A Little Too Late.
Oz entered the library and noticed that it was deserted.
Weird.
Nobody behind the computer, helping when he supposedly couldn't find a book.
The chairs were empty, no soft voice explaining algebra.
Oz frowned.
"Can I help you?"
The librarian.
Of course.
"I was looking for…" Oz stopped abruptly. He still ignored her name. "There's always this girl here," he explained, " a cute one. Redhead."
The man's face darkened. "I'm sorry, son." He put his hand on Oz's shoulder. "Willow is-"
Oz didn't hear the rest. Closing his eyes, he remembered sweet smiles and shy words lost forever now.
From The Ashes.
"You were asking for Willow."
Oz nodded slowly.
"You liked her."
Silence.
"She liked you, too. I was just convincing her to ask you out when…" Deep breath. "Would have made matters a lot easier if you had asked first, you know? Willow was the best." After a pause he added, "After Jesse died we were all each other had." This time the smile was directed at Oz. "It's good to know that someone else remembers her."
Oz tried a comforting smile.
"Well Daniel." It was goodbye. "Nice meeting you."
Oz decided quickly. "It's Oz."
A warm smile. "I'm Xander."
Misery Loves Company.
"You were in love with her."
"In love?" Xander looked thoughtful. "Maybe, " he conceded. "But I'm sure I loved Willow more than anybody else." He paused, as if weighting the pros and cons of a great revelation. "But Oz…" he finally said, "you would have loved her better."
Silence.
The next day they talked about sports and music. Days later Xander confessed about the extracurricular activities in the library. Soon Oz abandoned his guitar and learned how to hit the heart in the midst of a fight.
By the end of the next month, Alexander Harris was already dead.
The Beginning of Another End.
"She came last night."
Oz stopped his reading. A worried tone crept into his voice. "Are you okay?"
"Yes…" Xander hid his face behind his large book. "She said that she came for me, That she'd protect my family if I went to her."
Oz frowned. "Did you believe her?"
Xander laughed bitterly and stared directly into Oz's eyes. "We were everything for each other, man. Everything," he said, as if that explained everything.
To Oz it did. He nodded, understanding that sometimes 'choice' was only a pretty word in the dictionary. Especially when the world was turned upside down.
All Things Left...
The next day Daniel Osbourne found a picture in his locker.
A cute redhead with her grinning companion. She wore a 'Birthday Girl' t-shirt and looked blissful with her arms around Xander's waist.
Oz stared at them for what seemed an eternity, finally turning the snapshot around when it became difficult to look at their happy expressions.
"Please remember us," read in Xander's messy handwriting.
"Please remember us." The purple ink came from Willow's favourite pen, the one Xander borrowed and never gave back.
Please remember us.
For the first time since this nightmare had begun, Oz let himself cry.
