Tara slowly stood up and ducked out of the room, brushing past Oz. Willow thought she heard a soft sob. Oz's eyes followed Tara as she left the room and looked over at Willow.
"I guess this is irony." Oz said, even more blankly than usual.
"What's ironic about it?" Willow said quietly.
"Well, I had a thing with another girl..and now you're having a thing with another girl." He sat down on the chair next to the bed. He seemed not to understand the words he was saying.
"I guess that's kind of ironic. Why do you do that?" Willow said.
"Do what?"
"You're always calm. I mean even now…"
Oz took a deep breath, "Well I did leave you so… it's a good deal my fault. Too traumatized by men?"
"That's not it Oz." Willow said trying to sit up. "I didn't go for her or anything… it just happened…" she took a deep breath, "Can we talk about something else?"
"Well I came here to tell you there was something bad going on at the school."
"What happened?"
"Well I was on my way to the dorm to meet you and… let's say that UC Sunnydale is going to be short one dorm's worth of students. Drained, we have got a serious gang of vampires on the loose."
"Um… Oz? You didn't happen to see me around campus today have you?"
Oz shook his head. "Did you split yourself in two or something?"
"Not quite. But you should tell Buffy before we lose another dorm."
"Speak of the devil and she shall come." Oz said looking up and seeing Buffy walk into the room.
"Did Cordelia have any information?" Willow asked.
"Nope, just that came down with a slight case of death while she was there."
"That's a nasty one," Oz replied.
"I hope Xander has some more luck." Willow said.
A knock sounded on Xander's door and Anya got up to answer it. She was completely bare, a pile of folded clean laundry on the machine, and smiling ready to surprise Xander. She frowned seeing Willow at the door. "I thought you were Xander."
"Long time no see," Willow smirked.
"I just saw you yesterday,"
Willow sauntered into the room, "You don't remember me."
"You're Willow, you got smoochy with Xander and that's why I'm here."
"You've mistaken me for that fluffy girl. I'm the other one, the better one." She smirked and her face grew bulgey.
"Oh I remember you! How are you?"
"I've been better. What about you?
"I've been having lots of sex."
"Fascinating. I have a proposition for you."
"Sorry, I don't do girls."
"Too bad, but that's not why I'm here. See I figure now that I'm here and know things better than I did the first time, I won't make the same mistakes and could do a much better job of remaking my world here. And I know you have power, want to join up with me? We could rule the town."
"Last time you did that, you got your butt kicked."
"I didn't know what I was up against. Now I do."
"Sorry, I'm not a demon anymore."
Willow bared her fangs, "I can fix that."
"Oh please, one thing you don't like and all you vampires go all bitey. Please it's getting old. You got your ass kicked last time."
"I'll kick your ass," Willow growled striking Anya across the face and knocking her to the ground.
Willow looked up hearing a door open.
Xander walked into the bedroom and saw Anya lying naked, alone, one the floor of his room with four long, red, bleeding scratches on her face. He ran over and knelt next to her, "What happened?"
"Crazy vampire Willow was in here, she wanted me to join her little group of demons, but she had a bunny on her shirt, it freaked me out, so I wouldn't go with her."
"Whoa, whoa, rewind, group of demons?"
"Yeah, she said she was gonna take over Sunnydale or at least try to, you know she really has bad fashion taste for a vampire. What happened to all the leather?"
"Anya, this is more important than just clothes, speaking of which can you put some on because this is rather distracting. We have a situation to deal with here. "
Anya looked down at the slight bulge in Xander's pants and sighed, "I really wanted to boink, you know."
"How about when we don't have some kind of crazy Willow on the loose. She is FAR from stable and with a gang of demons she could prove to be very dangerous."
Anya shimmied back into her dress, "Well she wouldn't tell me what she's after. Probably to boink. She has that boink vibe about her. Like all she wants to do is get in bed and I think she does girls. Maybe she does both… maybe she's an anything that moves kind of girl."
"Anya, think about something besides sex."
"Why? Isn't that all you think about?"
"Yes, I'm 19, it's practically my job to think about sex, but not when we have a group of god knows how many vampires and demons out there. I'd call that a clue, I better tell Buffy."
+++
Music blared and bounced off the walls around the bronze as Vampire Willow made her entrance after a little shopping spree. She wore a new pair of leather pants which hung low off her hips, a bright red thong peeking just above the waistband, knee-high boots with a multitude of big silver buckles, and a black corset style lace-up tube-top that made her breasts threaten to pop right out.
She scanned the Bronze looking for her rendezvous. Eventually she spotted her, the pale blonde in the corner, fussing over her pink nail polish. She didn't —seem- like vampire material but word was she was the big vamp in town at the moment, and word was she was dating William the Bloody so she could be a powerful ally.
She sauntered over, one hand on her hip, swaying as she walked. "Harmony, I presume?"
"Hey, like, I know you. I hate you. Why are you here, go away before I bite you. In fact, I'll just bite you now."
"Won't help." Willow said, flashing her fangs for a brief moment.
"Whoa, when did that happen? I thought you were with Buffy and her annoying band of dweebs."
"Let's get a drink and I'll tell you everything."
---
Vampire Willow kicked the body of the clubber she and Harmony had drained over their little chat.
"So you want you and your minions, to join me and my minions? That sounds fun!" Harmony said licking the last bit of blood from her lips.
"What about your boyfriend?" She asked.
"Oh," Harmony scoffed, "Spike? I forgot where that loser is."
"Too bad, he'd make a powerful ally."
"Sure, right, then he'll try to stake you, then leave you, then beg you to take him back, just whatever. He just wants the sex."
"Guys know jack shit about good sex."
"And you know better?"
"Yeah, but I've got my eye on another girl. Sorry, we can still fuck if you want."
"Sorry but I'd, like, have to be a whole lot drunker to even thing about it."
Willow bent over and dug the wallet out of the corpse's pocket. "I can pay."
++++
Oz watched Buffy walk out of the room with her ringing cell phone then down at his hands. Now he could clearly see them shaking. The impact of Willow's words hadn't fully hit him yet, he felt as though they were actors running lines, singers saying the lyrics. The thought was mind blowing so he'd chosen to ignore it. Now the impact hit him, the scent of Willow began to flood his senses, more and more. He could feel the hairs on his body standing on end, the tingling in his hands that came with change. Damn! Wasn't he over this? Wasn't he cured. "I… I have to go." Oz got up bumping into Buffy as he fled.
She clicked the phone shut with a shudder. "I don't want to know…anyways I have a lead as to the whole slaughter-palooza that happened in the dorms. Vamp Wil is working on creating a new gang, we need to keep an eye on the dorm and see if any of those guys plan on going out for a bite. As soon as Xander stops having sex, or so it sounds, we'll get him to help but until then, I'm going to go out myself."
"Wil, you wait here, the doctors said you might be able to leave tonight. I'm sure Tara will watch over you." Buffy looked around the room, "Where did Tara go?"
"I don't know," Willow looked at the ground.
"I'm sure she's just in the waiting room, Willow. I'll find her. Where did Oz run off to in such a hurry?"
"I don't know…"
"Did something happen between you two?"
"It's… it's hard to talk about."
"Willow, I'm your best friend, you can tell me anything." Buffy sat down on the edge of the bed. "I thought you'd be all woohoo that Oz is back and… you seem to be… not. I thought you'd be back together in a heartbeat."
"We're not going to be back together…" she sighed. "There's… someone else… someone else..."
"You've been seeing another guy? And you didn't tell me?"
"Well… not exactly seeing… and… not exactly guy."
"Color me confused."
"I'm… falling… falling… for Tara…"
Buffy got up with a start. "Oh… um...well." she began to pace at the foot of the bed, "That's great. I… think Tara's a wonderful girl."
"She is."
You have to… follow your heart, Wil, That's what's important Wil,"
"Why do you keep saying my name like that?"
"Like what, Wil?"
"Are you freaked?"
"No, Wil," Buffy took a deep breath, "No, absolutely no… I'm glad you told me. And I guess I'm just… surprised I guess." She sat down again. "I didn't expect… Wow, I must sound like a pretty lame friend."
"I didn't expect it either… it just kind of happened. It's totally different from what I felt for Oz…and I like it, I'm happy."
Buffy smiled slightly and the two sat in silence for a moment.
"I gotta go for now. I need to deal with some potential vampires. The only thing worse than frat boys are undead, bloodsucking frat boys… there should be laws against turning the obnoxious and the stupid into vampires."
"Whoever sired Harmony should have been taught that." Willow smiled.