'Wild at Heart' Story Code '4ABB06' by Marti Noxon

While watching Buffy stake a vampire, Spike is zapped by a taser gun and dragged away by the mysterious commando guys. After Giles unexpectedly drops in at ‘The Bronze’, unnerving the Scooby gang, Oz raptly watches Veruca’s band playing, causing tension between him and Willow. Next morning, Willow reminds Oz that he has to lock himself up tonight, as it will be a full moon, and she is going to a new Wicca group. When Professor Walsh praises Buffy on her latest paper, Willow becomes a little jealous; she then goes to meet Oz, and is surprised to find him talking to Veruca. Oz leaves Willow and Veruca alone, but they just stare at each other; Veruca then leaves and Willow is joined by Buffy, who tries to reassure her friend of Oz’s faithfulness. That night, Oz breaks out of his cage and is about to attack Professor Walsh when another wolf appears; the two creatures to clash violently. But the next morning, after Oz wakes up in the woods, he finds a naked Veruca lying beside him; he is unable to recall the night’s events, but Veruca assures him that he will begin to. As they steal clothes from a dorm laundry room Veruca tells Oz that she allows herself to run free, and he should embrace his wolf side too. Oz disagrees; he does not want to kill people; Veruca insists that they belong together, but Oz walks out. Meanwhile, Professor Walsh tells Buffy about the two giant dogs that almost attacked her; realising what this means, Buffy goes to tell Giles. Meanwhile, Willow has decided to change her image, dressing in sexy leather to try and seduce Oz; however, when he claims he is too tired, she is hurt, and leaves. Buffy tells Giles about the two werewolves, and then heads off to talk to Oz. Willow goes to Xander for advice, and he encourages her to talk things through with Oz. Buffy finds Oz welding his cage together; he admits he broke out, but tells her he would not remember running into another wolf. Buffy warns him that she will be looking for the other wolf that night; Oz informs Veruca, trying to convince her to stay locked up with him; she claims to have sensed Oz’s presence long before they met, and wanted him as soon as she saw him. Oz grabs her and pulls her into the cage just as the sun sets, and they transform into werewolves. Next morning, Willow checks on Oz, and is shocked to see him lying with Veruca; Oz claims he had to lock Veruca in to keep her from hurting anyone, and orders Veruca to leave. He knows how Willow feels, as he caught Willow kissing Xander, but Willow argues that it was nothing like this - she knows that he wanted Veruca, even while he was in human form. In a daze, Willow storms out, and is almost hit by a car when she is saved by Riley. After telling Willow to find Veruca and put the blame on her, Buffy confronts Oz, and the two of them set out to track Veruca by her scent. Meanwhile, in a deserted classroom, Willow works on a spell against Oz and Veruca, so that they will never find love, solace or peace. Finding a pile of Veruca’s clothes, Oz and Buffy realise they have been duped, and they rush to find Willow. Willow changes her mind about the spell, but Veruca arrives and locks them in, pointing out the sun is about to set. Buffy runs into one of the commando guys, but gets away and follows Oz. Veruca hits Willow; Oz appears and Veruca claims that he can be his true self once Willow is gone. As they both begin to change, Oz attacks her; he mauls her neck, killing her, and is about to attack Willow, when Buffy shoots him with a tranquilliser gun. Buffy leaves to let Giles know what has happened, and also about her run in with the commando. At Oz's place, Willow finds him packing; fearing that Veruca was right about his wolf side, Oz has decided that until he can come to terms with himself, he should not be around Willow or anyone else, and is leaving to find somewhere to be alone. Oz tells Willow that he has never loved anyone else; she collapses into tears as a distraught Oz starts his van and drives away...

Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Seth Green (Oz), Anthony Stewart Head (Rupert Giles), Marc Blucas (Riley), Paige Moss (Veruca), James Marsters (Spike), Lindsay Crouse (Professor Maggie Walsh)
Directed by David Grossman

TX (US): 9th November 1999
TX (UK - Sky One): 11th February 2000
TX (UK - BBC): 9th November 2000

Notes:
*Featuring Buffy, Xander, Willow, Giles, Oz and Reily