Author: Emilie (EmilieKitten@earthlink.net)
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the BtVs characters. The song lyrics are the Fugee's "Killing me Softly".
Distribution: http://www.emiliekitten.com & OzMIA otherwise please ask.
Rating: PG
Notes: This is in a AU. ~~ means song lyrics, this is NOT the song that is being Sang, its just a song that I thought fit the fic.
For Sam, even though its angst. And for Harle, cause you loved the song. . . at least a coupla years ago.
~*~
Willow walked into the smokey den that was a small jazz club just off of main street. She didn't know what had brought her to this town. . . maybe the fact that she was so drawn to small towns like Sunnydale. It had been three years since she left Sunnydale. Three years since Buffy and Giles had died saving the world, three years since Xander and Anya had left together. . . headed for Vegas to elope. Three years since Tara had broke up with her, and moved back home with her family.
Three.
She found a small table, a few feet from the stage. There was supposed to be a live act tonight, a solo guitarist. She had been drawn to guitarists . . . ever since Tara had gone. Ever since she'd realized, how much she missed Oz. He was her first love, she wouldn't never forget him. . . she wish that she had blue hair. She wished that she would turn the corner, and there he'd be. Couldn't he feel that she needed him? Couldn't he just *know* like he'd known before?
Before.
The words seemed to echo in her brain, ricochet off of the contents inside and bring back memories. Sweet memories of love making in the early morning hours, picnics on sunny days, and snuggling on the couch on rainy days. She missed him. Maybe she didn't miss him. . she missed his memory. She missed his warmth, the way he took care of her, and always knew when she needed reassurance, or a kind word. He was the perfect boyfriend, except for the whole werewolf thing.
Why couldn't she stop thinking about him?
He'd been gone for nearly five years. She hadn't heard a word from him. He'd kept in touch with Xander through letters, even gone to Xander and Anya's wedding. Been the best man.
Willow hadn't been invited.
The spot light came on as a waitress brought Willow's drink. She glared down at the liquid trying to make it something special to take away all her pain. Trying to make it work magic. Trying to make it. . .
The guitar was simple acoustic at first. But then the voice came, haunting and liquid. Filling the air with its currents. She knew that voice. . . after all this time. . .
~~~ Singing my life with his words,
Killing me softly with his song, killing me softly with his song, telling
my whole life with
his words, killing me softly with his song. ~~~
She stared at the stage, in utter and complete awe. It was Oz. He was here, he was singing. He was singing. . . a song. It reminded her of him. . . quiet, emotionless. But she knew it had been written for her. She knew that the pain underlying the song so utterly was for her. He'd mourned for her as if she'd died. She supposed she had in a way.
~~~ I felt all flushed with fever,
embarrassed by the crowd, I felt he found
my letters and read each one out loud.
I prayed that he would finish, but he just
kept right on strumming my pain
with his fingers, singing my life with his
words, ~~~
Her heart beat fast, she thought she would faint. Oz, here. The thought
made her dizzy. She quickly sipped her drink, and recoiled at the burning
sensation in the back of her throat. Still Oz kept on singing, starring
out at the crowd. He didn't notice her. He wouldn't. Her hair wasn't red.
It was a soft chestnut brown, she'd changed it last year. She was wearing
something unnoticeable, nothing fuzzy or bright pink.
Still, she thought he would have noticed her. He didn't, his eyes seemed
riveted on the back of the room. The words sang out, slipping from his
lips and making her want to sob with the emotion that was there. . . emotion
that no one else would have heard.
~~~Killing me softly with his song, killing
me softly with his song, telling my
whole life with his words, killing me softly
with his song ~~
The song ended, but was followed by another. And another. By the end
of the set, Willow had tears streaming down her face. She'd missed him
all too much. He got off the stage, carrying his guitar carefully. She
quickly jumped from her seat, and ran to where he would have to come out.
She missed him by a second, he filtered into the crowd. She followed.
She noticed him finally in the back, his spiky hair (she was glad he'd
gone back to that) making him unique in the group. As she was about to
open her mouth and call his name he turned, he was smiling and there was
a woman on his arm. He lifted his left hand to caress the woman's face,
and a golden wedding band flashed dully in the light.
Willow felt her knees go weak. She thought she would collapse, but instead
she managed to turn and run. Her breath coming in short gasps.
It was all over. Her whole dream world where she found Oz. . . still
pining for her. Still loving her, even though she'd turned him away and
made his life misery. She wasn't as hard to get over as she'd thought she'd
been.
~*~End~*~