After releasing Willow Percy moved to stand in front of her. Willow
cringed even more at his appearance. He was unshaven and filthy, his
eyes were wild with rage.

Percy was quick to notice her scrutiny. “Yep, this is what I’ve been
reduced to. I’ve been hiding out in the woods like a damn animal, thanks
to you."

Willow was far too terrified to move, let alone argue with his
statement.

Seeing the panic on her face Percy struggled to calm himself down,
reminding himself why he had come. He was desperate for his life back
and too loaded to realize it wasn’t going to happen.

Dropping the knife to his side he tried his best to soothe the tone of
his voice. He had come to beg and reason. Violence was the last resort.
“Look, what happened in the alley was not what I meant it to be. I was
upset about Jenna. You and I were talking and one thing led to another.
Okay, I admit it got a little rough, but rape?! C’mon, I know how strong
you are Rosenberg. Hell, that night at the Bronze you threw me across
the room! If you didn’t want it you could have totally kicked my ass. We
both know that.”

In a flash Oz burst through the bedroom door. “Percy!” He had been
waiting downstairs when he started picking up bad vibes. Never one to be
paranoid he wasted no time racing upstairs to check on Willow. He had
only been halfway down the hall when he had heard the other man’s voice.

While Percy was distracted Willow managed to take two steps back,
putting as much distance as possible between herself and him.
Unfortunately, Percy was now between her and the door.

Oz wanted nothing more than to lunge at the bastard, but he saw the
knife and knew that Percy could just as easily lunge for Willow. He
wasn’t certain that he would be faster and that one thought held him
back.

“Great, the calvary. I just stopped by so Willow and I could have a
talk, try to straighten things out. I’m not leaving until we do that.”
Percy held the knife up for Oz to see. “I’m not planning on hurting
anybody and as long as you stay back and let us finish this I won’t have
to.”

Willow met Oz’s gaze. Her eyes pleading with him not to do something
stupid to get himself hurt, his pleading the same.

Trembling in fear Willow tore her eyes away from Oz and waited for Percy
to continue. A full moment passed before she realized he was waiting for
her. “If that was what I had wanted why would I go to the police?” The
horror in her voice tore Oz in two.

Letting out an exasperated sigh Percy continued as if talking to a
child. “Because things got rougher than either of us thought they would.
You had to tell your boyfriend something. Especially since you gave your
virginity to me.” At that Willow looked at Oz who was ready to pounce.
Shaking her head she silently begged him not to do something stupid.
Fortunately, Percy never noticed the exchange. “You had to keep your
precious reputation in tact, so I got to be the fall guy for your
twisted kicks.”

The only thoughts running through her head were that Percy had a knife
and Oz was seething. Forcing those thoughts down she made herself
concentrate on Percy’s words. He had managed to justify his actions to
himself, the scariest part was that he now believed his own fiction.
Thinking quickly Willow got stuck on what Percy had said and suddenly
knew what she had to do. He believed that the vamp-Willow he had run
into at the Bronze had actually been her. *Oh God, please let me be able
to do this.*

Closing her eyes for a second Willow focused on exactly what was at
stake. Her body stopped trembling instantly and Willow slowly opened her
eyes and smiled. “Percy, you’re the only one who knows the real me. Do
you think I could let Oz and everybody else see this side? They wouldn’t
understand.” In spite of her terror she managed to nail vamp-Willow’s
persona perfectly as her whole body language changed to match the vamps.
“They like the sweet and innocent version so much better."

“Too bad Oz. You don’t know what you’re missing.” Percy told the enraged
red-head.

Willow spoke up trying to draw their attention away from each other.
“Being the mousy one gets boring, so I needed some fun. Then I panicked.
I didn’t know what else to do. I couldn’t let them find out.” Her
stomach lurched and she swallowed the bile rising in her throat. “But
you’re right it wasn’t fair to you.”

Percy had turned away from Oz at Willow’s words as a smugness settled in
his eyes. “So now what are we going to do to fix it, bitch?”

“I think we should go down to the police department right now and I’ll
tell them the truth. The whole truth.” Willow realized her mistake
before the statement was halfway out of her mouth, but it was too late
to stop it.

Oz began creeping inch by painful inch closer to Willow.

“You are so full of shit! You are still playing me. You’d love for me to
walk into the police department with you wouldn’t you?? You’d have them
haul my ass away in a heartbeat. No, I have a different idea. You took
my life - I know I’ll never be able to get it back. So I take yours. I
still won’t have mine, but at least we’ll be even.” Percy took a step
forward and raised the knife.

Oz raced to close the final steps to Willow and managed to get there
just in time. Pushing her backwards he threw himself in front of Percy’s
aim, taking a deep gouge into his upper arm. A blow that would have
landed in Willow’s chest.

Straightening up Oz pulled back his good arm and hit Percy right in the
nose sending him reeling backwards into the desk. The sound of
splintering bone the most satisfying sound Oz had ever heard.

Looking up Willow saw the blood seeping through Oz’s shirt. “Oz!”

Oz willed himself to remain standing, never taking his eyes off of Percy
who was struggling to stand up. He could hear Willow moving behind him.
“Get out of here now! Go!” He only prayed she would listen.

Oz knew he was losing a lot of blood, he could feel it draining out of
him along with his strength. As he watched Percy get to his feet and
walk toward him he was struck with the absurd realization that this was
how he was going to die. After all the demons and vampires they had
faced it was going to be a lunatic with a knife that did him in.

In a blur Xander appeared out of nowhere and tackled Percy to the
ground. Oz rushed forward and wrenched the knife out of his hand as
Xander punched him square in the jaw. After disarming Percy all Oz could
do was fall back and let Xander go at it, his energy drained.

Grabbing the first thing she could find, her discarded jeans, Willow
hurried to Oz and pressed them against his arm hoping to staunch the
flow of blood.

Between punches Xander managed to pin Percy’s body beneath his. Grabbing
two fistfuls of hair Xander savagely slammed Percy’s head backward until
finally he fell motionless and silent.

Wondering if he had killed him Xander felt for a pulse. Nope, it was
steady. For a moment Xander wasn’t sure it was relief or disappointment
coursing through him. After what he had done to Willow, and what he
would have done tonight, Xander certainly wouldn’t have shed any tears.
But deep down he knew he would have felt guilty regardless and for that
reason, certainly no other, he was grateful for the pulse.

Crawling off of Percy he went to check on his friends.

* * *

Willow approached the hospital bed and gingerly took Oz’s hand in hers,
kissing his forehead. “How do you feel?”

The worry in her eyes over him was painful to see on top of everything
else that had happened, he just wanted to make it go away. “It’s amazing
how much better several stitches, new blood, and a lot of drugs can make
you feel.”

Relief washed over Willow. There were so many things she wanted to tell
him, but her mouth settled for saying, “I love you.” Her eyes told him
the rest.

“Me too.” Oz squeezed her hand. “Now go home.”

“Are you sure? I can stay.”

Oz shook his head. “Go home with Buffy and get some sleep. They’re
springing me in the morning and you and I have a date, remember?”

The long talk. “We don’t have to deal with that tomorrow. It can wait.”

“Will, I’d like to.”

Willow nodded, it was time.

* * *

Buffy and Xander had just finished with the police when Willow joined
them in the waiting room. “How is he?”

“He’ll be fine, but they’re keeping him overnight.”

Buffy smiled, thankful that things had turned out as well as they had.
“So are you staying or leaving?”

“Before he fell asleep he told me to go.”

Buffy nodded, she figured that’s what he would tell her. Sensing that
Willow wanted to talk to Xander alone she told them, “I’m going to call
Giles and give him an update. I’ll meet up with you in the lobby.”

Xander started to walk out, but reaching out Willow stopped him.
“Xander, you saved our lives tonight.”

In spite of himself, Xander started to blush. “Oh, I don’t know. I still
think Oz could have taken him.”

Willow knew what he was doing. Xander talked big, huge in fact, but the
truth was when it came to true acts of courage he wasn’t any more
comfortable with gratitude than Oz was.

Putting her arms around him she pulled her best friend into a fierce
hug. “Xander you are my hero. Just as you always have been, and always
will be.”

Xander fought to swallow his emotions as he hugged her back.
“Technically, Will, Oz saved you. I saved Oz. So if anybody is going to
be singing ‘Wind Beneath my Wings’ to me it’s gonna have to be Oz.”

“Xander, Oz is my heart. So by saving Oz you did save me.” Before ending
the embrace Willow kissed him on the cheek. “Let’s go home.”

On the way out the door Xander couldn’t stop himself. “Well, I guess you
guys could sing me a duet.” Willow slugged him on the arm and Xander
muttered, “Yep, things are back to normal.”

---

The End.
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