"There's something in front of the door!" said Buffy, preparing to kick it in.
"No!" said Xander, putting an arm in front of her. "Wait. Shh." He put an ear to the door.
By that time everyone had congregated in the upstairs hallway, and they all quieted. A groan came clearly from the other side of the door.
"I think Willow's in front of the door," Xander said. He twisted the handle and leaned against the door. It opened enough for them to get in.
Willow was crumpled in a pile in front of the door. She seemed to be regaining consciousness. There was blood on her forehead.
Xander knelt by her side without a second's hesitation. "Oh god, Will," he said softly, cradling her head. "I didn't mean it."
"Are you OK, Will?" asked Buffy, kneeling next to Xander. "What happened? Where's Tara?"
"Xander?" Willow mumbled, her eyes starting to flutter open.
"I'm right here," he replied. "What happened?'
Willow slowly sat up, still being held in Xander's arms. Her hand went up to her head and she winced. Then, as if everything were suddenly coming back to her, tears started to flow down her face.
"She- she was-" she started to choke on her words and stopped.
"It's OK, Will," said Buffy, reaching out for her hand. "Take it slow."
"I'll go get some water," said Riley. Buffy gave him an appreciative smile.
Willow took a few deep breaths and tried to calm down, leaning on Xander for support. He clasped her hand tightly. Riley came back with a cup of water and she sipped it tentatively.
"When I came up here," Willow started finally, "Tara was looking through my box of spell books." She pointed to an open box in the corner near the window.
"I asked her if she was OK because I was afraid she had overheard mine and Xander's conversation and was upset," she continued, glancing up at Xander, grateful for his presence even after their argument.
Buffy nodded slightly to signify that she was still listening, and her friend kept going.
"She didn't say anything for a few seconds, but when I took a few steps toward her, she snapped her head around toward me and growled." Willow paused and sniffed, trying to hold back the tears. "It didn't sound like her at all.
"Her eyes had this wild look to them," she said. "But then suddenly she was back to herself and saying 'Willow, stay away from me, please!'. She was begging me to leave her alone and she was crying."
Willow couldn't start the next part of her narrative without crying again, but she managed to get the words out through her tears.
"I kept walking toward her, asking her what was wrong, and that's when-" she paused and took a breath. "When she changed."
"Changed?" asked Buffy. "What do you mean?"
"Her face changed," said Willow. "It was horrible. She- it- had reddish skin and three large horns growing out of its head. And there was a weird symbol on its forehead, kind of like an 'X' with a star above it."
No one noticed Anya slipping out of the room.
"And she- this thing," Buffy changed for Willow's benefit. "It attacked you?"
The other girl nodded, but then put a hand to her head and looked like she was going to pass out again.
"We need to get you to a hospital," said Buffy.
"No," insisted Willow. "I'll be OK. I just need to lie down for a while."
Buffy looked her best friend in the eye, getting ready to protest, but Willow's resolve face got the better of her.
"Graham and I will take her home," Riley said to Buffy. "You need to be here to talk to Giles about this."
"OK," Buffy answered slowly. She helped Xander get Willow to her feet. "We'll get everything taken care of."
Riley and Graham had taken over supporting the injured girl when she turned back toward Buffy.
"Don't hurt her," she said softly. "That thing, whatever it is, it's not her."
"I won't. I promise," Buffy said. "We'll figure out what's going on."
After they left, Buffy surveyed the box that Tara had been digging through. It was a mess. After a few minutes, she gave up trying to draw any conclusions from it.
"Nothing, I take it," said Xander, hovering over her shoulder.
"Nada," said Buffy. "Though I'm not surprised -- I don't know what to look for." She sighed. "I don't even know where to start. What was it that Anya said Tara was?"
Xander didn't answer, only glanced around the room. "Speaking of Anya -- where is she?"
They went back downstairs and there was still no sign of her.
"That's strange," said Buffy. "Do you think she went home?"
"No. She would have said something to me." He stopped, a thought coming to mind. "Oh man. I really hope she didn't go and do something stupid!"
"Like what?" asked Buffy, resisting the temptation to make a crack at Anya's idiosyncrasies.
"Like going after Tara on her own," said Xander grimly. "She was very insistent that I tell Willow about Tara. And we see where that got us," he added to himself. "Anya said this demon is dangerous."
Buffy sighed loudly and went into the kitchen. She picked up a pad of paper and started to write.
"What are you doing?"
"Leaving a note for mom and Giles," she said. "We've got to find Anya. This isn't something she can handle alone."
"You read my mind," said Xander.
Buffy stopped writing and put the end of the pen in her mouth. "What was that word Anya used?!"
Xander looked thoughtful for a moment. "Bi ..." he mumbled, thinking to himself.
"Bisha!" exclaimed Buffy. "Or something like that. That'll have to do for now." She finished writing out the note and left it in clear view on the counter. "Let's go."
They went out the front door. Buffy had turned around to lock it when she heard a moan from behind her. She turned back around in time to see Xander slump to the ground, and to see who had hit him.
"Hello Slayer," said Drusilla.