Disclaimer: Do you see Willow kissing Tara in this fic? There you go..you know I'm not Joss.

*********************Part 15.******************

That night Oz had another dream. Only this time it was that little boy Kevin...the one he dreamed about, and a 7 months pregnant Willow in a white shirt, and blue overalls, her hair no longer wavy but straight. He remembered Kevin calling him daddy. Then things went from peaceful to angry. He and Willow were in Buffy's house. He was yelling at her, she was crying. He pondered that for a moment, and the thought of yelling at Willow like that disturbed him a great deal. She started screaming, he started yelling, and soon the whole house was in a frenzy. Buffy was yelling at him, and with what little resolve he had left, he turned around and slammed the door. He could see himself walking down the stairs when.....

He woke up, and sat straight up, his body sweating like an ox, his vision spinning, and his breathing labored. It was nightmares like this that told him that the shit was about to hit the fan. His shaking woke Willow up from her sleep and her eyes widened at Oz's sweaty appearance. She realized that he must have had a nightmare. She sat up Immediately, unnoticed by Oz.

Oz's breathing slowed considerably at the feel of cool lips pressing against his cheek, and soothing words that everything was okay. Relief flooded him, and he slowly lay back down again. He looked over at the alarm clock, and it read...10:30 am. *Wow!!! We were asleep For 15 hours?* His thoughts on his sleeping were then replaced by a repetitive drone of his name.

"Oz?...Oz?" Willow chanted, trying to break him out of his haze. He shook his head and looked at her, then smiled. Relief flooded Willow, and she leaned down to kiss him, while sitting on her knees at his side. Oz returned the kiss sweetly, his nimble fingers combing through her hair, and holding her head down so he could kiss her back. Slowly, she eased off of her knees, and straddled his chest with her arms so she could get a better angle. His arms went around to her back, rubbing to make sure she was real and it wasn't another dream, and pulled her down onto his chest so she could give her arms a break. She went willingly, and the two rolled around on the bed for a little while, their denim covered legs tangled. Willow pulled away to look him in the eyes. He knew what she was thinking.

"I had a really bad flashback," Oz said, his eyes sad. Willow just nodded, a signal for him to go on. "You and me were fighting....and I walked out on you." Oz said, regret and sorrow drowning his normally neutral voice. Tears sprang into Willow's eyes.

"Oz," Willow whispered, tears leaking down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry." Willow sniffed and buried her head into his chest.

"Willow...tell me why you left me?" Oz asked, his voice hoarse, and Willow could have sworn she heard tears. Willow swallowed a huge lump in her throat.

"Uh...well...you know when my parents came home?" Willow asked, her arms wrapped around his lower chest, and her head rested on his shoulder. He nodded his head and she continued.

"They were really pissed, that they found you there. They told me to leave you and I said no. We fought for at least an hour I guess....and then I told them something that they didn't want to hear. Then it got worse and....." Willow's heart breaking tale of the events before their break up was interrupted by a knock at the door. Willow swallowed a sob, and gripped on to Oz's chest tightly.

"Come in," Oz said, looking down at Willow with painful concern in his eyes. Buffy walked into the room, her eyes downcast, Willow's cell phone in her hand.

"Sorry to interupt you two...but Willow has a phone call," Buffy said.

"Can you tell them to take a message?"

"You really want to take this call." Buffy said, as a hint of worry crept into her voice. Willow mouthed the word "Kevin", her eyes questioning. Buffy nodded slightly. Willow immediately flew out from under the covers, and grabbed the phone, racing down the stairs.

"Hello?" Willow said into the phone.

"Hey mommy," Kevin said happily.

"Hey sweety." Willow said, her motherly voice kicking in again. "How is it going?" Willow asked excitedly, while padding her way into the kitchen.

"Great!!! After you left, grandma and grandpa took me on a roller coaster," Kevin said excitedly.

"That's great. Did you have fun?" Willow asked.

"Lots of fun. I got to draw too. I drew a picture of Toby, chasing ducks out of the pond," Kevin said, referring to the golden labrador her grandma owned.

"Oh really? How is Toby?" Willow asked pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"He's good. We had to take him to the vet though because he couldn't eat for a while."

"What happened?" Willow asked, motherly concern, bouncing from Kevin to Toby.

"He got a chicken bone stuck in his throat, and he couldn't get it out. Grandma said he could breathe, but the chicken bone was making his throat really sore and the doctors had to cut his throat open to get it out because it was so deep," Kevin said.

"Aawwww. Poor Toby. Well I hope he feels better."

"Well how about you Mommy? How are you doing? Is aunt Buffy's domicile really big?" Kevin asked.

"Domicile? Where did you learn that?" Willow asked, amazed.

"Well that's what grandma calls her house so I thought I'd try it."

"Thats very neat Kevin. I'm so proud of you," Willow said.

"That's of the good." Kevin said. Another one of his father's priceless phrases. Willow could hear grandma hollering for Kevin. "Hold on, Mommy. Grandma wants something," Kevin said, putting the phone down and running outside to find Grandma.

"Hey Kevin. Sweety. Why don't you let your mom go for a while? You can call her later. I need you to come with me to Rick's stable yard. He wanted to teach you how to ride a horse," Granny said with great enthusiasm. Kevin sulked for a second, but when he heard...learning how to ride a horse, he brightened, nodded his head, and ran in the house to say goodbye.

"Mommy?"

"Yes?"

"I have to go. Ricky is going to show me how to ride a horse. I get to ride a horse Mommy," Kevin said giddily. "I have to go. Bye."

"Bye sweety. BE CAREFUL!!" Willow hollered into the phone. Willow huffed at Kevin's enthusiasm, and turned off the cell. She turned around to head back into the living room, and nearly jumped ten feet high at the sight of Oz, fully dressed in a new set of clothes, a pair of sunglasses on, and a grin on his face.

"Ready to go?" Oz asked.

"Not yet. I have to shower and change," Willow said passing Oz at the door. Willow ran up the stairs, took a shower and changed into warm clothes. A light brown long sleeved, over sized sweater, and another pair of jeans similar to the ones she had worn the previous night, and a tote bag in hand. A pager attached to her right pocket of her jeans and a cell phone in her left hand, Oz noticed.

"Let me guess. Just in case Kevin calls?" Oz asked.

"Yeah. He was really excited. He's going to go ride a horse today," Willow said, worry etched in her forehead. Oz walked up to her and rubbed her shoulders.

"He'll be fine," Oz said, kissing her lips lightly, before grabbing her tote bag and lugging it over his shoulder and heading out the door.

"I know. I still worry though," Willow replied, jogging down the steps at a slow pace.

"Cut the kid some slack. Its not like your his mother," Oz said opening the door for her. Her tense features went by unnoticed by Oz, and she stepped into the seat. *I swear. You guys can be so dense these days.* Willow thought, a wrinkled brow, and sour look at the window. "Are you okay?" Oz asked.

"Yeah," Willow said breaking out of her haze. "I'm just still a little tired. I can't believe we slept for 15 hours."

"Why not? We've done it before." Oz said, pulling out of the driveway. She glared at him for a moment before changing the subject.

"Anyway....Where are we going?" Willow asked excitedly.

"Remember, that place with the lake and the tire swing?" He stopped at the light to look at her. Her eyes were radiating with happiness.

"Joe Pool Lake?" Willow asked in confirmation. At the nod of his head, she squealed, and bounced in her seat. Leaning forward, she gave him a sweet kiss on the cheek before the light turned green, and Oz sped away into the high sun.

It was a long drive to Joe Pool. Nearly 3 hours, and it was rounding 1 in the after noon by the time they reached the line to get in. Oz pulled up near the booth.

"How many?" The ranger asked. Oz held up two fingers, and the ranger nodded. Turning around and ducking his head, he rang up the cash register. "That will be....20 dollars," the young man said. He gave Oz a piece of paper, telling him what section he was supposed to camp in, and then tipped his hat towards Willow and winked at her flirtatiously. She smiled, and Oz glared at the man, waiting until he noticed that she was his, and no one else's. The ranger cleared his throat and buzzed the gate open for the new comers to drive in. He stared after the retreating car for few more moments, before giving it the birdy, and then turning back to the next impatient customer. Oz found a camp site, and parked his car under the shack. Willow hopped out excitedly, running to the trunk of the car. Popping it open, she grabbed the tent, dragging it out. Oz rolled out the inflatable mattress, and helped Willow set up the tent around it. Then he pulled the air compressor out of the mattress, and the once flat piece of rubber and plastic, blew up like a balloon. Willow and Oz, both entered the tent, connecting little wired heaters to the hooks up above to keep the tent warm.

The tent smelled faintly of Hazel Nut candle wax, and a soft musk of leather. Oz stepped out of the tent, to grab the sandwiches, because by the sounds his stomach was making, he was willing to eat sand if that was what it would take to alleviate the constant growl deep in his abdomen. Willow made similar noises, and the two ate half a bag of potato chips, and a tuna fish sandwich.

"This is going to be fun," Willow said snuggling up onto Oz's indian style legs, and nuzzling his neck, yawning.

"Oh yeah. Just like old times." Oz agreed, rubbing his chin over her hair, and then resting at the top to take in the new scent. This time she had apples, and the combination of Hazel nut and apples was enough to drive a man wild.

"Only it's new times. Right?" Willow asked, a little unsure as to how that came out.

"Right," Oz said, smiling sweetly, his chin pressing down into her head as he talked.

"I wish we could have come here during the summer so we could go swimming," Willow said wistfully.

"We'll go another time. Besides I'll probably be able to come down and see you some time this month. You see...I only have to go to the actual studio, once a week. The rest of the time, I'm just at home or somewhere else, writing songs, or sleeping."

"Every man's dream job," Willow said rolling her eyes sarcastically. Oz had to agree. He did have a great job, and the fact that he was actually good at it was a big plus.

"Oh yeah," Oz said dreamily.

"Oz? Who helps you write your songs?" Willow asked.

"Uh...lately, I've been working with Jewel, because I'm working on the more mellow kind of mood as of late. I write the lyrics, she reads them, thinks up rhythm, plays the first few notes, and if I like them, then we work with them," Oz said, laying down.

"Are you going to play the guitar for me, while we are out here?" Willow asked. Oz lifted his chin off of her head to look at her as if she were crazy.

"Don't I always?" Oz asked.

"Well I know...it's just...it's been 5 years," Willow said a little sadly, taking his hand, and squeezing it. She closed her eyes as she reveled in the soft skin, and cozy environment underneath the blankets.

"I know. But...let's just forget about the past." Oz suggested.

"Easy for you to say," Willow said, thinking of Kevin.

"Why do you say that?" Oz asked looking at her concerned.

"Oz...we can't just forget that nothing happened. I've done something really stupid, these past 5 years, and once you find out, I doubt your going to want to take one look at me," Willow said sadly, sitting back up. Oz grabbed at her waist, pulling her back down to lay her head on his chest.

"Well you can tell me now. Cause, if it's that bad, I'm not likely to run off and leave, due to the fact that you and I are in the middle of nowhere," Oz said, his expression betraying all of the love, concern, trust, and determination any man could possibly have. She looked up at him, tears just begging for release. A lone tear slid down her cheek. Willing his hand to move, Oz reached up with his hand to wipe at it, halting it from it's lonely descent. *If only he knew.* Willow thought. "Just tell me. I'm sure it's not that bad." Oz said, his voice soothing.

"Oz...I'm just not ready," Willow said, sobbing into his shoulder. Oz inwardly groaned for making her cry. He liked it when she took her problems to him, but when he was essentially the cause of them, he felt like the world was ending.

"Shhhhh. Don't cry. It's okay. We don't have to talk about it yet. We don't have to forget about it. We can wait," Oz said, soothing her with soft kisses, and repetitive words of reassurance. "It will be all right. You know me. I'll never leave you," Oz assured, rubbing her back, and kissing her forehead. "I'll never let you go again," Oz vowed. His voice was like a power generator, and she felt like her very existence depended on him being there. Her tears soaked his flannel, breathing in his scent.

"Promise me," Willow said.

"I promise. This is going to work out," Oz replied, stroking her hair. Relief flooded her at the sound of his determined voice, and she lifted her head back to look at him. There wasn't a single hint of hesitation on his face. She nodded her head, just so he knew that she believed him. Sitting up on her knees, twisting in his arms, she loomed over him. The sun was glaring through the trees and into the translucent material of the tent, so it presented an etheral glow to her features. Leaning down, she brushed her lips against his, then pulled away an inch or so to whisper in his ear.

"I love you," she said, before kissing his cheek, then caputuring his lips in another kiss. He responded in kind, combing through her hair like a rake with his fingers, before breaking away and peppering her face and neck with tiny kisses. Their legs tangled, and their chests pressed tight up against each other. Willow's long fingers found the buttons to his flannel, and quickly worked the shirt open. Oz's lips found her neck again, and she gasped out his name. "I could get used to this," Willow said smiling. Oz could only grin, and continued his loving expedition.

******************3 hours later. ***********

Willow shivered as the sun began to set. It was only 5 in the afternoon, and the sun was already beginning to set. Oz's hold around her waist tightened, and she reveled at the tight warm feeling she hadn't experienced in years. She could feel his heart beating against his chest, while his soft breathing mingled with her red burgundy hair. Another zing of energy ran from her neck down her spine, and she squirmed underneath the covers, her feet rubbing against the back of his calves. Oz stirred slightly, then tightened his hold on her again. Willow suspected that he was asleep, and sighed when an intense need to go to the bathroom hit. She grabbed at his hand, clenched in front of her stomach, and moved it to the side, while she slipped out of his hold to sit up. Reaching over across his back, she grabbed her jeans, slipping them on quietly. Looking around for her sweater, she noticed that half of it was hidden underneath Oz's back. Eyeing him warily, she removed it as slowly as possible, wincing everytime he flinched. Not that she didn't mind him being there, but if he woke up anytime soon, she'd either have a horny male on her hands, or someone who tried to pry away to much information that she wasn't ready to give. The horny part she could handle, but she didn't want to take her chances. Slipping on her sweater, she stepped out of the tent, and took in her surroundings. There was a path about 30 feet away that lead to a bathroom about 1/8th of a mile down the road. Sighing, she went to the car to find a piece of paper and a pen, and wrote Oz a message just in case he woke up while she was gone. Popping open the trunk of the car again, she grabbed a stake, and can of mace, and some holy water. Hey....vampires aren't the only demons looking out for tortured meat. Grabbing a flash light, because she knew by the time she got back, it would be totally dark, she threw the note inside the tent, and walked towards the restroom.

She was thankful that Oz had taken her up here. One, she wasn't too fond of going out to look for a big tree, and two, it brought back alot of the good memories. She smiled to herself, remembering all that they had done the last time they were here. Humming to herself, she was flat out relieved to see the bathrooms 20 feet ahead.

*****************

Oz woke up smiling to himself, dirty images of him and Willow plagueing his head. He felt around with his hand to find her, then opened his eyes, horrified at her absence. His hand fell across a piece of paper lying next to him. Oz picked it up, fear etched on his features at the thought that this may not be from Willow. He sighed in relief when it was.

Dear Oz,

I stepped out for a few moments to go to the bathroom. I'll be back soon. I didn't want to wake you. Sorry if I caused you any alarm.

Love Willow :-)

Even though the letter proved that she was alive and well, a part of him felt enraged that she went out there by herself at a time like this. It was almost completely dark, and it wasn't just the vampires that he was worried about. Running a shaky hand over his features, he reached accross the tent to gather his jeans, and slipped them on. He didn't even bother to look for his flannel. Not when she was out there, alone, possibly with no protection. Heading towards the car, he searched for a flash light, grateful that she had at least enough sense to use one, when he noticed the absence of one of them. His feet came accross something on the ground. Her pager? He picked it up, placing it in his pocket, then popped the hood, grabbed a stake, and a glass of holy water. Just when he was about to step on the road, a dim light appeared from around the curve. Sighing in relief, he called out to her just to make sure.

"Willow!!!" Oz hollered.

"Oz!!!" Willow's voice echoed into the night. He smiled, relieved, then ran a hand through his now sweaty hair, and ran towards her voice. He met up with her at the corner, crushing her into a relieved hug. Willow patted his back, then hugged him closely. "Oz...you're shaking. What's wrong?" Willow asked. Oz shook his head, holding her to him, walking back towards the tent at a steady pace. When they made it back into the tent, he loosened his grip so she could sit down, and let out a shaky breath.

"Willow...you scared the shit out of me," Oz said, not looking her in the eye.

"What? Oz...all I did was go to the bathroom. I left a note," Willow replied, saddened.

"You should have woken me up. I would have walked you. It would have been safer," Oz said. His heart relieved, but burning with intense fury.

"Oz...I'm sorry. I just needed to go to the bathroom. It's not that far," Willow argued, gesturing towards the road outside the tent.

"Willow. No, this isn't SunnyDale, no...not many vampires are known to hunt here. But this is the woods. Vampires aren't the only thing you have to worry about. God, were you thinking at all? What if something happened to you? What if something happened, and I didn't know? You could have been killed or worse. Why didn't you wake me?" Oz asked, pain and fear clearly written in his throat. He looked up to see stubborn tears running down her cheeks. Shaking her head, she said the only thing she could think of.

"I'm sorry," Willow whispered, shaking her head, and burying her face into her hands.

"That's not what I asked you Willow," Oz said, his voice growing angrier. Fury flew to life in her dormant heart.

"Well that's the only thing you're going to hear. I wanted to go outside, and think. Just think for a few moments. By myself. Okay...that makes me a fucking lunatic, because I wanted to go to the bathroom, by myself so I could think," Willow said, her voice annoyed. She looked up to meet his angry eyes, and flinched when he scowled at her and directed his gaze towards the thin tent like material behind her.

"Well obviously, you didn't think enough," Oz said, his eyes boring stone into the floor. Shock immediately followed at the feel of her hand slapping across his face. His face remained impassive, still as stone, his heart aching at what he just said. Closing his eyes briefly, he stood up and walked out of the tent. This time it was Willow's turn to feel shocked. Tears sprung into her eyes, when what she just did registered into her stubborn head. She reached out to his hand to stop him, but he tugged it away, leaving Willow to grasp at thin air.

"Oz?!?!?!" Willow cried out, at the sound of a car door shutting a mere ten feet away. Heavy tears sprang into her eyes, and she sobbed silently when she realized that he was staying out there. A few moments later, she could smell a small camp fire burning, and a low glow of red began to eminate from the side of the tent. Willow swallowed a huge heavy lump, and sniffed. *I can't believe I said that to him. I can't believe I slapped him.* Willow thought. Then, his earlier words rang in her ears and selfish fury swept over her. *Well if he doesn't like it than he can just sit out there.* But she knew she was lying to herself. She wasn't going to sleep in their tent alone. She'd try, but she'd fail misearably. Lying down, she waited for sleep to encompass her. She tossed and turned for about 30 minutes, then huffed at the realization that she wasn't going to get through this night without Oz. Standing up, she walked out the tent, unnoticed by Oz, and quietly snuck up behind him. His head was ducked, his features saddened. Willow stepped forward a little closer, then stepped on a twig accidentally, snapping it and causing Oz to look back immediately, to make sure no one was going after the tent. He sighed in relief, at the sight of her tired, yet angelic face enlightened by the fire.

She couldn't bare to look him in the eye. Not after what she had just done. Sighing tiredly, realizing that she wasn't going to say anything, he shrugged his shoulders then looked back into the fire. Her voice came as a shock to him.

"I couldn't sleep," Willow said, like a little child, but in a grown up voice. Oz nodded his head, accepting her words, holding his hand out to her. She took it, rubbing her thumb over his palm, and sat down next to him. His face remained impassive, but his heart skipped a beat at the touch of her skin. Sitting on her knees, she stared into the hypnotic fire, somewhat dozing off at the feel of his warm skin under her hand, and the soothing fire which eventually began to die out. She rested her cheek on his bare shoulder, realizing that he didn't even bother to put his flannel back on when he left. It felt like an anvil had been lifted at the feel of her soft hair rubbing against his bare shoulder and back. Turning her body just so, she sat facing him on his left side, her back to the fire. She breathed in her amazement at the sight of orange light bouncing off his hairless chest. Leaning forward, she kissed his shoulder, making him twitch in relief. His body, propped up by two hands, faltered slightly at the absence of one of his hands, when he brought it up to stroke the back of her neck. Jolts of electricity ran through him, at the feel of soft arms circling his neck, and warm lips on his cold ears.

"I'm sorry," Oz said, pain evident in his voice.

"Me too," Willow mumbled into his neck, sending another shiver running down his spine. "I'm so sorry. I promise...I'll never do it again," Willow said, her kisses faltering into quiet sobs. "I promise...I love you. I'll never do it again," Willow said shaking her head into the crook of his neck, making him shiver at the feel of silky hair brushing across his cold chest.

"I love you, too. I love you so much," Oz said, a tear springing into his eye, holding her tight. Kissing her cheek, he glanced at the tent, then at the fire. *She has to be cold.* Oz thought, backing away from the fire, Willow in his arms. Standing up onto his knees, he made his way to his feet, bringing Willow up with him a second later. Breaking away from her for just a moment, he reached up for a pail of water he had poured when he was ready to put out the fire. Slinging it out with his arms, the water soaked the burning wood, making a loud sizzling noise at the connection. Turning back to Willow, he wrapped an arm around her waist, and followed her into the tent.