DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT: This story cannot be sold or used for profit
in any way. Copies of this story may be made for private use
only or posted in fanfic archives for general distribution, but
must include all disclaimers and copyright notices.
SPOILER WARNING: Occurs before the last season of SWAM and between
the first and second seasons of BtVS.
RATING: PG13
CONTENT WARNING: This story depicts scenes of violence and/or their
aftermath. If depictions of this nature disturb you, you may
wish to read something other than this story.
SUMMARY: The new girl at Sunnydale has a weird secret all her own -
one that Willow will soon share.
DISCLAIMER: Buffy, Giles, the Slayerettes and all other characters
who have appeared in the series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"
together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole
copyright property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Inc., Kuzui
Enterprises, Sandollar Television, 20th Century Fox Television
and the Warner Brothers Television Network. Alex Mack, her
family, Danielle Atron and all other characters who have
appeared in the series "The Secret World of Alex Mack" together
with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright
property of Viacom International, MTV Networks, Nickelodeon
Television Network, Nickelodeon Productions, Hallmark
Entertainment, and Lynch Entertainment. No copyright
infringement was intended in the writing of this fan fiction.
All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are
the sole property of the author. I'm too broke to be sued,
anyway. (But if anybody thinks my literary skill presents that
much a risk, feel free to *HIRE* me!)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry for the delay between parts, but life got wierd
(no, not *that* wierd), my laptop died and I had to resurrect this
story from the hard drive of an old XT clone (which gives you an
idea just how old this story is :) ). This was one of my earliest
fanfic efforts, so please be merciful. Read the prologue at
http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/TheSecretWorldOfAlexMack/message/13
.

* * * * *

The Secret World of Willow Rosenberg
(a BtVS/SWAM crossover)
by Dalton S. Spence <dalton.spence@...>

"I guess I'm not so ordinary anymore." - Alex Mack

*Part 1*

They came out of the sewer system in an alley about a block away
from the lab. While Buffy went across the street to call Giles from
a pay phone to pick them up, Willow stayed in the alley to take care
of a still semi-stunned Xander. The rage she had been feeling ever
since the attack on her mother had vanished the instant she had seen
Xander in danger. Now all she was left with was a feeling of guilt.
Neither of them saw the translucent mass that had been following
them slither into a shadowed corner, then solidify into a human form
that remained hidden there, silently listening.

"Ow! That hurts!" moaned Xander as he tried to get comfortable
leaning against a wall. Not seeing his friend's distress, he tried
to make a joke of it. "Really Will, couldn't you have knocked me
into something a little -- *ow* -- softer?"

Willow couldn't see the humor. "God, Xander, I'm sorry!" she
exclaimed as tears filled her eyes. "You were right. I should have
let Buffy handle it herself. She's the Slayer, not me. Instead, I
dragged you along on this stupid vendetta and almost got you *KILLED!
*"

"Hey!" he protested, finally cluing in to her mood, "Nobody dragged
me anywhere. I volunteered, remember? Besides, even though you're my
best bud, *no way* was I going to let you have all the fun." He
would have put his arm around her to comfort her, but his shoulder
was too banged up to move.

"He's on his way," interrupted Buffy who had returned
unnoticed, "and should here in a few minutes. Are you okay, Willow?"

"Fine," she answered, not really sure if this was true. She'd been
feeling a little odd ever since her chemical bath, but it was
nothing she could put her finger on, so she dismissed it as the
aftermath of shock. "At least I will be as soon as I can get out of
these clothes and have a shower. This stuff reeks! It's a good thing
Dad is staying in the hospital with Mom; otherwise he might not let
me in the door."

Just then a car pulled up in front of the alley and stopped, and the
driver (a good looking man in his forties) jumped out and looked
around. Without saying another word, the three teenagers scrambled
over to the car. After carefully placing the injured Xander in the
back seat, the girls joined him and they drove away.

* * * * *

//I must be nuts! There is really *NO* other explanation,// thought
the young lady who was currently hiding in the trunk of Rupert
Giles' car. //One minute I'm erasing incriminating files from the
PVC mainframe through the shipping terminal, and the next I'm
following a bunch of crazies who were *KILLING* people that turned
to dust. And I thought Sunnydale would be boring. What am I *DOING
HERE?!?*//

Of course, she knew the answer to that question. Two years ago,
Alexandra Louise Mack (Alex to her family and friends) had been the
one dripping with GC-161, and knowing what that girl was about go
through made her determined to be on hand if help was needed. //I
wish Annie was here. Then again, if she saw what happened tonight
she would probably go into deep and total denial.// Alex already had
a pretty good idea what going on -- she'd watched enough late night
TV with her sister to recognize a vampire when she saw one -- but
for the life of her she couldn't figure out why three teenagers
would go around hunting monsters in the middle of the night.

Her evesdropping hadn't clarified matters much, except that
Buffy //now isn't that a name for a vampire hunter (excuse me,
Slayer)// seemed to the leader and usually hunted alone, and that
Willow was in love with Xander and blamed herself for his injuries.
Who this Giles character was she hadn't a clue, except he needed a
new car (with a bigger trunk). //Ow! Or at least new shocks,// she
thought as they went over another bump.

* * * * *

The ride back was uneventful, except once when the radio came on
full blast all by itself. No one (except for Alex in the trunk) paid
any attention to the fact that this happened at the same time Willow
sneezed. There was only time to give Giles a very brief description
of the night's events before they arrived at Willow's house. It had
already been decided before tonight's "mission" that rather than
return to the library (which was still under repair) for the usual
debriefing, they would go to there because her parents were not at
home. According to plan, Giles let them off in front of the house,
then drove around the block, parked the car in the alley behind the
house and went in through the back gate.

"You know," he said as Xander led him to the living room, "I'll
never get used to the cloak-and-dagger aspect of being a Watcher.
Research and training a Slayer is one thing, but this skulking
around in dark corners makes me nervous." Noticing Buffy and Willow
were nowhere in sight, he asked Xander, "Where are they?"

"Upstairs taking a shower. Will I mean, not Buffy." After pausing
for a second to savor the latter image, he explained. "Will said she
was feeling a little woozy, so Buffy volunteered to keep an eye on
her so she wouldn't have an accide..." Suddenly a loud scream
sounded from upstairs, and both men rushed up the stairs and pounded
on the bathroom door. "What's going on in there?!?" Xander yelled.

Buffy opened the door, looking shocked and dismayed. "She's gone!"

"NOOOO!!! She *CAN'T* be!" cried Xander as pushed past Buffy into
the bathroom. Fear for his lifelong friend quickly turned to
confusion as he could find no trace of her in the small room. "Where
is she? What happened to her?" he asked the still shaking Slayer.

"She just ... melted!"

"WHAT?!?" yelled Xander.

"Everybody, calm down," Giles said, trying to get the situation
under control. "Buffy, tell us exactly what happened in there."

Buffy took a deep breath, then explained. "She was taking a shower,
trying to wash off that gunk from the warehouse, when suddenly she
said `Oh God! What's happening to me?' I opened the shower door, and
there she was standing there, transparent, like a statue made out of
glass. Then she just ... sort of lost her shape and went down the
drain."

Thinking quickly, he asked Xander, "Where does that pipe lead?"

"The basement I guess, but why?"

Ignoring his question, Giles grabbed Xander's arm and dragged him
down the stairs, demanding "Show me!" Xander complied, pointing to a
door in the downstairs hall. Without another word, Giles jerked it
open and, taking just a moment to find and flip the light switch,
rushed down the basement steps. A sudden triumphant shout of "SHE'S
HERE!!!" spurred the others to quickly follow.

Below they found damp and shaking Willow, covered only by Giles'
tweed jacket and a large towel taken from a nearby laundry hamper,
crying silently on his shoulder. The librarian looked distinctly
uncomfortable with the situation, but both Buffy and Xander were so
grateful at seeing their friend alive and in one piece, they made no
comment about the odd looking tableau. Instead they rushed forward,
engaging the distraught hacker in a silent group hug that went on
for almost a minute.

Xander was the first to speak. "God, Willow! I thought I'd lost you!
Don't ever do that to me again!" Looking at Giles, he asked, "How
did you know?"

"I didn't," admitted the Watcher, "I only hoped. If she was still
alive and had some control of her movement, this was where she'd be.
Otherwise..." He paused, unable to continue.

"Never mind," interrupted Buffy, grimacing, "we get the picture."

"It was *HORRIBLE!*" gasped Willow. "I was sliding around, not
knowing which way to go, terrified I'd end up in the sewer with the
vampires. Somehow I managed to find my way here and pull myself
together. Literally. What's happening to me?" she asked Giles.

Giles had no answer. "My specialty is the occult, not science. This
is way beyond my ken. Only the people who made that chemical have
any idea as to its nature or properties. We may have to make up some
story, and ask them for help..."

"NO!!! You mustn't!" cried an unexpected voice from the stairs. They
turned to see a teenage girl standing at the bottom of the stairs
with panicked expression on her face. "Never mind YOUR secrets, Ms.
Atron will have you locked up in a lab so fast you won't have time
twitch, much less morph."

"Who are you," demanded Giles, "and how did you get in here?"

"My name is Alex Mack," she answered after a moments pause, "and I
got here the same way your friend got to the basement. You see, I
know what she's going through. What happened to her happened to me a
couple of years ago. Believe me, morphing is only part of it."

"How do you know what happened to me?" asked Willow fearfully.

"I was there," she answered, "I saw it." Turning to Buffy, she
confirmed their worst fears. "ALL of it. Don't worry, if there is
anything I know how to do, it's how to keep a secret. I've kept mine
for almost two years, even from my parents. And THAT is NOT easy!"

"Tell me about it," muttered Buffy, thinking about her own problems
with her mother. "What did you mean when you said `morphing is only
the beginning'?"

"Lets make a deal." Alex said. "I tell you all I know about exposure
to GC-161, and you tell me all about the vampires."

"It's a deal!" said Buffy without hesitation. It looked like life
was just about to get a little weirder.

--

Dalton "G-d, this brings back memories!" Spence