Willow's Room, 11:00pm.

It had been two months since the Halloween incident that made everyone in Sunnydale who bought, or rented their costumes, from the shop known as Ethan's turn into who, or what, they were dressed as thanks to a spell. Xander had been turned into a soldier thanks to the toy gun he bought from that shop, Buffy was transformed into a young woman of privilege from the Eighteenth century thanks to the costume she rented from Ethan's; and then there was Willow who rented a belt with a five pointed badge in the shape of a star.. complete with a toy shotgun on its holster. She was going to initially pick up a ghost costume, but thanks to being pushed by Buffy and Xander, she instead chose part of a costume that was meant to be used for a live action show that never was… a show that instead became a kids cartoon in the mid-eighties; she picked part of a costume of a Galaxy Ranger called Niko.

The night the magic activated was pure chaos. Willow could only watch helplessly as someone else seemed to take over her body. She remembered being panicked at first; she was afraid that her body, which was going on autopilot, was going to harm people.

Then Willow saw Niko's memories; the redhead could only look and smile as she absorbed her knowledge, her experiences, her training… everything that Willow wanted to be, Niko already was. She was a trained archaeologist, an expert on mystical elements for her team, the Series Five Galaxy Rangers; she was a skilled martial artist, she was intelligent, and she had knowledge about the future.

Willow knew that it was a fictional future, but she knew that some of the ideas were sound.

What attracted her was the strength and confidence that Niko exuded, the same things that Willow felt she didn't have. The Sunnydale redhead watched as the Galaxy Ranger took down what seemed to be a werewolf, she watched as she met with Xander, and then with Buffy. Willow watched as they met with Cordelia who was the one to take the three Scoobies to Giles so that he could figure out what the heck was going on.

Willow then experienced Niko's background; she saw the ranger's parents dying when she was just a child, she saw and experienced the anguish at being taken away from her homeworld of Alspeth to the planet Xanadu by the woman who would become Niko's mentor; Ariel of the Circle of Thought.

Ever since she met Buffy, Willow's been introduced to magic.. to the mystical elements of her best friend's life; and she wanted to know everything she could so that she could help the Slayer. Now, Willow had Niko's mystical training… everything that Niko learned herself… everything that Ariel trained Niko in.. Willow also knew. But the redhead also recognized the responsibility in wielding mystical forces respectfully.

It made her humbled as she looked at how powerful Niko was; but still she remained in control whenever she used her powers.

Willow saw Ariel also train Niko's latent psionic abilities; telekinesis and limited clairvoyance.

To Willow; it was exciting to know all this information about the person who had taken over her body. She then saw, through Niko's eyes, as she took on Spike. She punched the air excitedly when Niko fired her shotgun knowing full well that all that would do was release intense light and sound; but it was enough to distract Spike. Willow watched as Niko smashed the butt of her weapon into Spike's face, she watched as Niko punched and kicked him… she also grimaced when the surprise faded and Spike took control of their fight. She watched as Spike nearly beat Niko, crashing her trhough the table in the library, and then picking her up and pushing her to the wall while Giles and Angel had taken Cordelia and Buffy away earlier. Willow saw the Private Xander getting up to help when Spike was preparing to bite into Niko.

'Fight, Niko… Fight!' Willow remembered shouting.

It was then she, and Niko, saw a vision of Ariel in the library; the old woman encouraged Niko to fight on, to be the Ranger she was trained to be.

But Willow never knew who Ariel was really talking to; was it to Niko, or to her.

Or was it to the both of them?

In the end it didn't matter as Giles and Angel returned to help, and by that time that Private Xander had finally stood up and was ready to make a move. Willow remembered howling in excitement when Niko, encouraged by Ariel's words, head butted Spike and then kicked him. She remembered that Spike was now surrounded by Private Xander, Giles, and Angel; she remembered the look on Spike's face as he chose to run instead of fight all of them.. but Willow saw Niko mentally pull him back and then slam him onto the ground. She then saw Niko mentally lift the wooden shards of the table that Spike had earlier smashed Niko though, and then things got dizzy. Willow remembered that Niko missed the heart of the vampire on her first try, and then on the second try just before Spike escaped with a piece of wood piercing his back.

Willow then felt dizzy, as did Niko, as Giles held on to her while Angel was telling her that Willow's body wasn't used to her Ranger training.

'No kidding, Sherlock,' thought Willow to herself as she looked at what was going on through Niko's eyes.

Willow then saw them, minus Angel, Buffy and Private Xander, heading to Ethan's.. with Cordelia insisting on going since she was the one who found the address. Willow grinned when Niko punched the architect of the situation they found themselves in, a person by the name of Ethan Rayne; actually she grinned wider when Niko punched him again. It was Cordelia who figured out that the statue of Janus was the key in defeating the spell, and Giles managed to get confirmation of that fact from Ethan.

However, the grin on Willow's face vanished when Ethan mentioned a possible downside; that the removal of Niko's Series Five implant from her frontal lobe could turn Willow into a vegetable, or it could even kill her. Ethan told Giles that was a possibility since the destruction of the Janus statue would take away the implant which was responsible for boosting Niko's natural psionic abilities to a massive level through the release of Alpha Radiation to the implant from pressing the badge.

The man said that the implant would go away, but the damage done by the implant vanishing could kill her.

"Maybe," Willow remembered the creep saying.

Willow put her hands on her head as she looked with eyes wide open as Ethan told Giles that Niko would stay alive, but everyone else would suffer; or he could potentially kill Niko, and Willow, in return for saving everyone else.

'That.. that's not a even a fair choice and…,' thought Willow to herself just as Niko turned to face the Janus statue, and then looked at Giles before she started to talk again. Willow listened as Niko told Giles that she has a way to save Willow's body and mind, he just needs to break the statue when she tells him to.

'Wait, that means that…. Whoa.'

Willow felt a massive surge of power after Niko pressed her badge; the Alpha radiation was absorbed by the Series Five implant which then massively boosted her natural abilities. The two redheads saw magic, they saw the tendrils from the Janus statue attaching themselves not only to the Galaxy Ranger's badge, and the Series Five implant in her head.. but to numerous people out there in Sunnydale.

And she had no idea what those tendrils did, or what creature's people had become. Willow knew that Niko was worried if she cut the tendrils haphazardly, then someone who is a monster right now.. will remain a monster if the tendrils are cut while the magic was active, and then followed by the Statue being destroyed.

With the charge in her badge nearly finished, Niko made the tough choice of cutting the tendrils that went to her badge and the Series Five implant.

'I don't want to be forgotten.'

Willow turned around to find the long haired Galaxy Ranger looking back at her.

"I'm sorry," said Willow to the Ranger.

"It was an adventure," said Niko to the Sunnydale redhead, "farewell, Willow."

Willow then saw the image of Niko vanish. When she heard a voice and turned around to find her physical body looking at Giles.

"Break it… now!"

Willow closed her eyes as Giles smashed the statue onto the floor. The redhead then felt a tingle go through her entire body when she suddenly felt pain; pain and the smell of iron that she knew, thanks to Niko's memories and experiences, was blood.

She was back in control of her own body now; and it was then she heard Giles call for Niko.

Willow had a split second decision to make. She knew that if the others knew about her remembering being Niko, then they'd be asking all sorts of questions. She was also worried that her friends would see her differently if she told them that she remembered everything about that night… she didn't want to answer questions about a fictional future or about the Rangers, or about the Bureau of Extra Terrestrial Affairs. She wanted to remember Niko her own way. She wanted it to be her own little secret.

So she lied. She told Giles she didn't remember anything, and wanted to know why her body was really painful; which it was as Willow grimaced while she walked back to Cordelia's car.

It was the next day at the library, after Buffy and Xander had left that Giles found out the truth; that Willow really did remember what happened, and that she had retained Niko's powers, experiences, and training. However, he had to learn it the hard way; He knew that Willow was hiding something, and so he intended to surprise Willow with a knife attack which the redhead dodged, she even performed a back-flip to put some distance between herself and the watcher. When he continued the attack, Willow twisted Giles' hand and then tripped him until he fell to the floor.

That was what happened two months ago.

And ever since that day in the library, Willow asked Giles to train her when he wasn't training Buffy. She told Giles that while she had Niko's Ranger training and experiences in her mind, but her body wasn't used to that punishment. She told Giles that she had all of Niko's experiences in her mind, and it felt as if she did them herself, but her body knew it didn't and was now screaming in pain.

That's what Willow felt the day after some light conditioning training with Giles; pain and soreness throughout her body. In the beginning Willow trained alternate days with Giles after school, a few hours before Giles would go with Buffy on patrol; the Watcher commanded that Willow not to go out on her own and try to be a hero. He told Willow that since she didn't want Buffy and Xander to know that certain things had changed, then she had to be the same Willow they had always known.

"I know" said Willow the first night she was struggling to do push-ups while Giles sat on the bench right outside his apartment while reading a book, "I'm not going to go out and suddenly wear the same kinda stuff that Cordy wears. I mean.. I like my fuzzy shirts. They're cute."

"Be that as it may, Willow" said Giles, "you still have to be careful; of course you know what my opinion is on this need to keep secret about what you know in regards to Niko's experiences as a Galaxy Ranger."

"Yea" said Willow as she got on her knees and wiped her forehead while panting after completing only ten push-ups, "but then again, you're the one who said I have to keep everything low-key in case Spike's watching me. If I tell Buffy, or Xander… especially Xander, then you know what's gonna happen."

"Indeed" sighed Giles as he looked up at a sweaty Willow who was wiping her forehead on her shirt sleeve. He then looked back down at his book and told the redhead to do another fifteen push-ups.

"But my arms, my shoulders… everything's burning" said Willow as she got back onto the push-up position.

"That's a good thing" said Giles as he looked at Willow, and then back at his book, "now begin."

Over the next few days, Giles watched as Willow continued her training; firstly her physical training… and then the next week they started training her telekinesis. She told Giles about how Niko was trained on Xanadu; with the watcher telling her that she should continue that same training that Niko had received from Ariel.

"That's the best thing way to learn, Willow" said Giles while the redhead was jogging around the courtyard outside his apartment after school, "from how you described Ariel and this Circle of Thought, they are a very powerful group of psychics, psionics and users of magic; I'm confident that you can use the training that Niko had undergone to improve on her telekinesis and clairvoyance; at the same time you'd learn how to put it to good use by following their instructions. But the issue right now is magic."

"I know" said Willow, "Niko was tempted by magic.. it.. I mean I can feel it. She meditated to remain in control and her intensive training helped too. It's like the fighting and physical training, Giles; I know it, I can feel it.. I mean I know I can do it but… I'm still…inexperienced in actually doing magic."

"That's a good feeling to have, Willow" said Giles as Willow took a break and sat on the ground, "magic is…. dangerous. First though, I want you to separate your telekinesis using your mind, from telekinesis using magic. That's your first assignment."

"Ok" said Willow, "I can feel it if I'm using magic… Niko can, so that means I know what it feels like. But the while clairvoyance thing.. that's gonna be difficult. I need the Alpha radiation that powers the badge to do that whole thing at a higher level."

"How is that going?" asked Giles, referring to the search for an Alpha Radiation source, while Willow shook her head.

"I'm searching online" said Willow, "I've read that someone at Caltech's using Alpha radiation for some experiments… all I have to do is get the badge as close as possible to the source, and it'll absorb the radiation and increase the charge. Right now? The badge only has… maybe, just a quarter charge left. Which means I can only use the Series Five implant in my head another two times.. maximum."

"Find out what you can about what's going on at Caltech" said Giles as Willow nodded her head.

Back in the present day two months after Halloween, Willow was floating over her bed while sitting cross-legged and completing some last minute studying for an exam the next day. She was reading the textbook and highlighting some notes, while splitting her focus to the different pieces of a thousand piece jigsaw puzzle that was floating all around her. To take a break from the studying, Willow would look up and look at the completed part of the puzzle, and then at the rest of the seven hundred and thirty eight different pieces to find the next few pieces. She looked up, and then down, and to her left and her right while the pieces were all floating around her using just her telekinesis.

Willow smiled when she stopped the pieces moving, and then looked at the completed section of what looked to be a castle, before she looked up, and then to her right and took out five pieces and floated then in front of her. Then she used her fingers to put them into position, making sure they fit before using her telekinesis to attach the finished section to the completed section. She then looked at her clock and opened her eyes wide before she mentally put all of the pieces into the box, and then the partially complete section on her table. She then gently landed on the bed before getting of it and then putting her books on the table.

The redhead had been going from strength to strength on her telekinesis using the training methods that Ariel had used on Niko, including fine control of multiple objects using just telekinesis. Willow had already had used different piece puzzles to train her focus and control for the telekinesis, and she had been going from strength to strength until she could levitate herself. Her physical training was also going well; as well as it could be. She was finding it much easier now without her waking up the next morning with her body in pain and barely being unable to lift her arms. She and Giles were already working on punches and kicks, and with Niko's experiences and memories already in her head.. Willow just needed to know the basics before she was able to use the proper techniques that Niko had been trained in.

As for magic, Giles had gotten in touch with someone from a nearby coven without any links to the Watchers Council who agreed to teach Willow the basics; Giles told the redhead that with her memories of what Niko was trained in with mystics, she'd be able to build on it slowly over time once she learnt the basics of magical control. In the meantime, Willow had been doing meditations to keep herself centered; similar to the meditations that Giles had taught Buffy to keep her centered.

"But the important thing is…," said Giles over a month ago as he pointed his hand towards the sky.

"As Ariel would say, control the magic… don't let it control you," said Willow, "be calm, be collected… don't panic. Confidence is key, and always ask for help if you get stuck."

"Exactly," said Giles nodding his head.

Willow knew that someone form the Coven would be coming to see her next week, and the redhead was meditating every morning and every night after training with Giles. She'd still go out with Buffy and Xander; she'd still be research girl for Buffy even before she faced Spike again. It was about a month earlier when an old friend of Buffy's named Ford supposedly moved to Sunnydale. Once night Spike and a few of his minions attacked Buffy, Ford, Spike and Xander… the bleached vampire actually going for Willow first; their first encounter again, following their fight in the library on Halloween.

"Buffy!" willow shouted as Spike grabbed her and then pushed her against a garbage dumpster while Xander was hitting a vampire with a wooden beam. In the meantime, Buffy was fighting a female vampire when she looked back over her shoulder once she heard Willow's scream.

"Will!" shouted Buffy at seeing Spike dragging Willow, and Ford running at Spike, "Ford! Get Willow!"

Buffy saw Spike fling away Ford who landed on the ground after he slammed Willow onto the ground. Buffy remembered what Giles said about Willow being someone who Spike could find a threat, given that she nearly beat him during the Halloween encounter. The blonde Slayer remembered Giles telling her to stay with Willow, especially at night.

"Crap," said Buffy as she punched the vampire she was facing before taking out her stake.

Meanwhile, Willow looked up at Spike and knew that she could just telekinetically push him away. She was already feeling the mental power building in her mind as he rushed at her. She quickly looked around and knew that none of them could see Spike mysteriously being pushed away.

'But Spike will know' thought Willow to herself as she looked at Spike coming at her, 'he thinks that I'm the one he fought that day… and he looks so mad.'

"Show me what you can do, pet" said Spike as he roughly picked Willow up and then pushed her against the wall. He then ran and held her tight and leaned forward, "do that thing you did again… and then I'll let you go."

"I.. I don't have those powers" said Willow as she started to tear up while she looked over his shoulder at Buffy who had just staked her vampire before she turned and was immediately tackled by the one that Xander was fighting. Willow then looked at Xander who was on the ground, slowly getting up to his feet. He looked at Willow, and then screamed while running toward them. Willow then looked at Spike who gave a grin before he shoved Willow against a dumpster again and then he turned and punched Xander in the chest, and then kicked him into the path of Ford who was running towards them. The result being that both of the males fell onto the ground.

"Hey" said Willow as Spike turned around angrily, only to be met by a kick to his groin.

"Ummm….." continued Willow while she nervously back away while Spike opened his eyes, and mouth wide, in pain, "I.. that wasn't me. I mean…at the library that day… you know? I heard about what happened and… It was a curse and.. and a lot of kids who bought costumes from that shop had it and… umm…. Sorry?"

'Come on.. attack me,' thought Willow as she backed away when Spike turned on his vamp face. She then saw Buffy stake the other vampire before turning around and running towards Spike and Willow.

"Guess you're weak again, huh?" asked Spike as he leaped at Willow with a snarl. He grabbed the redhead and was about to bite her, with Willow doing everything she could to not use her abilities as Buffy got closer and closer, as did Xander and Ford. She felt Spike's breath on her neck just before he bit down on her; Willow felt his fangs pierce her skin just as Xander grabbed the vampire by his shoulders and then screamed and pull him off Willow before spinning around and pushing him away. Spike then turned around when he smelled Buffy's perfume and blocked her stake while smiling at the blonde Slayer, telling her that her friends were all weak… and that he was wrong.

"Red there goes last,,, she's no threat" said Spike as he knocked the stake out of Buffy's hand and then pushed her off him. Buffy then grabbed him and flung him against a wall before she picked up the stake she dropped and ran towards the vampire. She then punched him, before turning around and delivering a kick to his solar plexus which knocked him against a wall. She then ran forward with the stake pointing out at the vampire who dodged it at the last minute and slammed the Slayer into the wall again. Buffy then turned around in anger at Spike, she glanced over at her best friend who was still bleeding while she and Xander tried to press down on the wound. Buffy then glared at Spike before she gave him a kick and flung him a few feet away.

"You'll see her die, Slayer" said Spike as he quickly got up before he laughed and ran away. Buffy was about to go after him when Xander called out to her, and then Ford revealed that he knew about Buffy being the Slayer in L.A… which came as a surprise to everyone. What was even more of a surprise was the discovery that Ford was later allied with Spike; Ford promised the vampire he'll bring Buffy to him if he turned him… and over the next two days, he confirmed Spike's suspicions that Willow was just a powerless girl who was still complaining about the bite that she received from Spike.

Back in her room, Willow opened one of her drawers and looked at the Galaxy Ranger badge and smiled. She brushed her fingers over the smooth metal as she closed her eyes and remembered flying through Hyperspace on their ship, Ranger One. Willow then sighed, knowing that it would have been fun to play around with advanced technology before she put the badge back in the drawer. As she closed the drawer, Willow remembered the look on Buffy's face after she left Ford to get bitten by Spike in the trap he had set for her. He had also intended to sacrifice a hundred other people in a club that thought vampires were romanticised creatures; but she had gotten herself, and the people out. And left Ford trapped inside with Spike and his crew.

The next day, Buffy told Willow that later that night, Ford rose up as a vampire and she killed him.

Willow then turned the nightlight on before turning off the lights in her room. As she got into her bed, she traced the healed bite marks on her neck and remembered everything that happened since then; from minor demons and vampires she helped research while content that her secret was safe and she was out of danger.. but at the same time kicking herself that Buffy was in Spike's crosshairs again. It was Giles who told her that she did the right thing, that it was better that she be Buffy's ace in the hole; her secret guardian angel. She had helped Buffy covertly, using her telekinesis to knock vampires off their feet, or throw a weapon out of the hands of a demon. She was there during the return of Ethan Rayne during the incident where he tried to put the tattoo of the Mark of Eyghon on Buffy.

Willow remembered sneering at the man after seeing him again once more at the end, where Angel saved the day. The redhead glanced over at Giles who was comforting his girlfriend, Jenny Calendar who was host to Eyghon, before he looked up at Willow with rage in his eyes. Willow then saw that Rayne was making a run past them, the redhead purposely let him push past her before she turned and looked at the man while Buffy ran after him. Willow then gave a small smile when she telekinetically hit the back of his knees, causing him to fall onto his back. Then Buffy picked him up and told him to leave Sunnydale for good, that if she saw him again.. then there would be trouble.

As Willow looked on, she remembered the look that Ethan had given her after Buffy released him. She smirked at the man before mentally pushing him hard into a parked car.

"Hey," said Buffy while Ethan looked at the Slayer, and then at Willow, and then at the Slayer again. Buffy took a step forward as Ethan ran hurriedly away, "weirdo."

Back in Willow's room, the young redhead chuckled at that memory, and the other memories where she covertly helped Buffy; and then closed her eyes to prepare herself for a brand new day.

TBC.