Disclaimer

I do not own any intellectual property created by Joss Whedon or Satoshi Tajiri.

"Well, that was no good," Anya said as the spell collapsed and she still didn't have her amulet. "You may have a lot of power, but you don't have the experience or the control to wield it properly."

Willow lay on the classroom floor, exhausted. "I can do it, just let me catch my breath."

"No, you are years away from having the control necessary to help me," Anya disagreed. "I'll have to look for help elsewhere." That said, the former demoness got up, collected her things and left without a backwards glance.

"You're welcome," Willow muttered with a frown as the door closed, leaving her alone in the empty classroom.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Xander stopped in mid-sentence, turned and looked around the library.

"Something amiss?" Wesley asked.

Xander was so distracted he didn't even make is usual snide comment towards the replacement watcher. "I felt something…familiar, but…animalistic."

Buffy stopped her spar with Faith and eyed Xander warily.

"Do you feel as if the primal might be returning?" Giles ask cautiously.

"No." Xander shook his head. "This was searching for something?" Xander finished, unsure.

"What's got everyone so tense?" Faith asked, seeing how both Buffy and Giles were watching Xander like he might explode at any moment.

"I was possessed, devoured the school mascot alive, the rest of the pack ate the principal, and then I body-checked the man responsible into a pit of hyenas where he was eaten alive, no big," Xander said bluntly. "The alpha was…very territorial, but not very human."

"You were possessed by an alpha primal?" Wesley asked doubtfully.

Xander gave Wesley a look that actually made him back up a step. "You wanna go a few rounds, Mr. 'I staked a vamp under controlled conditions'?"

Buffy leapt across the room and wrapped her arms around Xander, pinning his arms to his sides.

"Xander, this isn't you, fight it!" Buffy ordered.

Xander didn't struggle at all as he replied, "Hug me all you want, in fact I encourage it, but that isn't going to change the fact that I want to punch his teeth down his throat when he acts like an asshat."

"I don't think he's possessed, Buffy," Giles said. "Nor is Wesley's immature derision of what others have gone through undeserving of some form of chastisement."

"Translation?" Buffy asked.

"I'm not possessed and Wesley deserves a beating," Xander replied. "Mind letting me go now?"

"I think I'll hang on to you for now," Buffy decided.

"Fine, but let me turn around," Xander said, wiggling 'till he was facing Buffy.

"And what did that accomplish?" Buffy asked, amused.

"Well, as soon as I get my arms free I'm going to hug you," Xander said solemnly.

"Good luck on getting out of my hold, mister," Buffy said with a smile.

Xander looked down at Buffy and grinned evilly. "Where are my hands?"

"What?" Buffy asked before bursting out laughing as Xander tickled her. Being a slayer didn't help with this battle as Xander quickly freed himself and tickled the short blonde into submission.

"I'm not possessed, come on, say I'm not possessed!" Xander ordered as he tickled her.

"Fine, you're not possessed!" Buffy exclaimed, dodging his hands.

"Children," Giles said with a faint smile.

"Regardless, I have serious doubts a boy such as this could survive a primal empowerment, much less an alpha one," Wesley insisted.

"I think we've already shown that your opinion is less than accurate involving local events and that your judgment is similarly flawed," Giles said, looking at Wesley over the top of his glasses.

"Translation?" Xander asked Buffy jokingly as he gave her a hug as promised.

"We aren't blowing smoke up your ass, keep up the attitude and we'll let 'the boy' put you down," Buffy replied.

"Not remotely correct, but accurate all the same," Giles said.

"But back on topic," Xander said, "it felt like-"

The doors to the library opened and Willow entered.

"-her," Xander finished, pointing at Willow

"Willow, have you been up to something we should know about?" Giles asked.

The suddenly guilty look Willow had spoke louder than words.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" a vampire said as he spotted a red-haired girl dressed in some sort of cosplay outfit slinking though the alley.

Willow spun around and saw the cocky vamp approaching, with an arrogant swagger. "Burn," she said, snapping her fingers.

"AAAARRGGhhh…" the vampire screamed briefly as he went up like a kerosene-soaked roman candle.

Ignoring the ashes blowing around the alley behind her, the redhead continued following the trail of her target. She'd feared he was gone, forever beyond her reach, but something had happened and the world had changed around her, and now she could sense him once more, just as Beth's vision had promised.

Twin tails waving behind her, the kitsune continued tracking her prey.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

AN: Making Wishverse Willow a vampire every time just seems like a waste of a good plothook. How about Pokegirl Willow for a change?

Typing by ElrodAlbino