Passionate Magic by Kirk Baldridge

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. If I did, I'd treat them better than...some people.

SUMMARY: The sequel to DEMON'S RAGE. You don't need to have read that story to understand this one, though I liked writing it so you would probably enjoy reading it.

The redhead’s cheeks were flushed, her hair matted and dirty, and her clothes looked as if they had been cut to ribbons. It seemed to be taking all her strength just to remain conscious.

The deep, inhuman voice came from everywhere at once. She was surrounded by darkness, and from the look on her face, she was terrified. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she struggled back to her feet, and glared toward what she could only guess was the sky.

“I’m not afraid of you, you know!” She was lying though her teeth, of course, but whomever or whatever had captured her didn’t have to know that. “I’ve got friends. Powerful ones. Tara’s a witch, and Buffy... she’s the Slayer, in case you didn’t know. So if you don’t let me go...”

Willow felt someone, or something, touch her shoulder. Without even pausing to consider what she was doing the Wiccan lashed out with all the power she could muster at that instant in time. She felt it strike a solid body, and she heard a shrill cry.

The redhead sat up in bed, the already clingy blue nightshirt she had on soaked through with sweat. As she was caught her breath she looked around, and realized she was not in her room, or even her bed. For a moment she had forgotten where she was, and with the realization came a sudden recollection of what had happened during her dream. The breath caught in her throat.

Movement on the other side of the bed directed Willow’s attention. A young, blond-haired woman, with a confused expression on her face, dragged herself back to her feet. She was also wearing a nightshirt, and the crumpled covers on the bed beside Willow indicated where she had most recently been, before she was unceremoniously thrown to the floor in a fit of Wiccan anxiety.

Tara nodded. “I think so.” She put a hand to her forehead. “Just...dizzy...”

“I’m sorry! I-I didn’t mean...” Willow scrambled across the bed to get to her friend’s side. “Here, you’d better sit down.”

“It’s okay.” Tara allowed Willow to pull her down to the bed, and she breathed a sight of relief when the redhead wrapped her arms around her.

Willow cupped the blonde’s chin, and looked into her eyes. “Are you? Okay?”

“I’m fine,” said Tara. “You were having a bad dream. I went to wake you up, and you just reacted. It’s not your fault though, you didn’t even know you were doing it.”

“That’s no excuse,” said Willow. “I hurt you.” She kissed Tara on the cheek. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Tara shook her head. “You didn’t. Hurt me, I mean. I’m fine.”

Nearly three days had gone by since Caldon sent that Bacillus demon to attack Buffy so it could attack the Slayer itself. Three days since the shadow-demon stole Willow’s life-energies, as well as that of her friends, and Tara convinced Spike to fight Caldon while she cast a spell to defeat it. Unfortunately, these nightmares had been plaguing Willow ever since, and showed no sign of abating.

“Look...” Tara put an arm around Willow. “You don’t have to be afraid of anything, okay? Not as long as I am here to protect here.” It felt strange, trying to bolster someone else’s self-confidence, when not so long ago she was barely able to even speak in public herself. Ever since meeting Willow, it was as if some part of her had become more alert and alive than ever, and she loved it. Almost as much as she loved the trembling redhead in her arms, it occurred to her. “Remember, we’re a lot tougher than any demon. Right? The two of us, together? We can handle anything.”

Obviously unnoticed by either Wiccan a transparent, feminine entity stood at the foot of the bed, watching them both with an angry gleam in her dark, soulless eyes.

At first glance the tall, willowy, raven-haired woman with her pallid skin and fangs might have seemed to be just another vampire—albeit one who had somehow learned to make herself invisible. But in fact, she was something far more complex and, in her own way, dangerous.

In and of itself, the entity had no use for a name. Technically, it was not even female either. During one of its previous visits to the earthrealm, however, one of the humans it encountered called her Amora, and soon the name had stuck with her. It also preferred a more feminine form, since the majority of its activities were directed solely against the males of the human species.

Many human scholars had come to associate the word with a female who sexually preyed on others—most often, males. But a true Succubus, such as Amora, was something more. An amorphous, immortal entity from another plane of existence, which fed upon energies from living beings in order to survive. Unlike Caldon, a demon who forcibly consumed life-energy, a Succubus drew upon the uniquely rich properties of the psyche for its sustenance. In other words, emotions.

Hate, fear, jealousy and lust, these were the strongest and most primal of emotions, and were the preferred foodstuff of the Succubus. Most had a preference...choosing to search exclusively for one or two emotions in particular, usually fear or hatred. A few, like Amora, were not quite so selective, and chose instead to absorb whatever emotions happened to be prevalent in their hunting area.

There was only one emotion a Succubus could not stomach. One sensation it could not absorb and was—in fact—considered anathema to the carnal entities. Love. Perhaps the purest, brightest of all emotions, one that was said to strengthen and nurture the soul of virtually every other living being in existence, love was one of the very few things known capable of driving away a hungry Succubus.

Amora was faced with that very dilemma, here and now, for the two humans before her reeked of the most hated of emotions. She had delved into Willow’s subconscious in an effort to find something more, and was pleased to sample the icy terror which came from her dreams of the demon Caldon, but unfortunately Tara’s love and concern for her friend overrode everything else in the end.

“These bothersome insects do not even know what they have done, releasing me.”

Amora had only recently returned there, to the earthrealm, after an extended exile in the empty void of the Netherealms. Her own people, the other Succubi, had banished her from their world eons before, because of her frequent mistreatment of those innocent beings upon whom they fed. During centuries of wandering, the entity who would one day come to be called Amora had more than once encountered the wandering spirit of a human magic user from Earth. Most often traveled on without ever acknowledging her presence, but every so often an eager sorcerer or an accidental conjurer would summon her to the Earthrealm, usually intending to ask her to perform one service or another. The last time had been nearly a century past, by her reckoning, and the woman who ultimately returned her to the Netherealms did so only at the cost of her own life. Since then, the Succubus had scoured the Netherealms from one end to the other, searching for a passageway back to Earth, which she considered to be the ultimate feeding ground.

But the situation utterly seemed hopeless—the void was too great and her patience too limited, until a light pierced the veil of darkness, and drew the Succubus’ attention from afar. She recognized the questing spirits of two young but powerful Wiccans...human magic users whose religious beliefs did not often bring them to the Netherealms, and she was even more pleased to see their spell offered her with a way out. The Succubus hungrily followed the unsuspecting duo back to the earthrealm, only to discover something had dramatically altered the fabric of space and time in the area. Focusing reality toward a single individual to the extent that she was prevented from entering that other world until everything there was somehow restored to its normal state, and she was finally able to cross over.

Amora emerged from a shifting ribbon of light in the middle of the floor, to find herself in the presence of the same two Wiccans who had inadvertently released her from captivity. They were asleep at the time, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to test their mental resolve. It proved to be stronger than she anticipated however, and she was prepared to abandon her efforts against them.

The Succubus was hesitant to venture out into the world. She did not know fear, or any other real emotion for that matter...her people were devoid of such sensations, which was part of the reason they had developed the power to steal them from others. She was cautious though, since magic was one of the few things which could do a Succubus harm, and leaving the two Wiccans alone ran the risk of their discovering her presence in this realm, and their taking steps to remove her from it.

There was only an hour before they had to get up and get ready for classes, so instead they just lay there in each other’s arms and talked. Their relationship had begun to blossom into newer, somewhat scary places in recent weeks, and they were still trying to fully understand it. After their encounter with Caldon they shared a kiss, one which had weighed heavily on both of their minds ever since, but which they simply had not had the time to talk about until now. Neither of them had actually brought up the L word yet, but they both knew what they were feeling, and it was just a matter of time.

For Amora, it was already too late. The Succubus was bombarded by all of the mixed up emotions that the two Wiccans felt, and some of them were making her sick. She could not stand the presence of all the good vibes and feelings of love they were projecting, but they did serve to make her hungry. Finally, she could no longer stand the pleasantries, and had to go elsewhere.

A Succubus drawn to Earth by a mystic was usually compelled, by their magicks, to remain by the caster’s side at all times, and to perform whatever service that mystic desired—within the scope of their own powers, of course. But one, like Amora, who came to a world of their own choice, was free to go wherever and to do whatever they desired. At the moment, she desired to eat.

Turning her attention away from the two Wiccans, Amora sensed the presence of other strong emotions in an adjoining room. She strode effortlessly through the wall and saw a young human couple—male and female this time—on a bed together, having sex. The Succubus was immediately buffeted by waves of fiery lust, and closed her eyes to savor it as a human might do a fine wine.

“Some things may differ in this world,” she said to herself. “But other things never change.” A knowing smile lit up the Succubus’ face as she sensed the female reaching climax, and the surge of emotional energy she drew from it had a similar affect on her as well.

Amora took all she could from that young couple, leaving them physically and psychically drained—which was one of the reasons her own people had exiled her to the Netherealms in the first place—then returned to the other room to find the two Wiccans on their way out.

Somewhat reluctantly, given that they were magic users and thus a potential threat, the Succubus followed in the hopes they might lead her to more substantial sources of energy. Lust was a tasty enough treat, but for her it was the equivalent of cotton candy. It never lasted long and at best provided only a temporary reprieve for her gnawing hunger. She would soon have to feed again.

Willow and Tara had no classes together since they did not even meet until the middle of the semester—by which point it was too late for them to switch anything around. So instead they had to settle for whatever bit of time they could squeeze in before and after classes.

Hand in hand, the two Wiccans strolled to the main quad of UC Sunnydale. It was still early, but already a number of other students had begun to gather, so the redhead led Tara to a secluded spot beneath a tree, and rested her hands on the blonde's shoulders.

For a moment they stared into one another’s eyes, then Willow carefully reached out and took Tara’s face in her hands. She hesitated a moment, searching for and finding tacit approval in her friend’s eyes, then she leaned in to kiss her. Willow’s eyes drifted closed as Tara returned the kiss with fervor, and the two of them moaned deep in their throats as they wrapped their arms around one another.

Nearby, Amora rested her face in her hands, and tried her best to screen out the wholesome emotions that the two Wiccans were generating. She was only partially successful. In fact, the only saving grace, such as it was, seemed to be the faintest hint of passions, the seeds of lust, buried deep within them. That, at least, was a sign of something promising to the Succubus.

“I’ll see you later?” Willow said breathlessly, as their lips finally parted. Tara nodded. “I’ll miss you,” the redhead added, stroking the blonde's cheek.

Tara clutched Willow’s hand to her chest for a moment, then turned it over and gently kissed her wrist. A ripple of pleasure rolled through the redhead’s body, causing her to shudder, and the blond did nothing else but smile as she turned and slowly walked away.

Willow watched her go with longing in her eyes, then sighed. It felt so good to love someone, and to have someone love her in return. Despite Buffy and everyone else’s efforts, she had not been this happy since Oz left. Until now, a part of her had wondered if she would ever feel this way again.

Amora’s hunger was aroused by a twinge of something akin to regret and sadness from the Wiccan, as she had a passing memory about someone called Oz. While the Succubus’ powers were not exactly telepathic in nature, they did allow her to form a sort of ‘psychic connection’ with those she had fed upon. Since she had already touched Willow’s mind during her dreams, the Succubus was able to delve deeper into the Wiccan’s subconscious than she might have been able to otherwise. She came to recognize there were yet unexplored layers of emotion within the redhead, just waiting to be brought to the surface.

The redheaded Wiccan glanced up as she walked into the classroom, to see a hand waving from one of the upper rows of seats. She nodded to acknowledge the gesture, then made her way through the crowd to get to her best friend’s side, where she smiled.

Buffy Summers, the current vampire slayer of her generation, picked up the bookbag she had placed in the chair next to her so Willow could sit down. “Good morning to you.” She saw something in Willow’s eyes, a sparkle that had been missing for so long, and she could not help but smile. It made her feel good to see that Tara was making her best friend this happy.

As the redhead was sitting down, Amora glared at Buffy. ‘Something is different about this one. I sense a strength of will in her I have never felt before. I had best keep a close eye on this ‘Buffy’, until I can learn what makes her aura so much brighter than these others.’

The Succubus kept Buffy in her line of sight as she studied the other people in the class, searching for one who might provide her next meal. She detected a elevated levels of anxiety in the room, apparently in direct relation to something called a test. Many seemed to fear they would not succeed in this upcoming endeavor, a panic which did not extend to Willow—she felt confident she was going to pass, though her confidence did not appear to extend to the one called Buffy.

“The only thing I know I got right, is where I put my name.” She paused. “It is Buffy, right?”

Willow nodded. “Come on. Let’s go drown your sorrows in a chocolate mocha.”

They shared a laugh at that, though Amora could not help but detect a little bit of jealousy stemming from the one called Buffy. It was so tiny, and buried so deeply, as to be almost nonexistent, but the Succubus was certain it could be cultivated into something more...appetizing.

Buffy and Willow got their drinks and a table, but after a few minutes of sitting in silence the Wiccan was beginning to notice her friend had not touched hers. Concerned, she leaned across the table and touched the Slayer’s arm, obviously startling her.

“You seem preoccupied,” said Willow. She wondered if Buffy was beginning to miss Riley, her boyfriend, and a member of the ultra-top secret Initiative. They had been separated for the better part of a week—before the whole affair with Caldon, even—because the new boss of the Initiative had declared the facility be locked down for a week so he could judge its people. “Wanna talk about it?”

Buffy sighed. “Will...” She paused, as if to collect her thoughts. “Do you ever stop to think about how easy you have it?” The abruptness, the very tone of the question, caught the Wiccan completely by surprise. For a moment, she was even too flustered to respond.

“School,” Buffy replied. “Like the test we had today. You didn’t even bat an eye with those questions, and I noticed that you were the first one to turn your paper in. You’re so...smart.”

“No.” Buffy picked up a metal napkin dispenser and crushed it in her bare hands. “See this? I could throw a vampire through a brick wall if I wanted.” She tossed the ball of twisted metal aside. “But all that does not amount to anything in the classroom. In there, Will, you’re the Slayer.”

Amora pondered this new bit of information with concern and trepidation. Even the Succubus knew of the Slayer. In fact, it had been a Slayer who was partially responsible for her last exile to the Netherealms. “Oh, what sweet revenge it would be, to destroy another Slayer.”

“I offered to study with you the other night,” Willow countered. “But you went patrolling instead, so don’t blame me for your intellectual shortcomings. I tried to help.” She was not sure why she felt so angry all of a sudden, it was as if she could not control herself.

“Or what?” The Wiccan frowned. “In case you’ve forgotten, this isn’t high school. I’m not that same little computer nerd who stood in awe of the big, bad Slayer anymore, and you can’t push me around.” She glared at the crumpled remains of the napkin dispenser and—with just a little angry concentration—sent it shooting across the room, into a trash can. “I have power too, so back off!”

“Fine!” Buffy lurched to her feet, and grabbed her book-bag. “I’m out of here!”

Instead, she headed to the only place in Sunnydale she could go for a little mindless fun without having to worry about the consequences.

It was quiet, and mostly empty, this time of day. Technically, it was not even open yet—since it sold liquor it was not supposed to unlock its doors before four or so. But because there was no cover to get in, no band, and most importantly under the law, no alcohol or any other refreshments beings served, the legislation was not applicable. The owners of the Bronze allowed this ‘hanging out’ among students and citizens, because it was an excellent way to build customer relations and word of mouth and that, of course, ultimately got them more revenue, which was what they were seeking after all.

For once, Buffy was glad there was no band. She was trying to get over a headache which had come out of nowhere, and the sort of loud, pounding music the Bronze usually featured would probably have just made it that much worse. Not that she didn’t feel bad enough already though.

‘Oh God. Why did I blow up at Willow like that?’ She remembered being fiercely angry, at the time, but it didn’t make any sense. ‘I have to find her and apologize.’

“Buffy! Over here!” Two familiar faces watched her, from a table on the other side of the dance floor. One was waving, to get her attention no doubt. “Come sit,” said Xander Harris, Buffy’s other closest friend from high school. The other, his girlfriend, Anya, had crossed arms and angry eyes, but he seemed to be oblivious as he got up and held out a chair for Buffy. “Welcome.”

From the look on Anya’s face, she wasn’t too happy about the situation either. Though she looked, and for all intents and purposes was, human—not so long ago she’d been an eleven-hundred and something year old vengeance demon. A botched wish had trapped her in her current form, powerless and oh so mortal, but her dislike of humanity in general remained intact.

On an instinctive level, Amora could sense this. ‘Intriguing. This one is full of rage, jealousy...all of the most delicious human emotions. She might make for an interesting plaything, and perhaps even a source of tremendous power. I should test her resolve, however.’

“So, what’s bumming you, Buff?” Xander asked. “Got the no-Riley blues?”

Buffy frowned. “No, but thanks so much for bringing my lack of a love life up, Xander. I really appreciate it.” She sighed. “I’m sorry. Willow and I got into this big, stupid fight for no reason. One minute everything is going fine, and then the next...”

“...you want to claw one another’s eyes out?” Anya offered. “I know the feeling.” She glared at Buffy, and the Slayer glared right back.

Xander, as usual, did not seem to notice. “Buffy, I’ve known Willow a long time. She’s not one to hold on to a grudge, believe me. You guys’ll be fine, right An?”

“Oh, so you do remember I’m here?” The ex-demon frowned. “So maybe you can think about something... or someone, besides Buffy and Willow. Maybe there’s hope for you yet...” She lurched to her feet. “Though I doubt it. Sometimes I wonder why I bother with you?!”

“You wonder?” Xander stood up. “You’re arrogant, you act like just because you’ve been around for a few millennia you know everything there is to know about everything, and frankly you’ve got about as much tact as...as...” He paused, suddenly finding himself at a loss for words.

Now Buffy felt the urge to speak up, even though she knew it wasn’t her place. “...as your last girlfriend?” she offered. She was not even sure why she said that.

“Leave Cordelia out of this,” said Xander. “She’s got nothing to do with this.”

Anya frowned. “Doesn’t she? I know you’re always comparing me to her. Everybody is. Cordelia Chase is your ex, and as long as I’m with you I’m going to be stuck in her shadow. So...maybe...” A tear rolled down her cheek, but she brushed it aside. “Maybe I shouldn’t be with you anymore.”

“I’m breaking up with you,” said Anya. “It’s over.” She turned and stormed out of the Bronze.

‘Excellent. These humans mask their true emotions under a veneer of civility, but their souls are just as malleable and as easy to manipulate as the others I have encountered. Perhaps even easier, for those of earlier periods did not deny what they were, as do these. But if I am to feed more freely upon the people of this world, I must better know its inhabitants. Human, and otherwise.’

The Succubus turned and strolled out of the Bronze, passing effortlessly through a wall.

Almost immediately after Amora left, Buffy and Xander were overcome by headaches. It was a residual of the Succubus’ tapping into their psyches, an affect she could have lessened or even blocked out if she chose to do so. She rarely did, however, since suffering—even of her own design—was one of the more pleasurable emotions a human being could produce for her.

“Oh man,” Xander put his head in his hands and groaned. “I’d better lay off the caffeine.”

Buffy frowned. “This is the second headache I’ve had since the fight with Willow.”

“Go talk to her,” he said, without raising his head. “Maybe you’ll feel better.”

Away from the emotional influences of the two witches, and the Slayer, Amora began to get a better sense of the city around her. The atmosphere was electric, tingling with raw mystical energy, and she could detect the presence of a great, throbbing source of pure evil.

‘I can sense a curse upon this entire city. Something truly...wicked.’ She touched the twinge of a memory she had seen in the mind of the redheaded Wiccan, and the Slayer. ‘A Hellmouth. Of course. It is no wonder I was drawn to this place.’ She smiled. ‘I shall feast here.’

The Succubus sensed the presence of a familiar psyche, and turned to see the one called Buffy, the Slayer, leaving the structure. For a moment, the entity was torn as to whether continue exploring or to follow, but it was a simple decision in the end. In Buffy’s mind, the precept ‘wherever I go, trouble follows’ seemed to be stronger than all others, and she meant to find out if that was true.

It should have been easy. They knew one another’s class schedules, but when the Slayer went to where she expected Willow to be there was no sign of the Wiccan. Afterwards she spoke with the teacher, and learned that Willow had stopped by to say she would not be attending that day due to not feeling well, so Buffy went back to their dorm room to apologize to her.

Only as it turned out, Willow was not there, either. Her books were, however, which meant she had stayed just long enough to drop them off—and perhaps to change clothes as well, since her closet door was slightly ajar—before she headed out again.

The Slayer frowned. “Man. If she’s not in class and she’s not here, where would she...” Her face fell. “Oh, of course.” She turned to leave. “I’d better give them some together-time. Maybe I’ll go see Giles, and hope Willow doesn’t end up being too pissed at me.”

The redhead was pacing back and forth across Tara’s dorm room, while the blond was sitting cross-legged on the bed with her hands in her lap.

Willow nodded. “No, it is. It really is, and that’s what scares me. For a minute there, before she left, I was so angry at her I could scream. I’ve never felt like that before.”

“You’ve been friends with Buffy a long time, right?” Tara shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe your argument was supposed to happen. Maybe it had been boiling up insider the both of you all these years, and then all of the sudden it just exploded. It happens.”

“Maybe.” Willow sat down on the corner of the bed, and rubbed her forehead. “Now I’m just not sure who I was really mad at. Her, or me.”

Tara put her hands on Willow’s shoulders. “Stop worrying. Everything will be fine.”

“Look at me.” The redhead smiled, and reached out to stroke Tara’s face. “Here I am sitting with the most beautiful woman in the world, and all I can talk about is Buffy. Surely there’s something more important we could be doing, don’t you think?”

Tara nodded, grinned and chuckled softly, then licked her lips. She leaned forward at the same moment as Willow, and the two of them kissed. It started out so tender and gentle, but before long it became something much more heated and hungry.

Rupert Giles, as usual, had his face buried in a book when he heard a knock on the door.

The former librarian set the book aside and got to his feet. “I’m coming...” he announced, loud enough for whoever was outside to hear. This was Sunnydale, after all, and it was none too safe to merely say ‘come in’ when there might be a vampire on the other side of the door. “Oh, Buffy. Come in.”

“Thanks.” The Slayer pulled her hands out of her pockets as she entered, and Giles closed the door behind her. They were both oblivious to the Succubus who stepped through it a moment later, of course, and glared at the ex-Watcher with curiosity and hunger.

Giles frowned. “What’s wrong? You seem troubled, and what’s more...you never knock.”

“Willow and I got into a big argument,” Buffy replied. “I wanted to apologize, but she wasn’t in class, and she wasn’t in our room either.”

“Did you try Tara’s?” he asked. “I understand she had been spending quite a lot of time there.”

“Interrupt what?” Giles started to ask, though his own answer came to him even before he saw the look on Buffy’s face. “Yes, of course.” He took off his glasses and began to clean them, which he generally only did when he was disturbed or embarrassed. “Would it be too personal, for me to inquire as to the nature of your disagreement with Willow?”

“It was majorly stupid on my part,” Buffy said. She plopped down on Giles’ couch, and sighed. “We had a test, and she passes it with flying colors like she usually does. For some reason, it bugged me today, and so I got in her face about it. Isn’t that ridiculous?” He didn’t respond, and she looked up at him, surprised. “Isn’t this the part where you’re supposed to reinforce my self-esteem or something?”

Giles slid his glasses back on, and crossed his arms. “Buffy, there is nothing wrong with feeling a little bit jealous about someone else’s success. Just so long as it does not get out of hand. You two are friends, and I have every confidence you will find some way to work this out.”

She returned to her dorm room, to change clothes and to watch some television while she waited to see or hear from Willow. Nothing happened before nightfall, and she was just about to break down and call over to Tara’s when the phone rang.

“Will? Oh, Xander.” The Slayer shook her head. “What? No, Giles said it was pretty quiet tonight. I don’t have to patrol unless I just want to.” She paused, listening. “The Bronze? Now? I don’t know, Xander, I was hoping to talk to Willow and...oh. They are? Okay. I’ll be there in a few.”

As the Slayer was reaching for her leather jacket, Amora smiled. ‘As will I.’

True to her word, Buffy—with the still invisible Succubus right behind her—entered the front doors of the Bronze, noting how much different the place looked at night. The lights were dimmed, a band called DARK PHOENIX RISING was playing loud enough to wake the dead—which wasn’t just a casual turn of phrase in Sunnydale—and, of course, there were people. Lots of people, most of them young. On the dance floor, at the bar, and sitting or standing around many of the tables in the back.

Amora’s fangs peeked out from under her lips as she drank in the rampant waves of lust flowing from one end of the room to the other. She was amazed some of the teenagers were not ripping one another’s clothes off and having sex right then and there. Of course, given a little time and her powers of persuasion, that was certainly a possibility due further consideration.

Buffy spotted Xander, at least, from across the club and slithered her way through the seething, somewhat sweaty mass of human flesh on the dance floor. He waved to her, and as she got closer to the table she saw a familiar looking face seated beside him. Anya, and she was holding his hand. “Hey guys,” the Slayer said as she found her way on to a stool. “I see Cupid’s been busy tonight.”

Xander nodded. “An showed at my place, just a couple of hours after you left. We talked...”

“...and then we had our make-up sex,” Anya added. “And it was glorious.”

He rested his head in his hands, once again too embarrassed by her forthrightness to respond, while Buffy just smiled and nodded nervously.

“You said Willow was going to show,” the Slayer replied. “I wanted to talk to her.”

Buffy followed his gesture to the dance floor, where Willow and Tara was leaning against one another and grinning broadly as they swayed back and forth to the rhythm. Dancing was too generous a word to describe what they were doing, but they looked so good together it was hard to find fault.

She wasn’t sure if Willow and Tara knew she was there or not—there was a large crowd of people between them and the table after all—but they continued to dance with each other, fending off the occasional male or two, for close to an hour. Even Xander and Anya got up and left the table briefly, first to dance and later for refreshments. They got back with a tray of drinks just in time, as the two Wiccans finally left the dance floor and returned to the table.

“What’s wrong with right here?” Willow asked. “We have no secrets to hide, right guys?”

Xander shrugged his shoulders. “Hey, I’m not getting in the middle of this.”

“Maybe you try to kiss and make up.” Anya put her arm around Xander. “It did wonders for us.”

Willow crossed her arms. “Buffy, look. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”

“No, it’s my fault.” The Slayer got to her feet. “My total bad. Will, I’m not really envious of you. Just how easily this school-stuff comes to you. It’s not your fault you’re so intelligent, and you should not have to put up with people like me getting all up in your face about it.”

As the two friends embraced, Tara reacted. She crossed her arms and lowered her head, and Amora’s eyes turned to the blond Wiccan. ‘My, my, what have we here? Jealousy on the mind of the girlfriend. It seems she envies the relationship of these two. Interesting.’ The Succubus delved into Buffy’s subconscious, in the hopes of finding something she could use to drive apart the two witches, thereby halving their power and lessening the chances of their finding a way to stop her.

Buffy’s mind was glacial at that moment. Literally. It was icy cold—the only spark of heat being a sense of longing and envy she seemed to feel every time she saw how Xander and Anya, and particularly Willow and Tara, were touching and holding one another.

‘The Slayer is alone.’ Amora smiled. ‘Her lover has been away from her for days now, and she feels the inner pain of missing him, but none of her companions seem to notice. They are all involved in their own relationships to come to her aid.’ She strode away from the table, passing through several people by one of the rear tables, and then paused behind the stairs. ‘This should be fun.’

The Succubus body underwent an incredible transformation, in a matter of seconds. She became corporeal one moment, and then—utilizing her people’s inborn ability to take on whatever form was most appealing to a target—altered her physical appearance to that of a human male. A particular male to be exact, the traits of whom she had gleaned from Buffy’s subconscious mind.

Riley Finn, as far as anyone knew, stepped out from behind the staircase a few seconds later and asked the first woman ‘he’ met to dance. She agreed, of course, he was a big, strapping young man after all, and Riley clasped her hand in his as he led her out to the dance floor.

Back at the table, Willow looked up from her soda as the music started again. “Hey, I love this song. Tara, let’s go dance.”

“I’ll go with you,” Xander offered, heedless of the resulting glare he got from Anya.

“Don’t get all hot and bothered,” Buffy said to Anya when she saw the look on the ex-demon’s face. “You really don’t have to worry about Xander. Trust me, he’s committed to you.”

“All human males have the tendency to follow their carnal urges,” said Anya. “Believe me I know. I spent eleven hundred years punishing them for it.”

“Oh, and you believe your precious Riley is immune to his lustful side?” The ex-demon shook her head. “I don’t think so.” She pointed. “Look.”

Buffy followed Anya’s lead, and her face fell. Riley was out on the dance floor, with a beautiful young girl in tight black leather, and he was kissing her.

Slowly, the Slayer rose to her feet. It had to be a trick, an illusion. This could not be what it looked like. It had to be something else. She felt her heart rising into her throat, it was getting harder to breath as she took a step closer to the couple, and cleared her throat.

Buffy wasn’t even sure if he had heard her, or if he realized she was there at all. But when she opened her to try again, he pulled back from the girl he was kissing and turned his head to look down at her. He did not seem surprised or embarrassed either.

The Slayer blinked, several times, hoping everything would go back to the way it had been before she saw this. Before she found her boyfriend kissing someone else, and apparently being totally unrepentant about it to her face. Her pale, trembling hands clenched into fists.

Riley kissed the dark-haired girl on the forehead and brushed her aside, then he took Buffy by the arm and directed her off the dance floor and away from prying eyes. “What in the world are you so upset about? I am here same as you, to have a little fun. What’s the big deal?”

Buffy couldn’t believe her ears. “What’s the big deal? You were kissing a...a...who is she, Riley? Someone you met when you were ‘locked-down’? Another member of the Initiative?”

“If you say so.” Riley crossed his arms and sighed. “I wasn’t aware I had to explain myself to you, Buffy. I am a grown man, after all. It’s not like It’s not like we ever said we were exclusive.”

The Slayer was torn—half of her wanted to run away and cry, the other half wanted to tear Riley’s head off and kick it across the room. She was capable of doing either. “I thought we were happy. If you wanted to see other people, you should have just said so. You didn’t have to make up some lie about being locked down in the complex for a week.” She began trembling with a mixture of anger and grief, and her body did not know which way to react, so it settled for controlled, internal chaos.

Within ‘Riley’, the Succubus smiled. She had chosen well. A potentially explosive emotional reaction was building inside of the Slayer, and Amora sensed quite a feast if she only pushed a little harder. “Hey, it’s not like this is the first time you’ve been screwed, Buffy. You slept with your very first boyfriend and he turned into a murderous monster. You get him back only to have to try and kill him. Then you come here, you give yourself to Parker, the first good-looking guy you met on campus, and he turns on you, right? So what’s the big deal? I should think you’d be used to it by now.”

Buffy just snapped. Without even pausing to consider her actions she lashed out at Riley, with a backhand blow that knocked him several feet backwards and through a table. People screamed and moved to get out of the way, on-stage the band stopped playing, and Buffy’s friends came running.

The Slayer’s eyes were dark, furious, and she literally growled when someone touched her arm. Using just a fraction of her superhuman strength she shoved the offender away, never realizing she had knocked one of her best friends for a loop. Xander rammed into Anya as she came forward to help him, and the two of them crumpled to floor, unconscious, while Willow and Tara looked on in horror.

Riley lifted his head, his eyes burning with a fire that no one but Buffy could see, and she was too out of it to notice, or care. “I underestimated you, Slayer! Your body is extraordinary, and I would have use of it!” In a flash, literally, the Succubus devolved her form back to its intangible, invisible state, and then ‘leapt’ into the body of the unsuspecting Slayer.

Normally she only tried to do it when her intended victim was asleep and vulnerable. But Buffy’s will had been shattered, leaving her conscious mind weak, and from there it was just a matter of shutting down a few stray synapses in order to take over her body with little or no resistance.

Amora opened ‘her’ eyes, and saw the world around her for the first time...as a mortal.

Willow approached Buffy, fully aware she apparently just seen her best friend throwing Xander across the room before she realized it was him.

“Buffy?” the redhead asked worriedly. “What’s going on? What are you doing?”

The Succubus raised ‘her’ head, Buffy’s eyes surging with energy for an instant as she did so. “Will?” She altered her voice so it sounded weak and frightened. She even trembled slightly to complete the illusion she was trying to cast. “I-I can’t...oh Willow, help me. Please, help me.”

“I will,” said the Wiccan. “I’m right here, Buffy.” She touched her friend’s arm. “I’m right here.”

Amora sneered. “Yes I know!” With blinding speed she grabbed Willow’s shoulders with enough strength to cause the Wiccan to cry out as she lifted her ‘friend’ off her feet. “Fool!” The Succubus turned and threw the redhead like a rag doll...she fell on to a table, rolling over it and on to the floor.

“NO!” The Succubus turned to find the other bothersome Wiccan, Tara, rushing at her. The blond had her hands up and was chanting. Suddenly, streamers of smoke erupted from her fingertips, blinding ‘Buffy’ and causing the Slayer’s body to gasp and wheeze.

Amora stumbled back, all too aware of how vulnerable she was in this body. ‘If this witch learns who and what I was, she could bind me in this mortal form. Or worse, awaken the Slayer and combine their powers to banish me back to the Netherealms.’ She decided it would be for the best if she got away, and learned just what the Slayer’s body was capable of, before she confronted the witches again.

Tara fell to her knees beside Willow, who was bruised and unconscious, tears streaming down her face, as ‘Buffy’ abruptly turned and ran out of the Bronze.

Rupert Giles burst into the emergency room of the Sunnydale Memorial Hospital, out of breath, and saw a familiar figure sitting with her head in her hands.

The blond Wiccan slowly lifted her head. “Oh, Mr. Giles. You got my message?”

Tara explained as best she could. It wasn’t easy, since she did not know all of the details. Willow returned to their table to tell them how she had seen Riley in the crowd with another woman, Anya got up to look for Xander, and then there was a loud crash. She and Willow forced their way through the crowd, in time to see Buffy pushing Xander into Anya and then...at which point he stopped her.

It was difficult for either of them to believe, particularly Giles, who had known Buffy so much longer. By the end he had removed his glasses and was shaking his head. “There must be an outside force at work here, Buffy would never attack Willow, or any of her friends.” He looked to Tara. “How are they? Willow and the others? Were they badly hurt?”

The Wiccan shook her head. “I’m not sure. We rode together in the ambulance, but the doctors told me to wait out here. I haven’t heard anything more, and I’m really starting to get worried about Willow.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I-If anything happens to her...”

“I’m sure she’ll be fine,” said Giles. “The doctors here are very competent.”

“I was blaming myself. On the way over here, I thought if I’d been faster, if I’d stayed by Willow’s side, it might have turned out differently. I might have been able to do something.”

“Then I realized, it’s not my fault.” She lifted her head. “It’s Buffy’s.” The blonde's eyes were dark, angry, and she gritted her teeth. “But I won’t let her get away with it.”

Giles had not known Tara for very long and still did not know her very well, but he could not imagine she really meant was she was saying. She had always struck him as peaceful and gentle, which he guessed was a large part of why Willow was so drawn to her. “Everything will be fine, I’m sure. Why don’t we go see how Willow and the others are doing, and then we can concentrate on Buffy.”

Amora found herself returning to the UC Sunnydale campus, after she left the Bronze, though she was not sure if the desire to do so was her own, or that of the Slayer whose body she had possessed. A tiny fragment of Buffy’s consciousness still remained active, buried deep within their mind, and she was constantly trying to break free. But the Succubus’ willpower was stronger in this instance, and would remain so for as long as she was able to maintain their bodies seething anger.

“I have never faced this level of resistance before...” ‘Buffy’ hissed through clenched teeth. “You are to be commended. Nonetheless, I shall win, for I am the superior intellect.”

Startled, the Succubus turned Buffy’s body, to find herself being watched by a single red eye glaring out of the shadow of a dorm building. Something big was standing there.

“Of course. Though you already know me...” The massive figure strode confidently out of the darkness...it was a patchwork abomination if there ever was one. Part human, with the attributes of a number of different demons, and part mechanical. “...miss Summers. If, in fact, that is who you really are.”

Somewhere in the Slayer’s subconscious, Amora dredged up a name for the...thing. “Adam.”

“I have been watching you for some time,” the demonoid began. “And I believe I have come to understand who and what Buffy Summers is. So when I saw you a few moments ago, I thought something was off. Your gait is slow, unsteady, as if you do not quite understand how to work your feet. Which leads me to ask...who are you? And how is it have you come into possession of the Slayer’s body?”

The Succubus could not sense anything from the creature before it. As if it was there, and yet not, and that more than anything might have scared her—if it were possible. “I am called Amora. I took her form during a moment of weakness, and I must say...it is glorious!”

Adam shook his head. “This was not meant to be. I had plans for the Slayer. She is to be my tool, not a toy for one who is not even of this dimension!”

“A kinetically redundant demonoid, though I doubt that means anything to you. Suffice it to say this place is mine, and you are not welcome here!” Adam’s mechanical eye flashed. “Leave the Slayer’s body, now, or I will be forced to take matters into my own hands!”

Amora smiled. “You are angry. I can feel it!” At last, she was able to sense a flare of emotion from Adam, which meant he was, for a moment at least, susceptible. While he was distracted by the uncontrollable surge of anger she reflected back at him, the Succubus urged Buffy’s body forward. Utilizing the Slayer’s strength and speed, it was a simple matter for her to twirl around and drive the heel of her boot into Adam’s chest—a roundhouse kick which would probably have gone right through a vampire.

In this instance, however, it was like striking a brick wall. Adam didn’t budge, didn’t even flinch...but the resulting backlash of pain recoiled up Buffy’s leg, and through her spinal column. She twisted painfully and lost her balance, landing on her side with an angry grunt.

Adam shook his head. “It seems I underestimated you, Amora. Perhaps there is room in this realm for the both of us. Continue your efforts if you must, but know this. If you fail, I shall be there to pick up the pieces, and I promise you will not be so fortunate a second time.” He stepped back, into the shadow, and in the time it took her to blink, he was gone.

“Demons.” Amora sat up. “Always so wonderfully melodramatic.” She looked around, her eyes narrowing as she heard a scream. “Someone’s in trouble.” The part of her consciousness that was still Buffy wanted to leap into action, but it was the Succubus who was in control. “Your body has gone to waste before now. You possess more power than anyone has ever dreamed, and yet you use it only to maintain a status quo between the human world and the demon world.” A second, louder scream rang out, and the Succubus arched one of Buffy’s eyebrows. “On second thought, perhaps this is just what I need. To see humans suffering, to feel the fear and the agony, it might make for a delicious distraction.”

At first the doctor was reluctant to divulge information about his patients since neither Tara nor Giles was related to any of them. But the Wiccan proved more insistent, and since no other true family members came forward he eventually relented.

“Mr. Harris and Ms. uhm...Anya, were treated for bruises and lacerations. They have been discharged, but I do not believe either has actually left the hospital.” He picked up one another clipboard. “Ms. Rosenberg’s condition was somewhat more serious. A preliminary examination indicated she had partially dislocated her left shoulder, we placed it back in the socket and have immobilized it. She should regain full use of the limb in a week or so, barring further injury of course.” He scanned the chart, and nodded. “I first thought she had a concussion, or some other localized neural trauma, but our CT scans have revealed nothing so far. I’ll just need to keep her overnight for observation, but if the tests turns out to be negative—as I have every reason to believe they will—I should be able to release her in the morning.”

“Of course.” He pointed. “It’s down that corridor and to the right. Room 317.” A tone sounded on his belt, a pager no doubt. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have another patient to see.” He started away. “By the way, it is only half an hour until visiting hours end I’m afraid. And since neither of you is related to the patient, it’s against hospital policy for you to remain after hours. I’m sorry.”

Moments later, the two of them entered room 317, to learn they were apparently the only ones concerned about Willow’s condition. Xander and Anya were there as well, both of them looking battered and tired, but hardly the worse for wear, all things considered.

Willow Rosenberg was conscious, and had been talking until the door opened, but the redhead appeared to have been through a war zone. Her left arm was in a sling, and a large bruise covered most of the left side of her face, though treatment had reduced the swelling somewhat. She looked like she was exhausted, but her eyes did light up considerably when she saw Tara. “You’re okay?”

The blond rushed to her friend’s side. “I’m fine,” she said quietly, clasping Willow’s hand. “I’m just sorry this happened to you. I wish I could have done something, stopped her somehow...”

“No.” Willow shook her head, despite the pain. “If you’d tried she might have hurt you too, and I couldn’t stand to see that happen.”

“Besides,” Anya crossed her arms. “It’s not like you could have stopped her. Like any of us could. She’s a Slayer after all, and if she’s gone crazy, the whole city is in trouble.”

Xander frowned. “Buffy is not crazy!” He turned to Giles. “Something must have set her off. I didn’t get a good look, but Giles...I could swear Riley was there one minute, and gone the next. Could some demon have snuck into the Bronze and attacked Buffy? Done something to mess with her mind to make her see us as her enemies or something? I mean, that’s possible? Right?”

“Certainly. Almost anything is conceivable when one lives on a Hellmouth.” Giles took off his glasses. “I shall have to do some research...to determine if any known demon species employ that particular method to incapacitate their victims. It will take some time, however.”

The ex-demon saw them all looking at her, and shook her head. “No, forget it. I’m not getting involved in another one of your damned Scooby missions. I’m going home to take a long, hot shower, then I’m going to see what is coming on the cable television.” With that, she stormed out of the room, and for once Xander’s first urge what not to go running after her...he had more important things to worry about.

“I’m staying her,” the Wiccan replied, making no effort to move away from Willow.

“Very well.” Giles and Xander said their good-byes, and soon the two Wiccan’s were alone.

Tara so desperately wanted to kiss Willow, but she was fearful of hurting her. The redhead recognized her expression, smiled, then leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek instead. “I’m okay. Really. Better even, now that you’re here.” The blond Wiccan smiled too.

‘Buffy’ raced around the corner and then skidded to a stop as she found a group of four big, mean-looking vampires toying with a pretty young brunette. Her shirt had been ripped open to reveal a lacey white bra she wore underneath, and she was trembling and sweating, but she didn’t appear to have been bitten as yet. The Succubus smiled as she drank in all the terror and confusion the girl was feeling.

“Hey!” One of the vampires, a big bald one, pointed at her. “Look! Company!”

Another vampire, this one a rather swarthy individual, snarled. “You mean dessert. Get her, boys!”

Two of the bloodsuckers remained behind, while the other two, growled and lunged at ‘Buffy’, their claws and fangs extended. She shook her head.

“Fools!” Curious about the extent of ‘her’ Slayer strength, Amora stepped forward and grabbed the two approaching vampires by the throat. She stopped both bloodsuckers dead in their tracks, so to speak, and with only a slight pain in her shoulders she lifted them off their feet. “I wasn’t looking for a fight! But since you insist...” While she could have simply snapped their necks, given the position they were in, she was also fully aware that would not have actually killed either of them. “I’m willing to oblige!” She turned and threw both vampires at a nearby tree—they were subsequently impaled on two outstretched branches, and turned to dust with angry screams on their lips. She shook her head. “Vampires.”

The remaining two fiends glanced at one another, then tossed aside their would-be meal, and held up their hands. “We surrender,” one said.

“I am,” ‘Buffy’ said after a moment. Her eyes widened. “And you two...are afraid of me aren’t you?” They nodded, licking their fangs, acknowledging what she already knew. Somehow, she was able to sense both of these vampires’ emotions, the fear and anxiety they felt at being confronted by someone they knew was fully capable of destroying the two of them. It should not have been possible though, since her abilities had never before been capable of affecting the undead, or any nonliving entity for that matter. ‘It must have something to do with my being in this Slayer’s body. Her senses are supernaturally heightened, and somehow I must be unconsciously merging them with my own. Interesting.’

The vampires apparently interpreted her hesitation as a sign of weakness, or perhaps fear, and their desire to feed overwhelmed their common sense. Both of them snarled and leaped at ‘Buffy’, probably in the hopes of taking the Slayer by surprise, but it was not meant to be.

Amora jerked her head up, smiled, and then backhanded one of the vampires with enough force to shatter his jaw and to damn near snap his neck. His was twisted and tossed head over heels and landed in a heap on the ground, and was understandably in no hurry to get back up. The other vampire’s fear level spiked as she turned his way, and in desperation he threw a wild right cross, but with little effort at all she reached up and caught his hand in her own, absorbing the force of the blow. He howled in pain as the resulting backlash of kinetic energy shot up his arm, but his cries were silenced when she punched him in the face with her other hand, shattering several of his teeth, including the fangs. He fell to his knees, and she smiled as she casually reached down and twisted his neck until it cracked. A few moments later, she jerked up her arms and ripped off his head. It, and he, quickly turned to dust.

Amora brushed herself off, and then flexed ‘her’ arms. “Intriguing. I do believe there is more to this body than even the Slayer realizes. She is wasting all of this potential fighting these pathetic creatures, to save an even more pathetic race of creatures.” She whipped one of the stakes from Buffy’s sleeve, and used it to do away with the vampire laying at her feet, then tossed it aside. “Even now, the great hunger is upon me. First I must appease it, and then I will decide upon my next course of action.”

A moan attracted the Succubus’ attention. Over her shoulder she saw the young brunette the vampires had been tormenting, and she smiled. “Hmm...I may have a use for this one.”

Willow half-smiled. “I’m fine. Don’t worry so much.” She sighed. “Right now, we have to concentrate on finding Buffy. Helping her.”

“But why?” Tara asked. “She’s the one who hurt you. She’s the one why put you here?”

“No. It wasn’t her. I don’t know how or why, but it wasn’t her.” Willow caressed Tara’s cheek. “I listened when you told me about Buffy and Faith switching bodies, please listen to me now. Whoever that was in the Bronze, it was not Buffy who did what she did. It may have been her body, but I saw it in her eyes, and I felt it in her hands...someone or something else is responsible. I know it.”

Tara nodded. “I trust your judgment. But, what do you want to do about it? We can’t afford to try another Passage to the Netherealms spell, you’re too weak.”

Abruptly, the hospital room door popped open, and a nurse entered. Unnoticed by Willow, Tara started to chant under her breath as the raven-haired nurse cleared her throat.

“I’m sorry miss, but visiting hours are over. “You’ll have to come back in the morning.”

Tara made a gesture with her free hand and then looked the nurse in the eye. “But I am gone,” she said in a decidedly monotone voice. “You do not see me here, because I am not here. You and the other nurses, and the doctors too, can go about your business and forget about me.”

“I can forget...forget...” The nurse blinked. “Oh. Miss Rosenberg, I...” She shook her head. “I didn’t mean to disturb you. Is everything all right? Can I get you anything?”

Willow glanced at Tara, then shook her head. “No thank you, I’m just fine.”

The nurse nodded. “Very well. Page me if you do need anything.” She turned and left.

“It was just a Kenobi Illusion spell,” Tara replied. “I told her what she wanted to here, and she’ll spread it around to the other people in the hospital too. We should have privacy until morning.”

Back at Giles’, he and Xander were deep into ‘research-mode’ trying to figure out what happened to Buffy and the others at the Bronze. Using the first-hand accounts from Tara at the hospital and now Xander, Giles was able to narrow down the likely possibilities to either some advanced form or mental control, or perhaps a case of true possession, where an entity had actually invaded her mind.

But despite all their efforts, they were still no closer to an answer than when they had started the search in the first place. There were just so many kinds of creatures, capable of doing just the sort of things they were looking for, that it caused many a hopeful, but fruitless, find.

“Hey!” Xander, who was sprawled out on the couch with books all around him, looked up from one in his lap with hopeful eyes. “The Mughara demon! It says they can transfer their consciousness into a prospective host at will, and they usually cause chaos and destruction with it.”

Giles, seated at his desk with even more books, shook his head. “Xander, if you read on, you’ll find that a Mughara demon is eight feet tall and has fire where most beings have hair. As I recall, they must also make flesh to flesh contact to initiate a transfer. I am fairly certain that even the people in the Bronze would have noticed such a creature in their midst?”

Xander frowned. “But there has to be something we can do. We have to help her!”

“I share in your frustration,” said Giles. “But given that she is the Slayer, Buffy could be very dangerous if she is not in control of her own faculties. It would be prudent for us to learn as much about her condition as we can, before we seek a confrontation with her.”

Xander’s shoulders sagged. “Yeah, I guess so.” He slammed the book closed. “I’m sick of sitting around. I say we go out there and find Buffy, before she hurts someone else.”

‘Buffy’ approached the vampires would-be victim as she was getting back to her feet, grabbed the brunette by the wrists, and lifted her back against a wall. The Succubus leered at the girl’s full, round breasts, as they swayed and bounced within the confines of her bra, in her struggle to escape.

“Mmm...yes. You certainly are a healthy young specimen.” Amora licked ‘her’ lips.

The terrified brunette’s eyes filled with tears. “P-Please...” She shook her head. “Don’t hurt me. Whatever you want, I’ll do whatever you want me to. Just please...”

‘Buffy’ smiled. “Of course you will, my dear. It’s not as if you actually had a choice.” She leaned over and kissed the girl full on the mouth, shoving her tongue between her slack lips, and soliciting a low moan from low in her throat. ‘And now...’

The Succubus reached into the helpless girl’s mind, into the part of her subconscious where memories and emotions often met, and severed all but one of the psychic nerves present there. She cut the girl off from any emotional stimuli which Amora herself did not place there, essentially turning the girl into the equivalent of a living zombie, only under her complete control.

“Mmm...” ‘Buffy’ stepped back and licked her lips. “Delicious.” Her voice seemed to be turning more and more husky, the longer the Succubus remained in her body. “But one thing troubles me.” She slithered up to the girl, and rubbed their bodies together. “Tell me...what is your name?”

Amora nuzzled her servant’s neck, and allowed her to feel shudders of pleasure and desire. “If I am to use you, Donna, you shall have blend in with others. And that means obtaining more of these ridiculous humans garments, and...” She smiled. “I think I know just the place.”

Amora led them to an address she took from Buffy’s memory, but instead of going to the front door they went around back and down to the basement. The Succubus kissed her still scantily clad servant once more, and then knocked on the door, trying to hide the hunger in her own eyes.

Anya opened it a few moments later, and her face fell when she saw Buffy. “Oh. It’s you.”

“I was hoping it would be Xander,” the ex-demon replied. “Finally come to his senses.”

‘Buffy’ hesitated, her eyes narrowing. “But, isn’t this his...apartment? Why would he knock?”

“Sometimes we place this game where...” Anya shook her head. “Never mind. Xander’s not here, so there is no reason for you to be. Good-bye.” She started to close the door, but ‘Buffy’ reached out with one hand and effortlessly held it in place.

Anya seemed surprised. “Me? Really?” She frowned. “Why? And who’s she?”

“Donna’s got this problem with a demon, and you’re the closest thing we have to an expert.”

‘Buffy’ and Donna slipped inside, and the ex-demon closed the door behind them.

‘Buffy’ smiled. “Actually, it’s really more of a Succubus. I assume you’re familiar with them?”

Anya nodded. “I’ve met one or two in my time. Most of them are real sluts.” She missed the flash of anger which crossed ‘Buffy’s’ face, as she had turned her back. “If there’s one here in Sunnydale we’d better keep an eye on our men, in case she...” Her eyes widened. “Xander!”

Amora was amused. Anya’s emotions were as much bitterness and jealousy as they were concern, she was just as afraid he would cheat on her as he might be in trouble. “Not exactly. He kissed this girl while were at the Bronze, and we didn’t find out until later she was a Succubus.”

“And now she’s taken over his mind?” ‘Buffy’ nodded, and Anya gritted her teeth. “The bitch! I’ll...” Her eyes narrowed. “Wait, you said he was kissing her before he knew she was a Succubus? He was just kissing some woman at the Bronze? That bastard!”

“Makes you mad, doesn’t it?” said ‘Buffy’. “Makes you jealous, right?”

“You’d like to get even with him, wouldn’t you? To make him pay for betraying you?”

Amora smiled. Pushing this girl emotionally was almost too easy, she barely even needed her powers. “So do it. If it you really want to get to him, you kiss someone else!”

At Sunnydale Memorial Hospital, Room 317, two young Wiccans were kissing...at least as best they could without one further injuring the other. Tara had to resist the urge to put her arms around Willow, or to plant a series of passionate kisses all over her bruised face, and settled for her lips exclusively...not that either of them was complaining, of course.

Finally, it was the redhead who pulled away. “W-Wait...” she said breathlessly. “We have to stop.”

Willow shook her head. “Not at all. But as enjoyable as this is, and it is, believe me, I can’t help but worry about Buffy. She’s in trouble, I just know, and I have to help her.”

“We have to help her,” said Tara. “Wherever you go, whatever you do, I’ll be there for you.”

The redhead touched her friend’s face and smiled. “I know, and thank you.” She sighed. “If only I had my spell books. I’ll bet I could find a spell or an incantation or something. Something that would help us figure out a way to help Buffy. Only it’s back at the dorm.”

“Why don’t I call Mr. Giles or Xander, and have them bring it in the morning?” asked Tara.

The redhead returned the lecherous grin with one of her own. “I think I’ve created a monster.”

“We’re wasting out time! Books are getting us nowhere! We should be out there patrolling. Trying to find Buffy before she gets into trouble, or hurts someone else.”

Giles took off his glasses and stood up. “Xander, for once I am beginning to agree with you.”

“Without some frame of reference, we have no way of identifying a creature which may be responsible for Buffy’s condition.” Giles sighed. “Xander, tell me about the other night at the Bronze. Is there anything else you can remember about Buffy’s actions?”

“I don’t know.” Giles started to absently clean his glasses. “Let’s try a different approach. Think back, not just to the night at the Bronze, but the last few days. Has anything unusual happened? Perhaps something you thought was trivial or otherwise unimportant at the time? At this point almost anything could be a clue as to what is going on with Buffy. Think, Xander.”

“Because it seems like it’s been happening a lot lately. I mean, Buffy and Willow got into a fight the other day. Then me and An did too, which...” Xander nodded. “...okay, is pretty common, I’ll admit. Even though this one seemed to come out of nowhere.” He cocked his head. “Buffy and Riley just topped it off. It’s like all of our relationships were falling apart at the same time.”

Giles eyes widened somewhat. “Xander, you may just be on to something.” He got up and dug into one of the books on his desk. “No...no...yes! Here it is!” He brought the book over to the couch. “There is a certain class of demons, and demonic-type entities, which prey on human thoughts and emotions, the stronger they are the better. Most are routinely called Succubi, or Incubi, depending.”

“The Succubi are most commonly associated with the female. Incubi with the male. Although, in truth it is something of a misnomer. These entities are gender neuter, their natural state is as an energy-form. But if pressed they can take human form, and most choose a particular one.”

Xander nodded. “Okay. And you think one of these...whatchamacallits is after Buffy?”

“Possibly.” Giles frowned. “Although, I can’t recall any instances of Succubi or Incubi taking over human bodies. This may be something the old scholars missed, or perhaps something they kept out of the texts for some reason. It’s hard to say.” He shook his head. “Nevertheless, we until we have more research we cannot be certain either such entity is responsible.”

“You mean...more studying?” Xander asked, his hopes of an evening with Anya dashed.

‘Buffy’ nodded. “Why not? Can you possibly think of anything worse? His girlfriend kissing someone he’s had a major crush on for years?” She smiled. “It’s priceless.”

Anya frowned. “Maybe. But wouldn’t Xander have to be here for it to work?”

“Oh, not necessarily,” said ‘Buffy’. “Rumors can be just as much fun.”

Anya licked her lips. “I don’t think I’m comfortable with this. Maybe if Xander were here...”

“We can consider this a practice run then.” ‘Buffy’ smiled as she backed the other girl into a corner. “I do not bite, you know. Despite what you may have heard.”

Anya shook her head. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but I don’t like it.”

‘Buffy’ pouted as she reached for the other girl. “Oh, now that’s a shame. Because I can be real nice when I want to be...” She glanced over her shoulder. “Right?” Donna nodded, her face a blank slate. “Of course, if

you resist me...” The Succubus grabbed Anya’s right arm, squeezing just enough to make her cry out. “I can also be a real bitch! Which you, of all people, should understand!”

Tears of pain squeezed out Anya’s eyes as she struggled to get away, but to no end. “Buffy, stop it! You’re hurting me!” She could tell there was something wrong—the two of them were not exactly friends, but Buffy had always at least been civil to her before. She had never been...mean. “Please!”

‘Buffy’ leered at the ex-demon. “Music to my ears.” The Succubus pinned Anya to the wall with one arm, and entwined the other in her short-cropped hair. “Come to me,” she whispered, just before planting Buffy’s mouth firmly against Anya’s tight lips. When the ex-demon opened her mouth, to protest, the Succubus slid

her tongue into the other girl’s mouth, eliciting a muffled yelp. ‘Now...’

Unlike that of most of the other humans Amora had tasted, Anya’s consciousness was ordered, almost to a fault. Her thought process was organized in a literal, straight-forward manner...she said what she meant and she meant what she said, period. Delving deeper into her subconscious, the Succubus learned how Anya felt about Xander—how much she loved him and how much it scared her, as well as how she really felt about all of his friends. She considered Buffy to be single-minded and dangerous, Giles was a prude, albeit somewhat cute in a studious sort of way, and Willow...well, she considered the redheaded Wiccan to be a threat. Not to her directly, but rather to her relationship with Xander. The two of them had a long-standing friendship that dated back to childhood, and she knew that Willow had once had feelings for Xander which once blossomed into potential love. They were eventually quelled by Willow’s relationship with Oz as well as Xander’s with the rather vacuous, to her at least, Cordelia Chase. Now with Cordelia gone and Willow’s attention diverted to the other Wiccan, Tara, Anya was finally beginning to feel safe.

Amora knew she had the other girl the moment her mind began to wander. Her dislike of the time Xander and Willow spent together on ‘Scooby missions’ was like a doorway for the Succubus, and she easily moved into the ex-demon’s consciousness. Within a matter of a few moments she did the same thing to her she had done to Donna Crawford, and Anya’s body fell limp in ‘Buffy’s’ arms.

Amora pulled her head back, their lips separating with a loud pop. She smiled and nuzzled Anya’s throat, chuckling at the way the other girl shivered when she allowed her to feel the pleasure. “Excellent. With this one under my control...” She put an arm around Anya, and motioned for Donna to step forward. “...and this one to play with, my hold on this plane grows ever stronger!”

The Succubus pulled Anya and Donna closer together, so the two girls breasts were touching, and then an evil grin crossed her face. “However, before I move on to my next conquest, I believe a little entertainment is in order. Don’t you agree, girls?”

The next morning, at Sunnydale Memorial Hospital, a nurse opened the door of Room 317 and glanced in to see two young women curled up in bed together. She bit her lip to fight back a smile and stepped into the room, clearing her throat to announce herself.

Tara woke first. She sat up, her eyes widening when she saw the nurse. “Oh. Uhm...” Her cheeks turned a most delightful shade of red. “I can...this is...uhmm...Willow?”

The redhead sat up. “What is...oh. Hi.” She looked from the nurse, to Tara, and back again. “I can explain this. You see, we...that is I...oh...”

“Uh huh.” The nurse shook her head. “Personally, I don’t care. But hospital policy says that no one who is not a direct family member can remain in a patients room overnight. Your friend should not be here...” She checked her watch. “...for another twenty minutes.” She turned and reached for the door. “So, I just came in to tell you, I’ll be bringing breakfast by in about twenty minutes.”

Tara breathed a sigh of relief as the nurse left. “Do you think she’ll turn us in?”

“I doubt it,” said Willow. “It may be against hospital policy for you to be here but it’s not illegal...as far as I know. They may frown on it, but I doubt there is anything they could, or really would, do about it. Besides, you heard the nurse.” She smiled. “Officially you can not be here for another twenty minutes, so for the next twenty minutes...you’re not.”

After a moment, Tara returned the smile. “I think I’d better go call Mr. Giles.”

“That was Tara,” said Giles, getting up from his desk. “Willow wants us to bring one of her spell books to the hospital when we come. It’s at their dorm.”

Xander shrugged off a pile of books from the couch and stood up. “Okay, tell you what. Why don’t you go get the book and head over to the hospital. I’m going to go home, change clothes, and see if I can’t convince Anya to come with me.”

Xander shrugged. “Whatever. She’s 1100 years old. She’s bound to know something useful.”

A short time later, as he approached the basement apartment where he lived Xander took notice of the fact his door was slightly ajar.

Only Xander never even left it unlocked, it would have driven his mother nuts if he did. From that he was fairly sure Anya had to be inside...she didn’t care what other people thought and had little or no patience for rules and regulations. He hesitated, a hand on the doorknob, and took a deep breath as he steeled his nerves in preparation for the inevitable confrontation.

Xander threw the door open. “Anya, I...” His eyes widened. “Oh...my...god...”

Anya was there alright, but she wasn’t alone. At that moment, his ex-demon girlfriend was rolling around in his bed with another woman—someone he didn’t recognize. They were both naked, sweaty, and kissing in a most passionate manner. To make the scene even more staggering, Buffy was there as well...sprawled out in a chair, just as naked as the other two, and grinning from ear to ear.

“It’s about time you got here,” said ‘Buffy’. Heedless of her own nudity, she stood up and approached the wide-eyed boy. “We’ve been expecting you.”

Xander was almost speechless, which was a rarity for him. “Y-You...this...” He sputtered, trying somehow to get his brain to focus. Too many things were going on at once, and he shook his head. “This is crazy.” He bit his lip when he heard Anya moan, the kind of sound even he rarely heard. “I don’t know who you are, or how you got in Buffy’s body lady, but you’re not going to...”

“...get away with it?” Amora asked. “How sad. Why do they always say that?” She reached up and cupped the back of Xander’s neck, then pulled his face forward and kissed him on the mouth. Hard. He struggled as her tongue darted into his mouth, but she was naturally much too strong for him.

Unlike Donna, and Anya, Xander’s mind proved easy for the Succubus to navigate. His consciousness was so torn at that moment—between shock at seeing his girlfriend with someone else, and seeing his friend but knowing someone else was behind her eyes, and the strange daze which seemed to come over men of every century when they saw two women pleasuring one another. He succumbed to her power with little effort, to the Succubus’ dismay, but not surprise. Finally, she drew back, leaving Xander slack-jawed and glassy-eyed while Amora turned to the bed and crossed her arms.

“It’s almost not worth my time,” she said, as Anya rolled Donna on to her back and straddled her waist. A rush of passion filled the room, and the Succubus smiled. “Almost.”

Giles opened the door of room 317, of the Sunnydale Memorial Hospital, to find Tara helping Willow get out of her hospital gown. At once his cheeks reddened, and he turned to leave, but Tara’s voice called out to the ex-librarian and he froze, a spell book tucked under his arm.

“It’s okay. The doctor stopped by after I called you. He said her tests all came back negative, and Willow’s free to go. I was just helping her change clothes.”

“If it’s all right with you, Giles,” he heard Willow say. “I thought we could go to your place.” She gasped several times, in pain from her injured arm no doubt, but he also heard Tara whispering words of comfort to her friend. “More room, and more privacy than the hospital.”

“An excellent idea,” said Giles. “I have some information that should make your mystic efforts somewhat more worthwhile. I believe the entity we are dealing with is a Succubus.”

Giles shook his head. “A common misconception. The true Succubi do consume energy, but not through a particular emotion. They feed upon human emotions in all forms. In fact the stronger and more vibrant such emotions, like anger and fear, the better.”

“You can turn around now,” he heard Willow say. He did, to see her sitting on the corner of her bed, fully dressed except for her shoes...and Tara was helping her with them. The redhead nodded. “It sounds like you and Xander had a very productive evening.”

“Xander?” said Willow. “Let me guess, did he go home to get Anya?” Giles nodded. “Then there’s a good chance we may not see him for the rest of the day.”

“Anya left here in a huff yesterday,” Willow replied. “And if they made up, by now I’d guess they’re...you know...making up.”

Giles’ face threatened to turn several new shades of red, and he cleared his throat. “Well, I suggest we get under way. On the way out, we can leave a note at the nurses station in case Xander does manage to find his way to the hospital eventually.” He promptly turned and left the room.

Back at Giles’, Willow and Tara were sitting together on the couch, and it was the redhead who pointed to something in the book sitting across their laps. Giles came in from the kitchen, bearing a tray of tea for him and his guests, and glanced at the book as he sat it on the coffee table.

“A banishment spell,” Willow replied. “It can be used to return an entity to its place of origin, or whatever dimension it last came from. We can use this on the Succubus, right?”

“Thanks.” The redhead returned to the book. “We’re going to need a pentagram. Preferably one we can sit in the middle of, to concentrate the mystical energies.”

“I’ve got some washable chalk,” said Giles. “Should do just the trick.”

Willow nodded. “We’ll also need some pure sea salt, and a couple of incense candles.”

“Both of which I’m fairly certain I have,” Giles replied. “Anything else?”

“Looks like that’s it,” said Willow. “We should get started though. According to this, if an entity from one of the other planes remains on Earth for longer than forty-eight hours, it becomes more difficult to banish it period. And this one probably won’t be too happy about leaving.”

Willow, Tara and Giles sat cross-legged on the floor, inside of a chalk pentagram and candles which had added a strange metallic tinge to the air. There was also another candle between them, positioned by the top of the book from which they were reciting the spell.

In Xander Harris’ basement home, a still nude ‘Buffy’ lay sprawled across the arms of a chair—looking on as her three young playthings once again resumed their carnal activities. Xander, Anya and Donna had been ‘performing’ for Amora’s benefit most of the evening and on until the morning, and though she could sense they were exhausted she continued to push them. After all, it did not matter to her if they collapsed, or even died, from their efforts, their lives meant little to the Succubus.

Amora herself had become personally involved on several different occasions. Watching was fun, and she enjoyed the feeding, of course, but since she had control of the corporeal body there was nothing quite like experiencing the sensations firsthand, so to speak. Her hands, along with her lips and tongue, had wandered repeatedly over the curvaceous bodies of Anya and Donna, although for some reason she found contact with the male—whose name she could not be bothered to remember—strangely distasteful. A part of her wondered if that was not the influence of the Slayer’s consciousness.

‘I realize you’re still in there,’ she said to herself. ‘But, you’re wasting your time. I like this body of yours, and I’ve decided to keep it for myself. The longer I remain in control the weaker you will become. Sooner or later, you will cease to exist, and this body will be mine.’

Without warning, the Succubus’ borrowed body was doubled over in pain. It felt as if she was being pulled

“What is...happening...to me...?” Amora’s otherworldly essence began to flow out of Buffy’s body, despite

her best efforts to stop it. “No, not again!” The Succubus put every iota of her power, everything she’d taken from the humans since her arrival, toward resisting the compelling force she could feel resisting her. But it did not seem to be enough...at least not until in a desperate bid to remain where she was, the Succubus drew upon the indomitable will of the Slayer, whose body she was inhabiting.

Back at Giles’, a sudden gust of invisible mystical energy struck the three would-be conjurers. Their book erupted into flames at the same time a wave of unnatural cold washed over them. It set their hair on end and left them somewhat out of breath, but otherwise uninjured.

Giles adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat. “Am I correct in assuming this wasn’t the result we were hoping for?”

Across the room, Donna sat up on the bed and frowned. “W-Where am I?” A terrified young girl who had just recently been attacked by vampires, now found herself naked...in a strange bed, with two strange people looking back at her with equal confusion. “What’s going on? Who are you?”

“If you give me a sec...” Xander rolled over and shook his head. “I might be able to tell you.”

Donna began to tremble, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Oh god, I have to get out of here!” She picked up the tattered remains of her clothes, and stormed out of the apartment before Xander or Anya could make an effort to stop her. Not that either was in any condition to do so.

From previous such experiences, a moment of reflection allowed the Succubus to recognize a banishment spell had been cast, and she was fairly certain she knew who was responsible. She lurched to her feet, seeing now that she had erred in allowing them to live in the first place.

Amora tensed, shocked by the origin of the oddly familiar voice...it seemed to stem from somewhere deep within her stolen consciousness. ‘Be silent, Slayer!’

‘No way! This is my body! I’m not going to let you have it without a fight!’

‘But how could you...of course!’ The Succubus growled as realization struck. Whatever displacement spell the Wiccans attempted had momentarily severed her control over the Slayer’s body, resulting in the Slayer’s consciousness being aroused from her slumber. But before her mind could once again take possession of her body, Amora had returned, and now their two minds were at odds.

‘The Slayer will have to be dealt with, now, or else all of my plans may be in jeopardy!’

Amora closed Buffy’s eyes and concentrated. She turned her thoughts inward—shunting her consciousness on to a plane of existence few but the greatest mystics could even suspect existed. The astral plane, where it was literally mind over matter since the shape of the place—or at least how it was perceived—was dictated by whichever mind had the strongest will. Or, in this particular instance, the core consciousness which, despite Amora’s efforts to the contrary, happened to be Buffy, of course.

As the result, the idealistic metaphysical representation, or paragon, of Buffy Summers faced off against a similar likeness of the Succubus, Amora, on a shadowy imitation of the UC Sunnydale campus. Both looked to one another as they would have in ‘real life’. They stood on either side of a great chasm, the void between consciousness and unconsciousness, and so all of the lights and buildings seemed to be on the side of Amora since she was in charge of ‘their’ body...for the moment.

‘You won’t away with this!’ Buffy ‘shouted’ at the Succubus. ‘You might have stolen my body, but I’m not going to allow you to hurt my friends too!’

Amora ‘chuckled’. ‘Foolish child! Did you truly think you ever had a choice?’ She gestured, and vine-like tendrils of darkness coiled around the Slayer’s arms and legs. ‘You may be the core consciousness, but your will is no match for my power! In this instance, I can use your own mind against you!’ More of the darkness enveloped Buffy, wrapping around her eyes and mouth. ‘If you bother me again, Slayer, I might be forced to take even more drastic measures against you! Just remember that!’

The Succubus released her consciousness from the astral plane, and felt herself returning to the senses of the lowly mortal body. A sharp intake of breath signaled her arrival, and ‘Buffy’ opened her eyes to find the concerned face of a half-dressed Xander Harris looming over her.

Amora could sense his sincere concern for her well-being, which meant he thought she was again, or still, his old friend Buffy. She smiled inwardly. “I think so.” She took his proffered hand and allowed him to help her to her feet, then took the sheet he held out for her to cover herself. “Thanks.” She looked around, trying not to crack a smile at the confusion both he and Anya were feeling. Neither of them remembered what had gone on the night before. “What happened?”

Xander shook his head. “I’m not sure. But I think we’d better go talk to Giles about it.”

‘Buffy’ nodded. “Good idea.” Inwardly, the Succubus grinned. ‘Perfect. Those damnable Wiccans are sure to be there too, and I can finish them all off at once.’ She peered around, finally spotting the clothes she had been wearing the day before. “Just let me get dressed first.”

“And you say neither of you has any recollection of the previous evenings events?”

Xander and Anya, who were sitting together on Giles' couch, shook their heads. “We woke up buck naked in bed,” he replied. “There was this other girl there too, but she ran off before we could say anything. I have the feeling something...wild, must have happened though. I’m exhausted.”

“Me too,” said Anya. “And I’m never this tired after normal sex with Xander.”

Willow, who was sitting on the arm of the chair Tara was seated in, smiled. While there were a number of times she found Anya frustrating, aggravating and even downright mean, there were others, like now, when she could not help but be amused by her forthrightness.

“Can we please try to focus?” Giles put his glasses back on and looked to ‘Buffy’, who was standing off in the corner with her arms crossed. He frowned. “Are you all right?”

The Succubus shrugged Buffy’s shoulders. “Why does everybody keep asking me that? I’m fine.” In point of fact, she was anything but. She could sense the Slayer’s consciousness rattling around in the back of hers, and she knew that since Buffy was awake she would be more difficult to deal with. But until she was certain the Wiccans could not send her away, Amora dared not leave the Slayer’s body unprotected while she dealt with the Slayer herself. “And before you ask I’m drawing a blank too. The last clear memory I have is being at the Bronze, and seeing Riley with another woman...then nothing.”

Giles nodded. “Very well. I think we can safely assume we excised the entity.”

Amora gritted her teeth, in an effort not to smile. ‘That’s what you think.’ She sensed a gaze settling upon her, and looked over her shoulder to see Tara quickly turn away. ‘Or do you little Wiccan? Do you, perhaps, detect the imbalance in my aura? I, unfortunately, can not counteract the effect, but I didn’t think any of this pathetic gathering to be capable of sensing such an anomaly. Perhaps I underestimated you, and if so, I shall endeavor to keep a closer watch. Just in case.’

“Maybe,” said Willow. “Maybe not. The backlash we experienced only occurs when there’s been a serious disturbance in the flow of mystic energy. I think the Succubus was fighting it, fighting us, and if so she may still be here somewhere. On this plane. Watching us, and waiting.”

“Freaky night aside,” said Xander. “The score is once again Scooby Gang one, demons nothing.”

“I say, it’s Miller time,” Xander added. He started when he saw they were all staring at him. “Figuratively speaking, of course.”

“A celebration?” Giles arched an eyebrow. “What, exactly, did you have in mind?”

Giles, who had not been much of a party-goer at least since they had known him—though there were signs it had been very different in his past—shook his head. “I don’t know...”

“I’m in,” said Anya. “I could use a good, stiff drink.” Not that she was old enough to get one of course. In her present body, she was still considered a teenager, after all.

Willow felt Tara’s hand come to rest lightly on her own and shook her head. “I think I’ll pass. I’m feeling kind of wasted. I’m going to go back to the dorm and lay down.”

Abruptly, Buffy came forward. “So will I.” She shrugged her shoulders. “There are a lot of other monsters out there, after all. And there is safety in numbers.”

The blond Wiccan would just as quickly turn her eyes away whenever ‘Buffy’ caught her and glared back, and it was starting to get on the Succubus’ nerves now that she had them.

‘I suppose I should just destroy them both and be done with it.’ She pondered doing just that, but relented when other students walked by in either direction. Through Buffy’s memories, the Succubus was fully aware of the capabilities of the modern-day law enforcement personnel, and sooner or later they would likely find a way to subdue even a Slayer if she publicly flaunted her powers too much. ‘No, better to eliminate the two of them in private, where I can formulate whatever lie I wish to conceal their demise!’

In spite of herself, Amora laughed...out-loud. Both Wiccans noticed, and given the quiet of the situation it was no wonder they were curious as to the sudden outburst.

“Buffy?” Willow slipped her free hand out of Tara’s, and turned to her best friend. “What is it?”

Amora saw she was going to have to concoct some sort of semi-plausible explanation, though she still did not like the way the other Wiccan was staring at her. “For some reason I just thought of a joke someone told me the other day. It’s really funny. I’ll tell you when we get back to the dorm.”

“No!” Tara stopped so abruptly, that Willow and ‘Buffy’ got several steps ahead of her before either of the two realized it. The blond Wiccan shook her head. “Willow, please...”

Tara pointed at the Slayer. “I didn’t say anything before because I wanted to be sure, but she’s not Buffy. I don’t know exactly who or what she is, but that’s not your friend.”

The Succubus grinned. She could sense Tara’s confusion and mistrust, and found it delicious. As she took it all in, she realized it could also be very useful. So, she amplified those same emotions within herself, and then echoed them back at the redhead. But instead of ‘Buffy’, she made certain the reaction Willow had was directed at Tara instead, hopefully increasing the tension between the Wiccans.

Willow shook her head. “Hold on a second, Tara. Haven’t we been through this before? Buffy and Faith in one another’s bodies? Do you honestly think it could have happened again?”

“No. Buffy is still in there, I can sense her presence. And yet...there is something else. Something darker, more malevolent.” Tara frowned. “I think she’s blocking me.”

‘Buffy’ smiled. “I think your friend is losing her mind, Willow.” Her voice was soft, seductive. “Perhaps a delayed reaction to the spell backfiring? It could even be the Succubus’ doing.”

Willow’s eyes narrowed. “Yes, the Succubus.” Her eyes glazed over, her reaction time slowed. “Maybe we didn’t get rid of her after all. Maybe she found us...somehow...found you...”

“No.” Tara’s face paled. “Willow, it is me. Tara! Your friend. Please, you have to believe me.” She glared at ‘Buffy’. “You’re doing this to her, aren’t you? Controlling her somehow?”

The Succubus shrugged Buffy’s shoulders. “Actually, my dear...” She licked her lips. “...you are. I am just letting her see what’s on your mind. You hate me, because of what I’ve done to this body, and to your friend there. But when I’m through, she’s going to hate you even more!”

Tara was trembling. “No. Stop it!” She raised her hands and started to chant.

“No you don’t!” ‘Buffy’ lunged forward and seized Tara by the throat—cutting off the Wiccan’s attempt at a spell as well as her oxygen. “I won’t fall for that trick a second time!” She smiled as she lifted the terrified blond off her feet, and held her there for a moment. “Good-bye, little witch!”

Out of nowhere, a particularly large tree branch came flying through the air and struck ‘Buffy’ in the back of the head. It did little actual damage to her physically, but she did stumble. She also lost her grip and Tara went flying, she hit the ground rolling and did not get back up.

The Succubus pivoted, to see a newly reawakened Willow trembling with rage. “Leave...her...alone...” she said through clenched teeth. “Or so help me, I’ll...”

“What?” ‘Buffy’ crossed her arms. “You’ll what? I know your anger allowed you to overcome my control, but you can’t maintain such rage indefinitely.” She glanced down at the tree branch. “As for that impressive little demonstration of power, you and I both know you can not do it under normal circumstances. Even now I can only imagine your concentration is beginning to waver, and without your little Wiccan lover you could never muster the force necessary to dispel me from this body!”

To her immense surprise the Succubus found herself being drawn back to the astral plane, where she once again stood face to face with Buffy.

“So...” Amora bared her fangs. “...you managed to free yourself.” She shook her head. “Impressive. I must say, I honestly didn’t think you had it in you.”

Buffy grinned. “You’d be amazed what I can do when I put my mind to it.” Suddenly, the air her began to rippled and

Passionate Magic

By Kirk Baldridge

Kirk@mysticmuse.net