Chapter Three - "My Weakness"

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"Stupid idiots!" Xander hissed as he stormed away from the others. To say he was pissed off was putting it lightly. All they wanted to do was hide in Rivendell while Buffy remained in the hands of Sauron and his disgusting Orcs. God knew what was happening to her. Time was wasting.

Xander kicked the high wooden railing at the edge of a rounded platform once he paced about for moment. Sighing heavily, he rested his elbows on the railing, placing his forehead on his palms then gazed down at the Bruinen far below. The waters surged by, gathering speed before reaching a series of waterfalls, almost like steps in the course of the river.

His eyes closed. And when they did, all he could see was the black rider taking Buffy through that time rip. Buffy's expression so helpless and desperate the entire time. She was the one who needed saving this time and no one wanted to even try. His fingernails began to dig into his skin without him realizing it at first.

"Pretty, isn't it?"

Xander's eyes opened when he heard Willow's voice. Almost instantly, his fingers relaxed on his skull, his hands slid over his hair and he lifted his head while still leaning against the railing.

"I don't get it, Willow," he said, his voice low and cool. "What the hell has happened to Giles?" He shifted his head so he could see the redhead from the corner of his eye. "There used to be a time when all he had to hear was that Buffy needed help and he was the first one out of the door."

Willow averted her gaze away from Xander. "Yes, that's true, Xander. But it's been a long time for him. Ten years. He's ... different now."

He stood straight but still didn't turn. "This is Buffy we're talking about, Willow. His Slayer. A girl he would've died for in an instant if he thought it could save her life." He gripped the railing with his hands, squeezing it so tightly his knuckles turned white. "Now he sounds like these people here. 'Oh, it's too dangerous', 'We could die'. Isn't that what all of this is about?"

She stepped closer to Xander on the little overlook. "I want to help her as much as you do. And there are things you don't know, like Aragorn said," she gently informed him. The man was right. Xander was too blinded by his love for Buffy to think rationally. She knew the feeling. But she also had an insight into Sauron and Mordor in general that no one else did.

For the first time, Xander faced Willow a suspicious glint in his eyes as he regarded her. "And I'm beginning to wonder whose side you're really on," he hissed in response.

Willow stared up at him, stunned. It was as though he'd literally slapped her in the face. Her mouth opened as she fought to find words to respond to that accusation but suddenly a chill ran down her spine. Her mouth snapped shut as the familiar presence of the Darkness returned.

High-pitched laughter spilled out from the hallway she'd just left. Slowly, she turned and came face to face with four familiar Hobbits. Though one in particular brought her more fear than any of the others - Frodo Baggins.

[Willlloooooow ... ] a deep, throaty voice hissed in her mind. She looked away but images from those ... those dreams wouldn't leave her.

['You won't leave me, will you?'] her own voice echoed. Then 'Frodo' answered, ['No, Willow, I will not leave you. I am with you. Always.']

Xander, however, continued to exchange the blank stare with the others for a few seconds. Then the youngest let out a cry of recognition.

"You! You're the brute that landed in Frodo's roses!" Pippin exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at Xander.

[Willlloooow. Come ... ] the voice in her mind demanded. She bit her lower lip as her flesh grew flushed with an odd fever. Her left hand absently drifted over to her right, the fingers gripping her right hand so very tight. Swallowing hard, she closed her eyes. [What's wrong with me?] she thought, panicked.

"I - wha - that was an accident," Xander stammered, caught off guard. The two Hobbits who'd physically assaulted him didn't look convinced. The other, the one he recognized as the gardener, eyed him as though he were a common criminal. Or otherwise up to no good. "We all landed in the flowers, okay? It wasn't just me!"

"You insulted us!" Merry declared, pointing a finger at Xander as he took a bold step forward. "Called us ... " He squinted then looked over to Pippin. "What was it he called us, Pip?"

"Munchkins!"

"That wasn't an insult!" Xander declared. This time, he matched the step Merry had taken forward. He was bigger than they were, right? And he wasn't in the mood to be pushed around by Hobbits for something that wasn't even his fault. "Was it, Will?"

No answer from her.

"Willow?" He glanced at Willow and noticed her face had paled, and she was furiously rubbing her right hand. "Will, are you all right?" Her breathing sounded labored and her eyes, when she finally looked at him ... her eyes had this strange glow in them.

Xander's voice registered with her and she looked over to him. He was concerned, worried would've been more accurate. [I should've never come here.] Her gaze was torn back to Frodo.

[Willllllow...] a soft voice whispered into her mind, but louder was the hissing of flames. For a terrifying moment, that was all she could hear.

[Go away!] she shouted in her thoughts. Without realizing it, she'd begun to back away from them. [Leave me alone! Leave me alone!] But it wouldn't go away. It refused to leave her mind. The pressure was too great now.

"Willow!"

She gasped as she bumped up against the wooden railing. She grasped it for balance, for support. Her eyes darted around nervously. Something was happening ... something was near. It was so powerful, so terrifying, yet alluring. She desired nothing more than to get away from it but she couldn't will herself to leave.

"Are you okay?" Xander asked, a startled look upon his face. He reached out to her but she jerked away from him before he could touch her. His brow furrowed when Willow shook her head. "Willow ... what's the matter?" He followed her gaze to see she kept glancing at Frodo. Then he remembered the dreams she talked about. Was that it? Did she think that this Frodo was the one Sauron had pretended to be?

"Xander ... there's - " She looked again at Frodo and shuddered. Upon his breast there was a small golden shape wreathed in blazing red flame. [The Ring, he's got the Ring, he's got the Ring!] Part of her ached to take it from him, what could he do to her? She had powers that he didn't. Yes, it would be so easy. [Goddess Hecate, work thy will ... ]

And behind that...

[NO!] Willow let out a terrified whimper and threw herself back, away from Frodo and the Ring. The world spun around, an inexplicable dizziness washed over her. She tripped over her own feet and found herself falling backwards, almost like it was in slow motion. The last thing she felt was a sharp pain at the back of her head.

[Help ... me ...] she weakly thought.

Her eyes rolled back in her head and then everything faded to black.

-

"You shall not be able to resist me much longer," Sauron's voice whispered. "No one will. Join me ... join me before it is too late for you, Willow."

-

" - she's waking up."

"Uhh..." Willow forced her eyes open. She blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to the amount of light in the room. One hand lifted and she placed it to her forehead. Sauron's voice was gone now. No longer inside of her mind, the Darkness had lifted from her as well. [What ... happened?] She became aware of a throbbing pain at the back of her head.

"Willow?" Xander gently asked as he took one of her hands into his. He sat at the edge of the bed, the intense worry for his dear friend on his face. He glanced up at Giles who stood on the other side of the bed. For the first time since they'd arrived in Middle-earth, the old Giles showed himself. And in that moment, Xander's annoyance with the ex-Watcher subsided, if only for a brief time.

"Mmm ..." Willow dropped her other hand back down on the bed. Squinting, she looked from Giles to Xander then around the luxurious room she'd been placed in by her Elven host. Elenya and Elrond, and Gandalf [What is *he* doing here?], lurked in the background. The pale light of the dawning day streamed in through the windows. "M'I?" she mumbled as she shifted her attention over to Xander.

Xander smiled down at her and continued to pat her hand. "Welcome back. You're still in Rivendell," he added to answer her question.

"What happened?" Willow asked, her voice hoarse. The last thing she remembered clearly was going out after Xander, and then... Nothing. The memory remained elusive, lurking just beyond her grasp.

"You swooned, young Willow, and nearly took a plunge into the Bruinen," Elrond said.

[Swooned?] "I did? I don't remember." Willow frowned as she propped herself up onto her elbows. "Why?"

Instead of replying, Elrond turned towards the doorway and beckoned someone that Willow could not see into the room.

"Frodo was most - "

She'd no more than heard Elrond say Frodo's name when the panic set in. When the young Hobbit entered the room, she acted upon it. "No! Stay away!" Willow cried out, awkwardly scrambling backwards on the bed, trying desperately to get away from Frodo and that which he bore - or rather, that which he was not bearing. The Ring was not there, Willow realized, rather too late to preserve her dignity.

Xander had stood suddenly when Willow went into a fit. He stared at her, amazed at her violent response to seeing Frodo. This went beyond bad dreams; that was for sure. He looked up at Giles, and he too had the solemn expression Elrond now wore on his face. He shifted his gaze over to the Hobbit. Frodo didn't seem too surprised by how Willow had responded. Worried was a better description.

"Will?" he softly asked. He arched his eyebrows when she looked up at him, her lower lip trembling. He sat back down by her side and offered her his hand again but she did not take it. She hunched up in a ball at the head of the bed, eyes flicking from him to Frodo.

"It is as I feared. The taint of the lesser ring still lingers," Elrond said. "I am sorry, Willow. We had hoped it was otherwise."

"The taint?" Xander repeated, his eyes narrowing a little at Elrond. He looked up at Giles when the older man cleared his throat. Yes, Xander remembered Willow's little precious all too well. He shifted his gaze back to Willow, much more sympathetic towards her now. That was what she'd tried to tell him back in Bree - about what she'd seen and heard.

Willow swallowed hard. Though Frodo didn't carry the Ring on him, she could still sense the presence of its power in Rivendell. It called to her. Beckoned her. Taunted her. Her eyes lifted up to Giles, who gazed upon her with an apologetic expression. She pressed her lips together and sighed gently.

"It would seem that your quest will continue," Gandalf added, a resigned expression upon his face.

Xander frowned at the Wizard. "You're kicking us out of Rivendell?" he asked. "That's not - "

"Not true," Elrond finished calmly. "News has come from over the mountains. When Willow is ready, we will discuss it." He nodded at Willow, then turned and left with Gandalf.

"Isn't that just great," Xander muttered as he folded his arms across his chest then leaned back against the headboard. "If it's not one thing it's another. Why can't we ever catch a friggin' break? The whole universe is against us."

Willow, however, didn't hear a word he said. She had her arms crossed over her chest, her hands kneading her upper arms as she stared at Frodo. An ache inside of her had been revived - one she'd never fully shaken upon waking up in 1999. That darkness connected them all - no matter what - she felt it as one "ringbearer" to another.

Frodo lingered a moment, staring at Willow. On a subconscious level, he too had the connection to the redhead. He'd only spent a brief amount of time with her and that had been ten long years before. He didn't know why felt in such a manner towards almost a perfect stranger. After a few more moments, he broke the stare with her then left the room as well.

Once Frodo had gone, Willow managed to relax again. She unwrapped her arms from herself then looked from Giles to Xander. "I'm feeling like Out Of the Loop Girl. I missed a lot of stuff, didn't I?" she said once she was sure they were really gone.

"You freaked the hell out of the Hobbits, for one thing," Xander replied. He managed a small smile then added, "Saved me from getting my shins smashed up, at least."

"Anything for the team," Willow replied absently. She threw a glance in the direction of the doorway the others had left thought only a minute before. For a second, the memories of the Eye threatened to flood her mind, but she forced them down. She felt sick to her stomach again.

"Are you alright, Willow?" Giles asked, noticing her hands clench the sheets with white knuckles for a second before relaxing.

"Yeah. I'm okay," she lied. "My head's just a little sore." She felt the spot where she'd hit the railing and winced. There was a huge lump there. "Great."

"It'll heal soon enough," Elenya assured her. "There are few better places to seek healing than in the house of Elrond."

"Uh-huh." The House of Elrond was no more comforting this time around to her. The Ring being so near ... it still called to her. Willow sat up and swung her legs off the side of the bed. "I guess we shouldn't keep him waiting too long." [The quicker we can get this figured out, the quicker we can get out of here. Far away from Frodo. And that Ring.]

"Wow, easy there, Will," Xander said, putting out a hand to keep her from standing up. He lifted an eyebrow, concerned that she might be taking things too fast. First she had the physical ailments, now this 'taint' thing worried him. "Are you sure?"

"Xander, I hit my head. It's not like I just came out of a coma or anything, okay?" She smiled to soften the impact of the words then stood up. "See? On my own two feet again."

Xander looked over to Giles. The ex-Watcher was equally concerned, but somehow Xander got the idea it was more than just Willow's physical condition that worried him. Still, what could he do to stop her? They had to keep moving. Every minute they wasted in Rivendell was another minute Buffy was trapped in Barad-Dur. Alone.

"Really, you guys," Willow assured them when she noticed how Xander and Giles exchanged looks. "I just need to bathe and change clothes. I'll be okay."

Xander began to protest, but Giles placed a hand on his shoulder. "Yes, of course, Willow. We'll wait for you with the others. I trust you'll be able to find us? If not, someone will gladly show you the way." He squeezed Xander's shoulder a little when the young man tensed up. "Come along then, Xander."

Willow watched the two of them leave the room then she sat back down on the bed. Actually, she wasn't as great as she made out to be. Oh, it was more than the bump on the head - much more.

End Chapter 3

To Be Continued ...

Chapter Four will definitely be a bit longer. Got a new idea whilst writing a new section. That always throws things off. Thanks for all the great and encouraging feedback, for all my works - single and co-authored.