When Willow came to, she found herself within a ring of demon-like creatures wearing brown, hooded robes like monks. In front of her stood an imposing, horned creature with a long white beard and pointed ears. The place was definitely nowhere near Stevenson Hall. She remembered entering her and Buffy's room and then... nothing.
"Uh, hi?" she tried as she clambered to her feet.
"My name is D'Hoffryn," the creature introduced himself in a deep voice. "We have been watching you for some time now, Willow Rosenberg."
"W-watching me?"
"Yes," D'Hoffryn nodded. "Your magic is strong but still mostly unharnessed. We first took notice when you disrupted the temporal fold attempted by Anyanka. It sent quite a shock throughout the dimensions."
"Uh, well, sorry 'bout that, you know," Willow stammered. "Yes, ummm... bye," she continued and turned around to leave. Her path was blocked by two of the monk-demons.
"Our intention is not to quash your potential. Quite the contrary," D'Hoffryn addressed her smugly from behind.
That got Willow's attention and she turned around to face D'Hoffryn again.
"Your unintentional wish spell was very inspired," the demon complimented her. "The general resentment and chaos it brought upon your loved ones has been delightful to watch. Not to mention the inevitable pain to be inflicted. We have decided you're ready to join us here in Arashmahar. We are short of a vengeance demon and you are deemed to be the perfect candidate for that enviable position."
"Pain?" Willow gasped in shock. "What pain?"
The charred hole in the carpet just inside Willow and Buffy's room had been a tell-tale sign to Anya that her former boss had opened a portal there and whisked Willow away. As the quartet strode quickly through the Shady Hill cemetery following her, she tried to explain the situation as best as she could.
"I'd been dumped, I was miserable, doing a few vengeance spells. Nothing fancy – boils on the penis..."
"Please skip ahead," Xander interrupted quickly feeling said organ wince in imagined pain.
"So, D'Hoffryn got wind of me. He offered to elevate me."
"Meaning?" Buffy prompted.
"They made me a demon," Anya answered simply.
"Oh, God. Willow!" Buffy gasped. "But you can summon him from the crypt and make him stop, can't you?"
A low growl suddenly filled the otherwise quiet night air.
"Hey. Demon," Xander commented helpfully but Buffy was already moving in to intercept it.
A combo of high kicks soon had the demon on the ground but then they spotted another one approaching at a run.
"Let's go!" Buffy shouted and ushered Anya ahead of her.
"There!" the ex-Vengeance Demon pointed at the doorway of a large, open crypt and rushed inside with Buffy, Xander and Spike following at her heels.
Inside, Anya immediately sat down on the sandy ground cross-legged and drew a circle in the sand around her. Buffy and Spike picked up the massive lid of a sarcophagus and tried to wedge it against the crypt doors Xander had just slammed shut. They were almost done when a long arm reached through a grilled window and grabbed Buffy by the hair, making her drop her end of the stone slab. With the now useless wedge lying flat on the floor, Spike and Xander attempted to hold the door closed against the pounding of massive fists on it from the outside.
Within the circle Anya tried to concentrate on the summoning spell. "Blessed be the name of D'Hoffryn. Let this space be now a gateway to the world of Arashmahar, where demons respond. We come in supplication. We bend as the reed in the flow of, uh... No, wait. We come in the flow of... Argh!"
"Not doing so well here!" Xander called urgently.
"Blessed be the name of D'Hoffryn..." Anya started again just as the crypt doors were finally smashed in by the combined effort of two demons.
Spike was immediately pushed aside and he stayed hunched where he was, knowing he'd be useless in a fight. When their attackers were fully inside, he jumped up again and did his best to singlehandedly move the stone lid into a position where it would help keeping the door barred against further intrusions.
Out of the corner of his eyes he could see that the two demons were both trying to reach Xander despite Buffy running interference the best she could.
When Anya realized that trying the summoning spell would be in vain, she did the next best thing and attacked the demon currently pinning her boyfriend against the open sarcophagus. With a yell she leaped at its back and took its head into a stranglehold. Quicker than should have been possible, the demon pushed Xander aside and rammed her against the crypt wall. All breath left her, and she slid powerlessly to the dusty floor. When Xander rushed in to help, the demon punched him in the face, making him spin around and fall inside the open sarcophagus.
On the other side of the crypt the second demon had its massive hand around Buffy's throat and she was doing all she could to loosen the choke-hold.
In Arashmahar Willow was watching the vision conjured by D'Hoffryn in shock.
"Oh, God!" she almost wailed. "But I didn't mean to!"
"But you did," D'Hoffryn grinned. "This is the result of your power. You'll make a fine Vengeance Demon. We are willing to give you quite a lot of leeway as it comes to defining your... shall we say portfolio. 'The Patron Saint of Betrayed Friendships' sounds promising, wouldn't you agree?"
"No, please!" Willow begged, wringing her hands. "You have to help them."
"It's not my concern," D'Hoffryn replied emotionlessly and vanished the vision. "My entire interest in this matter is you," he continued and ran the backs of his long fingers down Willow's cheek.
"Really, and no offense intended," Willow responded. "I mean, you've been super-nice and everything, but I don't want to be a demon."
"No?" D'Hoffryn prompted smugly. "Even if that would mean... shall we say closing the gap between you and your Lehaïr mentor?"
"R-Rowan?" Willow gasped. "You know him?"
"Of him," D'Hoffryn answered simply.
"Please, I just want to go back and help my friends," Willow tried once again with her head held low.
"That is your final answer?" D'Hoffryn boomed.
"It is," Willow nodded.
D'Hoffryn sighed and nodded a few times, now looking more like a disappointed grandfather. "I'm sorry to hear that." Then he shrugged. "Oh, well. Here is my talisman." He produced a large coin-like metal object and gave it to Willow. "You change your mind, give us a chant."
Then, with a wave of his hand, he made Willow vanish.
In the crypt the battle was in full swing. Spike was gritting his teeth and pushing with all his might as the pressure on the door kept on increasing as, by the sound of it, more and more demons were demanding entrance. Finally he couldn't hold it any longer and he flew halfway down the crypt as the doors burst fully open once more.
Growling, Buffy gave the demon she was battling with a bone-crunching kick and rushed to her fiancé's aid. "Oh, Spike, are you ok?" she asked gently from the groaning vampire.
"Slayer," Spike drawled and attacked Buffy's mouth.
Next to the smooching couple, Xander was in real trouble with their demon. "A little help here," he managed to squeak as the demon's hands tightened around his throat.
A flash of lighting abruptly lit the whole crypt, and accompanied by a loud thunderclap, Willow materialized on top of a stone slab inside the crypt. Drawing a deep breath, she attempted to centre herself amidst the chaos.
"Let the healing power begin," she intoned. "Let my will be safe again. As these words of peace are spoken, let this harmful spell be broken."
There was another earth-shaking thunderclap and then only four humans and a vampire were left inside the crypt. Anya and Xander looked at each other rather quizzically as the demon from between them vanished into thin air and then, slowly, turned their attention to the couple making out on the crypt floor.
"Urgh!"
"Bloody hell!"
"Ewww! Spike's lips! Lips of Spike!"
Then, almost unbidden, four pair of eyes homed in on the redhead who was still standing where she had materialized.
"Hi, guys," Willow tried to smile apologetically and gave them a small wave.
Back in Giles' kitchenette Willow was baking cookies... lots and lots of cookies.
"How long are you going to keep making these?" Anya frowned with a platterful of baked cookies in her hands.
"Oh," Willow almost squeaked. "Until I don't feel so horribly guilty... which is about a million chips from now."
In the living room Xander was helping Giles test his eyesight when Willow glided in bringing still-steaming baked goods.
"Look, cookies," she offered the plate to Giles. "A very non-evil thing I did. Oatmeal?"
"Yes, very funny," Giles rolled his eyes. "They are chocolate chips. I can see them." At Willow's stricken look he softened his stance a little. "I still need my glasses, though. You could have been more specific with the healing power and given me 20/20."
The smile that lit Willow's face was like the sun had appeared from behind the clouds. "Giles. I'm so very sorry. I promise to be more careful in the future."
"Yes, well," Giles started with a small cough. "It seems I should take a more active role in your magical upbringing from now on. You will need guidance and discipline as your powers grow, something that I should have addressed much earlier."
"You'd do that!?"
"Yes, I'd say it's long overdue."
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Willow grinned widely and started bouncing up and down. Only Buffy's Slayer reflexes kept the cookies from decorating the floor as she snatched the platter from Willow's hands at the last moment.
"There's this Wicca group at the campus," Willow continued more soberly. "I was thinking of attending a meeting. Maybe I'll fit right in... like an AA group. 'Hi, my name's Willow and I'm a Witch.'"
"I think that's a splendid idea," Giles agreed wholeheartedly. "Don't be too disappointed if you won't find an iota of magical talent among them, though."
"Oh, no, no!" Willow replied, more exited again. "Maybe I'll be able to bring them some much needed... shutting up now."