Author's Note: I'm on a roll. 40 chapters up and starting season 5.
Chapter 68: Dopplegangland
Willow is concentrating intently on a pencil that floats in front of her. Very slowly, the pencil begins to spin. She is lying on her stomach in the grass.
Buffy is doing sit ups next to her, "The Watcher council shrink is heavily into tests. He's got tests for everything. T.A.T.'s, rorschach, associative logic..." She finishes the sit ups. "They have that test to see if you're crazy that asks if you hear voices or have ever wanted to be a florist."
"Oh, I used to - Wait. Florist means crazy, right? I never wanted to do that." Willow says, perky.
"Nice, you getting control over it." Buffy said. "Remember not to do that when other people can see."
"I know and thanks. You wanna go to the espresso pump? Get sugared up on mochas?" Willow says.
Buffy starts packing stuff in a gym bag. "Pass. I'm gonna hit the pool, do some laps."
"And how come all the sudden calisthenics? Aren't you sort of naturally buff, Buff?" Willow says, pleased. "Buff buff!"
"Well, they've really got us running around on the physical side, too. A lot of precision training and reflex evaluation, and I just wanna... do..." Buffy says.
"... better than Faith?" Willow asks.
"So very shallow." Buffy says, contrite.
"Competition is natural and healthy. And you'll definitely ace her on the psyche tests. Just don't mark the box that says I sometimes like to kill people." Willow says.
Buffy nods, "I know Faith isn't exactly on the cover of Sanity Fair, but she's had it rough. Different circumstances, that could be me."
"No way." Willow says.
"We can't control the way we grow up." Buffy says.
Willow shakes her head, "No. You're you. She's her. Some people just don't have that in them."
"I'm sorry, I know you hate talking about Faith..." Buffy says.
"No, it's okay." Willow says.
"Really, I –" Buffy says.
"It doesn't bother me. I mean it." Willow says.
"Uh, Will?" Buffy says.
Willow looks at Buffy, who indicates the pencil. The pencil is spinning so fast, it's starting to steam. "Ooh." She frowns at it, tries a hand gesture - and the pencil rockets away, smashing into a tree.
Buffy shakes her head, "I think you need to work some more with Prue."
Willow nods, "I think you maybe right."
In the Principal's office Snyder sits before Willow and the slack and hulking Percy, jock extraordinaire. "As far as I'm concerned, this is a marriage made in heaven. Willow Rosenberg, despite her unsavory associations, represents the pinnacle of academic achievement at Gateway High. Percy West represents a devastating fast break and fifty percent from behind the three point line."
"I'm not sure I understand the marriage part." Willow says.
"You've got the brains, he's got the fast break. It's a perfect match." Snyder says.
Willow nervously glances at Percy, "Match? You want us to breed?"
"I want you to tutor him. Percy is flunking history. Nothing seems to be able to motivate him." Snyder says.
"Hey, I'm challenged." Percy says.
Snyder nods, "You're lazy, self involved and spoiled. That's quite the challenge. But we need a winning year, especially after last year's debacle with the swim team. Can't have our point guard benched." He looks to Willow. "So you are going to take on a little teaching job. I know how you enjoy teaching."
"But I have a lot of work of my own –" Willow says.
"You've gotten a letter of acceptance from every university with a stamp. I think your academic career is safe." Snyder says.
"Yes, but I still have classes and I don't want –" Willow says.
"Rosenberg. It's time to give something back to the community. I know you want to help your school out here. Ask me how I know." Snyder says.
"How do y—" Willow says.
Snyder smiles, "I just know."
The threat is really only in his eyes. Willow looks at him, and at Percy. Percy just looks bored.
Later Willow enters the library with Buffy.
"So he threatened you? With what?" Buffy asks.
"It wasn't anything exactly that he said. It was all in his eyes. I mean, there was some nostril work as well, but mostly eyes." Willow says.
Buffy shakes her head, "Snyder needs me to kick his ass."
"Oh, no, Buffy, don't get yourself in trouble. I'll be okay. I just hate the way he bullies people. He just assumes their time is his." Willow says.
Giles comes out of his office, "Willow, get on the computer. I want you to take another pass at accessing the Mayor's files."
"Okay." Willow says.
Faith enters with a winded Wesley. "Well, that was a blast."
"How did it go?" Giles asks.
"Princess Margaret here had a little trouble keeping up." Faith says.
"How did it go?" Giles asks again.
Wesley nods, "Faith... did quite well on the obstacle field. And her... reflexes are improving rapidly. Physically... she's in good shape. Still a little sloppy, though." He hands Giles a clipboard of times.
"Do you feel up to taking Buffy out, or shall I?" Giles asks.
"No, I'll be fine. I just need a minute. And some defibulators, if it's not too much trouble." Wesley says.
"I better change." Buffy says.
Faith smiles, "You're gonna love it, B. It's just like fun, only boring."
"Faith, The evaluations are a necessary part of –" Giles says.
"Hey. I know. I'm on board here. Just shooting my mouth off." Faith says, contrite. As Buffy passes to go out, she and Faith lock eyes. Faith says quietly and sincerely, "Good luck." She touches Buffy's arm as she passes. Buffy smiles kindly at her, exiting.
Faith wanders over to Willow as Giles and Wesley retreat into the office. Willow is not wildly comfy around Faith, but acts with strained politeness.
"Whatcha doing?" Faith asks.
"I'm trying to access the Mayor's personal files." Willow says.
"Can you do that?" Faith asks.
"He's got some pretty tricky barriers set up." Willow says.
"Can you get past 'em?" Faith asks.
Willow nods, "Eventually. I'll get through."
Later in the hallway Willow is at her locker as Oz approaches.
"Hey, Baby." Oz says, smiling.
"Oz. Hi." Willow says.
"There's something about you that's causing me to hug you." Oz says as he hugs her. "It's as if I have no will of my own."
Willow hugs him back perfunctorily. They start for the grassy fountainy area outside. "Where were you yesterday?"
"We got back late, sort of very." Oz says.
"We? Who? Where?" Willow asks.
"The Band. We had a gig in Monterrey Sunday night." Oz says, smiling.
"You did? How come I didn't know?" Willow asks.
Oz frowns, "I thought you did..."
"Maybe I would have liked to go." Willow says.
Oz shakes his head, "Didn't figure you for missing school."
"You think I'm boring." Willow says, matter of factly.
"I'd call that a radical interpretation of the text. We're playing at Payson's tonight." Oz says.
Willow shakes her head, "I can't. I have too much homework."
"Well, you'll be there in spirit. If you get done early." Oz says before he goes in a classroom.
Willow goes outside. She sees Percy and moves to catch up with him. "Percy! Hey. Listen, why don't we get together at lunch and we can go over your Roosevelt paper, what books you'll need and stuff."
"What are you talking about?" Percy asks.
"Tutoring you. The history paper?" Willow says.
"Snyder said you were gonna do it." Percy says.
Willow shakes her head, "He never said that."
"What meeting were you in?" Percy asks.
"Look, I'll pick up the books. Just meet me at lunch and we'll –" Willow says.
Percy shakes his head, "I don't have time at lunch. I have to hang out."
"Oh. Well..." Willow says.
"What, you got something better to do? Just type it up and put my name on it. And don't type too good. Dead giveaway." Percy says and he bails.
Willow sits, unable to shake her crankiness as she goes through her lunchbag. She pulls out a banana. "I'm gonna eat this now. It's not lunchtime and I don't even care."
Buffy and Xander come happily up to her.
"Hey!" Buffy says.
"Willow! Did you remember to tape Biography last friday?" Xander asks.
"Uh huh." Willow says.
"What did I tell you? Old reliable." Buffy says.
"Oh, thanks!" Willow says, bitterly.
"What?" Buffy asks.
"Old reliable? Yeah, great! There's a sexy nickname." Willow says.
Buffy shakes her head, "Oh, Will, I didn't mean –"
"No, it's fine. I'm old reliable." Willow says.
"She just meant, you know, the geyser. You're like a geyser of fun that goes off at regular intervals." Xander says.
"That's old faithful." Willow says, with a frown.
"Isn't that the dog that the guy has to shoot –" Xander says.
"That's old Yeller." Willow says, near tears.
Buffy shakes her head, "Xander, I beg you not to help me. Will, I didn't mean it in a bad way. I think it's good to be reliable."
"Well maybe I don't wanna be reliable all the time. Maybe I'm not just doormat... person. Homework Gal." Willow says.
"I'm thinking nervestrike." Xander says.
Willow gets up and starts to head inside. "Maybe I'll change my look. Or cut class. You don't know." She holds up the banana. "And I'm eating this banana. Lunchtime be damned!" She starts off again.
Buffy coming up to her. "Willow, I really didn't mean –"
"Buffy, I'm storming off. It doesn't work if you come with me." Willow says.
"Oh." Buffy says and she lets Willow go.
Willow comes grumpily inside, starts heading up the stairs.
"Willow?" Anya asks.
Willow turns, sees Anya coming up the steps. Willow comes back down a few, clearly not that familiar with the girl. "Uh, hi..."
"Anya. I'm sort of new here. I know Cordelia..." Anya says.
"Ooh, fun." Willow says, deadpan.
"Listen, I have this little project I'm working on, and I heard you were the person to ask –" Anya says.
"Uh huh. That's me. Reliable dog geyser person. What do you need?" Willow says.
"It's nothing big. Just a little spell I'm working on." Anya says.
Willow perks up. "A spell? Ooh. I like magic."
"Yeah. I need a secondary to create a temporal fold. I heard you were a pretty powerful wicca, so..." Anya says.
Willow smiles, "You heard right, mister. Well next to the Charmed Ones anyways, I am. So tell me what you need."
Moments later in a classroom Anya and Willow are finishing setting up for the spell. The desks have been pushed away from the center of the room, forming a rough circle around them. Anya is taking colored sand and funneling it into a small glass vial with a paper funnel. Willow is laying bones and whatnot about.
"The necklace was a family heirloom. Passed down for generations, then it was stolen from my Mom's apartment." Anya says.
"How does the spell work?" Willow asks.
"We both call on Eyrishon, the endless one. Offer up the standard supplication. Then there's a teensy temporal fold - we hope - I pour the sacred sand on the representation of the necklace and Eyrishon brings it forth from the time and place where it was lost." Anya says.
Willow thinks for a moment, she's never seen such a spell in Buffy's Book of Shadows. She then shrugs, "Cool."
"Of course, there's a lot of theory there, but I figure it's worth a shot. Are we ready?" Anya says.
Willow nods, "I think so."
They sit facing each other, cross-legged. They close their eyes. Anya begins, holding out her right hand, palm up. "Eyrishon. K'shala. Meh-uhn."
Willow does the same gesture. "Diprecht. Doh-tehenlo Nu-Eyrishon."
"The child to the mother." Anya says.
"The river to the sea." Willow says.
Anya holds out the vial. Willow wraps her hand around Anya's. "Eyrishon. Hear my prayer."
A moment. Nothing.
Then light, streaming from the ceiling, wrapping the girls in electric auras. Willow is jolted - transfixed. This is more than she expected.
Willow's eyes snap open as she see images flash before her.
Images from an alternate universe; Anyanka and Giles. Vampire Willow. Buffy killing Xander and Piper. Prue killing Buffy, draining her dry. The necklace.
Willow is shaking, so is Anya - a huge thunderclap and Anya turns the sand vial over. Willow's leg is jolted, kicks out, knocking the plate aside and the sand pours onto the leg instead…
The light is suddenly sucked back and the girls break apart, breathing hard.
Willow is more than a little freaked. "What was that? That was - what was that?"
Anya is looking for her necklace, "It's not here. It's not here!"
"Okay, that's a little blacker than I like my arts." Willow says.
"Oh, don't be such a wimp." Anya says.
"That wasn't just a temporal fold, that was some weird Hell place. I don't think you're telling me everything." Willow says.
"I swear, I'm just trying to find my necklace." Anya says.
"Did you try looking inside the sofa in HELL?" Willow asks.
"Look, we'll try again, and if –" Anya says.
Willow shakes her head, "I think emphatically not."
"I can't do it by myself!" Anya says.
"Well, that's a relief. I'm out of here." Willow says.
"Fine. Go! Idiot child." Anya says.
Willow grabs some spell stuff. "I believe these chicken bones are mine. Magic is dangerous, Anya. It's not to be toyed with. Now if you'll excuse me, I have someone else's homework to do." She strides out, leaving Anya desolate in the midst of her failure.
That evening at Payson's Vampwill wanders about, she had first gone to the Bronze and noticed they had gone out of business several months before. She bumps into Percy.
"Hey!" Percy says. VampWill looks at him, no idea who he is. "Rosenberg? What are you doing? Trick-or-treating?" She looks him over, amazed at his audacity. "You're supposed to be at home doing my history report. I flunk that class you're gonna be in big trouble with Snyder. Till we graduate, I OWN your ass."
"Bored now." VampWill says and she rockets the heel of her hand into his chest. He flies backwards over the pool table, landing just about as painfully as he can. While he groans and struggles to get up, she circles the table lazily.
"I'm having a terrible night." VampWill says as she grabs him by the throat and pulls him up. Eyes him seductively. "Wanna make it better?"
Percy takes a swing at her but she blocks it. VampWill continues to squeeze his neck. He tries to put his hands around hers, but his strength is failing.
People have backed off, are watching in horror.
Xander pushes through the throng. "What's going on? Is there a funny thing?" He sees Vampwill and Percy, and of course completely misinterprets the situation. "Whoah!" He plows forward, pulling them apart and facing Percy. "Back off! You stay the hell away from her!"
"Okay. Sure." Percy says as he bails heading out the door.
Xander turns back to Vampwill and gets his first real look at her, as she gets a look at him.
"Xander..." VampWill says, smiling.
"Will. Changing the look not an idle threat with you." Xander says.
"You're alive!" VampWill says and she comes at him, embraces him very sensually.
"Uh, Will, this is verging on naughty touching here. We don't want to fall back on bad habits - Hands! Hands in new places." Xander says and he takes her hands, holds them away from new places.
VampWill sniffs him, frowning, and pulls away. "You're alive."
"You mentioned that earlier. Will, are you okay?" Xander says.
"No. Everything's different." VampWill says.
Buffy works through the crowd. "Xander, there you are."
"Hey, Buff." Xander says, his gaze never leaving VampWill.
"Aren't you going to introduce me to your - holy god you're Willow." Buffy says.
"You..." VampWill says, her eyes narrowing.
"Okay, well, you know what? I like the look. It's extreme, but it looks good, it's a leather thing, it's very... I said extreme already, right?" Buffy says.
"I don't like you." VampWill says.
"Will, I'm sorry about today. You know how my foot likes to be in my mouth sometimes, but you really don't have to prove—" Buffy says.
"Leaving now." VampWill says.
"Willow, I gotta say I'm not loving the new you." Xander says.
Vampwill ignores him, turns away.
Buffy tugs at her arm. "Willow, wait –"
Vampwill spins and is in vampface, and snarls at her. "Get off me!" She snaps her head back, normal faced once more, and stalks out of Payson's.
Buffy looks at Xander and then makes her way over to Piper at the bar, "Get Prue and Phoebe and meet us at the library. Tell them it's a family emergency."
Later at the library Giles is coming out of the office, "Ah. Buffy. I thought you were going out tonight, didn't expect..." Buffy and Xander stare, unable to speak. "What is it?"
Piper, Prue and Phoebe comes in and notices Buffy and Xander's look and know something is up.
Moments later Now six people can't speak. They sit around the table, entirely shellshocked.
"This isn't real." Xander says.
"I can't feel anything. Arms or legs or anything..." Buffy says.
"She was... truly the finest of all of us." Giles says.
"Way better than me..." Xander says.
Prue nods, "Her telekinesis was coming along beautifully. She's almost mastered it in less time than it took me."
Buffy sighs, "We just saw her at lunch... how could..." Buffy says.
"It's all my fault." Xander says.
Piper shakes her head, "What makes you say that?"
"I don't know..." Xander says, "Statistical probability..."
"No, it's me... it's me, I called her reliable, she must have gone out and gotten attacked which she wouldn't have done except I called her reliable and now my best friend is –" Buffy says.
"What's going on?" Willow asks. They all turn to her, stunned, confused. "Jeez, who died? Oh god! Who died?"
Phoebe looks to Piper, "Freeze her."
Piper raises her hands and tries to freeze Willow, "I can't."
Xander springs to action, jumping up and grabbing a cross, holding it to Willow. His voice is thick with emotion. "Back! Get back, Demon!"
Willow stares at him. He stares at the cross. It's not working. He pulls it away, shakes it, holds it to her again.
Buffy has risen more slowly, eyes wet, fearing the hope in her breast. "Willow? You're alive?"
Willow frowns, "Aren't I usually?"
Buffy runs to her and grabs her in a hug, crying. A moment and Xander joins the hug. Willow can barely breathe. "I love you guys too... okay, oxygen becoming an issue..." They let go. She turns to Giles – "What's going on with these guywHOAH!" - who grabs her in yet another bear hug. Eventually he lets her go.
"Sorry." Giles says.
Then Prue, Piper and Phoebe are in there in a group hug before letting her go.
Buffy touches Willow's hair, still so amazed and grateful she's here. "It's nice that you guys missed me. Say, you didn't all happen to do a bunch of drugs, did you?"
"Will, we saw you. At Payson's. A vampire." Xander says.
"I'm not a vampire." Willow says, defensively.
Buffy shakes her head, "But you are, I mean you were... Giles, you planning to step in with an explanation any time soon?"
"Well, something... something very strange is happening." Giles says.
Prue shakes her head, "That's helpful."
"Can you believe the Watcher council let this guy go?" Xander says.
Moments later Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Giles, Buffy, Xander and Willow discuss the New Willow sitch.
Willow stands by the lectern, just out of sight of the entrance. "This is creepy. I don't like the thought that there's some vampire out there that looks like me."
"Not looks like - is." Xander says.
Buffy nods, "It was you, Willow, in every detail. Except for your not being a dominatrix... as far as we know."
"Oh, right. Me and Oz play Mistress of Pain every night. Please." Willow says.
"Did anybody else just go to scary visual place?" Xander asks.
Prue, Piper, Phoebe and Buffy nod.
Angel enters hurriedly, moving to Buffy. He looks intense. Even for Angel.
"Angel... What is it?" Buffy asks.
"Buffy, I... Something's happened that... Willow's dead." Angel says before he sees Willow. "Hey, Willow." He turns back to Buffy. "..." He turns back to Willow and then turns back to Buffy. Wait a second.
Prue nods, "Buffy and Xander saw her also."
Buffy nods, "At Payson's."
Angel nods, "She's there now. With a cadre of Vampires looking to party."
"She's there at my club?" Buffy asks and Angel nods. "Then we can worry about who she is after we stop a feeding frenzy."
Moments later the gang comes out with weapons, heads down the hall.
"How many are there?" Buffy asks.
"Eight or ten." Angel says.
"Should we call Faith?" Buffy asks.
Giles shakes his head, "No. I don't want her in combat yet. Not around civilians."
Prue nods, "I have to agree with Giles, Buffy."
"Here here." Xander says.
"Guys?" Willow asks. Something in her tone stops them. "What are we gonna do with... me? Other me."
"I don't know, Will. We've just gotta stop them –" Buffy says.
Willow nods, "I get that. I just sorta wanna know what - Oh. Hey! Go. I'll catch up." She runs back into the library. She leans over the counter, reaching for something she does not find. Straightens up again.
Vampwill grabs Willow from behind. Hand over mouth. Face right by hers. "Alone at last..." She spins Willow, looks her over, hand at her throat. "Well, look at me. I'm all fuzzy."
"What do I want with you? Dyeh, I mean –" Willow says.
"Your little schoolfriend Anya said you brought me here. She said you could get me back to my world." VampWill says.
"Oh. Oh. Oops." Willow says as she gets it.
"But I don't know..." VampWill says as she comes around Willow, checking her out, getting her from behind again. "I kinda like the two of us. We could be quite a team, if you came around to my way of thinking."
"Would that mean we have to snuggle?" Willow asks.
"What do you say...?" VampWill asks as she licks Willow's neck. Willow's face is a study. "...wanna be bad?"
"This just can't get more disturbing." Willow says. Vampwill smiles, and growls nice and low. Willow struggles free. "Okay, Ack! Ack! No more! You're freaking me out!" She moves for the door, but Vampwill blocks her.
Willow grabs a cross from the counter and holds it out - Vampwill knocks it from her grasp and grabs her, hurls her over the counter. She lands in a heap as Vampwill makes her way around, no longer amused.
"You don't wanna play, I guess I can't force you. Oh wait. I can." VampWill says as she comes around and as she does Willow reaches in under the counter for the thing she came here to get.
It's the tranquilizer gun. She fires point blank into VampWill's chest.
VampWill looks at the little dart sticking through her corset. Looks at Willow. "Bitch..."
Vampwill drops. A beat, then Will heads out of the library at top speed.
Moments later Vampwill is dragged into the cage, still unconscious. The gang has been called back, regard the similarity of Willows with varying degrees of wonder.
"Amazing." Giles says.
Prue nods, "You can say that again."
"It's horrible. That's me as a vampire? I mean, I'm so evil, and skanky," Willow says before she lowers her voice to whisper to Buffy. "and I think I'm kind of gay."
"Just remember, a vampire's personality has nothing to do with the person it was." Buffy says.
Angel shakes his head, "Well, actually –" Buffy glares at him. "— that's a good point."
"What do we do now?" Piper asks.
"We still have to get to Payson's." Giles says.
Angel nods, "Even if they're supposed to wait for her they might start feeding. Vampires not notoriously reliable."
"So we charge in, much in the style of John Wayne?" Xander asks.
Prue shakes her head, "High casualty risk."
Giles sighs, "I haven't any other plan, though."
"I have a really bad idea..." Buffy says.
At Payson's the group is coming to the entrance as Angel drops down ostensibly from the skylight onto some crates, thence to the ground. "They're still in a holding pattern. That's good; it means they must really be afraid of you."
Willow is dressed as Vampwill. And clearly deeply uncomfortable in the outfit. "Well, who wouldn't be?"
"You okay in that?" Buffy asks.
Willow shakes her head, "It's a little binding. I guess vampires really don't have to breathe..." Adjusting her corset, she looks down at her sudden cleavage. "Gosh. Look at those."
Giles nods, "All right. You go in, try to defuse the situation as much as possible. At least get a few of them to come outside. Even the odds a bit."
"First sign of trouble, you give the signal. We come in hard and fast." Prue says.
"What is the signal?" Xander asks.
Willow nods, "Me screaming."
"Giles, you, Piper, Phoebe and Xander wait at the back entrance." Prue says.
"Right." Giles says as he, Piper, Phoebe and Xander take off.
Buffy moves to Willow. "You sure you're up to this?"
"Well, it was me that started it... sort of. Don't worry. I won't do anything that could be interpreted as brave." Willow says.
"We're right outside." Prue says. "If all else fails don't forget you have one thing they don't. Don't hesitate to use your power against them till we get there."
Willow nods.
Buffy, Prue and Angel move out of sight as Willow knocks on the door. It opens to reveal an intimidating vampire.
A moment of fear from Willow, and then she composes herself. "Hi, I'm back." She strides in, trying not to stumble on her platforms, as the vampire deferentially moves aside.
Alphonse and Anya are the only ones who dare approach. "Did you find the girl?" Alphonse asks.
"Yep, I did." Willow says.
"Where is she?" Anya asks.
"I killed her. And sucked her blood, as we vampires do." Willow says as she looks to the vamp by the door. "I think maybe I heard something out there. Why don't you go check?"
He does.
"How could you kill her? She was our best shot at getting your world back!" Anya says.
"I don't like that you dare question me. Maybe I'll have my minions take you outside and kill you horribly!" Willow says and she spies Oz, she secretly smiles and waves at him.
Oz looks bemused.
"Vampires. Always thinking with your teeth." Anya says.
"She bothered me. She's so weak, and accommodating. It's pathetic - she lets everyone walk all over her and then she gets cranky at her friends for no reason. I just couldn't let her live." Willow says and then looks to another vamp, "He's been gone a while. Why don't you check on him?"
"Well, boss, since that plan is out, why don't we get to the killing?" Alphonse says.
"I don't know if I feel like killing any more... I'm so bored..." Willow says as she walks by a girl, sensuously running her hand through her hair - which it then gets tangled in. She awkwardly extracts it, "It would be like shooting fish in a barrel. Where's the fun?"
"With all due respect, boss, the fun would be the eating." Alphonse says.
"Maybe we should let everyone go, give them a thirty second head start –" Willow says.
"Wait a minute!" Anya says as she gets it.
"No, I like my plan." Willow says.
"Oh, nice try." Anya says.
"Okay, let's get to the killing." Willow says. "Why don't we start with her?"
"Why don't we start with you?" Anya says. "If she's a vampire, I'm the creature from the black lagoon."
Willow looks at Alphonse and the other vamps. Tries not to be nervous. She subtlety backing up under the inspection of Alphonse and Anya.
"I'm just so tired of being around humans and all their baggage, I don't care if I ever get my power back, I think he should eat you." Anya says.
"This girl has a history of mental problems dating back to early childhood. I'm a blood sucking fiend! Look at my outfit!" Willow says.
"A human. I should have smelled it right away." Alphonse says.
"A human? Oh yeah? Could a human do this?" Willow says and she SCREAMS at the top of her lungs.
There is silence for a moment. Anya and Alphonse look at each other. Talk at once.
"I'd say - yeah, human could do that." Alphonse says.
"Uh huh. Most humans could, yeah ..." Anya says.
They both look back at Willow.
Which is when, thankfully, Buffy, Prue and Angel burst in.
Buffy squares off with Alphonse. Asskicking abounds in the pool table region.
Angel fights vamps over by the counter.
Backstage Giles, Piper, Phoebe and Xander rush in, fight the vamp there. Xander, Piper and Phoebe holds, Giles kills.
Most of the Payson's customers cower. Some flee out the now unguarded door.
Anya it's time to go. Turns to run - right into Willow.
A moment, then Willow punches her. She falls, unconscious as Willow grabs her poor hand. "Ow! Ow! It's all happy but OW!"
Oz grabs her, heads for the stage. "Come on. Devon! let's go!"
Devon is trying to climb up the ropes. He's not getting very far, and he abandons the effort, following Oz toward the back door.
Oz reaches it first - and finds himself thrown back by Vampwill. He hits Devon on the backwards fly and they both go down.
Vampwill faces off with Willow once again. "No more snuggles?" She launches herself at Willow, and easily overpowers her, Willow hitting the stage on her back and Vampwill coming in for the throat
Buffy sees Willow's plight. She powers up a fireball and throws it at Alphonse dusting him. She bolts for the stage as she powers up another fireball, she comes up behind VampWill and raises her hand ready to throw the fireball.
"Buffy, no!" Willow says.
Vampwill looks about her. Her men have fled. Angel approaches, as do the others. She's licked. She lets go of Willow, stands up. So does Willow.
Willow turns to Vampwill.
Vampwill looks about her, and back at her counterpart. "This world's no fun..."
"You noticed that too." Willow says.
Later at the plant Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Oz, Giles, Angel, Buffy, Willow, Xander, Vampwill and Anya are there. Anya grouchily preps a returning spell, with Giles's help. The Willows are back in their own outfits.
Xander sidles up to Vampwill. "So, in your reality I'm like this bad ass vampire, huh? People afraid of me?" She gives a withering look. "Oh yeah. I'm bad."
"I'm not sure about releasing this thing into the wild, Will. It is a Demon." Buffy says.
"I can't kill her." Willow says.
Piper steps up next to Buffy and puts a comforting hand to her shoulder.
Buffy looks at Piper and nods, "No, me neither."
"I mean, she's not me - we have a big nothing in common, but - still. There but for the grace of gettin' bit. We send her to her world, she has a chance. It's the way it should be anyway." Willow says.
Giles nods, "I think we're ready." He looks to Anya. "Now, no tricks, dear."
"I don't need tricks. When I have my powers back you will all grovel before me." Anya says.
Both Willows roll their eyes.
"Willow, if you'll complete the circle..."
Willow moves to sit, then goes back to Vampwill. "Good luck. Try not to kill people." She can't help herself: she embraces Vampwill in an awkward hug. Vampwill smiles, returns the hug. Willow pulls away suddenly – "Hands! Hands!" – and glares at Vampwill, who grins wickedly.
Willow sits, completing the circle.
The next day Willow and Buffy sit in front of the school on a bench.
"You wanna go out tonight?" Buffy asks.
"Strangely, I feel like staying home. And doing homework. And flossing. And dying a virgin." Willow says.
"You know, you can O.D. on virtue." Buffy says.
Willow nods, "Between me and my evil self, I've got double guilt coupons. I see now where the path of vice leads. She messed up everything she touched. I don't ever wanna be like that."
Percy comes up to Willow and Buffy, carrying a load of books and papers. "Hey, Uh, hi."
"Oh, hi. Listen, I didn't have time to –" Willow says.
"Okay, so I did the outline for the paper on Roosevelt –" He hands it to her, "— but, uh, it turns out there was two president Roosevelts and I didn't know exactly, uh, which I was supposed to do, so I did both –" he hands her another. "I know they're kind of short but I can flesh 'em out, here's my bibliography," he hand it to her. "I can retype that if, uh... So just let me know what I did wrong, and, and, I'll get on that." He exits, leaving Willow completely nonplussed. A beat, and he returns. Puts an apple on top of her books. Exits again.
The girls sit for a moment.
"You wanna go out tonight?" Buffy asks.
"Nine sound good?" Willow asks.