𝒊 𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒐𝒕...𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒋𝒂𝒏𝒆

Rip was very rambunctious the next morning, which was something I didn't expect. He chewed on the laces of my combat boots as I was getting ready for school. He pawed at my hand as I did my eyeliner and mascara. He also claimed my dark purple sweater as his bed, which in turn, covered it in his fur. I didn't mind it, though, even if it took forever to lint-roll off.

"Are you sure that he's safe by himself?" I asked Mom. We both stood in the kitchen, watching as Rip played with a toy mouse—courtesy of Mrs. Duncan. Mom had called and asked if she had anything that she would be willing to give us, since she had quite a few cats of her own. She, in turn, gave us a brand new bag of kitten food, a litter box, some litter, and a few toys. I knew that she was often rude, but when it came to cats, she was totally different. She actually smiled at Mom when she came over to gift it to us.

"Of course he is," Mom replied. "Mrs. Duncan gave us some toys to keep him occupied. He has a litter box for when he needs to use the bathroom. You can leave him plenty of food and water. And as soon as I get off work I'll come straight home to take care of him."

I sighed. "Okay." Admittedly, I was terrified. I hoped that he wouldn't get hurt while I was at school. I wouldn't be able to protect him, especially from vampires. I didn't even know if they drank animal blood, but who knows!

I bend down and click my tongue. Rip perks up at the sound and bounds over to me as quickly as his tiny legs can, meowing. I scoop him up and give him lots of kisses.

"Don't let any vampires in," I tell him. "And if they somehow manage to come inside and try to hurt you, claw their faces until their flesh peels off their skull."

Rip stares up at me, purring. I hope he would be able to defend himself.

I look over to see Mom grimacing at me. "What?" I asked.

"Please don't worry, Katy," she said. "I'll ask Mrs. Duncan to come over every hour and check on him."

I nod, and set him down on the ground. He mewls softly.

"See you later, my sweet Rip," I said to him.

Later that morning, I'm in computer class, working on a book-scanning project. I didn't understand the whole idea of it, and also couldn't focus because of my thoughts about Rip. Willow, who sat beside me at the table, seemed to understand the whole concept, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Buffy lifts open the lid of a box. "Oh, great! A book!" she exclaimed with sarcasm. Buffy pulls the book out and blows some of the dust off of it.

The cloud of dust goes right in my face and I cough loudly. Willow pats me hard on the back. "Jeez, Buffy!" I wheeze.

Her frown is sincere. "Sorry." Xander doesn't hesitate to laugh at my misfortune from his spot at the computer. Buffy glares daggers at him.

Giles approaches the library table. "What's all of the commotions?" Buffy holds up the dusty book. "Oh, I...haven't gone through the new arrivals. Put it in that pile."

"Here, I'll get it." Dave gets up from his computer.

Buffy nods gratefully. "Oh, thanks, Dave. The Willow pile." Dave takes the book from Buffy and goes over to the pile of books next to Willow.

"That was hilarious," Xander said, smiling at me. "You should have seen your face!"

"Ha-ha," I murmured, rolling my eyes. "Very funny."

"It was very funny."

Giles doesn't pay our bickering any mind and continues. "Uh, when I've examined it, you can skim it."

"Scan it, Rupert. That's scan it," Ms. Calendar, our computer teacher, said.

Giles gives her a look. "Of course."

Ms. Calendar smiles. "Oh, I know, our ways are strange to you, but soon you will join us in the 20th century. With three whole years to spare!"

"Ms. Calendar, I'm sure your computer science class is fascinating, but I happen to believe that one can survive in modern society without being a slave to the idiot box."

I exchange a look with Buffy. "I don't understand a thing he said. Too many big words."

She laughed. "Agreed."

"He needs to summarize," Willow said, grabbing another book from her pile.

"That's TV. The idiot box is TV. This," she points to a computer. "Is the good box!"

"I still prefer a good book," Giles said.

Fritz, one of our other classmates, stands. "The printed page is obsolete. Information isn't bound up anymore. It's an entity. The only reality is virtual. If you're not jacked in, you're not alive." With that, he grabs his books and leaves the library.

Ms. Calendar sighs at his retreating figure. "Thank you, Fritz, for making us all sound like crazy people." To Giles, she adds, "Fritz comes on a little strong, but he does have a point. You know, for the last two years more e-mail was sent than regular mail."

"Oh..."

"It makes sense," Xander said, making his way over to our table. "Everyone is using e-mail nowadays."

I nod. "My brother doesn't even answer the phone anymore. But if I send him an e-mail, he answers immediately."

"See," Ms. Calendar said, "My students get it. More digitized information went across phone lines than conversation."

Giles shakes his head. "That is a fact that I regard with genuine horror."

"I'll bet it is." She claps her hands and looks at us, students. "Alright, guys, let's wrap it up for today."

"I've just got a few more," Willow tells her. "I'll hang for a bit."

Ms. Calendar nods. "Cool! Thanks!"

Xander grabs his bag and pulls it onto his shoulder. I do the same, hugging my satchel close to my side. Buffy is quick to exit the classroom, leaving us behind.

Willow continues sifting through her stack of books. "Xander, you wanna stay and help me?"

Xander turns around and scoffs at our red-headed best friend. "Are you kidding?"

Willow sighs. "Yes, it was a joke I made up."

"Willow, I love you, but bye!"

"Bye, Will," I said, waving in her direction, following behind Xander, who was quick to run out of the room. "I'll talk to you later. I love you!"

"Love you too!" She calls out after us. "See you guys tomorrow!"

"Buffy, wait up!" Xander yelled, chasing behind our blonde friend. I'm hot at his heels. We eventually catch up to her and make our way out of the building.

♱ ♱ ♱

"She hasn't been herself lately," I confided to Buffy as we walked down the hallway of Sunnydale High. It had been a week since our book-scanning project and I had barely spoken to Willow unless it was small talk. I hadn't even been able to tell her about Rip, and how good he was doing. It was hurtful. I felt like she was pushing me away.

"Speaking of..." I trail off as Buffy runs to catch up with our redheaded friend, who was walking down the hall at a slow pace.

"Willow!" Buffy calls out. "Willow, hey, wait up!"

We finally reach her, and she turns to look at us, seeming surprised. "Oh, guys, I didn't even see you."

"Or hear us, " Buffy said. "What was up last night? I tried your line, like, a million times."

"And so did I, " I added, crossing my arms over my chest. "I needed some help with homework. I hope the call went through. Rip chewed up our phone cord."

"Oh, I was...I was talking."

"Talking to...?" I ask, but Willow doesn't answer.

Buffy sighs. "Okay, that's it, you have a secret, and that's not allowed."

"Why not?" Willow opens her locker.

"'Cause... there's a rule," Buffy said. That didn't seem to affect her answer.

I nodded. "Yeah, a friendship rule."

Willow chews on her bottom lip, seeming to be in thought before speaking. "Well, I sort of met someone."

"I knew it!" Buffy cried. I raise a brow. "This is so important! When did you meet?"

"Last week after we did the scanning project in the library." After grabbing a textbook, Willow closes her locker. We continue to follow her.

"Does he go here? What's his name? Have you kissed him? What's he like?" I shake my head at Buffy's onslaught of questions that I'm sure Willow wasn't ready to answer.

"No, Malcolm, no, and very nice."

"I can't believe you didn't tell me, Will!" I sighed. "We're best friends!" Buffy agrees with me and tells Willow that she was a thing of evil for not telling us. Which was a bit harsh, but true.

"Well, I wasn't sure there was anything to tell," she admitted. "But last night, oh! We talked all night, it was amazing. He's so smart, and he's romantic, and we agree about everything!"

Buffy sighs. "What's he look like?"

"I don't know!" Willow continues down the hall with a big smile on her face. I furrow my eyebrows, and Buffy and I share a confused glance. I stare after her for a moment before continuing to follow her. It isn't long before we reach the computer lab. Our classmates Fritz and Dave are already in the classroom, typing away. I put my bag down on the floor near an empty computer, sitting down in a seat.

"So, you've been seeing a guy, and you don't know what he looks like? Okay, this is a puzzle." Buffy thinks for a moment. "No, wait, I'm good at these. Does it involve a midget and a block of ice?"

"I met him online, " Willow said matter-of-factly.

"Online for what?" Buffy is puzzled and Willow points to a computer. "Oh!"

"You met this guy on the 'Net?" I butted in. "Will, the internet is full of predators! This guy could be a divorced forty-year-old creep living in his basement!"

Our redheaded best friend shakes her head in response. "I know Malcolm. He would never lie to me."

Ms. Calendar strides quickly into the room wearing dark glasses and holding a mug of coffee in one hand and her books in the other. "Morning, kids!"

Buffy and I turn to look at her, and I smile. She notes us as she heads for her desk, and puts her mug down. "Buffy, Katy, are you supposed to be somewhere?"

Buffy shakes her head. "No, I have a free."

"And I have a substitute. Who thankfully isn't a giant bug," I said, uttering the last sentence under my breath. Buffy giggles.

"Cool!" Ms. Calendar removed her sunglasses. "But this is lab time, so let's make it a nice, short visit, okay?"

The PC Willow sits in front of announces that she has mail. Willow nearly jumps out of her chair in excitement. "It's him!" She types on the keyboard to open the message. I peer over her shoulder to read the message. I'M THINKING OF YOU. She turns to both of us, smiling. "He's so sweet!"

Buffy nods, smiling nervously. "He's a sweetie."

"Yeah, seems like it." I tried to be nonchalant about the situation, but I couldn't help but worry. This guy could be anyone, even a psychopath, and Willow wouldn't even know it!

"What should I write back?" Willow asked.

"Uh, Willow, I think it's great that you have this cool pen pal, but don't you think you're kinda rushing all into this?" Buffy said. "Y'know what I mean?"

Willow ignored her. "'I'm thinking of you, too!' No, that's incredibly stupid!"

"Will, down girl! Let's focus here, okay?" Our blonde best friend asked. "What do you know about this guy?"

Willow crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh, see, I knew you guys would react like this."

Buffy and I exchange glances before she reassures her. "Like what? Katy and I just wanna make sure you're careful, that's all."

"Buffy..."

"He could be different than you think," Buffy said. I knew Willow didn't want to take our advice.

"Yeah, remember in middle school whenever I dated that guy all because he said he was related to David Bowie?" I reminded her. "Guess what—he totally wasn't! I should've known, that was the worst fake British accent."

Willow finally gives in. "His name is Malcolm Black, he's eighteen, he lives in Elmwood, which is about eighty miles from here, and he likes me!"

I sighed. It sounded like he was a real person, so that made me feel better. Although, I still had my doubts. Buffy did too. "Short, tall, skinny, fat?" she asked.

"Why does everything have to be about looks?" Willow sounded annoyed.

"Not everything, but some stuff is," our friend replied. "I mean, what if you guys get intense, and then you find out that he...has...a hairy back?"

"Buffy, don't rush Willow into thinking about that," I reminded her. I knew Willow wasn't the type of girl to do that.

Willow nodded. "He doesn't talk like somebody who would have a hairy back. And anyway, that stuff doesn't matter when you really care about each other. Maybe I'm not his ideal either..."

"Hey, I'm just trying to make sure that he's good enough for you," Buffy said. "I think it's great that you met someone."

"I do too," I admitted. "As long as you're happy, we're happy."

After class, Willow and I walk down the steps. Ever since our discussion about Malcolm she has been completely silent, almost as if she was ignoring me. It made me a little upset. But she has good reason for her feelings. I'm sure that she felt under attack when Buffy and I were questioning her in the computer lab.

I'm pulled out of my thoughts whenever someone puts their hand over my eyes. I gasp, nearly falling off of the steps.

"Guess who?" A familiar voice asks. I know that voice from anywhere.

I still decide to play along. "That hot math teacher?"

"No, I'm not Mr. Howard. Guess again."

"Xander?" I pretended to be unsure of my answer.

Xander takes his hand away from my eyes and I'm happy to see his smile. "Oh, I can't fool ya, you see right through my petty charade. So...we goin' to the Bronze tonight?" He does a little dance and then looks over at Willow.

Willow smiles. "Not me, I think I'm gonna call it an early night."

"Oh, Malcolm, right?" Willow smiles and nods. Xander and I exchange glances. "Yeah, I heard. But you're gonna be missin' out. I'm plannin' to be witty. I'm gonna make fun of all the people who won't talk to me."

I ruffled his hair. "I'll be there, Xand."

"That's nice. Have a good time, guys!" Willow smiles and quickly leaves. I watch her go. Xander does too, and Buffy walks up to where we stood.

"She certainly looks perky," Buffy said. I nodded. Our friend walked like she had a pep in her step, which I knew was all thanks to Malcolm.

"Yeah, color in the cheeks, bounce in the step... I don't like it. It's not healthy." Xander frowns and faces us. "So, are you goin' to the Bronze tonight? Oh, probably not, you probably have some vampire-slaying or some lame endeavor like that, don't you? Everyone deserts me."

We begin to walk. I frown. "Except me."

Buffy shakes her head. "Check out the jealous man!"

Xander and I both look at her, bewildered. What are you talking about?" Xander asked.

"You're jealous."

"Of what?"

Buffy crossed her arms over her chest. "Willow's got a thang, and Xander's left hanging."

Xander waves his hand. "Oh, that's meaningless drivel. I'm not interested in Willow like that."

Buffy nods. "Yeah, but you got used to being the Belle of the Ball."

"No, it's just...this Malcolm guy? What's his deal?" Xander was right. I didn't know what to think of him either. "I mean, tell me you're not slightly wigged."

"That's true," I agreed. "Before Malcolm, we were all so tightly knit, but now..."

Buffy chews on her bottom lip before answering. "Okay, slightly. I mean, just not knowing what he's really like."

"Or who he really is," Xander added on. "I mean, sure he says he's a high school student, but I can say I'm a high school student."

"You are," Buffy and I said in unison.

"Okay, but I can also say that I'm an elderly Dutch woman. Get me?" Xander said. "I mean, who's to say I'm not if I'm in the elderly Dutch chat room?"

Buffy smiled. "I get your point!" I knew she was just trying to make light of the situation. Then, she frowns. "I get your point. Oh, this guy could be anybody. He could be weird, or crazy, or old, or...he could be a circus freak. He's probably a circus freak!"

"Buffy, calm down," I put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm just as freaked out about all this as you guys are, but there isn't any need to worry ourselves sick over it."

"But here's the thing, Katy," Xander said. "We read about it all the time. Y'know, people meet on the 'Net, they talk, they get together, have dinner, a show, horrible ax murder."

Buffy's eyes widen. "Willow ax murdered by a circus freak...okay, okay, what do we do?"

My paranoia begins to soar. "If Willow dies because of some ax murderer over the 'Net I'm going to hunt that guy down and chop off his—"

"Whoa, okay!" Buffy cuts me off, knowing what I was going to say next. "What are we doing? Xander, you got me started! We are totally overreacting!"

Xander smiled. "But it's fun, isn't it?"

"No!" I cried. "This is serious. Willow really could be in danger."

Buffy sighed. "Well, there's only one way to find out."

"What do you mean?" I asked our blonde friend.

"I have an idea."

♱ ♱ ♱

The next day, Buffy and I are in the girl's locker room, changing after gym class. I'm at my locker, putting away my sneakers.

"Xander and I were dancing, and then he slipped on someone's spilled drink and fell. Needless to say our night of fun was over after that," I told her with a laugh. I had ended up going to the Bronze with Xander last night, and it was pretty fun. But that didn't stop me from missing Rip. As soon as I got home, I ran right up to my room and let him knead biscuits onto my shirt until we both fell asleep.

She smiled. "It sounds like you guys had a lot of fun. I wish I would have been able to make it, but you know..." She gestured to the cross around her neck and I knew what she meant. Slaying.

"Ah, I gotcha." Suddenly Willow comes barging in, nearly knocking Buffy down.

"Whoa! You're the late girl," Buffy said.

Willow almost seems to roll her eyes. "I overslept."

"Until fifth period?" she replied. For a moment, she was quiet. "Talkin' to Malcolm last night?"

Willow shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah." I give Buffy a look and Willow noticed it. "What?"

"Nothing," Buffy muttered. I somehow managed to finally shut my locker. I didn't say anything.

"You're having an expression, Katy," our red-headed friend said.

I shook my head, scoffing. "No, I'm not. This is just my...thinking face."

"But if she was, it'd be saying, 'This just isn't like you,'" Buffy added. I was relieved by her answer. Despite how blunt and honest I always was, one thing I knew was to never hurt Willow's feelings by saying what you truly feel. I cared too much for my best friend to see her upset.

"Not like me to have a boyfriend?" Willow retorted. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"He's boyfriendly?" Buffy asked. She was surprised and admittedly, I was too. I didn't expect to hear that they had moved along so quickly.

"I don't understand why you guys don't want me to have this. I mean, boys don't chase me around all the time. I thought you'd be happy for me." Willow sounded hurt.

"We just want you to be sure," my blonde friend said. "To meet him face to face. In daylight, in a crowded place with some friends. Y'know, before you become all...obsessive."

I chewed on my bottom lip. I knew how Willow was going to react.

"Malcolm and I really care about each other. Big deal if I blow off a couple of classes."

My eyes widened. Willow wasn't the type to skip class. That was more my style. "That's unlike you," I said.

"I thought you said you overslept." Buffy was also shocked.

Willow glanced at us for a brief moment before staring back at her locker. "Malcolm said you wouldn't understand."

"Malcolm was right." Buffy grabbed her satchel and I did the same, giving my best friend one more look before we make our way to the computer lab.

As soon as we walk into the lab, I spot Dave sitting in front of a computer. Buffy does too and we walk over to him. She sits in the seat beside him and I decide to stand behind her.

"Dave?" He doesn't answer, clearly in another world. "Hey there, Dave. Anybody home?" He nearly jumps out of his seat when Buffy puts a hand on his shoulder.

Dave glanced between both of us. "Oh, what do you want?"

"I—we—" She looked at me and I nodded, "—wanted to ask you something if you have a minute."

"What is it?"

"Well, you're a nerd..." I said.

"Computer genius," Buffy corrected. "And, uh, we sort of have a technical problem. If we wanted to find out something about someone, if someone e-mailed us, could we trace the letter?"

"Well, you could pull up somebody's profile based on their username," he said.

"But they write the profile themselves, right? And so they could say anything they wanted." Buffy did have a point and a great one at that.

Dave nodded. "True."

"Wow! I had knowledge!" I grin at Buffy. "Well, is there a way to find out exactly where a letter, an e-letter came from? I mean, the actual location of the computer?"

I could almost see the gears turning in his head. "That's a challenge. And why are you asking me all of this?"

Buffy and I exchange glances, and I knew that it was better to tell the truth than a lie. "To be honest, Willow has this boyfriend that she met over the 'Net, and we're just concerned about—"

Dave cuts me off, nostrils flaring. "Leave Willow alone."

"What the hell do you mean?" I asked. "She's our best friend, we can worry about her if we want to."

"Katy," Buffy said.

He doesn't seem phased by my answer. "That's none of your business."

Buffy peers down at him, her eyes narrowed. I knew there was something wrong with Dave's answer, and she asks what I'm thinking. "Dave, are you Malcolm?"

Dave turns back to his computer and begins typing. "Of course not."

"Dave, what's going on?" She asked.

"Look, I'll talk to you later, okay? I've got work to do." With one final sigh, Buffy gets up from her chair and leaves. I glare at Dave before following behind her.

Buffy exhales. "So do we," she mutters.

"Damn right we do."

In the library, Buffy and I follow Giles down the stairs to the counter.

"I'm telling you, something is going on. It's not just Willow. Dave, Fritz, they're all wicked jumpy." Buffy explained.

Giles hummed. "Those boys aren't sparklingly normal as it is." I knew he meant their love for technology.

Buffy clasped her hands together. "Giles, trust us."

"Buffy and Xander are the only ones that agree with me that something is wrong," I added. "Willow won't get it through her head."

"I do! I really don't know how to advise you," Giles said. I knew he was right. Nothing that related to technology was of interest to him. "Things involved with a computer fill me with a childlike terror. Now, if it were a nice ogre or some such I'd be more in my element. Well, I suppose you could, um, tail Dave, see if he's up to something."

Buffy scoffed. "Follow Dave? What, in dark glasses and a trench coat? Please."

"I'm not going full-on Alex Forrest on this guy," I added. Giles seemed confused by my movie reference. "Fatal Attraction? Oh, never mind."

Buffy doesn't hesitate to tell Giles that his plan was futile. "I can handle this myself."

"I can't believe you dressed in a trench coat and sunglasses, Buff," I laughed.

It was the next day, and we sat in the library. Buffy sat on the table and Xander and I were seated in the slightly uncomfortable wooden chairs. My chin rested in my hands, and I stifled a yawn as Buffy explained everything she saw yesterday after school.

"Whatever Dave is into, it's large," she calmly explained.

Giles had his hand on his chin. "What was the name of this place?"

"It said CRD. But, I couldn't get close enough to see what it was," Buffy answered.

Xander leaned up. "Calax Research and Development. It's a computer research lab. Third largest employer in Sunnydale till it closed down last year." Giles and Buffy stare at him in shock, but I'm pleased to see that his wit is finally being recognized. "What, I can't have information sometimes?"

"Of course you can, Xander," I told him.

"Well, it—it's just somewhat unprecedented," Giles murmured.

I knew that they didn't expect Xander to provide knowledge, especially since his jokes normally helped us stay calm in a dire situation. "Well, my uncle used to work there. In a floor-sweeping capacity," he added.

"But it closed?" Buffy asked.

Xander nodded. "Uh-huh."

"There was a lot of rumors about the reason why," I said. "Some claimed it was employee malpractice."

Buffy's eyes widened. I knew she didn't like the sound of that. "Looked pretty functional from where I stood. I don't have a clue what they were doing."

"And what do they need Dave for?" I asked. "Besides him being a nerd."

"Hey, nerds aren't half bad," Xander countered. "I was one at one time."

I laughed. "I remember when you used to collect action figures."

"Very valuable action figures."

"It was still nerd-ish."

Buffy smiled at our banter. "Something about computers, right? I mean, Dave is off-the-chart smart."

Giles begins pacing. "We still don't know an enormous amount. Whatever is going on there may be on the up-and-up."

"No, if CRD opened, it would've been on the news," Xander replied. I nodded in agreement.

Buffy sighed. "Besides, I can just tell something's wrong. My spidey sense is tingling."

"Your...spidey sense?" Giles was completely and utterly confused.

"Pop culture reference. Sorry," Buffy said.

"Yes, well," Giles cleared his throat. "I think we're still at a standstill. Uh, short of breaking into the place, I don't see..."

"Breaking in!" Buffy slides off of the table. "Then this is the plan!"

Xander stood. "I'm free tonight!"

"So am I," I added with a smile.

"Tonight it is!" She goes over to where Xander and I are standing.

"A moment, please, of quiet reflection. I do not suggest that you illegally enter the..." Giles trails off.

I turn to see that Ms. Calendar has just stepped into the library.

"...data into the file so the book will be listed by title as well as by author," Giles finished. I sighed in relief.

"I just came by to check your new database, make sure your cross-reference table isn't glitching," Ms. Calendar stated. "'Cause I'm guessing you haven't gone anywhere near it."

"Uh, I'm still sorting through the chaos you left behind you," he admitted.

Ms. Calendar nodded. "Hmm." She noticed our presence. "You're here again? You kids really dig the library, don't cha?"

"We're literary!" Buffy exclaimed with a smile.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I read sometimes."

"To read makes our speaking English good," Xander said. I gave him a bewildered glance.

Buffy smiled. "We'll be going now." She grabs Xander and I's hands and turns to leave.

"Uh, we'll, uh, continue this conversation at another time," Giles called after us.

"I think we're done." As soon as we leave the library Buffy turns to Xander. "Makes our speaking English good?"

Xander threw his hands in the air. "I panicked, okay?"

"I'm going to go find Willow," Buffy said. "Maybe I can finally get some answers."

"I'm coming with you," I told her.

She nodded, and we leave Xander behind. I turn back to look at him, and he smiles at me. I wave a final goodbye.

We sneak down the empty hallways. I slowly pull my dagger out of my boot in case of impending danger. Buffy's eyes widened. "You always have that close by, don't you?" she teased.

I grinned, twirling it in my hand. "I always keep it on me. Just in case."

We pass by the school nurse, who's frantic as she quickly walks along with a man. "I checked the computer, and there's nothing in his file about being allergic to penicillin!"

We eventually make it out of school. Dave comes up to us, and I hide my dagger behind my back.

"Buffy!" He looks at me and I swear he narrows his eyes. "Katy."

Buffy didn't seem to notice it. "Dave! How're you doing?"

"Okay." He's silent for a moment. "Uh, look, I'm sorry about yesterday. I haven't been getting much sleep lately, y'know?"

I smiled, deciding to be as nice as possible just so we wouldn't seem suspicious. "I understand. Not a big deal."

Dave nods. "Willow was looking for you guys."

Buffy and I exchange glances. "Good, we need to talk to her. Do you know where she is?"

"She said she'd be in the..." he trails off. "In the girls' locker room."

Buffy nodded. "Great. Thanks." I look at him for a moment and then follow behind Buffy, who was eager to find Willow. Something about the way Dave said it made me feel like this wasn't right. But I continue to follow Buffy and we eventually make it to the now deserted girl's locker room. Buffy slowly walks down an aisle of lockers, and I stay behind. "Will?" I call out.

Buffy walks further. "Willow?"

I hear the shower water turn on. Weird. It doesn't seem to phase her. "Will? You taking a shower?" Buffy called.

We go to the one shower in particular and sees that it's on, but no one's there. "I guess not," I sighed. I carefully step onto the tile, turning the knob. The water stops flowing.

"This is how droughts get started," Buffy said. She was still behind me, lingering back.

"Katy! Get out!" I heard Dave yell. I turn to him in shock and notice a cluster of wires at my feet. The water touches them and they begin to spark. With a cry, I leap out of the shower, and a buzzing noise fills the room as an arc of electricity follows me for a brief moment.

I land on the hard tile floor. "Ow. What the hell?" I groaned.

Buffy helps me to my feet. Dave runs from the locker room. Buffy gasps. "Katy! Your boots!"

I look down to see that the soles of my combat boots are smoking. Damn it. Those were my favorite pair.

♱ ♱ ♱

When we make it back to the library and explain what happened in the locker room, Xander was fuming.

"I'm gonna kill Dave!" he said angrily.

Buffy tried to calm him down for the third time. "He warned Katy."

I nodded and Xander turns to look at me. "Warned you that he set you up? You could've died, Katy."

"It wouldn't be the first time someone has said that to me," I muttered. Giles walks over to me and hands me a small bag of ice, which was provided by the school nurse. I thank him. Buffy had to come up with the lame excuse that I fell out of my desk and hit my head. The nurse somehow believed us.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Xander asked. His voice was softer now, and his eyes were on me.

Giles nods. "She was only grounded for a moment." He sits down beside me. "Still, if you'd stayed in that shower a moment longer..."

I smooth down my hair, and then look up at my two friends. "Be honest: how do I look? Does it look like I just almost died from electrocution?"

"No way, you look great," Xander said with a smile. "The best you've ever looked!" I rolled my eyes.

"I just... I don't understand what would make Dave do a thing like that," Buffy spoke.

"I think perhaps I do." Giles goes over to get a book from a small wire cage. He comes back holding it up. "Does this look familiar to either of you?"

Buffy nodded. "Yeah, sure. Looks like a book."

"I knew that one," Xander agreed.

Giles sets it on the table. "In the dark ages, the souls of demons were sometimes trapped in certain volumes. They remained locked within the book, harmless unless the pages were read aloud. Unless I'm mistaken, this is Moloch, the Corrupter. A very deadly and seductive demon. He draws people to him with promises of love, power, knowledge. Preys on impressionable minds."

"Like Dave's," Xander said.

"Dave, and who knows how many others," Giles added.

"And this demon... is inside that dusty old book?" I asked. I was very confused about the situation.

"Not anymore." He opens the book.

"You released Moloch?" Xander asked. I looked at Giles with wide eyes.

"Way to go!" Buffy cried.

Giles defends himself. "I didn't read it! That dreadful Calendar woman found it and, and it was already blank."

"Okay, so a powerful demon with horns is walking around Sunnydale, and nobody's noticed?" Buffy asked.

"I damn sure would have," I told her. "You can't unsee that."

"If he's so big and strong, why bother with Dave?" Xander wondered aloud.

"I don't know. And I don't know who could've read that book. It wasn't even in English."

"Where was it?"

Giles taps the book. "Uh, in a pile with others that were, erm, scanned."

We all look over at the PC. It seemed so foreboding now.

"And that released the demon?" Xander asked.

"No, he's not out here." Buffy points to the PC. "He's in there."

Giles nods. "The scanner read the book. It brought Moloch out as information to be absorbed."

Buffy exhaled. I'm sure that she was thinking the same thing I was. "He's gone binary on us."

Xander cleared his throat. "Okay, for those of us in our studio audience, who are me, you guys are saying that Moloch is in this computer?"

"And every computer connected to it by a modem," Buffy added.

"He's everywhere." I chewed on my bottom lip at Giles' statement. What could we do to stop this demon?

Xander seems to relay my thoughts. "What are we gonna do?"

"It's not like we can stab the computer. Unless..." I trail off, slowly pulling my dagger out of my boot. Giles shakes his head at me, almost as if to say if you do that I will lose my job. I shove my dagger back into my boot with a huff.

"Willow scanned him into her file. It may be... a futile gesture, but I suggest we delete it," Giles said.

"Solid!" Buffy gets up and walks over to the PC. I liked my idea much better.

"Don't get too close," Xander warned. She sits down in front of the computer and I decide to stand behind her.

"Okay, okay," Buffy grumbled. I peer over her shoulder as she turns on the monitor. "So which file do you think it is?" She looks over at me.

"Willow?" I guessed.

She types on the keyboard. "That's probably it, right? I'll just delete the whole thing." I nodded and focused my attention on the screen as she slowly drags the file icon to the trash bin. I gasp in fright when Moloch's demonic face appears on the screen.

"Stay away from Willow!" Moloch roared. "It is none of your business!" The screen returns to normal. I put a hand over my pounding heart.

Buffy sighed. "So that's what Malcolm looks like. So much for delete file."

"I don't know what Willow sees in...that. But I guess demons can be charming." Xander snorts at my rambling.

Giles shakes his head fretfully. "This is very bad."

"Are we overreacting? He's in a computer! What can he do?" Xander said.

"You mean besides convincing a perfectly nice kid to try and kill Katy?" Buffy responded. "I don't know. How about mess up all the medical equipment in the world?"

"You remember what that nurse said when she passed us, Buffy," I reminded her. "It could already be happening here."

Giles nodded. "Randomize traffic signals."

"Access launch codes for our nuclear missiles."

"Destroy the world's economy."

Buffy tilted her head and smiled. "I think I pretty much capped it with that nuclear missile thing."

"Hers was better," I said.

Xander held up his hands. "Okay, he's a threat, I'm on board with that now. But what can we do about it?"

"I think the first thing we do is find Willow. She's probably talking to him right now." Buffy shuddered. "God, that creeps me out!"

"What does he want with Willow?" Xander asked.

"I hope we never find that out," I said. "Shit, if only I knew what she was gonna get into..." I put my head in my hands.

Buffy stands. "Okay, I'm gonna check the computer lab, and you guys call her home."

I nodded. "Got it. Save my best friend from a demon...that's number three on my bucket list."

Xander raised a brow at my sarcasm. I shook my head. "Sorry. Not helping." I walked over to the phone and dialed Willow's number. I held it up to my ear and let it ring. The two guys looked at me expectantly, and I shook my head.

"Here, let me try." Xander takes the phone from me and tries again. And again. Finally, he hangs up the phone. "No answer."

"Damn it!" Giles curses.

"Well, it wasn't busy either, so she's not on-line." I sighed. It isn't long before Buffy comes back into the library.

"She's not home," Xander.

"What did you find?" Giles asked.

"Willow didn't answer—"

I was cut off by Buffy. "Dave. He's dead."

I'm frozen in place by the news. "What?"

Giles sighed. "How?"

"Well, it looks like suicide," Buffy said.

"With a little help from my friends?" Xander asked.

Buffy shrugged. "I'd guess Fritz. Or the other zomboids from CRD. Okay..." she turns to Xander and I. "We're gonna go to Willow's house. Giles, you need to come up with a way to get Moloch out of the 'Net."

"I have records of the ceremonies, but that's for a creature of the flesh. Th—this could be something completely different," Giles fretted.

"Then get Ms. Calendar," Buffy suggested. "Maybe she can help you."

Giles' eyes widened. 'Well, even if she could, how am I gonna convince her that there's a demon on the Internet?"

"Okay, fine, then you can stay here and come up with a better plan." Buffy said. She turned to us. "C'mon."

We finally arrive at Willow's house. When we walk up the steps, my heart starts pounding. "Her door is open," I noticed. My voice was shaky. I didn't know what we were going to find when we walked through that door.

"Willow?!" We all storm inside.

"This isn't good," Xander said as we walked around the house.

"We get that, Xander," I hissed. He raises a brow and I shake my head. "I'm sorry. I'm just so..."

"Worried, I know," he nodded his head. "I am too."

Buffy continues calling her name. "Willow?!"

We rush up the stairs and walk into Willow's room. She isn't there.

"Okay, any thoughts?" Xander asked. Buffy and I look around. I spot a message on the computer. "Oh no."

Buffy read it aloud. "'No more waiting, I need you to see me'?" She turns to us. "See him how? Where?"

"What about CRD?" Xander suggested.

"The research place?" Buffy's eyebrows furrow.

He shrugged. "I'm guessing that's Moloch central."

"Besides, where else could he be?" I added. "You saw what happened there."

"Guessing that's our best lead. Let's just hope Giles can back us up." Buffy exits the room and we follow her.

We leave quickly, practically running down the street in hopes of making it to CRD before it was too late. We do, thankfully.

"Does anyone have a quarter?" Buffy asked. She was stopped in front of a payphone.

Xander shook his head, but I dug in my jacket pocket, pulling one out. "Yup." I hand it to her and she thanks me, pushing it into the slot and dialing. I already knew who she was calling before she even said his name.

"Giles! Yeah." She paused. "Not at home. It looks like she was taken somewhere." She pauses again. "CRD. Whatever Moloch wants Willow for, it's probably in there.  Here's a tip: hurry!"

She hangs up and we rush to the large chain link fence. Buffy jumps over lands on the other side of the fence with ease. It takes a moment for me but I'm able to have a successful landing as well. Xander yells as he falls after climbing over the top. I smile and help him up.

"Back way?" Xander asked.

"Back way." I agreed. We run to the back entrance. Xander follows behind us, limping badly. Buffy kicks the doors open. We walk in determinedly.

I pull my dagger from my boot as we slowly make it to the lobby. I spot a guard standing at the entrance to the lab and we slowly approach him. He gets up to stop us, but I pull him up, holding my dagger to his throat.

"Tell us what you know," I hissed. Before the trembling guard can even speak Buffy punches him, knocking him out cold. She walks away from us.

"Hey!" I cried. "I was gonna get him to talk!"

Xander notices the guard's monitor. "Uh, Buffy!" She comes back to look.

"It's her!" She said, pointing at the monitor.

"Yeah, who's the other guy?" Xander wondered.

I stare down at that hellish, robotic face and feel my stomach drop. "Moloch." I break into a run, and we run down various hallways, eventually coming through a set of double doors.

I stare up at the torn map of the building. Buffy eventually finds the door to the lab and tries to force it open. "I can't bust it! It's heavy steel."

"Try again," I urged.

Xander shook his head. "Let's find another way in." He starts toward the next set of doors when an alarm goes off and red lights flash. Xander jumps to the door to try it. It's locked. He comes back. "What's goin' on?"

I see a security camera and sigh. "Building's security system is computerized," Buffy said.

Xander cringed. "Whoops!" A gas begins to spray into the hall.

I stare down at the thick plume with alarm. "Shit, shit, shit! Pound on the doors!" They do, and I kick it repeatedly. I collapse to the floor when I start to feel dizzy. Xander begins to cough.

"Keep...trying..." I muttered. Xander slides down the wall to the floor, almost unconscious. Buffy is still weakly hitting the door.

Just as I thought the poisonous gas was going to take my life, it stops seeping out from under the doors. I shakily climb to my feet and help Xander up.

"To the lab," I said. Buffy and Xander nod and, now able to open the door, we come in. As soon as we spot Moloch Buffy leaps into a jumping side kick, making a dull thud when she connects with Moloch's chest, but he only staggers a bit, and she just falls to the floor. I cringe.

"Ow...Guy's made of metal!"

A technician grabs Xander from behind and pulls him away. "Hey!" I cried.

"Guys!" Willow calls out to us. I watch as Buffy quickly gets up and looks at Willow.

Moloch writhes in pain. "No!" He wailed, his voice robotic. "I won't go back!"

Buffy grabs Willow's hand and they run out of the lab. I start to follow them but stop when I see Xander push the technician back against the wall. He turns and punches him out.

"Wow," I said to him. "That was awesome." He grins and we quickly follows the girls out.

"Hey!" He called after them. "I got to hit someone!" Moloch's screams die out the further we get from the lab.

Buffy and Willow open a set of doors and I see a guard and two technicians running toward us. We push the doors closed.

"Let's go this way!" Xander begins to run the other way. He's still limping.

"Wait!" Buffy cried.

Suddenly Moloch crashes through the wall between us. He looks at Xander and backhands him in the face. Xander falls to the floor unconscious.

"Xander!" I cried. I immediately try to race to his side but Buffy pulls me back. Moloch turns and begins to advance on us. "Son of a bitch," I hissed.

He starts to swing at Buffy and she tries to block the hit, but he doesn't budge and just pushes her aside and into the wall. She slides to the floor. I look up at him, fear making my heart pound at my rib cage.

"I was omnipotent. I was everything!" He steps closer to me. "Now I'm trapped in this shell!" He reaches out to grab me. I duck out of the way, and he tries to reach again.

"Malcolm!" Willow cried. Moloch turns to face her. She has a fire extinguisher. "Remember me, your girlfriend?!"

She pounds the extinguisher into his chest hard enough to make him bend back. My mouth falls open. "Will, you're a badass!" I called out to her.

Willow smiled at me before continuing. "Well, I think it's time we break up!" She hits him again, even harder than before. "Or maybe we can still be friends!"

She tries again for his face, but this time he grabs the extinguisher from her and throws it down. He grabs her and shoves her down the hall into Xander, who's just getting up again. They both crash to the floor. I rush over to their side.

Buffy gets up to face Moloch. He turns his attention on her. "This body's all I have left. But it's enough to crush you!"

Buffy moves to stand in front of a large junction box. "Take your best shot."

I watch in horror as Moloch rears back for a punch and swings. But Buffy ducks away, and he punches right into the electrical box. It shorts out, and Moloch is enveloped by high voltage electricity.

Buffy runs over to us and crouches down. I hold my hand over my face, watching as the room lights up with electricity. Moloch's circuitry overloads, and his body explodes. Shards of metal fly in all directions.

His head lands right in front of us. I frown at his ugly, robotic face and kick it down the hall.

♱ ♱ ♱

At school the next day, Xander, Buffy, Willow, and I are all sitting outside in front of the fountain. We're all currently trying to cheer up Willow, who was still in a funk after the whole Malcolm situation.

"We gonna go to the Bronze tonight? We four?" Xander asked with a grin. I nodded, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

Buffy nudged Willow's shoulder. "It'll be fun!"

"Yeah, Willow," I reminded her. "Remember fun? That thing where you smile?" I give her my best smile.

Willow shakes her head. "Oh, I'm sorry guys. I'm just thinking about..."

"Malcolm?" Buffy guessed.

"Malcolm, Moloch... whatever he's called. The one boy that's really liked me, and he's a demon robot. What does that say about me?" Willow sounded to be on the urge of tears and I frown.

"It doesn't say anything about you," Buffy said.

Willow sighed. "I mean, I thought I was really falling..."

I loosen my hold from Xander and move to her side, giving her a hug. "Will, one day you'll find that special someone, and he'll be beyond blessed to have my beautiful best friend."

For the first time today, she smiles. "Thanks, Katy. You guys are my best friends."

"I see that smile!" Buffy cried. Willow's smile only grows bigger.

Xander leans down. "So...since everyone is in such a great mood...are we all still up for the Bronze tonight?"

Us girls exchange glances. Seeing the smile on her face, I look back up at Xander. "Hell yeah!"

We all cheered, high-fiving one another. "Plus, who needs a guy?" I added on as an afterthought to Willow. "All you need is your awesome friends."

She nodded. "Yeah. You're right."

The bell rings and we all walk to our first class of the day, laughing with one another. Things were back to normal again—that is, if you count battling demons and vampires as normal. Willow was my friend again.

And I was thankful that I could live this insane life with my best friends by my side.