Title: Three Little Words (1/3)
Author: Dolores Labouchere
E-mail: dolores_l@h...
Summary: Oz finally confronts Xander, talks to an old friend, and challenges Angel.
Spoilers: Some small references to events in Seasons 2 & 3 of Buffy and Season 1 of Angel.
Rating: R for language and slashy situations (implied O/A and O/X)
Distribution: UCSL, Ozslash, diminished ninth, and Dolores' Domain, otherwise just ask.
Disclaimer: They're not mine, they never have been and they probably never will be. I promise to put them back when I'm finished although they might be slightly soiled.
Notes: Next in the 'Driftwood' series, following on from 'Hobson's Choice'. All previous parts are, as ever, on UCSL and Dolores' Domain archives. Sorry this has taken quite so long to do; I started a new job and moved house and had a complete lack of inspiration over the last few months and   that's meant that this has taken a lot longer to complete than I intended. Thank you to all those who asked where the next part was, and special thanks and love to the beautiful 'Reesa and the gorgeous Faithtastic for their beta'ing skills, and seeing as they've been the ones who were most wanting this, it's for you m'dears.

This is an AU where Oz left in the middle of the summer between High School and college, so he didn't go to LA, didn't cheat on Willow with Veruca, and didn't find a cure. Oh, and Tara never got it together with Willow (Xander did instead).

"This I not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force." – Dorothy Parker

***

Just in case you've forgotten, we left our heroes shortly after Xander   punched out Oz in the park…

***

He was dimly aware of sounds echoing. Voices, maybe, or maybe not. Then, behind the echoing, and a bit to the side, there was pain.   Pain there, but   also in his joints and his sinuses and his chest all at once. His head hurt in a dull, throbbing way. He wasn't sure if the pain was what was causing the echoing, or if things were echoing anyway.

Instinct, mostly, prompted him to shake his head, so that the different sensations would push the pain away for a bit. Instead it brought bile to the back of his throat. Swallowing it back down Oz tried to open his eyes, but screwed them up again as the dazzling light of the afternoon sun bounced off his retinas. Cursing under his breath, and clutching his head, Oz hauled himself into a sitting position and tried to make sense of the echoing sounds. It seemed to fade – the echoing, not the pain – and although his eyes stayed resolutely shut, he could discern arguing between two definitely familiar voices.

Squinting in the light, Oz carefully opened his eyes again. He lifted a hand to shade his face and looked up to see Willow and Xander in the midst of a full-blown battle. Verbally speaking.

". . .and do you have any idea how unlucky it is to see me the day before the wedding? I mean, Goddess knows, it's as well I’m not in the dress or then. . ."

Judging from what they were arguing about he’d been out for a good few minutes, or possibly Willow's priorities were just all wrong.

"Uh. . . guys?" he said, in a pained voice.

"Oz!" Willow whirled around from her venting at Xander, and rushed towards her former boyfriend. "Are you OK?"

"Fine… I think." The werewolf pulled himself up onto the bench he'd cracked his head off moments before and looked at Xander.   The other man was standing a little way off, fists still clenched at his sides in rage. He looked back murderously at Oz.

Willow, now looming over Oz (insofar as Willow could loom), started off again at her fiancé, "Xander, look at him  He's probably concussed. And –   and damaged in a horrible and possibly fatal way."

"Will, I'm OK. Really." He took his hands from his head and it was only when the odour of his own blood registered on his lupine senses that he   realised he was actually bleeding. He looked at his hands and the sticky, congealed liquid on the palms and between the fingers.

"No, you're not. You should go to a hospital. And – and get an X-ray. Or a CAT scan. Or something."

"He's fine," snapped Xander from behind Willow, giving Oz another angry glare.

"Xander, shut up," Willow snarled, prompting a raised eyebrow from Oz.

"Will, really. . ." the smaller man said in reassuring tones.

"You be quiet too. We're taking you to the hospital and," she paused to   check her watch, and squeaked when she saw the position of Mickey Mouse's hands. "Oh, no.   I told Mom I'd be back home now. . . but I can't just leave you, Oz. But. . . uh. . . we're sorting out some catering and. . ." Willow floundered for a moment, then turned to her fiancé. "Xander, you'll have to take him."

"Me?!" Xander's voice had risen an octave.

"Yes, you!"

"No way!"

"Doesn't Xander have stuff to organise also?" Oz asked.

Willow regarded Oz with a faintly amused look. "You think we let him near any preparations? He hasn't changed that much."

"Hey!"

"So, no, he doesn't. And," she turned at this to Xander and gave him a hard stare, "I'm not hearing any arguments."

Xander opened his mouth, then shut it again, glaring at his fiancée.

"Oz, I'm really sorry, I should take you. But, I've got to go be organise girl. Will you be OK?"

He nodded, and Willow gave him a nervous smile.

"Will!" growled Xander from behind the witch.

"I told you, *no* arguments. I'm not going to deal with your testosterone overload right now. Take Oz to the hospital. And don't hit him again." Sighing, she gave Xander a quick peck on the cheek, then turned to give another concerned glance in Oz's direction.   "Phone me, let me know you're OK. And come to the wedding. And the reception. Please?"

Oz nodded again to Willow's grin, and, satisfied, she hurried off towards the park gates. The two men watched her go in silence.

When she disappeared from sight Xander turned to Oz, fire in his eyes, and barked, "Have you come back to ruin this? Tell her?"

"Xander. . ." Oz sighed in exasperation. "I'm not here to. . ."

"Then why turn up in Sunnydale the day before I'm due to marry Willow? You really going to tell me it's to watch your ex-girlfriend and your ex. . ." Xander fumbled or a second, ". . .uh, ex-me to do the holy matrimony bit? You'll be waiting when the church guy asks you to 'speak now or forever hold your peace' and then tell them all you slept with me!"

"They do that in Jewish weddings?" Oz asked.

Xander reflected for a moment. "I'm actually not sure. But that's not the point! Answer the question!"

Avoiding Xander's gaze, Oz said quietly, "I haven't come back here for some big scene, Xand. Just. . ."

"Just what?!" Xander was standing right next to the bench now, looking down at Oz.

"I don't know. To finish things."

"Finish what? My relationship with Willow? *Your* relationship with Willow? Or," Xander laughed, though there was no humour, "your twisted idea of whatever it is you think *we* had?"

Oz closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them again, he slowly got to his feet and began to walk away from Xander.

"Oh, great. Walk away from this, Oz. That's real mature."

Oz sighed, then stopped and turned to Xander, who was still at the bench. "What's the point? Would you listen to anything I said? Or have you already made up your mind I'm simply here to make things difficult for you?"

Xander pouted. "I'm not the one in the wrong here, Dogboy."

"I'm not trying to pretend I'm blameless, Xander. Unlike you."

"I wasn't the one dating Willow."

"No, you weren't. And believe me, I regret that what I did hurt Willow. Do you?"

"Of course I do! It was a horrible, horrible mistake, and. . ."

"And what?"

"You're going to use it against me. Make me hurt for rejecting you. Jeez, Oz, I thought your ego wasn't quite that huge."

Oz raised both eyebrows. "Please tell me you're not that self-centred."

"Look, I'm not the one on trial here. You are. You're the one who hurt Willow six years ago." At this, Xander moved towards Oz again.

"Trial?! I'm guilty, Xander, I know that. I never wanted to hurt Willow. But I did  And I honestly do regret it. But I am not here to rub Willow's nose in it." Oz stood his ground as Xander approached.

"Then why are you here, I ask again." They were face to face now.

"Maybe to tell her. Maybe not. To make sure she really is happy. Even to make sure you are."

Xander turned away slightly. "Well, I am, and so is she. And telling Willow is not going to make her happier."

"But doesn't she have the right to know? I fell in love with you, Xander. And you. . . felt something for me." Oz placed a hand on Xander's shoulder.

"No! And will you stop that!" Xander shrugged the hand off. "We. . . I   dunno, played around, for a couple of weeks. It meant nothing, not to me."

Oz's jaw set. "I don't believe that."

"Not my problem."

The two men stared at each other for a moment, then Xander's features relaxed, and he spoke softly for the first time that afternoon.

"Oz, I'm sorry if I led you on. That wasn't fair. But. . ." He looked away. "C'mon, I promised Will I'd take you to the hospital."   He made to move, then turned to look at Oz, who still stood watching him. Xander tilted his head. "You coming?"

Oz shrugged, and started to walk.

Neither man spoke for a while, as they left the park for the streets of Sunnydale. It was now late afternoon, and although the sun was still high, the shadows were longer, and the air cooler. As they walked, Xander would open his mouth from time to time, but would shut it again, whatever he was going to say dying in his throat. Against expectation, it was Oz who finally broke the silence.

"What you did, what you said, it hurt, Xander."

Xander said nothing in response, then whispered, "When?"

"In the motel six years ago. And now."

"I was only telling the truth. You have to be cruel to be kind."

"Bullshit, Xander. Don't give me empty clichés."

Xander sounded a little hurt. "What did you want me to say? Lie? Tell you that I loved you?"

Oz simply looked at the taller man, a raised eyebrow his answer to the question.

"Oz, I. . . if this were different, if. . . I dunno. But I do know you couldn't have loved me – not really – we only did what we did for a few weeks."

Oz was silent for a moment.

"It was enough."

"It wasn't for me, Oz."

"No."

"I. . . I always liked you, Oz. You were good to Willow. . . until me. I didn't – I don't mean to be horrible to you, but I'm scared."

"I know."

"You do?"

"Xander, I was in Angel's bathroom when you paid him a visit this morning. I heard what you said."

"What the hell were you doing there?"

"Angel put me up for the night. He had the space."

"Oz. . . there was only one bed." Xander said, then laughed, "please tell me you're not attempting to sleep with all the Scoobs!   Should I warn Buffy?"

Oz said nothing.

"Yeah, you and Angel, ha ha."

Still silence.

"Oz?" Xander stopped walking and grabbed Oz's arm, spinning the smaller man around to face him. "Tell me I'm the only male Scoobie you've seduced."

"I didn't seduce him."

Xander released his grip. "Oh, well, that's OK then." There was a pause. Oz was sure he could hear the cogs turning. "Wait. Did he seduce you?"

"Not exactly."

"Then what, *exactly*?"

"Seduction occurred. But it was a mutual thing."

"You slept with Angel?!" Xander shouted, causing some passers-by to stare.

Oz shrugged.

"What? Why? Where did that come from?"

Oz wished he knew himself. "I dunno."

"Bu… but, Angel. Buffy. Angel and Buffy."

"Xander. Cordelia. Xander and Cordelia. Xander and Oz."

"*That's* besides the point. I mean, I know Spike used to call Angel a big poof, but I thought he was just being insulting."

"I'm sure that was his objective as well."

There was a pause. Xander appeared to be working up to something.

"Was he any good?"

Oh. "Xander. . ."

"Was he better than me?"

Oz glared at the other man. Xander tutted. They started to walk again.

"Willow won't tell me who was better either. Between you and me, I mean. Willow hasn't slept with Angel. I don't think. I hope.   Stopping now."

Oz saw his chance. "Which, sorta, brings us back to the original conversation. Willow."

"Oz. . ."

"Are you going to tell her?"

The taller man sighed irritably. "I will tell her, sometime. But not now, not with the wedding tomorrow. Promise me you won't."

"You will tell her?"

"Yes, one day."

"Xander…"

"Soon. Oz, please. If you do feel. . . stuff for me, let me have my happiness too. Let Willow have her big day."

Oz paused, and closed his eyes again. He sighed, then opened them again.

"OK, OK. Look, the bleeding's stopped. You don't need to take me to the hospital."

"You sure?" Xander asked, one phrase with two questions.

Oz nodded, answering both.

"Oz, uh, look, come to the bachelor party. Bring your date. I promise not to shout at you, or punch you."

"How can I refuse?"

Xander allowed himself a smile. "You and Angel? You're a cheap tramp, Daniel Osbourne."

Oz's mouth twitched.

"That wasn't a smile?"

"About as close as I get."

Xander grinned. "OK, well, I need to head over to the G-man's. He'll be wondering what's happened to me."

Oz nodded, then looked up at the younger man. "Look, Xander, don't tell anyone about me and Angel – I don't know if he wants people to know or not."

Xander reflected for a second. "My silence in exchange for yours. You've got a deal."

Oz nodded, and then there was an awkward silence, as both men looked at each other, unsure how to end things.

Glancing at his watch, Xander broke the deadlock. He gave a brief smile to Oz, and a valiantly chipper, "Right, then. I'll see you around." A wave then a hurried walk, away towards Giles'. Oz watched him go, and noticed that the daylight was beginning to fade, as most of the streets were darkened by shadows. Shaking his head in mock despair, he turned towards his temporary home.

He was halfway back to the hotel when a red car suddenly cut across the street, narrowly avoiding cars travelling in the other direction, who issued indignant blasts from their horns in response. It screeched to a halt next to him, and the window slid open.

"Oz!   Hey!" called Cordelia from the driver's seat.

***

Continued in Part 2