Fate
Fate
By Pixie
Author's Notes: Lyrics are by Four Star Mary.
It was one of those lazy summer days. The kind where all you wanted to do was curl up in the shade and sleep. In Oz's case, it was curl up in the air-conditioned sanction of his room and nap with his girlfriend. Plus, it being only the third day of summer, there was an extra laziness factor. It felt like they had all the time in the world.
Oz smiled, stroking Willow's hair softly, as he thought how simple his life had gotten since he and Willow had complicated their relationship. Willow, smoochies, sex, sleep, Willow, food, shower. Throw in an occasional fish-feeding, world saving, mini-golf playing or guitar practicing and you had summed up Oz's life in the past five days.
He liked it this way. Willow had come over at nine in the morning, and they had promptly had cereal and watched cartoons. Then they'd played tickle-fight. Then they'd played other things. They'd spent the rest of the day curled up in his bed, smooching, napping and just talking. The scorching weather meant nothing to them. They were comfy and they were in love. Everything else didn't matter.
"Hmm..." Willow murmered, as she drifted out of a light sleep and smiled up at her boyfriend. "Nice."
He grinned. "Very."
"You know..." She cuddled up to him and began to fiddle with one of the thin cotton sheets that covered them. "I have the feeling that we're not going to be incredibly active in the get-out-of-the-house-and-do-stuff way."
Oz looked down at her, an innocent expression plastered across his face. "What? You mean you're supposed to do things during the summer? Productive things?"
Willow thought for a moment. "Yeah, I guess." She shrugged, and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Oh well." She glanced at his clock. "Wow, 7 already? Time sure flies when you're being lazy." She relaxed against him and yawned. "I wonder if there's anything good on TV--"
"Oh." Oz breathed, his memory suddenly coming to him. "Shit."
Willow looked up at him, worried and puzzled. "We don't have to watch TV..."
He turned to her. "No, no..." He said, reassuringly. "TV's fine, It's just..." He sighed. "I have a gig tonight. I kinda forgot."
Willow sat up, pulling the sheets up around her, suddenly very awake. "Oh gosh!" She exclaimed, fumbling around for her clothes and his. "We'd better hurry..."
Oz sighed, sitting up as well. "Yeah. So much for lazy."
****************
"Dude." Devon said, as Oz non-chalantly joined him onstage to help set up for the show. "Where were you?"
Oz shrugged, unravelling a chord from his guitar and hooking it into an amp. "At home."
Devon nodded seriously. "There's like, a big crowd tonight. 'Cause it's so hot out or something."
Oz glanced into the audience, where Willow was sitting with Buffy. The two were chatting animatedly. Oz could just sense what about, and he smiled softly. "I noticed."
"So, like... I was thinking we could go on a tour or something." Devon leaned against the amp, striking his 'pensive' pose, and Oz bit back a laugh.
"A tour? To all of the four clubs that will hire us as opening bands, you mean?"
Devon glared at him. "No, like... a real one. We'll just... book ourselves. We don't need a manager."
Oz looked up at him. "No, we can't *afford* a manager. There's a difference." They'd finished setting up, so they headed backstage to relax for a few minutes before the show. "Besides, I wanna stick around here this summer."
"Why? So you can play on the computer with your girlfriend?" Devon laughed at his joke, but Oz just stared at him, not finding the humor. "Okay, okay." The lead singer sighed. "We'll stay here... but dude, we're never gonna get big if we don't spread the word."
Oz just shook his head, and tuned Devon out. He saw something much more important to him on the other side of the room. Willow was standing right inside the door, framed by beaded curtains, looking at him shyly. She was obviously nervous about being backstage. Only the band and their most important groupies were allowed backstage, and she'd never come before. Oz had always told her it was too smoky and boring. He stood, and moved to greet her, standing just a few inches away from her so they could converse over all the noise.
"Hey." He said, as softly as he could while still being audible."
"Hey!" She replied, back, glancing around the room. "You were right it's..." she waved a bit of smoke from one of the groupies cigarettes out of her face. "Smoky!"
Oz nodded, glancing around as well. "I don't love it back here... but it suddenly just got better." He offered her a lopsided smile, and she grinned back.
"I just wanted to wish you good luck..." She told him, softly. "So..." She looked into his eyes for a moment before taking his face in her hands and kissing him passionately. Oz slid his arms around her waist and returned the kiss, not aware that they had an audience. When they finally broke away, Willow nuzzled against him. "Good luck." She whispered, squeezing his hand and stepping back. He just smiled dazedly at her, still a little dizzy from the kiss. She giggled, and then left, turning back to look at him and smile as she walked away. Oz leisurely walked back to his seat by Devon and sat down.
"You were saying?" He asked. Devon was just staring at him, suprised.
"Damn, Oz." He finally said. "That girl really *is* something... first the leather, now that kiss..." He shook his head. "I understand why you wanna stay here."
Oz just gave him a 'Don't-say-anything-degrading-about-Willow-or-I'll-hurt-you' look and leaned back against the couch. "She's incredible."
Devon leaned over, grinning wildly. "So, she putting out yet?"
Oz glared at him. "How many ways can I say it, Devon? I'm not going to share the details of our relationship with you."
Devon's eyes lit up. "She is... isn't she? You seem a whole lot happier than you did the last time I saw you. She's finally giving it to you."
Oz gathered all his resolve to keep from doing something violent to the ignorant monkey he called his best friend. "Oh yeah, Dev." He said dryly. "She sure is. Boy, I'm glad too, because that's all *I* ever think about."
Devon sighed. "Look, man, a guy can tell these kinds of things... besides, I think it's good for you. You haven't been with anyone since Megh--"
Oz cut him off quickly, not wanting to be reminded of the biggest mistake of his life. "Devon, remember that thing where we don't talk about that? That's still holding up."
Devon nodded. "Right." He paused. "So... is she?"
********************
Oz glanced around the Bronze as the lights got a bit lower and Devon stepped up to the microphone. They had one more song to go before he got to get away from Devon's nagging questions.
"Alright, this is our last song." Devon said, pausing dramatically. Oz caught Willow's gaze, and smiled at her. She smiled back, brilliantly, and Oz felt his heart skip. "It's for all you kids out there who are looking for love..." Oz rolled his eyes, and he heard Willow's soft laugh. Devon looked at Oz, cueing him to start. "It's called 'Fate'." With that, he stepped back from the microphone for a moment, waiting for his vocals.
Oz concentrated on the song for a moment, even though he'd known it for years. Something was familiar about this. He couldn't put a finger on it...
He glanced out into the audience again, searching for Willow.
"Time's healing, I'm ahead
Find a reason once again
Take a moment outta time
I'll be standing back behind"
When he caught her eyes, the memory came rushing back. The Multicultural Fair. Willow in her eskimo costume... the night he'd first seen her. This had been the song that they'd been playing.
< How could I have forgotten? > He marvelled, gazing into her eyes, as she smiled just for him. He offered her a gentle smile before averting his eyes to the floor.
"Time's healing, I'm ahead
Find a reason once again
Take a moment outta time
I'll be standing back behind
All the way, so outta life
Only take a minute, so outta time
All it takes is living
I want to fly"
It almost felt unreal, as he suddenly realized the full impact of the past few days. It was almost enough to floor him. He had Willow. Willow loved him. More than a year ago, when he'd first seen her, right in this spot, he never would have believed it to be possible. And now, there she was, gazing up at him with a look that he recognized from the hundreds of times that he'd just stared at her, amazed by her beauty.
"I've never known pain
I've never known your name
I've never known fame"
He remembered the night of Buffy's birthday party, when he first saw a vampire explode before his eyes. How she'd just accepted him into her world without a second thought. And the look in her eyes when he'd told her all about Freeze Frame and Willow kissage. Complete suprise, appreciation and a hint of delight, even among all the madness of the evening. And he rememebered their first kiss, the way she'd rushed back, almost as if she had been trying to suprise him. He'd never forget that feeling.
Or the feeling of his heart stopping when he'd heard she was in the hospital. Or the way he'd felt when she woke up... He had a thousand memories of her that he could drudge up, just by looking at her face, her hair, her precious little hands.
"Time's a season in my head
I'll be better off again
Rather die this evening
You would never know
Up ahead and far below"
He remembered after he and Cordelia had found Willow and Xander in the factory, the pain he'd felt, the way he had wanted to impale Xander on an iron rod, just to make him feel what he was feeling, what Cordelia was going through. How he'd sat in the Bronze for hours, just strumming at his guitar. Strumming this song, and thinking about her. How much it had hurt that he couldn't even look at her, and how nice it had felt when he finally let go. Or the time when he'd stood on this very stage and watched her doppleganger feed on a helpless person. That had scared him more than anything.
"All the way, so outta life
Only take a minute, so outta time
All it takes is living
I want to fly
I've never known pain
I've never known your name
I've never known fame"
He looked up, and into her eyes again, as the song continued. He knew that somewhere in the reccesses of her mind it had registered, too. This was their song. He'd told her that he'd seen her at the dance. Maybe she remembered. Maybe she knew he was remembering.
"Someone take me home
Get me outta here
Someone take me home
Get me outta here
Someone take me home
Get me outta here
Someone take me home
Get me outta here"
As Oz played the last chord, he smiled. Everything seemed so simple again. He had loved her when he'd first seen her and he loved her now. Things had changed, but that never would. He unplugged his guitar, stepped off the stage, and went to join her on the dance floor. Without saying a word, he pulled her into his arms and stroked her hair, breathing her in. She hugged him back, understanding, somehow. He didn't want to take this for granted. He didn't want to take *her* for granted.
"Oz?" She whispered, softly, as he kissed her hair and then began to lead her out of the Bronze.
"Hmm?"
"Are you going to tell me you love me?"
He pulled back to look at her. "If you want me to, why?"
She smiled. "It just seemed like that kind of moment."
The End.
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