Author's Notes: Thanks to Laura, Amy and Serendipity, who inspire me more than they'll ever know. Thanks also to Annie, who volunteered to beta this for me. This fic is dedicated to everyone who sent me feedback for Tunnel Vision. You guys keep reading, and I'll keep writing. Deal?
Part One
Willow squinted out the back window of her kitchen as she packed the small cooler, trying to gauge the amount of sunlight left in the day. She figured that she had at least an hour before sunset. She sighed at the dwindling light, silently cursing the coming darkness. Tonight, it wasn't just the threat of vampires and demons on her mind – Tonight she had to worry about a particular werewolf too.The first night was always the hardest. It was as if, in the quiet of the previous 28 days, she forgot how awful the stretching of bone and flesh sounded. She forgot the gut-wrenching howls of pain that came from her boyfriend with the change, forgot all of it in the joy of being with him, the *real* him for those days between full moons. The first night always shocked her with the horror of it all over again.
The contents of the cooler reclaimed her attention. Some juice, some apples, a few chocolate energy bars, a bag of cookies for Xander, and the most important item – two pounds of raw ground beef, frozen. It would thaw throughout the evening, and she'd warm it up a little before she gave it to Oz. It was the least she could do.
She carefully put the cooler alongside her knapsack, a reminder so she wouldn't forget it like last time. She opened her knapsack, checking on the spellbook she'd borrowed from Giles a day earlier. She sighed as she closed the bag, wistful for the old book cage. It had been destroyed – along with the rest of the library – in the showdown with the Mayor at graduation. Tonight was the first night Oz would be chained up in his house. Tonight was a grand experiment. It meant that she had to bring her own reading material instead of just perusing the stacks when she got bored.
She was going to meet Buffy and Giles there. They wanted to sit with her for a while to observe Oz in his new enclosure. Just in case. They'd built the foundations for the chains four inches into the wall, and they'd constructed a cage, but they didn't know how it would hold up against a full-blown werewolf. Buffy had kindly volunteered to test it out, although she hadn't anticipated Giles actually *chaining * her to the wall when she made the offer. Once there, though she was a good sport and had tried her best to break the restraints. She had ripped the chains from the wall with her struggles three times before they were able to determine that the last set didn't budge with her strength.
Xander was scheduled for the one in the morning to dawn shift, and she was grateful that he would be there for the second change. Xander had been with her for the morning changes for the last few full moons, and they had gotten to a routine of sorts. When Willow heard the first indicating whimper from Oz, she'd grab Xander's hand, squeezing it tightly. Then he'd squat down in front of her, making her look at him while he sang silly songs softly, trying to keep her from thinking about the horrible sounds a few feet away. She's almost broken his fingers last time, prompting him to make some joke about being in another country when she finally had kids in a delivery room.
A small smile played about her face as she thought about the lengths Xander went to for keeping her spirits up. Board games, coloring books, acting out entire movies as all the characters – everything he could think of to keep her mind from the werewolf who paced and watched them both from the cage. She was grateful he was still one of her greatest friends. She didn't know what she'd do without him.
Willow moved her bag and the cooler outside, and sat down on the steps to wait. Oz promised he'd pick her up on the way home from practice. She fiddled with the flap on her knapsack as she scanned the street, waiting. She could hear the kids two doors down laughing and shrieking as they played in their backyard, and she smiled slightly, remembering days gone by when she had a lot less to worry about. Before she knew what really hid in the dark.
She heard the high pitched squeal of Oz's brakes as he stopped at the end of the road before she actually saw the van. She gathered up her things and walked down to the curb, grinning as her boyfriend's zebra-striped vehicle came into view.
Oz pulled up to her, stopping and getting out to open up the side door for her. She wordlessly put the cooler and her knapsack into a box by the door and turned to hug her boyfriend.
He smiled gently at her. "Why, hello. Fancy meeting you here."
"Yeah, at my house where we said we'd meet," she replied, bestowing a lingering kiss on his lips. "How …was … practice?" she asked, punctuating the words with light kisses.
Oz shrugged, opening the passenger door for her. "We still suck."
She grinned at him. "I don't think you suck."
He smirked at her in the fading light, "You weren't there. Trust me. Suckage."
She waited as he walked around to his side of the van and got in. He glanced up at the sky. "We'd better hurry."
He started the van and began driving to his house. He glanced at Willow, who was fidgeting, watching the scenery blankly. "You okay?" he asked.
She snapped her attention back to him. "Huh? Oh! Yeah. I'm fine. It's just," she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I really hate the first night."
Oz nodded. "I have to agree. I can't ever remember anything, but the look on your face the first morning is always the worst."
Willow looked pained at his admission. "Oh, I'm sorry, Oz! It's just, you can't imagine how awful the noises are."
"You could leave and let Xander watch me in the morning," he pointed out.
"No! I want to be there!" She blushed slightly. "I like being the first thing you see."
He brought her hand to his lips for a light kiss. "I like it too." Releasing her hand, he patted her leg reassuringly. "I can't remember the pain, Will. There's just stiffness when I wake up. Honestly."
She nodded quickly. "I know. I know. But it's the first night, and you're going to be in a new place… I guess I'm just nervous about how, the other you, will react to the new cage."
He shrugged. "I wouldn't worry about it. The cage is sound. Slayer-tested, Former-Watcher-approved." He offered her a twisted smile. "Has Xander been making comments about me marking my new territory?"
Willow rolled her eyes. "Constantly."
Oz let out a short chuckle. "Well, if by some wild stretch of the imagination I do manage to get out, I happen to know you're a pretty good shot with the tranq gun."
"I never want to shoot you, Oz. But, sometimes, I have to."
"This is a strange conversation for a happy couple to be having."
She rolled her eyes again. "Isn't it?"
He turned onto his street. "Change of topic. Breakfast plans?"
"Not the IHOP," Willow groaned.
"I like the IHOP," Oz defended. "It's got atmosphere."
"Denny's?" she suggested.
"Giles won't eat there, remember? Too much grease, and they always burn his sausages."
Willow gave a small sigh. "I don't know, then."
Oz pulled into his driveway, turning off the engine and facing his girlfriend. He studied the worried crease in her forehead and the shadowed look in her eyes. He hated what the full moons did to her. He hated putting her through this every month. He sighed and reached out to tangle his fingers in her soft hair. She leaned into his palm and he was lost.
"I'll cook," he offered.
She smiled impishly and kissed him.
on to part two