Title: Story 1 in the 'Falling' arc - When I Fall in love 1/2
Author: Ash
Distribution: Anyone who has anything of mine, anyone who asks. :)
Feedback: Would be very helpful. Plus I would worship you.
Disclaimer: None of the characters or settings are mine, the song isn't
mine either.
Rating: Will vary. May go up to R.

Note: Starts as A/B, W/O, moves towards W/A. *g* (This is the first
short story in a five-story arc based around the song 'When I fall in love.'
Future stories in the arc will have Arc: Story name in the header. :)

_______
When I fall in love 1/2

********
When I fall in love
It will be forever
Or I'll never fall in love
*****

Willow snuggled deeper into the circle of Oz's arms, leaning her head back
against his shoulder. She knew that to the rest of the world he probably
still appeared totally expressionless, but she could *feel* his smile like a
spreading warmth against her skin. With a quiet sigh, she wondered when
that had started. When she'd started being able to sense Oz's emotions in
the quick touch of his fingers on hers, see his pain in the fleeting shadows
that darkened the eyes she loved to watch.

Love. That was when it had started. When she had finally realized that
she didn't just like Oz, wasn't just grateful to him for liking her. When
she'd realized that she loved him. Now and forever.

"Will? Hey, Will, you in there?" She refocused on reality, or in this
case, on Xander's hand waving inches from her face. "Hate to disturb your
little cat nap, but those of us trying to prevent the apocalypse could
really use your help."

A corner of her mouth curved upwards as she reluctantly eased herself out of
Oz's soft embrace. "Very funny." He let her go easily, only the slight
pressure of his hands around her waist as he helped her to her feet
signaling his disappointment.

Xander spread his hands. "Okay, so it's only a minor demon." He followed
Willow across the library floor as she moved back to her place at the
computer. "I just thought the extra adrenaline might get your motor
running." He looked at her expression. "Or not."

Giles came out of his office, head bent over the pages of an arcane text.
Sensing danger, the rest of the group sprang into action like a well-oiled
machine. Oz stretched out a foot and nudged a discarded schoolbag away just
seconds before Giles' foot landed on it, Xander skipped aside before the
engrossed librarian could run into him.

The operation seemed in jeopardy when a tweed-covered elbow knocked a full
cup of tea off the table in passing, but a few muttered words under Willow's
breath stopped its fall in mid-air and returned it to the table without
spilling a drop.

Giles, heedless of the activity, reached the table without incident and
lifted his head from the book to say, "Has Buffy returned from patrol yet?
I believe I may have located the, ah, likely lair of the creature."

"Nope." Xander answered for the group, casting a glance toward the door.
"She's still out there, running around calling 'Here demon demon demon!'"

"Where's the lair?" Willow's fingers were poised over the keyboard as she
waited, impatient to violate several federal laws for the greater good.

"Well, when I say that I 'located it' it would be perhaps more accurate to
say that I have found the *type* of place where this particular demon
prefers to congregate."

There was a moment of silence.

"And that would be... where?" Willow said gently, looking up at Giles with
curious eyes.

"Oh! Forgive me, I fear I'm overtired." Giles rubbed his face tiredly.
"The demon is likely to head for ah, quiet places. Ones with calm waters
nearby and plenty of trees and such."

Xander nodded sagely. "A demon who likes a view, eh? What's its evil plan?
No, don't tell me. It's going to settle down, raise a family, build a
house with southern exposure and a screen door..."

"Not quite. It will slaughter people there, quite messily actually, until
it has enough power to um, call down eternal winter on the world."

There are expectant silences, ones that occur when a group of people look at
each other and realize that they and they alone can save their entire
species. This was not one of them.

It was Xander who broke it. "Does anyone else remember when that would have
freaked us out?"

Willow nodded. "I know what you mean... It's a bad thing, a *really* bad
thing, but..."

There was something about Oz. It wasn't that people fell silent whenever
he spoke, it was just that his words always seemed to arrive amid an
incredibly coincidental lack of noise.

"You're all becoming desensitized." He nodded sagely. "It's very sad."
There was a brief second where each person in the room unsuccessfully
searched Oz's face for any signs of sadness. Only Willow saw the twinkle
in his eye, and she flashed a surreptitious smile at him before turning back
towards the computer.

"Let's see..." Willow's fingers danced on the keyboard, easily gaining
access to a shaded map of Sunnydale and the surrounding area. One slender
finger pointed at a blue line that ran along the corner of the map. "The
largest body of water around her is the Elm river. Its coast is about ten
miles long, and the demon could be anywhere along there."

Oz was suddenly behind her, moving with unnerving speed for someone who
always seemed to be strolling. He pointed at a spot on the river a few
miles south of town. "There."

"How do you know?" Willow looked up at him, her green eyes shining with the
certainty that Oz would be right. The smiling curve of her lips showed
that she was only asking the question to satisfy her endless curiosity about
how his mind worked.

He shrugged, one hand moving to rest on Willow's shoulder as he looked at
the screen. His thumb traced slow circles over the line of her collarbone.
"I woke up there when I turned wolfy. I can't know for sure, but if *I*
wanted a quiet place to slaughter people? That's where I'd go. Definitely."

Xander gave him a strange look. "You've put some thought into this, haven't
you?"

Oz turned to look at him, nodding seriously. "Oh yeah."

The librarian ignored them both. "Right. We have a probable location, now
all we need is-" The library doors swung open, and Giles turned to face the
Slayer as she entered, with Angel only a step behind. "Buffy!"

"Hey all." The blonde was limping slightly, her face showing the strain of
movement. Angel moved forward quickly, one hand reaching out to take her
arm. Buffy stiffened under his touch, her shoulders tightening as an
almost imperceptible shiver ran through her. Angel drew his fingers back,
pain flashing briefly across his features.

It made Willow ache when she remembered how Buffy and Angel had used to be.
How much she had used to envy them, envy the happiness that had arced
between them like crackling electricity. The first time she'd seen them-
standing mere inches apart with their eyes fixed on each other's face- it
made her finally understand the phrase 'Opposites attract.' They were
like night folded into day, sun-golden skin and raven-black hair melded into
a cohesive whole. Seeing them was like seeing one soul divided between two
bodies. < Bad choice of words. >

To ease the tension of the moment, Willow jumped up from her chair and
rushed forward to offer Buffy some support. Oz followed her lead and took
Buffy's other arm. Together, they helped her to a chair and lowered her
slowly into it.

Giles watched his injured charge with eyes that had grown dark and
concerned. "The demon?"

Buffy nodded, absentmindedly rubbing a large bruise just starting to appear
on her shoulder. "He took us by surprise. He got away, but I think I hurt
him pretty badly."

"We think we know where he might have, um, gone." Giles motioned at the map
still displayed on the computer screen.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Buffy tried to stand up, but fell back into
the chair with a gasp.

"Um, Buffy?" Willow moved in front of her friend, putting a gentle hand on
her shoulder. "I know you're the Slayer and everything, but I think you
better sit this one out."

"But-"

"I agree with Willow." Giles' tone was firm. "You're obviously in no shape
to go out again tonight." He raised a hand when it looked like Buffy was
about to protest again. "I'm confident that Willow and Angel will be able
to handle this one."

As he had expected, there was an immediate outcry.

"Me?"

"Willow and *deadboy*?"

"I'll go with them."

Giles shook his head. "Before the demon can die, a spell must be recited
over it and then a dagger must... must..." He consulted his book. "Must be
thrust through its heart. "

He looked fondly across to the petite redhead looking nervously at Angel.
"Willow, you're the only one among us with enough knowledge to correctly
recite the spell. And Angel, " His voice hardened around the vampire's
name, edging it with a razor's bite. "You're the only one of us, besides
Buffy of course, who has the strength to hold the demon down. "

The assembled group exchanged glances before reluctantly conceding his
logic.

"What about the rest of us?" Xander voiced the question that was on all
their minds. Over the years, the group had become almost like one organism.
It was profoundly unsettling to think of a few of them going out to face
danger while the others stayed behind in safety.

"This form of demon has poor hearing, but is sensitive to *heat*. Even body
heat. The less people that go, the greater the chance of being able to
catch it by surprise." Giles' voice was firm.

Willow's smile wavered slightly, but she put on a brave face. "We'll be
fine, guys, really." She spoke to all of them, but she was looking at Oz.

"Be careful." Buffy's voice was almost too soft to hear, her eyes fixed
firmly on the floor. There was everything of love and pain in Angel's dark
gaze as it rested on her bent head, a hurt so deep that it seemed that
memories of Hell itself must be eclipsed by the terrible distance between
him and his love. Buffy didn't look up, didn't dare meet those speaking
eyes and read the story they told. She'd read that tragedy too often in the
depths of the haunted blue eyes that stared out at her from every mirror.

Giles gave the spell to Willow and handed the dagger, point first, to Angel.
The fragile paper of the scroll was almost crushed in Oz's embrace, his
arms wrapping around her with the surprising strength that always made her
feel safe. His breath was warm on her cheek when he whispered "Love you."
She tilted her head and lost a few moments in the soft pressure of his lips.

Disentangling herself, Willow saw two pairs of eyes watching them, one pair
the color of summer skies and one with the depth and shade of winter
midnights. Her cheeks were flushed as she turned away, away from the naked
longing in those eyes.

She and Angel slipped out into the night, not looking at each other as they
started their long walk.

Oz and Buffy watched them go.
________