A/N: Hello! This is my first story in this fandom (actually, my first story of any kind in a while) so it may be a little rough. It is set in the alternate reality Cordelia wished for in "The Wish", sort of a prequel to that episode's events. Willow has already been turned into a vampire, and she seeks out Xander to turn him as well.

Enjoy! Comments are greatly appreciated.

The night of May 27 was particularly foggy and cold in Sunnydale, something one didn't see in those areas of California at that time of the year. One, of course, had to take into account the fact that this wasn't a normal town, and, ever since The Master's rising, most nights had been the same. Cold and foggy, just like a horror B-movie.

Except this wasn't a movie, and Xander Harris's current predicament was nothing remotely similar to a laughable, hammy storyline.

Don't look back...don't look...he kept repeating in his mind as he turned into a side alley, his heart hammering against his chest, his footsteps echoing against the brick walls. At this rate, she would hear him running from miles away. Not that she couldn't already track him down easily, what with those new vampire senses...

It was dark and he was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice the trash can lying on it's side right in front of him. He tripped over it with a loud clang and fell flat on his face. Warm blood gushed inside his mouth and, judging by the sharp pain shooting up his arm, he had just broken something.

"I can hear you."

That soft, singsong voice, so void of humanity and warmth, hurt Xander more than his broken arm. He painstakingly sat up and turned around on the ground, scanning the dark alley for a sign of movement. He didn't have to look long, however, for at that moment he spotted her dark silhouette walking toward him. She would have to walk under a dim porch lamp nearby, and he would be forced to see her face like that again. Her demon face, the face she used for cold-blooded slaughter, a mere shadow of the person she had once been.

"If you're gonna kill me, do it already," Xander growled, holding his arm gingerly and wincing from the increasing pain.

"Silly Xander, I'm not here to kill you," his pursuer said, slowly walking toward him, "well...actually, I am. Only technically."

She had almost reached the pool of light being cast by the porch lamp, and though he wanted to look away, Xander couldn't muster the energy to do it. At last, the girl stepped into the pool of light, but instead of the face of a murderous demon, Xander was greeted by a human face. Her face.

Willow.

Except this wasn't Willow at all, this was Willow's shell being occupied by a demon. A demon with a taste for heavy makeup and leather outfits. Nothing like Willow. And yet there she was, standing in front of him, smiling sweetly, masquerading as his childhood friend. The illusion was perfect, he almost felt like she hadn't died a year ago, like she was still alive...

Xander wished she had put on her vampire face instead of this one. It would have hurt less.

"So do it," Xander said, glaring at Willow, "do it already."

"You don't get it yet," Willow said softly, stepping even closer, watching him wearily, "I don't want to end this for you. I just want to make it more enjoyable..."

Xander frowned, realization slowly dawning on him. She didn't want to kill him. Well, she did, but she was going to bring him back afterwards as-

"Vampire," Xander muttered, finishing his thoughts out loud. Willow smiled.

"Good, you're getting the hang of it," she said, stopping a couple of feet in front of him.

"I won't let you drag me down with you," Xander said defiantly, sounding braver than he really felt, "all of you can go screw yourselves!"

"You can't stop it," Willow said in a singsong tone, smiling, "I'll turn you anyway, but it would help if you didn't fight it."

"Why?" Xander asked.

"Because I miss my best friend," Willow said, kneeling down in front of him, "remember what it was like, Xander? When we were friends? When I was alive-?"

"Stop that," Xander said, his voice cracking. He looked down and pretended to examine his broken arm.

"You miss it too," Willow said softly, "well, we can have that again, Xander. We can be together again. For eternity."

"You're not her," Xander muttered, looking back up, "you're not Willow, you're a monster pretending to be her."

"I'm still who I was," Willow said, "just more enhanced. Want to touch me to make sure?"

"Get away from me," Xander growled, attempting to scoot away from her but failing. His energy was depleting fast.

"Your arm's broken," Willow said, looking at his arm, "you're tired. I can sense it."

"It's your fault," Xander muttered, nursing his arm.

"You can fix it," Willow said, "you know how..."

Xander looked up at her, this time not even attempting to hide the tears forming in the corner of his eyes. Willow's face was still the same behind that heavy makeup, and even though her personality was completely gone, he still felt an odd sense of comfort looking into her eyes again.

"Will you let me fix it?" Willow whispered, moving closer to him.

"I miss you," Xander murmured before he could stop himself.

"You can fix that too," Willow said softly, stroking his cheek, "we can live together forever..."

"I don't want to kill people," Xander said quietly, "people like you don't deserve it..."

"Don't worry about the details," Willow whispered, "we'll worry about those later..."

Xander closed his eyes, feeling his insides squirm uncomfortably. Was that nerves? Or dread? Maybe it was because of the sharp pain in his arm or the taste of his own blood in his mouth, both of which were making him nauseous.

Or maybe it was because he hadn't seen his dead best friend in a year. His best friend, who was now a bloodsucking vampire. Maybe it was because this encounter had triggered his life flashing before his eyes in an endless loop, and he was now beginning to realize how crappy it had been ever since he could remember. Even in this turmoil, his dad was still a drunk who enjoyed picking fights with everyone. He'd probably still be picking fights with his mom if she hadn't been murdered by a gang of vampires a few months after The Master's rising.

Xander was sure this was reason enough to feel this sick. He was reaching his stress limit, much like everyone else living in that hellhole town. He wanted out, he wanted it all to end already.

"Make it quick," Xander muttered, swallowing heavily, keeping his eyes closed. He felt Willow's cold hands grasp his shoulders, one of them pulling his head to the side, and a second later he felt two sharp fangs dig into his neck. Pain shot across his entire body like a bolt of electricity, but it didn't last. He was going numb. Slowly, he felt his mind begin to slip away, and all his worries suddenly didn't seem to matter. Actually, he couldn't even remember what he had been worrying about...

He tasted blood in his mouth again, but this time it wasn't his. Willow was pressing her wrist against his lips, feeding him some of her own blood.

Crazy rituals, Xander thought groggily. He couldn't feel his arms or legs anymore, and his heart was beating slower and slower by the second. He'd be dead soon. Dead at 17 and with nothing to show for it. At least he was dying at the hands of his best friend.

Messed up logic...

He opened his eyes in time to see Willow pull back from his neck. Blood dripped from her lips, down her chin and onto her black leather top. Her amber eyes, void of any emotion, locked on Xander's for a fraction of a second. They appeared to be glowing in the darkness of the alley, just like a cat's.

A murderous, bloodsucking cat.

She smirked, baring her fangs and lunging at Xander's neck again as his vision slowly faded to black.

The night of May 28 was, like all other Sunnydale nights, foggy and cold. The park was eerily quiet, though this was normal at night. Every living human had already fled to the safety of their own homes before sunset, and every vampire in town rushed to the Bronze first thing in the night.

Willow sat cross-legged in the middle of the park, humming to herself while swaying from side to side. She was staring at the rough patch of dirt in front of her, which had begun to stir on its own. A few seconds later a hand punched its way through the dirt, grasping the ground frantically.

Willow stood up, still humming, grabbed the hand and pulled up. An arm slowly emerged, followed by a head, a torso and finally, a pair of legs and feet.

Xander Harris walked again.

"You're here," Willow said, grinning at Xander.

"I am," Xander said, grinning back. He reached forward and pulled Willow into a deep kiss, "I've always wanted to do that," he said, smirking.

"Now you can do it whenever you want," Willow whispered, grabbing his hands and leading him towards the Bronze, "wanna grab something to eat?"

"Yes, please," Xander said, licking his lips, "I'm starving."