"Willow? Are you alright?" Buffy hadn't expected her friend to show up at her house instead of the Bronze a couple of weeks later, especially looking unhappy.

"Oz and I had a fight."

"That's a first, you two have never argued and unlike Alex and Cordelia you don't bicker flirt. So what's the problem?"

"Me never telling him about Sunnydale and vampires and the supernatural, about never explaining about Halloween and I honestly couldn't give him a good answer as to why not, Buffy and I don't know why."

"I thought it was because you were worrying about my mom."

"That's part of it, yes. Your mom is everything I wish my mom was. Wanting to be involved in your life, caring, that kind of thing. And until finding out Oz had become a werewolf I didn't know anything about Alex's situation, he'd never mentioned it. But I don't know why it never occured to me to talk to Oz about any of it."

"Maybe because Giles keeps insisting on Slayers and vampires being secret and you're practically programmed to obey authority figures."

Willow blinked and looked shocked. "You...might be right. As long as I follow my parents rules I get some attention, positive attention I mean and I'm afraid of negative attention from anyone in authority, but especially my parents. I hardly see them as it is, if I do something to break their rules for me they might just leave me altogether or at least, that might be my fear."

"And just because Alex never told you about his family situation doesn't mean you didn't pick up on things. He never talks about his parents, he never invites anyone to his house and his parents are never seen at the school or his football games. Even on a subconscious level you're going to notice things like that. The two of you have known each other since you were little kids, you had a crush on him for a long time, you noticed something, even if you couldn't understand it. So maybe you focused on my mom as someone to protect because she's the kind of mom you wish had and you followed Giles insistence on secrecy because of your fears regarding your parents and not following rules."

"It makes more sense than I just never thought about it. I should go try to explain to Oz. Buffy, are you alright? You look really pale and kinda sweaty."

"I think I'm coming down with the flu or something. I'm going to go lay down, let me know how things go with Oz, okay."

"I will, where's your mom and Dawn, anyway?"

"At the Mall, Dawn's having a growth spurt, I swear she's grown two inches since Halloween and Mom insists it has nothing to do with being a werewolf and everything to do with being on the verge of puberty. She did just turn eleven after all."

"She's already as tall as I am and taller than you, she definitely got your mom's height. Get some rest, I'll see you later."

"You too." After seeing Willow out Buffy trudged up the stairs to her bed and gratefully changed into pajamas and was soon asleep. Sleeping so deeply she didn't even hear Joyce and Dawn return from the shopping expedition or Dawn clammer up the stairs carrying the bags with her new clothes in them.

"Dawn, have you seen Buffy since we got back?" Joyce asked a couple of hours later as she started supper.

"No, but maybe she went to see Willow or something."

"Could you check her room for me? If she'd gone to Willow's I would have expected her to leave a note or call and she knows when supper is and should have been back by now unless something came up."

"Sure, fine. What's for supper anyway?"

"I was thinking I'd put together a lasagna."

"Sounds good." Dawn raced back up the stairs and banged on Buffy's door, when she didn't get an answer she peeked in and saw Buffy sleeping in the bed. "Come on, sleepyhead, Mom says she's starting supper." When Buffy didn't stir Dawn ventured into the bedroom and reached out to shake her. She drew back in horror and raced back downstairs.

"Mom! Something's wrong with Buffy. She's sleeping and she didn't wake up when I knocked or told her you were starting supper, so I shook her. She's burning up, Mom, I could feel it!"

Joyce stopped pulling out ingredients for the lasagna and hurried upstairs where she found exactly what Dawn had reported, a feverish and unresponsive Buffy. Grabbing Buffy's teenline phone, Joyce called an ambulance, a fever she could have dealt with herself, unresponsive required doctors. She just hoped they could figure it out fast, because Buffy absolutely hated hospitals and for good reason, having witnessed her cousin die in a hospital a decade before.