Title: That Way (2/6)
Author: Cyclone
Feedback: Please be gentle.
Distribution: Gimme credit and a link.
Rating: I'm gonna go say PG.
Spoilers: Mostly an altered Graduation, Xander's plans for after graduation, and the first That Way 'fic I wrote earlier.
Disclaimer: The characters depicted herein belong to the almighty Joss. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Summary: Oz reflects on the events of part one.
Author's Note: Y'know, this is was supposed to be a one-shot...
* * *
I see her walking up the road with her Resolve Face on, and I know.
I've lost her. To him. Always him.
I suppose I should be happy that she stayed with me as long as she did, even after the Fluke. Of course, if I had had any sense or self-respect, I wouldn't have taken her back after she cheated on me.
But then again, that's how much I love her. I loved her enough to take her back.
He loved her enough to let her go.
You know, I'm still not quite sure how I feel about that.
I don't even know when I really started to lose her. It was after the Fluke, after I took her back. We were getting closer, once she got over her guilt, but a few weeks ago, I'm not sure exactly when, she started growing more distant. Sure, we dated, we had fun, we kissed.
...
Whoa, sorry there. Thoughts of Willow kissage.
Anyway, while we did the things couples do -- well, except for _that_ thing -- she stopped opening up to me. We'd talk about trivial things, but she wouldn't talk about the things that hurt, the things she feared. Right before graduation, I think, is when I knew I was losing her. When she chose to spend what may have been her last hours alive with him instead of me.
I get up and head downstairs. She should be at the door right about now, and I'm rewarded with the sound of the doorbell ringing just as I get there.
Hey, I'm a musician. Timing is everything.
When I open the door, I see her Resolve Face crack. I also see the tear tracks running down her cheeks, though they've long since dried.
I try to put on a brave face. I don't know how well I succeed, but I try. And then she struggles to say the words I know she wants to.
This is hurting her. There's got to be some way I can make this easier for her.
And then it hits me, and I blurt it out. Totally uncharacteristic of me, I know, but I was desperate. I needed something, anything, that would make her feel better, and I latched onto the first thing that came to mind:
"It wasn't me."
Now, wait, that didn't make a whole lot of sense, did it? Judging from the confused look on her face, I'd say she agrees, so I clarify.
"That time... in the hospital... it wasn't me. It was him."
Okay, did that make sense? Nevermind. It looks like she understands. She pulls me into a hug, and I feel her lips brush gently against mine.
A bittersweet kiss goodbye.
As I watch her walk away, it occurs to me. I guess I do love her as much as he does. Enough to let her go. Which makes this remarkably unfair.
But I guess... it's just that way.
* * *
Author's Postscript:
As I said, the first part was _supposed_ to be a one-shot, but this plot bunny kinda ambushed me.
Author: Cyclone
Feedback: Please be gentle.
Distribution: Gimme credit and a link.
Rating: I'm gonna go say PG.
Spoilers: Mostly an altered Graduation, Xander's plans for after graduation, and the first That Way 'fic I wrote earlier.
Disclaimer: The characters depicted herein belong to the almighty Joss. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Summary: Oz reflects on the events of part one.
Author's Note: Y'know, this is was supposed to be a one-shot...
* * *
I see her walking up the road with her Resolve Face on, and I know.
I've lost her. To him. Always him.
I suppose I should be happy that she stayed with me as long as she did, even after the Fluke. Of course, if I had had any sense or self-respect, I wouldn't have taken her back after she cheated on me.
But then again, that's how much I love her. I loved her enough to take her back.
He loved her enough to let her go.
You know, I'm still not quite sure how I feel about that.
I don't even know when I really started to lose her. It was after the Fluke, after I took her back. We were getting closer, once she got over her guilt, but a few weeks ago, I'm not sure exactly when, she started growing more distant. Sure, we dated, we had fun, we kissed.
...
Whoa, sorry there. Thoughts of Willow kissage.
Anyway, while we did the things couples do -- well, except for _that_ thing -- she stopped opening up to me. We'd talk about trivial things, but she wouldn't talk about the things that hurt, the things she feared. Right before graduation, I think, is when I knew I was losing her. When she chose to spend what may have been her last hours alive with him instead of me.
I get up and head downstairs. She should be at the door right about now, and I'm rewarded with the sound of the doorbell ringing just as I get there.
Hey, I'm a musician. Timing is everything.
When I open the door, I see her Resolve Face crack. I also see the tear tracks running down her cheeks, though they've long since dried.
I try to put on a brave face. I don't know how well I succeed, but I try. And then she struggles to say the words I know she wants to.
This is hurting her. There's got to be some way I can make this easier for her.
And then it hits me, and I blurt it out. Totally uncharacteristic of me, I know, but I was desperate. I needed something, anything, that would make her feel better, and I latched onto the first thing that came to mind:
"It wasn't me."
Now, wait, that didn't make a whole lot of sense, did it? Judging from the confused look on her face, I'd say she agrees, so I clarify.
"That time... in the hospital... it wasn't me. It was him."
Okay, did that make sense? Nevermind. It looks like she understands. She pulls me into a hug, and I feel her lips brush gently against mine.
A bittersweet kiss goodbye.
As I watch her walk away, it occurs to me. I guess I do love her as much as he does. Enough to let her go. Which makes this remarkably unfair.
But I guess... it's just that way.
* * *
Author's Postscript:
As I said, the first part was _supposed_ to be a one-shot, but this plot bunny kinda ambushed me.