Chapter 4 "Plans"

"The doctor said she could come home today." Buffy said to Giles and Xander

in the library. "He said she was doing much better, and that she was even

talking with the nurses now."

"Thank the Buddha." An anxious Xander said happily. "When do we go get her?"

"Get who?" Willow asks walking into the library.

"Willow!" All three of the group yell.

"Guys!" Willow says happily.

The gang all runs up to hug her, and she is happy to hug them back. She

feels much better about things, now that she has had a little rest.

"Where's Oz?" Willow asks, only a little worried, it's still daylight for

another hour.

"He went to go on the doughnut run." Buffy said.

"We're taking turns now!" Xander laughs.

"Oh, okay. So what's up?"

"The usual. Demons, vampires, hell mouth." Buffy said nonchalantly.

"Any news on Angel?" Willow asks before thinking.

"Erm...well... we've been doing more research. And Angelus is known to go after

friends and family of his chosen victim. We believe that you all may be in

danger. He obviously wants to get to Buffy. We were discussing the prospect

of you all leaving Sunnydale, until he is taken care of." Giles said, taking

out his glasses and cleaning them ritualistically.

"Whoa, leave? Since when do we run away?" Willow asked, not angrily, but a

little upset.

"Willow, this is different than the Master, or anything else we have faced.

Angelus is brutal beyond conceiving. He will kill all of us before this is

over. And then he will attempt to kill Buffy. It is best if you, Xander,

Cordelia, and Oz all leave, and soon." Giles answers her, replacing his

glasses.

"What about Buffy's mom? She still doesn't even know about vampires. Are we

going to tell her?" Willow asks, still trying to convince them not to leave.

"I didn't even think about her." Buffy says shocked at herself. "What are we

going to do Giles?" she continues.

"We don't have to tell her. As long as we are both here, you and I can take

turns watching her." Giles replies.

"Where will we go?" Xander asks, as Oz and Cordelia walk into the library.

"We don't know yet." Buffy answers. "Somewhere far away."

"Whose going far away?" Cordelia asks, being the first to open the doughnut

box.

"We all are it seems." Willow says. "What about you Giles?"

"Giles is safe for now." Buffy answered again. "Angel-us... will assume he has

gone with you guys...we we go to LA?" Cordelia asks hopefully.

"Cordy that-" Xander starts.

"Is a great idea!" Buffy finishes.

"Yeah, a great idea." Xander finishes sarcastically.

"Yay, I had an idea." Cordelia says happily.

"LA? But how will we get there?" Xander asks.

"You can take public transport there, it will be less conspicuous. And stick

to crowded buses, or all of you go in a taxi cab together. You'll be safer

if you stay together." Giles replies.

"When do we leave?" Xander asked, accepting the plan.

"Tomorrow. During the day. It's about a two hour drive, so you should have

plenty of time to get there, and get settled before night fall." Buffy tells

them.

"The Watcher's Council has a house there. It would be best if you stayed

there. It's not a public place, so Angelus would need an invitation." Giles

told everyone.

"I have to go!" Cordelia said suddenly.

"Why?" Xander asked.

"I have to pack!" Cordelia practically squealed in delight.

"You should all probably go home and pack. And get some rest." Giles said.

"You could stay with me Wil, if you want." Buffy offered.

"No, that's okay. I need to be alone for a while." Willow said

distractedly.

Willow and Oz left, heading back to Willows'.

"Will are you okay?" Oz asked as he walked her home.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just kind of tired." Willow answered.

"Okay." Oz answered, always a few word answer guy.

When they reached Willow's house, Willow gave Oz a kiss and a hug goodbye

and he told her he would come by to pick her up in the morning. Willow

walked up the sidewalk to her front porch. She wasn't going to go to LA. She

couldn't just run away when she still had research to do. She had to help

Angel... but how was she going to convince the gang that she didn't have to

leave? She went to sleep on the couch, still fully clothed, and had a

restless sleep. She was awoken around 3:00 AM by a sound outside. She went

to look out the window and saw Oz leaning on the tree in her front yard. She

wondered why he was there so late, maybe he had forgotten to tell her

something. She opened the door, and walked to the tree. When she reached it

she saw that Oz's eyes were glazed. Coldly staring at her, empty. He was

dead. His neck broken. Willow fell down to the ground, at the same time as

the lifeless body fell from it's standing position. Oz's body lie beside

her, and all she could do was cry into his dead chest. She lay beside him

for a long time, running her fingers through his hair, and examining every

blemish, every freckle, on his face. He had been her first real love. What

was she going to do without him there? He had always been there for her, how

would she go on now that he was gone? Gone like her mother? Willow finally

sat up, and pulled Oz behind her house and under the porch. It was slow

going, because Oz weighed more than she thought. Dead weight, she realized

after she had put him under her porch. Oz was really dead... she decided then,

that she had to stay. She would not go to LA, no matter what.

From the shadows across the street Spike watched as the red head drug her

boyfriend's dead body behind her house. 'What is she doing?' he thought to

himself. He saw the beginnings of tears rolling down her cheeks as she

walked back into her house. It wouldn't be the last time she cried if Spike

knew Angelus. Angelus had a few more surprises for her. And next on his list

was the ditzy cheerleader.