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jesterladyficTitle: Grace Fills Up Uneven Nature
by Jesterlady
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Willow/Oz, Xander/Anya, slight Spike/Buffy if you squint :)
Summary: A rewrite of BTVS S4, but this time, I'm really focusing on Willow/Oz.
Disclaimer: I don't own BTVS. Some lines are from the show. The title is by George Hebert. This chapter's title is by John Keats
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen: Fine Sounds are Floating Wild
“The time is opportune,” Adam said, turning to his group of followers. “You will enter the Initiative.” They all rushed to follow his orders and Adam turned back to his screen. “Now I will bring in the Slayer.”
***
Buffy didn’t come home. It was only chance that led Giles to this discovery. He’d had a call from Joyce wondering if he knew what was going on with her daughter who she’d been trying to get a hold of. He, himself, had been feeling neglected by Buffy which led him to go to her dorm room. There was no response and so he called Oz, relying on that being Willow’s location. She reluctantly came home to open the room for him and they’d found it void of Buffy.
“She hasn’t been here for a day,” Oz said, sniffing the air.
“Dog boy’s right,” came the unwelcome voice of Spike from behind them.
“What are you doing here?”
“Followed you. Wanted some action.”
“Try to stay out of the way.” Giles turned back to the room. “So, we shall assume that she’s
been…compromised.”
“This is all my fault,” Willow said. “I should’ve called at least. But I was just so…”
“Wrapped up in my problems,” Oz stated flatly.
“They’re our problems,” Willow said fiercely, then turned to Giles. “We have to find her. I’ll do a locator spell
right now.”
“Good idea. Let’s call Xander; all the extra eyes will be needed.”
“Night’s falling, Watcher,” Spike reminded, obviously enjoying their distress immensely.
“Thank you, Spike,” Giles said tersely.
They started to scour the campus, but found no signs. Spike volunteered to look through the cemeteries, and Giles
let him, wondering if the information could even be trusted, but figuring they didn’t have anything to lose.
“Something’s going down,” Spike said when he got back, leering at an anxious Xander whom Anya was trying
to calm down. “Everything’s too quiet and the soldiers have got their hands full, sounds like. Reckon that’s where
your bird is.”
“He’s right,” Willow said, resigned. “That’s what my spell says.”
“We need a plan,” Giles said. “We can’t just go in there.”
“Too chicken?” Spike suggested. Giles glared at him.
“We need Buffy. No, we need SuperBuffy,” Xander said. “And why is Dead Boy here again?”
“I’m not quite sure,” Giles replied, taking his glasses off. “But that does give me an idea. Yes, oh dear, yes. It
has to work.”
“Something I thought of works? It’s really my day.”
“Give the boy a trophy.”
“I could stake you.”
“Try it,” Spike invited, showing all his teeth.
Xander glared instead.
“Stop it, both of you. Xander, you’re concerned about Buffy, let’s focus on her. Spike, if you’re going to help,
then help. Otherwise, go away.”
“Oh, I’m sticking close to the action.”
“Well, let’s get to it then.” Giles led the way.
He would stop by his apartment and grab the necessary supplies and then they were going to the Initiative.
***
Buffy woke up alone. Something she did all too often these days. Make that every day. But that isn’t what made her so upset. What she was angry at was that she’d been captured, dumped into an Initiative cell, and left there for a day. It made her understand Spike just a little bit more and that was obviously unacceptable.
There were demons in the cages all around her and they were obviously waiting for something. It was a little
unnerving, but Buffy guessed that she was here at Adam’s wish and command. Something else she didn’t like. The
idea of the Slayer being a pawn in a demon game was not in the Slayer handbook, she was sure of that even if she’d
never read it.
The saddest thing was she didn’t even know who would miss her first. Willow probably wasn’t coming home
anytime soon and even if she did, she wouldn’t miss her.
Then the doors opened and things got really interesting.
***
Oz wondered if he could control himself with so much chaos. Demons and soldiers were ripping each other to shreds and his normal worry for Willow rose beyond what he thought he could handle. But he concentrated on staying alive and it seemed to help. Then there was the first sighting of Buffy and apologies and hugs offered amid the chaos. Only the Scoobies were capable of such a thing and Oz spied Spike rolling his eyes. He also noticed that Spike seemed to be taking down as many soldiers as he was demons, but figured there wasn’t anything he could do about it. That was why Spike had come after all, and Oz didn’t have any love for the soldiers since his own experience in this underground prison.
They all managed to fight their way into an unoccupied room and the plan was laid out to Buffy who agreed to it
with her usual soldier’s grace in battle. Oz uneasily took up guard positions with Anya and Spike. Guarding with
and against Spike. And he started to worry about Willow more and more.
The spell started and Buffy was gone and the others started speaking words he couldn’t understand. Demons
broke into the room and he had to fight and the red started to rise in his eyes and the claws extend on his hands and he fought with every single ounce of control he had. The events of the last year replayed for him in agonizing detail. He could smell Veruca’s scent and feel the rage as she hurt Willow. He felt the overwhelming urge to flee. How could he stay here amidst this blood and not be an animal? How could he not be an animal period? How could he resist the call? How could he stay and hurt her? The conflict went on and on and it was a wonder he stayed alive at all.
But Willow’s face was his constant and he recalled her strength, her awkwardness, her stubbornness, her resistance to his leaving, her willingness to fight for him and with him. His life had truly begun with meeting her. His life would end if he left, if he gave in now. And slowly the feral gleam left his eyes and the hair and claws retracted. He could fight with the cool detachment he normally felt.
And it was over. The others came to themselves in a rush and were left winded and rejoicing with each other. He could sense their renewed closeness and that closed off another worry he’d held about Willow.
And then it wasn’t over because Buffy was back and hugging everyone and urging them to fight and Spike was grinning with bloodied teeth and hands and there were soldiers shouting and Riley leading an evacuation and Willow clutching him in a desperate embrace. He felt the call and knew it would never end, but today…today he was free.
by Jesterlady
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Willow/Oz, Xander/Anya, slight Spike/Buffy if you squint :)
Summary: A rewrite of BTVS S4, but this time, I'm really focusing on Willow/Oz.
Disclaimer: I don't own BTVS. Some lines are from the show. The title is by George Hebert. This chapter's title is by John Keats
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen: Fine Sounds are Floating Wild
“The time is opportune,” Adam said, turning to his group of followers. “You will enter the Initiative.” They all rushed to follow his orders and Adam turned back to his screen. “Now I will bring in the Slayer.”
***
Buffy didn’t come home. It was only chance that led Giles to this discovery. He’d had a call from Joyce wondering if he knew what was going on with her daughter who she’d been trying to get a hold of. He, himself, had been feeling neglected by Buffy which led him to go to her dorm room. There was no response and so he called Oz, relying on that being Willow’s location. She reluctantly came home to open the room for him and they’d found it void of Buffy.
“She hasn’t been here for a day,” Oz said, sniffing the air.
“Dog boy’s right,” came the unwelcome voice of Spike from behind them.
“What are you doing here?”
“Followed you. Wanted some action.”
“Try to stay out of the way.” Giles turned back to the room. “So, we shall assume that she’s
been…compromised.”
“This is all my fault,” Willow said. “I should’ve called at least. But I was just so…”
“Wrapped up in my problems,” Oz stated flatly.
“They’re our problems,” Willow said fiercely, then turned to Giles. “We have to find her. I’ll do a locator spell
right now.”
“Good idea. Let’s call Xander; all the extra eyes will be needed.”
“Night’s falling, Watcher,” Spike reminded, obviously enjoying their distress immensely.
“Thank you, Spike,” Giles said tersely.
They started to scour the campus, but found no signs. Spike volunteered to look through the cemeteries, and Giles
let him, wondering if the information could even be trusted, but figuring they didn’t have anything to lose.
“Something’s going down,” Spike said when he got back, leering at an anxious Xander whom Anya was trying
to calm down. “Everything’s too quiet and the soldiers have got their hands full, sounds like. Reckon that’s where
your bird is.”
“He’s right,” Willow said, resigned. “That’s what my spell says.”
“We need a plan,” Giles said. “We can’t just go in there.”
“Too chicken?” Spike suggested. Giles glared at him.
“We need Buffy. No, we need SuperBuffy,” Xander said. “And why is Dead Boy here again?”
“I’m not quite sure,” Giles replied, taking his glasses off. “But that does give me an idea. Yes, oh dear, yes. It
has to work.”
“Something I thought of works? It’s really my day.”
“Give the boy a trophy.”
“I could stake you.”
“Try it,” Spike invited, showing all his teeth.
Xander glared instead.
“Stop it, both of you. Xander, you’re concerned about Buffy, let’s focus on her. Spike, if you’re going to help,
then help. Otherwise, go away.”
“Oh, I’m sticking close to the action.”
“Well, let’s get to it then.” Giles led the way.
He would stop by his apartment and grab the necessary supplies and then they were going to the Initiative.
***
Buffy woke up alone. Something she did all too often these days. Make that every day. But that isn’t what made her so upset. What she was angry at was that she’d been captured, dumped into an Initiative cell, and left there for a day. It made her understand Spike just a little bit more and that was obviously unacceptable.
There were demons in the cages all around her and they were obviously waiting for something. It was a little
unnerving, but Buffy guessed that she was here at Adam’s wish and command. Something else she didn’t like. The
idea of the Slayer being a pawn in a demon game was not in the Slayer handbook, she was sure of that even if she’d
never read it.
The saddest thing was she didn’t even know who would miss her first. Willow probably wasn’t coming home
anytime soon and even if she did, she wouldn’t miss her.
Then the doors opened and things got really interesting.
***
Oz wondered if he could control himself with so much chaos. Demons and soldiers were ripping each other to shreds and his normal worry for Willow rose beyond what he thought he could handle. But he concentrated on staying alive and it seemed to help. Then there was the first sighting of Buffy and apologies and hugs offered amid the chaos. Only the Scoobies were capable of such a thing and Oz spied Spike rolling his eyes. He also noticed that Spike seemed to be taking down as many soldiers as he was demons, but figured there wasn’t anything he could do about it. That was why Spike had come after all, and Oz didn’t have any love for the soldiers since his own experience in this underground prison.
They all managed to fight their way into an unoccupied room and the plan was laid out to Buffy who agreed to it
with her usual soldier’s grace in battle. Oz uneasily took up guard positions with Anya and Spike. Guarding with
and against Spike. And he started to worry about Willow more and more.
The spell started and Buffy was gone and the others started speaking words he couldn’t understand. Demons
broke into the room and he had to fight and the red started to rise in his eyes and the claws extend on his hands and he fought with every single ounce of control he had. The events of the last year replayed for him in agonizing detail. He could smell Veruca’s scent and feel the rage as she hurt Willow. He felt the overwhelming urge to flee. How could he stay here amidst this blood and not be an animal? How could he not be an animal period? How could he resist the call? How could he stay and hurt her? The conflict went on and on and it was a wonder he stayed alive at all.
But Willow’s face was his constant and he recalled her strength, her awkwardness, her stubbornness, her resistance to his leaving, her willingness to fight for him and with him. His life had truly begun with meeting her. His life would end if he left, if he gave in now. And slowly the feral gleam left his eyes and the hair and claws retracted. He could fight with the cool detachment he normally felt.
And it was over. The others came to themselves in a rush and were left winded and rejoicing with each other. He could sense their renewed closeness and that closed off another worry he’d held about Willow.
And then it wasn’t over because Buffy was back and hugging everyone and urging them to fight and Spike was grinning with bloodied teeth and hands and there were soldiers shouting and Riley leading an evacuation and Willow clutching him in a desperate embrace. He felt the call and knew it would never end, but today…today he was free.
