Tough Love, Revisited by Kirk Baldridge

Spoilers: Major stuff from the 5th season episode TOUGH LOVE and for at least some of the episodes after it, including the season finale, THE GIFT.

Author's Note: This story diverges from the story in TOUGH LOVE in a major way, but elements from it and from some of the episodes to follow are merged into this tale. You may recognize events, locals, and even dialog, but bear in mind this is intentional, not some oversight on my part.

Summary: Willow and Tara go on the run to protect Dawn from Glory, who thinks Tara is the Key.

Tara winced as Glory squeezed her hand tighter, threatening to crush the bones she had already broken into a fine powder. Blood was pouring down her arm, and tears soaked her face, but she was not about to give the mad god the satisfaction of hearing her cry out.

"Mmm...I'll bet you taste delicious." With a wicked sparkle in her eye, Glory raised Tara's hand and started to bring it up to her lips.

Glory's eyes narrowed as she slowly turned her head in the direction of the voice. Even through the din of the lowly mortals around her, the goddess still recognized the irritating tones of the Slayer's redheaded friend. The witch. Interrupting her first taste of the Key.

Tara, meanwhile, felt a sudden sense of fear take hold of her heart. Willow was coming, to save her, which in any other circumstance, would have been the most wonderful thing in the world to her. But she was terrified of what Glory might do to her lover if she got in the way.

Willow knew she was running out of time. There were too many people between her and Tara, and even from where she was standing she could see Glory starting to turn her attention back to her beloved. She wasn't about to just stand by and let anything happen to Tara if she could help it.

"No!" The redhead put her hands out. "Get away from her, you BITCH!" On that last word, an invisible wave of force exploded from her palms, traveling out in every direction all at once. The unsuspecting people in her way suddenly found themselves being swatted down like flies, the whole throng parted like the Red Sea, and Willow put on her bravest face as she approached Glory and Tara. "Honey?"

Glory let go of Tara, and rose. "Don't interfere, little girl. This is none of your business."

"The hell it isn't!" Willow got right up in the hell-god's face, despite the fact that inside she was so scared she could barely think straight. "I won't let you hurt her anymore!"

Glory seemed to find this particularly amusing. She actually laughed. "LET me? I'm a god, sweetcheeks. How exactly do you propose to STOP me?"

"Trust me," Willow insisted. "There are ways." Of course she couldn't think of any of them at the moment, but she was hoping Glory might buy her act at least long enough for her to come up with something. "I'd advise you to get out of here, before you make me mad!"

All at once the hell-god lurched forward and threw a punch which--if Willow was any judge from her years of watching the Slayer train--would probably have gone right through solid concrete. As a result she imagined that it certainly wouldn't have had much of a problem with her skull.

Glory's blow glanced off an invisible barrier that had been hastily erected between the two of them. Her eyes went wide as she realized it was coming from Willow.

Willow shook her hand. "No." The redhead clasped her hands together, and held them up in Glory's face. "But this one might." She closed her eyes. "Fiat...lux...incindie!"

The mother of all mystical flashbulbs went off, just inches from Glory's eyes. It must have been liked staring directly into the sun for that one instant, and even the hell-goddess was momentarily staggered. She took a step back, her vision filled with nothing but stars.

Naturally, it didn't last long. As a god she was practically immune to pain. And where anyone else would have been blinded for hours, assuming they ever regained their sight at all, she had already recovered. She shook her head and looked around for the witch.

They were gone. Both of them. The witch had apparently used her spell as a distraction to steal her Key. Now the goddess's blood was starting to boil.

Willow and Tara were running for their lives, literally, as they could only imagine what Glory would do if she caught up with them. They were also trying to find a phone, but so far the only one they had come across wasn't working. They were having a really bad day.

Tara was also on the verge of passing out from pain and the loss of blood. Her hand had been broken, she was sure of it, and she knew she had to get to a doctor soon. But that didn't seem to be much of an option as long as Glory was hot on their heels.

"Look," said Willow. They were almost to the street, which gave her an idea. "Maybe we can catch a cab." She put her arms around Tara, who she could tell was getting woozy. "Just hang on, okay? Trust me, we'll be fine, as long as Glory doesn't..."

About that time a blurred figure shot past Willow and Tara, blocking their path just as they made it to the side of the street. Glory rested her hands on her hips, and sneered.

"Nice try, red. But if you really want to stop me, you'll have to do better than that!"

Willow saw movement from the corner of her eye. She turned her head and smiled, as she saw something the Hellgod did not. "Okay." She nodded. "How's this?"

Eyes narrowing, Glory followed the witch's gaze. In the next instant, she realized two things. One, standing in the middle of the street was not a good idea. And two, eighteen-wheelers could not stop quickly no matter how hard their drivers tried. She snarled. "Oh crap!"

The massive truck slammed headlong into the Hellgod, who was cursing a blue streak as she went flying down the street. She landed on a parked car, shattering the windshield and crushing the roof. She was not hurt but she was pissed off, and stunned just long enough for Willow and Tara to get away.

"You witch!" Glory started to sit up, but then she felt an annoyingly familiar tingling sensation throughout her entire body. "No!" She slapped the side of her head, trying to force him back in. "Not now you idiot!" It was too late. Her energy was depleted, and her concentration had been broken.

The beautiful body of the Hellgod rippled, and then metamorphosized into her mortal half, Ben. He rolled off the side of the car and groaned as he hit the ground.

Willow and Tara had no idea what had happened, or why Glory had suddenly stopped following them, but they were just grateful for the respite. They were eventually able to find a working pay phone, and Willow called for an ambulance, which arrived as Tara was on the verge of passing out.

Once at the hospital, the doctors put Tara's hand in a cast and gave her some pain-killers. Willow, meanwhile, left her girlfriend's side just long enough to make one more call.

Giles, who was standing behind the cash register at the Magic Box, nearly leaped out of his seat as the phone rang. Buffy, Xander, Anya and Dawn were there as well, all of them anxiously waiting to hear from Willow. All of them were very concerned about Tara who, as far as any of them knew, had suffered some terrible fate at the hands of Glory. Dawn, in particular, felt bad because she believed that, as the Key, it was her fault Glory was in Sunnydale in the first place.

All eyes were on Giles as he answered the phone. "Hello, Magic Box?" A look of supreme relief washed over his face. "Oh thank goodness, Willow. We've been so...what? Yes, of course. One moment." He pushed a button marked SPEAKER and then sat the receiver back on it's cradle. "Go ahead, Willow."

Willow's voice became muffled for a moment. "Buffy, listen. Glory still thinks Tara's the Key. And I'm pretty sure she's going to come after us again."

"No, you're missing the point. I've got an idea, Buffy. One you're not going to like."

"As long as Glory stays focused on us, she won't be able to find out about Dawn. I'm proposing Tara and I take her on a wild-goose chase, to keep her distracted while the rest of you come up with some way to stop her. I've talked it over with Tara, and she agrees this is our best chance."

"But where would you go?" Xander asked, getting in on the conversation. "We're a team, Will."

"I'm really sorry to dump this on you guys. But..." They heard Tara's voice in the background, but they couldn't make out the words. "Okay. Look, the sun's going down. We have to go. I'll try to call you, in the next couple of days, to let you know how it's going. I love you guys."

In the hospital lobby, Willow stepped out of the phone booth and approached Tara.

"I'm scared, Tara. I mean, we're in trouble." Willow shook her head. "I don't know about you, but I've never had a god chasing after me before."

"Speaking of running for our lives, where are we going? And how are we supposed to get there?"

"I'm not sure about the where. Yet. But I've been thinking about the how." Willow sighed. "Obviously, we need some help, and unfortunately I can only think of one person in this town sneaky and underhanded enough to get us out fast and easy."

It was the middle of the afternoon, and Spike had just settled in front of the TV. Without warning, the door of his crypt swung open and sunlight came pouring in. He had to scramble to get out of the way in time, and it still caused several exposed places on his arms and neck to start smoking.

Willow and Tara stepped into the crypt, the latter closing the door behind them.

Spike could clearly see a cast on her arm and he smelled her recently spilled blood. It had been so long since he had eaten a witch, he realized. He smiled.

"Let me guess, she thinks your chippie is the Key?" Spike shook his head. "Strike two for the hellbitch."

Spike shrugged his shoulders. "So, call your Slayer." He was trying to appear disinterested, and so far seemed to be succeeding. "I'm sure she or the shop keep can get you some cab fare."

"Buffy and the others have too much going on right now," said Tara. "That's why we're doing this. We're trying to take some heat of them, at least for a little while."

"Now I get it. You're worried about the niblet. If and when Glory figures out lover-girl here isn't her precious Key, you're afraid she'll go after Dawn, so you're running interference for her big sis." Spike nodded. "That's an ingenious plan." He lit a cigarette. "Suicidal, but ingenious."

Willow started to say something, and Tara sensed it was going to be really nasty, so she cut her lover off with a hand on her shoulder. She smiled as warmly as possible.

Spike dropped into his chair and clasped his hands behind his head. "Because I sold it, that's why. How do you think I can afford to live in all this luxury?" He frowned. "I can't eat people and steal their money, like I used to, and the car was the most valuable thing I owned."

"Damn it!" Willow turned to the door. "We're wasting our time here. Come on, Tara."

Spike sat there, watching them, and then he snarled. "Wait a minute." He climbed out of the chair and dug into the side pocket of his leather jacket. "Here." He pulled out a wad of bills. "Take this. I know a guy...well, demon actually, who owes me a favor. His name is Garlosi, and he has a shop about two blocks south of here. Mention my name and give him this. He'll help you out."

"Consider it a loan," said the vampire. "One I intend to get back in spades." he smiled. "Oh, and don't worry, I'll make sure Buffy knows all about it. We wouldn't want you witches to have a debt hanging over your heads when you get back, now would we?"

Willow shook her head, then smiled as she gestured toward the door. It swung open, all the way this time, and once more Spike found himself getting an unwanted suntan.

Spike's friend proved to be more of a casual acquaintance, and he wasn't particularly fond of the vampire. But he was very fond of money, and found them the best car he could for what they were offering--which was about half of what Spike had given them. They needed some cash, after all.

What they ended up with was a small brown car, that had no radio and no air conditioning, but Garlosi assured them it would get them where they wanted to go. It appeared to be in a lot worse shape than it really was, which was on purpose. That way there was less of a chance it would be stolen, he explained, or noticed by the cops or any else who might be interested in their progress.

Willow did the driving, for obvious reasons, while Tara sat in the passengers seat and conjured up a little blue crystal. When spun like a top it was able to produce music, and she sat it on the dashboard. She rested her hand, the injured one, in her lap and closed her eyes as a gentle tune began to play.

On the way out of town they passed the Magic Box. They did not stop, as much as the two of them might have wanted to, but they did say goodbye to their friends.

Night came to Sunnydale, and in a high-class apartment on the good side of town, minions stood facing a wall while Glory changed her clothes. The goddess had awakened in a smelly hospital locker room. She could never understand why Ben insisted on spending so much time around humans, particularly not the weak and sick ones in the place he liked to 'work'. To her, they were all repulsive.

Glory straightened her slinky red dress and clapped her hands. The minions turned to face her, but their heads remained bowed. Several of them were trembling.

"Magnificence, the Slayer has not made contact with the witches since this morning."

The minion cleared his throat. "With the other witch. According to our sources; they purchased a vehicle, and have left the city. They are running from you, oh grandiose one."

Glory's eyes narrowed. "What? You lost her?!" She reached out and grabbed the little demon by the throat. He began to choke and gag as she effortlessly lifted him off his feet. "My Key? Are you telling me, you've lost my only shot at getting off this craphole of a planet? Of getting back to my own dimension, and teaching those two losers who banished me here a lesson? Is that what you're telling me?" She squeezed just a little bit more, until she heard a satisfying crack, then she tossed his fragile body aside. "Okay, fine! You want something done right you have to do it yourself. Somebody, get me a phone."

Still in the cramped back seat of the car she tried to sit up, but Willow's arm and shoulder were draped across her upper body, pinning her down. It was a wonderful feeling though, being in the arms of the woman she loved, and she was just grateful the two of them were in this together. During her confrontation with Glory she'd been scared for a variety of different reasons--the strongest of which being the fear she might never see her beloved Willow again. She should have known better.

"I'm fine." Tara clutched her injured hand to her chest as the pain began to dwindle. "Why?"

"You were thrashing and moaning in your sleep. I thought maybe you were having a nightmare but I was afraid to wake you up."

Tara shrugged her shoulders. "I'm fine now." She looked out the window. "Hey, Willow?" She didn't recognize their surroundings. "Where are we?"

"LA," the redhead replied. "Which is another reason I didn't tell Buffy or Spike where we were going. See, the two of them have a history with the guy we're coming to meet. A different kind of history, but...it's a whole big, tangled thing. It'd take too long to explain."

Tara climbed out one side of the car, Willow the other. The two of them stood there for a moment and stared up at the impressive structure.

"Apparently." This was the address, though Willow had been imagining an office building, rather than anything like this. "Well, since we're here..." She took Tara's good hand and led her up the stairs, where she first rang the bell and then knocked several times on the door. "Angel?"

"I couldn't think of anywhere else to go," said Willow. "Angel knows a lot about a lot of things. And I'm pretty sure he's got even more connections than Spike." She looked around. "Besides, from everything I've heard, this is what Angel does nowadays. He helps people who need help."

"Willow." Tara sensed a flare of energy, and she heard a click. She saw the knob turn in her lover's hand. "You do realize, don't you, that this is breaking and entering?"

"No it's not." Willow swung the door open. "I didn't break anything." She smiled.

A sign told them this downstairs area was, or at least recently had been, Angel Investigations. And Willow did see something else she recognized--a rack of brightly colored, mostly tight, and never worn clothing parked by a desk, covered in make-up and fashion magazines.

"Cordelia Chase. I told you about her, didn't I? Xander and I knew her growing up, and he dated her for a while in high school. She moved here, to LA, after graduation and started working for Angel." Willow pointed. "That's got to be her desk. I can't imagine anyone else with that kind of taste."

Willow raised her voice. "Angel? Cordy? It's Willow!" No response. "I guess they're not here."

"Angel once told me if I ever needed help, if I ever needed anything, I could come here. I'm going to take him at his word." Willow sighed. "Because what I need most right now, is a shower."

"Sure we do." Willow reached for the rack of clothes near Cordelia's desk, and smiled.

Tara felt uncomfortable in a tight black skirt and sleeveless top with a wolf printed on the front. She was used to wearing blue jeans and tee-shirts, or else a regular ankle-length skirt and a peasant blouse. This sort of outfit was not the sort of thing she could imagine herself in.

"No." Willow emerged from the bathroom, wearing tight blue pants, along with an even tighter red blouse that accented her breasts. "You look...incredible."

"Come on. We've got this whole place to ourselves." The redhead put her arms around Tara's neck. "I don't see any reason not to, do you?"

"Willow, we can't. We have to...oh goddess!" Tara felt her temperature rising as Willow leaned in and nuzzled her throat. "Willow, please. This isn't the time, or the place."

The redhead sighed. "I need you, Tara. Right now." She kissed her lover's lips. "Please."

When the two witches finally recovered and got dressed, they headed downstairs to see if they could find any food. Tara expressed concern over the fact that the only thing a vampire would eat, was not something either of them would find particularly appetizing. Willow assured her that with Wesley and Cordelia around, Angel had to have some real food somewhere in the place.

On their way into the kitchen, a flash of color caught Tara's eye. "Hey." She veered off toward a desk, where a flyer announced an 'Open Mike Night' at a place called CARITAS. "Willow, look at this." As the redhead slid up behind her, she began to read. "All races welcome. No cover. Three drink minimum unless you perform. Is this for real? A place where humans and demons interact?"

"We don't even have anything like this in Sunnydale," said Willow. "I mean, there is Willy's. But it sounds like it's a whole lot classier."

Willow shook her head. "I can't see Angel singing karaoke." She paused. "Still, it has been a couple of years. I suppose it is possible. And after all, I have seen stranger things." An image of Angel onstage, singing, filled her mind. "Okay, maybe not. Still, I guess it's worth a shot."

The Host, as he was known to his customers, stood off in a corner, half-listening to a Layoth demon trying to sing the words to Funky Town. Unfortunately for all concerned, the creature was tone deaf. And try as he might the only word he was able to get right was Funky. It made for a very strange evening.

But the Host's mind really wasn't on his work. Or his customers for that matter. He was thinking about Angel, and his band of would-be warriors. There were hard times ahead, one of them involving him. Soon, he would be forced to make a choice, about whether or not to do something he had vowed long ago would never happen. He might actually have to go...home.

But there was something different about these two. He couldn't read their auras, or know anything about them really, unless they sang for him. Even so, he had a sense there was something special about them. He just could not put his finger on what it was, exactly.

The Host took his Seabreeze in hand and approached the couple. That much, at least, was obvious to him even without the use of his powers. They were holding hands, basking in one another's closeness and warmth, and he almost felt bad intruding. Almost.

Willow saw the green-skinned demon coming first, and her hand tightened around Tara's.

Willow cleared her throat. "We're looking for a friend. Maybe you know him? He's kind of tall, has dark hair, and he always wears black. Oh, and he's a vampire."

"Honey," The Host chuckled. "So are half the people in here. Can you be more specific?"

"Oh, so you're friends with the angelic one, are you?" He directed them to a table, and sat down. "I'm afraid he hasn't been in today. But you never know when he might show up."

"Charmed, I'm sure. Just call me the Host. Everybody does, and I do mean everybody."

"Perhaps not as much as some of us would like," the Host replied. "But he tends to frequent my establishment on a semi-regular basis. Usually whenever he is in need of my talents."

The Host smiled. "Oh, I know what you're thinking sweetness, and you are sadly mistaken." He nodded toward the stage. "All of my customers are welcome, and even encouraged, to go up and enjoy themselves, but most of them also have ulterior motives. You see, I am an anagogic demon, which means I can see into souls. I can read auras, minds and, as long as the Powers are willing, predict the future. People and demons come for advice. Or to find out what sort of destiny awaits them."

"Can you do it for us?" Willow put an arm around Tara. "See, we're in some trouble, and I'd like to know if it's a done deal or not. The end of the world, I mean."

"I'd be willing to give it a try." His smiled broadened. "But you know the price."

Tara stood at the rear of the stage and tried to keep her breathing calm, as Willow was programming in a song for them to sing. The thought of what they were preparing to do, was enough to send a chill down her spine, and it was all she could do not to simply run away.

Willow stood up. "No." She sighed. "But look at it this way. None of these...people really knows us. And after today, we're probably not going to be seeing any of them ever again."

"Petrified. Still, deep down, as long as you're with me..." Willow held out her hand, and Tara took it. "...I know I'll be all right. No matter what."

Tara smiled. Suddenly, embarrassment didn't seem like such a big deal. It wasn't like she could actually die of it, after all, and if the crowd got ugly...they could handle it.

Only a few words into the song and Willow could already tell Tara was beginning to falter. Her words tapered off and her eyes had slowly begun to drift toward the floor. Willow squeezed her lover's hand more tightly, and when Tara looked up the redhead was smiling.

Encouraged by Willow's strength, Tara's own confidence began to grow, as did the volume of her voice. Soon

it was Willow herself who was taken aback, by the sounds coming out of her lover's mouth. She almost lost her own place in the song she was so startled.

Until this moment, she would never have imagined herself able to stand up in front of a large group of people and sing like she was doing. Her father always got so terribly angry whenever she would try to sing while doing her chores, and he made certain she understood how terrible how voice was, and how much people would laugh if they ever heard it.

Willow regained her composure, and elevated the volume of her voice to match Tara's. She was nowhere near as good of a singer as her lover, of that she was already certain. But together they managed to achieve a kind of sound than either one of them could accomplish alone.

Even as Willow and Tara bowed, and the music began to die down, the entire crowd erupted in applause. They were clapping and whistling, as well as barking, growling, roaring and every other conceivable sound one might expect of such an eclectic group of listeners.

The two witches cheeks turned bright red as the stage was swarmed. A man directed them off one side, out of any potential danger, while a couple of big, burly demons got the crowd settled down. As the crowd returned to their seats, Willow and Tara approached the Host at the bar.

In fact he too was clapping by the time they got there. "Excellent, ladies. Excellent. I've seldom heard a better performance here in my humble establishment." He picked up two glasses and held one out to Willow. "Please, accept this imported red fruit juice..." The other, he offered to Tara. "...and the freshest spring water money can buy. Compliments of the house, of course."

The Host tapped his forehead. "Sees all and knows all, ladies. Well, most of the time."

"Speaking of which..." Willow sipped her juice, it was delicious. "...did you find out anything?"

He nodded. "As a matter of fact, yes. You've both got a great deal of power, and that's really going to help you with what's coming. You ladies are in some pretty hot water. The kind of trouble I generally try to avoid if I can help it." He glanced nervously toward the door and then lowered his voice. "Glorificus, huh? I heard she was on this plane, but I had no idea she was this close to finding the Key."

The Host shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, I only know what They..." He pointed toward the ceiling. "...tell me. If

I were you, I'd head back to Sunnydale on the double. Something really wicked that way comes, and I think your Slayer is going to need your help if she wants to win this one."

"I..." Something caught the Host's attention, and he tripped over his own words. "...think you two had better go out the back way. And quickly." He hustled them in that direction.

Willow and Tara stepped out into the alley behind Caritas, looking back as they heard the Host close the door with himself on the inside. He was leaving them out here on their own though neither of them knew why. There wasn't anything out here as far as they could tell.

Startled, the witches turned to see someone standing in the mouth of the alley. A wiry, distinguished-looking older man in a dark, crisply pressed suit. He had gray hair, small eyes, and was holding a walking stick which he twirled in one hand and he strode toward them.

Willow stepped in front of her lover, her arms outstretched. "You're with Glory?"

Doc nodded. "Most assuredly. I'd hate to damage the Key at this late stage. Glorificus would be angered. So, I ask you both, don't make me do something we'll all regret."

"I can try." Willow clasped Tara's good hand in her own, and held up the other. All around them the trash cans, stray pieces of wood and metal, cardboard boxes and broken liquor bottles, every bit of debris that was not tied down began to rise into the air.

Doc nodded. "So be it." He stepped forward and promptly disappeared, or so it seemed to Willow and Tara. In truth, he had just moved so fast neither of them could follow it. The strange little man was behind them, before either of the witches realized it, and he raised his walking stick.

A sharp blade extended from the tip. In a sudden motion he slashed it across Willow's back, and the redhead's blouse cut down the center as it sliced open her flesh. She screamed. Blood gushed from the wound as he spun around and thrust the other end of the stick into Tara's chest. The blonde was doubled over, unable to breath, and he grabbed her hair.

"I warned you!" Doc felt the stick being torn out of his hands, and he jerked his head toward Willow. "You are nothing to me, witch! Give me that back!"

As Doc came at her, Willow grabbed the stick out of the air and aimed it toward his stomach. His momentum and her desperation drove the blade right into his chest and out his back, taking with it gushes of blue blood and what appeared to be an organ of some sort. He sank to his knees, gasping one last time, and then slumped on to his side, a long tongue hanging limply out of his mouth.

"You asked for it," said the redhead. Her back hurt, but at least the bleeding had stopped.

Doc's eyes abruptly snapped open. "I do!" He jerked the stick out of his body and lurched to his feet, catching the both of them off-guard. "Glorificus requests your presence, Miss Maclay. If your friend here insists on my killing her first, I'm perfectly willing to oblige her."

Willow stumbled as the pain in her back intensified. Something was wrong. Hot knives arced up and down her spine and, soon, it was too much for her to bear. Her concentration collapsed and all of the things she had been levitating to fall to the ground. She sank to her knees, tears in her eyes.

Doc cocked his head and smiled. "It's about time the poison took effect. I was beginning to wonder if perhaps I'd lost my touch."

"Don't fret," said Doc. "It's not fatal. Not in small doses, at least. You'll be fine soon." He smiled. "Believe me Miss Rosenberg, I have no desire to kill you. I'm only after the Key."

Willow shook her head. "Never!" She gestured, and a trash can lid shot into the air.

Doc swatted it aside without even trying. "If that's the best you can do young lady, I'd suggest you surrender. I may yet be persuaded to spare your life."

"I won't give up!" Willow focused what little power she had left. "I won't!" She started throwing everything she could find at the strange little man. Trash cans, and their lids, empty cardboard boxes, and Doc either avoided it or swept it aside as easily as one might a bothersome gnat.

Once she had nothing left, in either the way of ammunition or power, Doc sighed. "My turn. Pity." In a blur of movement he started forward...only to find himself hindered by a length of packing twine that had mysteriously wrapped itself around his ankles. He went down hard, landing flat on his face, and the stick slid out of his hands and went bouncing down the alley to land at Tara's feet.

Willow's shoulders sagged as she slumped forward, exhausted. It had taken all she had to keep Doc distracted while she bound his feet, but she was starting to wonder if it had been worth it. Sooner or later, he would get up again, they always did, only she didn't have any way left to protect Tara.

Tara shook her head. "Never. You could never fail me, Willow. And I'm not about to fail you either." She bent down, and picked up the walking stick. "I'll take care of this." She turned, bristling with confidence, only to find herself literally face to face with the creepy-eyed Doc.

"I don't think so!" He slapped the stick out of her hands, and grabbed Tara by the neck. He sneered as he lifted her off her feet. "You are most fortunate, child. If it were up to me, I would simply rip the Key out of you right here and now and be done with it. Glorificus would be pleased." He shook his head. "But since I do not have the luxury of experimenting, your body will just have to do."

Fear gripped Willow's heart, as she realized this was all her fault. Because she insisted they run, to get out of Sunnydale in order to protect Buffy's little sister, Glory had sent this madman after them. Worse yet, once she figured out Tara was not the Key, Glory would probably kill Tara, or worse. And as long as she had a breath left in her body, Willow would not allow that to happen.

"Leave..." Her mind reached out in search of a weapon. "...her..." She located the walking stick, and it levitated into the air behind the unsuspecting Doc. "...alone!" With one last, desperate surge of power she flung it toward the demonic figure, stars exploding behind her eyes as she succumbed to unconsciousness.

At the last moment Doc moved, slightly, though it was difficult to tell whether it had been deliberate or just a stroke of pure luck, and the blade missed him completely. It did, however, catch a glancing blow off Tara's side before embedding itself deep into the wall. She cried out as her blood seeped out, though the wound was only a minor one and she remained conscious, albeit in pain.

Doc's solid black eyes narrowed. "What's this?" With his free hand, he reached down to get a sample of Tara's blood on his finger. His long, snake-like tongue darted out and sucked the blood into his mouth, and after a few moments a strange expression came over his face. "It can't be!" He abruptly released Tara, and stepped back. "A human? You're not the Key! You're nothing!"

"The Key..." Willow mumbled. Even though she was still unconscious, her subconscious mind still seemed to be responding to Doc's words. "Must protect...Dawn..."

Tara's eyes widened as she turned to look up at Doc, who was smiling. "Oh goddess, no."

"Of course," said Doc. "Who better for the Slayer to protect than a sister?" He shook his head. "I sensed there was something special about her the first time I saw her, when she and the vampire came into my shop. If only I had taken here then, I could have saved Glorificus all this time and trouble." He clucked his tongue. "Oh well. If

I hurry, I can get back and inform her of the Key's location before the days end. She'll be overjoyed to know we still have time to perform the ritual."

Willow and Tara were seemingly all but forgotten as Doc simply turned and walked away. His body became a blur as he reached the mouth of the alley, and he was gone.

Tears in her eyes, Tara started to crawl toward Willow. They had to warn Buffy, to tell her Glory would know about Dawn soon. But first...

Soon thereafter the witches stumbled back into Caritas, where the Host brought them to a back room and had their wounds tended to. None were nearly as bad as they appeared, and it wasn't long before Willow, still dizzy, was asking him for a phone.

"Oh, hey Will. Good news. Spike and Xander got hold of some book. I don't know what it is exactly, but Giles thinks it might tell us something about the Key, and what Glory wants Dawn for. With any luck, we'll be able to stop her before she causes any more trouble."

"We haven't seen the godly one herself, lately, but something's definitely up. The vamp and demon population is drastically starting to decline. There's some pretty bad mojo on the horizon, Will, and I think the dark forces are starting to jump ship because of it."

"One of her goons jumped us, and he figured out Tara wasn't the Key. Now he's on his way back. He may even be there by now."

Buffy's voice became muffled, as she apparently put her hand over the receiver. "I'm back, Will. You and Tara get home, PDQ. We're gonna circle the wagons around the Magic Box."

"Right. We're on the way." Willow hung up the phone and turned to Tara. "Time to go."

The last couple of days had been, by far, his worst since coming to Sunnydale. Not only did he wake up--after 'she' had been hit by a truck no less--dazed and confused, and have to explain himself repeatedly to the cops, he finally got to work and found out he had been fired.

"All because of you!" he screamed at the mirror. "You ruined my life, you twisted bitch!" He laughed. "Yeah, I can hear you! Rattling around inside my head! You want out? Huh? Well tough! It's my body! And I'm not going anywhere! You hear me? It's mine!"

Too late, Ben realized he'd played right into Glory's hands. By losing his temper, his focus was shattered, and in that one instant he lost his hold on their body.

"...lose pal!" Glory slumped forward, her hands cracking the surface of the mirror. Ben was already beginning to fade. He was like a distant memory to her. "Damn. Either he's getting stronger..."

Glory slowly turned, to find Doc watching her from the doorway. Even she had not heard the demon come in, which meant he hadn't knocked. Her eyes narrowed.

Doc lowered his head. "Forgive me, Glorificus. I've failed to bring you the witch." After a moment, he looked up, and smiled. "However, I have some other news you may find interesting."

There was much rejoicing at the Magic Box when Willow and Tara returned. There were hugs all around from Buffy, Xander and Dawn while Giles stood back and smiled, and Anya tried to appear disinterested. Soon after,

"...and then he took off," Willow said, having just described their battle with Doc. "I don't know if he's made it back or not, but he'll find Glory sooner or later."

Buffy nodded. "Here." She picked up a big, leather-bound book. "Giles got this for you. He said it contains all kinds of protective magic spells and stuff. What'd you call them?"

"Wards," said Giles, without looking up from the book Xander and Spike had brought him.

"Your hand, Glory, all of this...it's happening because of me. Because those monks took the Key energy from wherever it was before, and created me. If they'd only left things the way they were, everything would be fine around here now."

Tara shook her head. "No they wouldn't." She reached out and stroked the girl's hair. "'cause then you wouldn't be here, and we'd all miss you."

"But you wouldn't. Don't you remember what the monks told Buffy? They made up all the memories you guys have about me. If I weren't here, if they hadn't implanted them inside you, you wouldn't remember me because I would never have existed." Dawn frowned. "But you know what the worst part is? I still don't know why. No one can tell me what the Key was designed for in the first place."

All of a sudden, the front door burst open. To her credit, Tara reacted quickly by pushing Dawn behind her, to get her out of the line of fire of a possible attack. Buffy and Xander came running, with Giles and Willow right behind them. But it was not Glory, or any of her minions, as they half-expected.

It was a hunched over figure, covered in a heavy blanket. Parts of him were smoking. Spike slammed the door closed behind him and shrugged the blanket off, grunting in pain. Buffy and the others were startled to see what appeared to be an arrow sticking out of his chest.

All eyes turned to the front of the store, as something shattered a window. It was another arrow, this one with

a flaming tip. Buffy stepped forward and caught it before it hit anything flammable, then turned to Dawn. "Hide, now! Get under the table!"

Anya guided Buffy's little sister to safety, while the others went to have a look outside. There were dozens of men in armor gathering in front of the Magic Box. They were carrying swords, axes and spears, and several had bows and arrows. Some were lighting fires.

"We're being attacked by a bloody Renaissance Fair!" Spike shouted. Then he winced, as he was forced to pull the arrow out of his own chest.

"Quick," said Buffy. "Check the back door!" Spike and Xander went do to just that while the Slayer overturned

"Who are these guys?" Tara asked. She glanced over her shoulder, to see that Willow was sitting cross-legged on the floor, frantically flipping through a book.

Buffy nodded. "I fought some of them a while back. They said they were going to do whatever it took to make sure Glory never got the Key. I guess they decided to make good on their threat."

"We've got a real problem," said Giles. "There are far too many. We'll never be able to fight them all."

Willow lifted her head, her eyes solid black. "We don't have to. Everyone stand back." She held up her hand as they moved out of the way. "Enemies, fly and fall...circling arms, raise a wall!" A ripple of energy erupted from her palm and expanded ever outward until the entirety of the Magic Box was sealed under a shimmering, barely visible bubble. She dropped her hand, her eyes back to normal.

"Goddess, Willow." Tara came to her lover's side. "Why didn't you ask me to help you?"

"She's right," said Giles. "That's a very advanced and potentially dangerous spell, Willow. You should be more careful utilizing those kinds of magicks."

Buffy shrugged her shoulders. "Don't knock it." She glanced out the window. Knights were pounding against a section of the barrier. "How long will it last?"

"Half a day, maybe," Willow replied. Outside, she saw two men in long, brown robes holding up their hands as they chanted. "Or until Heckel and Jeckel punch a hole through it."

Xander came in from the back room. "Perimeter secure. A couple of them got in, but between me and Spike's headaches we managed to take care of them." He smiled. "We do have a surprise." He looked over his shoulder, as Spike dragged an even more regally dressed Knights into the room.

"Bloody poof hits like a girl," said Spike. "But he looks important, so I thought we'd keep him."

Buffy and the Knight faced off in the back room of the shop, he with his hands tied behind his back. He could have made a move if he chose, but they both knew it would be pointless.

"Took you long enough." Buffy paused. "What are you supposed to be? Some kind of Chief?"

Buffy's eyes narrowed. "Are you talking about my sister?" Without warning, she turned and kicked the head of

a practice dummy standing near her. It was torn off the rest of the body and went flying across the room, where

Buffy considered, very briefly, doing the same thing to him, then she changed her mind and crossed her arms instead. "Why don't you tell me?"

"Would it make a difference?" The determined look in Buffy's eyes told him all he needed to know. "What do you know of the Beast?"

Willow, who had been standing in the doorway listening this whole time, now turned away. She still could not help thinking about how close Tara had come to being seriously hurt, or worse, by Glory. It occurred to her that if she had not arrived at the park when she did, her sweet, wonderful Tara might have suffered the same terrible fate as all those poor people in the hospital.

"Tara..." The redhead walked over to the table where her lover, along with Giles, Xander and Anya, was sitting, searching through any texts that mentioned anything about rituals. The Watcher was particularly involved in the book Spike and Xander had stolen from Doc's place. Though he had not been home, Spike described the creepy little demon in detail, and Tara had realized it was the same one who attacked them in Los Angeles. Which told them why he had not been present when Spike and Xander arrived. "Tara?"

"Can I talk to you over here, for a minute?" Willow went over to the counter, sighing when she felt her lover's arms wrap around her from behind. "Mmm...that feels nice."

Willow shook her head. "Nothing. It's just...I have a bad feeling about this one, Tara."

"I'm serious." Willow lay her head back on Tara's shoulder and sighed. "Just in case we don't, you know...make it through whatever's coming, I want to be sure you know how much I love you."

Tara felt both happy and worried at the same time. "Goddess Willow, don't talk like that." Realizing her words might have been taken out of context she became nervous and thus began to stutter. "T-The fatality, I m-mean. I love you too. More than I ever thought it was possible to love anyone."

Willow turned, still in her lover's arms, to face her. "You know the worst part? Even if we do win, and Glory's plan for...whatever, fails, it's not over. Oh sure, we might beat her, but they'll keep coming. It might be a demon next, or a group of vampires. Or something else all together." She shook her head. "But it's never going to stop, Tara. Ever. As long as we live on the Hellmouth, it's never going to stop."

Willow was nearly in tears. "I'm sorry. Forget it. I guess I needed to let that out."

"It's all right." Tara leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. "That's what I'm here for."

Both Buffy and Dawn spent some time speaking to the General, and by the time they were finished the Slayer and her sister were hugging and holding one another.

Willow sat in a chair, her arms wrapped tightly around Tara, who was sitting in her lap.

Anya stood behind the counter, keeping busy by doing the thing she was most comfortable with--counting the money in the cash register. Xander sat on the corner and just watched her.

Giles, meanwhile, made an odd noise that drew everyone's attention. "Oh dear." He began flipping through the pages of a book while the others, including Buffy and Dawn, gathered on either side. The Watcher removed his glasses. He was looking a little paler than usual.

"What is it?" Spike asked. "Did you find out what the glorious one wants with little bit?"

After a moment, Giles nodded. He opened his mouth once, twice, and again, before finding the words. "Glory plans to open a dimensional portal, by way of a ritual blood-letting."

"Dawn's blood," said Buffy. She felt her sister tense in her arms, and held her tighter.

"Yes." Giles cleared his throat. What he had to say would have been tough under the best circumstances. With Dawn actually right there, watching and listening to him, it was nearly impossible. "Once the blood is shed, at a certain time and place, the fabric which separates all realities will be torn apart."

"Yeah, I know the rest." Buffy told everyone what the General had said. About the Key, and how it would open all the gates between all the dimensions, sending them crashing into one another and plunging the universe into eternal darkness. "Question is, how do we stop it?"

Giles looked Buffy right in the eye. He didn't dare let his gaze waver, out of the fear of seeing Dawn's face as he said the next few words. "The portal will only close once the blood had stopped, and the only way for that to happen..."

Willow held her hand out, and instinctively found Tara's. Xander put his arm around Anya.

"Buffy, I'm sorry. Truly I am. But this text is very clear." Giles took his glasses off and stood up. "If the portal opens, reality as we know it will cease to exist."

"So that's the trick, right?" Anya asked. "We just have to keep Glory from opening the portal, so Dawn doesn't have to die." She glanced at each one of them for confirmation.

"An?" Xander pulled his girlfriend off to one side, to once again try and help her understand what was and was not appropriate. It never seemed to take.

Willow nodded. "We just have to keep Dawn away from Glory and everything should be fine. I mean, you said she's only got a certain amount of time to do the ritual, right?"

"I'm not scared." Surprisingly, to Buffy at least, Dawn wasn't crying. "She's right. If it comes to your having to choose between me and the world..."

Buffy shook her head. "It's not a choice. I will always be there for you, Dawn. You know that."

"But, why? I mean, Buffy, I'm not even really supposed to be here. You heard the General. I was yanked out of some other place and dropped here. In this body. I'm not human."

Buffy put her arms around Dawn's shoulder. "Yes, you are. You're also my sister, and I love you."

The Slayer raised her head. She hadn't been listening, other than to Dawn, but now it occurred to her that there was something going on outside. Screams, metal crashing against metal, definitely the sounds of a fight. "Yeah, I do." She started toward the front door. "Hey Will, can you..."

It caught Buffy square in the face and sent the Slayer flying backwards. She slammed into a bookshelf and the whole thing tipped over, burying her underneath wood and books. Dawn stood there, with a stunned look on her face as the dust settled, and the others came running.

Glory, meanwhile, strode into the shop. "Yuck." She glanced around. "You guys hang out in this place? What a dump." Her eyes locked on to Dawn. "Hey there. Wanna go for a ride?"

Spike's face contorted to full vamp-mode as he charged. Glory didn't even bother to turn--she simply grabbed him by the throat and pitched him toward Buffy. He struck the Slayer as she was starting to get back to her feet and the two of them crumpled to the floor.

Glory saw the air in front of her rippling, and she frowned. She did turn this time, to glare at Willow. "Do you really think you can stop me, witch? I don't!" The goddess punched at the barrier with what was obviously only a minimum of force, and it shattered like so much glass.

Willow cried out as the resulting mystic backlash tore into her brain, and she collapsed, blood seeping out of her nose. Tara was at her side in an instant.

"Well, that was fun." Glory saw that Dawn was running for the back room. "Hey, wait for me!" She surged into motion, becoming a blur as she darted between Xander and Giles, and the two of them were sent knocked aside as a result. She went right through the wall, not even bothering with the door, and stopped abruptly as she found herself face to face with the General. "Hey look, it's Gregor."

Glory casually snapped his neck and tossed his body aside. "Now it's not." She saw Dawn at the back door, but

it was apparently locked. "Don't be scared, kid. I'm not going to hurt you." She smiled. "Not right now, at least. I have much bigger plans in mind for you."

"They can't do a thing to stop me," said Glory. "I..." Her eyes went wide. "What? No, not now!" She fell against

a side wall, groaning as she transformed back into Ben. "What the...how did I get here?" He saw Dawn staring at him, trembling and crying. "Oh no. Oh god no."

Behind him Buffy and Spike--looking somewhat the worse for wear--and Giles came tumbling into the room, followed shortly by Xander and Tara, who were helping Willow walk. They all saw Ben, he saw them, and all of them were very confused. Dawn stepped forward.

Spike glared at each one of them in turn. "Are you people blind? General deadmeat over there, said Glory was trapped in a mortal's body. And doctor Bob here is wearing a dress. Glory's dress. It doesn't exactly take a brain surgeon to figure this all out, now does it?"

Ben put his hands to his head. "No! Not like this!" He arched his back and he all of a sudden transformed back into Glory. She sneered. "That was different."

"There now," said Spike. "Are we all clear on today's topic? Ben and Glory 101?"

The goddess shook her head. "I don't know what's going on, but I don't really care either." She grabbed Dawn's arm, making the girl cry out as she squeezed. "Time to go." With her other hand, she picked up an axe and threw it. It missed Buffy, who ducked at the last second, and instead struck Spike in the chest. He stumbled back, this time crashing into Xander, Willow and Tara. "Just so your friends don't get any ideas!" She kicked the door into splinters and rushed outside, Buffy hot on her heels.

The Slayer saw Glory pause at Willow's energy barrier, just long enough to punch a hole through it. She leapt through, Dawn screaming and calling for her, and ran off laughing while the barrier reformed behind her. Buffy stood there and watched, helpless.

By the time any of the others made it outside, Glory was long gone. The Slayer was sitting on the ground, her eyes blankly staring off into space.

Giles finished brewing a pot of coffee and brought the tray out to the others. Willow and Tara were seated on either side of Buffy, while Xander and Spike paced back and forth, and Anya sat by the cash register. He put the tray in the middle of the table.

"I'll snap her out of it." Spike strode over to Buffy and kneeled in front of her. No one tried to stop him, as all of them, even Anya, had taken a turn--with the same results. "Buffy!" He put his hands on the Slayer's shoulders and began to shake her. "Oi! Rise and shine, love!"

To everyone's surprise, Spike abruptly reared back and slapped Buffy hard across the face. Naturally, the chip in his head went off and he was seized with pain. "Ow!"

"We didn't try that," said Anya. Not that it had worked. Buffy still wasn't moving.

Xander grabbed Spike and practically jerked the vampire across the room. "Are you insane?" He got right into Spike's face, knowing he had nothing to fear. "We could be dealing with neurological damage here. You want to kill her?!"

"We have to do something!" Spike snarled back at him. "I can't just sit here watching. You waste time with kid gloves." He smiled. "I'm willing to wager, when all is said and done, Buffy likes it rough." He was trying to push the mortal's buttons, and he got more than he bargained for.

Xander punched him. Hard. Spike's head snapped back, and he could swear he felt one of his teeth loosen. He was quite fond of his teeth, as he used them to eat even more than humans did. The vampire lunged at Xander, a familiar rage burning in his chest. He knew the chip would go off if he pushed too hard, but at this point he was more than willing to put up with a little pain.

As the fighting intensified, Willow turned, her eyes narrowing. "Separate!" Invisible waves of force struck the combatants, shoving Spike and Xander apart. They were both so startled they stopped what they were doing and turned to face her. "Buffy's out. Glory has Dawn. Sometime real soon she's going to use Dawn to tear down the barrier between every dimension there is." She glared at each one of them. "So, if you two want to fight, you do

Spike and Xander both knew Willow was more than capable, and at this point willing, to carry out her implied threat, so each of them grumbled and went to a neutral corner.

"Nicely done," said Giles. He sat down beside Buffy, and poured a cup of coffee.

Tara nodded. "I'm not surprised. That was a pretty nasty backlash you took from Glory. You shouldn't be using so much magick, Willow. It could be dangerous."

"I don't have a choice. It's the only thing that seems to work against Glory, at all."

"Just, be careful." Tara put her arms around the redhead. "And more importantly, don't feel like you have to do everything on your own. You're not alone in this Willow. I'm here. I'll help you. I couldn't stand losing you. We may save the world, but it isn't one I want to live in if you're not with me."

Willow nodded. "I know. I feel the same way." She took Tara's good hand in her own. "We'll find a way to stop Glory, together. You and me, right?" She glanced over her shoulder. "And Buffy. We have to help her. We need her too. There must be something in one of these books..."

"Then let's get to work," said Tara. They headed for the table, and Giles' texts.

Giles stood in the doorway of the workout room, watching as Willow and Tara arranged a series of candles in a circle around a still catatonic Buffy.

"Very well. Good luck." Giles closed the door, and shook his head on the other side. "I fear you'll need it." He saw Xander standing at the front door, looking out. "What are you doing?"

"The sun just went down," Xander replied. "And there's only one way Glory could have gotten past all of those Knights. Spike's dumping their bodies into the sewer. He says there is something down there...I didn't ask what, who'll take care of them." He raised his voice. "How's it coming?"

There was a lengthy pause, and then they heard a slightly muffled "Fine!" from outside.

He hated having to feed off already dead people, but this was the freshest blood he'd tasted in a long time and he wasn't about to pass up on such a banquet. What Buffy and the others didn't know wouldn't hurt them, and the vampire was already starting to feel stronger--there was no substitute for the real thing. Having eaten his fill he shifted back to his human face, and reached for one of the last two Knights.

Surprisingly, the Knight reached back. Spike leaped to his feet, snarling. "Bloody hell!" He hadn't expected to find any of them alive. "You're one lucky bloke." He kicked the last Knight into the sewer, smiling when he saw a dark, bulky shape moving through the sewage beneath him. "Enjoy." He picked up the manhole cover with one hand and dropped it into place, then grabbed the Knight. "Come on, Galahad. There are some people inside who will probably want to have a chat with you."

The Knight rolled his eyes. "Light and dark. All broken. Coming to a new day. New day."

"He won't be able to help us," said Giles. "He can't even help himself." They left the Knight tied to a chair, and walked across the room. "If Willow and Tara aren't successful..."

Willow sat cross-legged in front of Buffy, staring into the Slayer's vacant eyes. Tara stood right behind her, a hand on either of the redhead's shoulders. She was not inside of Buffy's mind like Willow, but she was offering support and power, just in case Willow needed it.

It had been just over an hour, and there was still no sign of Willow, Tara or Buffy. He was just about to check and see if they were all right when the door opened.

"Buffy?" He saw the Slayer come out first, followed by the witches. "She's back."

Her question was directed at Giles, who started. "Oh. I did some more research, and if everything is accurate, Glory will need to do the ritual very soon."

"Spike found him outside," said Giles. "We were hoping he would be able tell us something about Glory, but I don't think he knows his own name right now."

Buffy crossed her arms. "What about Glory? Have you found some way to stop her?"

"Perhaps. We have at least one advantage." Giles bent over the table and picked up a small, glowing orb. "Anya reminded us that the Dagon's sphere was designed to repel Glory. I think we can use that."

"Using a god's weapon, to fight a god?" The Slayer picked up the enormous hammer, testing its weight. "That's not bad." She turned to Giles. "But we need more."

Xander was right in Buffy's face, snapping his fingers, and yet she didn't flinch.

Willow was crouched behind Buffy, lifting the back of her shirt with one hand while she used a wrench in the other. "Don't remind me."

It wasn't Buffy, of course, the tangle of wires Willow was rearranging showed that. It was the Slayer's robotic doppleganger, the so-called Buffybot. She had been sitting inactive in the basement ever since she helped them rescue Spike from Glory, and now she was being reprogrammed once again.

Buffy, the real Buffy, was on her way back from her house. She and Spike had gone there to get weapons, and clothes for the Buffybot. Not that she was naked, but for the sake of hopefully confusing and distracting Glory, they wanted her dressed as similarly as possible to the real Slayer.

Anya stood behind Xander, with her arms crossed. Though she did not actually say anything, he suspected she wanted to make sure he didn't look up the Buffybot's skirt or down her blouse. Not that he would have, but then again she did look like Buffy, and he did once have a crush on Buffy.

On the other side of the shop Giles was sharpening his favorite sword, while Tara put some crystals and a few bottles of colored powder in a small bag.

Everyone was getting prepared because, according to the book, Giles said they had less than an hour before it was time for Glory to start her ritual.

"There." Willow pulled 'Buffy's shirt down and stood up. "She should be on-line any second."

For a moment or two nothing happened, then the robot blinked. She slowly raised her head and the rest of her body soon followed. "I am ready to slay."

"Thanks. I'm just lucky she wasn't too badly damaged." Willow watched the robot turn in a circle, scanning the entire store into her memory banks. "I'll say one thing for Warren...he knows his cybernetics. Her system is so incredibly advanced, and yet simple to operate at the same time."

Tara came over. "You're being too modest, honey." She put an arm around the redhead and smiled. "It's simple for you, 'cause you're a genius."

Everyone turned toward the front door as Buffy and Spike came in. They gave the clothes to the Buffybot and told her to go change. She started to take her clothes off right then and there, much to Spike's delight, but Anya clapped her hands over Xander's eyes before he could say, or see, anything. Willow and Tara guided her toward the bathroom, while Giles approached the group.

"Is everyone clear on what we're doing?" One by one, they nodded. Even the Buffybot, once she got out of the bathroom. "Buffy, is there anything else you'd like to say?"

The Slayer nodded. "Remember, the ritual starts, and we all die." She gripped the hammer tighter. "And I'll kill anyone who comes near Dawn." She turned and walked away.

The vampire was right behind him, looking none too happy. "We band of buggered."

Outside, Willow and Tara stood with the only surviving Knight, who had obviously been assaulted by Glory at some point. He was muttering to himself, and seemed to be about ready to tremble right out of his boots. They were not too pleased about having to use the poor fellow like this, any of them, but as far as they could tell, his twisted mind was the only way they had of finding Glory. He was being drawn to the Hellgod, to serve her, they had finally figured out, and they could see no reason to hold him back any longer. Buffy nodded, to Willow and Tara, and the witches let him go.

He took off almost immediately, screaming about working on the factors and the dawn of a new day, and they followed. Not too close, though, they didn't want to crowd him.

Beyond a certain point they could not help but see the massive steel tower, three stories tall at least, recently erected in the middle of a construction site. Somewhere along the way they lost track of the Knight, but by that point it didn't matter anymore. They had what they needed.

Xander looked up, and up, and up. "Shpedoinkle." It was a nonsense word, but under the circumstances no one seemed to notice. Or, at least, they didn't say anything.

Willow, still staring up at the tower, nodded. "Some courage." She started as Spike held out a small flask. She could smell the liquor. "The real kind." She smiled at him. "But thanks."

The witches slid through the front gate, hiding themselves amongst the throng of dull-eyed humans who were just standing around, muttering to themselves. Buffy and the Buffybot headed around to the back, while Xander headed toward a crane parked just outside the construction site. Giles, Spike and Anya remained together, their weapons up and ready. They knew what they had to do.

In the midst of it all stood Glory herself, hands resting on her hips as she stared up at the tower. Surprisingly, even though she was mere minutes away from her ultimate victory, she wasn't smiling. In fact, she didn't appear to be too happy at all. She lowered her head and sighed.

"Some whining, meatbag. It'll all be over soon." Without warning, Glory transformed into Ben. "Don't do this, please. This world..." He changed back. "...is a sewer. Trust me, nobody'll miss it." Then it was Ben again. "I will, and so will..." Glory returned. "Don't! Don't you dare say her name!" She knew full well how her mortal half felt about Buffy, and it made her sick to her stomach. Mortals and their...feelings. "It's my time! Mine! And there is nothing you, or the Slayer can do to stop me!"

"Oh please." Glory shook her head. "Haven't we played this game already? We both know you can't really stop me. At best, you can delay me." She glanced up at the tower. "Oh, I see." She smiled. "That's what you want, isn't it? To keep me busy, so I can't use the Key? Good plan. Too bad it won't work."

"We'll see." Willow drew a large, milky white crystal from behind her back. She held it out in front of her and began to chant, causing the wind to swirl and churn around her.

Glory soon recognized the words. The Cage of Isis. An ancient spell, which was meant to imprison a being of great power. She wasn't worried, however, even though it technically had the potential to contain her. She knew for such a spell to work, two spellscasters were necessary. The Hellgod started to laugh, until she realized Tara was behind her, holding another crystal and chanting just as strongly.

"No!" The ground under Glory's feet liquefied. It flowed up her legs, and engulfed her lower torso. "You'll pay for this witch!" It swallowed her chest and arms, and continued on upward. She screamed as it poured right into her mouth and nose, and encased her entire head. Then the liquid instantly dried, growing hard as stone, and left Glory a living, exceedingly angry statue.

Willow and Tara dropped their arms. The spell was not a simple one, and it had taken its toll on them. Both of them still had power remaining, but for the moment they were drained. Thus they were in no condition to stand against Glory's minions, human and demon alike.

"Get them!" one of the knobby little creature's commanded. "Our day of glory is upon us!"

"It just called out to me." His smile faded as an arrow struck him in the chest.

In the midst of it all, to no one's surprise, the Glory-statue began to tremble. Jagged cracks formed across its entire stony surface. Glory's shriek returned in full force as the Hellgod shrugged off the stone remnants of her make-shift prison, and clenched her white-knuckled fists.

"You little witch-bitch!" Glory frowned. "Oh, it's you." Willow and Tara were nowhere to be found. She found herself face to face with Buffy, the Slayer standing with her hands clasped behind her back. "Let me guess, now you want to play? I really don't have time."

Giles and Anya tried their best, but the odds stacked against them were just too great. And while Spike fought with incredible ferocity against Glory's robe-wearing demon minions, each time he threw a punch at one of her brain-sucked human followers he was wracked with pain.

Xander, on the other hand, was having more of an impact on the Hellgod herself. During her fight with 'Buffy' she crushed the Dagon's sphere and then decapitated what turned out to be the robot. But that only proved to be a distraction so the real Buffy could sneak up behind Glory and started wailing her with the troll hammer. Both combatants made it halfway up the tower, before knocking each other off, and when Buffy momentarily lost her grip on the troll hammer Xander swung into action. Using the huge wrecking ball on the end of the crane's arm, he knocked Glory through a wall and put the Slayer back in control.

Willow and Tara, meanwhile, crouched behind a pile of bricks as they mapped out their own strategy. Getting to Dawn was the number one priority. If they could only keep her blood from being spilled long enough, Glory would be unable to complete her ritual, and the world would be saved. Unfortunately, right now there were way too many people, and demons, in their way.

"On the plus side," said the redhead. "If we can't get to her, no one else can either."

Tara frowned. "I'm not so sure about that, Willow." She was staring up at the tower, and her senses were going a mile a minute. "I think there's someone up there with Dawn."

Willow licked her lips. "I have an idea." She closed her eyes and concentrated. "Spike..." On the far side of the battlefield, the startled vampire raised his head. "...can you hear me?"

"Yeah." Spike did not know why he was suddenly able to hear Willow's voice in his head, but he seen and done so much in his long life he wasn't particularly bothered by it. "Can't tell who."

Spike looked upon the more than a dozen armed demons and humans standing between him and the stairs, and shook his head. "Yeah, but..."

"Go, now!" As Spike took off, Willow reached back blindly with her hand. Without hesitation Tara grabbed it, and together their combined power swept the crowd apart. They went flying, in several different directions, and Spike darted right between them. He covered several steps at a time.

Tara watched until the vampire was out of sight. "Do you think he'll be able to do it?"

They turned to see how Buffy was doing. It appeared as if she actually had the Hellgod on the ropes. Glory's face was battered and bloody, but she was still on her feet. Each time Buffy swung the hammer, it staggered the Hellgod just a little bit more. They wondered how much she could take.

Willow and Tara's attention was then drawn back to the tower, as they saw movement from the corner of their eyes. It was Spike. He was free-falling three stories to the hard ground below. Whoever was with Dawn was not playing games, apparently. Spike hit, hard, and lay still, though from where they were sitting they could just tell he was still alive--or whatever term was appropriate to a vampire.

"Oh man," said the redhead. "This is not good." Glory was getting desperate, fighting back with all she had, but by that point the Slayer had proven to be the stronger of the two. "There is no way Buffy can finish in time to help Dawn. And it looks like Spike is out."

"None of the others can get up there fast enough," said Willow. "But I have an idea." She pulled a little bag out of her pocket. "Do you remember the teleportation spell we did against Glory?"

"Of course. It gave you headaches for a week." Tara blinked. "Wait. Willow. You're not thinking about using it again, are you? It's too dangerous..."

Willow shook her head. "I've modified it. The only reason it took so much out of me the last time, is because I took the entire burden on myself by saying the power word alone. Plus, in my defense we were teleporting an honest to goodness god, against her will." She cupped Tara's cheek. "Together, we should be fine. As long as we concentrate on where we want to go...up to that tower."

"Okay." Tara took a deep breath. "It's not like we have much of a choice anyway."

Willow tossed the powder into the air--and as it sprinkled down upon them they simultaneously clapped their hands. Focusing their will, and their power, they shouted: "Discaine!"

With a loud pop, the witches literally vanished into thin air. The place where they had been sitting was empty, save for a smoldering black circle.

Doc gently sliced into Dawn's flesh, being extra-careful not to spill too much of her blood.

After all, Doc knew if the Key bled too much too quickly, there was a chance her mortal body would give out and she would die before Glorificus had the opportunity to return home. And once the portal was closed, it was closed forever, leaving her stranded in this lower plane of existence.

Dawn cried as her blood began to flow. It slowly made its way down her legs. She didn't know what was going to happen, exactly, but she knew it would be soon. "Buffy!"

Willow and Tara materialized on the far end of the platform. They fell against one another, gasping for air, as Doc turned to face them. He could see they were sweating and breathing hard, and it wasn't hard to figure out it had taken a great effort for them to get up to him. He smiled.

Tara felt as if her body had been turned inside out. Her head was all fuzzy, it was hard for her to think, and her stomach was all twisted up in knots. It was something of a minor miracle she was still on her feet, as her knees had apparently turned to Jell-O. "Goddess."

Through a haze of pain and nausea, Willow heard approaching footsteps. She stared, until her eyes had finally focused enough for her to recognize the demon who attacked them outside of Caritas. Her head still throbbing, she lifted a trembling hand and pointed it at him. "Away!"

No one was more surprised than Doc, when an invisible wall of force struck him so hard he was lifted off his feet. Screaming, he went sailing off the side of the platform and plummeted into darkness, so far away they did not even hear him hit the ground.

As the witches untied Dawn, they failed to notice her blood seeping through the open surface of the platform they were all standing on. Drop by drop it collected in mid-air, until there was an audible tearing sound, and the very fabric of reality itself began to unravel. A surging, crackling vortex of blue energy appeared beneath them, growing larger and larger with each passing second.

Terrible bolts of lightning began erupting from the vortex, and everything they touched was altered. A fissure was torn open in the middle of the street, and a nearby building suddenly became the nest for some particularly hideous, white-skinned demons. Even the construction site beneath them was not spared; a stray bolt dislodged some stone or other building material, and they could hear it crash down.

Dawn stared into the vortex as she thought about the blood. The blood which had caused all this. Her blood. It was all her fault. She had destroyed the entire world.

A huge, gray-skinned, dragon-like creature sailed out of the vortex. It soared past them, and they lost track of it as it disappeared off into the night sky.

For Dawn, the time for tears was passed. She could see everything so clearly now, and she knew what she had to do. "Willow, Tara, do me a favor. Tell Buffy I'm sorry, and...I'm okay." Before either of them could make any effort to stop her, Dawn turned and ran for the edge of the platform.

"No!" The scream came not from Willow or Tara, but Buffy. The Slayer had made it to the top of the tower in time to see her sister doing a swan-dive off the platform.

To her credit, there was no fear on Dawn's face as she plunged into the vortex. In that one, agonizing moment of eternity, every second of her life passed before her eyes. Mom. Dad. Learning to swim. Riding a bike. Her first earthquake. Angel. Xander. Spike. Giles. Seeing Willow and Tara kissing. Her first slumber party. Kissing her best friend on the lips. Eating marshmallows. The Hellmouth.

And then, just like that, it was all over. Dawn's eyes closed, and her body just seemed to dissolve. It became a shimmering mass of pure green energy, being drawn in every direction at once by the force of the multitude of dimensions. The Key--once again in its true form, fulfilling its ultimate destiny as it sealed the breaches it had caused, while assuring it could never be used that way again.

The spell cast by the monks, all those months ago, which had been bound with the essence of the Key, ceased to be. It wasn't that Buffy and the others didn't remember Dawn. Instead, in their reality the girl known as Dawn had never existed at all. No sister. No chess partner. No origin of a childhood crush. She had literally given her all to save the world she loved, and none of them would ever know it.

Buffy, Willow, and Tara all embraced one another on top of the tower, knowing that the Apocalypse had been averted once again. They weren't sure exactly how, as their memories of the Key were only vague. It was not an object which needed their protection any longer, apparently, so they assumed it had somehow been returned to its rightful place in the universe. Wherever that was.

"Let's go home," said the Slayer, one arm around each of her friend's shoulders.

Several days went by, and life slowly began to return to what could laughingly be called normal in a place like Sunnydale. The demons and vampires--most of whom had left because of Glory--were slowly finding their way back into the city. Patrolling was once again in full swing.

It was early in the morning, well before the sun had even come up. Willow and Tara lay in bed with their arms and legs wrapped around one another. Every inch of bare skin glistened with a fine layer of sweat, generated by a night of exceptionally passionate lovemaking. They were both a little out of breath, their breasts still heaving beneath the sheet as they huddled together and talked quietly.

"Honestly?" Willow lay her head back and sighed. "Sure. Of course. I mean, since you...since we...it's crossed my mind. Once or twice, I guess. Why do you ask?"

Tara took a moment to organize her thoughts. "Because, before I met you, I never really thought about it. Not seriously, anyway. I don't...you were with a guy. You had that option." She turned her head, and looked her lover in the eye. "I love you so much, Willow. And I don't think there can be a greater symbol of our love, than having a child together. And I know, in my heart, that you would be an incredible mother."

"Goddess." Willow leaned in and kissed her lover. "Tara, are you saying you want a child?"

Tara shook her head. "No." She saw the stunned look on Willow's face. "Not yet. I think we're too young, right now. In a few years, when we're done with school, and we've had the chance to really start our lives together, I'd like to consider the possibility. One day. I mean, I even..."

Willow saw the sparkle in Tara's eyes. "You've already thought of a name, haven't you?"

Willow smiled. Her lover was many things, but a good liar was not among them. "What is it?"

"Dawn." Willow snuggled into Tara and closed her eyes. "I'll have to remember that."

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Tough Love, Revisited

By Kirk Baldridge

Kirk@mysticmuse.net