Once again Giles' door flew open, this time revealing a distraught Xander. It was evident that he had been crying and his voice hitched in a sob as he wailed, "Oh God, Giles, she's dead!"

Giles looked at the boy in shock and fear. "Who? Who's dead, Xander!"

Spike had stood up again when Xander burst into the room, his own face mirroring his fear. Xander noticed the vampire for the first time and rushing to him began choking him. "You! It's your fault. You and your filthy kind."

Before Spike could push his attacker away, Giles was there pulling him off. "Xander! Xander, control yourself. What's happened?"

Xander lowered his head into his hands and sobbed, "It's Willow, Giles. I saw her. She's a vampire."

"What?!"

The sound of three shocked, confused voices sounded at the same time. Looking up he saw Tara standing by the kitchen. Wiping his face, he started towards the young witch. "I'm so sorry, Tara. But I saw Willow downtown and she's...she's..."

Before he could complete his sentence he heard, "I'm what, Xander?"

Xander's eyes almost bugged out of his head seeing his best friend before him so unexpectedly. Spotting a crossbow lying on top of the weapon's chest, he lunged for it and turning it on Willow cried, "You damned creature! You're not gonna hurt anyone here!"

Even with his injury, Spike was preternaturally fast. Speeding forward he managed to deflect Xander's aim causing the bolt to hit the wall a couple feet above Willow's head. Wrenching the crossbow out of Xander's hands he sent the young man flying across the room to land in a heap by the window.

"What the fuck's wrong with you, Harris?" the vampire shouted. "Have you gone completely 'round the bend? That's Willow there."

Xander turned hate-filled eyes on Spike and spat out, "Is she yours? Did you sire her, Spike? Is that why you're protecting her?"

Willow and Tara were clinging together shocked and frightened. Giles came and stood between the two men, trying to inject some semblance of sanity into the room.

"Xander, I assure you, Willow is Willow. She's not been turned by Spike or any other vampire. Why on Earth do you think that she's a vampire?"

The tiniest bit of doubt began to show on Xander's face. Standing up and looking intently at Willow he said, "I saw her downtown, Giles. Only," he began to look confused, "she was dressed differently."

"Dressed how?" Giles probed.

"Uh, she had on this tight black leather outfit, real sexy. I thought maybe it was some new lesbi...uh, I mean, witch outfit."

"Tight black leather outfit?" Willow asked in a squeaky voice. "Uh, kinda Gothy looking?"

Xander nodded vigorously,

"Uh oh," Willow said.

"Uh oh?" Giles asked.

Swallowing nervously, Willow turned to Tara and said, "Just like in my vision."

"Vision? What vision are you talking about, Willow?"

"Oh, uh, well, you see, Giles, after you left the shop tonight Anya asked me to help her do a spell to retrieve a necklace she lost. While we were doing it I began to have these, well, visions, I guess you'd call them. Of The Master, and Oz and Larry and uh, me in that outfit Xander described."

As everyone watched the young witch intently, she explained exactly what she saw in her vision.

"So you say you saw this other you and then she just vanished?" Giles asked. He was beginning to look as if he had nearly reached his breaking point. First Faith awakening and escaping custody, and then Buffy perhaps possessed, and now a vampire Willow running around town? Too many things too quickly, he thought.

Willow nodded. "What do you think it means, Giles? Did Anya and I somehow conjure that skanky Willow?"

"I don't know, Willow, but we'll have to wait and deal with this after we've found out exactly what's happened to Buffy. That must be our priority right now."

"Hear, hear, Watcher," Spike cheered approvingly.

At Giles' look, Spike exclaimed, "What? I watch Parliament on C-Span."

"Wait a minute," Xander interrupted. "What about Buffy? Something's happened to Buffy too? Or I guess not too because Willow, not a vampire, so there's no too to be too...uh, to," he trailed off.

Sighing Giles said, "You explain it to him, Willow. I am going to try, once again, to call Joyce." Staring apprehensively at the telephone, he starting walking towards it as Willow began to explain.

Spike sighed and sank back down into his chair, closing his eyes in exhaustion and leaning his head back. He was frightened and worried about Buffy. He didn't know this Faith they all kept talking about, although Buffy had told him enough about her for him to know that she was bad news. He swore to himself that, chip or no chip, if that bitch had harmed Buffy in any way, he'd kill her.

He felt a presence and looked up to see a contrite Xander standing before him holding out a mug of blood. "Here," the young man said awkwardly. "Tara warmed up some more blood for you."

"Ta, mate," Spike said, reaching up and taking the mug. As he sipped, he watched as Xander twitched uncomfortably before him. Finally Xander said in a rush, "Look, I'm sorry I attacked you like that. Kinda out of my mind because of what I thought happened to Willow."

Spike shrugged. "Don't worry about it," he said disinterestedly. "Just one piece of advice though. The next time you attack a vampire try to remember that choking doesn't hurt us. We don't breathe."

Xander blushed, dipped his head and moved away. Spike smirked at him, but was torn between being hurt that Xander had even considered that he would have harmed Willow and touched that he had bothered to apologize.

Giles had been talking for some minutes to Joyce when Spike heard him say, "So she just walked away? And she seemed all right?" A pause. "Well, we believe that something's happened to her. No, we don't know what exactly, but I think it best if you pack an overnight bag and come stay here tonight." A pause. "No," Giles said exasperatedly, "this has nothing to do with band candy. I just think it best if you don't stay at home alone tonight. I'd send Spike over to stay with you but we need him to help search for Buffy, plus he's been injured. No, he'll be all right. What? What device? A weapon?" A pause. "Very well, bring that too; it may be important. I'm sending Xander over to pick you up. We'll see you shortly then."

Hanging up, Giles faced the others. "Faith showed up and tied Joyce up. Buffy arrived, they fought, Buffy knocked Faith out, Joyce called the police and Faith was taken into custody. I'm going to the police station to see if I can see Faith and get information from her as to what she did to Buffy. Xander, I want you to go get Joyce and bring her here. Willow and Tara, I want you to check in Skolcraft's Compendium and find a healing spell for Spike. We cannot afford to have him at less than one hundred percent."

With that the Watcher grabbed up his car keys and left the apartment. Xander followed after and Willow went to the bookcase to find the text to search for a spell to speed up Spike's recovery. Spike was less than happy with the idea of being on the receiving end of one of Willow's spells. He'd seen enough of her attempts go arse-up that he was leery of the whole idea, but if it helped him heal quicker, he'd let her have at. Nothing was more important than his ability to help Buffy.