gasp escaped her lips, but, luckily, Tara managed to open her mouth at the same time, and her father didn't know the difference.
"T-they're fine."
Her father tilted his head, studied her for a moment. Then he shook his head, and sighed. "Such a waste. Why couldn't turn out like your brother?"
Tara didn't, couldn't, answer, so he shook his head again, and lifted the gun, taking aim for her heart. Tara realized, with horror, that at this close proximity, it was possible the bullet would go right through her, and into Willow.
Her mouth moved furiously, but no sound came out. Say something, you stupid bitch! You're so useless! Say something! But she couldn't make her mouth work properly.
Her father cocked the gun. At the sound, Willow flinched, and then her quivering body fell still. She had realized what was going on.
Her father adjusted his aim, and then placed his finger on the trigger. "Say hello to your mother for me."
At the same time that he pulled the trigger, Willow's hands slipped from Tara's. Tara half-turned, already knowing what Willow intended, the weight of her knowledge making her slow, clumsy, stupid, so when Willow rushed her, she couldn't stop her.
"Willow, no!" She screamed, but Willow kept moving. She slammed into her, knocking her out of the way, putting herself in the bullet's path.
Tara screamed again when Willow's body jerked at the impact of the bullet. She staggered back, her hazy eyes pausing on Tara's father briefly.
"You're a…jackass," She managed to stammer, and then she started to fall.
"NO!" The force of Tara's scream tilted the world at a strange angle, leaving her tripping her over her own feet when she lunged for the redhead. She caught her just before she hit the ground, Willow's momentum sending both of them crashing to the ground, Tara cradling Willow to her body to soften the blow.
Somewhere, from far away, her father laughed again. When Tara took a moment to glance up at him, he was actually a lot closer than he sounded, only a few feet away from her. In that moment when she looked at him, the rage was so strong it took all of her willpower and the call of another, failing heart to stop herself from attacking him.
Her father cocked the gun again, and pointed it at her. Tara stared up at him, and waited.
Go ahead. Do it. Let me be with Willow.
Before he could pull the trigger again, there was a flurry of movement behind him, and then the wet slice of tearing skin. Her father gasped, and went ridged, staring down at her in surprise.
"What did you do?" He demanded in another breathless gasp, and then his eyes rolled back in his head, and he collapsed.
Behind where he had been standing was Anya, looking just as shocked as Tara felt, Xander just behind her. Anya was holding a butcher knife in her hand, stained with her father's blood.
"I brought it just in case," She whispered, dazed. "Just in case we needed it."
"...Tara?" Willow's voice murmured, barely audible, and Tara immediately turned her attention back to the redhead in her arms. Willow's eyes were half-open, focused on her.
"Willow?" Tara asked, hardly daring to let herself hope.
"Tara." Willow half-smiled. "You're okay."
"Because of you." Tara pressed her lips against Willow's forehead so Willow wouldn't see that she was crying. "Why did you do that?"
"Couldn't let you…die." Willow winced. "Tara?"
"It hurts," Willow whimpered.
Tara pulled away from her, and lowered her down onto her back, stripping off her jacket, wadding up the thin material to stop the bleeding. She pressed the makeshift bandage to Willow's shoulder, the bloodstain was the largest.
"Hold on, Willow," She begged. "You'll be okay." She looked over her should at Xander, who was standing behind a frozen Anya. "Call for an ambulance."
Xander nodded, and pulled his cell phone from his pocket, flipping it open so he could punch in 911. When the phone began ringing, he held it to his ear.
"Tara?" Willow's faint voice pulled her attention away from Xander.
"What's wrong, Willow?" Tara brushed a few strands of hair out of her eyes, trying to calm herself just as much as she was Willow.
"I love you, too," Tara answered, without hesitation, and she knew she meant it.
Willow seemed to know, too. The lines etched on her forehead smoothed out, and her body relaxed. "Are we safe now?"
"Yeah." Tara bit down hard on her tongue to keep a fresh wave of tears from spilling over. "We're safe now."
Willow smiled blearily again, and closed her eyes. "Okay."
Tara panicked instantly when Willow didn't open her eyes again. "Willow?" She brushed hair off of her forehead, and leaned closer. "Willow?"
She didn't answer. Her eyes didn't open.
Tara slowly sat back on her heels, staring down at Willow's still body. Behind her, Xander was speaking low and quick into his phone, but the words all blended together. Even when someone came up to her, and placed a hand on her shoulder, she didn't react, didn't pull her eyes away from Willow. She could feel herself slipping away already, retreating inside herself.
Problem was that if there was nothing left of her, there was nowhere for her to go.
Tara closed her eyes, and let herself disappear.
Post subject: Re: New Fic: The Cross [Part 16] Updated October 3rd!
Oh, goddess...
I LOVE the way you have written this story...I'm still so riveted by it.
I hope Willow is okay...and a big HOO-RAH for Anya saving Tara.
I really have no qualms about how this story was written. It's absolutely perfect the way it is.
Thanks for updating so soon! I can't wait for the next update. Keep up the awesome work!
lonelylanding
Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 1:06 am
Oh man... you just had to stop there didn't you? you gave me a heart attack, I hope you update soon because I just don't know if I can handle waiting to know what happened. Great Fic btw I really like the atmosphere you've created and your tone.
Yaya for great update-y goodness... Big yay for Anya saving Tara & Willow... I'm kinda glad that it was Anya and not Buffy who saved them... I truly hope that Willow is ok... Really big yay for Willow saying those 3 magical words to Tara and answering honestly that she loves Willow...
Ack. I think I'm actually having an anxiety attack. Racing heart, tightness in the chest, cold palms. Wow oh wow, what a crazy moment. I'm sad to hear there's only one more chapter and an epilogue, but I'm sure they'll be great. What in the world happened to Buffy and Faith, and GO ANYA! Way to kill an asshole! Did she...eviscerate him?!
My fav moment:
Her new life force...so sweet.
Update, please?!!
vazy
Location: The land of Tea and Trousers.
The suspense is killing me! So I take it Anya stabbed him from behind? Guess Willow's really lucky she had on the thick coat, kinda worked like Kevlar - sort of.
Was that a partial admission to having harmed Tara's mother?
Will this bring Xander and Buffy back into the friendship fold? There was the brief but touching moment when they stayed with Willow at the bus depot, but does this mean they've come around?
@angieb86 -- Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you for your lovely words! You have no idea how much it means to me! Thanks for commenting, and enjoy this next update!
@lonelylanding -- Ha ha, sorry about that. Luckily, I wrote the next update right away, so you don't have to wait long. xD Thanks for commenting, and enjoy this next update!
@Zampsa1975 -- Since the Anya-Willow-Tara friendship is central to the plot, I figured that it should be Anya who saved them, not Buffy. ^^ Thanks for commenting, and enjoy this next update!
@LonelyTara -- So sorry about that. xD Really, I am. xD Hopefully this will stop the panic attack. xD Yes, Anya did eviscerate him. xD I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. ^^ Thanks for commenting, and enjoy this next update!
@vazy -- Holy sheep indeed. xD Thanks for commenting, and enjoy this next update!
@vampyregurl73 -- Sorry about that. xD Yes, Anya stabbed him from behind. You'll have to wait and see. Thanks for commenting, and enjoy this next update!
Author's Note: Last chapter. Epilogue after this, though!
Tara hated cemeteries.
For one thing, they had always, secretly, scared her. She was a solid believer in ghosts – after all, she knew what it was like to have her every step haunted – and, in her eyes, she didn't know who was in the air around her, watching her every move. She couldn't help but wonder about them, and if they were wondering about her, too.
Secondly, cemeteries had an ancient sadness in the air that floated around them, and clung to them like wet clothes. How many lost dreams, stolen memories, or shattered hopes remained in this very cemetery that she stood in? How many broken hearts had been patched back together?
Just walking or driving by a cemetery left Tara with an ache in her throat that she couldn't quite get rid of until all thoughts of the cemetery had been wiped from her mind. Today, the ache was back, so strong she had to blink back tears, because she would not let herself cry. Not now, not ever.
She wore a black dress that her Aunt Dia had picked for her, clean-cut, modest. Her hair was washed and brushed until it shone in the dim light. She was presentable, thanks to her Aunt Dia, who stood beside her next to the open grave, a mouth waiting to swallow the coffin whole, an arm around her shoulders, holding her to her side.
"You're doing really well," She whispered into her ear.
Tara didn't answer. She just stared at the hole inches away from her feet. She wondered who had been the one to dig it. Who had driven metal into the earth until it bled? Had they been curious about who was to be buried there, or had it just been another job to them?
The wind whipped her hair to the right; the minister raised her voice to a yell, but Tara still couldn't hear him. She was only a foot and a half away from him; she wondered about the people in the back, and if they had just given up on the entire service.
In one last attempt, the minister shouted: "Amen!" into the wind. Someone's hat went flying, and a lady chased after it. Her departure was a signal to the rest of the ground. They dispersed, and Tara turned her face into her aunt's arm.
"Can we go?" She asked quietly.
Without saying a word to anyone in explanation, Dia led her away, keeping her arm anchored around her shoulder. They walked together, side by side, through the small crowd, Dia doing her best to shield Tara from the other onlookers.
Tara could still hear their whispers, feel their stares. Her face flushed, and she slid closer to her aunt. "Please hurry," She begged in a whisper.
Dia increased their pace until they were finally, blissfully, were away from the crowd. She unlocked the car, and opened the door for Tara, something her niece normally would have protested, then helped her into her seat. After shutting the door, she went around to the driver's seat, and slipped into her seat.
As Dia put the keys into the ignition, she glanced over at her niece. Tara faded a little once they were inside the safety of the car – there was no other way to explain it. The hard edges of her composure softened; she paled, and slumped against the seat. She looked perilously close to tears.
"Tara," Dia said in what she hoped was a soothing voice, reaching across the small gap that separated them to brush hair out of her eyes. "It's a long drive. Get some sleep."
Instead of arguing with her about providing good company, the response Dia had come to expect, Tara nodded wordlessly, closed her eyes, and turned away from her.
Dia started the car, backed it out of the parking place, and turned the car towards home.
When Tara opened her eyes next, it was dark. The car was still humming beneath her, but, groggily, she realized it wasn't moving. She turned, and found her aunt watching her with a slight smile on her face.
"I was just going to wake you," She said, rueful.
Tara shifted out of her uncomfortable position – how had she managed to sleep like that? – stretching her aching muscles. "Are we back?"
Tara fumbled in the dark until she found her seatbelt. She released it, and sat up, blinking the last of the drowsiness away. "What time is it?"
"Eleven thirty-nine."
Tara rubbed at her eyes, yawned once, and then curled her fingers around the handle of the car door. "Thank-you. For bringing me here."
Her aunt smiled, and shook her head. "I know there isn't anywhere else you'd rather be."
Tara leaned forward, kissed her aunt on the cheek, then opened the car door, and stepped out into the night. She took a moment, holding on the door, and breathing in the cool night air, to clear her head. Then she shut the door, and waved to her aunt until the car disappeared from her sight.
Tara pulled her jacket closer, and headed towards the front doors. She had been here so often in the past couple of days that it had become too familiar to her. She navigated her way through the halls, and when she reached her destination, she didn't hesitate to push through the double doors.
The nurse manning the desk, Jaycee, her favorite, recognized her instantly. She smiled up at her. "Tara. How are you?"
Tara smiled sheepishly. "A little tired. How is she?"
Jaycee moved her eyes back to the computer screen, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "She's waiting for you."
Tara gave her thanks to the nurse, and then headed down the hall until she reached room 214. She knocked once, lightly, and then, without waiting for a response, she opened the door.
A single lamp burned across the room, bathing her face in its golden glow. She was reading, but, as soon as she heard the door open, she turned towards her, a smile lighting her face, brighter than any sun.
"Tara." She placed the book on the table next to her, her delight tangible. "You're back."
Tara took a moment, standing the doorway, just to take in the sight of her. Yes, she was pale, propped up on three pillows, because she was too weak to sit up on her own. Yes, she was hooked up to a million different machines – including an IV, which Tara had held her hand through the entire process because she was terrified of needles – but the light in her eyes was so bright it overshadowed it all.
"Willow." She shut the door, and moved over to the side of her bed. "What are you still doing up?"
"Waiting for you," She answered, puzzled.
Tara shook her head, and took off her jacket before leaning close to Willow so she could stamp a kiss on her forehead. "You should be resting. That's not going to heal itself."
Willow shook her head. "Don't worry about me. I'll be good as new in no time."
Tara was very quiet, looking down at the redhead through the haze of sudden tears that filled her eyes. Willow wouldn't be good as new, and both of them knew it.
The bullet that would have killed Tara had obliterated Willow's humerus bone, shattering it, as well as tearing through several nerves and tendons, leaving Willow's left arm useless. Over time, the doctor had promised, once the bone, tendons, and nerves had healed the best they could, Willow would be able to slowly regain use of her arm, but it would take years of healing and physiotherapy. Because she had chosen to save Tara's life, Willow would have to live with a life of chronic pain, struggle, and the possibility of never regaining full mobility of her arm.
All because of Tara.
Willow was quiet as well, her earlier humor gone. "Don't cry, Tara. Please. It was worth it."
Tara shook her head. "No. Not me."
"Don't talk like that!" Willow said fiercely. Her sudden vehemence was recorded by the machine monitoring her heart. Its steady beep increased, and, at the threat of having a nurse remove Tara, Willow took a moment to close her eyes and breathe deeply, calming herself. "You're worth every minute."
"Willow –"
"You're worth it," Willow interrupted quietly. "To me."
What could she say in argument to that? It was the only thing she ever wanted to hear. She shook her head again, but she was smiling. "And you're crazy for that."
Willow smiled, pleased that she had made Tara smile. "Maybe to you."
Tara placed her jacket on one of the plastic chairs behind her, and then climbed onto the cot Jaycee had provided them. Tara had pushed it right up against Willow's bed so she could be as close as Willow's injury allowed them to be. Lying on her side so she could still see the redhead, Tara ran her thumb across Willow's right arm, avoiding the area where the IV was inserted. "How are you feeling?"
"Like hospitals were designed in hell."
Tara laughed softly. "That's my girl."
Willow was quiet for a moment, musing over that with a smile on her face. Then she looked back over at Tara, hesitant. "How was the funeral?"
Tara looked away. "Like it was designed in hell."
Willow made a sound in the back of her throat, frustrated that she could not reach out to comfort Tara. The blonde looked back over at her, only to find Willow's eyes soft, not with sympathy, but with love.
"I'm proud of you for going."
Tara shrugged, not quite looking her in the eye. "He was my father. I had to."
"No, you didn't. He stopped being your father the first time he abused you. You went, anyways, because even after all he's done to you, you still don't hate him."
"You're right," Tara murmured, finally looking at her directly. "I don't hate him for what he did to me. I hate him for what he did to you."
Tara's fingers moved back to Willow's hand in the path they were tracing, and Willow opened her fingers, an invitation Tara took. She curled her hand around Willow's, and Willow closed her eyes with a content smile. "How's Anya?"
Tara frowned slightly. "Not so good. She's still…she killed someone, Wil, even if it was to protect us. She's not over that yet."
"She hasn't come to visit yet."
Tara hesitated, unsure if she should continue talking. But it was secrets that had gotten Willow put in the hospital in the first place, and Tara wasn't about to make that mistake again. "I don't think she's left her house yet. They're having a therapist visit her every day. I went to see her, but…she wasn't up for visitors."
"All because of me."
"No, Willow. All because of me."
Willow opened her eyes. "This isn't your fault."
"And it isn't yours, either."
Instead of replying, Willow changed the subject. "You're wearing your gloves."
Tara looked down at her hand, cradled in Willow's. They were clad in her gloves, like they always was. Why was it such a shock to Willow?
"Why?" Willow asked quietly.
"I don't want you to see the burns," Tara answered, instead of saying: "Because I don't want you to run away screaming at how ugly I am" like she wanted to.
Willow closed her eyes again. "Why don't you see how beautiful you are?"
"Why don't you see how beautiful you are?" Tara shot back, but, after a moment's hesitation, she pulled her hand free from Willow's, and, one at a time, peeled her gloves off for the first time in Willow's presence, setting them aside.
For a long moment, there was only silence as Willow took in the ruined skin of her hands, and Tara waited with bated breath, terrified of what the redhead's response would be.
Finally, Willow lifted her eyes to Tara's, and smiled. "You're beautiful," She told her, and, taking one of Tara's hands in her right, she lifted it to her lips.
Last edited by lilcheesenip on Sun Oct 03, 2010 11:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
Post subject: Re: New Fic: The Cross [Part 17] Updated October 3rd! (again
Dibs?
awe Willow is so sweet! And thankyou for updating so quickly! That was AWESOME! ;D Is there gonna be an epilogue?
Wow, breathtakingly sweet. What a perfect circle you've taken them through. They both have their physical scars at the hands of a monstrous man, but now they are on the road to healing emotionally because of the love they've found for each other. Thank you, thank you for updating, though for a moment the opening made me really nervous, even though I should remember KB=happy ending! I'm really looking forward to the epilogue. Beautiful stuff.
Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 12:01 pm
Yay for great update-y goodness... Big yay for Tara going to be with Willow in the hospital after the funeral... I'm glad that Willow convinced Tara to take off her gloves and show Willow her hands...
Even after all of it, Tara still felt a sense of duty.
Anya and Willow in their own rights are hero's of a sort, both saved Tara's life, and now she's free physically if not emotionally. That will take some time. I guess we all write them with a a large sense of resiliency.
Looking forward to the epilogue.
@lonelylanding -- Isn't she? She's like my dream girlfriend. xD There is; you'll find it below. Thanks for commenting, and enjoy this last update!
@LonelyTara -- Thank-you! They deserved a happy ending, I think. Did I really scare you? I know I shouldn't be delighted, but that was what I was trying to do, and now I feel accomplished. xD Thanks for commenting, and enjoy this last update!
@Zampsa1975 -- Finally, there's no secrets between them. Thanks for commenting, and enjoy this next update!
@vampyregurl73 -- If I have learned nothing from this fic, it's that, in my mind, Tara is kind to a fault. xD Everyone is this fic is a hero -- even Buffy and Xander, even though for a major part of it, they weren't. xD If they didn't have resiliency, they wouldn't have hope. Thanks for commenting, and enjoy this next update!
Author's Note: Last update! Stick around, because at the end of the update, there is a short message from me, and some goodies for you readers.
[center]Three Months Later[/center]
Willow stepped up onto the grass gingerly, Tara's arm secured around her shoulders. She made a noise in the back of her throat, and Tara automatically stopped, scrutinizing the redhead beside her with concern.
"What's wrong, Willow? What hurts?"
Willow smiled at her sheepishly. "Nothing. Sorry, but…the sun's just brighter than I remember."
Faith poked her in the back playfully – more carefully, Willow noticed, than she would have before. "That's what happens when you spend three months in the hospital, Pasty."
Willow mock-glared at her, while Tara bit her lip to stop herself from smiling. Fred elbowed Faith reproachfully, but Faith just smirked at her.
Anya considered Willow carefully. "She's right, Willow. You're practically Albino."
Willow frowned. "Those people really suffer, Anya. You shouldn't use them to make a joke."
Faith grinned. "Glad to see your stay in the hospital hasn't affected your sense of humour."
Anya snorted. "What sense of humour? Willow never had one."
"Stop picking on my girlfriend, you two," Tara protested, even though she was smiling, mostly because Anya seemed to be her old self again, even though she was a little quiet than she had once been.
"What, do you want us to pick on you, then?" Faith asked smugly, and Willow bristled.
"Don't you dare!"
"Stop being mean to Tara and Willow!" Annie demanded, tugging on Faith's leather jacket, and the brunette smirked down at the child, who was scowling at her, before mussing her hair.
"You're real scary, kid."
Annie swelled with indignation. "You'd better believe it!" She snapped, making Faith chuckle.
"That's one feisty little kid you've got for a cousin, T-Bear," She said to Tara, who smiled, and squeezed Annie's hand.
"She's my little knight," She said with a laugh, and Annie flushed with pleasure, because, in her eyes, princesses were overrated because all they did was wait to be rescued.
Willow marvelled at the color in the young girl's cheek, the proud smile on her face. Even though it had been two months since Tara's aunt had officially adopted Annie as her own child, Annie's sudden progress still took the redhead by surprise. It was amazing how someone would come back to life when they learned there was someone out there who really did care.
Then again, she shouldn't have been surprised. She and Tara were living, breathing proof of it.
Tara narrowed her eyes, trying to shield them from the bright sun. "Where's Jaycee? I thought she was meeting us here."
"She is," Willow answered, confident that her nurse, who had been delighted to be invited to Willow's first official outing after her three-month stay in the hospital, would show up. "She said she was bringing someone, though."
"A friend?"
Willow went to shrug, then thought better of it, and shook her head. "Not sure."
Faith jabbed Willow in the back again, making the redhead jump. "Hey, Red, is B coming?"
Tara frowned at her. "Is that really necessary?"
"Completely," Faith replied, without missing a beat, her eyes still fixed on Willow.
Willow bit her lip. "I'm not sure. She said maybe."
"What about Xander?" Faith asked, moving her eyes to Anya, who shrugged.
"He wasn't home when I called."
"There's Jaycee!" Willow exclaimed suddenly, pointing with her right arm, because her left was in a sling, cradled to her chest. Jaycee spotted them, and waved; Willow waved back energetically.
The group made their way over to her. When they got closer, Tara could see that the figure next to Jaycee was a woman with hair so fair it was almost white. Another glance, and she noticed they were holding hands.
Tara looked down questioningly at Willow. "You think that's her 'someone'?"
"I guess so."
When they were a few feet away, Jaycee pulled free from the other woman, and stepped forward to embrace both Willow and Tara. When she pulled away, she was smiling warmly.
"Willow. You look well."
Willow grinned. "Glad there's someone who thinks so."
Jaycee chuckled, and looked over at Tara. "And you do, too, Tara."
"Same to you," Tara responded with a smile.
Jaycee scanned the group, and greeted both Anya and Faith by name. When her eyes came to rest on Annie, she crouched down so she was eye-level with the girl. "And Annie. How are you, sweetheart?"
Annie beamed at Jaycee. "Five by five!"
Jaycee looked up at Tara, puzzled, and Tara laughed. "It's something Faith taught her."
Amused, Jaycee smiled, then straightened. "Glad to hear it."
Willow glanced questioningly towards the woman behind her, and Jaycee started slightly. "Sorry! I'm being rude. Everyone, this is Wendy." She stepped back, and took Wendy's hand, who smiled shyly at them. "My girlfriend."
There was a moment of silence, and then Faith looked over at Willow. "What is it with you? You attract all the lesbians!"
Everyone broke into laughter. Willow only raised her eyebrows at Faith. "Got something to tell me, Faith?"
Faith opened her mouth to reply with something smart, but was interrupted when she saw Buffy and Xander standing a few feet away from the group, hesitant. "Well, well. Look who decided to show."
Willow brightened when she saw her two old friends. "You came!"
Tara held Willow tight to her side, and Willow looked over at her, eyes dancing. The joy in her eyes brought tears to Tara's that she had to blink hard to keep from falling.
Buffy and Xander approached the group, both smiling nervously. Buffy held up the picnic basket she had in her hand, so everyone could see it.
"We brought lunch."
It wasn't much. There would be no apologizes today – maybe never. But they had came, and when Willow smiled at Buffy, she offered a tentative smile in response, and it was enough.
It was a hopeful start, a tenuous promise of redemption, and reconciliation.
Okay, first of all, I love all of you for sticking with me even though sometimes I didn't update for months! To thank you, I made you a Willow/Tara video, which you can find here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMv_XL1NMj8
The Cross Trailer can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj12FLvttBM
Secondly, I have two new fic ideas, but one needs some research, so I'm thinking of going with the Saving Grace sequel. Problem is, I have absolutely no plot ideas. I have the first chapter written out, but it is just an intro. So that may take some time.
Once again, thank-you for reading and showing your support for this fic! <3
-lilcheesenip.
Post subject: Re: New Fic: The Cross [Complete!] :D
Dibs! What a great wrap-up! This was a wonderful ending, particularly the tentative but hopeful moment where Buffy and Xander showed up. Reading Saving Grace now and loving it! You should get more reviews. Come on lurkers, speak up!
Last edited by LonelyTara on Sun Oct 03, 2010 9:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
This fic has been epic, it's sad that its over but I'm glad they had a happy ending. can't wait for your next fic!
Very tidy wrap up.
Your videos, very creative. The Cross trailer was a very good summation you even managed to include some footage from private practice very well, and teenage dream was cute.
I'll be looking forward to the sequel to saving or grace or your other idea. Nice job.
Yay for great ending... I'm glad that Buffy & Xander showed up... I really liked the videos... Can't wait for sequal to Saving Grace...


text:
Catalog Record: The passing of the third floor back, an idle fancy in a prologue, a play, and an epilogue | HathiTrust Digital Library
The passing of the third floor back,
an idle fancy in a prologue, a play, and an epilogue,
Jerome, Jerome K. 1859-1927.
New York, S. French [c1921]
The passing of the third floor back; an idle fancy in a prologue, a play, and an epilogue,
Jerome, Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka), 1859-1927.
The passing of the third floor back, an idle fancy in a prologue, a play, and an epilogue,
The passing of the third floor back; an idle fancy in a prologue, a play and an epilogue;
The passing of the third floor back; an idle fancy in a prologue, a play, and an epilogue.
The passing of the third floor back : an idle fancy : in a prologue, a play and an epilogue /
The passing of the third floor back : an idle fancy in a prologue, a play, and an epilogue /
The passing of the third floor back, and other stories /
The passing of the third floor back and other stories /
The passing of the third floor back, and other stories.


The president has reportedly told Congressional leaders that focusing on torture would take the air out of his agenda.
In an apparent contrast to his remarks earlier in the week, in meetings with congressional leaders over the past two days, President Obama reportedly pushed back against the idea of convening a commission to investigate torture. If he hasn't rejected the idea outright, he has at least signaled -- along with top Senate Democrats -- that he'll move to block any such effort, at least for now.
"Meeting with the Democratic leadership on Wednesday night, Mr. Obama said a special inquiry would steal time and energy from his policy agenda, and could mushroom into a wider distraction looking back at the Bush years," the New York Times reports. "Obama repeated much the same message on Thursday at a bipartisan meeting with Congressional leaders."
If Obama gets any pushback, it's likely to come from the House, and be on both sides. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi still favors an investigation, while her Republican counterpart, Minority Leader John Boehner, is pushing the president to release further memos on torture during the Bush administration, ones that would provide details on any intelligence gained from it.


text:
Річ Бреннан (,  26 листопада 1972, Скенектаді) — американський хокеїст, що грав на позиції захисника. Грав за збірну команду США.

Ігрова кар'єра
Хокейну кар'єру розпочав 1991 року в хокейній команді Бостонського університету. У тому ж році був обраний на драфті НХЛ під 46-м загальним номером командою «Квебек Нордікс», але вирішив лишитись в Бостоні.

У 1995 дебютує в складі команди «Корнволл Ейсес» (АХЛ).

У сезоні 1996/97 провів два матчі в складі «Колорадо Аваланч». Наступного сезону на правах вільного агента перейшов до «Сан-Хосе Шаркс», але відіграв лише 11 матчів, а решту сезону провів в клубах АХЛ.

Сезон 1998/99 розпочав в складі «Нью-Йорк Рейнджерс», але завершував у фарм-клубі «Гартфорд Вулвс Пек». Провівши згодом два сезони в «Лоуелл-Лок Монстерс», встиг зіграти два матчі за «Лос-Анджелес Кінгс» та чотири матчі за «Нашвілл Предаторс». У сезоні 2002/03 провів сім останніх зустрічей в НХЛ у складі «Бостон Брюїнс».

З 2004 виступає в Європі, спочатку захищає кольори швейцарського СК «Берн», згодом продовжує кар'єру в Німеччині за «Аугсбург Пантерс» один сезон та «Нюрнберг Айс-Тайгерс» три сезони.

Завершив ігрову кар'єру в австрійському «ТВК Інсбрук».

Виступав за молодіжну збірну США в складі якої став бронзовим призером чемпіонату світу.

Нагороди та досягнення
 Володар Кубка Колдера в складі «Герші Берс» — 1997.

Статистика

Клубні виступи

Збірна

Посилання

 Річ Бреннан на eurohockey

американські хокеїсти
Хокеїсти «Колорадо Аваланш»
Хокеїсти «Сан-Хосе Шаркс»
Хокеїсти «Нью-Йорк Рейнджерс»
Хокеїсти «Лос-Анджелес Кінгс»
Хокеїсти «Нашвілл Предаторс»
Хокеїсти «Бостон Брюїнс»
Хокеїсти «Аугсбург Пантерс»
Хокеїсти «Нюрнберг Айс-Тайгерс»
Хокеїсти «Берна»
Хокеїсти «ТВК Інсбрук»
Хокеїсти АХЛ
Задрафтовані «Квебек Нордікс»
Хокеїсти «Лангенталя»
Спортсмени зі штату Нью-Йорк


The THR Performance Upgrades kits are designed to take the mystery and guess work out of modifying your car. At Tunehouse we take pride in the fact we understand the engineering behind your car and although we can develop bespoke and custom tuning and upgrades solutions for almost any car, there are some that are more popular and we have the opportunity to share our development experience with you – saving you time, stress and money.
With a THR Performance Upgrade kit you can be sure the testing, research and development has already been done – No guess work, no risk and no stress. The THR Performance upgrade Kits are developed around the ability to flash tune your computers engine management system. We believe this is the most reliable solution for performance upgrades on most cars and allows us the opportunity to work with the factory engineering, instead of against it. We develop the upgrade path, the specific parts used and the unique Tunehouse approach to these upgrades means not only proven solutions, but more importantly a custom tuned vehicle to genuinely take advantage of your car and the upgrades we fit.
We also supply and install a variety of performance upgrades. In addition to our Tunehouse racing products, we are a dealer for most performance brands so we can give you the best product range and value. We handpick and test all of the products we sell here so you can be confident that the upgrades integrate perfectly with the rest of your car.
Exhaust components – Turboback/Catback exhausts, Manifolds, Headers etc.
Handling upgrades – Swaybars, Bushings, Control arms, Camber kits etc.
Cooling – Oil coolers, Transmission coolers, Thermostats etc.
Contact us today for more information and pricing. Feel free to take a look around our online store too for a huge selection of products.
Copyright 2018 Tunehouse. All rights reserved.