Disclaimer: They're only mine when I'm having REM

Okay, this is my response to Wic's July Challenge. It was gonna be real serious when I planned it but I'm in far to good a mood and to be honest I'm getting enough serious drama with chapter 5 of Chances so I've gone slightly mental. If you read this all the way through then you'll discover what happens to writers when they lose it and start taunting they characters. Oh and don't worry about me. The ending isn't as bad as it sounds. I actually like Dawson's Creek. It just pales in comparison to Buffy. And they have very comfy beds too.

"Bring Me To Life"

Willow sat in the Bronze, hidden from the rest of the Scoobies, lost in thoughts that she knew she shouldn't be having. But she'd known that for a while now. She heard the smooth, lonely piano start up. Tonight the Bronze had some new band in called Evanescence, apparently they were the new big thing. She'd heard the song on the radio but had never listened to the words before. They were surprisingly fitting for her situation.
"Bloody writers. You just can't bear to let a character indulge in self
pity without pointing out some ironically apt song."
"Shut up and go back to your whining" the increasingly infuriated
writer replied. "I've got serious writer's block so you're just gonna
have to be miserable until I get over it."
"Fine." Willow replied moodily, as she turned her thoughts back to the
problem she was faced with It had all started when Buffy had decided to get laid. * Typical, Buffy gets some and I'm the one that ends up fucked. * When Angel had lost his soul Willow had been scared. Scrap that, the redhead had been petrified.
"Don't call me 'the redhead', you always call me that! How about some
original ideas you stupid whedon-wannabe?"
"Shut your moaning and get on with the story!"
"Whatever". Anyway, the REDHEAD had been petrified. Especially considering the fact that Angelus had been holding her when she'd been given the extremely bad news. But then a few days later the fear had begun to develop into something else. Obsession. She hadn't bothered to tell Buffy but Angelus had taken to visiting her. And he seemed to know exactly how to get her to relax around him. (A/N: no not like that you dirty minded people) He seemed to understand her. Considering he was an evil, bloodsucking vampire this was something of a shock. He'd followed her home a few days after Buffy's birthday and grabbed her from behind. Willow had thought that that was it, the end. But she was very wrong. Instead of killing her, or hurting her at all, Angelus had just held her, breathing in her scent and stroking her smooth hair. Then he left. Willow hadn't known what to do. Somehow telling Buffy seemed to be the wrong course of action. What had transpired between them felt private, personal. And slightly dodgy. Anyway, within a few weeks the nightly holding, caressing had moved on to something even more personal. (A/N: Not That! Please take your minds out of the gutter!) They had begun to talk. Willow of course had been silent for the first few of these conversations, mostly because she was having them with a vamp that wanted to kill her best friends. But eventually she realised that the secrecy of these encounters excited her greatly. And she discovered that Angelus knew everything she was feeling. He somehow seemed to know her better than she knew herself.

How can you see into my eyes like open doors

leading you down into my core

where I've become so numb

This was a dangerous game she'd been playing and eventually she decided that it was too dangerous. She had found the disk with the curse on it long before Buffy had, but she decided at first to leave it where it was, Fearing to use it in case she never felt the way she did with Angelus ever again.

without a soul my spirit sleeping somewhere cold

until you find it there and lead it back home

But once she had finally returned his soul, Willow was certain that that was the end of it. She just didn't realise that once she'd made that connection, it would be impossible to survive having severed it. After a week of living without those meetings, those conversations, Willow felt a need grow within her. She needed that man, that vampire back.

(Wake me up)

Wake me up inside

(I can't wake up)

Wake me up inside

(Save me)

call my name and save me from the dark

(Wake me up)

bid my blood to run

(I can't wake up)

before I come undone

(Save me)

save me from the nothing I've become

It had been Willow who brought Angel back from hell. She had stumbled across the highly complex spell and had believed it would release Angelus. Instead it had released Angel. At first she believed that this would be enough. She had initially felt guilty when Buffy had gone through all those accusations for keeping Angel's return a secret. Especially considering she had been spending significantly more time with the vampire than his ex had.

now that I know what I'm without

you can't just leave me

breathe into me and make me real

bring me to life

After many months Willow realised that it was no good. She had had many conversations with Angel, attempting to find that connection again. But the fact was that Angel was wary of her now. He remembered everything that had transpired between them and he found it hard to trust a woman who had had what resembled an affair with his evil alter ego. Besides, Willow knew that it was the danger she needed. She didn't want Angel, he was too nice. This redhead.
"OI! I told you about the redhead thing!"
This young woman?
"Better." This young woman needed the danger and the excitement that came from being with a man who could snap her neck in a second.
(A/N: Do not try this at home. Generally relationships with men who
may snap your neck any minute are highly unhealthy. Of course if
that's what floats your boat, my sincerest apologies and good luck
with that.) "EH-UHM! I was reminiscing here!" "Sorry"

(Wake me up)

Wake me up inside

(I can't wake up)

Wake me up inside

(Save me)

call my name and save me from the dark

(Wake me up)

bid my blood to run

(I can't wake up)

before I come undone

(Save me)

save me from the nothing I've become

The need within Willow was too strong. Without her vampire beside her she felt numb.

frozen inside without your touch without your love darling only you are the life among the dead

So there was only one solution. She would bring him back. It was so obvious. The only way to regain that feeling she'd once felt was to return him to her. So she did. Graduation had finished and She knew that he was leaving. * It's now or never * the wiccan had thought as she had gathered all of the ingredients for the very potent potion she was to concoct. It took a few hours, but once it was finished she hotfooted it.
"Who says hotfooted it?!"
"You do okay, now stop moaning about my writing or I'll kill you off at
the end of this story!"
"So I'm hotfooting it over to Angel's place?" And she gave him the potion, smartly disguised in a Dr. Pepper bottle. "Here Angel, you should have a drink before you leave. It's a long drive and you don't wanna start out thirsty." "Willow," Angel had replied suspiciously, "Why don't I save it until I need it?" "Well you may as well have some now," She'd shot back desperately. "Otherwise when you try to open it while you're driving it'll be full so you're more likely to spill it all over your nice new leather seats. Come on, it's just a little drink. What's the worst that could happen?" He had looked at the innocent smile on his friends face and thought * Come on, this is Willow. It's not like she's gonna poison me or anything. * And he'd downed half of the bottle.

all this time I can't believe I couldn't see

kept in the dark but you were there in front of me

I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems

got to open my eyes to everything

without a thought without a voice without a soul

don't let me die here

you must be sacrificed

bring me to life

Angel felt the pull on his soul, the pain was familiar and he looked at Willow. She had a calm look on her face. "Why?" "I need him, in order to get him you have to be sacrificed. Sorry bout that." And with that Angel collapsed to the ground. And Angelus rose from it. "Hello Willow." "Angelus!" Willow swooned.
"OKAY, THAT'S IT! I DID NOT SWOON!"
"You swooned okay, deal." A cocky grin graced the vampire's face. "I knew you'd restore me if Buffy won." "Of course I would, I couldn't cope without you." Willow replied SWOONING some more. "I know, that was how I'd planned it." "p.p.planned?" "You don't think I'm really like that do you? Hah. I couldn't care less about you witch. I knew that that bitch slayer might beat me so I figured what better way to ensure that I didn't disappear for good than by getting her best friend who is also a witch to fall head over heals in love with me? And it worked. So now I'm gonna go pay the ex a little visit, seeing as how she thinks I'm all soul-having thanks to you. So long red." "WAIT! You mean we're not even gonna have hot sex before you go. That was the reason I brought you back to life." "Maybe later. I've got a headache." Angelus sneered before taking off.

(Wake me up)

Wake me up inside

(I can't wake up)

Wake me up inside

(Save me)

call my name and save me from the dark

(Wake me up)

bid my blood to run

(I can't wake up)

before I come undone

(Save me)

save me from the nothing I've become

As Willow came full circle to the events of earlier that day she looked at her friends, dancing laughing and turned to the vampire next to her. "If I'm gonna be responsible for killing them I don't want to feel guilty about it as well. Turn me." "Sure thing ducks. Hey Dru! Give us a mo, I'm just gonna turn red here and then I'll come help you beat Angelus to death with that herring like I promised k?" With that Spike turned and bit tenderly into the redhead's neck. "Your turn ducks." He said, cut a line on his own neck for Willow to bite into. "Spike, we're going." "Just a sec Angelus, I'm turning red here." "Tough. I'm bored, the slayers dead, me and dru have danced on her body, I reckon it's about time for an Indian." "Sorry Red, 'nother time maybe." Willow looked up in horror as she realised that she was to be left to bleed to death in the bronze. In her last breath she tried to curse the writer, who was having none of it.
"That'll teach you to bitch about my writing. Bet you'd be okay with
swooning now eh? Wouldn't ya, wouldn't ya. Mwah hah hah hah haaa" And
with that the writer was taken away by some very nice men dressed in
long white coats to a big building where computers were prohibited and
everyone was forced to watch Dawson's Creek reruns to prevent them from
developing any more imagination.

(Bring me to life)

I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside

(Bring me to life)