~*~Part One~*~

**June 1994**

"C'mon Jeff!!!" Willow cheered, hopping up and down on the floor next to the bleachers of the junior high school gymnasium. Her hands were sore from clapping, but that didn't make the slightest difference to her. Jeff needed some moral support and she was it. Matt, Xander and Jesse hadn't been able to make it because of a little issue of after school detention. Maybe next time they would learn not to put a spider in the teacher's desk.

Or maybe they'd just be more careful and not get caught next time?

Either way, didn't matter to her. All that was important at that moment was Jeff. Her dark haired friend was currently grappling one on one with a member of the high school's wrestling team. This was more of an exhibition event than anything else, something to inspire pride in Sunnydale's school wrestling teams, but that didn't mean it was without purpose. For the junior high team this was a chance to shine in front of the high school coaches. If they did good right now, hopefully they'd have a spot on the high school team when Fall came around.

This was where Jeff shined the brightest, on the wrestling mat, in front of screaming fans. Okay. So they weren't really fans, more like enthusiastic classmates. But Willow knew, in Jeff's head, they were fans, screaming for him, cheering his name. That's what he talked about with her at night. Its what he dreamed about, even with 4 years and two months of school left to finish. He wanted to be a wrestler. Not just any wrestler, either. He wanted to work on television alongside people like Hulk Hogan. It was a little barbaric, to her, but she didn't fault him. Everyone needed a dream.

He turned with his opponent in his arms, giving her a nice view of his face. It was a handsome face, though still lacking in the definition that another year or two of growing would give it. His hair had come undone from the ponytail he normally held it in and was falling across his face. She could only imagine how annoying that had to be, yet he didn't seem to notice. His entire being was concentrating on the older, more experienced, wrestler that he was about to pin.

The crowd, composed mainly of students from the junior high, went wild when the referee of the match counted the older boy out. Jeff stood, grinning, and Willow could tell by the look on his face that he was imagining himself somewhere else. Somewhere like maybe Madison Square Garden, in front of tens of thousands of people; and he had just won his match and they were cheering his name. She knew in his mind they were handing him one of those belts that he coveted so madly, and he was holding it in the air, prompting the crowd to even more cheers and cries.

She smiled a little, waiting for him to join her on the sidelines.

And then Sara came over.

Willow sighed, watching as the adorable blonde haired girl practically draped herself over Jeff. Not that he noticed. It still hurt, though. In her own heart Willow wanted nothing more than for Jeff to just notice *her* and to cast aside the nearly dozen female admirers he had racked up over the past year. They wanted to be with him because he was a jock and because he'd be a star when they started high school. The idea of wearing his Varsity jacket was too great of a lure for them to think about anything other than themselves. And the fact that Jeff was drop dead handsome didn't help things either.

But Willow wanted Jeff for Jeff. For the way he laughed and spoke. The way he made her feel when she was sad. The way he protected her from anyone who even thought about causing her harm. She wanted him for all of those things. Sure, the handsome part didn't hurt, but that wasn't why she wanted him. And she could care less about the fact that he was guaranteed to be a high school sports star. She just wanted *him*.

Jeff, however, was oblivious to that fact. As far as she had been able to tell, he thought of her as nothing more than a little sister. The girl of their little circle of friends and someone to be protected at all costs. She wasn't girlfriend material.

Not to him anyway.

And he was the only one she wanted.

She forced a smile to her face as he pushed off Sara's attentions and began to make his way over to her. Matt, Xander and Jesse would be getting out of detention in less than fifteen minutes according to her watch and they would all be going over Matt and Jeff's house until it was time to go home.

"Ugh." She groaned. "Sweaty! Go shower and change so we can get the others."

"You wound me, Wills." Jeff grinned. "I thought you loved me no matter how sweaty or dirty or stinky I was."

"You know I do!" She called after him, watching the doors of the locker room swing shut behind him. She sighed, repeating herself, but with far more emotion than she had the first time.

"You know I do, Jeffrey Hardy."

~*~*~

**June 1995**

"I can't believe our first year of high school is -over-!" Xander exclaimed, practically skipping down the street and away from Sunnydale High School.

"Yeah." Willow agreed. "Just think. Next year we'll be Sophomores. No more Freshman year for us."

"Until college." Matt reminded her. "Of all of us, you are the one that will get the honor of going to college, I'm guessing. Our big brainy Willow."

The red head turned away, frowning at the nickname. Why couldn't she have been their gorgeous friend? Why did it have to be 'big brain'? That certainly wasn't too terribly flattering.

"I thought for sure we were gonna get expelled." Jesse snickered, motioning between himself and Xander. "Not sure Principal Flutie likes us very much."

"Gee, I wonder." Willow drawled, giving the two of them a mock-glare. "I would have thought that the three of you were bestest of friends, seeing as how often you were all in his office together."

Xander smirked. "Not all of us can be big campus sports heroes like those Hardys over there." He motioned to the two brothers that were smiling and walking along on Willow's other side. Jeff had made the high school wrestling team the summer after junior high, and had convinced his brother to try out as well. To both of their shock, the older of the two had made it and they had both already taken home trophies. "Some of us had to settle for class clown status."

"No one better than you two." Jeff agreed. He ran a hand back through his hair, fingering the dark brown locks. They were past his shoulders now and quite a hit with the ladies, but he wanted something new, something different.

Something blue?

"Hey guys! I know the perfect thing to celebrate us making it through our Freshman-hood!"

Willow suppressed a groan, knowing from the gleam in the younger Hardy's eyes that he was up to no good.

"And what would that be?" She questioned cautiously.

"Streaking my hair with blue."

"What?" She shrieked. "Jeff, I don't think - "

"That'll be so cool!" Xander crowed. "Though I think your mom will kill you."

"That's why we'll do it at Will's house. Her parents are out of town. Mom won't be able to do anything until its too late."

Willow hung her head, picturing Jeff's hair with streaks of blue in it. The idea was distasteful at best. She knew better than to argue, though. Once he got a crazy idea in his head there was no stopping it. Best to just go along with it. She didn't want to be the rain on their parade, after all. She needed to lighten up and just live a little anyways.

Wasn't that was being young was all about?

~*~Part Two~*~

**Fall 1995**

"So, have you met the new girl yet?"

"New girl?" Jeff Hardy asked, looking askance at Xander. "There's a new girl? As in new to the school type girl?"

Jesse nodded, settling onto the bench next to Xander.

"Yep. Totally hot, too. Blonde hair. Gorgeous body. The type that makes you want to - OW! Wills, why'd you do that?"

The red head sighed and gave Jesse a glare.

"Sorry, testosterone overload. Couldn't help myself." She shrugged and pulled a notebook from her bag, glancing over the notes for her next class. Chemistry. And she had a test. So did Xander and Matt. But would *they* be caught studying?

Not a chance in Hell.

"Anyway." Matt grinned. "Back to the new girl. Anyone get her name?"

Xander and Jesse looked at each other, confused.

"No. Guess we never got that part." Jesse finally admitted, blushing a bit and rubbing at the back of his neck.

"Too busy staring at her chest." Willow muttered darkly.

"What was that, Will?" Jeff asked.

"I said," The red head lied. "Her name is Buffy. She's nice."

"Buffy?" Four male voices chorused as one in disbelief. What kind of name was Buffy anyway?

"Yes. I'm going to be tutoring her, helping her get caught up in class."

"Man." Xander smirked. "Wills always gets all the luck. Why don't I ever get the hot girls asking me to tutor them?"

"Because you can barely pass your classes yourself?" Jeff snickered.

"There is that."

Willow turned back to her notes, listening to her friends exchange playful banter in the background. For the moment, at least, Buffy was forgotten as they taunted and teased each other on their varying lacks of scholastic aptitude. That was all for the better. Seeing the interest on Jeff's face when Xander and Jesse had been speaking about the new blonde had been almost too much to bare. Yet again there was going to be another girl standing between her and the only boy she had every truly cared for in *that* way. Sure, there were other things, as well as people, standing in her way. Top on the list was the fact that Jeff still, after years of hopeless hinting, saw her as nothing more than a little sister figure. And, though she was resigned to the fact that that was all she would ever have with him, it was still hard to see him chase after others.

"So - we Bronzin' tonight?"

She looked up, surprised to see that all of their eyes were fixed on her.

"Um - test tomorrow in History, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Xander waved her off. "You have time to come hang with us. You comin'?"

Willow sighed. She hated to be the one left at home when the others were out having fun. A flash of Jeff's brightly colored hair in the corner of her vision sealed her fate, reminding her that at least she would get to spend more time with Jeff if she was there. At home, studying, she stood no such chance.

"Sure, count me in."

~*~*~

Willow looked around the Bronze, her eyes alighting on Jeff and Matt, making asses of themselves on the dance floor. As graceful as they were when wrestling, they were total fools when it came to dancing, and it showed. The girls didn't mind, they flocked to be near them despite the fact that neither could even manage a slow dance without stepping on his partner's feet. Right now was no slow dance, though. It was a pulsing beat that filled the small club, making her stomach churn and flip with the intensity. She smothered a laugh as Jeff nearly fell on his butt, grabbing onto his brother in mock fear before catching his balance again.

Such a card.

Xander and Jesse were in the back, at a pool table, though Willow noted that they had been joined by two girls. A brunette was flirting shamelessly with Xander and a blonde with Jesse. It seemed like everyone was having fun.

Everyone except her, that was.

She took another sip of her Coke, wishing for the dozenth time that she was one of the many girls at the High School that had a fake ID. At least then she could have had something with a little kick. Something to take the edge of pain and loneliness she was feeling away.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing all alone?"

The voice registered, but maybe it was the comment that threw her off. Willow glanced at the handsome, though tastelessly dressed, man standing directly to her left; and then looked around to see whom he could possibly be speaking to.

"Was talking to you, Red."

"Me?" She stammered.

"Yes. You." He smiled, flashing his pearly white teeth. There was something predatory about the look, a little frightening. Willow threw it off, though. He was a guy, he was cute, and he was flirting with her.

And, when he asked to walk her home fifteen minutes later, she didn't think twice about it. He seemed nice enough. Gone was the nervousness she had felt only a little while before; she couldn't remember a single reason why she should have feared him to begin with. He certainly was nice enough, definitely charming. So what if he dressed like someone stuck hopelessly in the seventies? Weren't fashions like that always coming back into style, anyway? She giggled, taking the hand that was held out to her and letting him lead her out of the club.

Already Fall had snuck into Sunnydale and the night air was quite crisper than the day's had been. She shivered lightly, allowing her companion to pull her through the streets as he continued to chatter on. The stars overhead were shimmering down upon them and she allowed herself to get lost in them for a few moments, her hand in his. It was an ideal night to go for a walk.

"This isn't the way to my house." She murmured when she looked down from the heavens, her steps slowing when she realized he had led her unwittingly into one of the numerous cemeteries in the city. Bad things happened in the cemeteries, during the night and day. She had been very careful to stay away from them during her short life, and now he had drug her right into one. At night, nonetheless.

"It's a shortcut." He grinned.

Willow frowned. Her house was in the opposite direction. And now his grip on her hand was stronger, more insistent. She pulled at it cautiously.

"Don't even think about it little girl."

And when he turned, his face was that of a monster. She screamed, the sound filling the air.

"Knock it off, you little bitch." He hit her across the face, not too hard. Couldn't damage the goods.

She stumbled, giving him all the opportunity he needed to drag her into one of the nearby mausoleums.

~*~*~

Xander panted, trying to catch his breath. He looked at Jeff and Matt with gratitude in his eyes.

"Thanks, guys. Don't know what that thing was but we need to find Jesse. That other chick was with him and she could be -"

"Did any of you see a guy come through here, with a little red head?"

The young men turned to look at Buffy, confusion in their eyes.

"Red head?"

"Yeah. Her name's Willow. She left the club with a guy. He - " The blonde paused, unsure of what to say. She couldn't just come right out and tell them about vampires and all that. "He didn't seem like a good type."

Xander frowned.

"Wills left the club with a guy?" Jeff grinned. "Go Willow!"

"No, no." Buffy shook her head. "This is bad, very bad. Have you seen anyone else out here?"

"I was with a girl and she just, dunno, attacked me a minute ago. Matt and Jeff." Xander waved a hand between the brothers by way of introduction. "Saved me. My friend Jesse was out here, too, with another girl from the club."

"Shit." Buffy swore. "You three go back to the Bronze and stay there. The cemetery isn't safe. I'll find your friends."

And then a scream filled the air.

"WILLOW!" Xander yelled, his eyes going wide with panicked terror. He was running before anyone could stop him, only vaguely aware of Buffy and the others following him.

~*~*~

Willow felt like she was in a nightmare that she couldn't wake up from. She had tried pinching her arm, biting her tongue, but nothing would wake her from this bad dream where people turned into monsters.

"How about a little taste?" Her new 'friend' grinned at the blonde haired woman that had joined him. He glanced hungrily between herself and Jesse. Her normally goofy friend was out cold on the floor, induced to such when the blonde had thrown him into the mausoleum, his head hitting hard on the stone coffin in the center.

"No." The woman snapped. "They will be untouched for the Master."

"But, Darla -" He whined. "Just a little. He won't mind. He should be lucky we even feed him!"

Quick as lightning the blonde was across the room, slapping the man with such force that he hit the wall behind him. He shook it off, laughing.

"Fine, boss lady. Whatever you say."

"Good." The one called Darla purred. She stepped in front of Willow, tracing a finger down the girl's pale skin. "Such pretty flesh."

A noise outside the door caught Willow's attention. It was Xander, talking. She took a deep breath and screamed, uncaring of what would happen to her.

Before her captors could seek retribution the door of the mausoleum was kicked open, breaking off of its hinges to hang limply.

"Get away from her."

"Aw - look. More snacks." The male captor snickered. "Little girl come to save her friends? How cute."

"Do you have any clue who I am?"

"A stupid child who is going to die?" Darla grinned, her face shifting to reveal the demon inside of her; her true face.

"No." Buffy stated calmly, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a stake. "I'm the Slayer. Let's do this."

Willow watched in horror as the blonde women leapt at each other, Buffy slamming against one of the walls with a force that would have been enough to surely kill most people. It hardly fazed her, though. She kept coming, fighting.

"Wills!"

The red head looked towards the doorway, wide eyes taking in Xander with relief. She scurried up, darting towards the doorway.

"Not so fast, bitch."

Pain shot through her scalp as her hair, held tightly in her male captor's hand, snapped taut. She moaned, tears coming to her eyes.

"Let her go!"

Willow didn't even see Jeff coming, but suddenly he was there, knocking her attacker off his balance enough that he released her hair. She was pulled outside, to relative safety, the sounds of fighting still echoing through the mausoleum.

"Jesse. On the floor." She gasped, pointing to the door.

Matt stepped hesitantly to the doorway, poking his head inside. His eyes raked over the dirty marble floor. But there was no Jesse. And the male that had been in there with Buffy and the other woman only a moment before was gone too. Long gone, he feared, and with Jesse, no doubt.

"Get out of here!" Buffy screamed. "Go! I can take care of this. Just get to safety!"

That was all the prodding Matt needed. He sent up a silent prayer for Jesse and raced away from the doorway, just as Buffy was sent flying against another wall. He could hear the sounds of stone breaking and could only hope that she defeated that thing that was in there.

"C'mon, let's go." He ordered, helping Willow to her feet. When it was obvious she couldn't stand he hefted her into his strong arms, carrying her away from the mausoleum. Another crash echoed through the quiet cemetery and he winced. Whatever she was, Buffy was no more human than those things that had attacked Xander and kidnapped Jesse.

"But…Jesse."

Matt shook his head. "He wasn't in there, Wills. The other guy took him, I think."

"Oh God." She whispered, burying her face into Matt's shirt. Tears spilled forth from her eyes. "They talked about us being snacks, like we were food to them. Jesse…"

They let her cry as they walked, quickly, towards the exit of the cemetery. There was figure waiting for them, a man they had only seen once or twice before. The new school librarian.

"Dear God." The older man murmured. He didn't have to ask them what had happened. With the way his Slayer had gone flying out of the Bronze, he knew for sure that these were the ones she had saved. "Are you alright. Is Buffy still in there?"

"Yeah…"

"She's fighting that…thing." Jeff whispered. A shiver stole over his body, raising goosebumps on his arms. He pushed a stray strand of blue hair behind his ear, his tired, frightened eyes meeting those of the librarian.

"Actually." Came a tired voice. "I'm right behind you. And I'd like to lay down now. Please?"

~*~To Be Continued~*~

Send Feedback: druscilla@cox.net