It was ten a.m. when Buffy walked up the steps of the Scoob Mahal. It had not
 been a pleasant few hours. A nest of vampires. Two demons. And one thing which
 she could have sworn was the Flukeman from the X-Files. She opened the door and
 stepped inside.
	Anya was looking confusedly at Xander, who was leaning against a wall, his face pale.
 Willow was watching Giles, who was studying an small brown book. Oz was watching Willow,
 who was trying not to notice. Xander finally saw that Buffy was standing there and
 stumbled over.
	"Hi. Welcome to my private hell. Can I take your order?"
	"Uh...Anya is here."
	"Yes. Yes, she is."
	"And Oz is here."
	"It's that keen eye for detail that I love about you."
	"Well, that's...uh...that's good that Anya and Oz are here...in our house..."
	Xander leaned over and hissed in her ear. "Buffy, I'm saying this as a friend.
 A friend who saved your life several times over. Kill. Me. Now."
	"Xander-"
 	"I am so not kidding. I demand that you snap my neck this instant."
	"Xander."
	"We were so close! I mean, we...were...so..." Xander looked to his right.
 Anya had leaned in as well, joining the conference.
 	"Hi."
 	"Hi. Go away."
 	"Why?"
 	"Because I'm having a private conversation with my friend, and-you know what?
  It isn't my place to explain human behavior to you anymore."
 	"Look, I said I was sorry about...the thing."
 	"That being the sleeping with somebody else thing?" Buffy said coldly.
 	"Yeah, that." Anya turned back to Xander. "Can't we just pretend it never happened?"
 	"Pretend it never-do you even remember how you came to this town?!"
 	"I..." Anya suddenly found the floor very interesting. "Yes, I remember."
 	Xander sighed. He was about to say something when Giles stood up.
	"This...this is remarkable. I'd like to pass this along to the Watcher's Council,
 if such a thing is possible..."
 	"Sure," Oz said. "Get the word out."
 	"So it works?" Willow asked.
 	"These pills are a combination of tranquilizing plants and mystic herbs,"
Giles said. "It looks as though they act on the wolf spirit inside Oz, putting it
to sleep before it gets a chance to escape. For all intents and purposes, it's...
it's a cure for lycanthropy."
 	"That means being a werewolf," Anya whispered to Xander. The glare she received
in return made her look away.
 	"So..." Oz looked at the unconvinced faces of his friends. "I guess I'm back."
 	"Terrif," Xander muttered.
 	"Willow," Oz said, turning to her. "I know you were in the middle of whatever,
but could we talk?"
 	Willow looked helplessly around the room for a moment before finding Xander.
 	"I should...I should talk to him."
 	Xander's lips became very tight.
 	"Okay."
 	"Xander, I-"
 	"It's okay." He made an effort to speak as though he wasn't crazed with jealousy.
"Because you two, you need to sort things out, and there are words that should be said.
Words. With syllables. I should get going," Xander cut in. Without another word,
he walked outside, followed quickly by Buffy and Anya.



	"Please be kidding," Buffy said, grabbing Xander's arm.
	"I wish," Xander replied, facing away from the house. "I mean, of all the possible
 moments for him to come back to town, he picks now? How'd he even find out where we
 live, anyway?"
	"I asked Devon," Anya commented.
	"I don't mean him!" Buffy ranted. "I mean you! You just bailed on her, you idiot!
 What do you think he wants to talk to her about, baseball scores?"
	"Well, what the hell was I supposed to do?"
	"Fight for her!!"
	"What do you think I've been doing?!" Xander yelled. "She knows how I feel
 about her! She knows--"
	"You have to show her, Xander! You're supposed to stick with her! What do you
 think it tells her that as soon as Oz shows up, you bail?"
	"Excuse me!" Anya cut in. "I'm standing right here!" This time, she returned
 the glares. "And stop looking at me like that! I know I messed up, but I hardly
 had a lot of reasons to stay faithful, did I?"
	"Anya?" Buffy asked sweetly.
	"What?"
	"Shut. Your. Pie. Hole."
	"No, she's right," Xander said. "I...look, I really do have some stuff to do.
 I gotta check on my mom, and-"
	"Xander, what's she gonna think?"
	"She knows I trust her, Buff."
	"You do."
	"Yeah. I trust her," Xander said. "But you don't get it, Buffy. It's Oz.
 And when I go up against him, I lose."
	Nobody had anything to say to that. Xander got into his car, followed by Anya.
 None of them saw Willow standing at the open window, where she had been for
 most of the conversation.



	"Who did you get this from again?" Giles asked.
	"A Tibetan monk. In Oregon." Oz shrugged. "Don't ask me."
	"It's such a simple formula...can't think why no one came up with it before..."
	"Yes, fascinating," Willow said. "Hey, look, there's Buffy outside with no one
 to talk to. Why don't you two discuss it?"
	"Hmm?" Giles looked up and blinked. He finally seemed to sense the high awkwardness
 in the air. "Oh, um, yes, as the Slayer she should have a grasp of the...chemistry
 involved. Well, Oz, good to see you again. Congratulations."
	"Thanks, man."
	"We'll be outside if you need support," Giles muttered to Willow as he passed.
	"Thanks." The Watcher stepped outside, leaving the witch and the werewolf alone together.
	"So..." Willow began.
	"So," Oz replied.
	The silence was suffocating.
	"Okay, you came here to talk to me," Willow said. "You can't really do that and
 be taciturn guy too."
	"Right. Sorry. It's just...I'm nervous."
	"Nervous."
	"Yeah." Oz ran his fingers through his hair. "I...when I found out what I had,
 I wanted to come right back here. Got a little sidetracked."
	"Being kidnapped by circus folk will do that."
	"Yeah. But anyway, I almost didn't want to come back, right? Because..."
	"...of Tara."
	"I didn't know if it was a permanent thing."
	"Neither did I," Willow said, a little coldly. "But then, I used to think you and I
 were a permanent thing."
	"I didn't mean-"
	"I know what you meant," Willow said. "Wondering if you'd managed to put me off men forever?"
	"Sort of."
	Willow took a deep breath. "Do you know what you did to me?"
	"What?"
	"The day I found out about you and Veruca, I walked in front of a car. I...I don't
 even know. I'd like to think that I was just too distracted to see it, but I'm honestly
 not sure.
	"I cried for months, Oz. I made myself miserable...God, I made everyone miserable.
 I nearly turned into a vengeance demon!" Her voice was rising now. "So maybe, just
 possibly maybe, you should have been a little less concerned with my sexual
 orientation and a little more worried about how much I might hate you!"
	To his credit, Oz didn't look away, just stood there and took it.
	"Do you hate me?"
	Willow looked into his eyes. The same old uncertainty flooded over her for a moment;
 he had his cool facade up again, and she couldn't tell if there was any emotion in
 what he was saying. But it was there in his eyes.
	"I wish I could sometimes."
	"But...you don't."
	"No."



	They had been driving in silence for ten minutes. Anya felt as though she was
 about to squirm out of her skin.
	"What are we going to do?" she asked.
	"We're going to go make sure my mother's ready to move. Then, I need to-"
	"Not about that."
	Xander sighed. "I know. It's been a long summer."
	"No it hasn't. It's been three months, that's all."
	Xander didn't reply. The car pulled up to the Harris house. With the help of
 Uncle Rory, the place was as shipshape as it had ever been. The grass had just
 been mown, the windows washed and the driveway resealed. What was not visible
 was a moving van.
	"Hey, ace! What's the good word?" Rory, clad in a grimy T-shirt and jeans, stepped
 out of the garage. He froze when he saw Anya. "Uh...hey there, Anya. You're looking,
 uh, tan."
	"Thanks."
	"Where the hell are the movers?" Xander asked. "I thought I told them noon."
	"Uh...yeah, about that. Look, your mom and I were talking, and...well, since I'm not
 gonna be welcome in Vegas again for a while yet and she needs tending to...we-"
	"Sweetie?" Xander's mother called from within. "Have you seen the glass cleaner?"
	"I think I left it in the bathroom," Rory called back.
	"Thanks!"
	"So anyway, as I...was..." Rory trailed off when he saw how Xander was looking at him.
 "What?"
	"'Sweetie?'"
	"Uh..."
	"'Sweetie?!'"
	"What?" Rory asked defensively. "I mean, that's just a term of endearment between
 a man and his soon-to-be-divorced sister-in-law. That's all."
	Xander tried not to shudder with horror and utterly failed.
	"You have no idea how much I didn't need this today."
	"I don't understand," Anya said. "If they're brother and sister, isn't it illegal
 for the two of them to-"
	"An, I'm begging you not to finish that sentence." Xander pushed Rory back into
 the garage. "Can I have a word with you, Unc?"
	"Hey! Watch the merchandise!" The two men walked further into the garage.
 "What's the matter?"
	"You? And my mom?! I'd say 'this is new,' but it's not really, is it?"
	"Huh?"
	Xander hesitated. "Look...there's something I've been putting off asking you.
 The night my dad and I....that night, he was doing a lot of raving. He kept
 screaming 'you're not my son.'"
	Rory had a very professional poker face.
	"And then Willow commented that I looked a lot like you."
	A very professional poker face indeed.
	"And you've been very helpful with Mom. Obviously a little more helpful than
 I wanna know about, but...look, I'm just gonna come out and ask it, Rory.
	"Are you my father?"
	The very professional poker face faded away into a slightly sad smile.
	"I hope so."



	"Will, you gotta know I never meant to hurt you..."
	"You lied to me."
	"Will-" But Willow was pacing back and forth, building up a head of steam.
	"I mean, did it ever occur to you to just come and tell me? I would have
 believed you!"
	"You would?"
	"Of course!" Willow rolled her eyes. "Of course, I was a lot stupider back then,
 that'd account for it..."
	"Will, I-"
	"But you didn't even try, Oz. You never tried."
	Oz rubbed his face. "What do you want me to say? If you didn't believe I was
 sorry the first four million times I said it-"
	"Oh, I'm sorry! Am I bothering you by not being a doormat?"
	"You were never a doormat! Don't twist what I say!"
	"I don't need to!"
	They backed away from each other, catching their breath.
	"You know, I never wanted her. Despite what you may have heard."
	Willow looked at him, confused.
	"I mean...yes, I noticed that there were other women in the world, and yeah,
 sometimes I looked. It was a nice change to talk to a pretty girl who knew
 something about all the things I was interested in and let me finish!"
	Willow, who had been about to angrily retort, bit back her comment.
	"But none of them were you. None of them are you. None of them think like you.
 None of them reread Shakespeare plays or wave at babies or, or dip their pretzel
 sticks in peanut butter...none of them have that little mole on the small of
 your back...
	"Will, all I want...all I ever wanted is you."
	He spread his hands in a gesture of  surrender.
	"I need another chance."



	"You hope so."
	Rory pulled up a milk crate and sat down. "Look...this is how it is. Your mother and I,
 we were always friendly, ever since she started going out with Jack. Well, I meant, not
 friendly friendly, but...I always liked her. And I always wondered what she was doing
 going out with a lunkhead like him. But I never acted on it. Best man at the wedding and
 everything."
	Xander looked over his shoulder at Anya. She was eavesdropping while pretending not to.
	"Just come join the conversation, An," he finally said.
	"This is terribly interesting," she said, sitting on a box. "Just like those people on
 TV during the day!"
	"Riiiiight," Rory said. "Anyway. A couple of years go by, and your mother is wondering
 why no kids. Your dad refuses to go see a doctor, says there's nothing wrong with his
 boys. So your mother does some reading and research and eventually...she comes to me."
	"Okay," Xander said. His head felt like it was full of goldfish. "So you and she..."
	"Yeah."
	"Why didn't she just have you do it in a cup?"
	"Because. This wasn't just about having a kid."
	Xander looked through everything, all the way to the interior of the house where he could
 hear his mother humming a Whitney Houston song.
	"So. Nine months later, Alexander Lavelle Harris appears on the scene. Not the end of the
 story, however. A few years ago, Jack had to go in for a physical. One of the things
 tested was sperm count. Guess what? His boys can swim.
	"You don't know," Xander said wonderingly.
	"We don't know," Rory replied. "We decided not to take the DNA test, though. We...kinda
 wanted to keep it in the dark. We didn't want to definitely know that you weren't..."
	"...your son."
	Rory smiled.
	"I hope so. I hope to God you are. Any man would be proud to have a son like you."
	"Except my..." Xander paused. "Except Jack."
	"Yeah, well...the day your mom ended up in the hospital, I guess they went at it pretty
 good." Rory frowned. "She sorta threw the possibility of me being your father in his face...
 he responded with the usual Harris charm."
	Xander lowered his gaze to the ground. It was too easy to remember how good it felt to
 savagely beat Jack Harris.
	"You're not like him, you know," Rory said. "I mean, you've got a temper on you, same as
 all us Harris boys, but..."
	Xander said nothing. Anya reached out and touched Xander's face. "Listen to him," she said.
"Look at me," Rory continued. "You're not him. You're nothing like him. Got it?"
	"Got it," Xander replied.
	"Damn right." Rory ran a hand through his hair. "Now, uh...this thing with your mother..."
	"Forget it. You're both adults. Sort of." Xander smiled. "You wanna know something?
 When I was a kid, I always used to wish you were my dad instead of the other guy."
	The two men got to their feet and embraced.
	"I love you, Xand," Rory whispered.
	"I love you too, Rory," Xander said back, squeezing his eyes shut against tears.
	Anya looked at them.
	"Now this has to be illegal."



	"A second chance," Willow said.
	"Please."
	"Oz...listen to me." She took his hands in hers. "I missed you for a long time when
 you left...I thought about you, I think about you all the time, but..." She started to
 tear up. "It isn't the same now."
	"It doesn't have to be the same," Oz said. "We can make something better."
	"No," she said, sniffling. "No." She looked right into his eyes from behind a stream of
 tears. "I loved you for so long...but I don't love you anymore, Oz. Not like that."
	Even Oz couldn't disguise how much that one hurt. He took one long, deep breath and
 nodded slowly.
	"Okay," he finally said.
	"I'm sorry."
	He drew her close and hugged her, letting her head rest on his shoulder.
	"It's okay," he said. "I had no right to...I'm sorry, Will."
	They held each other for a long moment before Willow gently broke the embrace,
 wiping her eyes.
	"So," he said. "What's next? I...I don't have any right to ask, but...is there
 someone in your life?"
	"Yes," Willow replied. "Always."
	"Oh." He thought about it for a moment. "Oh."
	"Yeah," she said, weakly smiling.
	"So that's why he was-
	"That's why."
	"Kind of inevitable," he said.
	"You'd think that, wouldn't you?" Willow asked.
	"Yeah," Oz said, finally smiling back. "Okay."
	"So what happens now?"
	"Well, I have an offer from this band in L.A. Their bass player broke his wrist.
 Don't ask how. So...that's where I'll be."
	"Okay," Willow said. Suddenly, she reached out and drew him into another embrace.
 "You know I love you, right? I mean, I don't love you, but I love you. I mean--"
	"I understand, Will," Oz said, brushing away one of her tears. "I understand."
 He gave her one last kiss on the forehead and backed away. "I'm gonna go now."
	"Okay."
	"I mean, I'll come back and visit and stuff, but...I'm gonna go now."
	"'Bye."
	"Bye, Will." With that, he stepped outside, closing the door behind him.



	Xander and Anya sat at the Bronze's bar, not looking at each other.
	"Are you going to talk to me now?"
	Xander nodded.
	"I'm sorry," he said.
	"So am I," she replied.
	A moment of quiet.
	"Are we back together now?"
	"An...it doesn't work. Us. We don't work."
	Anya looked at him, hurt in her face.
	"We work! I...I'm nice to you and you're nice to me and we have sex and we watch TV and
 slay vampires! We work!"
	"We don't, though."
	"Well, how do you know?"
	"If it did, would we be here?" Xander took a swallow of his drink. He finally turned to
 look at her. "You're a great woman, Anya..."
	"Oh, God," Anya moaned.
	"What?! I didn't say anything!"
	"You're breaking up with me! This is how breakups start! I remember from being a vengeance
 demon!"
	"An..." He took her hand. "It doesn't work anymore. When it started out, it was really
 great, but it's turned into something else. And it's not bad, it's just...there."
	Anya considered this.
	"Even the sex wasn't that great before I left."
	"Exactly! The sex wa-wha?"
	Anya shrugged. They went quiet. "So...we broke up," Anya said after a moment.
	"Yes."
	She frowned. "It hurts when I think about it. In here." She pointed to her heart.
	"It won't for too long," Xander replied.
	"I hate this!" Anya raved. "Stupid human body with its stupid human feelings!
 They're stupid!"
	"Kinda, yeah."
	"What do we do now?"
	"I...I guess we just move on." Xander thought. "Do you still have your apartment?"
	"Yeah."
	"Because I was going to say, if you want to stay the night at our place, you could."
	"I don't want to," Anya said quietly.
	"Do...do you need a ride?"
	"No."
	Xander nodded and stood.
	"An?"
	"What?"
	"Thank you."
	"For what?"
	He touched her cheek.
	"Loving me."
	Anya looked at him. "You're welcome."
	Xander nodded and walked away. Anya turned back to the bar and her drink.
	"Notice I didn't say the same thing back," she muttered.



	The sun was setting when Xander stepped into the darkened living room. He threw his
 bag on the floor and began to march upstairs to his room.
	"Xander?"
	The light clicked on. Willow was sitting at the foot of the stairs. She stood up,
 blocking his path.
	"Hey," he said carefully. "What's happening?"
	"I need to tell you something."
	Xander nodded.
	"I know," he said. He got ready. Be her friend. If that's all you ever get of her,
 you're still getting off lucky.
	"I talked to Oz," she began. "He wanted us to give the relationship another try."
	"...okay. All right. I understand." Attaboy. Be cool. You're the iceman. "I told you
 I wasn't going to make any demands, and--"
	"I told him I didn't love him."
	It was one of those very rare instances where Xander had no reply.
	"I'm in love with you," she said. "Only you. And, and I want you to know that, Xander,
 because we've both wasted so much time, and I wish I'd told you this years ago, and
 I wish we'd stayed together after the fluke, and I wish we'd waited for each other,
 but none of that matters now..." She laughed. Her hands were shaking. "I love you.
 And you should know that."
	"Okay," he said, nodding, his brain buzzing. "Gonna kiss you now."
	And he did, his lips reintroducing themselves to hers.
	"I love you," he said. "I love you, Willow Rosenberg."
	He kissed the tears from her cheeks, savoring the taste of them, the taste of her skin,
 the scent of her.
	"I love you," she replied.
	She took a step up the stairs and took his hand.
	"I'm going to go to bed now," she said.
	"Okay."
	"I want you to come with me."
	Wow. Two completely dumbfounding statements in one night. She was on a roll.
	"Please say yes," she murmured.
	"Yes," he whispered.
	Hand in hand, they walked up the stairs into what happened next.



	"There," Aphrodite said. "Nice work."
	"I guess," Tara said with a sigh. "But it needs a little something." She looked into the
 scrying glass of the goddess of love. "Oh, that's perfect!"



	Oz wolfed-ha, ha-his burger and proceeded to sip at his coffee. He couldn't really help
 himself when it came to meat, but he could at least be civilized about the java.
	Where to go next? Anywhere would be fine, he supposed, as long as it wasn't Sunnydale,
 California. Depressed, he took the last swig of coffee from his cup and got up to pay
 the check.
	"Hi."
	Standing near his table was an auburn-haired girl. It took Oz a moment to place the face;
 her name was Anya, some demon chick Xander had been dating...
	"Hey," Oz replied. "You look like you're having my day."
	"Xander broke up with me."
	"He does get around," Oz said darkly.
	"I was thinking..." Anya looked at her hands. "If you were leaving Sunnydale, you might
 need somebody to, you know, ride in the passenger seat and keep you awake during long
 rides. And pay for gas money."
	Oz considered this. He extended his hand.
	"Daniel Osbourne. Oz to my friends."
	"Anyanka Swenson. Anya to mine."
	Oz paid his bill and the two of them walked to the door.
	"So Anya...do you play any instruments?"
	"Oh, sure! I've had lots of time to practice. The violin, the piano, the drums and the
 guitar. Oh, and the harmonica."
	Oz smiled. "Anya, I believe this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."



To hear you say my name,
To see you search my eyes,
To feel you touch my hand,
It more than satisfies.
If I was not the first,
Just say I'll be the last...
It's too much to expect,
But it's not too much to ask.

Now I can only dream
Of being all you need,
And I can only try
To be the reason why...

You think about today
'Cause the past is just the past...
It's too much to expect,
But it doesn't hurt to ask,
It's too much to expect,
But it's not too much to ask.
--Mary Chapin Carpenter

Part 12

All of this is copyright Joss Whedon, except the stuff that isn't.