"Are you okay, Will?"

"Except for the spinning." She let Buffy help her sit up. "And the nausea."

"You got hit pretty hard."

"I always get hit pretty hard. It's like I wear a sign - Hi. I'm Willow. Please knock me unconscious."

"It's not that bad."

"Please. Amy's mom, the anointed one's henchmen, Angel, the bad watcher lady with the glove-y thing. And do I even have to bring up the coma thing? I'm like a big walking target."

"At least red circles compliment your figure." Buffy looked sheepish at Willow's glare. "Maybe I could teach you some self defense?"

"I'd like that." She took Buffy's hand and stood. "Maybe Giles would consider it part of your training."

"I doubt it," the slayer led the way out of the mausoleum. "I don't think there's fun allowed in training."

"You don't enjoy beating up on Giles every once in a while?"

Buffy smiled. "Well, maybe a little fun."

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"No. Willow should not be encouraged to fight."

"Not encouraged," She shook her head. "I don't want to fight Giles. I'm just tired of getting hit. You should understand that…oh, not helping."

"A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. If you get to feeling confident in your fighting abilities, you'll get yourself into a situation for which you are simply not prepared."

"No I…"

"Suppose you thought you could help? Or Buffy needed you? Or Oz? Or Cordelia? Or myself? Or Xander?"

He had to pull out the big guns. Willow's shoulders sagged. "You're right."

"But Giles," Buffy's eyes sparkled. "She'd rush in anyway if that was the case. Shouldn't we give her a fighting chance?"

Giles rolled his eyes, knowing he'd lost. "Very well. Use the padding."

Willow allowed Buffy to help her to her feet. She rubbed her hip with one hand. "Is there more padding?"

"Willow, the goal here is to avoid getting hit."

"Really?" She smirked. "I hadn't realized that."

Giles smiled from his vantage point in his office doorway, "That's obvious."

"Hey!" She faced Giles, her famous Willow pout in place. At the same time, Buffy launched her next attack. The hacker ended up back on the floor, her head hitting the edge of the chair as she fell. Her last conscious thought was she'd get Giles back for that smile.

Oz sat on the edge of the bed, worry etched in his features. "Will, maybe you should forget this?"

"No. I'm determined that I'm going to do this. I'm not going to give up."

He softly touched the bandage on her head. "As cute as you are, I really prefer you unbruised."

"Everybody gets hurt the first couple of times."

"Well, judging from the guilty look on her face, you aren't going to be getting any more lessons from Buffy."

She struggled to sit up, but his hand on her shoulder prevented it. "But without Buffy how am I going to learn?"

"Well, maybe I can help you? Only not so violently?"

She tilted her head, sending a rush of emotion through him. She was so beautiful. How had he gotten so lucky? "Like how?"

"Buffy was teaching you, unsuccessfully, how to avoid getting hit, right?"

"Right." She nodded.

He caressed her cheek. "So, I'll attack you."

"Ooh! I'm liking this!"

"And you dodge." He moved so he was straddling her knees. "Okay, you get a point for every kiss you avoid. Ready?"

"Ready."

He moved forward quickly, expecting her to get out of the way. Instead, she surged forward, wrapped her arms around him and met his lips with her own.

She didn't even mind the bump she sustained as his forward momentum sent her crashing into the headboard.

Cordelia stared at the sight in front of her in abject horror. "My God! Willow! What happened to you? You look like you've been battling demons. I leave for a weekend and they let you regress to pre-Buffy dowdiness?"

"Hi Cordelia. How nice to see you."

She walked over, touching the bandages, Willow's unwashed hair and pale face with gentle hands. "You look like death. What kind of evil creature did this to you?"

"Buffy and Oz."

"I know you don't have a lot of friends to choose from Willow, but you might want to reconsider…"

"It was an accident." Willow blushed. "I was trying to learn self defense."

"And failed miserably from the looks of it."

"I'm tired of getting hit. And we can't all just run away."

"Well, you obviously have no trouble missing style and makeup, just pretend that's what you're avoiding."

"Since I can't avoid you?" Willow mumbled.

"What was that?"

Xander breezed into the library. "Hey ladies. And, in your case Cordy, I use the word lightly. How's it?"

"Willow's become a punching bag for the slayer. And I have so many more important places to be." Cordelia whirled around and stalked out of the room.

"I did a bad thing, Xander."

"What?" He looked up from scavenging through her bookbag for snacks. "You don't do bad things."

"I was mean. And I think she was trying to be nice." She looked sad. Which, combined with her battered and bruised state, made her look like she needed a Xander hug.

"Hey Wills," he walked around the table and gathered her in his arms. "Don't let Cordy get you down. I'll cheer her up later." He pulled back so he could see her eyes. "You okay?"

She nodded.

"Good. Now, what exactly happened to you? Did you get hit by a truck?"

"No. Buffy." She blushed. "I didn't duck."

"Apparently not." He nodded then looked confused. "Why were you fighting the Buffster?"

"It's a long story…"

"I am sooo sorry Will."

"Buffy, will you please stop? I'm fine. All the bruises and bumps have gone away. I'm fully recovered, 100%, brand-spanking new. You were trying to help me."

"And instead, I earned you a trip to the hospital."

"Which led to major Oz smoochies. So you've done no harm." She giggled. "Come on, we've got a night of videos and guy-talk."

"And vampires."

"No. No vampires. We agreed."

Buffy looked up at the two menacing vamps striding toward them. "Sorry Will, looks like someone forgot to tell the underworld." She looked to make sure her friend had a cross before sliding the stake out of her sleeve. "Be careful and stay out of the way."

The first vampire charged Buffy and disappeared into a cloud of dust within seconds. The other one circled both girls, watching the slayer closely. "Come on dead guy. I have plans. As much fun as this graveyard waltz is, you're no John Cusack. And that's who Will and I have a date with tonight."

Willow giggled nervously. "Better Off Dead."

Buffy smiled. "My thoughts exactly." She stepped forward to engage the vampire and the fighting really started. Willow watched for a moment until she saw another come to join the fray. Taking a deep breath, she pulled a stake out of her pocket. It didn't look like he'd seen her. Maybe now she could show off some of the skills she'd learned while Buffy was gone for the summer.

Not to mention some of the practicing she'd been doing lately. Avoiding Xander's tickle attacks was much easier than avoiding Oz's smoochies and less painful than avoiding Buffy's punches. Sneaking up behind the new vamp, she bypassed the clever comment and staked him through the heart.

She looked up to see the vampire Buffy had been fighting come flying right at her. Buffy had apparently punched him pretty hard. She reacted immediately as Buffy's warning reached her ears. "Willow! Duck!"

The grass was comforting beneath her as both the vamp and Buffy sailed over her. Proud of herself, she stood and surveyed the surrounding. She straightened her jacket, brushing off any leaves or blades of grass.

"Willow! Watch out!"

The vampire careened into her, sending them both crashing to the ground. Willow's breath left her in a rush as the added weight of the slayer landed on top of her. She heard the demon's wail as the stake impaled it, then she grunted as Buffy landed on her again.

"Sorry Will. I guess I forgot to mention there's more to self defense than just ducking."

Willow groaned and passed out.