Willow hurried along the darkened street to the park, holding a cross and a stake at the ready.

She sighed and looked over to her left, where she could dimly make out Oz slinking along his own path in the darkness. She looked to the right, but couldn't see Xander at all. She could still sense he was there, though, so she returned her attention to the task at hand.

Their prey had escaped an hour earlier.

The vampire was unusually strong, especially for a new one. He'd had no trouble at all in thrusting the Slayerettes into each other and causing them to trip over each other while he'd run from them. The fact that he'd taunted them and accidentally labeled Xander as Willow's boy-toy after Xander had sprung to her defense hadn't helped matters any. The three of them were left flustered and defeated in short order. All in all, it was very disappointing.

They'd searched the cemetery for any sign of the runaway vamp, and had come up with nothing. They'd missed the last two vampires that had awakened. Not to mention that they hadn't been able to get any vampire that wasn't newly risen. In fact, they hadn't made a kill since those twin sisters. It was all getting very depressing.

After stopping for a quick session with Giles, they decided to do a sweep of the park and its surrounding streets looking for the escapee. Willow was sick of getting up in the morning and reading about a new mysterious death in the newspaper. Giles had agreed that it was fairly important to try and catch this vampire before he fed. The bloodlust was strongest for him right now. He said he would meet them after he placed one more phone call about Buffy.

Giles, despite all his round-the-clock efforts, still couldn't find the missing Slayer. Only the fact that no replacement slayer had been called was keeping him from going over some unseen edge of insanity. Willow herself allowed a small sigh to escape as she thought of her missing friend. Every night she sent a prayer heavenward that Buffy was okay and would be home soon. Every morning she fought the disappointment in her heart and tried to remain optimistic. It was getting harder.

She tightened her grip on the stake and reached up to lightly touch her ponytail with her other hand. The wood of the cross slid quietly along the strands as she reassured herself there would be no more hairy incidents. Two nights earlier, as they'd faced their most recent vamp, she'd whirled around and blinded Oz. Not on purpose, but her hair had fanned out as she moved, and flown straight into his eyes, making them water and ache. The vamp had gotten away a few seconds later.

Willow froze as she saw something out of the corner of her eye, and breathed a heavy sigh of relief as she saw Xander dart into one of the bushes around the park's perimeter. She carefully scanned the area for a hiding place of her own. Deciding to make her way to a nearby tree, she skirted along the edge of a hedge when she felt it.

A large hand grasped her shoulder and pushed her roughly to the hard ground. Crying out as she landed, she watched, dismayed, as both the cross and stake clattered from her hands and rolled in the grass.

Both Oz and Xander turned at the sound of her distress, and began running towards her.

Willow felt the fury of weeks of pent up anger at Buffy, and vampires, and Snyder, and the police, and the Hellmouth overtake her. She flipped over to face her assailant, hollering, "LEAVE ME ALONE!" as she moved.

Xander's jaw dropped open. He exchanged a quick look with Oz. Both their expressions clearly said, 'She's snapped.'

The vampire slid into game-face mode and laughed at her. "'Fraid not, little lady. You just look too tasty. You must be a really nice morsel to have two guys lusting after you."

"I AM NOT A PIECE OF MEAT! Especially to you!" Willow eased backwards, trying to get close enough to reach either her stake or cross as a weapon. 'I gotta start carrying holy-water balloon bombs,' she noted.

She flinched and cried out in pain when the vampire reached forward and grabbed her by her ponytail, yanking her closer to him. "It's not a handle!" she hissed at the creature, outraged.

"How's about a little kiss before I drink your life away?" the vampire cooed at her.

Willow glared at him. "You. Really. Need . THE. Strongest. Mouthwash. Ever. Made."

The vampire chuckled and flipped her so she was facing Xander and Oz, who were both running at break-neck speed towards her and her attacker. "I'll snap her neck!" he threatened.

Both Oz and Xander halted their steps and stared helplessly. The vampire stroked her cheek with his free hand, tightening his grip on her ponytail with the other hand. "Any touching goodbyes?" he mocked.

"Take me," Xander said, stepping forward.

The vampire yanked Willow's hair harder and caused her to moan in pain for a moment. "No more movements," the monster warned. Xander froze. "I don't want you. I've always liked redheads," the vamp murmured, running her hair lightly through its fingers.

"Take me," Oz offered. "I'm a redhead."

The vampire laughed. "You're a blonde, you idiot."

"Well, right now, but some days, I'm a redhead."

Willow's eyes darted desperately between the two men who meant more to her than anything as she tried to think of a way to escape. The fact that her scalp was screaming for relief from the harsh grip of the creature wasn't helping her cognitive process any.

Xander's eyes darted to something behind her, and for one blind moment, Willow hoped that Buffy was behind her.

She strained her ears to pick up any sound that might tell her what was going on when she heard Giles' commanding cry of, "Willow! Run to your right! Now!"

She obeyed automatically. She twisted in the vampire's grip and pedaled furiously against the ground beneath her. She heard a sharp sound and felt as though her hair was going to be ripped from her scalp, when suddenly she felt a spray of ash behind her and she was abruptly released. She fell forward in a heap, unable to stop her momentum.

She lay, panting, on the ground for a few moments. She felt gentle hands lift her and help her to a sitting position. Xander and Oz stared at her, concerned.

"That arrow missed you by *this* much!" Xander breathed, showing her with his fingers.

Her eyes widened and she grabbed them both in a hug and laughed weakly, relieved that it was over. She solemnly watched over their heads as Giles approached, crossbow slung over his shoulder. "Willow. Are you all right?" His concern was plain on his face.

She nodded dumbly and tried to get to her feet. Xander and Oz released her. She wrapped her arms around Giles in a quick hug, knowing that even the brief gesture would fluster him for days. "Thank you, Giles."

"Hey, Will?" Xander asked. "You know what?"

"Xander, stop. I'll get a hair cut in the morning."