Author: Coopster5000
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the property of Joss Whedon/Mutant Enemy.

The front door opened with a squeak and closed with a bang. The house was dark and quite, typical for any household at three o'clock in the morning. The form looked left then right before taken a step forwards. Before the figure could take another step, thudding could be heard on the stairs leading to the main foyer.

As the thudding got closer the figure in the hallway got into a protective stance. One leg out in front, knees bent, and hands protecting face the shape waited for the clopping to stop. It was a matter of seconds before a dark haired man came careening down the staircase with a fuzzy night time clog in hand screaming his brains out.

The figure dropped back into an unamused pose, looking at the man as if he was crazy.

Stopping his scream and opening his eyes, Xander realized that one of his best friends was standing before him. "Holy shit Buffy, I thought you were a burglar," he lowered the clog to his side.

"And what were you gonna fucking do?" she yelled at him "clog me to death?"

Looking at the fuzzy pink clog in his hand, he dropped it to the floor. "No. I uh, you see... Anya...uhhh. She told me to take something down,.... and I uhh," he stammered over his words.

"So you chose a fuzzy pink shoe? Not a lamp or a real shoe," she rubbed her forehead as if this discussion was giving her a headache "you chose that."

"I umm.... yea," he admitted weakly. "So why you out so late," he changes the subject off of him.

"If you must know, Tara called." she said lolling her head backwards.

"Ooh is she out with some heart throb?" he asked with a smirk turning on his boyish charm to make Buffy not mad at him any more.

Letting out a little laughing, "to tell you the truth she's with two. But not the way any of us would want it." she told him.

"Wha?" he gave her a dumb expression. Pretty much the one he wore all through out highschool.

"She's with Spike at the Hospital. Willow was admitted early tonight," she finished the rest of what she new to the dumbstruck man before he collapsed on the couch in shock.

"Willow we're here," said the dark imposter coming to a stop before a terrain of rocks and a body that looked like it had been dead for weeks.

"Where to now?" asked Willow noticing only rocks and the stench of rotting flesh under a desert hot sun.

"Find the key and unlock the door," said the double.

"What?" Willow asked confused "what key? What door?"

"The key will open the door. The door will lead to a new key." she said in a cryptic manner "keep going until you arrive home."

"Were will I find this key?" Willow asked bewildered by her clones lack of information.

"Use your head," was her only response before slowly backing up into the darkness.

"Wait, where are you going?" shouted Willow.

"I can no longer help you," she said. "don't worry, I'll see you again Red. She gave the redhead a grin before disappearing into the darkness becoming one with her surroundings.

"Yea see ya Blackie, you no helping mother fucker," Willow grumbled as she kicked a couple of small stones.

"Uhg what time is it?" asked Spike as he laid out his sore body on the cold tiled floor.

"Almost four," she said looking at her watch that glowed in the dark. "can we watch another one"

"O my gosh T, your gonna kill me," he protested getting up to get a new tape.

"Well you can go to sleep if you want," she said to him with a sweet smile while holding out her hand for the remote.

"No its okay I'll watch," he sat back on the floor in a reclined position firmly holding the remote.

"Hey can I ask you a question?"

"You just did luv," Spike said relying on his smart aleck ways.

"Why do guys feel the need to always hold the remote?" she always wondered this question so she finally asked Spike seeing as how he wouldn't give her the remote a few minutes ago.

He just looked at her and laughed. The corner of his eyes wrinkling up showing a softer side to the baby blue pools of emotion held in the sockets. She had to admit she liked him better when he laughed. Even when it was a malicious laugh like so often. The scare above his left eye, the one he says his father gave to him doesn't look so terrible when he laughs. The hair on the eyebrow covers most of it when he laughs, it wrinkles together and hides the ugly scare like her clothes hides her's.

She must have been staring for Spike stopped laughing and looked downward.

"It doesn't hurt luv," he said gently caressing the scare that was given to him by his father "it hasn't for years."

"Sorry for staring," she said embarrassed.

"It's alright sweet pee," he gave her a sweet smile and tossed her the remote "let's watch the movie."

"Fucking key, there is no fucking key," Willow moaned to herself as she picked up rocks and tossed them building up a sweat. "He was probably looking for a fucking key and now he's dead," she continued her rant as she dropped a rock near the decomposing mans head.

"Hey buddy," she tapped the decaying mans shoulder. It was covered with mud and field ants crawling up the neck into the hallowed out eye sockets. "There an't no fucking key. You died for no reason."

She walked back over to the wall of rocks that spread about three miles in each direction and plopped down on the ground. She grabbed up a fist full of stones and stated throwing them as far as she could.

"Stupid double, 'use your head'," she mimicked the clone with her sulky voice. "There's nothing out here but the stupid wall of china." she continued picking up stones and throwing them, seeing how far she could get them. Unfortunately one of the rather larger stones nicked the dead body in the head causing a piece of the flesh to slid off.

"O sorry mate," she shouted to the dead man across the deserted land " hope your head wasn't a key vital to your existence."

'Head' 'key' 'existence' were words that registered in Willow's mind. "You have the key don't you , you little bastered."

She sauntered over to the prone positioned body of the middle aged man. He was laying on his right side , his head resting on his outstretched right arm as his left arm hung limp behind his back. Placing her foot on his shoulder and putting pressure on it until he flopped over onto his side, there she noticed the scar that ran down the middle of his forehead and vanished into his dark hair.

Shaking her head of ill feeling she mumbled an apology to the body she was about to desecrate. Noticing the rock that she dropped by his head earlier she lifted the decaying mans head with both hands and slammed it into the rock.

The skull on first impact did not shatter, it merely indented to the shape of the stone. Going for a second attempt, Willow grabbed the man by the roots of his hair with one hand and slammed his head down repeatedly into the rocks until blood came pouring out like an oil rig that bursted open from the sea.

Throwing the mans crushed in skull back to the grown the redhead lurched over and threw up what ever contents remand in her stomach. Once the dry heaving stopped Willow cleaned the spit of her lips with the back of her hands.

Looking over to the man who was just a pile of blood Willow gingerly started to reach her hand back for his skull. Removing chunks of skin tissue from the damaged cranium more blood started to splert out of the wound. Cringing as her fingers came in contact with the hole she was to shove her hand through.

Deciding the best way to deal with this problem was to do it fast and get it over with, she shoved her fist straight into the broken cranium. Gaging as bones cracked and muscles tore apart Willow wiggled her fingers looking for something hard despite the soft gooey organism devouring her hand.

"Oh that's not right," she half whined when she saw her pinky sticking out the mans left eye socket. Pulling her hand back in and downwards she felt a hard inanimate object. "Bingo!" She shouted yanking her hand out of the skull causing more skin to peel off the bone.

"AAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!," she screamed looking down at her hand.

"Hey Tara maybe you wanna fast forward this one," asked Spike looking from Tara then to the TV where the video showed the Bronze and the band setting up on stage.

"Why what's wrong with this one?" she asked "more harsh words about sex and drugs," she mocked the bleach blonde man.

"Actually Willow broke up with her girlfriend," said Spike still looking at the TV "I just wanted to save you the pain is all."

"She broke up with her during the middle of one of your sets?" asked Tara in shock surprise, not believing Willow would do something like that.

"Actually she broke up with her in the song," said Spike finally looking at Tara. The sound of Willow's voice brought their attention back to the screen

TV SCREEN:

"Stacy, baby where are you?" asked Willow standing center stage holding her vintage guitar. A brunette girl came running up to the front of the stage and jumped up and down overly hyper. Crouching down to be level with her girlfriend, Willow leaned forward and gave the brunette a fiery kiss, pushing her tongue into Stacy's mouth as she did so. After the kiss was broken Willow stood back up and spoke into her microphone. "Stacy, sweetie this ones especially for you."

Willow signaled Faith to start playing. The drums started off banging on every half beat for a few frets before Spike came in playing the main guitar as Willow just stood there waiting to sing.

Grabbing the mice in both hands and bringing it to her mouth, she closed her eyes and began to sing.
I can't believe I hung around with you all this time
You drove me crazy with your OCD girl you're out of your mind
The hand with the guitar chip was brought to her head and she started tapping it agents her temple.
I'm counting on UFO's to beam me up I just don't know
How long I can take this shit, I'm over it girl you gotta go
Bringing her hand back down she started playing back up for Spike.

WILLOW:
It's over, we're over
Just like in crimson and clover
We're sinking and I'm thinking
How the hell did we get so stupid? It's the end, ex-girlfriend
I dont care what you think of me So long, your gone
This is the breakup song!

As she finished the verse Stacy bursted out in tears. Not able to move due to sobs shacking her entire body she just stood there listening to the rest of the song.

WILLOW:
One more thing before you go would you please give me my records back
My Bloody Valentine, The Pixies, Cheap Trick and Back In Black
You can keep the dog we bought but you can't go near the Standard Bar
Don't hang around, don't call my friends,
Once again the cameraman chose to zoom in on Stacy at that particular point of the song. The throng of people around her was probably the only thing holding her upright.

SPIKE,FAITH,WILLOW:
They won't know who you are!

The cameraman chose to go back to the band, finding them to be of a better subject. Willow was smirking into the camera as she sang her next line and Spike was doing spins while still playing his guitar.
WILLOW:
It's over, we're over
Just like in crimson and clover
We're sinking and I'm thinking
How the hell did we get so stupid?
It's the end, ex-girlfriend
I dont care what you think of me
So long, your gone
This is the breakup song!
So long, your gone
This is the breakup song!

WILLOW and SPIKE
It's over, we're over
Just like in crimson and clover
We're sinking and I'm thinking
How the hell did we get so stupid?
It's the end, ex-girlfriend
I don't care what you think of me So long, your gone
This is the breakup song!
So long, your gone This is the breakup song!
So long, your gone
This is the breakup song!
So long, your gone
This is the breakup song!

WILLOW:
THIS IS THE BREAKUP SONG!!!
Willow shouted looking directly at the brunette before letting out a heartless laugh.

The TV screen suddenly turned off and Tara snapped back to reality.

"What? Spike why'd you do that?" she asked getting ready to turn the TV back on.

"It's late," was his answer "we probably should get some sleep."

"Okay," she replied "can we watch the rest tomorrow?"

"Sure," he answered "I'm gonna go see if the nurse has any extra blankets," he walked out of the room leaving a stunned blonde with her thoughts.

Her scream echoed down the deserted plain for miles. Her breaths came in short gasp as she looked at the hundreds of Mealworms that crawled along her forearm and the pieces of brain that attached itself to her skin.

Shaking her arm wouldn't do. They still clung to it, biting her flesh and irritating the skin. She watched as one tried to bite its way through her seven layers of skin into her blood stream. Flicking the annoying critter off her skin was almost impossible as its stomach suction cupped itself to the hair on her arm its legs digging into her flesh.

Running to the wall were she sat only minutes before she grabbed a rock that had been carved on oneside into a pointed tip and dug it into her arm, scrapping of the Mealworms. Blood started to run like a river down her arm to her finger tips. Cuts from the rock and open scabs from the bugs could start to be seen as the mealworms started to fall to the floor. Soon her hand was left bare of the insects all that was left was blood from the cuts the rock made digging into her arm to remove the insects and flesh left dangling from deep wounds.

"I fucking hate bugs," Willow snarled as she stomped her foot down on the pile of Mealworms on the dirt ground. After being thoroughly satisfied that all the bugs were dead, the redhead looked down into her hand to see the blood covered key and grinned.