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Spoilers and Timeline: Buffy up Season 4 "Wild at Heart"

Getting Through

Chapter 1: A Second Too Late

Buffy was running, she and Oz had to get to Willow before Veruca could hurt her. Oz was more worried about Veruca killing Willow when the moon's power hit her and she turned into the animal he was also.

Oz lost Buffy as she ran into somebody, he couldn't think about that, he had to reach Willow as soon as he could. He kept running, he could feel the wolf within him, giving him speed, it was almost time. He thought as he ran 'Not enough time, if I wolf out near Willow, I might kill her, just like Veruca. That's what she's planning.'

Buffy was incensed, she was trying to save one of her best friends, and this moron had to pick this moment to screw things up. She took a moment to vent her frustration on the camouflaged man who had knocked her down. She punched him across the face. He went down, got back up, looking for a fight. It was rather short, as the next punch Buffy sent his way rocked his head back. He went down again, and didn't get back up. Buffy grabbed her tranquilizer gun and sprinted away.

She reached where she knew Willow, and thus Veruca and Oz, would be. She entered the room, surveyed the scene and fired two quick shots. They both hit their targets. It was then that she heard Willow's whimpered yet loud "Buffy!" The reason it was loud, Willow was incredibly scared, she was shaking. The reason for the whimper was the wolf that had her arm clamped in its mouth. The wolf, she had seen before, it was short and black. Many was the night she had kept Willow company watching him. Now she thought 'Well, guess I'll can take over wolf-watching duty, for the both of them. Stupid commando guy!"

She moved over to Willow, noting the other dead wolf in the room 'That must be Veruca, this is just perfect, I thought getting out of high school was going to make things easier.' She pried the wolf from Willow and hugged her friend as she let go, collapsed, and sobbed into Buffy. It went on for a while. Willow had to face a lot this day, and from here on she would have to face more. She got Willow some medical attention, and came back for Oz, who she shot once more for good measure and because she wanted to, and put him back in his cage. Soon it was going to be a room for two.

! #$%^&*()

It was the next day, and Buffy knew Willow was talking with Oz. She had just finished bringing Giles up to speed on what happened. She was just outside the door to Oz's room, when she heard on the other side of the door a distinct voice say "My whole life I've never loved anything else." Moments later, the door opened and the owner of the voice moved past her and headed outside. Buffy glanced into the room where Willow was crying once again, she noted the bandages on Willow's arm where Oz had bitten her. Buffy turned and caught up to the person who had hurt her friend so much yesterday. "So, Oz, what are you doing with that bag."

"I'm leaving." was all he could say, if he thought about it for much longer, he wouldn't be able to go through with it. He had to go, he would just hurt everyone more if he stayed.

Buffy had the opposite thought 'How dare he.' and she said "You're what?" with the kind of intent that anybody who had met angry Buffy knew to be wary of when it was used.

Oz was not very perceptive at the moment, he missed the danger in her voice and he answered without the required thought "I have to."

He was, therefore, surprised when he felt himself grabbed by the blond slayer, who shoved and held him against the wall. Her eyes were narrowed, Oz should have been terrified "You what!? You have to, is that right. Well, change of plans, you better follow me, I don't want to haul you back in there, but I will if I have to." Buffy wished he wouldn't follow her, it would be a good outlet to grab Oz by the scruff of his shirt and drag him back. Wishes weren't coming true today, as Oz followed her silently.

As they came back into the room, Willow was still looking outside watching Oz's van, waiting for it to drive away. Her face was still soaked in tears. Buffy caught her attention "Um...Wil...okay, I know I might be sticking my nose where it doesn't belong, well anyway, Oz sit the hell down, and stay!"

Oz did as he was told as Willow looked on in confusion. Buffy looked at both "Alright, Willow, stoic guy over here said he was leaving. Do you want him to go?"

"N-No." Willow sniffled.

Buffy turned to Oz who seemed unaffected on the outside, but he was steadily swinging to 'Maybe I shouldn't leave.' in his ever-whirling thoughts. Buffy didn't appreciate his thoughtfulness, not even a little bit. "What about you? Are you saying you want this" she pointed at the slowly non-tearful Willow "to happen?"

Oz stared at the girl he loved "No, but I still have to go." said girl looked ready to revert to sob-y Willow, that seemed to be her new default state.

Buffy thought that Giles would call her 'meddlesome' but she didn't care, her friend was hurting, going through the same things Buffy had went through when Angel left. If she could save Willow from that, she would. "You're a coward, I once called you the loyal type, but all you are is a sniveling little coward."

Willow tried to speak up, Buffy was wrong, Oz had good reasons for leaving "Buffy, don't-"

"Sorry, but I'm on a roll here, so Oz let's see. So far you've cheated on my friend with another wolf, she tries to kill Willow, you stop her and almost kill your girlfriend anyway. And to top it all off you've made her a werewolf. And now what you're just gonna pack up and leave her to deal with all that alone!?" Buffy was stalking back and forth, she would have a really good time patrolling tonight, she seriously hoped to run into something she could pummel.

Oz couldn't really defend himself, so he sat there, looking at Willow, and he remembered all the time he had spent with her. How much he had missed her when he had broken up with her, and how happy he became once he had reconciled with her. He remembered how useless he felt when she was captured by the Mayor and Faith. And finally he went back to minutes ago when she had asked 'Don't you love me?' He looked at her again, and the answer became easy "No, I'm not going to leave, not now anyway You can sit down now Buffy, thanks."

"What? Are you sure? I mean I don't want-" Willow was still trying to process everything. Something she hadn't given much thought to before now forced its way to the surface. 'Oh, that's right, werewolf now. I get bitten by a vampire for the first time, and now I'm a werewolf.' "Alright mister, are you staying for good or is this just a limited-time thing."

Oz, who was now thinking about how he should change the cage, replied "I don't know, but I'll stay for your first change, at least."

Willow was about to respond when Buffy interrupted "Oh great, now I'm the werewolf couples therapist."

Oz looked at her with a smirk "I guess so."

Willow remained on the topic at hand "That's fine for now, but you can't just spring the leaving thing on me like that. Ooh, maybe I could find a collar for you." At the odd look from Buffy she clarified "A mystical one, so he can't pull the whole 'disappeared' act when he's with the band."

"Wil, I said I wasn't going anywhere, I know I've broken your trust, but I mean that." Oz looked more than his usual thoughtful self.

Buffy just shook her head "Why do I get the feeling I'm going to see things I don't want to with you two." She glanced between them and saw no reassurances coming. 'Great, I just wanted to protect my friend, now I'm probably going to be a dog-sitter, well at least I can take a break from my usual weird nights, and replace them with other weirdness. My best friend and her boyfriend, and I'll have to watch them, I don't want Xander doing it, maybe Giles could. This was so not in the job description.'