Ain't destiny's grand?: Chapter 23
by i_hate_mornings
Disclaimer: Do not belong to me. Doubt that will change.

Chapter 23

Giles was full of questions by the time they arrived back at the mansion. Buffy had no way to save the stoic teenager from the inquisition. She couldn’t suggest they go to bed and talk in the morning; it was morning. She was able, however, to postpone the questioning so Oz could have a shower and clean himself up.

While he was upstairs, Buffy called Xander and got him to bring a change of clothes for the werewolf. When he heard why she needed them, he baulked and mumbled something about rabid dogs and rabies. Buffy just hung up on him. She knew he’d do what she asked.

She had to laugh when Oz came back down the stairs. The poor guy was wearing Giles’ terrycloth bathrobe and he was drowning in it. The robe was about four sizes to big for the small guy. Buffy also noticed, with some interest that the robe wasn’t tweed. She’d fully expected that everything of Giles’ was tweed.

Oz took a seat in the centre of the couch and Buffy saw with some sympathy how uncomfortable he was. It’s only going to get worse, buddy. Giles returned from the kitchen carrying a small tray piled high with tea and crackers. He placed the tray on the small cherry wood table in front of the lycanthrope, then took the seat opposite.

‘Well,’ Giles opened and Buffy grinned. The master of small talk. ‘Mr,’ cough, ‘Oz. Ah, so where, ah…’

Buffy decided to help him out. ‘So Oz. How’d ya become a werewolf?’

Giles glanced at her gratefully then turned to listen to Oz’s answer. ‘Family trip. Cousin Jordy bit me. Next thing I knew, hey, werewolf.‘

Giles nodded wisely and Buffy shook her head with a grin. She could tell he had so much more to ask but was a little frustrated by Oz’s clipped answer. She mentally shrugged. Not his fault he didn’t talk much.

‘How long ago was that?’ Giles seemed to have regained his composure. ‘I mean the outing where you were bitten.’

‘About three months.’

‘When did the first sign of, ah, the wolf begin to manifest?’ Giles picked up a book from the coffee table and Buffy realised it was his diary. Been separated from the Council for how long and still keeps a diary?

‘About three weeks ago,’ Oz answered straight faced. Yeah, cause his expression changed so much.

‘Three weeks! Good lord. I’ve never heard… I wonder why…‘ he trailed off and Buffy clapped her hands, bringing him back to now. ‘Right… three weeks,’ he mumbled, astounded. ‘Sorry, ah, where were you when it came forth?’

‘Bathroom.’

‘And were you doing anything in particular?’ Giles’ face went beet red and it took Buffy a few seconds before she realised why. My Watcher has a filthy mind.

Oz’s face remained passive. ‘Shaving.’

‘Yes, right,’ Giles scribbled a hasty note in the diary.

‘What does the tattoo mean?’ Buffy spoke up. She had a few questions of her own to ask.

‘It’s my band. Dingoes ate my baby,’ Oz answered simply.

Buffy smiled. ‘I knew you were either in a band or a surfer,’ Buffy smiled. ‘You good?’

‘I guess,’ Oz shrugged. ‘We won Battle of the Bands last year.’

‘Cool,’ Buffy nodded, impressed. ‘Who else is in the band?’

‘Devon, he’s the lead singer; Scotty, other guitar and Eric on drums,’ Buffy didn’t recognise any of the names Oz rattled off which wasn’t surprising. She hadn’t known Oz so how would she have known the rest of his band.

‘A band?’ Giles seemed disapproving and Buffy almost laughed. Oz had been here for half an hour and already he was treating him like one of them.

‘Yeah,’ Oz nodded, unperturbed.

‘I have one more question to ask,’ Buffy raised her hand. When both men looked at her she smiled. ‘What’s with the hair?’

Oz actually smiled slightly. ‘Did it once, liked it, never looked back.’

‘Okay,’ Buffy sat back, curiosity satisfied. ‘Oh, wait,’ she sat back up suddenly. ‘What’s your natural colour?’

Oz remained silent for a second, leading Buffy to believe he was thinking. He showed no sign of it outwardly. ‘You know, I don’t actually remember.’

Giles took over as Buffy sank into her seat. All the questions she’d thought of, she’d asked so there was no point in her taking part. Listening to Oz ‘s answers though, she realised it must be pretty hard for him. He went from a normal boy out on a family picnic, to a werewolf, in a matter of months. He must have been freaking out when it first started to happen.

It reminded Buffy of her own calling. None of it was her own choice. She changed and there was nothing she could do about it. She became a Slayer, Oz became a werewolf. There was a difference, yeah, after all she didn’t get furry three nights a month and Oz wasn’t super strong on a normal day but both their lives had been changed by a single event. A girl had died which passed the mantle to Buffy and Oz had been bitten by his cousin. Seemingly everyday things with such consequences.

‘How have I not seen you around town before?’ Buffy suddenly spoke up. She raised her eyes to Oz and he made an expression that resembled a grimace.

‘I chain myself up in the basement at home usually but I must have broken free,’ his head lowered ‘til he was staring at the carpet. His facial expression didn’t change as he spoke. ‘I don’t understand how though, I checked the chains…’ he trailed off then glanced back up. ‘I check the chains every night. They shouldn’t have broken.’

As Oz finished speaking, Xander and Willow walked in. Xander, having hear the tail end of the conversation, was grinning form ear to ear and had a scandalised look on his face. ‘I’m shocked Giles, just shocked and a little traumatised,’ he held a hand over his heart in mock horror. ‘I never knew you were into that kind of stuff. Geez, that’ll give me nightmares for, like, ever.’

Buffy grinned. ‘You know them British,’ she said innocently. ‘They like their chains,’ she winked at a red faced Giles.

‘Who’s the purple people eater?’ Xander asked loudly, earning an angry elbow in the side from an embarrassed redhead. ‘What?’

Buffy ignored Xander’s lack of tact, still laughing over the “purple people eater” crack. If only he realised. Than again maybe he did. ‘Guys this is Oz, Oz this is Xander Harris and Willow Rosenberg,’ she introduced them.

‘Is there more to that, Oz?‘ Xander asked as he plopped himself down next to Buffy.

‘Daniel Osborne,’ he said distantly and Buffy glanced at him to see his gaze was stuck on Willow. The redhead didn’t seem to notice. She was too busy talking to Giles about something or another. ‘People used to call me Oz. It stuck,’ he shrugged.

Buffy watched with amusement as Oz’s gaze never left Willow as he spoke. Maybe she should set them up. Xander was never going to open his eyes and smell the hottie but Oz was showing definite interest.

‘So, why are you here in Buffy’s humble home?’ Xander looked at the purple haired musician seriously. Buffy smiled at his protectiveness. ‘And why are you naked?’

‘Xander,’ Buffy sighed. Her head dropped into her hands in surrender. There was just no controlling him. Her head came up when she thought over his questions. She’d told him it all over the phone. Was he not putting the two together?

Oz didn’t seem to mind the straightforward questions. ’I don’t know if I should…’ he looked at Buffy in question and she nodded. He could trust them. She’d already told Xander. By now Giles and Willow were listening in. ’I’m a werewolf. When I change, my clothes don’t make it.’

‘Right,’ Xander nodded. She saw it dawn on his face. ‘Oh. Then these are for you,’ he handed Oz the bag of clothes.

Buffy raised her eyebrows and looked at Willow in question. She nodded. The clothes were okay, not Xander’s usual mix and match of baggy pants and outlandish shirts. Oz should at least look somewhat respectable before he goes and gets his own clothes.

The lycanthrope took the bag gratefully and sat it on the floor beside his legs. Some thing seemed to occur to him and he looked up and directly at Buffy. ‘How do you know about werewolves? Why were you in the graveyard?’

Xander, Willow and Giles froze while Buffy sat their calmly. What else had they expected to happen? Of course Oz was going to ask. He wasn’t stupid. How else were they going to explain it? ‘I’m a Slayer.’

‘Of what?’ was Oz’s only question.

‘Vampires, demons, anything evil that’s not human, basically,’ she answered with a shrug.

‘Cool,’ Oz nodded. A few seconds later. ‘So vampires are real…’ he mused. ’That explains a lot.’

‘Yes, well, be that as it may,’ Giles interrupted trying to get back on track. ‘I’m still a little confused. Earlier you mentioned that it was only three weeks ago you started to feel the change. Are you sure?’

Oz nodded and Giles took his glasses off to rub his eyes tiredly. ‘It’s just not possible,’ the Watcher mumbled.

‘Hey Giles, what cha mumblin’ about?‘ Xander was watching the Watcher interestedly.

‘When someone is bitten by a werewolf, it should take only days for the change to start. At the next full moon they should change completely. I don’t understand why there was such a delay,’ he frowned at the book in front of him. ‘How old was your cousin?’

‘Three.’

‘Oh,’ Giles looked up in relief. ‘That explains it then.’

‘Explains what Watcher-mine?’ Buffy waved a hand around, trying to catch his attention.

‘Because the werewolf in question was a child, the shall we say, poison, in the bite was not as effective. The delay makes perfect sense now,’ Giles explained.

‘Right,’ Buffy nodded. ‘Have you finished with your questioning?’ she’d noticed Oz staring at Willow again and she wanted to talk to the redhead herself.

‘Yes, I believe that is all I have for now,’ Giles affirmed.

‘Great,’ Buffy turned to Oz. ‘I’m sure you want to go and get changed. Just use the bathroom. We’ll take you home when you’re ready.’

Oz nodded and picked up the bag, making his way back upstairs to change. Buffy immediately turned to Willow. ‘Someone has a cru-ush,’ she sang and Willow looked at her confused. ‘Oz likes you,’ Buffy told her, smiling.

Willows eyes went wide. ‘W-what. No,‘ she denied.

Buffy nodded slowly. ‘Yep,’ she glanced at Giles and Xander. Both had been oblivious. ‘We’ll talk later,’ she whispered conspiratorially to Willow.

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

When Oz came down a few minutes later, Buffy watched him closely. There was no denying it. His eyes immediately fixed on Willow as he entered the room. They would make such a cute couple, she gushed internally. They had to be brought together. She decided to make it her new project.

Oz seemed ready to leave so they gathered everything together and walked out the front door. Xander was the first out. He stopped suddenly causing Willow and Buffy to crash into his back.

Buffy rubbed her sore nose. ‘Damn Xander, why’d you stop?’

He didn’t answer, bending down, instead, to pick something up. Buffy watched, a frown marring her beautiful face as he turned around. The frown deepened when she saw what he was holding. ‘What the…’ she reached out a hand to touch the mid-size box.

The lid sprang open causing Xander to almost drop it in alarm. He held it away from his body and Buffy rolled her eyes at him. ‘Who’s it for?’

‘It doesn’t say,’ he answered. ‘Oh, wait,’ he looked inside the box. ‘There’s a note… For Buffy. Well, someone’s popular.’

Buffy snatched the note out of his hand. She didn’t recognise the handwriting. Xander handed her the box. Willow, Giles and Oz were watching interestedly.

Buffy looked inside and gasped. Laying in the bottom was a beautiful blue marble handled knife. The blade curved elegantly and a deep groove ran though there middle. It was a work of art. The only thing marring its beauty, was the dried blood covering the steel blade. She picked up the knife and studied it, turning it over and over in her hand.

Giles stepped up and gestured for her to give it to him. He took the knife and Buffy looked back into the box. Inside was another note. She pulled it out slowly. You’re next, Slayer, it read.

Spike. She didn’t know how she knew it, she just knew it was him. He was finally making a move.

Her gaze roamed the area around them. Even though it was day, vampires could still travel above ground, so long as they stayed out of direct sunlight. Nothing caught her attention so she turned back to her Watcher. He was still examining the blade closely.

‘Anything?’ she asked with a distasteful glance at the weapon.

Giles shook his head. ‘I doubt we’d be able to find who sent it,’ he mused.

‘It was Spike,’ Buffy said, positive it was the bleach blonde vampire. Another Slayerfest team wouldn’t be on her that fast.

‘Are you sure?’ Giles asked, a concerned look crossing his face.

She nodded determinedly. ‘It was him. I’m sure of it.’

Giles sighed. ‘It seems he is finally ready to face you, Buffy. You must be extra careful on patrol tonight. This is just a warning.’

‘I know. If he’s gonna make a move, I should have one of my own right?’ she turned to look thoughtfully at Oz. ‘Can you, in your beasts form, tell whether or not someone is a vampire?’

Oz shook his head. ‘I don’t remember any part from the wolf. When I wake up, the last thing I remember is the beginning of the change,‘ he said neutrally.

‘That settles it for me then,’ Buffy clapped her hands together in glee. ‘Tonight is the last night of the full moon. I’m taking Oz for a walk.’

She silenced the chorus of protest with a wave of her hand. ‘I don’t want to hear it. If he gets out of control, I’ll lock him up again like I did last night.’

‘Buffy this is not a wise plan. It’s not even a thought out plan. Surely there are other courses of action. There is still seven hours of daylight left. We can think up something else,’ Giles tried to make her see reason.

She nodded slowly. ‘Fine. Think it through. If there is no other suitable plan, I’m taking Oz. Is that okay with you?’ she directed that last part at the guy in question.

Oz just raised his eyebrows. ‘I see a lot of flaws in this plan. If you can work them out and guarantee that I won’t kill anyone, then maybe,’ he said diplomatically and Buffy winced.

‘Ah, you kinda did that last night,’ she said cringing.

Oz stood silently. ‘So that’s why I woke up full.’





Sorry about not updating. Work... *shakes head* stuffing me around as usual.

Didn't know D.A.M.B band members beyond Devon and Oz so i made them up. If anyone knows let me know.

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