Title: Fully Qualified

Author: mistymidnight

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: Well, I was planning on taking all the credit, but then I realized the previous disclaimers would prove me a liar. Oh, and the fact that I'M NOT JOSS WHEDON!!! (Or gidgetgirl. She owns the plot, as well as Zane, Sophie, Lola, and Thayer.)

Spoilers/Timeline: post-Chosen. I thought I'd established that fact.

Summary: Ever notice that when you think you've got control, the past has to come and bite you in the butt? Poor Willow.

Author's Notes: You all have gidgetgirl to thank for this chapter. Really. She was ever so kind in her reviewing and reviewed chapter five twice to get me to update. In the mean time, some of you aren't even reviewing at all. Seriously, I'm on people's favorites lists and everything--but some of the people that have me listed as their "favorite" didn't respect me enough to let me know how I'm doing. It's flattering to be put on a favorites list, but I love reviews ever so much. I'm not doing this for money, obviously. If you must know, I'm in it for the feedback. I consider myself a writer and I want to know how I can improve, and what I'm doing right. I'd even settle for a simple "Update soon!" but I prefer a more detailed review. At this point, I'd rather get harsh criticism (not to be confused with flaming) to no feedback at all.

Deep breath. Okay, done with my rant. Gidgetgirl, you rock. Thanks for the reviews. On with the story.

Oh, okay, one minor interruption here...sorry about the grammar and spelling mistakes. I'm doing the best I can with no automatic spellcheck and a mediocre back-up. Bear with me.

Quick Change Artist

"Taylor," Willow said, poking her head out the office door and into the waiting room, "will you come in, please?"

The girl jumped up and walked into the office.

"Have a seat," Willow suggested, gesturing to the empty chair next to Carly. Taylor looked at her mother, who nodded, and sat down gingerly in the chair. Willow noticed the sudden change in Taylor's demeanor. The bouncy little girl who had just walked in was all ready showing signs of her extreme mood swings.

"So, Taylor," she said. "Your mother says you've been having some strange things happen to you lately."

Taylor nodded timidly.

"Can you tell me about any of them?"

Taylor shook her head, staring at her hands folded on her lap.

"Why not?"

Taylor said something very softly.

"I can't hear you, sweetie," Willow said kindly.

"I--I don't remember," Taylor said quietly.

"You don't remember?"

"I said it once," Taylor snapped suddenly. Carly jumped and Willow blinked in surprise. "Do I have to say it over and over? You treat me like a pathetic--"

Taylor's eyes squeezed shut and when she opened them, a slow smile grew across her face.

"Everybody wants to help," she said coolly. She stood up and began to walk slowly in front of the desk. Her movements seemed a little too fluid. "Poor little me. So helpless." She stopped in front of Carly, who was whispering, "Oh, God. Oh, God."

"He can't help you now," Taylor said in a sing-songy voice. "No one can help you. You're just a scared animal. But you haven't gotten on my bad side." Her grin grew bigger, and Willow was shocked by the pure evil in it. "Wait until you do."

Her eyes closed again, and she opened them and snickered. "Don't think you can stop me," she said. "I have more power than you'll ever know."

Her eyes squeezed shut and she opened them again. "I understand," she said clearly. "I see." She smiled, this time not evilly, and closed her eyes gently. When she opened them again, she looked around. "What happened?"

Carly grabbed her daughter in a hug. "Thank God. It's okay, Baby. I'm here. I'm here." She turned to Willow. "Please help her. I don't know what to do. I've taken her to medical doctors and they all say the same thing: it's all in her mind. But Taylor just doesn't do this. She doesn't go wild for attention. If she wants attention, she asks for it directly. She wouldn't do this. She just wouldn't! And I've heard other things about you. I've heard you specialize in strange cases. If this isn't strange, I don't know what is."

"I'll do my best," Willow promised.

"I don't mean to be rude," Carly said, "but I hope to God your best is good enough."

"So she just switches moods at the drop of a hat?"

"No moods," Willow corrected. "Personalities. It's like the strange case of Taylor Hill and...Taylor Hill."

"Not your best analogy, Will."

"I'm losing it in my old age."

"I knew it!" Buffy exclaimed on the other end of the telephone. "I'm getting old!"

"Come again?"

"If you're old, I'm old. I'm older than you."

"By three months or so."

"That's three months more of Botox treatments."

"You don't need Botox."

"Yet."

"Okay, change of subject. How's Dawn?"

Buffy sighed. "Driving me nuts. She's still looking for a new apartment."

"What was the matter with the old one?"

"She got evicted. She didn't pay rent on time."

"Once?"

"Seventeen times."

"Oh."

"She doesn't pay her half of the rent here on time, either."

"Well, that's no fun."

"Not for me. For her, it's a free month of living. Eating my cereal. Using my Internet. Clogging my bathtub drain with her hair. It's like when she was in high school."

"Ah, the good old days."

"Before I got old."

"You're not old."

"You said the good old days. I took Intro to Psych, too, Miss I-Have-A-Degree-In-Psychology. I know a Freudian slip."

"That wasn't a Freudian slip."

"FIne, it wasn't. But you were alluding to the fact that I was old."

"I'd be insulting myself."

"Even still."

"Change of subject, please."

"Okay. How's Kennedy?"

Willow gave herself a mental smack on the forehead. "I don't know, actually. I haven't talked to her for awhile. I meant to call her."

"Oh. I'll let you go, then."

"Okay. Don't let Dawn's drain-clogging ways get you down."

"Did I mention she hogs the hot water, too?"

"Goodbye, Buffy."

"Bye, Will. Take care of yourself. And good luck with Split-Personality Girl."

"Thanks. Later."

"Bye."

Willow set the phone down and went to her laptop. She had an email to write. Actually, a few. And she had to get started right away.

mistymidnight

TBC...the more reviews, the sooner the update! If I don't get ten SEPARATE reviews for this chapter, I won't update! I'm evil!