On the first day Oz is totally comfortable with college life since most of the Dingoes were already there and they played there a lot. Willow was full of excitement and wonder at a place that didn't frown upon knowledge.
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Willow: Well...boyfriend! My on campus boyfriend.
Willow and Oz kiss.
Buffy: Oh no, I forgot to pick mine up, the line's probably really long now too.
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Everything is great, they go dressed as Joan of Arc and God (because of the close relationship) to the Halloween party, though the party wasn't so good. They are pretty much in love.
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Buffy: If college is so great, what are we doing here and why is it more fun?
Willow: Because the Bronze is nice and familiar, it's like a big comfy blanky.
Oz: I was under the impression that I was your big comfy blanky.
Willow: You're my person blanky, this is my place blanky.
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They are in a state of togetherness.
Willow is asleep in their bed.
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Willow: It's in the sandblaster.
Oz: What's in the sandblaster Willow? It's a dream, come back to me.
Willow: Bout geminies to the raspberry hats.
Oz: Now you're faking.
Willow: Am not. Just a little.
Oz: Morning.
Willow: Morning.
Oz: Bad dream?
Willow: I guess, but the waking up part makes up for it.
Oz: It's always so busy in there.
Willow: Not always, a few things shake my brain up completely.
Oz: Anything I can help you with?
Willow: I gotta get to class right now, but tonight for sure.
Oz: I don't know about tonight unless the extreme Jerry Garcia look turns you on.
Willow: Huh?
Oz: Night before the full moon.
Willow: Oh that's right, and I have a thing, there's this Wicca group on campus I wanted to check out, they have orientation on the three nights you're wolfy, it's probably totally silly.
Oz: Well go, show them how it's done.
Willow: Are you sure? You can lock yourself up? It's only this one month, after orientation we meet on different nights.
Oz: I'll be fine.
Willow: Ok. Aslong as you don't mind.
Oz: The only thing I mind is being away from you for three nights.
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Though trouble is found in their paradise by the name of Veruca, the lead singer in another band.
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Xander: So, I know why I'm sitting in a dank sunless little room but why are you?
Willow: Well things with Oz are weird. I talked to Buffy about it but I think we're in guyville here. I need a translator from the Y side of things.
Xander: Well last time I checked, I had the creds, hot me.
Willow: What does it mean when a girl wants to, you know.
Xander: If you're doing it I think you should be able to say it.
Willow: Make love.
Xander: Wild monkey love or the tender Sarah McLocklen love?
Willow: Any kind. What if the girl wants to and the guy doesn't, that's a bad sign right?
Xander: Could be, or the girl caught the guy in one of the seven annual minutes he's legitimately to preoccupied to do it.
Willow: Well say the girls be noticing...
Xander: Will I've discifered ingenious code.
Willow: Ok, say I've been noticing Oz notice someone else, a woman.
Xander: And is this chick noticing back?
Willow: Most definitely.
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This girl Veruca turns out to have more in common with Oz than just music. One night with a full moon Oz escapes his cage and finds Veruca, she's rather more hairy than usual. He wakes up the next morning next to her not knowing anything but instead of going to someone about it he decides to lock her in a cage with her for the second night of wolfness, succumbing to the animal magnetism.
Willow walks into the cage to find Oz and Veruca, asleep. She drops her things and they awake.
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Oz: Willow.
Willow: Oh my god.
Oz pulls on some trousers.
Willow: Oh my god.
Oz: I know what you saw, it wasn't...
Oz unlocks the cage
Oz: I had to, I had to lock her in their with me.
Willow: I bet.
Oz: She's like me, a wolf.
Willow: Well I knew you two had a lot in common but...
Oz tries to hold her.
Willow: Don't touch me!
Oz: She was gonna hurt somebody, I didn't have a choice.
Willow: But you did, you could have told somebody. Your solution? Just put you two together in a room all night?
Veruca: Girl's got a point.
Oz: Leave.
Veruca: I was just saying...
Oz: NOW!!
Veruca leaves.
Oz: I'm sorry.
Willow: I knew, I knew, you jerk, and you sat there and you told me everything was fine. That's as bad as...
Oz: I know how it feels, I remember.
Willow: Oh, so what, this is payback, I had this coming?
Oz: No, it's not...
Willow: Because I thought that was behind us, and you know what happened with Xander, it doesn't compare, not with what you and I had, not with whatever you've been doing with her.
Oz: I don't know what Veruca and I have done, when I change, it's like I'm gone and the wolf takes over.
Willow: But before this, when you were regular Oz, you had feelings for her, didn't you?
Oz: No, I could sense something, but...
Willow: But you wanted her, like in an animal way, like more than you wanted me?
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Oz doesn't answer, Willow runs out.
Veruca decide that Oz should be hers and goes after Willow near sunset of the last wolfie night of the month. Oz comes to her rescue.Veruca hits Willow. Oz comes in.
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Oz: Don't touch her again.
Veruca: Come stop me. I like it rough remember.
Oz: You wanna hurt me, hurt me, leave her out of this.
Veruca: How can I? She's the reason you're living in cages. She's blinding you, when she's gone you'll be able to admit what you are.
Oz: You don't want to find out what I am.
They start to wolf out.
Veruca: You're an animal. Animals kill.
Oz: You're right, we kill.
Oz attacks Veruca.
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Oz kills Veruca and Buffy only just gets there in time to shoot Oz before he goes for Willow. Willow is distraught.
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Willow: Hello.
Oz: Hi.
Willow: What are you doing?
Oz: Moving.
Willow: Now?
Oz nods.
Willow: That's your solution?
Oz: Well that's my decision.
Willow: Don't I get any say in this?
Oz: No. Veruca was right about something, the wolf is inside me all the time. And I don't know where that line is anymore between me and it. Until I figure out what that means, I shouldn't be around you, or anybody.
Willow: Well that could be a problem, cause people, kind of a planetary epidemic.
Oz: I'll find someplace.
Willow: Well how long?
Oz: I don't know.
Willow: Oz, don't you love me?
Oz: My whole life, I've never loved anything else.
Willow: Oh god, Oz.
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Oz kisses her on her forehead and leaves, Willow cries.
Willow slumps into depression and finds it very hard to stop hurting.
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Willow: Devon says he sent for his stuff, I guess this means he’s planning on settling down somewhere, else not here.
Buffy: I guess so.
Willow: I feel like I’ve been split down the centre, and half of me is lost.
Buffy: I know, it feels like that now.
Willow: Oz is gone.
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She even turns to drowning her sorrow with beer.
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Willow: I just can’t stand feeling this way, I want it to be over.
Buffy: It will, I promise, but it’s gonna take time.
Willow: Well that’s not good enough.
Buffy: I know, it’s just how it is, you have to go through the pain.
Willow: Well isn’t there some way, I can just make it go away? Just coz I say so, can’t I just make it go poof?
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She pulls herself out of depression by making Buffy and Spike get engaged, Giles blind and Xander even more of a demon magnet. She tries to concentrate on improving her witchcraft but her Wiccan group turns out to be a load of wannabes. Except one, Tara. Tara and Willow form a friendship because they find out together they are very powerful. This friendship becomes a lot more. And Oz comes home.
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Willow: Oz, this is all so weird, I feel like this isn’t really happening, like it’s a dream or something.
Oz: It’s real. Look up.
Willow: What?
Oz: Look at the sky. I guess you stopped keeping track of them after I left.
Willow: Full moon.
Oz: Full moon.
Willow: Full moon but, but how? I mean, you did it, how did you do it? Where did you go?
Oz: That’s a long story.
Willow: Oh my god Oz.
Willow hugs Oz.
Willow: This is, I mean, that’s wonderful for you.
Oz: I talked to Xander and he said you didn’t have a new guy.
Willow: No, no new guy.
Oz: I know what I put you though, and I’m not going to push, but I am a different person than when I left, and I can be what you need now, that’s what I want, that’s why I’m here.
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They spend the night getting to know each other again, talking about Oz's trip around the world and his revelation in Tibet on keeping his inner cool. Tara comes over and sees Oz and jumps to conclusions, but she goes to explain nothing happened later. Oz smells Willow scent later and is surprised not to see her.
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Oz: Willow. Hey, I thought I sme…heard Willow.
Tara: Hey, you’re coming back to school here huh?
Oz: Pretty much feeling oddly motivated.
Tara: That’s em, that’s great, I mean it’s great for you and Willow right?
Oz: I hope so.
Tara: Good, coz that’s, because…
Oz: Is that her sweater?
Tara: I just hope you guys very happy.
Oz: You smell like her, she’s all over you, do you know that?
Tara: I can’t, can’t, I can’t talk about this, please.
Oz grabs Tara to stop her walking away.
Oz: But there’s something to talk about? Are you two involved?
Tara: I, I, I have to go.
Oz: Because she never said anything like that and we talked all night and she never…
Tara tries to walk away. Oz grabs her.
Oz: Stop! Is she in love with you? Tell m, is she…
Oz starts to turn.
Oz: Run.
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Oz is captured by the Initiative and maliciously tested upon. Buffy, Willow, Riley and Xander rescue him. He almost turns again from the pain of walking but stops it.
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Willow: This thing looks pretty good, considering you drove it overseas.
Oz: Well, it broke down outside of Mexico and I traded my bass to get it fixed in a garage. I shouldn’t of come back now, I just thought I had changed.
Willow: You have changed, you stopped the wolf from coming out, I saw it.
Oz: I couldn’t look at you, it turns out the one thing that brings it out of me is you, which falls under the heading of ironic in my book.
Willow: It was my fault, I upset you.
Oz: So were safe then, coz you’ll never do that again. But, you’re happy?
Willow: I am, I can’t explain it.
Oz: It may be safer for both of us if you don’t.
Willow: I missed you Oz. I wrote you so many letters but I didn’t have any place to send them you. know. I couldn’t live like that.
Oz: It was stupid of me to think you just be waiting.
Willow: I was waiting. I feel like some part of me will always be waiting for you. Like if I’m old and blue haired in Istanbul and I turn a corner and there you are, I won’t be surprised, because you’re with me you know.
Oz: I know. But now is not that time I guess.
Willow: No. What are you gonna do?
Oz: I think I better take off.
Willow: When?
Oz: Pretty much now.
Willow nods, they hug.
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And so Oz leave for the second time. This time Willow has no idea when he'll be back, he has no agenda this time. There's no cure he's looking for, just a place away from the pain of watching Willow and Tara, who Willow declared her love for after Oz left.
He did later feature in Willow's dream when the spirit of the first slayer tried to kill them.