Wizard of Oz
by Rin
The Great and Powerful Oz
[reviews]
A/N: I've changed my mind so many times on who would be who...but I finally have it down, and you're going to be surprised!!
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The Emerald City was more beautiful than she ever could have imagined. She really did feel like Dorothy in this moment. Buffy and the others walked up to the huge door and she pulled the long tasseled rope, hearing a deep dong resonate around them.
Who she was expecting was not who the doorman was.
"Who rang that bell?" The doorman stuck his head out, and his little scruffy goatee and red hair sticking out wildly across his head.
"Oz? I thought it would be obvious if you were the wizard...you know, it being Oz and all." Buffy wasn't surprised that Oz wasn't wearing a crazy outfit, though she was upset at already having to deal with him. She wasn't ready to face Oz yet, as she had mentally prepared for him to be the wizard.
"Can't you read?" Oz was no different in this dimension than he was back in Sunnydale.
"Read what?" Scarecrow Giles asked, which made Buffy chuckle louder than she meant at the thought of her Giles ever saying those two words together.
"The sign on the door." Oz just nodded his head non-committally towards the door below him. "Bell out of order. Please knock."
"Can we see the wizard? I'm way too under prepared to deal with you right now, not with all these Willowy thoughts going on in my head." Buffy didn't want to think about how Oz had possibly gotten to touch HER Willow first; it made her sick to her stomach.
"The Wizard?" Oz was even stoic here, the first character to go somewhat off script from the movie. "Nobody can see the Great Oz. Nobody's ever seen the Great Oz. Even I've never seen him."
Again, Buffy chuckled at her little inside joke and stopped uncomfortably when the others gave her a look of confusion.
"Just let us see the wizard, whoever the hell he is. Please don't let it be the Mayor..." Buffy whispered the last part to herself. "Look, I have these shiny yet affordable slippers that Willow gave me back in Munchkinland..."
"Well...okay. Come on in." Oz disappeared from the manhole high in the door, and the giant door opened, revealing just how small the young man was.
Buffy knew what to do, and waited for the horse of a different color. This was another part she was looking forward to...a little massage, a little salon. Maybe they'd do her nails, too. She was in dire of a manicure.
"Cabby! Cabby! Just what you're looking for! Take you any place in the City, we does." Snyder was at the reins. What other obstacles was she going to have to face in order to get back home? Now...she had to deal with this troll man, taking all of the excitement out of the potential spa visit.
"Take us to the wizard." Buffy waited for the others to board the carriage.
"The wizard? Well...yes, of course. But first I'll take you to a little place where you can tidy up a bit." Snyder snapped the reins to get the carriage moving. At least the ride wasn't long, so she didn't have to deal with him long. The music was very elevator-esque, playing this instrumental song she'd heard Willow play by Nerf Herder.
"I can't believe I'm saying this to you...but thanks." Buffy was the first to exit the carriage, letting the townfolk usher them to the spa.
Buffy lost herself slightly in the head massage she got. No manicure unfortunately; that would be something she'd have to schedule when she got back to Sunnydale. Maybe she'd make a weekend of it, go up to visit her father in L.A....maybe even take Willow with her. It would be the perfect time to gauge a better take on the redhead's feelings for her.
The spa session ended way too soon, though. Buffy felt more refreshed than the extremely brief sleep in the poppy field but she felt more tense because of her musings, despite the massage. Mr. Gordo even got some fresh stuffing and a bath.
Scarecrow Giles, TinXan, and Lion Spike looked clean and better, and she was glad that her hair was clean again. She hadn't had a chance to shower before bedtime, and she'd been wearing last night's vampdust still. As they made their way to the Wizard's door, they laughed and complimented each other. Buffy even admitted that Spike cleaned up nice, though she was internally chuckling at the blue ribbon in his hair.
Looking up, they noticed: 'Surrender Slayer or die' being broom-exhausted into the sky.
"It's Cordelia." Buffy sighed; it was getting to the hard part of the story. She was rather enjoying her demented vacation, even if she really just wanted to be home.
"Can't that female take no for an answer?" TinXan rubbed his metal forehead.
"Guess she just wishes I never came here." Buffy shrugged, already mentally prepared to deal with Cordelia. That much she could handle, at least.
"Surrender Slayer or Die? What's a slayer?" Townsfolk were talking around them about the smoky message.
"The wizard will know! To the wizard!" The townsfolk were making their way to the door, and Buffy started to follow them. Surely, the others would get the hint. The guard was Oz again, just like in the movie. At least this time, she was more prepared to face him.
"Wait a minute. Stop." Oz wasn't wearing a guard's outfit or holding a spear. Instead, he looked like the Oz from Sunnydale, jeans, random tshirt, and guitar. "Everything is alright. The Great and Powerful Oz has got matters well in hand — I hope. So, you can all go home; nothing to worry about."
The townspeople started to dawdle away, so Buffy and the others moved their way towards the guard.
"Let us see the wizard. It'll cut back on so much time, and I won't have to kick your ass." Buffy stood in her slayer pose, challenging Oz...just like she wanted to challenge him when he started dating her Willow.
"Nobody sees the wizard. Not nobody; not nohow."
Buffy just stomped off, knowing it was useless. She'd have to play it out and pray that Lion Spike didn't have a song and dance routine. This wasn't a musical episode she wanted to encounter...at least not right now. She was too tired.
Sitting on the steps, she started to cry without warning. She felt like she'd never get home, like she'd lose Willow if she did tell her, that all these emotions were flowing through her so strongly and it was getting harder to ignore them or push them aside.
"Don't cry, Buffy." Tin Xan couldn't bend over with all his metal parts, as the others sat on either side of her on the steps.
"Willow has always been so good to me...but she kept these secrets...and I kept secrets. We've been pulling apart, and it's killing me. I love her so much, and it's killing me not to tell her that the reason I'm keeping these secrets is because I'm more scared of losing her than I am of any creature I've ever faced. I would send Angel to hell a thousand times without a thought if I could just somehow tell her how I felt and not have her hate me." Buffy let all of her bottled emotions flow. It felt okay to do this here, since these weren't her real friends, not that Spike was ever a friend. "I'll never forgive myself if I hurt her, and I'm so afraid of hurting her."
"Please don't cry anymore." Oz stood there, showing emotion...the same expression that was on his face when he admitted he was leaving Sunnydale. "I'll get you into the Wizard somehow. Come on. I had a Willow myself once."
"I know..." Buffy stood, wiping her tears from her eyes, trying to get some composure. Straightening her dress, she felt as though she had passed a major hurdle. Just like when Oz left, there was that possibility again.
They made their way into the grand hall, and it was no surprise that Lion Spike was trying to run away. Buffy just grabbed his hand, loathe as she was to ever hold hands with Spike, and pulled him along. The wizard's voice was echoing in the room, as they moved closer to the sepulcher. Biting her lip, Buffy found she was nervous who the next obstacle would be...who would take her home? Who would be the person she had to go through to get back to Willow?
"I am the Great and Powerful Oz!" A giant face appeared on the screen, though Buffy ignored it and went to the curtain, pulling it aside and revealing.
"Angel?! Really?" Buffy was really confused now. "I was actually rooting for you to be a flying monkey."
"Hey!." Angel was wearing his long duster, reminding Buffy of Angelus.
"Please tell me you're not the evil version of yourself." Buffy was slowly starting to understand her own dream, if this was a dream. The meaning was there...in the back of her mind...but it just wouldn't budge. "We'll drench Cordy, Xander's good at that, and then we'll bring you her Gucci bag or whatever...but we're not playing games once we get back. You will give them the courage, heart, and brains they came for...and you will take me home without question. I'm tired, I'm hungry, I'm missing the comfort of my own bed, and I can't believe I'm going to say this but I can't wait to wake up for school."
"Go ahead, slayer. I'd like to see you try." Angel got a hard punch in the face for his comment, as Buffy pulled Lion Spike by his tail, and the others followed her out.
"It's time to show Cordy who the real Queen is around here." Buffy ignored Spike's protests, as they ventured towards Cordy's castle. "It's Slaytime."