DAY ONE

Buffy undertook the task of lighting the fire once the sun rose and succeeded after very little effort. Wesley slept, curled in a ball for warmth. Buffy left him that way on account of the fact that he was ill and she promised to give him piles of things to do when he was feeling better. Kennedy had started on plucking and gutting the birds, preparing them for cooking and then consumption. Buffy sent Dawn away to get a bucket of water from the well and pick up anything that was in the mail while she was at it. Tara sat on a boulder, staring into the fire, distracted by the bizarre absence of her lover in her mind. Xander did likewise, only with the added variable of hugging the dead hedgehog unconsciously. Buffy thought the situation far too amusing to disrupt and wished desperately that she had a camera.

Oz shortly appeared from the woods, his face much less feral and his eyes back to calm and intelligence with a hint of worry. "Spike's safely hidden away in a small cave near the well. It's not hard to find, but I can show you where it is. We could go now, if you'd like. It's only about a half-hour walk," he said, motioning his eyes toward the woods. Buffy got the message and told Kennedy where they were going in case Wesley woke up or Dawn came back or something.

"Thanks for sharing your wolf cave, Oz. That was nice of you," Buffy said as they stepped into the woods. Buffy eyed the blanket hanging low between the trees and giggled lightly at the mental image of Spike being thrown into the air.

"Oh, that's not my wolf cave. It wouldn't do the job. I haven't found a proper place yet, but I've got a week or so, so I think it'll turn out all right. And it's no problem about Spike; it's the least I can do for my bodyguard."

Buffy winced. "You overheard that conversation, huh?"

"Oh, not really. Spike just decided to tell me all about it on the way over here."

"What? Damnit, Spike! I'm so sorry, Oz."

"Oh, no, don't be. I'm glad he told me, actually. It makes my rant easier because you seem to understand even though I haven't said anything yet."

The Slayer looked curiously at the small gent and was amazed as he seemed to prepare himself for his speech. Oz had always seemed such a together guy to her; she'd seen him worked up about Willow's safety and/or happiness, but not much else. And now here he was, bracing himself to come to grips with the fact that something wasn't quite the way he wanted.

"There's something not right about this island," he started slowly after a deep breath. "From the second you got me out of my barrel, I sensed something not right about the island. I felt something similar about myself not long after. The rice floated away, and I lunged in there and got it.

"I hate swimming, Buffy. I always have. I don't know why, but there's just something about excessive amounts of water that gets me a little claustrophobic. But not last night. I dove right in there and had the time of my life swimming about. Eventually I got out of the water and ran around in the woods all night. It was sort of amazing, actually. I just had all this energy that I couldn't wait to get rid of, but it wasn't the healthy kind of energy; it reminded me of the way I get right before the full moon rises. Very jumpy and mildly feral. I wasn't comfortable with the way I killed the fowl so easily and without remorse. If there's one thing Willow's taught me, it's a love for animals.

"I'm not right at night here. It's like it's always sunset on a full moon. The sun was coming, and I knew I'd get better when it got here, so I asked to speak with you. I wanted to ask you specifically to keep me in line, but it didn't occur to me that I might bite you. I'm glad you've got Spike on the case, and I want you to keep him that way."

Buffy nodded slowly and kept silent for minutes after Oz had finished his lament. They walked at a leisurely pace through the woods and maintained a silence that Buffy found very comfortable. She'd always thought Oz would be a very good person to become friends with, but had never really been alone with him for long periods of time. He was happy to be silent and Buffy really respected that about him. He didn't push for a response. He just waited.

"I've never heard you say that much about anything aside from Willow."

"I know."

"Did it feel good to get that off your chest?"

Oz thought for a second. "You know, it really did."

Buffy nodded. "I asked Spike to keep an eye on you, Oz. I told him to bring you down to earth if you got out of control. But I don't trust Spike that much. I wouldn't let him be in total reign with you; he's too eager to get a good fight in. I planned, and still am planning, to keep an eagle eye on your behavior. I don't know you well, Oz, but I understand the basics of what you're about, and I know you don't want anyone to get hurt, especially at your own expense. I'm looking out for you. I guess I just want you to know that."

"Thank you," Oz said after a pause, "But it's not just me."

"You mean the island's got a freaky deal behind it?"

"Basically."

Buffy made a small vocal noise and pouted. "I don't sense anything."

"You're a Slayer. You're designed to sense demon activity. This is different." Oz watched as Buffy nodded, and then noticed that she looked different than he remembered. Older. "Buffy…" he asked slowly, "how old are you now?"

"I'm 22," she responded a tad skeptically, but didn't ask why he was asking.

Oz nodded for a long time, and then remained silent until they reached the cave. He pointed it out and then suggested they turn back and try to get some sleep. Buffy agreed but again didn't say anything. By the time they got back to camp, Dawn was asleep beside Tara and Kennedy on the warm sand, and Xander was asleep under the enchanted blanket, curled into a ball and with the hedgehog by his head. Wesley had not moved from the small patch of grass he had unknowningly claimed as his own. Oz settled himself on the ground beside the fire gracefully and just watched it for a while, trying to figure out what he had just discovered. He waited until Buffy fell asleep by the other females of the tribe and decided to go up the mountain to see what he could see.

MEANWHILE…

Angel scrambled through the woods in a desperate search for something to hide under. The sun was going to rise in about two minutes and the blanket had thrown him about until he'd finally given up, deciding that when the sun rose, the blanket would throw him up and he would come back down as dust. He could simply hide amongst the trees, but the wind was ever-present on small tropical islands, and he couldn't risk the tossing of the leaves aside if he wanted to win this large sum of cash. Wesley and Cordelia could use a bonus back home, he decided.

Eventually, the vampire found himself a massive leaf and threw himself violently onto the ground, throwing it over top of him and holding it down with his shoes. He felt the sun rise seconds later and was immensely relieved that the sun didn't go through the leaf; he felt a touch of warmth on his skin, but nothing to the magnitude of combusting.

Back at camp, Willow reached over and picked up one of the bizarre fruits that surrounded Riley. She turned it over a few times and tried to smell it, but when her face came too close to it, it bit her nose and squirmed out of her grip.

"Ow!" She brought her hands up to her face. Riley saw the event and bent down in front of Willow, trying to get her to move her hands away so he and his army training could have a look. Her eyes started to tear up and she could feel her nose start to swell. "Ow…"

Cordelia picked up another of the fruit as the sun started to rise, and the whole lot of them stood up suddenly and ran away. "Hey!" she shouted as the one she was holding squirmed out of her grip and caught up with the rest. "Hey, come back here! You were breakfast!" Faith laughed indifferently and Anya stood up and started to run after the fruit, lecturing them at high volume about table manners.

Giles, feeling much more like Giles again quite suddenly, joined Riley in crouching by Willow and trying to convince her to move her hands away from her face so Riley could take a look. She listened to them both tearfully but shook her head whenever they suggested such a thing.

Faith stood up and announced that she was going to find something else to eat. She looked around and noticed that since the boss was out of commission for the day, she was probably in charge now. Just to test out her new power, she told Cordelia to go get some water from the well, and Cordelia did so without argument. With a satisfied grin, Faith decided to track Anya down and tell her to do something, too.

"Willow, look. Now there's no one around but me and Giles. You trust us, right?" Riley asked. Willow nodded, and Riley smiled. "So why don't you let me have a look? You know that I'll have a better chance of fixing it if I know what I'm dealing with, right?" Willow nodded and reluctantly took her hands away from her nose, more tears falling from her eyes.

"Good Lord," breathed Giles, unaware that he'd said anything. Riley simply recoiled in surprise. Willow whimpered and put her hands back to her face, shaking her head emphatically.

"Yeah, actually… it's probably best if you just… keep doing that for a while," Riley suggested tentatively. Willow decided not to be offended and nodded. Riley motioned to Giles that they should have a little conversation away from the sensitive ears of that who it involves. Giles put a reassuring hand on Willow's shoulder and stepped away to join Riley by the shore.

"In all my years as Watcher, and all the years before that as a dabbler in the black arts, never have I seen anything so appalling."

"It's new to me, too… but then again, I've never seen a live pear before in such a literal sense."

"I imagine they were… sleeping."

"I thought maybe I felt them breathing when I found them in perfect condition littering the ground. Then again, they was lying right under an evergreen, so maybe I should have suspected something…"

Giles frowned. "What are evergreens doing in a tropical forest?"

Riley raised his eyebrows. "Then there's that."

Giles sighed and shook his head. "I don't like this."

"Me neither. What should we do about Willow?"

Giles ran his hand restlessly through his hair. "I'm not sure. Do you have any idea how to… stop it?"

Riley shook his head slowly. "I can't even try with the resources we have. Or, the lack thereof."

"All right, then. Talk to Willow and determine as much about what she's feeling as you can. I have to delve into the woods for a few hours, and I hope to come back with some minor solution to her little… problem." Giles set off into the forest, searching for something he hoped would return Willow's face back to normal. The poor girl won't even be able to eat, the Watcher thought sadly.