The Birth of a Child
Part 1
They sat down in the living room of Buffy's house, and no one said anything for awhile. It was a bit of a shock for Buffy to see Oz, whom she hadn't seen for three years. Many things had changed since he had left Sunnydale, the main one being that his first love and her former best friend was dead.
"What brings you back to Sunnydale?"
"An epiphany I had when I was in Tibet."
"You went back to Tibet?"
"I liked it there." The conversation was trite, clipped and empty. The house seemed too quiet, even though Buffy knew Dawn was upstairs sleeping.
"Oz," Buffy started. All she had to say was his name, just the way she said it, he knew something was wrong.
"Where's Willow?"
"She died a few months ago." Buffy looked down at her hands and then to Obi Wan. She wrinkled her brow, struggling not to cry. He understood her pain, it had kept her up during the precious few hours she had to sleep every night, for the past few months.
"How?" His voice was choked, he was remembering her last words to him. "I'll always be waiting." Why wasn't she there?
"It's hard to explain." Buffy bit her lip. It really was hard to explain. "Do you believe in life elsewhere Oz?" Out of all people Oz was one person who took things as they came.
"Aliens are possible."
"What about whole other galaxies of people and creatures and republics."
"Republics?" His brow raised and Buffy could see the tears in the corners of his eyes. She had never actually seen him cry but this was the closest he'd come.
"Oz, this is Obi Wan Kenobi, one of the last Jedi warriors keepers of the peace, employees of the Galactic Republic, last stationed on the planet Coruscant." Oz looked for the laughter behind Buffy's voice but found none of it. She was as serious as death. "Willow died during the Clone Wars. But she died nobly." How could Buffy ever explain all the things leading up to Willow's death. Could Oz picture the ruthless vindictive thing that Willow had become? Should he have to? "She died trying to protect me."
"Who killed her?"Buffy could sense the wolf just below the surface, provoked at the thought that anything would harm Willow, let alone kill her.
"He's dead, it doesn't matter now."
"so why dredge it up?" He growled, low, and Buffy felt frightened. after all she had seen she knew that the people who did the most damage were the ones that knew you the best.
"I thought you should know Oz. It was you who came back."
"I'm sorry." He seemed to sense what he had done to her and withdrew. The fire in his eyes dulled and he looked weary and small. Buffy had never thought of Oz as small after she had seen him as a werewolf. "So, aliens?"
Once the barrier had broken a small memory of the past filtered into the conversation and the tension between the old friends melted. Buffy caught Oz up to speed, explaining all that had happened to her and his other old friends. He even listened to the stories about Willow and Tara with a certain sense of wounded male pride and male intrigue.
When she had finished it was in the early hours. Oz sank back into his seat, his eyes resting on Obi Wan Kenobi.
"You still seem familiar to me for some reason. I'd say I saw you in a movie but since you aren't from earth that probably isn't it." Obi Wan smiled.
"You're welcome to stay as long as you like. There's an extra room upstairs. Willow."
"I'll stay on the couch tonight. I don't know about tomorrow. I live life from day to day."
"I understand." Buffy smiled and motioned for Obi Wan to follow. Oz didn't care much for blankets or anything, he flopped down on the couch and was fast asleep before they hit the top of the stairs.
"Sometimes I wonder how much about your past you haven't told me." Obi Wan's tone was light but Buffy sensed a certain amount of indignity there.
"Some things you don't want to know." Her tone was firm and final. With that they fell in to bed together, the dredged up pain fueling their passion for each other. As a human Obi Wan, like Riley, had more of an understanding for a human girl, but beyond Riley he had more of a knowledge of the darkness and pain of life that Riley had never understood in Buffy.
Obi Wan was asleep but something was keeping Buffy awake. She got out of bed without disturbing the Jedi Master and took a seat by the window. The sun was almost up. She could see the barest rays just below the horizon, straining to rise. It amazed her every morning when the sun came up. It meant that evil hadn't taken over and she was still alive.
Then she felt it. The Force rushed through her like a wind. A strange and wonderful feeling. Obi Wan shot up in bed. He had felt it too.
"Master, what was that?" It wasn't a kinky name or anything, but for awhile Buffy had been under Obi Wan's tutalage and still called him that from time to time.
"There are very few things that can cause a surge like that in the Force." Obi Wan stoof up, grabbing for his pants.
"Explain."
"It had to have been Padme."
"You don't mean?..."
"I think it is."
Part 1
They sat down in the living room of Buffy's house, and no one said anything for awhile. It was a bit of a shock for Buffy to see Oz, whom she hadn't seen for three years. Many things had changed since he had left Sunnydale, the main one being that his first love and her former best friend was dead.
"What brings you back to Sunnydale?"
"An epiphany I had when I was in Tibet."
"You went back to Tibet?"
"I liked it there." The conversation was trite, clipped and empty. The house seemed too quiet, even though Buffy knew Dawn was upstairs sleeping.
"Oz," Buffy started. All she had to say was his name, just the way she said it, he knew something was wrong.
"Where's Willow?"
"She died a few months ago." Buffy looked down at her hands and then to Obi Wan. She wrinkled her brow, struggling not to cry. He understood her pain, it had kept her up during the precious few hours she had to sleep every night, for the past few months.
"How?" His voice was choked, he was remembering her last words to him. "I'll always be waiting." Why wasn't she there?
"It's hard to explain." Buffy bit her lip. It really was hard to explain. "Do you believe in life elsewhere Oz?" Out of all people Oz was one person who took things as they came.
"Aliens are possible."
"What about whole other galaxies of people and creatures and republics."
"Republics?" His brow raised and Buffy could see the tears in the corners of his eyes. She had never actually seen him cry but this was the closest he'd come.
"Oz, this is Obi Wan Kenobi, one of the last Jedi warriors keepers of the peace, employees of the Galactic Republic, last stationed on the planet Coruscant." Oz looked for the laughter behind Buffy's voice but found none of it. She was as serious as death. "Willow died during the Clone Wars. But she died nobly." How could Buffy ever explain all the things leading up to Willow's death. Could Oz picture the ruthless vindictive thing that Willow had become? Should he have to? "She died trying to protect me."
"Who killed her?"Buffy could sense the wolf just below the surface, provoked at the thought that anything would harm Willow, let alone kill her.
"He's dead, it doesn't matter now."
"so why dredge it up?" He growled, low, and Buffy felt frightened. after all she had seen she knew that the people who did the most damage were the ones that knew you the best.
"I thought you should know Oz. It was you who came back."
"I'm sorry." He seemed to sense what he had done to her and withdrew. The fire in his eyes dulled and he looked weary and small. Buffy had never thought of Oz as small after she had seen him as a werewolf. "So, aliens?"
Once the barrier had broken a small memory of the past filtered into the conversation and the tension between the old friends melted. Buffy caught Oz up to speed, explaining all that had happened to her and his other old friends. He even listened to the stories about Willow and Tara with a certain sense of wounded male pride and male intrigue.
When she had finished it was in the early hours. Oz sank back into his seat, his eyes resting on Obi Wan Kenobi.
"You still seem familiar to me for some reason. I'd say I saw you in a movie but since you aren't from earth that probably isn't it." Obi Wan smiled.
"You're welcome to stay as long as you like. There's an extra room upstairs. Willow."
"I'll stay on the couch tonight. I don't know about tomorrow. I live life from day to day."
"I understand." Buffy smiled and motioned for Obi Wan to follow. Oz didn't care much for blankets or anything, he flopped down on the couch and was fast asleep before they hit the top of the stairs.
"Sometimes I wonder how much about your past you haven't told me." Obi Wan's tone was light but Buffy sensed a certain amount of indignity there.
"Some things you don't want to know." Her tone was firm and final. With that they fell in to bed together, the dredged up pain fueling their passion for each other. As a human Obi Wan, like Riley, had more of an understanding for a human girl, but beyond Riley he had more of a knowledge of the darkness and pain of life that Riley had never understood in Buffy.
Obi Wan was asleep but something was keeping Buffy awake. She got out of bed without disturbing the Jedi Master and took a seat by the window. The sun was almost up. She could see the barest rays just below the horizon, straining to rise. It amazed her every morning when the sun came up. It meant that evil hadn't taken over and she was still alive.
Then she felt it. The Force rushed through her like a wind. A strange and wonderful feeling. Obi Wan shot up in bed. He had felt it too.
"Master, what was that?" It wasn't a kinky name or anything, but for awhile Buffy had been under Obi Wan's tutalage and still called him that from time to time.
"There are very few things that can cause a surge like that in the Force." Obi Wan stoof up, grabbing for his pants.
"Explain."
"It had to have been Padme."
"You don't mean?..."
"I think it is."