Old Enemies, New Foes by Kirk Baldridge

Spoilers: A storyline from the 1st season (I don't want to be TOO specific here) and into the 6th season, up to and including AS YOU WERE.

Author's Notes: Despite the presence of Warren, the Idiots Three will not be a part of this story. Just Warren himself. I think you'll understand why soon enough. For continuity purposes, this story takes place approximately one week before the events in HELL'S BELLS, but a few days after AS YOU WERE.

Summary: Willow and Tara's attempts at reconciliation are marred by the efforts of their enemies.

He glared at his watch every thirty seconds or so, then returned to the pacing. Finally, when he looked like he might explode, a computer on the nearby desk beeped. Warren turned. His eyes widened as he dropped into his chair and slid over to the desk, hitting a key on the keyboard.

Warren turned on the external microphone, his frown never wavering. "You're late."

"I apologize," said a digitized voice. "It could not be avoided. I had other matters to attend to."

"I sent Jonathan and Andrew on a fools errand. They'll be gone two days, at least."

Warren glanced over his shoulder. "I have to make a few more calculations. Soon, though."

"I have faith in your abilities. I am more concerned with the girl. Did you find her, as I requested?"

"I keep telling you, you don't want to mess with her. She's friends with the Slayer."

"Me too." Warren didn't relish going up against the Slayer again. He'd tried to frame her for the death of his ex-girlfriend, Katrina. He was worried she knew about him, about them, now.

"Good. You go do...whatever it is you're going to do, but make sure to check back with me in the morning. I'll have something for you then, I promise."

Warren turned from the desk and rose, moving toward a large shape looming in the shadows.

Willow Rosenberg opened her eyes, to the comforting warmth of a ray of sunlight across her face. That was, for most people, a very pleasant way to wake up. But instead of just smiling and, perhaps, yawning, the redhead sat bolt upright and reached for the clock on her nightstand.

"Nine-fifteen? No!" She threw of the covers and slid out of bed. Her alarm was off. It was supposed to awaken her a half hour early so she could take her time getting ready. Now, she was late. "If I don't hurry..." She rushed into the closet to get dressed.

A few minutes later she came downstairs, wearing blue jeans and a UC Sunnydale sweatshirt. She was tying her hair into a ponytail as she ran into Buffy. The Slayer was coming out of the kitchen, clutching a big glass of milk in her hands. "Whoa, hey there sleepyhead."

"I told Tara I'd meet her at the library to help with a report. I don't want her to think I stood her up." Willow saw her purse sitting on the coffee table. "Ah hah."

Buffy stepped in front of her. "Relax. Tara just called. I told her you had kind of a rough night, and that you were running a little late. She said she understands, and she'll wait."

"Thanks." The redhead relaxed, somewhat, as she picked up her purse. "I still have to go."

"No, it's more than that. Buffy, this is the closest thing to a date we've had since...I just don't want to screw it up, that's all. We're finally talking. I don't want to lose her again."

Unnoticed by either young woman, as Willow headed out the door and Buffy walked into the living room, the redhead's laptop—which was spread out on the dining room table at the moment—came on all by itself. Files began flashing across the screen, faster and faster.

Tara Maclay was sitting on the steps in front of the UC Sunnydale library, sipping from a cup of coffee, when she caught a glimpse of red hair out of the corner of her eye. As she raised her head a rather anxious-looking Willow came running up.

"Hey." Willow stopped to catch her breath. "Sorry I'm late. I was just...sorry."

"Well, I'm here now. Ready to work. Yes, Little Miss Professional, that's me. All business."

"Goddess Willow, you sound like a girl on her first date." Tara put her hand on the redhead's arm. "We're just here to study. Anything else is just...an added bonus."

Willow slowly, almost hesitantly, trailed her fingers down Tara's arm and into her hand, and when the blonde did not protest or pull away she smiled. So did Tara.

Later in the day, in the computer room of the library, Willow was showing Tara how to make a graph for her report. She had one hand resting on each of the blonde's shoulders. Every so often she would lean down to point something out, or to type something on the keyboard. Whenever that happened a lock or two of her hair swung into Tara's face and the blonde caught a whiff of her shampoo. Each time she smiled wistfully, before returning her attention to whatever Willow was saying at the moment.

Behind them, the camera on top of one of the other computers came to life. It brought up an image of Willow and Tara on the screen. The image rotated so their faces could be clearly seen, then it zoomed in on Tara. Soon, her face filled the entire screen.

Warren was in the middle of some very complex calculations when his computer screen suddenly went blank, and then an image of Tara flashed in front of his eyes. He frowned.

"Do you know who this is?" the synthesized voice asked. "Her name. I need her name."

Warren shook his head. "I have no clue. And you know what? I really don't care." He took the camera off the top of the computer, and pointed. "See that? I'm kind of busy already, working my ass off for you. Besides, you have resources of your own. You want to know who she is so bad? Find her yourself."

The screen went blank again, then a few seconds later his files started flashing across it. His entire hard drive was being probed, and Warren gritted his teeth.

Willow and Tara were just leaving the library, when the redhead asked her question.

When they were still living together Tara had convinced Buffy, Willow and even Dawn to try their hands at cooking at one time or another. They determined that she was the best cook, though Dawn could do so if need be, but both Willow and Buffy should be kept out of the kitchen at all costs.

"Nobody," said Willow. "Buffy's bringing some stuff from work. I don't think she'd mind picking up another bag, if you want to come that is. So? Do you?"

"Really?" Willow smiled. "I mean, great! That's great." Almost out of reflex she started to reach for Tara's hand, but then she thought better of it and pulled back. She didn't want to push.

Tara sighed. She slid her hand under and into Willow's, smiling when the redhead glanced down with widening eyes. "You don't have to be afraid to touch me, Will. It's okay."

Willow was fidgeting, and appeared to be nervous all of a sudden. "Xander and Anya's wedding is next week, and I was just wondering...I mean, do you have..."

"I know you're going. Anya invited you. I just thought, if you're not...goddess! Why is this so hard?"

Tara stopped, turned, and put her hand on the redhead's shoulder. "Let me make this easier. Willow, would you like to go to the wedding with me?"

"Of course. Of course I'll go with you!" Willow threw her arms around Tara, her face lighting up when the blonde hugged her back.

Dinner went well, though Buffy had to drop the food off and go back to work for another shift. Dawn ate, but she spent most of the time watching Willow and Tara, the way they leaned into one another, the way they laughed and smiled and finished each other's sentences. Just like the old days.

When they were done with dinner Dawn offered to do the dishes, something she never would have done if her sister was around. In truth she wanted to give Willow and Tara some time alone; she was hoping they would just get back together and make everybody, especially themselves, happy. She was already thrilled by the fact they were going to the wedding together.

Eventually, Dawn went upstairs to do her homework. Willow and Tara were left on the couch, and when they discovered there was nothing on television they started to talk.

"Riley got married?" Tara was asking. Willow had just finished filling her in on the last couple of days. "How did Buffy take it?"

"About as well as you might expect. It surprised her. It surprised all of us." Willow smiled. "You should have seen Xander and Anya though. They were all over them, asking about the wedding, the reception, the marriage, and Anya even asked about their wedding night. It was a mess."

"Don't be." Willow sighed. "I'll be glad when this whole thing is over. They've been driving themselves crazy, and they're trying to take the rest of us with them."

"Like...ours?" Willow asked. She bit her lip as Tara turned to face her. "Do we have one? A future, I mean? Is there any chance for us? Tell me the truth."

The blonde was silent for a moment. "I can't, because I don't know. I want to be with you, Will. I do. I miss it, the closeness. I miss you. I..."

The blonde held up her hand. "Let me finish, please. Otherwise..." She shook her head. "Will, that spell you cast on me, do you have any idea how it made me feel? After what Glory did to me, after I finally got my mind back, I thought nothing could ever hurt me again. But I was wrong. What you did was almost worse than what Glory did. Because I loved you. You betrayed me." Her eyes filled with tears. "The thing is, I betrayed you too. When I left, I was scared. I was afraid you would hurt me again. It never occurred to me that my running off would cause you so much pain, you would go even deeper into the dark magick that drove me away in the first place. If I'd stayed, if I'd just tried a little harder, I might have been able to help you resist Amy's influence. I damn sure could have kept you away from Rack."

"No," said Willow. "Goddess!" She stood up. "Tara, you were right to leave. If you'd stayed I probably would have ended up hurting you even more, and I don't know how much worse things would have gotten. I needed to hit bottom in order to understand how far I was falling." She was trying not to cry now too. "I'm just sorry that Dawn got caught in the middle of my mess."

Tara put an arm around the redhead. "Let's not talk about this anymore, okay? What's past is past."

A massive, inhuman figure rose in front of him. It was a demon, broad at the shoulder, with mottled, leathery skin, thick horns and dark red eyes smoldering beneath its bony brow. The creature raised its arms and gazed at its hands, and when it spoke it was an angry growl.

"This body is very...impressive. Much better than the last one. You are to be commended. You have captured my true form perfectly!"

"You gave me the specs. After that, it was easy." Warren smiled. "Thanks to all your cash."

The demon clenched and unclenched its fists. "Transferring the funds you requested was simple. Your human currency means nothing to me. My only concern, is power!" Its eyes glowed. "Once again, I am made flesh! My name will be spoken in fearful whispers."

"Yeah, about that. When I hacked into the old CRD data files I found on the 'net, I never expected to wake up a demon." Warren clasped his fingers behind his head. "So how in the world did Moloch the Corrupter end up as a computer program anyway?"

The demon, who looked just as life-like as any of Warren's human creations, turned. "It was her."

"Who her?" Warren frowned. "Wait, her her? You mean the Rosenberg girl? The Slayer's friend? What does she have to do with this?"

"As I understand it, several years ago she scanned a book I was trapped inside into a computer. I was released from one prison into another, existing as digitized information instead of flesh and blood. But the internet was a glorious place, and I discovered power even I had never imagined. I urged a few of the more gullible members of your race, under the guise of CRD, to construct a new body for me. It was primitive, especially compared to this one, but it would have served my purposes. Before transferring my consciousness into it, however, I backed up my essence in an encrypted file, just in case my acolytes were not as capable as I thought."

Warren nodded. "It's lucky for you I came along when I did then. Otherwise, you'd still be asleep, and I would have a whole lot less money. I guess you could say we both won."

"I must admit, I enjoyed the freedom of being an incorporeal non-entity. The internet was a wide open region I did not get the chance to fully explore. But, there is also something to be said for physicality." Moloch picked up a chair and crushed it, then scattered the resulting debris.

"Now that you have a body again, what will you do? Are you still determined to get the Rosenberg girl? 'cause if you're planning to do anything to her, you'll have to answer to the Slayer. And you know, as well as I do, how tough the Slayer can be."

"The Slayer is not my primary concern." Moloch sneered. "I want Willow Rosenberg!"

Willow ran into Tara at school the next day, and after classes they decided to go to lunch together. Then they stopped by the Espresso Pump, so Willow could check her e-mail. Since they were there they ordered some coffee and sat down to talk.

"Hey, Buffy's off tonight. I think she said she was going to do an early patrol, but we were talking about going to the Bronze. Do you, umm, want to come?"

The blonde put her hand on Willow's. "I would, but I've got to finish that report. Rain-check?"

"Sure. That's..." Willow leaned back, shrugging her shoulders. "...sure. No big deal." She licked her lips. "So, you'll be home all night? I could, maybe, stop by?"

Tara shook her head. "No, Will. I need to concentrate and frankly..." She put her hand on Willow's cheek. "If you're in my house, near my bed, I wouldn't be anything but distracted. We'll do it another night, okay? Before the wedding, I promise."

As they gazed at each other they missed the pair of smoldering crimson eyes that seemed to be watching them from a nearby computer monitor.

Moloch jerked his hand off the top of the computer so suddenly it was as if he had been burned. He clenched and unclenched his fist and snarled. "So, she betrays me?"

The Corrupter who had awakened, thanks to Warren, was the same demonic force who had taken the guise of Malcolm Black in order to get close to Willow. Since he had backed up his being before being transferred into his first robot, he had no memory of Willow's turning him down or his decision to kill her. In fact, he had not even physically encountered the Slayer, though by that time he had sent several of his human associates to try and kill her, and in turn murdered one of them to throw her off his trail. In other words, the demon was still as obsessed with Willow as he first had been six or so years before.

"I will not allow her to turn her back on me!" He was still at the hideout, though his human ally had since left to spend some of the funds he had received from the demon. "But first this other must be dealt with! How dare she try to steal the heart of my subject! Willow Rosenberg is mine!"

Moloch put his hand back on the computer, closed his eyes, and extended a part of his still electronic being back into the computer. He searched the DMV and UC Sunnydale records, as well as the files he had copied off Willow's laptop, searching for a name and address for the blonde he had seen with Willow. When he found it, a rather frightening smile bared his fangs as the demon chuckled.

Tara lay across the bed with books and papers spread out in front of her. She was nearly done with the report, but was so tired it was hard to concentrate. That caused her mind to wander, which invariably brought thoughts of Willow.

Fortunately, she was no longer besieged by pain and doubt like she had been after she first left. It didn't hurt to think about Willow anymore. She found instead it brought back pleasant memories of Willow's eyes, her lips, and her breasts. She loved Willow's breasts. Actually, she loved everything about the redhead.

Tara lay her head back and closed her eyes. Now that they were talking, and spending time with one another again, she was starting to wonder about the future. To wonder if they were really going to have a second chance at love. Nothing was guaranteed, of course, and nothing in Sunnydale ever seemed to come easily, but she was still hopeful. For the first time in a long time, she was really, truly happy.

All of the sudden her door exploded inward. Tara rolled off the bed to avoid flying debris.

A demon strode into the room; long, dark robes streaming out majestically behind it. Moloch growled when he saw her watching him with wide eyes. "There you are, witch!"

The demon shook his head. "How soon they forget. Once, there was a time your kind trembled at the name of Moloch the Corrupter."

The name struck a chord, though Tara wasn't sure where she had heard it. "What do you want with me?"

"You are in my way, child! You seek to possess the heart of one who rightfully belongs to me! I will have her, and if it means ridding myself of an obstacle, such as you, to do so, then so be it!"

Tara knew she was in trouble. This demon was huge, he was obviously strong, and he seemed to be fixated on her for some reason. She needed to get away from him and find Willow or Buffy, but he obviously wasn't going to just let her walk away. What she needed, was a distraction. Out the corner of her eyes she saw a red and blue shape sitting on her desk, and without turning her head so much it would alert the demon she realized it was a comforter she had taken out of her closet to wash.

Moloch growled. "I do not understand. By this time, most humans would be trying futilely to resist me, or else begging for their lives. Why do you remain silent?"

"Just concentrating," said Tara. She gestured, and the comforter unfurled itself from its place on the desk and flew across the room. It wrapped itself around Moloch's head before the demon knew what was happening, and left him temporarily blinded and disoriented. She ran for the door.

"What's this? Witch! I'll rip your heart out!" It was a simple matter for Moloch to shred the comforter, but by the time he got his face uncovered Tara was long gone. "No!"

The entire Summers household was awakened by a frantic pounding on the front door. It was two o'clock in the morning, and that kind of noise could only mean trouble.

Buffy was first. Her Slayer senses primed and ready, she came down the stairs clutching a stake.

Willow came close behind. She appeared to still be half asleep as she followed Buffy.

Dawn stumbled out of her room as well, rubbing her eyes, but Buffy waved her back to bed.

The redhead was instantly awake. "Tara?" She unlocked and threw open the door, only to have the blonde fall into her arms. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"D-Demon." Tare was shaking like a leaf and her stutter was worse than usual. That only happened when she was scared or anxious. "It b-broke in and came after m-me. I b-barely got aw-way."

Willow gently stroked the blonde's hair. "Okay. Take it easy. You're safe here." She glanced plaintively over at Buffy, who shrugged her shoulders.

Before she said anything else, Tara closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. She managed to get her stutter under control. "He said I possessed the heart of one who rightfully belongs to him. I'm not sure what he meant, but he seemed to think I was in his way."

Tara nodded. "It's not as if I'm in love with anyone else." They both smiled briefly. "But how would he know to come after me? And what does he want with you?"

Moloch sat on a throne of his own creation, made from the crushed remains of other furniture and some spare computer parts. He was surrounded by banks of monitors, each one displaying a different series of numbers, letters, or images, and was connected to them all by a series of wires, which ran into a node on the side of his neck. His eyes were closed, the lids fluttering up and down and side to side as he analyzed all of the various bits of data flowing into his mechanical brain at once.

The demon had selected a local computer store as a makeshift temple, though he had no followers, and was in no mood to try and convert any at the moment. In this day and age true acolytes were hard to come by. However there was a human present; a security guard who had been unfortunate enough to stumble across the demon and stupid enough to try and stop him. His corpse lay in a crumpled heap in a corner, while his head was currently being used as a footrest by his murderer.

Moloch's failed attempt to eliminate the witch meant Willow and the Slayer likely knew of his return, or else they would soon. That meant they would be ready for him. Worse, they might come looking for him, before he was ready to strike back. That was why he had decided to set up an information center, to try and learn as much as he could about his enemies.

He delved into the Slayer's financial records, and learned a lack of funding had led her to seek employment at

a local food serving establishment. Coupled with the passing of her mother, that was a potential emotional lever he filed away for possible use at a later time.

He also discovered that the Slayer's Watcher, one Rupert Giles, had left the city. He also shared ownership of a local magic shop with one of the Slayer's other associates, a place where she and her allies often gathered. He knew the sense of safety they had about the place could be exploited.

Most fascinating of all, to Moloch, was Willow and her magick. When he had known her she had never really even thought about the black arts, but since then she had become quite a powerful witch. Now, an addiction she barely had under control left her psychologically vulnerable.

Tara was obviously exhausted, but until she got to Buffy's and was safely in Willow's arms she couldn't relax enough to fall asleep. But once she was there, cuddling on the couch, she drifted off with her head on Willow's shoulder. Buffy gave the redhead a blanket and returned to bed.

The next morning, after seeing Dawn off to school, the three of them went to the Magic Box, to start trying to identify the demon. Tara described it for Xander and Anya, and told them all again what the demon had said. It was a little while later before she remembered it had also told her its name.

Willow, Buffy and Xander made the same face, and had the same reaction. "Moloch?"

They told her what had happened with the demon back in high school. Tara realized Willow had told her part of the story before, which was where she had heard the name.

"And how'd he pull himself back together anyway?" said Buffy. "We took his body apart after what happened at CRD. They couldn't have rebuilt it."

"Someone must have used magick," Willow offered. "They may have found a way to resummon him."

"That's the problem with those kinds of demons," said Tara. "Some are very resilient."

"We could try what we tried the last time," said Willow. "Putting him into a book. I mean, we don't have the one he was originally trapped in, but won't any blank one work?"

"Maybe," Tara replied. "Assuming it's been properly prepared. I'll have to study the rites. Entrapping a demon in a book is no simple task, but I think we can pull it off."

Now Anya, who had been silently counting the money in the register all this time, spoke up. "You'll want to have some wards too. If you want to make sure of trapping him in a book you'll need to confront him directly, which means you'll need a way to keep him still, or busy."

"She's right," said Willow. "I know books with the best warding spells in them. You'll have to cast them Tara, but I can figure out what you'll need."

Xander smiled. "Nicely done, hon." He leaned across the desk and kissed his fiancée.

"I'll start patrolling at sunset," said Buffy. "If Moloch is around, he'll show sooner or later."

Moloch closed the trapdoor and looked around the training room in the back of the Magic Box. When he was studying the blueprints of the store he had been delighted to discover it had sewer access. It was the perfect way to surprise the Slayer and her allies, and he waited until just after dusk.

Snarling, the demon started toward a door which led into the shop itself, but stopped when he heard voices on the other side. He didn't recognize any of them, but then again it had been several years. He was also hesitant to simply burst into the room, because he didn't know how many of them there were or what sort of defenses they might have arranged. Fortunately his robotic body had capabilities his demon-form did not, and they were more suited to the task at hand.

Moloch's eyes glowed red as he switched to thermal vision; this allowed him to perceive heat sources through the wall. Technology was a fascinating thing. He often wondered how he had ever gotten along without it, since magick could be so unreliable. He saw two bodies—visible to him as bright colors and vague shapes—seated at a table, and another standing behind a counter. Three. He could not tell one from another, but at least this way he knew how many there were and where in the room they were.

If one of them was the Slayer he would concentrate on her first. The others would be easy.

If Willow was not among them he would kill two and force the other to tell him where she was.

And if Willow herself happened to be there he would take her, killing anyone who got in his way. No one was going to stop Moloch the Corrupter.

The ex-demon, who was closing out the cash drawer, looked up to see Tara pointing at something in one of the books she was reading.

It was just after dusk, and Buffy had gone patrolling with Spike. They were checking the usual places, as well as a few hot spots where a demon like Moloch might hide. Xander was over at Buffy's, watching Dawn, where Anya was planning to join him shortly.

"Oh man." Willow slammed another book closed and stood up. "I need to take a break. Some of these books, I think they're the same ones I..." She shook her head. "I think I should get out of here for a while. This is a little harder than I was expecting it to be, Tara."

The blonde nodded. "It's okay. You're doing great, Will." She closed the book and stood up. "I think we're done anyway. Once we have the onyx, that should be all we need."

"Here are the crystals." As Anya started around the counter the door of the training room came flying off its hinges. It passed within inches of the ex-demon, knocking everything off the top of the counter, including the cash register. "No! The money!"

Moloch strode into the room, his smoldering gaze taking notice of Tara and Anya before focusing, finally, on Willow. He smiled. "Long time no see, my love."

"Don't worry." Tara stepped in front of Willow and spread her arms. "I won't let him hurt you."

Moloch chuckled. "Oh, this is priceless. Do you honestly think you can stop me, witch? You were fortunate to escape me the last time. I will not be so forgiving this time."

"Hey!" Anya rose from behind the counter, brandishing a crossbow. "You owe me a new door!" She fired, the bolt striking Moloch in the chest.

It went right through, to where his heart would have been if he was still organic. But his robotic body had no

components there, crucial or otherwise, and so it did him no significant damage. And as a mechanical being he did not feel any pain either. He sneered. "That wasn't very nice!"

Anya blinked. Something was wrong. She didn't know Moloch personally but she had encountered this sort of demon before, and that shot should have killed him. As he yanked the bolt out she saw a flash of electricity and a little silver metal, then the flap of skin fell back in place. Her eyes widened. "No! He's a..."

Moloch's reach proved greater than Anya was expecting, as did his speed. He lashed out, backhanding the ex-demon with such force she was knocked completely head over heels. She crashed into the shelves behind her, bringing several of them along as she slid to the ground, blissfully unconscious.

"She lives. It was only a glancing blow." Moloch approached Willow. "I have returned, my love. If you come with me now..." He nodded at Tara. "...your trollop there may yet live."

The redhead's eyes narrowed. "Hey!" She stepped out in front of Tara and crossed her arms. "Watch what you say about my girlfriend!"

"So, your heart has decided then?" Moloch shook his head. "A pity. I would have offered you the world. But if you would spurn me, your treachery must be punished!"

While Willow and the demon were facing off, Tara drew a small pouch from her pocket. They had gathered a number of things they hoped would be of use against Moloch. Like the little golden spheres that Anya said had a concentrated, mystical form of anesthetic in them. They were rare, valuable—they had to promise Anya to pay her back before she would let them use them—and harmless to humans, but most demons and vampires could be rendered unconscious for some time with just a couple. Not knowing how many would be needed she took out a handful of the spheres, and held them ready.

Without warning, Moloch bellowed and lunged at them. Tara put her hand on Willow's shoulder, the redhead ducked, and she threw the spheres as hard as she could. They simultaneously exploded in Moloch's face and the demon staggered, growling, momentarily blinded by a thick cloud of gas.

The Slayer shook her head. "You're already dead idiot. And would you please stop whining?"

They had been searching for Moloch, but came across a nest of particularly vicious vampires instead. During the fight one of them tried to shove a large piece of sharp metal into Buffy's back. Spike stepped in front of the Slayer and was run through, then staked his attacker a moment later.

"It's your fault you got hurt. What the hell did you think you were doing anyway?"

"Trying to help." Spike groaned. "But your gratitude makes the excruciating pain worth while."

"Oh, be quiet. We both know you'll be fine in a couple of days. We're almost back to the Magic Box. We'll get you fixed up there." Buffy sighed. "You didn't have to do that, you know. I saw him."

"Here." Buffy kept one arm around Spike, and used her free hand to open the door. As soon as they stepped in they both stopped, shocked to find Willow and Tara face to face with the very object of their search. Moloch the Corrupter, swatting away the wispy remnants of some kind of gas.

"If that's the best you can do witch, you'd best give up now and save yourself a great deal of pain!" He swatted the rest of the gas away and glared at Tara. "As protectors go, you're no Slayer!"

"No," said Buffy. "But I am!" She gently shrugged Spike aside as all eyes turned to her.

Moloch eyes narrowed, and he growled. He had very much been looking forward to this confrontation, almost as much as the thought of getting Willow back. He had always wanted to test himself against a Slayer. The fact his previous robot body had been destroyed seemed to indicate she had defeated the other version of him, but it would be a different story this time. She didn't even know he was a robot.

Willow and Tara went to check on Anya as Buffy and Moloch confronted one another.

They found the ex-demon crumpled in a heap on the floor, but there was surprisingly little blood. The various cuts and bruises and contusions were, for the most part, superficial, and she didn't have any broken limbs as far as they could tell. There was no way for them to know about internal injuries or a concussion until they got her to a hospital, but it appeared that she had been incredibly lucky.

"I don't understand," said Tara. "Anya told us one or two of those morphos crystals would be enough to knock out most any demon. I hit him with at least a dozen, yet he didn't even flinch."

"Maybe." Tara stood up, and reached for two large stones sitting on the counter. They had elaborate symbols etched onto them. "But Buffy might still need our help. Here..." She handed one of the stones to Willow. "...we should get ready to do the containment spell with these runes. Just in case."

"It's okay. Don't worry. I'll be doing all the casting. You only have to get on the other side of him and hold up the rune stone when I tell you to. Okay?"

Buffy glanced around, but all of the weapons were in the back room, and the only thing she had on her were a couple of stakes. She didn't know whether or not they were any use against Moloch but she also wasn't worried; if they proved ineffective she'd find another way. She always did.

The demon abruptly lunged forward and punched Buffy. Or tried to. But as fast as he was the Slayer proved to be just a little faster. She jerked her head to the right and brought her hands up, caught the demon's arm, and brought it down across her knee in an effort to break it. It was a tried and true method. Only this time, Moloch didn't flinch, and all she got for her trouble was an explosion of pain in her leg. He was even more solid than he looked, and she had to bite her lip to keep from crying out.

"Well done, Slayer!" Moloch clamped one huge hand down on Buffy's head, and lifted her off her feet. "I'd be impressed, if you weren't such a weakling!" Before anyone, including the Slayer, could do anything to stop him the demon turned and threw Buffy across the room.

At the last moment she twisted herself around so it was her back and side that slammed into the wall, and not her face. Even so the resulting pain radiated through her entire body, echoing the dull throbbing of her leg, and she slid to the ground, stunned, and unable to defend herself.

Out of nowhere Spike, in full vamp-face, came flying at Moloch with an angry snarl. Ignoring his own pain the vampire wrapped his arms around the demon's neck and began to squeeze, though it was hard to tell if he was trying to choke Moloch or break his neck. Either way it didn't work, as Moloch reached back with one of his exceptionally long arms and grabbed the collar of Spike's leather jacket. He tossed the vampire to the floor and stomped on him, causing Spike to howl in pain.

Tara, meanwhile, moved in behind Moloch. She held the rune stone over her head and began to chant, while Willow did the same thing—without the chanting—on the other side of him. That put her in the demon's line of sight, of course, and he laughed when he saw her.

"How easily you give in to temptation. Turning to the dark arts to stop me, Willow? Perhaps..." As Moloch's gaze settled on the redhead he realized she was neither moving or speaking. But someone else was. He turned, just as the two rune stones were starting to glow. "What are you doing?"

Shafts of light burst out of the two stones and began to swirl around Moloch. Whenever two, or more, made contact with one another an energy nexus was formed. Pretty soon a complex web of energy had been spun in a dome-shape around the demon, caging him.

Tara and Willow lowered the stones. Despite his bravado, they knew the demon would not be able to get out unless they let him out. This particular spell was a powerful one; but limited in that it could only be used once, after which the stones became nothing more than paperweights. It was special because it relied on the mystical energy of its captive to strengthen itself; the more a demon or other magical being within it struggled against it, the stronger the cage would become. Unlike just about every other time in his long life, Moloch's power was his own worst enemy in this case.

"We got him," said Tara. She smiled. "I just need to finish the enchantment on our book, then we can put him away once and for all." She went back over to the table.

Willow glanced over her shoulder at Moloch. "How do you like the Chaon?" She wasn't worried about Buffy or Spike, she knew they would be fine now, so she went to help Tara.

With the witches distracted, Moloch reached out and tested the barrier by touching it lightly. There was not a flash of light or a surge of energy, he wasn't knocked back nor shocked. In fact, the beams of light did not seem to react at all. He pushed with more force, and still nothing. The demon smiled.

Chaon. A containment spell if he was not mistaken. Powerful magicks, which—under normal circumstances—were, indeed, totally inescapable. Then again these circumstances were anything but normal. It was intended to be used against a mystically-based being. A demon. But he was no longer a demon, he was a robot. An artificial life form. This sort of magick would have no effect on him.

Brimming with confidence the demon stepped forward, right through the barrier. At that moment Willow and Tara had their backs to him, and did not notice.

Buffy felt like one big bruise as she climbed back to consciousness and opened her eyes.

She was in the Magic Box, she remembered that much. But as she looked around she saw something she did not remember. A cage, of crackling energy, dominating the middle of the room. Tara's doing, most likely meant to hold Moloch, only it wasn't. The demon was making his way toward Willow and Tara, and they were so busy looking at something on the table they didn't realize it.

Willow and Tara turned around just before Moloch got to them. They glanced at one another and then ran off

in different directions, forcing him to choose. Not surprisingly, he followed Willow. To get away from him the redhead climbed the ladder to the upper level, off-limits to customers portion of the magic shop. The ladder was too small and flimsy to support Moloch's weight and he knew it.

Buffy vaulted over the table and drop-kicked Moloch in the back. It felt as if she was kicking concrete, while fiery shards of pain shot through her already sore leg. She managed to land on her feet though, and took a step back as Moloch slowly turned, his eyes narrowing.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but..." Though she wasn't sure she wouldn't regret it Buffy dropped down and spun around, attempting to sweep the demon's legs out from under him. "...I am personally looking forward, to having you flat on your..." He did not budge or flinch, but the resulting pain lanced up into the Slayer's hip, and she cried out in spite of herself. "Owww!"

Moloch chuckled. "You are a determined one, I'll give you that much, Slayer." He reached for Buffy, only to feel something strike him in the side of the head. A book. Then another, and another. Spike, rather unsteadily, was on his feet and throwing anything he could get his hands on. "Don't you people ever quit?"

"Sorry mate," the vampire growled. "Don't know the meaning of the word!" He reached for another book, but Moloch was already turning back to Willow.

Books were of no consequence. The vampire could not hurt him, any more than the Slayer. "Come down and join with me, Willow! Give yourself, freely, and I will spare your friends!"

The book erupted into flames, struck the unsuspecting demon in the back, and set his robes on fire. Moloch's eyes grew wide in shock as he went up like a roman candle.

While Moloch, as a robot, was not actually capable of feeling pain the flames eating away at his artificial skin caused a sensory overload that sent shockwaves through his neural net. Some of his more vulnerable electronic components were beginning to short out, and his vision blurred.

The demon thrashed and roared, inadvertently causing the flames to flare even brighter. He stumbled into one of the nearby shelves, several of which contained liquid, and their contents were dumped across the demon. His body continued to smolder even after the flames were extinguished, and they could see the damage done by the fire. Patches of skin had been burned away, revealing metal or exposed wiring. The left side of his face was not there anymore, and they could clearly see the mechanical eye.

"That explains why the Chaon didn't work," said Tara. "There was no magick for it to draw on."

Moloch clenched his right fist, only then discovering the right would not move. He made sure to hide this fact from the Slayer. "So, you know my secret? No matter. I am Moloch the Corrupter! My intellect and personality are identical to those of the original!"

"I'm so sick of fighting robots," said Buffy. "Is there a factory cranking you guys out or what?"

Moloch recognized that his body would need to be repaired before he went up against the Slayer again. In this weakened condition she, or the vampire, could be a serious threat. And that wasn't even considering what tricks the witches might be able to come up with.

"This is not over, Slayer! You'll not best me so easily when next we meet!" He kept a close eye on them all as he started toward the door.

Buffy shook her head. "Forget him. It's not worth it We need to take care of our own." She glared at Moloch. "Play it smart! Leave Willow and the rest of us alone. Or else!"

The demon laughed. "We'll see, Slayer. We'll see!" He kicked the door open and strode out.

Mostly cuts and bruises, though she did have a mild concussion. The doctor assured her as long as she rested for the next few days she would be fine for her wedding. Xander took her home, while Tara and Buffy returned to the Slayer's house.

Willow was sitting on the couch, with her computer in her lap, when they came in. "Hey guys."

"The doctor said she'll be okay by next week." Buffy crossed her arms. "As for Moloch, I doubt we'll see him again until he gets repaired. How about it, Will? You're the big robot expert. Any ideas how we can stop him if he does show his ugly face again?"

"I'm still trying to work out the calculations, but I should have something by morning." Willow frowned. "I'm not really the expert on robotics in town though. We all know who is."

Buffy nodded. "Warren. I was thinking the same thing. It would be just like those three to send a robo-demon after me. God knows they've tried everything else."

"Except he wasn't after you," said Tara. "He was after Willow." She turned to the redhead. "Didn't you tell me he was obsessed with you back in high school?"

"I suppose Warren could have recreated his neural pathways somehow. Or Moloch may have locked a copy of himself away on a computer somewhere. Either way, we know what he wants and now we know what we're up against. I'd say that gives us the edge."

"Wherever Warren and his friends are, I bet they're not really happy right now," said Buffy.

"She did not," the demon replied. "I assure you, she was far more concerned with protecting her pathetic little friends than with chasing me."

Moloch clamped his good hand around Warren's throat, though he didn't actually apply any pressure. "You'd better watch your tongue, little man! I bear such insolence only because I require your skill at robotics to repair this shell of mine! I could just as easily tear your head from your shoulders and steal the information I require from your computer system!"

Warren twisted his way out of the demon's grip, only because Moloch allowed him to do so. "All right. I'll redo your skin, and make it fire-resistant this time. But the servos in your arm might take a little longer. I'm not sure if I have any extras laying around..."

She opened her eyes to discover a tangled mass of blonde hair just inches from her face. It was Tara, spooned up against her with one arm draped across her waist.

The redhead smiled. They had come up to the bedroom to rest their eyes, but it was already late when they lay down in one another's arms, and exhaustion soon got the best of them.

Willow sighed. She loved the feel of Tara's body against her own. It had been so long since she'd felt this way and she never wanted it to end. 'Goddess,' she said to herself. 'I miss this so much.'

"Mmm..." Willow glanced at the bedside clock. "It's seven forty-five. Did you sleep well?"

Tara kissed the redhead softly, then slid off the bed and ran her fingers through her hair. "Uh. I really need to take a shower. I don't suppose any of my clothes are still here?"

Willow bit her lip as she thought about the outfit she had once animated magickally when she missed Tara so terribly. She was pretty sure it was still in the closet. "I'll check."

Buffy and Dawn were already awake and in the kitchen by the time Willow and Tara got downstairs.

Willow's hair was mussed since she hadn't bothered to brush it, and because of her hot shower Tara's face was still a little flushed. They glanced at one another, their faces reddening further.

Dawn giggled. "You guys are just in time. Buffy said she was going to make breakfast for a change."

"As a matter of fact..." Willow walked around the counter. "Step aside, please."

The Slayer rested her hands on her hips as she got out of the way. "I feel I should warn you I already checked, and we're out of frozen waffles."

"Buffy, you wound me. I'll make them from scratch, thank you very much." Willow frowned. "Of course, first I have to find the waffle iron." She looked around. "Huh."

"I'll help you." Tara joined Willow on the other side of the counter, while Buffy took a seat beside Dawn. "It's down there, Will." She pointed somewhere out of the Summer's sight.

The redhead nodded. "Where? Oh, I see." As she crouched she let one hand trail languidly down the length of Tara's leg. She smiled as she felt the blonde trembling. "Got it."

"Here." Tara took a deep breath, smiled, and then held her hand out. "I think you'd better let me."

Willow tried to look as innocent as possible. "How was I supposed to know that would happen?"
"Will, come on." Buffy less than subtly gazed upward. "We're still scraping batter off the ceiling."

"Why don't you fill Buffy and Dawn in on that idea you had last night?" Tara suggested.

Willow smiled as Dawn batted her sister's hands away. "I was thinking about Moloch's connection to Warren, and it occurred to me...why not use one of Warren's creations to stop one of Warren's creations?"

"Remember the invisibility ray Warren and his friends used on you?" Buffy nodded, and Willow continued. "I saw the technical schematics when I was at their...hideout, and the gun itself is still at the Magic Box. I think, I mean I'm not sure, but I think I can reconfigure it to produce an EMP."

"EMP," Willow replied. "It's short for electromagnetic pulse. Basically, it's a very powerful form of energy that is devastating to electronics. Unless it's incredibly well-shielded, and maybe not even then, any computer would be totally fried if hit by an EMP. Even one inside a robot."

Buffy's eyes widened in understanding. "Whoa. That could be the edge we're looking for. Way to go."

"Thanks, but I haven't actually done anything yet," said Willow. "We better wait and see if I can make it work before you guys start heaping praise on me."

Moloch spread his newly restored arms. His skin and face were once again in perfect condition.

Warren nodded. "You are. I amped up the servos while I was fixing your arm. You have oh...I'd say about ten percent more strength in each arm now."

Warren clasped his hands behind his head. "So, what're you going to do now? You can't be thinking of going after the Slayer again. She's already kicked your ass twice."

"The Slayer is not the problem. Neither she nor that vampire who assists her are strong enough to stop me. I am, however, concerned about that blonde witch. She is an x-factor, for which I cannot accurately prepare, and she may yet uncover a spell capable of harming, or even destroying, this form."

Warren shrugged his shoulders. "I can't help you there. My buddy Jonathon is the magic expert around here. I just make things." He arched an eyebrow. "Although..."

"You mentioned a vampire who worked with the Slayer. Did he speak with a British accent?"

"He has a chip in his head. Now I don't know what it does, exactly, but I do know how it works. When he was here I did a very thorough work-up on its circuitry. He left before I could tell him that I know a way to interfere with its function."

Since Anya had to stay home but she didn't want the Magic Box to be closed for any length of time, she asked Tara to open and run the store for her. It was Saturday so Dawn was there too, and Buffy took the day off so she could wait for Willow. The redhead was working on the invisibility ray in the back room so she wouldn't bother the customers, and that meant none of the others saw her for most of the morning.

At one point Tara came back to insist Willow take a break and have lunch. "Honey, come on."

Later, Buffy was in the upper section of the store sharpening a sword, while Dawn was downstairs getting the order for a customer. Tara, helping another customer behind the counter, glanced over her shoulder as the door of the training room opened. Willow came out, carrying a duffel bag.

Buffy came down, but they waited until all the customers were gone before they gathered around the table and Willow took the gun out of the bag. "Here." She handed it to Buffy.

"It's pretty simple, really." Willow pointed to a switch on the side. "That's power. Once it's on, all you have to do is point and shoot. You won't have to adjust the settings or anything. But there's one thing I should warn you about. The pulse puts an even bigger strain on its circuitry than I thought. You'll get...maybe three shots, before

it shorts out. When the lights start to flash, you'd better get rid of it. And fast."

"Big boom," Willow replied. "I tried to calculate how much force, but there are too many variables. Let's just say, you definitely don't want to be holding it. Or anywhere near it."

"WILLOW!" Everyone heard Moloch's voice filling the room. It didn't take any of them very long to realize it was coming from the Magic Box's computer. "I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME!" They came around the counter and saw the demon's face staring back at them from the monitor. The volume lowered. "There you are. It's good to see you again, Willow."

"Ah, Slayer. Perfect. I was hoping to see you as well. I have a challenge for you. Come to this place..." A map appeared in the lower right hand corner of the screen, with a flashing dot in its center. "Bring Willow, and your others allies if you wish. We will finish this, once and for all!"

"We have to," said Willow. "Otherwise he'll come after us again. And he'll keep coming."

"We're just supposed to stand around and wait for this Moloch character to attack us? Are you daft?"

"You didn't have to come," said Buffy. "And you can always leave. In fact, you know what? I'd encourage it. I don't need you here."

He smirked. "Oh yes you do. We both know you need me Slayer, whether you like it or not." The vampire spit out his cigarette and ground it under his boot. " 'sides, I've never been one to pass up a good throw-down. And I owe this bloke. I'll stay."

The redhead popped up from behind a tombstone, where she was holding the blaster. "All set. Just remember, you have to keep him inside this clearing or I won't be able to hit him."

"Bloody perfect." Spike pointed. "We're relying on this one to save us? You'd just better not shoot me Red. I don't fancy myself becoming a charcoal briquette."

"It shouldn't have any effect on organics," Willow assured him. "But I'll be careful." She turned to Tara. "You be careful too. I don't want you getting hurt."

"Will, if he gets past Buffy and Spike before you can blast him, I'm the only one who can keep him off you. I have to be here." When she leaned over to kiss the redhead, someone growled.

"It was me!" A huge shape lurched out of the darkness and punched Buffy in the face. The startled Slayer was sent flying back into a tree, while Moloch reared around to confront Spike. "As for you..." He held up his hand, where a device attached to his palm emitted a blinding flash of light.

The vampire stopped in his tracks, both hands reaching toward Moloch. He shuddered and then cried out, his hands coming up to clutch his head as he fell to his knees.

It was only then Moloch noticed the weapon in Willow's hands. "What's this? No!" He lunged at Willow even

as she was firing—causing the beam to miss him by mere inches, and strike a tree. "I don't know what you think you're doing, but I felt that!" He slapped the weapon out of her hands.

Buffy vaulted off a nearby tombstone and landed on Moloch's back. She wrapped her arms tightly around the demon's neck and squeezed, apparently momentarily forgetting he was a robot and could not be choked out. He did not, however, and barely reacted to her presence. "Vampire!"

As he charged, Tara held up her hands. "Don't make me hurt you, Spike!" He either wasn't listening, or could not respond. "Procul!" An invisible force slammed into the vampire and knocked him off his feet. But he hit the ground rolling and came right back at her again.

"Whatever you're doing to him, stop it!" said Buffy. She was trying to damage Moloch's head, or neck, but his robotic body was just too resistant to her efforts. He was also too large.

As she was firing a second time the demon turned his body so Buffy was exposed to the blast. It went through her jacket and shirt and the skin beneath, and her eyes went wide as her entire body felt like it was on fire all at once. Her eyes rolled back in her head and her body grew limp against Moloch. It was then a simple matter for him to reach back and pull him off her.

"Mmm...that must have hurt." Moloch tossed Buffy aside and turned to Willow. "I'm disappointed in you. We could have been great together, my love. I had plans for us."

Willow knew she was in trouble. She only had one shot left before the gun became a time bomb, but Moloch had already proven he could avoid the blasts. If she had any chance of hitting him, she would need to find some way to get him to stand still first. That was easier said than done.

Tara continued to push Spike away, but it was becoming progressively harder to do so.

He was strong, incredibly so, and driven by his anger, in addition to whatever Moloch was doing to him. Her magick, on the other hand, came only from within herself. Using so much of her own energy so frequently, was beginning to take its toll on her.

He leaped at her again, snarling like a wild beast, and she magickally slapped him away. This time, however, the effort sent a white-hot knife of pain through her skull. She wouldn't be able to keep this up much longer, and if she faltered he would get her.

Tara knew she could easily have killed him if she wanted to. He wasn't attacking her in any rational manner, and it would have been a fairly simple task for her to get a stake into his heart. She, like all of the Scoobies, had one in her pocket, just in case. But she didn't want it to come to that. Spike was their friend, more or less, and with the chip in his head she wasn't even sure if he could actually hurt her anyway. Under the circumstances, though, she didn't want to take the chance.

The vampire crouched, cocked his head, and growled. "Yeah, I hear you demon!" For whatever reason, he did not seem to recognize her. "Too bloody well!" His legs uncoiled, throwing him up and over the witch. Even as she realized this and started to turn, he spun around and kicked Tara in the small of the back. She cried out and crumpled to the ground, tears in her eyes, and temporarily unable to move.

Willow heard her girlfriend cry out, and was understandably distracted when she collapsed.

Moloch reached out and clamped his hand over the barrel of the gun. "This puny weapon is useless now! You should really keep your mind in your work, little girl!"

"And you..." Willow turned back. "...should not have done that!" Half-smiling, she pulled the trigger.

Undaunted by distance or air current, the beam of electromagnetic energy erupted out of the barrel of the gun and right up Moloch's arm. It destroyed whatever the thing was in the palm of his hand, causing him and Spike both to roar, but while the vampire shuddered and collapsed the demon reared back. Blue-white energy arced across the surface of his body. It filled his nose and mouth and crackled around his fingertips and toes. When it finally faded he just stood there, unmoving, his eyes dark and lifeless.

Willow dropped her arms. Even if his brain was still intact, which she doubted, his electronic nervous system would have been totally destroyed by that blast. He would never be able to move or do anything again, even if Warren came along and tried to repair him. But her victory was short-lived as the gun began to shake and emit a piercing whining sound. She glanced down and saw the controls going wild.

She did the only thing she could think of at that particular moment; she threw the gun away. It landed behind Moloch, which gave her an idea. The redhead rammed her shoulder into the robot-demon's waist and attempted to push him with all of her might. All she got for her effort trouble was a bruised shoulder. He was so heavy she imagined Buffy and Spike would have had a hard time moving him.

Then the vibrations from the gun started. Willow stumbled as Moloch's powerless body began to rock slowly back and forth. By that point it was only a matter of timing, and she was able to use the robot's own momentum to push it over, and his already top-heavy body did the rest. He landed with a metallic clang, half-burying the gun as he settled face-down into the dirt.

Willow tried to drag Tara out of the way, but she was barely able to get the blonde behind a tombstone before the overload reached critical mass.

For the most part the force of the explosion was smothered, by a combination of Moloch's body and the moist cemetery soil. Even so, it swelled up like a metallic balloon that, ultimately, could contain the tremendous heat and energy no longer. It erupted with a fountain of molten plasma which rose higher than the treetops, and sent a shower of sparks and flecks of metal across the clearing. An instant later the resulting shockwave lifted Willow into the air and robbed her of consciousness.

The Slayer returned to consciousness on a sea of pain and nausea. She immediately rolled over and threw up the entire contents of her stomach, then put a hand to her forehead and groaned. Her body felt like it had been turned completely inside-out, and her head was still spinning.

Even so it didn't take her long to remember her friends. "Will? Tara?" There was no sign of them, but she did see a big, still-smoldering crater in the middle of the clearing. Right where she and her friends had been. "The gun," she mumbled. "It must have exploded." On the plus side there was no sign of Moloch, and she only hoped that if the crater was any indication of what happened to him, it wasn't also the burial place of her friends. "Are you guys okay? Can you hear me? Willow? Tara?"

"Bloody hell, Slayer!" Spike, his platinum blonde hair mussed and somewhat singed, peeked out from behind a tree. "Knock it off. I'm trying to sleep off a concussion over here!"

Buffy, after several aborted tries, finally made it to her feet. She was still dizzy though, and found she needed to lean against a nearby tree to support herself. "Spike?"

"Who else would be daft enough to put himself through this? Again?" Spike lurched to his feet, clearly no more sure of them than Buffy was of her own. "Cripes, my head! What'd that horned wanker do to me?" He started to growl, stopping himself when it hurt too much. "I have half a mind to rip his head off and..."

"I don't think you have to worry about that," said Buffy. She pointed toward the crater. "Look."

Spike did. In the middle of the hole there was a demon's horn, with some of the artificial covering burnt off to reveal gleaming metal. The vampire snorted. "Serve's him right."

"But where are Will and Tara?" Buffy asked. She was starting to get scared. "Willow! Tara!"

Tara opened her eyes, groaned, and closed them again. It hurt too much to be awake right now, so she tried to sink back into unconsciousness again, but something kept gnawing at her.

She sat up too quickly, her head protesting by spinning and doing cartwheels simultaneously. "Oh, I think I'm gonna be sick!" She turned, noticeably more slowly this time, and checked Willow's pulse, breathing a sight of relief when she found one. It was weak, but constant. "Thank the goddess. Willow? Sweetie, wake up. Willow?" Nothing. No reaction at all. "Willow?"

Buffy appeared at a tombstone behind them, having been drawn by the blonde's cries. "Tara? Thank God. Are you guys all right?"

"I'm fine. But I can't get Willow to wake up." There were tears in Tara's eyes. "I'm scared, Buffy!"

"It'll be okay. We need to get her out of here, before someone tries to take advantage of the situation." Buffy glanced over her shoulder. "Spike! Get over here and help us!"

Willow's eyelids fluttered open, though it took her a few moments to realize where she was. It was dark, and since there was no light coming through the window she had to assume it was night.

A window? The last thing she remembered they were in the cemetery, and Moloch was blowing up. Now she was in a nice, warm bed, back in her room. Unless she had somehow managed to wander back on her own, the others had obviously survived the explosion as well.

Willow gasped. Tara! Where was Tara? She sat up and frantically looked around, only to find a blonde figure curled up on the bed beside her, fast asleep. Her heart skipped a beat, and she sighed.

"Tara?" Willow put a hand on the blonde's shoulder and gently shook her. "Tara, love, wake up."

It took her several tries but Tara did, finally, stir. "Mmm...Will?" She was instantly awake and sat up, trying her best to ignore the dull ache in her back. "Willow? Thank the goddess! Are you all right?"

"More or less. Except that my ears are still ringing...and my head kind of hurts."

"Buffy and I were out of it, Spike was out of his mind, and yet here we are. You must have beaten Moloch on your own. How did you do it?"

"I got lucky. I only had one shot left, and I wasn't sure I could hit him. Then Moloch grabbed the gun, which made it so much easier to shoot him. He got fried and landed on the gun, and I guess his body must have been just strong enough to contain most of the blast. It still felt like I was hit by a truck though."

Tara shook her head. "I still think you're being modest. I mean, Will, you beat someone even Buffy and Spike together couldn't handle. You're amazing."

"Spike!" Willow started to shake. "His chip! He...he attacked you! I remember now!"

Tara grabbed the redhead's arms to calm her down. "It's okay. Will, listen. Moloch did something to his chip, but whatever it was must have worn off after you took care of him. Xander got him mad enough to hit him, and I could see in his face he was really in pain." She winced as pain shot up and down her spine. "Oww. Of course, so am I. But I'll be fine as soon as the bruise fades."

"Then I guess you could say, I got lucky twice. I managed to beat Moloch..." Willow cupped Tara's cheek and smiled. "...and, more importantly, I got you back. I love you, Tara."

Willow's eyes widened. "Why Miss Maclay, I do believe you're trying to seduce me."

"Trying?" Tara leaned in to kiss Willow, and the two of them fell back on to the bed together.

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Old Enemies, New Foes

By Kirk Baldridge

Kirk@mysticmuse.net