After shutting the door, Giles slowly turned and faced the top of the landing. Again, she was gone… he felt nothing. He decided to go in and peak in on her, just to be sure everything was fine, but halfway up the stairs he could feel her once more.
She was troubled, as always when she slept. This is when he felt the most useless, knowing that she had the dreams of her dark times and was not able to do anything to help. It was something she would have to come to terms with, and all he could do is be there for her until that happens.
He was loathe to the fact he could do nothing for her, and it caused his heart to ache in such a way that he wished he could go through this for her. She may be asleep, but she wasn't at peace.
He looked at her still form… even her face didn't show the peacefulness that sleep would bring. Her breathing was even as she lay still beneath the covers, and he walked quietly closer just to watch for a moment.
With a soft sigh, he turned and left the room to allow her to sleep… tomorrow he would talk to her and hopefully get some answers as to what had happened earlier. For now, he decided to take to his own bed in the guest room and get some sleep.
* * * * *
She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen… a true vision as she slowly glided towards him. Her dress, a soft-almost translucent green, billowed out as though there were a breeze blowing against it, causing the front of the dress to hug her body.
Her eyes were a dazzling emerald green, and combined with her smile made her appear radiant. She almost seemed to glow as she came closer, with love shining in her ever-smiling eyes.
Giles found that he couldn't take his eyes off of her, not that he really wanted to, and he extended his arm to her, hoping that she would take his hand. A small sigh escaped him as she did so, and he wrapped his other around her to pull her in close.
It was perfect; everything was perfect…and he was in love for the last time in his life. He let go of her hand and ran his fingers through the fiery red hair as he gazed into her eyes and whispered;
"I love you." And bent down to place a soft kiss upon her lips. As they're lips touched, they seemed to almost melt into one another, but surprise came to Giles as the young woman placed her hands upon his chest and gently pushed herself away.
"I'm sorry it has to be this way," she said as she began to back away. "But know that I'm always with you."
"Willow? Willow, what is it?"
"It really is for the best." She replied as her eyes went from green to blue. Giles brows knitted together, trying desperately to understand what was happening. "I love you."
Giles watched as the blue eyes changed to black, and had to close his eyes and give his head a slight shake… but upon reopening them, what he saw terrified him to no end. There stood Willow… but not his Willow. Her hair had gone from red to a disturbing black, and her green dress was no more as black leather pants and jacket replaced it.
Horror gripped him and he found that he couldn't speak: and even if he could, what would he say? His beautiful Willow had turned dark and ugly, but even as this thought raced through his mind… he still loved her. Laughter escaped her lips, causing him to flinch at the sound. It was not the joyous sound he was so fond of hearing… this was evil, foreboding.
"Long time no see." She said as she stared right at him. "Oh, and don't worry your sexy little head about all this. You two will be together again, sooner than you think." She finished and turned her head to her left.
Giles looked in the same direction and saw… Willow? His Willow? There she stood in the green dress, looking at her alter ego without fear. Giles moved to go to her, but found a barrier of some sort blocking his way.
"Willow!" he cried out to her. She turned to look at him, but all he saw was sadness in her eyes.
"I love you." She said, and turned her attention back to her darker self. Giles began to pound on the barrier, but to no avail. He began to chant, reached a hand out… but it was still blocked as he looked to the dark haired woman, only to see the smug look on her face.
He was totally helpless as he watched the leather clad double extend her arm, and a beam of red light shoot from her hand, totally enveloping his beloved Willow.
"NOOOOOOO!" he shouted as he began pounding fiercely on the barrier. Pain etched in her face as she doubled over and looked to Giles.
"Re-member me." She said, and screamed in agony. But as the ray continued to do its painful battery of her, he saw her straighten up slowly as a look of determination came across her face. Words began to spill out of her mouth as she broke out into a run, and wrapped her arms around her double.
Giles was spellbound as he could do nothing but watch the two figures… one fighting to hold on as the other fought to get away. Suddenly there was a blinding light, making Giles cover his eyes with his hand, but it only lasted a moment.
As he looked back at the two; to his eyes they seemed almost paralyzed if it weren't for his Willow's lips moving. She looked to the watcher as she finished her incantation, and not only could he feel her love flowing to him, he could see it in her face.
Without warning, he watched as they blew up leaving no trace that anyone had even been there.
"Willoooow!"
* * * * * * *
Giles sat bolt upright in bed, beads of sweat rolling from his forehead as he tried desperately to catch his breath. He looked around trying to get his bearings, when he realized it was all a dream. A dream that terrified him so much, that he'd wet the bed.
* * * * * *
Her breathing ragged, she sat trying to calm herself down in the hopes of getting her heart rate back down to normal. Deep breaths, in through the nose, out through the mouth. Once she decided she was okay and the trembling stopped, she got up and made her way to the bathroom, turning on the taps and splashing cold water on her face.
She grabbed the towel off the towel rack and dried her face and neck before looking into the mirror. She noticed the colour hadn't quite made it back yet, but at least she wasn't shaking anymore… that's always a plus.
Buffy went back quietly to her room and sat down on the edge of her bed looking at the clock. `5:45am… what's the point' she thought as she looked back at her pillow. A shiver went up her spine causing goose bumps to appear… she didn't really want to go back to sleep right now anyway.
"Okay," she said to herself, "What the hell kind of dream was that!?"
* * * * * *
Xander awoke bathed in sweat, and his heart was pounding so hard he could hear it in his ears. He could admit it to himself… this nightmare scared him to death. He waited a couple of minutes to collect himself then looked at the time, deciding to wait a couple of hours before calling Giles to see if Willow was okay.
The young man got up and went into the kitchen and began the preparations for brewing a pot of coffee… there was no way in hell he'd be able to go back to sleep now.
Chapter six
It had been a long couple of hours to wait, but when the time came Xander decided to call Buffy instead. He didn't want to sound like a paranoid idiot to the watcher if it turned out that it was just a dream after all.
As it turned out, Buffy had the exact same dream that he did, down to even the slightest detail. Both decided the best thing to do would be to go and talk to Giles in person, hopefully without wigging out Willow in the process.
At about nine that morning, they knocked and walked in to the red head's house, only to hear the sounds of cupboard doors being closed. They made their way to the kitchen, and sure enough, it was Giles fumbling around. He turned to see his audience and stammered out:
"I haven't quite figured out where everything is yet."
Buffy took pity on the guy and went to help him find what he needed to make himself a pot of tea before sitting. As she looked over the older man, she could tell he hadn't slept well last night and hoped it was because of romantic festivities rather than the nightmare they had.
`Eeeew!' she thought to herself, `Don't think that… don't need the mental imagery.'
"Your looking kinda tired there, G-man. Will's didn't by any chance keep you awake last night, did she?" Xander asked in a joking manner, but in all actuality, he was fishing for information.
"What? No! No, she did not. Get your mind out of the proverbial sewers, Xander."
"How is Willow this morning?" Buffy interrupted, "She feeling any better?"
"Quite frankly, Buffy, I don't know how she is. I haven't seen yet this morning as she still in bed asleep." He replied as he noticed the serious look on the young people's faces. "Why, what's the matter?" he asked, and watched the two look to each other. "Come on now, out with it."
"Giles… its just that, uh, you didn't by any stretch of the imagination have a really weird dream last night, did you? I mean weird as in scary… about Willow."
Giles removed his glasses and squeezed the bridge of his nose with his fingers as he exhaled loudly.
"I was hoping that it was just a dream, that it meant nothing." He replied quietly and looked at the two before him. "Care to tell me how your dreams went?"
"Well," Xander began. "I'd never seen her look so beautiful in all my life… it was like I was looking at a goddess. She sorta floated to me and smiled, then gave me a hug. I remember I felt happy, it was like when we were younger, ya know? The close friendship we used to have, it was like we had it all over again, but then she pulled away from me and said, `I'm sorry its has to be this way, but know that I'm always with you'. And then she said that it was for the best, right before she changed. She looked like she did in the spring… all black and veiny and the black leather.
"Next thing I know, I see Willow in the dress standing they're staring at the other one. Then the scary one looks at me and says, `Long time no see. Don't worry your sexy head about this', and that we'll be together before we know it… or something like that. Anyway, my Willow looks at me and says she loves me right before `little miss nasty' hits her with some kind of red light. Willow told me to remember her, then ran and grabbed the other one and then they… they…" he could finish as a lump came to his throat.
"They exploded." Buffy finished for him. "She even kissed me… it was like she was saying `goodbye' or something. Like she knew she was going to die." She looked up to the older man. "It was the most horrible scream I'd ever heard in my life… and that laugh." She shivered as she remembered it. "I tried to go help her, but something was blocking me… like a force field or something." She said and Xander nodded profusely. "Giles, what does all this mean?"
"I assure you, Buffy, I do not know. But for now, lets just keep this to ourselves. I don't want Willow to know anything about this until we understand more of what is happening."
"More of what happening?" asked the red head as she entered the kitchen, causing everyone else to gasp in surprise. "Geeeeez! And everyone used to complain about `me' drinking too much coffee."
"Sorry, Wills. You just sorta surprised us, that's all. We thought you were still sleeping." Replied the blonde slayer.
"Yeeesh, Will. You look like crap."
"Gee, thanks, Xander. I love you too." Said Willow sarcastically. She didn't notice everyone flinch slightly at her comment… the three words still echoing fresh in their minds from the dream they all shared.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way. It's just that you have those little circles under your eyes and… are you sure you're alright? You still look kinda tired."
"Yeah, and all of you look a whole lot better." She quipped, and then relented. "Sorry, guess I am still a little tired. Nothing that a nice hot cup of tea won't fix though." She said as she gave Giles the puppy dog eyes. Xander watched as the older man melted and made her a cup of tea.
"Whipped." Said the young man, only to receive a scolding look from Giles.
"I said it before, and I'll say it again. Way too much time in England." Buffy said with a snicker, which in turn made Xander laugh and eliciting a scowl from Giles.
"It would seem that today is the day that not only I get picked on, but my homeland as well." He said, and got snickers from the other three.
"So, you guys didn't answer my question. More of `what' happening?" she asked as she looked around at the others.
"W-w-well, we…" Giles stammered, then looked to Buffy for help.
"Its just that patrol has been really slow lately… and you know what that usually means."
"Uh huh. Another apocalypse of the week. Any idea what this one might be yet?"
"Nada yet, Willster. We just figured we'd keep our ears to the ground and be prepared." Xander added.
"Oh, okay. Well, you know where I am if you need me to research." She smiled at everyone. "I'm off to take a shower. Giles, would you mind keeping my tea warm for me? I won't be long."
"Of course. It would be no trouble."
"Isn't he sweet?" Willow said to the other two.
"Yup, that's our G-man for you. As sweet as the honey that drips from the hive and lands in the dirt."
"No more coffee for you, Xander. You seem a little more warped in the head than usual today." Willow replied and left the room.
They three waited a moment until they heard the water running upstairs and knew that she wouldn't overhear the conversation. Buffy turned and smacked Xander on the arm.
"Really smooth, Xander."
"Hey! At least she didn't suspect anything." He said, but Buffy just rolled her eyes.
"Look, now is not the time for this. I think the best thing for us to do is just wait. Until we have something more to go on, there is nothing we can do right now."
"Well, if you say so, Giles. But if any of us has another dream, we call each other."
"Agreed. Now if you will excuse me. I have to be at the shop in a short while. I will be going over the plans with Anya over the rebuilding of the Magic Box." He said, then excused himself and left them sitting there.
"Xander, I need you to give me a lift."
"Where to?"
"The Magic Box."
Chapter seven
The brunette and blonde opened the door to the Magic Box and walked in, carefully making their way through the rubble laying about the store. The two looked around in disbelief with what they saw… it no longer looked like the place that had become research central for the Scooby's.
"Hey, Anya."
"Yeah, hi." Was her curt response as she looked over the plans for the rebuilding.
"Wow! Look at the place!" Xander said, causing Anya's head to shoot up and glare at him.
"I don't need any reminders from you, Xander Harris. Look at my store; it's a mess because of your little friend. If she had of let me take care of the vengeance like she should have, my livelihood would still be here. But nooooo. She had to go and do it herself, and look what happened!"
"I'm sorry. It's just that I left before Willow did all this, and this is the first time I've been back in since."
"Yeah, I know. Buffy had you saving two little geeks who rightfully deserved to die."
"No one deserves to die, Anya." Buffy interjected.
"You know, Buffy, I really hate that self-righteous crap you like spewing out to everyone."
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me. I've seen more evil in this world than you could possibly conceive of, and let me tell you; it wasn't demons or vampires that caused it… it was humans. That's right, human beings." She sighed, "You know, in all of my existence, I have never met a demon that would willingly harm its own kind-let alone kill it. The human race is the only one that would murder its own species just for the fun of it." She finished as Buffy and Xander stood there, not quite knowing what to say. "Demons-humans; they both live here. In fact, demons were here first, long before humans ever were. So what gives you the right to decide only demons should die?"
"Anya, we didn't come here to debate `right and wrong' with you. We wanted to see how you were doing since we haven't seen you in a while."
"That's because I've been busy trying to clean up some of this mess." She replied. "Without anybody's help, of course. By the way, this is the cleaned up version. Some of my supplies managed to escape the damage, so I put them in the basement."
"Sorry about that. Hey, have you heard?" Xander said as he tried to change the subject. "Willow and Giles are now…"
"Wonderful." She replied sarcastically, "When does she plan on the next Armageddon so I can pencil it into my schedule book?"
"Anya, are you okay? You seem more edgy than usual." Buffy asked.
"No, no I'm not okay. I didn't sleep well last night; I had the most horrible nightmare."
"You wanna tell us about it? Might make you feel better." Xander said, both dreading what they were about to hear.
~Anya's Dream~
The sky was the most beautiful shade of blue, and not a single cloud floated by to block the view. Anya sighed happily as a dark- haired, very muscular man handed her a pina colada and another well- built blonde fed her grapes.
She looked around at the other twenty-eight men sitting around her, waiting to do anything she asked of them, and thought… `Life can't get any better than this.' Then looked down beside her into a huge silver bowl filled to the top with money of every denomination, and rare coins; she couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips.
"Hey, Anya." She snapped her head in the direction of the greeting to see Xander walking towards her. "Watcha doing?"
"Xander! What the hell are you doing here?"
"What do you think I'm doing here? I came to see you. I wanted to apologize for treating you so badly, it was wrong of me and I wanted to make it up to you. How about forgiving me and taking me back?"
"Are you nuts!?"
"Yes, I'm nuts… nuts about you. Nothing has been right since you and I broke up." He replied.
"Your crazy if you think I want to be with you again. And as much as I can't believe I'm saying this; there is no amount of money on this planet that could make me take you back!" she said, and watched with a smile as Xander pouted. Her smile faded, however, as she looked a little more closely at his face. "Your nose is twitching. Why is your nose twitching?"
"Anya, please take me back. I want to introduce you to the rest of my family."
"I've already met more than enough of your family, and frankly, I'd like to forget the entire ordeal if you don't mind."
"Oh look! Its my Aunt Cathy." He said, and Anya turned to see a white rabbit hopping it's way to them.
"Arrrgh! Xander, keep that evil creature away from me!" she shrieked.
"Aunt Cathy, I'd like you to meet Anya. She's the woman I'm going to marry."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, my dear. And might I add, welcome to the family." Replied the rabbit as Anya's eyes widened in shock.
"Its possessed! I told you they were evil!" she said, then looked to Xander and screamed. There he stood with two large white ears, elongated front teeth, whiskers and a rabbits face, and fur everywhere that wasn't hidden by clothing.
"What's up, my love?" asked Xander as he held a carrot up to his mouth and began munching on it. An uncomfortable look crossed Xander's face as he began to shift from one foot to the other. Finally he leaned forward just a little and placed his hands on his buttocks, and pulled on the material until it ripped. A small white fluffy tail popped out as the young man sighed and said, "Ahhh, that's much better."
"S-stay away from me!" and she began backing away. As she looked around nervously trying to decide which way to run, she noticed that instead of being surrounded by men, she was surrounded by little white creatures with fluffy faces and twitching noses.
The terrified young woman turned and ran, arms flailing in every direction.
"Honey! Hey, wait for me!" Yelled the young man as he hopped after her, still chewing on his carrot.
* * * * *
* *
Buffy and Xander looked to each other in total disbelief. It wasn't exactly the dream they were expecting to hear, and they really wished they hadn't' asked.
"Ahh, your right… I do feel better." Buffy just rolled her eyes and heard Xander groan.
"I'm so glad we could help there, Anya. But I'm afraid we gotta get going." Said the slayer as she and the brunette made their way to the door as Giles entered.
"Good morning, Anya. And how are we feeling this morning?" he asked. "Oh, hello Buffy, Xander. What are you two doing here?"
"Nothing… just thought we'd check in on Anya since we haven't seen her around for a while. Well, we gotta get going. See you guys later." They said, and immediately left.
"I'm feeling great, Giles." Said a very chipper vengeance demon.
"Wonderful. Shall we go over the plans then?"
"You read my mind."
Chapter eight
Willow sat cross-legged on the ground and looked about. The spell had worked, and everywhere she looked there was grass and flowers; no animals yet, but that would come in time. It had turned out to be a beautiful day; the sun was shining and a slight breeze kept the air from being to hot.
A smile played across her lips as she looked at the new life she had created, but was quickly replaced with a frown as she recalled the words in her mind from the conversation with her Goddess.
`Soon you will be in battle; a battle for your very soul.'
`But, who will I be fighting?'
`You, my lovely one.'
Willow hadn't said anything to the others, not wanting to worry them over what she didn't understand herself. She would know when the time is right… Hecate told her this. After all, who was she to argue with a Goddess? She would wait, and do so patiently.
Her shoulders slumped a bit and a yawn escaped her as she sat. She was so tired lately; almost all the time. `Stress, I guess.' She thought to herself as she tried to stifle another one. She had to admit, the past few months have been pretty stressful for her and everyone else, although the others seemed to be handling it better than she was.
Between what happened last spring, her time in England learning to control her powers and trying to adjust to life back in Sunnydale; add to that, a new relationship.
"I guess it would be a little overwhelming." She said. "Maybe some meditation will help." And she placed her hands, palms upright, on her legs and closed her eyes.
The red head didn't stay that way long as she opened her blue- flecked eyes and scanned the surrounding area. A sigh escaped her lips as she smiled and stood, brushing any dirt off her clothing and turned to leave.
She'd only taken a couple of steps when she stopped and said, without turning around;
"You know, if you don't want to get noticed then you should quit following so close behind. I'm surprised you haven't been caught yet given your stupidity." She finished as she once again began to walk away, leaving the robed figures standing there.
* * *
* *
"I'm telling ya, Buff. That dream still creeps me out every time I think about it."
"I know, me too. But who knows… maybe it `was' just a dream. I mean, Anya didn't have the same dream."
"Lets not get into Anya's dream, ok?" Xander groaned, and Buffy couldn't help laughing.
"What's up, Doc?" said the blonde as she stuck her front teeth over her bottom lip and made tsk tsk tsk noises like Bugs Bunny.
"Hey! That's not funny!"
"Actually, yes it is." She replied, trying desperately to hold back more laughter that threatened to erupt, but failed in the end. The young man couldn't help himself either and began to snicker as well.
"Anya's nothing if not original." He said as he watched the slayer wipe the tears from her eyes and trying to calm down. Once settled down, Buffy took a sip from her mocha and looked to Xander.
"You and Anya… you two won't get back together, will you?" she asked, and Xander cast his eyes down to the table.
"No, we won't."
"Mind if I ask why?"
"Because, because neither of us is ready. We thought we were, but we weren't. Anya's never had the chance to get to know who she is and what she wants, to grow as a human, and I… well I never had the chance to grow up. Canceling the wedding the way I did was proof right there."
"Yeah, but you have to look at the circumstances too. I mean…"
"I did, Buffy. I was looking for an excuse to get out of marrying her, and when it presented itself- I took it. I wasn't ready for that kind of responsibility and opted out when the opportunity came along."
"But…"
"Buffy, please don't try and defend my actions. It's the truth. I wasn't `grown up' enough to handle it yet. And lets face it… Anya went from being a vengeance demon, to being with me. She never had the chance to explore who she was or what she wanted to do, or where she wanted her life to go." He sighed, "As awful as it sounds, I think the break-up was the best thing for both of us."
"You still love her." It was a statement.
"Of course I do, and probably always will. Its just that `right now', its not the time for us."
"I'm always here for you. You know that, right?" she said as she took hold of his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
"I know. I have you and Giles, and of course, my Willster." He smiled. "I have to say, I'm the luckiest guy in the world." But a flash of red caught the slayer's attention walking by the window.
"Hey, speaking of the `Willster', there she is. C'mon, Xan." And the two grabbed their coffees and left the Espresso Pump. Xander looked around the street, having not seen which way the girl went, but Buffy poked him in the arm and pointed in the direction Willow was walking.
Both caught sight of the young woman and called out to her.
"Wills! Hey, Wills… wait up!" and both jogged to catch up to her, as they received no response that she'd even heard them.
"Willow, wait." Said Xander a little breathlessly as he gently reached out a hand and grasped her arm, but was shocked at what happened next.
"Hey, get off me! What the hell do you think your doing!?" she shouted as she spun around. Her eyes went as big as saucers as she watched the young man quickly release her arm and hold up his hands. `OH CRAP!' she thought as she forced herself to visibly relax and placed a hand on her chest and smile.
"Whoa, hey! Sorry, Willow. I-I didn't mean t-to…"
"Wills, are you okay?" asked the blonde as she watched her friend breath heavily.
"I'm fine," she searched her memory, "Buffy. You guy's just scared me, that's all."
"Didn't you hear us calling you?" asked the young man.
"Actually, no I didn't. I guess my head was in La La Land. It was just such a beautiful day, so I walked up to the Bluff and…"
"Oh, did you finish your spell?"
"Uh, yeah. I sure did." She replied, trying not to let the confusion show on her face.
"That's great! I bet the Bluff is quite a sight better now than it was before."
"Yup." She said, as she understood now what they were talking about. "It sure does. A lot better."
"Well, no wonder your head was in the clouds." Buffy chuckled. "So where you off too? Feel like some company?"
"I wasn't going anywhere in particular… just our for a walk, that's all, nothing special."
"Great," said Xander as he and Buffy each took one of her arms and looped it through theirs, and continued walking, taking the red head with them.
"Yeah, great."
Chapter nine
The duo walked along the streets of Sunnydale with a reluctant red head, who was wishing she were anywhere but with them. Window- shopping was definitely not something she enjoyed doing, and it seemed like if a building had a window, then the annoying blonde had to stop and look in.
Just as they were doing now, looking in the window of a clothing store while the blonde pointed out some articles that she though would look great with her complexion. The red head paid little attention as she eyed a mannequin. The dress it wore was made of red silk, but the midriff was lace, strapless and very short.
"I like that one." She said as she pointed it out to Buffy.
"What dress? There's nothing to it." Xander replied.
"He's right, Wills. For what it leaves to the imagination, you might as well just walk around in your bra and panties."
"Buffy, Please. I sooo don't need that picture in my head, thank you very much."
"Sorry, Xand." She said, smiling sheepishly as she looked back to Willow. "Uh, its just that… well, that dress really isn't you."
"Give me a break." She said, rolling her eyes. "Don't be such a fuddy-duddy!" she finished as her shoulders began to sag. `Damnit!' she thought as she realized that the body was draining fast.
"Willow, are you okay?" asked the concerned slayer.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just need to sit down for a minute, that's all." And walked away from the two figures to get to the bench just up the street.
Xander took an arm and helped steady her until they reach the bench and gently helped her to sit. "You don't look to good. Can I get you something?"
"No, its okay. I'm a little tired that's all. I guess I just need a small pick-me-up or something." But as she said that, a tall brunette walked by and her eyes followed his movements appreciatively. "And there it goes." She said with a giggle, causing the passer-by to look back at her and smile. She sat up straight and gave him an alluring smile while she twirled strands of hair around her fingers.
"Will? What on earth do you think your doing?"
"I don't know what you'd call it, but here, in the twenty-first century, they call it flirting." She said with a playful glint in her eyes as she looked at the two stunned figures staring at her. "Oh, what now!?"
"What do you mean `what now'? The `what now' is, what about Giles?" Buffy replied with a little anger in her voice.
"Lighten up, Blondie!" said the red head as she lowered her head and placed her fingers at the temples. `Not now!' "What the hell is your problem?" but it came out as more a whisper than anything. Slowly, she raised her head as her eyes scanned her surroundings with a mixture of confusion and horror.
"My problem? What the hell is `my' problem? I'm not the one making goo-goo eyes at some guy right after starting a relationship with my watcher! Its more like, what the hell is `your' problem!?" she finished angrily, not noticing what the young man had seen.
Xander had watched the look on Willow's face, knowing full well she was trying to hide her… fear?, unsuccessfully. Something was wrong with his best friend, and at the moment, he was the only one who noticed it.
"Will?" said the young man, as he lifted her head with his fingers so he could look her in the eyes. "Will, what's wrong?" He watched as she tightly closed her green eyes for a few seconds before opening them and responding.
"I, uh, I'm fine Xander. Its just, uh, a headache." She said quickly. "A really big headache. I think I need to go home." She said and tried to stand up on legs that were a little wobbly. Xander took her arm and helped her up, then turned to Buffy.
"Buff, I'm gonna take Willow home."
"Fine, but I'm coming with you. This conversation is sooo not over."
"Yes, it is." The young man sighed. "Please, just let me handle it. Okay?
"But…" she started, but after seeing the look on his face she decided relenting would be the best option. "You know… your getting pretty good at the `resolve face'. All right, go on. I'll talk to you about it later." She finished as Xander nodded and led Willow away.
* * * *
He led her to the couch where she sat down gratefully, wrapping her arms around herself as he sat down next to her.
"Care to tell me what that was all about back there?" he asked. The girl looked absolutely exhausted… barely able to hold herself in a sitting position let alone really answer any questions, but he had to try.
The only response was a shake of her head as she stared ahead of her, unwilling to meet his eyes. Xander sighed and pulled Willow to him so that she leaned against his side with an arm around her. "You look wiped. Take a nap, and I'll be here when you wake up." He felt a slight movement where her head rested before she shuffled a little, making herself a little more comfortable and closed her eyes.
`What the hell is happening?' she thought to herself as she remembered the angry look on Buffy's face and the concern on Xander's, as well as the conversation the two were having. `Handle what?' The last thing she could remember was being at Kingman's Bluff; she finished the spell and had decided to meditate. The next thing she knew, she's sitting on a bench downtown with a mad slayer and worried friend. Did Buffy say she was flirting with a guy?
Fear crept its way in as she sat there, leaning against her best friend. She was blacking out, and saying or doing things that she wasn't even aware were going on. `Should I tell? I don't know what to do.' But darkness overcame her as she fell fast asleep, a little comforted by the fact that her life-long friend was at her side.