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Disclaimer: I don't own any of the BtVS characters. They belong to Joss Whedon, WB, etc. I'm not making any money, so please don't sue.
Author's Note: This takes place after "B,B,B". Mega thanks to my beta-readers Kitty and Jenn C.
Willow approached Oz's zebra striped van hesitantly. She could hear faint music coming from inside the van. She took a deep breath and tightened her grip on the box of animals crackers in her hand, before knocking on the door of the van. The music stopped and Willow had the sudden urge to run. She quickly squashed the notion, as Oz opened the door, his guitar hanging from a strap around his neck. "Willow," Oz said, slightly stunned by her unexpected appearance.
"Hey," Willow replied meekly.
"You want to come in?" Oz asked.
"Sure." Willow climbed in and Oz shut the door behind her. Light filtered in through the front windows, revealing worn black carpet in the back that contrasted with the light gray sides. Oz's guitar case layon the floor of the otherwise empty van. She sat down in the back of the van and Oz sat down opposite her, settling the guitar in his lap. Her eyes settled lovingly on his hand on the guitar strings for a moment, before nervously bringing her eyes up again. "I'm sorry to interrupt your practice," she said.
"It's okay. My hands were starting to get tired."
"I brought some animal crackers."
"Cool."
"..."
"Is something bothering you? You seem really nervous."
"Well, I ... I sort of wanted to know where we stand," she said staring down at her hands.
"What do you mean?"
She looked up at him for a moment before returning her eyes to her hands and the box of crackers in them. "I heard about Buffy being turned into a rat and that you found her. I also heard the state she was in when you found her. I guess ... I wanted to know if you want me to stay away now."
"What?!" Oz asked shocked. "No, I really like you Willow," he reasurred her, "I'm usually worried I'm bothering you."
"You don't bother me. It's just, usually once people see Buffy they don't have a second thought about me."
"Well, I'm definitely not having thoughts about Buffy, but ... I don't want to be with you, if you're thinking about Xander." Willow was silent for a moment trying to find the right words.
"When I was under that spell, I made certain advances on Xander and I saw something in his eyes I'd always wanted to see. But when I think back on it, if I hadn't been effected by the spell, I don't think I would've liked it as much as I imagined. I love Xander as a friend or a brother, but I'm not in love with him. I think I realized that when I had something to compare it to. What I feel for you is very different," Willow said slowly, confessing what she had not even talked to Buffy about yet. As she talked, she nervously opened the animal cracker box and offered him some. Oz listened quietly and ate an animal cracker. As she finished, he felt hope swell in his heart.
"What I feel for you is very different from what I feel for Xander too," he joked. She laughed at his joke, and smiled when she knew he understood.
"And you're okay with the werewolf thing?" he asked.
"Yeah. I mean we found out a long time ago, that there is no such thing as a *normal* relationship on the Hellmouth. That doesn't mean you can't have a happy one, though."
"Well," he says in a French accent, holding up a monkey animal cracker, "How do you feel about monkeys? We could catch dinner and a movie? I will wear my monkey pants."
"Je suis desolée, mais je préfère les loups," Willow said, "Mais quant à le dîner, je vais vous manger." Oz was silent for a moment, then he looked at the monkey. He had a short whispered conversation with the monkey, as Willow tried to suppress her giggles.
The animal cracker monkey turned back to Willow and Oz said in a French accent, "I'm sorry mademoiselle, but would you repeat that in English please. I understood you, but the werewolf has never taken French."
Willow laughed and replied, "I said, 'I'm sorry, but I prefer wolves. But as for dinner, I'm going to eat you.'"
"Oh, well you heard her. You're dinner," Oz told the monkey. Oz ceremoniously handed over the monkey, and Willow waved a short good bye, before popping it in her mouth. Oz searched through the box of animal crackers as Willow ate the animal cracker monkey. "I'm sorry, but there aren't any wolves," Oz told her.
"That's okay. Werewolves are even better."
"So would you like to go to a movie tonight, with the only werewolf in town?"
"Sure. As long as he stays human."
"No worries. Full moon's more than a week away."
"I should probably let you practice," Willow said reluctantly.
"Probably, besides the animal crackers are gone." Willow looked at the box and realized he was right. They had both been munching on them through the conversation.
"Yeah, so I'll call you later and we can pick out a movie to go to."
"Sure," Oz said, standing up and opening the door for her.
"Bye," she said, giving him a quick kiss before walking away.
"Bye." Oz smiled, and went back in to practice. His hands didn't want to play practice
runs though, all they wanted to do was play love songs. Willow smiled, as she recognized
a faint tune coming from the van and knew he was thinking of her.
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