By Tracy

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?

Epilogue

Oz lay in his bed, his arms wrapped around Willow, who lay in front of him. She'd fallen asleep a few minutes earlier, after explaining what had happened while he'd been ... elsewhere.

A smile toyed about his lips as he watched her breathe and mumble sleepy things into his shoulder. She really was exhausted. 'But you never gave up on me,' he thought, tightening his arms a little more around the girl who was his heart. She smiled in her sleep and sighed a little, snuggling closer.

"I love when you do that," he whispered into her hair.

A soft knock on the door was followed by Buffy's face peeking in. She took immediate notice of Willow's sleeping form and smiled at Oz over the redhead. "She okay?"

Oz nodded. "Tired. I'm a handful."

Buffy rolled her eyes and nodded. "I'll say." She looked at him thoughtfully. "She was really wigged, Oz. You should have seen her when you stopped breathing."

A moment of pain crossed his normally impassive face as he nodded. "I wish there was a way I could, you know, spare her this whole full moon deal."

Buffy softly sat on the edge of the bed. "You can't. She won't miss it. She wants to be there for you."

"As selfish as it sounds, I like knowing she'd around."

Buffy smiled at him sadly. "That's what love's about. Knowing someone's going to be there no matter what."

Xander appeared in the doorway, still shirtless and rubbing his eyes as if he'd just woken up. "Giles says T-minus forty minutes, guys." He yawned and plunked himself into the chair at the side of the bed.

Oz looked back to Willow, and traced her face lightly with a finger. "I don't want to wake her."

"You have to," Buffy answered. "She wants to be there, Oz."

Xander nodded soberly. "Her choice, man."

Oz sighed a little and kissed her hair. "Sometimes, I think I'm too selfish."

"Funny thing is, Oz, even if you told her to stay away during the full moon, she'd be here anyway. She doesn't just have a resolve face - she's got a resolve soul," Xander pointed out.

Buffy chuckled lightly. "Right."

Oz smiled at them, glad Willow would have them when he was unavailable. "Listen. I know it should go without saying, but I really appreciate how you guys stick by her when I can't."

Xander shrugged, a little uncomfortable. "We'll look out for her until you can, right Buff?"

The blonde smiled softly. "Always, Oz, I promise."

"Cool."

Giles joined the small group in the room. "I hate to break this up, but I need to check Oz's blood pressure before, the, um, change."

"Can I have a few minutes alone with Willow first?" Oz asked, not taking his eyes from his sleeping girlfriend.

"Okay." Buffy stood and pulled Xander to his feet. "C'mon, Xand-man, let's leave Will and her loverboy alone."

Xander winced. "Willow's my best friend. My oldest friend. My sister-like friend. Could we go easy on the 'loverboy' stuff? The mental images are disturbing."

"You don't like 'loverboy'?" Buffy asked playfully.

"I have issues with the word. Just don't use it, okay?"

Oz smiled from his position on the bed. "Buffy, what was the name of that movie? You know, the one with Patrick Dempsey as a gigolo pizza guy?"

Buffy grinned at him. "Hmm. You know, Oz, I think it was called 'Loverboy'."

Giles smiled at them, trying not to laugh at the look on Xander's face.

"Do you remember that band from the 80s? They had that awful song, what was it called?" Buffy tapped her foot as she pretended to think. "Oh! It was called 'Working for the Weekend'. What was their name?"

Oz remained stone-face as he deadpanned, "Loverboy, I think."

Xander clamped his hands over his ears and left the room. Buffy and Oz shared a grin. "Mission accomplished," she announced. Then she hooked her arm through Giles' and led him from the room.

Oz looked back to Willow, who was staring up at him, smiling. "You guys were mean."

"But it was fun," he pointed out. He leaned into her and kissed her deeply. "I gotta go downstairs soon."

"I know," she answered, kissing his shoulder.

"So, Will, what's the second night like?"

She shrugged. "Not as bad. You pace more, and you're louder, but I'm more prepared for it."

He nodded, listening to her. "Hey Will, you know I love you, right?"

She grinned at him. "Uh huh. That's why you're going to make me breakfast in the morning."

"I was kinda hoping you'd forgotten about that."

***

Willow sat close to Oz in the cage while the others bustled around outside it. "So, it was real bad for a while there, then, was it?"

She nodded. "Real bad. When you stopped breathing, I thought I was going to die."

Oz reached for her, tangling his fingers in her hair as he pulled her forehead to his. "You were right to shoot me, Willow. If anything like that happens in the future, don't be afraid to do it again. I would rather be dead than kill somebody."

Willow sniffled, "Please don't say 'dead', okay? For at least a couple of weeks, unless it has 'un' in front of it."

He smiled at her gently. "Giles is going to check the darts, your aim is going to be perfect, and everything's going to be okay from now on."

Her watery eyes met his. "You promise?"

"I promise," he whispered. "It would take a lot more than poison to get me away from you." She smiled and he smirked a little. "That didn't sound too stalkerish, did it?"

She laughed, a delighted little noise from her soul.

He grinned at her softly, his eyes lighting up as he studied the girl he loved. "You have, the sweetest smile."

Her tears spilled over, wetting both their cheeks as she laughed again. She reached up to wipe them away, and Oz grasped her hand, kissing the salty tears from her fingertips. He started to pant as he felt the beginning pangs in his muscles. "You'd better go now. It's coming."

She nodded, and kissed him tenderly. "Are you okay?"

"Just, a little, tired." He answered. She was about to move away when he stilled her with a hand on her cheek. "You'll be here?"

"All night," she confirmed softly.

"Good. I love you, Willow." His voice began to falter as he began to breathe heavily with the pressure on his lungs from the imminent transformation.

"I love you too, Oz."

She stood slowly, as if it were painful to move away from him, and exited the cage silently. She closed the door and watched the latch of the lock click into place.

She backed away from the cage, closing her eyes tightly as Oz whimpered behind the metal. Xander took her right hand, and Buffy her left, as the sounds of the change filled the room.

"You hear that?" she asked, breathlessly.

"I'm sorry, Will. I know it must be painful," Buffy replied.

The redhead opened her eyes and stared at her friend. "Isn't it great? He's awake. He's alive. He can make those noises."

A piercing howl split the room with its volume, and Willow smiled softly to herself. "This is better than silence any day."

---

The End
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