A couple of phone calls from Dawn had Xander and Anya coming by. Buffy bandaged her burned hands and was thankful that Slayer healing would take care of her bruises from her crash against the tree. Then all attention turned to Willow, who remained out cold, slumped awkwardly against the wall.

"You hit her?" Xander asked, disgust coloring his voice.

"I tried to calm her down," said Buffy, "But she almost hurt Dawn. It was just instinct." Dawn made her way to Willow, which lit those very instincts on fire, "Dawn! Stay away from—"

"Buffy," said Dawn, gently checking the witch's head, "You hit her really hard. I mean, really hard. She's not a vampire."

"I freaked," Buffy defended.

"Jeeze Buff," said Xander, "I know Will's having problems, but couldn't you control yourself?"

"What, knock her out gently?"

"I mean…" Dawn pointed to Willow's blood on the wall, "Buffy."

"How am I the bad guy here?" Buffy snapped, but then she softened: "I'm sorry. It was a mistake. All we can do now is make sure she's okay."

"Okay, so besides possible head trauma," said Anya, "Anyone check her eyes?"

Dawn lifted Willow's eyelids, and she jumped when she saw blackness, "That's so creepy."

"Anya already called Giles," said Xander, "But he's not answering. We should take her to the hospital. Willow's had a coma before. Not fun."

"She could wake up concussed and confused with all that power still running through her," said Anya, "It needs time to dissipate. She could hurt people."

"Anya's right," said Buffy, "We don't know how long it'll be 'til she wakes up."

"Okay, so no hospital," said Xander, "So scary confused superwitch wakes up here with powers she can't control. What do we do about that?"

There was a long silence, no one quite wanting to take the lead on this one.

"I mean," Buffy said, "It doesn't feel right. But there is something."

When Willow woke up, there was a blissful half a second of ignorant numbness before a terrible migraine clouded her head.

Willow groaned loudly, eyes still shut. She sat up with haste and leaned over the bed to vomit violently as a hand guided her over a bin.

"M-my head!" she cried, grasping it tearfully, "What's going on?"

"Hey Will," said Xander, "Easy. You got a big bump."

Willow made some whining noise and squinted her eyes open. The light burned her brain so she covered her face pathetically with her arm, "I… Xander?" She stopped, moved vaguely where she assumed the trash can was and vomited again.

She could hear Xander pacing nervously. "Open your eyes, Will," he said, and the words held so much more fear and dread than they had after Willow's spell last week. She followed his instructions, though it was painful.

Her eyes were dazed, but no longer black. In fact, there was some dullness to them, something grayer about their green, and nevertheless Xander sighed in relief as he passed her a rag to wipe her face.

"What…" Willow tried to swallow, her mouth dry, and she was handed a glass of water. She felt a familiar wrongness; her head felt big. "I should… hospital?"

"Uh…" Xander started. How could he explain why they had risked not taking her to a doctor?

"Will, how are you feeling?" said another voice, and Willow jumped in her skin. She didn't realize there were others in the room; usually she could sense them. Something was wrong.

"Icky," Willow said. She flexed her fingers, reaching for something that wasn't there, "You didn't take me to the hospital…" she said, "'cause you're afraid…"

"No," Buffy said, "It's just, we weren't sure—"
"What'd you do to me?" Willow asked, the synapses in her brain finally firing again, the discomfort in her body overshadowing any other sensation, "My magicks. Y-you bound me? How?"

"Willow, you should rest," said Dawn, who apparently was also in the room.

Willow groaned in frustration, "How?"

"Giles," said Buffy, "He sent you over with this second bracelet, told me to grab it from your bag when you first got here. I guess the witches did some mojo on it so that it'd let us shut you down? It was a simple spell—Anya did it." Buffy bit her lip at Willow's glower, "Giles didn't think we'd need it. We didn't think we'd need it. It was just in case—"

"Why didn't…" Willow's words came out slow and lazy, "Why didn't he tell me?"

"He probably just didn't want you to rely on it! You know, no safety net," Buffy said.

"But there was a… a safety net," Willow stuttered, "The whole time… all the stuff about… 'I'm ready', and he trusts me…" She groaned, "Please, remove the binding. Hurts."

"Um," Buffy said, "It's just, you seem…"

"Angry?"

"You just woke up. You should rest before you have to wrangle your magicks again."

Willow grit her teeth, "I'm not allowed to be angry. Have feelings."

"Well Will," Buffy growled, "When the rest of us have feelings, we don't make earthquakes and throw knives at people."

Willow bit her anger, glanced at Dawn in mild confusion, the vague memory of her actions making its way through the fog of concussion.

There was this awkward silence, the air muggy with tension. And Xander cleared his throat to relieve it—but he just choked on it instead. "Hey Dawnie!" he said, "How's about we go… do something… somewhere else?"

The two left, then, with nothing to contribute to the situation and nothing to take from it either. Buffy looked down at Willow's hands to see if she was trying to cast, but all she saw were bleeding red knuckles, the witch's nails scratching frantically at her own skin.

"Stop that!" said Buffy, grabbing Willow's hands away. "What are you doing?"

"It hurts," Willow said, "Especially when I can't use it. My fingers burn."

"I just think… you need to calm down."

Willow ripped her hands from Buffy and started picking even more violently at the skin on her hands, "I hate it. The power."

"No you don't," Buffy said.

"I wish I never had it."

"Will, you're preaching to the choir," said Buffy, "But you do have it. And I do. Whether we like it or not. We have to learn to control it, even if we don't want to."

"But I do want to! Besides, it's not the same," said Willow, "You're the chosen one. You are meant to have power. Mine's a mistake."

"It's not," Buffy said, "There are way badder people who could have what you have."

Willow winced and sucked in a breath, "What hit me? I can't really remember anything."

Buffy froze, afraid that she was going to send Willow into another fit of anger, "Um,"

"Oh," said Willow.

"You almost hurt Dawn."

"Gotcha," Willow said, surprisingly calm, "Thank you. For not letting me."

Buffy's fingers came to brush the edge of Willow's face, tilting the witch's head so she could see the angry purple bruise marring the side of it. Willow winced at the pressure, and Buffy did too at the damage she'd caused. "I didn't mean to hit you so hard," the Slayer said, "I guess… I guess I lost control."

"No, I lost control. You stopped me."

"I could have killed you,"

"I could have killed you! And Dawn. And everyone. Seriously, Buffy. Thank you . You're the slayer. I know you have to do that stuff, and I feel safer knowing that you won't hold back."

"I should have. Just a little." Buffy placed an ice pack against Willow's bruise, and Willow's hand came up to hold it there with another painful grimace. "How's your head?"

"Full 'a dandelions," said Willow, "Firey, spikey dandelions from Hell."

"I'm sorry,"

"No, it's not that bad. Not as bad as…—"

"Should we go to the hospital?"

"No, you were right. It's too dangerous. And with my powers bound, it's not even worth it. I can't really heal on my own."

"Really?"

"Yeah, throws the whole system out of whack."

"Willow, is the binding that bad? I didn't mean…—"

"It hurts," said Willow, "But I'm used to it."

"Why would Giles let those witches do this to you if it hurts you so much? Why would he tell us to—"

"Buffy, what kinda stupid question is that? You know why. Same reason my face is all black 'n blue."

"I just... it doesn't seem fair."

"I'm still bound, aren't I?"

It caught Buffy off-guard, though the observation was matter-of-fact this time—not angry. Buffy felt unease at how much she feared her friend, though, and hated that Willow could see it too.

"Give me your hand," said Buffy.

Willow stopped picking at her skin and she moved mangled fingers towards Buffy. She opened her hand for Buffy to hold it, but instead the Slayer grabbed the band on her right wrist—the one she hadn't been wearing before.

Buffy looked deep into Willow's eyes, as if to ask, ready? Willow was a little confused, but gave her the tiniest of nods, her trust in Buffy unwavering. Then Buffy shut her eyes and announced in a cadence so powerful Willow hardly recognized the voice as her friend's: "Release."

Suddenly, the world came rushing back to Willow—it was like a wave and she had to fight to keep from getting tumbled. But she found her footing and was able to keep the power elegantly below the surface. The Earth returned to her senses, and the whispers to her mind.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, which she hadn't realized had been closed. Buffy's eyes opened, too.

"Green?" Willow asked.

"Green," said Buffy.

Willow stared at the Slayer in dumbfounded awe, "Wow," she said, "Either you started practicing magick while I was away or they really made this binding thing DIY."

"All the power's in the bracelet," said Buffy, "They gave us the instructions. Basically paint-by-numbers."

Willow's eyes didn't leave Buffy, mouth agape, the expression on her face no longer awe, but something else.

"Will? Are you okay? Maybe we should head to the hospital now."

"What?" said Willow, distracted, "Yeah. No. Fine."

"You're all red. Are you—" Buffy's eyes widened and so did her grin, "Oh my god. You're totally turned on."

"Hey! No I'm not!" Willow choked, trying desperately to hide her face.

"Yes you are!"

"I just didn't expect it, is all," Willow stuttered, "It looks good on you. The… magick."

Buffy could not believe her ears, "Okay, definitely hospital-bound. Come on."

"No! Look, you know… It's been a minute since… I mean, the witches at the coven… I mean, I don't wanna say 'hag' but… And, y'know, with the magicks and the… It just reminded me a little of…—"

"Will? You're babbling," said Buffy, "I'm just teasing. I'll try to be less sexy next time. I can do hag." She wanted to add that there wouldn't be a next time, that she knew Willow would be able to pull herself together. But she wasn't sure it was true, so she said nothing.

Forgetting that unspoken question, the two burst into boisterous fits of laughter, and somehow after the tragedy of the day Willow felt more free around Buffy than she had in the last three months.

Willow fought to reign in her mirth, "Sorry. I don't mean to objectify."

"Seriously," said Buffy, and Willow could sense the shift back to business, " Are we hospital-bound? I like Willow brain and I don't want it to be mush."

"Now that I have my powers back," said Willow, "I should be able to get back to 100% healing through the Earth."

"Do you wanna… I don't know, lay on the grass outside or something?"

"The earth is up here too," said Willow, "It's everywhere, in everything, Giles says…" Her eyelids drooped, the injury still taking its toll even as her magick worked to heal it.

"Okay…" said Buffy, "I'm gonna get Xander to watch you. Do not have another coma."

"Do a spell like that again and I'll wake up for sure," mumbled Willow.

Buffy tried very hard to come up with a response, but instead she just huffed in amused frustration and marched out of the room.

Within days, Willow's concussion had mostly healed. She'd spent copious amounts of time meditating, forcing the healing powers of the Earth to repair whatever damage had been done to the tissues in her brain.

Then, as soon as she could think straight, she called Giles.

"Hello?" he asked from across the line.

"Hey Giles," Willow said.

"Willow! I was waiting for you to call. Are you—?"

"I'm…" Willow was going to say 'fine', but it felt untrue, "My head's okay."

"Willow…"

"Giles," Willow said, "Why'd you lie to me?"

"I didn't lie," said Giles, "I just… conveniently left out a couple of things."

"Why, Giles?" Willow asked, "Don't you know how… scary it all is? Why wouldn't you tell me about the bracelet? I didn't even think the guys here would be able to use it. I thought it took a whole coven to bind me."

"They spent some time perfecting it, the Coven," said Giles, "Just in case. Those bands are extraordinarily powerful, Willow."

"And why couldn't I know about it? I thought I kept the one around for emotional support only."

"Willow…" Giles said, "Those three months with the coven, you were doing great by the end. But at the same time, you always knew you could be stopped, and that informed your control. I don't want you to live in a cage forever."

"What, so you painted the walls to look like the sky and threw in some rocks and grass so it'd look like my natural habitat? It's still a cage even if I don't know about it, Giles."

"So are you… happy they were able to bind you or are you upset?"

"I don't know!" cried Willow, "Thank the Goddess they could do it, who knows what would've happened? I guess… I don't even think I should be here anymore. Clearly you don't trust me, the Coven doesn't trust me. And I've just proved you all right!"

"I trust you. There's always bumps in the road, your bumps just happen to be deadly. I wanted to protect you, I should have been honest with you from the beginning."

"Giles," said Willow, "If we didn't have the bands and the Sunnydale gang wasn't able to bind me…" She paused, heart filling with anxiety, "Would you still have sent me back? Would you still think I'm ready?"

Giles didn't hesitate for a second. "Yes," he said.

"I almost killed Dawn," said Willow, "Again."

Giles sighed, "Willow, do you want to come back to England?"

"Is that an offer?"

She could hear Giles sigh, "Yes," he said, "If you feel like you are going to hurt someone; if you don't trust yourself. Miss Harkness… she could sense your power when it got out of hand, I told her what happened after the others called me. She wants you back."

It made Willow want to scream, how she had been right about herself all along and how no one seemed to believe her.

"But Willow," said Giles, "You are needed in Sunnydale. Now you know about the binding, don't forget. I disagree with Miss Harkness. I think if you go back…" He lowered his voice, "Willow, you will never escape the cage. They think you are beyond saving, some of the witches would still have you killed if they had it their way. They will bind you constantly, they'll only let you cast to keep you from dying."

"I thought they liked me," Willow muttered.

"They do," said Giles, "But they have a duty to protect the world."

"Got it," said Willow, "I think they're right," Willow said, "I think that's what I deserve. I'll book the fl—"

The phone dropped from Willow's hand, another dark vision clouding her mind's eye. Giles called frantically through the phone as the Earth started rumbling in Sunnydale.

When it died down, Willow reached blindly for the phone, "Th-the Hellmouth," she muttered.

"Another vision?"

"Uh-huh," Willow said, "and a Hellmouthy Earthquake to go with it."

There was a long silence, each party lost in contemplation.

"I have to stay," Willow finally said.

"I know," said Giles.

"I have to fix this. I'm connected to it," Willow sighed, "It's getting worse every day…"

"We'll get through this," said Giles, "Have you found anything?"

"I think…" Willow switched seamlessly into research mode, "I think it might be a witch. But still TBD on that."

"Stay strong, Willow," said Giles, "Lord knows you'll need every ounce of your strength to fight this thing, whatever it is." Willow could almost hear his warm smile over the phone, "But I know you can do it."

Willow wasn't so sure. "Thanks, Giles."

"Go rest," Giles said, "I'll see you soon."

Then he hung up, and all Willow could think was that whenever 'soon' would be, it just wasn't soon enough.