"Hello?" she answered, hoping drowsily that it was a wrong number.
  "Oh my God. Willow. Oh my God." Said the voice, between gasps for breath.
  "Buffy?" Willow's eyes popped open and she stood up straight as a board.
  "Where are you? Are you okay? What happened?"
  "I'm pretty much okay. It's a long story. I don't know where I am, but
  wherever it is. I want to be somewhere else. Spike. And Druscilla. Here. And
  they're mad."
  "What should I do?" Willow asked hoping for the best.
  "I need you to come. Don't tell anyone where you are going. Take the bus
  south
  from the Port Authority. Get off at the last stop. Here's what to bring..."
  15 minutes later, Willow finished a scribbled note, and headed out the door
  with her bag.
  *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
  "Has anyone seen Willow?" Oz pushed opened the door of the library and
  quickly scanned the room for his girlfriend. By the look on the faces of
  Giles, Xander and Cordelia that something was wrong. Xander slowly stood up

  from his chair and held out a piece of paper to Oz. " Willow's parents gave
  this to me."
  Oz opened the paper and read the writing in Willow's long, flowing cursive.
  Mom and Dad,
  I have to leave. I don't know when I'll be back, but Buffy needs me and I
  can't stay here. I love you and I'll miss you very much. Tell my friends.
  -Willow
  She was gone. Oz handed the note back to Xander. With a shocked look on
  his
  face he turned and walked out of the library, letting the door swing back and
  forth behind him.
  *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
  Willow arrived at the Bus Station just in time and boarded the 7:00 bus. She
  hesitated briefly as she walked up the steps, but kept going. She found an
  empty seat near the back, next to a window. The bus pulled away, out of the
  station. She stared blankly at the houses and fields as they passed the only
  thing that she noticed really was a big green highway sign. LEAVING
  SUNNYDALE
  it read it large white letters.
  *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
  Mr. Rosenberg was awakened by his wife that night around midnight. "Listen.
  Don't you hear something?" She whispered. He sat up and strained to hear
  whatever it was, thinking his wife must be imagining a burglar. But the all
  too real sound of muffled sobbing met his ears.

  PART TWO:
  Mr. and Mrs. Rosenberg got up from bed and cautiously tiptoed down to
  Willow's room where the sound was coming from. Hoping their daughter had
  come
  home, they opened the door to something different. A boy sat in the chair at
  the far end of the room, hugging one of the pillows off of Willow's bed. His
  face was pressed into it and he was shaking with the force of his sobs. He
  didn't look up when they entered and just kept weeping. "Um... hello?" Mr.
  Rosenberg ventured. The boy sat straight up and wiped his tearstained face
  with the sleeve of his flannel shirt. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I'll go. Uh... good
  night He said, standing up as if to leave. "Wait." Mrs. Rosenberg said,
  "You're her boyfriend, right?" She snapped her
  fingers, trying to remember the name that was constantly on Willow's lips.
  "Oz." he said, figuring out what she wanted. " Well, I have to go home.
  Goodbye."
  He walked out the door but was turned around once more by a "Thank you."
  from
  Mrs. Rosenberg. "For caring so much about her." she finished the sentence
  the
  door shut behind Oz and he walked home.
  *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
  Willow stepped off the bus and looked around for Buffy. "Psst. Willow, behind
  you." came a whispered voice. Willow turned around and saw Buffy. Her
  clothes
  were torn and it was obvious she hadn't been getting enough sleep or food.
  Willow hugged her. "God, Buffy. What happened?" she questioned. Buffy
  sighed
  and began to tell Willow what had happened that night that they had last seen

  each other. "...So anyway, Druscilla is still mad at Spike and, according to
  him, of course it's my fault." she finished. As they were talking Buffy had
  led Willow down an alley. "Here. Come on." she motioned for Willow to follow
  her.

  PART THREE:
  Willow followed Buffy through the manhole and down the sewer. A faint light
  glowed from around the bend. They walked into a large room with a light
  hanging from the ceiling. Willow put down the bag and sat on a crate. She
  looked around the room and to Buffy for guidance on what to do next. She
  had
  half opened her mouth to talk when Buffy shushed her. Heavy footsteps
  echoed
  through the pipes,
  getting closer. A shadow stood in the door. Willow stood up. Spike entered,
  dragging Druscilla by her wrist.
  *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
  Xander, Cordelia, Oz, and Giles were sitting in the library. In the almost
  half an hour they had been sitting, not one word had been spoken and no one
  had moved. Oz stood up and picked up his bag and guitar. The others spun
  around in suprise, not expecting the sudden movement. He walked out of the
  door, not looking back at the three others who didn't say or do anything to
  stop him from leaving.
  *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
  At about 11:00 that night, Oz climbed through the open window in Willow's
  bedroom. He picked a pillow off the bed and sat down in the chair. He thought

  of her smile. How it spread over her face, lighting up every corner of his
  world. He thought of her eyes. The deepness and understanding that could
  change to sparkling gem of pure happiness in a second. The fell of her lips on

  his. How soft her skin was. Her touch, her voice, her smell. Every little
  thing about her. God, he missed her so much. The first of that night's
  countless tears wet the pillow as he pressed his face into it, rocking back
  and forth in the chair.

  PART FOUR:
  By the time Willow had been away for 3 days, Mr. and Mrs. Rosenberg were
  used
  to the sound of crying at night. It would start and stop around the same time
  each night, and the incredible intensity of Oz's sobs never changed. Always
  sincere, heart-wrenching, and mournful. He really must of loved her. He really
  did.
  *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
  Xander, Cordelia, Oz, and Giles all sat in the library. Xander's fingers
  drumming the table was the only sound. "Well. We're really getting nowhere
  fast." Cordelia said with a sigh. "And, please, Xander, stop that horrible
  noise!"
  "She's right you know." Giles said.
  "I'm stopping, I'm stopping!" Xander said throwing his hands in the air.
  "No. I mean that we shouldn't just sit here." Giles replied.
  The remark did nothing and they sat there some more.
  *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
  "Did you bring it?" Spike questioned Buffy
  Buffy opened the duffel bag Willow had brought and threw its contents to the
  floor.
  "Careful!" Spike yelled. He motioned into the shadows and two vamps came
  running out. The nervously put the things back in the bag and handed it to
  Spike. Druscilla draped herself over his shoulder, peering into the bag. She
  gingerly reached in a hand and pulled out the-quite realistic-plastic book.
  "IT'S FAKE!" she screamed. Willow stood planted to the spot, staring as
  Rage
  consumed Druscilla. Buffy grabbed Willow's wrist and pulled, jerking Willow to

  her senses. "RUN!" Willow didn't need to be told.

  PART FIVE:
  Buffy was smart enough know she didn't have the strength to fight. She and
  Willow ran like they hadn't thought possible. They hid behind a dumpster,
  hoping dawn came soon.
  *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
  The slayerettes had noticed a definite change in Oz. He was subdued, and
  clearly very tired. He wore a constant face that said: "Why won't something
  go
  right? Don't feel sorry for me, but, God, I'm in a lot of pain." That's the
  kind of guy he was. Don't-feel-sorry-for-me, you-have-your-own-pain, Oz. And
  the thing that gnawed away at his conscience the most, was how he might
  never
  see her again and he hadn't told her how he felt, even though he'd had so
  many
  chances. He'd known it from the first. Every time he closed his eyes he saw
  her face, heard her voice, felt her lips on his. He dreamt of her. He thought
  he saw her everywhere. He heard he voice in the wind, felt her radiant smile
  as the sun, saw her eyes in the stars. The moon. He loved her.
  *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
  "Buffy, I don't know... I need to go home. I won't tell anyone about you. I
  need to go, though" Willow firmly addressed Buffy that morning, having
  practiced her resolved look.
  "Why so sure, Will? I mean go ahead." Buffy replied.
  "Well, you see..." Willow drifted off into thought for a moment, then snapped
  out of it. "I need Oz. Every second we're apart, I need him more. I really
  can't say anything more than this: I love him, and I need to be with him. I
  love him, Buffy. And I need to tell him. I love him."
  "Wow. Go ahead." Buffy looked to the sky as if for an answer, and then
  turned
  to Willow. "Do you mind if I come with?"

  PART SIX:
  Late that night, Willow and Buffy stepped off the bus into Sunnydale. Home,
  there's no place like it. They walked silently home. They stopped in front of
  Buffy's place. Buffy gave Willow a pleading look, but all she received was a
  reassuring squeeze on the shoulder and a gentle nudge towards home.
  Willow
  walked towards her house, listening to the sounds of Buffy's Mother's joy. A
  smile slowly crept across her face as she picked up the pace and ran home.
  She
  wouldn't wake her parent's. She'd surprise them in the morning. She was
  surprised to hear a sound coming out of her room. It was a sort of muffled
  sobbing. She gently pushed the door open and looked around. At the far end
  of
  the room, a figure sat slumped in her chair, face pressed into her pillow. She
  quietlytook a step forward and put her bag down. She felt required to whisper.
  "Oz?"
  She guessed right. He sat up and looked at her with an expression of shock
  on
  his tear-streaked face. "Oh my God." he mumbled. She took this as an
  invitation to leap into his arms. They sat on the chair, her in his lap. They
  sobbed into each others shoulders and rocked back and forth. Willow pulled
  her
  face out of the embace and kissed him several times on the lips before
  settling in to cry again. After some time they pulled apart and, as if on cue,
  attempted to smile. Simultaneously, they began to speak. "You first." Willow
  said.
  "God I missed you. I don't want details tonight. Just you being here makes
  me
  happy."
  "I missed you too." She began to half-weep again as he gently rocked her and

  whispered "sshhh.." He pulled her away from him, holding her head in his
  hands. They pressed their forheads together. He planted a firm but quick kiss
  on her lips.
  "I love you, Willow." He said. "More than.."
  "Shhh. I know. I love you too."