Author's Notes: This is the first in a series of stories that I'm writing that takes place during the summer after the gang's graduation. Of course they'll focus on Willow/Oz. Lyrics are by Heather Nova.
"You,
You feel like freedom
You,
You feel like change
You feel like the avalanch I need..."
They stood around Oz's van for awhile, just looking at eachother. They'd run out of things to say on the way to it. Xander and Cordelia were standing next to eachother, Buffy next to them. Willow and Oz leaned up against the van and eachother.
"So." Cordelia said, her voice cutting through the quiet summer evening. "Who's up for a party?"
Willow and Buffy, while Oz just closed his eyes and leaned his head against the van.
"Okay, okay." Cordelia muttered. "It's just... well, we saved the world! Again, *and* we graduated. I think that's a definite reason to party."
Xander nodded slowly. "Yeah... you know, I might actual understand your logic for once."
Cordelia shot him a look. "Did I say I wanted to party with you?"
Xander glared at her, while smiling. "Do you have another choice?"
She thought for a moment. "No. Let's hit the Bronze."
The two began to walk off down the street, leaving the slayer, the werewolf and the witch to stare after them.
"Five bucks says they're necking by midnight." Buffy finally said, as they listened to the former couple bicker their way towards one of the many graduation parties being thrown that evening.
"Six." Oz replied, wrapping his arm around Willow's waist.
"You have a deal." Buffy smiled wearily at the couple. "Well, I'm going to call it a night. A restful night, infact." She sighed. "I have moms to call and moping to do."
Willow gave her friend a simpathetic smile. "You did the right thing, Buffy." She said, touching her friend's shoulder. "You saved the world... and your ... and Angel."
"And you even managed to stay relatively scar-free." Oz pointed out.
"On the outside, anyway." Buffy smiled. "But, you guys are right. Tonight was a good night, if you look at it in a way that I can't see right now." She nodded to them, and began to cross the street. "I'll talk to you guys soon. Probably tommorow, I'm sure Giles will have us do some kind of relocation duty."
Willow and Oz smiled at their friend. "You want a ride?" Oz offered, as he opened the passenger side door for Willow.
Buffy shook her head. "Nah, thanks. I need to work off this last bit of energy, so I don't have slaying dreams." She waved to them. "G'night."
Oz climbed into the van next to Willow, and shut his door. They looked at eachother for a moment, the night air settling in around them. A smile slowly made it's way onto Willow's face. Oz mirrored the expression within a matter of seconds.
"So." Willow said, softly.
"So." Oz replied.
She sighed. "I should probably go home. Sleep. See if my parents noticed anything funny about the ceremony today... that is, if they went."
Oz nodded, and started up the van. They drove to her house in a comfortable silence, both quietly acknowledging what had happened in the past 24 hours. When he pulled into her driveway, he turned to look at her.
"I'll call you tommorow." He said, stroking a peice of hair back from her face. She nodded, smiling at him.
"Good, I-- I mean, I want to see you. More of you... this summer." She paused. "Well, not more of you in the sense that... not that I *don't* want to see more of you, I just... Oh." She murmered. He smiled tenderly at her.
"I know." He kissed her softly. When they pulled away, she sighed, leaning her forehead against his. She stared at her house for a moment, and then rebuckled her seat belt.
"I don't want to go home." She said, softly. "Not to my home, anyway." The redhead looked at her boyfriend.
"Where do you want to go?" He asked.
"Where you are."
*******************
Oz held the door open for Willow and flicked the living room light switch on as she walked in. He took her jacket and then took her hand. She led him upstairs and he followed, not questioning. They reached his bedroom, and stood outside the door.
"Are your parents home?" She asked, quietly.
He listened for a moment. "Nope." He shrugged. "They're probably at my aunts." He paused. "Do you want to stay here tonight?"
She nodded shyly. "Can I?"
He opened his bedroom door. "Could I say no?"
They entered, and he took her coat, laying it across one of his chairs. He then took off his own, and tossed it into his closet. Willow sat down on his bed, looking around, as he rummaged through a pile of clean clothes on his dresser.
"It's not sinking in." Willow said, quietly. Oz pulled a t-shirt from the pile, and turned to look at her.
"What?"
"The... everything. It's like I don't quite get it." She looked up at him, smiling at his concern. "Not that... the ... that we're alive."
He nodded. "I know what you mean. It just hit me a few minutes ago." He paused, as she began to lift up her shirt so she could change. "Do you want me to turn around?"
She thought for a moment. "No. I mean, unless you want to..."
He smiled tenderly, and didn't turn, but averted his eyes, slightly. It was the gentleman in him. It just wouldn't let him stare at her like that. When she was done, he pulled the covers back for her.
"You want to watch a movie or something?" He asked, as she got into bed and he kicked off his shoes, and began to undress.
Her reply was a sleepy yawn. "I don't think I would be able to pay attention." She admitted. "I just keep thinking graduation, asenscion..." She trailed off. "You." She finished, shyly.
He undressed down to his boxers, and then moved into bed beside her. "Me?" He asked, softly.
She nodded, cuddling up to him and leaning her head on his shoulder. "Yeah." She looked up at him and met his gaze. "Oz..."
"Hmm?" He wrapped one arm around her waist and held her hand in the other.
"Do you... I mean... Now that we've... what do you do?" She stammered out. "After, I mean."
He smiled gently down at her. "I don't know." He said, truthfully. "I've never been in the situation where there's been a second or a third time. Or even a day after." He kissed the tip of her nose. "If you don't want to --"
"I do." She said, firmly. "I mean, it wasn't just... I'd like to continue, if that's okay." She blushed softly.
"Very okay." He replied, tenderly.
She sighed happily, relaxing against him. "I'm just... I don't know, confused, maybe."
"'Bout what?"
"Us." She paused. "It's just ... now, I feel like I can't be close enough to you. And it's not that I didn't love you before, but now..." She trailed off, and looked up at him. "It's like I can't even think straight when you're in the room. And when you touch me, I get all tingly all over."
He stroked her cheek carefully before kissing her softly on the lips. "I know."
"But I like it... a lot. Not being able to think straight anymore. It's a really nice feeling." She smiled contently. "So, what do we do?"
He grinned, holding her closer. "Spend a lot of time in the same room together."
She giggled softly, placing her hand on his stomach. "Oz?"
"Yeah."
"I do love you." She kissed him softly.
"I love you." He replied. "I'm fairly certain that I always have."
"Fairly?" She smiled, and kissed him again.
He contemplated. "No, very."
She grinned. "That's what I thought you said." She replied, before leaning in to kiss him again.
The End.
Read the next fic in the series
