DISCLAIMER: Joss, high priest of coolness, please take no offense that I have borrowed your wonderful characters. I don't own them, I don't presume to own them, don't sue or kill me, wonderful people at WB!
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Part Six
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Ozwolf took the flight of stairs four at a time, bounding across the landing in a flash. His human side tried to reassert itself in the turmoil of animal thought processes, his hand…That is, paw, closing around the knob. Locked!
A high-pitched female shriek emitted from the room, and then was silenced.
He reared back, taking flying leaps at the door, the furniture on the inside keeping it closed, barely, against the onslaught.
* * *
Angel glanced up from his meal, his fangs still buried in Willow's neck. He tore himself away briefly, judging the door's durability, and smiled a very bloody smile. "I shall have to thank the Rosenbergs for their choice in fine- quality locks…" He lapped up the trickle of blood lazily, glancing at his victim. Her eyes were half-open, and had a glazed quality. "So, now, Willie. Here we are. Do I make you a vampire, or do I just dismember you? Now, on the one hand, it would provide a great lawn display for Buffy, but…" Willow barely had the strength to shy away as his cold, wet tongue slithered against her cheek. "You're also really cute."
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Buffy grabbed the rope, a poor weapon, but it would have to do. She didn't want to have to kill Oz. She steeled herself for whatever the werewolf decided to do. She almost laughed. The wolf was trying to ram Willow's reinforced door, unsuccessfully. It hadn't even noticed her. Yet. Buffy widened the noose…
* * *
Ozwolf could feel the door beginning to give way. He was almost in. One more push—
"Grr-Ulllpp!" Buffy neatly tightened the noose.
"Come on, Oz. Don't be this way. I thought you were going to lock yourself up tonight." Buffy almost gloated, he was so easy to capture. "You know, it's not my job to strangle wolves. I should be staking vampires." The wolf sank to his knees. "You sure did a number on Willow's front windows. Hope your band has a few gigs coming up. You're gonna need the money to pay her back." Ozwolf was on his knees, groggily gasping for air. "Are you ready to calm down now? That's right."
From the room came a soft chuckle, as if someone was listening, and enjoying this exchange.
Buffy loosened her grip. "There." After a moment, she added. "Nice Kitty. Willow, are you—"
Oz pulled the ever-classic fake out, coming to and knocking her feet out from under her. Buffy hit the floor hard, the wolf darting past her and down the stairs. Regaining her balance, the Slayer ran after it. "Bad Kitty."
Ozwolf hadn't forgotten his ultimate goal. He catapulted through the front window, bounding around the side of the house, easily grabbing the trellis. The rose thorns scratched and pulled at his fur, Buffy watching the werewolf climb, before trying to follow herself. Oz kicked her in the face, sending the slayer sprawling out into the grass, and pulled himself up over the last few feet of the wall.
* * *
Angelus held Willow in his arms, satisfied that the silence was Buffy, doing him the unexpected convenience of ridding him of distraction. He casually brushed a few strands of red hair away from her eyes, bending down to whisper in her partly-conscious ear. "You still alive?" His chuckle filled the room. "Well. Unfair of me to put you in this position, really. You don't really want to be a vampire, do you?" Angel grabbed her head with one hand, shaking it no. "I thought not. Do you want to be dismembered?" Again, he shook her head no. "Well, I don't feel like doing it to you, anyway. I'll just leave you here…" He scooped her up, laying her on the bed, arms folded over her chest like she was dead. "And you can bleed all over the covers. Goodbye, Willow." He picked up her hand, waving her wrist in a forced goodbye. Dropping it, he moved towards the balcony. "Oh, that's sweet, Willow. I'm going to miss you, too."
He opened the French doors, moonlight spilling onto him refreshingly. Angelus briefly reflected on his good fortune, style, wit, grace, etc.
Briefly, because two seconds later, one hundred and forty something pounds of fur hit him at full speed, right between the eyes.
Oz knocked him flat on his ass, but quickly moved on. He didn't even want to deal with Angelus. He just wanted to make sure that Willow was all right. He darted into the room, a still, deathlike hush enveloping him. Willow. He reverted to almost human Oz form, and ran over, taking a wrist in both his hands while at the same time kissing her lips gently, as if this was a fairy tale, and she was Sleeping Beauty. He nearly howled to the moon for joy when he found a pulse, weak though it was. Picking her up carefully, he moved some of the furniture aside, opening the door, pausing only to take half of a broken table leg.
* * *
Angelus watched Oz run to Willow. He could go back and kill the boy… but somehow, he knew it would be dishonorable after the display the wolf put on. Let him have the girl. She doesn't matter anyway. The vampire picked his way over the rose thorns, landing deftly on the ground.
"Hello, Angel." He whirled.
"Buffy. You made it. So dedicated to your friends. It's almost admirable. Shame, though. You didn't get the wolf boy. I mean, if you had, I might have had the chance to kill Willow in peace. Funny, though. You gave him a beating, and all he was trying to do was save his lady fair. Irony is a bitch, no?"
Buffy finally got over the shock and held up her fists. Angelus grinned. "Ooo. Slayer's gonna fight me now. I'm so scared!"
She hovered between striking out and melting into his arms. It would be easier to just let him kill her and get it over with. She couldn't stake him. Not the man she loved… or, once loved. She just couldn't.
"Angel…" She began, her eyes welling up with tears. Then she saw two faintly glowing yellow eyes creeping up behind Angel in the darkness. "Look out!"
The vampire lashed back, the stake flying from Oz's hands. "Nice try, dog boy. Look me up again sometime if you ever learn anything about fighting." Angelus blew Buffy a kiss, winking, and he ran, vanishing off into the night. Oz just stood there, eyes boring holes into the back of the slayer's skull. Shouldering Willow, he broke the silence. "Hospital."
When Buffy didn't move, he snarled. "NOW."
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