Foreword: All characters belong to Joss Whedon and/or David Greenwalt. Also, I think I've gone crazy, because this is not something that I normally write. Anyway. This takes place in Buffy's seventh season, and Angel's fourth, up through both's third episode, (except for where Cordelia comes back and Angel's in love with her, because I don't like her) which is as far as I've seen. Old characters will be returning. The pairing situation is complicated, so I'll leave it a surprise. Enjoy. Shouldn't be too many spoilers, if any at all. Also, events from the Buffy books do factor in.
Special thanks to my Watchers, Jessica and Kathy. Jess for naming my demons and looking others up. Thanks to Kathy for proofreading and making me skinny and graceful (not weighty and awkward). Thanks to Kit for being the Buffy expert and helping me out when I need info.
The Darkest Hour before Dawn
Two
Oz knelt in the moonlight beside the fountains in the Court of the Roses. He had visited once before with Buffy and Angel as they traveled Ghost Roads in search of the heir to the Keeper of the Gates of Hell. It was a place of power.
Oz fought the transformation from human to werewolf. He let the moonlight flow into his body and buried the wolf deep inside him. Then he sat back on his heels and took a deep breath. This battle was won, but there would be more, tonight and the night after, just like the night before, and every full moon before.
He looked at his reflection in the moonlit water of the fountain, watched it waver with the splashes from the spray above the pool. Footsteps echoed off the flagstones and the stone walls about him, and he turned.
"Willow," he said, his voice barely more than a whisper as he looked at the beautiful redheaded witch that stood before him.
"Hello Oz," she said, her face stretching into a smile.
"What are you doing here?" he asked. "How did you find me? What happened?"
"I love you Oz," Willow said.
"Last time I was in Sunnydale, you had a girlfriend." Oz said, confused.
"Things are changing in Sunnydale," Willow said, an evil smile crossing her face.
"Willow, is there something wrong with you?" Oz said, stepping over and reaching out to take her hand.
"Oh Oz, nothing's wrong." Willow said. Oz took her hand in his.
But his flesh did not meet warm, human flesh. He looked down sharply as his fingers sank into her hand. It wasn't her hand. Strings of greenish slime stretched from a clawed, dark, demonic hand. Oz jerked his hand away. The skin was covered in the green goo. It made his fingers tingle.
He looked up at the face. It was no longer Willow. Reddish orange eyes glowed in a face adorned with fangs and sharp protrusions, all dripping slime.
"Hey Oz, come with me," the thing said. It still used Willow's voice. It reached out for his neck.
Oz felt the urge to defend himself rise up in his stomach and set his heart racing. He felt the first signs of change begin, and he let himself go. He let the wolf out, set it free with his need for survival.
The werewolf that was the man Oz attacked the demon.
~`~
Willow Rosenberg and Anya Emerson struggled through the door of the Summers residence, carrying a very unconscious Xander Harris. The two Summers women were wrapped in blankets on the couch, an aged film rolling across their television. Buffy was flipping through some old book from a stack that rested near the coffee table. They turned in unison.
"What happened?" Buffy asked, standing immediately and shedding the blanket, revealing a tank top and sweatpants. She wore toe socks with yellow ducks on them.
"Xander had a date," Anya said. She dropped his feet and straightened, rubbing her back with one hand and brushing dark brown hair out of her eyes with the other.
"Dates usually don't end with the guy unconscious," Buffy said.
"They do for you." Willow said. "Sometimes."
Buffy said nothing.
"The girl turned out to be a type of succubus. She was ready to kill him. Of course, the little witch here had a premonition of some sort. And I just happened to be nearby, and, good Samaritan that I am, ran off the succubus and knocked Xander out." Anya explained.
"Did you have to knock him out?" Dawn asked. She had yet to move from the couch, and was definitely staying away from the present vengeance demon.
"If you can think of another way to keep a man driven mad by a seductress of that caliber from hurting himself or another person, I'd like to know." Anya snapped.
Dawn fell silent.
"That's what I thought," the vengeance demon said, smiling. Anya walked over and sat down on a chair.
"Have you heard anything from Angel?" Willow asked. She helped Buffy carry Xander over to the couch.
"Nothing so far," Buffy said. "But then, he said he'd call if anyone up in LA saw another goo demon, so I guess it's good that he hasn't called."
"Do you want him to?" Willow asked.
"I don't care either way. It's better that he doesn't." Buffy said.
"Who decided to call it a goo demon?" Anya asked. "Is that what it is? Do we know?"
"Angel's son called it that. He killed one. I assume that they're dissecting it." Buffy explained. She breezed past the fact that Angel had a kid.
"Angel's SON?" Anya asked.
"Angel's son," Willow clarified.
"How does he have a son? Big enough to kill a demon like you described, Buffy?" Dawn asked.
"He didn't tell and I didn't ask." Buffy said.
"Oh." Dawn said. She frowned.
"Um, I hate to interrupt," a voice said, and they all turned. "But I couldn't help but hear about this goo demon while I was on the porch, and, well, the door was open."
"Oz," Buffy said.
"Oh, and hi," the werewolf said. He had a healing cut high along one cheek.
Willow stared in shock. Anya smiled, jumped up and hugged him, as did Dawn and Buffy. Xander, still on the couch, grunted.
"What happened?" Buffy asked, examining the cut.
"I had a run in with something slimy while I was in Italy. Actually, it turned into Willow." He explained, gesturing at the redhead. "Or," he said. "It was Willow, then turned slimy when I reached out to touch it."
"Looks like Oz met up with one of our goo demons," Dawn said.
"Looks like," Buffy said. She walked to the phone to call Angel.