Work Text:
Family
by Lucinda
Oz sighed as he pulled in to the gas station. Everything that he'd built up in his life was on the other side of the country, in Sunnydale. His band, his school career, Willow, His family... Most of his family. Not quite all of them, though.
He had an uncle and a cousin here in New York though. He wasn't terribly close to them, but maybe, if he was lucky, he could crash there for a few days. Maybe he could be around people for a little bit as he tried to figure out where to go, what to do about the wolf. He'd tried to control it, tried to just lock himself up, but clearly, that wasn't working anymore. Not after the mess of Veruca.
Reaching into the glove box, he dropped a flashlight, a pair of knit gloves, some gas receipts, a couple napkins, some roadmaps, and finally pulled out the battered little address and telephone number book. Flipping to the section marked 'O', he scanned for Osbornes. Now he'd just have to hope he could find the place.
Something zoomed overhead, sounding almost but not quite like a jet, but not nearly big enough. Laughter echoed through the night air, the wild, near maniacal laugh that had to come from a deranged bad guy of some sort. Glancing up, he couldn't figure out which way to look, and there were buildings obstructing his view anyhow. "Huh. Wonder what that was? And where..."
The van sputtered a few times, eventually starting. Slowly, he drove away, searching for the right address, glancing periodically at the street map. It was cold and miserable, and he really hoped that Uncle Norman would be willing to let him stay for a little bit. New York was a lot colder in December than California.
Oz slowed his striped van, eventually halting before the wrought iron gates. They were open, he could have driven right inside, but he stopped, staring at the building. It wasn't an apartment like Giles had, or a little two story house like Buffy or Willow lived in. No, the only word that seemed adequate was mansion, verging on castle.
"Looks like there's room, if they'll have me." He murmured, before moving closer to the house. He just knew that his van wouldn't match anything in the garage.
He allowed the van to sputter to a halt at the closest point of the arching driveway to the main doors, and stepped out, feet landing on a thin layer of snow over the walkway. Pulling the collar of his jacket higher, he moved towards the door, trying not to shiver. With a small shrug, he rang the doorbell.
The door was opened by a frowning man in a suit. His face barely moved as flat, emotionless words emerged, "Are you expected?"
"I'm family." He didn't quite answer the question, and guessed that the man might be a butler.
"Who's at the door?" Another voice, this one sounding like a real person with emotions, called out. A young man, probably about the same age as Oz, leaned over the banister, peering downwards.
Eyeing the expensive clothing and the way that the young man's bearing proclaimed this to be his territory, Oz guessed that this must be Harry Osborne, his cousin. Besides, he smelled like family. With a small nod, he greeted him, "Harry."
"Danny? I haven't seen you in ages!" Harry grinned, rushing down the stairs. "Come in, you must be freezing! How have you been?"
Oz shrugged, and tried not to flinch as Harry gave him an enthusiastic hug. "Life's been weird."
"You're here by yourself?" Harry asked, gesturing for Oz to follow him into another room. "Can you stay for a while, or do you have to go back to the West Coast?"
"I have time." Oz murmured, not wanting to go into the details. "I'm taking a bit of a break from college, due to unexpected circumstances."
"Great." Harry beamed, and rubbed the back of his head. "Although Dad will probably take this as a time to tell me to work harder on my schoolwork."
"School's good." Oz frowned, remembering Sunnydale. There had been something strange going on at some of the dorms... "You might want to make sure you know how to watch a business, considering."
"Yeah, well..." Harry shrugged, looking both embarrassed and guilty. "Dad's in good health, I've got time."
Oz considered that, and nodded. Then, he considered all the hazards of Sunnydale, and frowned. Demons and vampires couldn't be limited to the West Coast, or to the Hellmouth, and they probably wouldn't care about Uncle Norman having lots of money. But he'd sound like a lunatic if he brought that up directly. Compromising, he cautioned, "Accidents happen."
"I suppose you have a point." Harry sighed, slumping in his chair. "But hey, it'll be good to have you around. Dad's putting in a lot of late nights recently."
"You're family." Oz tried to find the words, and looked at his hands. "I had problems, weird ones, and I had to leave. I came here because... family's supposed to be the people that when you're in trouble, you can count on them for help."
"Anything you need, Danny." Harry offered.
"A place to stay while I sort out my thoughts." Oz replied.
"Easy." Gesturing at the vast room and the rest of the mansion, Harry grinned. "I'm sure we can find you a corner to call your own. Stay, at least through the holidays."
Thinking about it, Oz nodded, not really wanting to leave just yet. There had to be somewhere that he could confine the beast, and really, who would want to be alone for the holidays?
end Family.