"Come on man, you got to go with me" Arron pleaded to his friend Kevin or who we know as Oz.
"I told you. I don't do the double date thing." Oz look at him in disgust even thinking about it.

"Do you really want to spend the rest of your life alone?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Come on Kevin. As long as I have known you, you've never been on a date or at least one that wasn't forced. Girls throw themselves at you day after day and you don't do anything about it. What's up, man?"

Oz sighed out of frustration. Arron was as bad as Devon use to be. Arron didn't know anything about Oz's old life. He didn't even know his real name. The now 23 year old had moved out of Sunnydale two years earlier after almost dying from being shot while he escaped during his time of the month. He woke up the next morning thinking of only one thing. Keeping Willow safe. He decided being thing wouldn't keep her safe so he decided to leave. He wrote a note to her and asked Xander to deliver it to her. He hadn't seen since the night he had almost died. The unshed tears in her eyes as she saw him struggle was the last thing he remembered about her. Now here he is two years later sure that he was going to be convinced by Arron to go on this date. He could never have the heart to tell someone no.

"I guess I haven't found the right person, yet," Oz answered and then thought to himself, "except one."
He thought about Willow before that night. Her lovely red hair blowing in the breeze. Her bright and shining jade eyes that Oz would constantly stare into. And last but not least, her smile. That was the first thing that drew him to her. Even in her Eskimo costume he could see her sweet smile. He loved her from that moment. And each day after that after finding out the horrors that really happened in their peaceful town he fell more and more in love with her. He knew that he
would never find a girl more perfect, but he needed to get Arron off his back so he reluctantly agreed.
"Fine, but don't think I'll fall head over heels over her. That could happen only once in one life time."

"Right you and that red headed girl. Yes I remember you mentioning her often. Thanks man though. I think Rebecca is the perfect woman. She said though she wouldn't go out with me unless her friend could come so I thought I could ask you to go."

"I feel honored. What's her full name and her friend's name?"

"Her's is Rebecca Willton, and her friend's Samantha Burke."

"Well I hope this is not a waste of my time."

"Don't worry man. Maybe she'll end up being Ms. Right."

"Doubt it. I let her get away," Oz mumbled. Arron didn't hear him. Already he knew that something big was going to happen. He could sense it.

The next night Oz ran a few minutes late to the restaurant. He was dressed in his usual Oz like dressing up. His hair was dyed brown at the time and he brushed it back. Definatly different from how he wore it in Sunnydale. No who knew him then would recognize him. A waiter pointed him out to where Arron and the two girls were sitting. Arron rose up when he saw Oz.

"Kevin, hi. This are the two girls Rebecca and Samatha." The girl to his right was Arron's date Rebecca and the girl to his left was his date Samatha.

He sat down next to Samatha and took a glimpse at the two. Samatha had dark blonde hair that seemed to have been dyed alot like his own. He could tell she worked out alot. Her could see muscle tone in her legs. She dressed very casually. A light blue sweater with a black skirt. She had beautiful blue eyes. He knew already though he could never fall for this girl. She seemed to ordinary to him. She seemed to have a lot of spunk though. It was Rebecca however that caught his attension. She had light brown hair that had a tinge of red in it. He saw her legs too were toned, but he found them to be very sexy. She was dressed in a short green dress that brought out
her green eyes perfectly. He started at them for a moment before he realized that she was Arron's date not his. Besides Willow was still on his mind.

"Hello," he said softly. Even being two years later he still was man of little words.

"So, Kevin is it? What do you do?" Samatha asked curiously.

"I work on computers," he replied back not wanting to be rude.

"Really?" Rebecca asked and then added, "So do I."
"Wow so what do you do Samatha?" Oz asked again not wanting to keep staring at Rebecca. Arron was right. She was perfect.

"Call me Sam. I work with the police."

"She could really slay the bad guys," Rebecca said smirking.

"Really? A friend of mine could really slay people, kick their asses if they were in her way, you know? I guess you could call her the 'Chosen One'" Oz replied back.

The girls stared at each other silently exchanging glances before they realized he was joking and laughed nervously.

All four of them continued conversation for a little while and then the topic of music came up.

"My boy Kevin here is lead guitar of his band," Arron said to Samatha to get her interested in his friend. It didn't seem to work. Samatha nutched Rebecca in the stomach softly with her elbow. "Becca's old boyfriend was lead guitarist in his band." Samatha had already decided Kevin wasn't the right guy for her, but more for Rebecca.

"Really? Where are you girls from anyway," Oz wanted to find out as much on Rebecca as he could, but he didn't want to anything about her old boyfriend. Little did he know he knew alot about her old boyfriend.

"Sunnydale," Rebecca replied quietly looking like she didn't want to relive her past. Oz was shocked to find out these girls lived in his old town. He must have passed them in the halls when he went to Sunnydale.

"Wow, me too. What year did you graduate?"

"99" Samatha said.

"So did I."

"Oh then you knew about things that happened there?" Rebecca asked nervously.

"Um. yeah. It was freaky stuff. To find out the mayor is after you is kind of weird."

Arron looked at them like they went crazy. Like Devon he hated to be out of a conversation.

"Kevin weren't lead guitarist for that band in Sunnydale

'Dingoes ate my baby'?"

Once again the exchanged shocked glances. Oz nodded his head. "Yeah defiantly not my best time of my life, but um that's how I first saw my old girlfriend."

Rebecca recovered her voice. "What do you mean you were the lead guitarist. Sam and I knew him. How dare you claim to be the lead guitarist. He was the greatest guy I knew..." Rebecca started to break down in tears and ran away.

"What the hell was that about?" Arron asked confused. Oz couldn't answer him. He was just as confused. This girl was acting like she peronally knew him when he didn't even remember her. He looked over at Samatha who was sending him daggers with her eyes. Arron went off to find Rebecca and Oz was left alone with Samatha.

"How could you say something like that?"

"What do you mean?" Oz asked confused.

"You just claimed to be the lead guitarist. Rebecca's boyfriend was lead guitarist, but he died a few years ago. Got shot. She finally got over it and you have to say something like this." Samatha said angerly.

"I was the lead guitarist. Believe I would remember."

"No the his name was Oz, smart guy. Quit claiming things."

"Yes I know. My real name is Oz, and I don't know what you mean Rebecca's boyfriend Oz. I never had a girlfriend name Rebecca. I had one named Willow the only one I ever cared about. So don't to me about claiming." Oz said furious that any one would ever say she was his girlfriend. He could only care for one.

Samatha gasped. "Oz, but you're dead." She looked at him in disbelief and for a second Oz knew he had known this girl before.

"So you know me?"

"We saw you get shot that night. Xander told us you died."

"How do you know Xander? Wait a minute, Buffy?"

The girl nodded. "You're not the only one going under cover. Will and I moved here six months ago to fight off the demons and vampires in LA. Right now Faith is dealing with the ones in Sunnydale."

"You and Will? That means Rebecca is-"

"Willow."

Oz was left shocked. No wonder he felt such feelings for Rebecca. The whole time it was the love of his life back. He was not going to let her get away. He stood up. "Buffy do you know where Willow might have went?"

"The park down the street. Oz don't let her get away. Or I might have to kick your ass." Oz smiled. It was good to see old friends again. Though at that moment he had the urge to kill Xander for not giving the message to Willow.

He found Willow by herself on one of the swings crying softly to himself. He died a little thinking it was because of him she was so hurt. He shouldn't have left in the first place. They probably couldn't gotten through it. Now here she was in so much pain because of what he did. He wondered why though he didn't recognize her sooner. Probably the same reason she couldn't recognize him. It seemed to unbelieveable.

He went up to the swings and sat beside her. "Hey, baby," he said softly.

She looked up quickly and then sighed in disgust when she saw it was him."What do you want?"

"To talk to you?"

"Well we have a short conversation and you believe you could call me baby? My boyfriend, the one who died, used to call me that. Coming from anyone else it was seems insulting."

"You have the sweetest smile I've ever seen." She looked up again in disbelief. This gave him an idea. He started reciting quotes of what they said to each other.

"I'd still, I'd very still. Willow kissage. I'm going to ask you out, but I'm nervous. It's interesting." He recited saying after saying including monkey pants and panacking. Willow looked up.

"It can't be you, I saw you get shot by the werewolf hunter."
"I didn't die. It wasn't a silver bullet. I would never leave you."

"So why did you?" She asked in a bitter voice.

"I wrote a letter saying that I was going away. I din't want to see you hurt. I gave it to Xander to give to you but I guess he never did."

Willow's face turned dangerously cross. "I'll kill him. I can't believe he never gave it to me. Oz, do you think we'll be able to work things out."

"Of course, baby, of course." He picked her up and put her on his lap. A familar gesture to both of them. They sat in silence a few moments before Willow broke it.

"Oz I only went on that date because Arron kept asking me and Buffy insisted I go. So I dragged her along. I'm glad I went now." She smiled and gave him a quick kiss.

"Me too, baby me too." They stayed that way for a little while longer before leaving to go back to Oz's place where they stayed in each other's the rest of the night catching up. Nothing was going to tear them apart again.

(Click here for more stories by Joy)

HOME