Author: JustSkipIt
Rating: PG
Feedback: Please leave feedback on the Survivor - Ash Island thread on the Kitten Board.
Disclaimer: I own none of these characters nor do I own Survivor. And believe it or not, I also don't own any small islands. On the other hand, this island is fictional so let's say I own it. I'm making no money from this fiction and intend no copyright infringement.

Tara sat in her car attempting to calm herself. A little self-talk couldn’t possibly hurt. Right? You’ll be fine, Tara. They’re just little kids and Ariel is one of them. She took a deep breath, checked the clock, and went inside the school building.

She arrived at the administration office and went inside. She smiled at the administrative secretary who stood up to greet her. "Hello, Ms. Sloan."

"Good morning, Mrs. Webster. You’re here to speak to Ariel’s class?"

"Ms Maclay," Tara corrected the secretary with a smile and a nod.

"Oh yes. Sorry about that, Ms. Maclay. Mr. Edmonds will be out in a few minutes."

Once the other parent had arrived, Ms. Sloan called the principal who came out immediately.

"Hello Ms. Maclay and Mr. Edmonds," he greeted both parents. Both greeted the principal in turn and he showed them where to sign in as visitors and gave them visitor’s badges. "I’ll walk both our visitors down to Ms. Apple’s class," Mr. Watts told Ms. Sloan. After making small talk for a moment with the other parent, he told her, "I’ve been following your show. I had never watched the show before but since we had a local and a parent at that on the show, I decided to watch. It’s been quite an education."

Tara smiled at the principal’s characterization of the show. "I think people either l-love reality TV or really hate it," she commented.

"I’m finding it quite interesting. I don’t suppose you can tell me who won?"

Tara smiled even wider. "Even the contestants don’t k-know that yet."

"Can you tell me when you were voted off?" Mr Edmonds, the other parent, now entered the conversation.

"I really can’t," Tara said as she shook her head side to side. They reached the door to the class, ending the conversation.

The teacher spied the two parents through the window in the door and quickly waved them inside. Tara was surprised as the principal took a seat at the back of the room. "Class," Ms. Apple announced, "we have two parents here with us today for career talk." She invited Josh to the front to introduce his father who he reported worked as a salesman. Mr. Edmonds got up and gave a short explanation of his work selling furniture to offices. It sounded to Tara like dull work but the kids were interested in the fact that he ate lunch on the road every day. They seemed to think that the option of a happy meal every day was heaven.

Next it was Ariel’s turn. She came to the front of the classroom and took Tara’s hand to lead her to the center before introducing her mother: "This is my mother. She works in a doctor’s office where she helps people get ready to see the doctor. She’s also an artist and uses a blown-torch and is on television." Her pride showed through her single-breath introduction.

Tara looked from side to side before beginning her explanation. "Ariel told you three different things that I d-do. I’ll tell you a little about them and then you can ask questions, ok?" The kids nodded their heads and a few said yes. "I work at a doctor’s office and I check people in when they get there so they can see the doctor and nurse faster. If people call with questions, I help them get appointments to see him."

"That’s the job I have that pays money," she said with a laugh. "I also like to do art. I have a workshop in the garage where I make my art. Someday I’d like to have art be my job."

She called on a girl near the window who was waving her hand. "Do you really use a blow-torch?"

"Yes," Tara smiled. "I frequently use a blow torch but I’m very very careful and no one is allowed to be in my workshop with me when I’m using it."

"Are you really a TV star?" a boy near the front of the room asked.

Tara looked down at the ground before forcing herself to look at the child. "I’m not a star but I am on a TV show that will be on for twelve weeks. It’s showing right now on Thursday nights." She hated sounding like a commercial but she didn’t know if the kids would believe her if she wasn’t specific.

"What kind of show is it?" another child wanted to know.

Tara took a breath before attempting to explain the cultural phenomenon that was Survivor. "Well, sixteen people volunteered to camp on an island for a long time. The person who can camp there for the longest wins the game."

"What do you get if you win?" the next child wanted to know.

"A lot of money," Tara said with a wave of her hand.

"And you’re camping?" A little boy asked. "Do you hunt and fish and take baths in a creek?"

"Is that what you do when you camp?" Tara asked. The boy proudly reported that he and his father had been camping a few weeks earlier and that they had a very good time. "Well," Tara explained, "when you camp you probably take a lot of camping supplies right?" He nodded. "We went camping without any supplies to see how we would do in the wild. We didn’t even take matches!"

"You didn’t take matches? How did you make a fire?"

"We rubbed two sticks together," she explained.

"No way," a few kids remarked. Having discussed it with Miss Apple ahead of time Tara turned to the teacher and handed her the video tape of her, Faith, and Kendra starting the fire for MFashnek. The kids were suitably impressed.

Seeing her chance, Miss Apple stood up and thanked Tara and the other parent for coming. The kids all clapped and said goodbye to both visitors and the principal walked them back to the office.

On her way back to the office Tara called Willow. "Hi, baby. How did the talk with the kids go? Were you a huge hit? I can’t see how you could not be. I mean you’re so awesome and beautiful and cool and you make beautiful art with a blowtorch and are a big TV star."

Tara laughed at Willow’s greeting. "If you pass out from lack of oxygen and crash your car, I will be very very upset with you, Missy," she teased.

Willow laughed back. "No way that’s happening. I’m on my way to you and nothing is going to get in the way of that."

Tara smiled at her lover’s reassurance. "I thought you were going to be such a challenge. But instead you’re the easiest woman I’ve ever caught."

Willow laughed back. "I’m the only woman you’ve ever caught."

"You’re the only one I’ve ever wanted to catch."

"Ahhh, you’re such a charmer."

"Says the professional charmer," Tara teased back. "Seriously sweetie, are you driving carefully? Maybe you should spend the night somewhere on the w-way."

"I think I can drive 500 miles successfully. Besides, I want to watch the show with you for once. I mean I’ve never seen a single episode with you and Ariel yet. And I’d like to before it’s all over and we can’t watch it together anymore or anything because it’s important to me."

Tara laughed at her lover’s trademark babble. "Gee. I w-wonder who will be voted off tonight."

"Duh duh duh. Well you know new alliances may be formed and others are renewed."

"I’ve heard that," Tara giggled. She looked at her watch before saying, "Hey baby. My lunch hour is over and I need to go back to work."

"Ok," Willow pouted playfully, "I’m near the Kentucky border so I should make it before the show starts."

"Drive carefully".

"I love you, Tara."

"Love you too."

Willow took out her earpiece and turned the radio back up as soon as she got off the phone. As she drove she remembered the conversation that led to her trip:

"Can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me anything, baby," Tara sighed and turned her head toward Willow, "But I’m not sure if I’ll have enough energy for a few more minutes." She lay on her stomach enjoying a back rub from her girlfriend and at that point probably would have agreed to anything the redhead proposed.

"Not that, cutie," Willow giggled as she leaned forward and kissed the back of the blonde’s neck. She loved the way little wisps of hair there would stick up even when the Tara’s exertions made them wet with sweat. "How long do you think it would take you to get tired of me?"

Tara raised her eyebrows at her lover’s strange question. She hadn’t really expected the topic of long-term commitment to come up just yet from the self-proclaimed playgirl. "Years, decades, centuries, maybe," Tara answered. "I’m not sure I’ll ever get tired of you, Willow." She rolled over to look up into the girl’s green eyes.

Willow smiled and leaned in to give her lover a deep kiss. "Everything you just said makes me really happy," she whispered with emotion before lying down on Tara’s chest, "but I actually meant like if I were here for more than 36 hours, how would you feel?"

"You’re asking to move in with me?"

"Not exactly move in. I guess I was thinking what if I started planning to be here for longer visits. You know a week or two at a time?"

"How would you do that? Don’t you need to be at home to work?"

"Not really," Willow lifted her head and shrugged her shoulders, "I just need a few of my machines. I saw some office space for rent signs yesterday when we were downtown. I could rent some space and set up a little shop-away-from home here."

Tara wrapped her arms more tightly around the redhead. "Mmm," she murmured, "if you were here we could..." she whispered something in the girl’s ear, "... every day."

"Tara Maclay, what a dirty mind and mouth you have."

"You love it," Tara teased.

"You know it."

Once they had agreed, Willow wasted no time. She had returned to Atlanta and made arrangements to move a few days later. The tentative plan was for her to stay in Ohio for at least a few weeks before returning to Atlanta and then splitting time between the two locations with more time spent with Tara and Ariel. She planned to look at office space over the weekend and hopefully be set up with utilities by the middle of the next week.

Not surprisingly her car held: four laptop computers, two server boxes, her cat (heavily drugged in a carrier), two suitcases of clothes, some sports equipment, and a box of books. The drive was going more quickly than she had anticipated and she was pretty sure she would arrive well before the start of the show. Just in case, she was downloading the broadcast and Tara was taping it as well. Looking at the clock and doing a quick calculation she stopped for some food and coffee, knowing that she would soon be with Tara and Ariel to watch the show together for the first time.