Chapter 3: Invitations

A/N: These characters do not belong to me, I'm merely playing with them.

Dean found Sam talking to a redhead, and recognized her as the same girl he'd seen with Buffy and Xander that morning, who'd smiled at his dad in passing. Stopping, he gestured to Oz that'd he catch up, wanting to have a word with his little brother. Oz nodded and continued as Dean approached the pair, ruffling Sam's hair affectionately before smiling at the girl.

"Geez Dean, would you stop doing that?" Sam protested, trying to straighten it again. "This is Willow, she's teaching the computer class I'm taking. Willow, meet my annoying brother Dean."

"Aren't you a bit young to be a teacher?" Dean asked Willow, surprise evident in his voice.

"Oh, well I'm just filling in until Mr. Snyder hires someone else," she answered. She tried not to fidget under the attention she was still not used to receiving.

"What happened to the last teacher?"

"She died, fell down the stairs actually here in the school, it was all very tragic." Willow lied, thinking that it wouldn't be a good idea to tell the truth. She wasn't about to tell two very cute strangers that her best friend's soulless ex had murdered the late Jenny Calendar for trying to restore his soul. She missed the brief look between the brothers as she'd been trying to straighten one of her papers that had gone askew.

"I see," Dean replied, and then turned to Sam. "How's everything else? You good?"

"Yes Dean, I'm okay." Sam sighed, but he was glad that he had his brother to check up on him. Not that he'd ever say so, Dean hated 'chick flick moments'.

"Good," his brother nodded. "I have auto shop next and get this, I told a guy I'd check out his van, his name is Oz, he's pretty cool. So I'll catch you at lunch?"

Sam nodded but Willow perked up and stopped fidgeting at the mention of Oz's name. "Oh, he's my boyfriend. He did say something about his van making some funny noises the other day." She smiled at Dean, most of her earlier shyness gone, and he smiled back. She liked Sam, and thought he was very bright and good with computers. She'd noticed the resemblance between the two before Sam had introduced him. Maybe he and Buffy would get along... she mused to herself.

Her thoughts went unnoticed as Dean told Sam he'd see him later on, and then proceeded to ruffle his hair again before nodding at her and heading off.

"Jerk," Sam grumbled.

"Bitch," was the instant reply. Dean was already thinking of things to check on Oz's van, and just maybe getting some info on Willow's friend Buffy.

Oz was under the hood of his van that he used for the band, Dean next to him, both talking animatedly about music and cars.

"So, I met Willow, she's teaching a class my brother's in. She said she's your girlfriend?" Dean asked nonchalantly as he checked the fuel line.

"Yep, that's my Wills," Oz answered, while checking one of the distributor caps.

"She's friends with Buffy and Xander right?" He tried to keep his voice light, not wanting Oz to think he was interested in either girl. At Oz's second nod, he asked just as easily, "What's her story, Buffy's?"

Oz studied Dean a moment, wondering what he should say: the truth was obviously out, as he knew Buffy was secret-identity-gal. "You'd have to ask her, I'm usually too preoccupied by Willow, you know?" He said instead.

"Right, right, of course. You said you're in a band?" Dean changed tactics, seeing he wasn't going to get anything on Buffy. Maybe Willow or Xander would be more forthcoming.

"Yep, I'm the guitarist; we're called 'Dingoes ate my baby'." Dean laughed, and then realized that Oz was in fact being serious.

"Interesting name," he said instead.

Oz smiled and shrugged in reply before adding, "That it is, see we're going through this whole thing where we suck," Dean snorted in amusement, checking one last thing under the hood. "We're practicing at this place called the Bronze tonight if you're interested."

Dean thought to himself before answering, Dad's leaving on that hunt in San Diego tonight, and he said something about leaving the Impala and borrowing a car or a truck from a fellow hunter. That will leave Sam and me on our own for a couple days. Sam won't want to go anywhere, but I can talk him around.

Besides, Buffy might be there, and he found he'd like to see her again, maybe flirt a little more. Closing the hood of the van, he reached for a cloth to wipe his hands on, before looking back at Oz. "Alright, I'm in."