Queen Of Darkness

Chapter Three: Filler

Wesley set the phone back in it's cradle, muttering curses under his breath. Giles had been impossible to contact, just as he had warned Angel. The former Watcher could only hope that his one-time colleague had found Oz, and was in the process of bringing him to LA. If there was any hope of resolving the conflict without having to kill this world's Willow, Oz was it.

"Hey, Wes," came the call from the basement stair. He turned to find a sweaty Faith and banged-up Spike emerge from their sparring session. "Why'd you cut us off so early, I was this close to being able to see the redhead again without kicking her ass," she held her thumb and index fingers about an inch apart to illustrate her point.

"No complaints here, mate," Spike said as he rubbed a sore shoulder.

"Angel called from Caritas," Wesley began. "The Host found something in Willow, something which is very, very powerful. Needless to say no one has any idea of what it is, and we all know what that means."

The vampire and Slayer rolled their eyes in identical gestures of annoyance. "Another all night research fest. Great," Spike moaned. "You do remember how bad I am at that stuff, right?"

"Quite well, actually," Wesley said. "Which is why neither of you are going to be doing any research."

There was a disbelieving pause as Wesley's words sunk in. "Say what?" Faith asked.

"I need the two of you for other things. Spike, I want you to go to Riley and see if the Initiative can help us with the research we need to do. Afterwards you may do as you wish, but we will need you back here by tomorrow night. Faith, I need you to gather some components for a spell. I will compile a list of the materials for you, a few of them will be rather difficult to get a hold of, but I am sure you can do it," Faith shrugged, anything that meant action was fine with her. "Again, I will need them by tomorrow night."

"Aww, how come I got to deal with the soldier boy's?" Spike asked.

"Because you can deal with them better than Faith can," Wesley responded simply. "You may have your problems with the Initiative, and they may have their problems with you, but at lest you can get on civilly with them. Besides, what I need faith to do will probably entail breaking into the homes of several people, something you most definitely cannot do."

"Right," Spike said, defeated. "So I deal with GI Joe then. Ah well, at least I won't be around if Red loses it tonight. What with the cryptically dire way you said 'very' twice, I wonder if this place'll even be here when I get back."

"I don't believe that we will be in any danger, Spike. As to Willow, you will have a chance to find out just how dangerous she is."

"What's that?" Spike asked, confused and worried.

"Tomorrow night you, Faith and Angel will find out how well the vampire Willow can fight, and if necessary, start to train her."

"Whoa!" Faith said. "Slow down there! I've talked to the vamp once, and already she's on my 'to stake' list. Now, I didn't like her to begin with, and her as a vampire pissed me off in record time. Why the hell would I want to train her?"

"You wouldn't," Wesley said patiently. "But I'm not asking you to want to train her. I am telling you to do it."

Faith gave him a stunned look. "Telling me? What makes you think you can 'tell' me to do anything?"

"If you haven't noticed yet, Faith, I am in charge here," Wesley said, ignoring the danger in the rogue Slayer's eyes. "You will do as I tell you, or you can suffer the consequences."

"What are ya gonna do, fire me?" Faith quipped, her astonishment turning to anger.

"Yes, Faith, I will. And when I do, you will have several options at your disposal. You can go back to the police and spend another twenty years in jail, you could submit yourself to the Watcher's Council to be tried for your actions, or you could run. I wouldn't think that any of those sound to appealing to you."

Faith stared hard at her ex-Watcher for a long time, which he bore calmly and firmly. Finally, she looked away. "Fine, I'll teach the bitch how to fight if she needs it," she said. "Get that list done, so I can get on with my slavery. I'll be in the basement."

Wesley watched as the rogue Slayer stormed back down the door she had just emerged from. A challenging glance at Spike made the vampire draw back and throw his hands up in defense. "No problems here," he said quickly. "I'll teach the new Red how to hold 'er own against a Slayer. But you gotta realize that it's not physical fighting that we got to teach the girl. She's got to know how to fend off an attack from herself, if you know what I mean," Wesley nodded, leaning heavily against the lobby's counter. "We've got to teach her magic, and none of us really know enough about the Dark Arts to give her a proper education."

"I know," Wesley said, reaching over the counter into the desk drawer and pulling out a piece of paper and a pen. "That's what this spell I want is for. There are two spells, actually. The first is a spell which can detect the truth of any being, and relay all information about its target to the caster. I hope to use it to find out what this other being in Willow is all about."

"Oh. And what's the second spell all about?"

"The second spell is something I came across a while ago. It's very dangerous, so I am very hesitant to use it, but it could be very useful to us now."

Spike gave him an impatient look. "All well and nice, but what does it do?"

"It is a summoning spell, something that will bring a spirit-teacher to us who can help Willow to learn magic far more easily and faster than we could hope to do on our own."

"Why don't you hook us all up with that thing?" Spike asked.

"Because it only works with those who already have tremendous potential. A spirit-teacher like the one I want to summon would be insulted by a request to teach any of us, but would see the natural talent that Willow has, and jump at the chance."

"Ah, a mega-witch only deal," Spike said, and began to head towards the door. "Right then, I'm off. I'll get the soldier boy's to start helpin' with your research, and then find me a good pint of blood to curl up with."

"Just remember, be back by tomorrow night," Wesley warned.

Spike made a dismissive gesture as he continued towards the door. Just as he was reaching for the handles, the door was flung open and Angel, carrying a still-unconscious Willow, burst into the hotel. Spike watched as Angel rushed the young vampire to one of the couches that were spaced about the lobby. He opened his mouth to make a sarcastic comment about the entire situation, but thought better of it and stepped out the doors and into the night.

Angel gently lay Willow out on the couch before turning to Wesley. "What have you got?" He asked the former Watcher.

"Not much I'm afraid," Wesley responded, moving over to the couch. "Giles is still unreachable, last word form him came from Brazil. He was going into the rain forest to check on a lead."

"Damn, we're going to have to hope it pays off. Where was Spike headed?"

"I sent him to speak with Riley and the rest of the Initiative. I want them to help with the research."

Angel frowned. "Are you sure? Spike and the Initiative don't exactly get along well."

Wesley nodded. "We are all going to have to work together if we ever hope to win this. Spike must learn to get over his dislike of the Initiative, and we must show that humans and demons can work together to overcome the greater enemy."

Angel looked unconvinced, but decided not to debate Wesley's decision. "Where's Faith?"

"She's in the basement right now, most likely destroying yet another punching-bag."

"What happened this time?"

"She needed a reminder of where she was, and of why I am the boss," Wesley said, taking a long, worried look at the sleeping Willow. "I think she's taking it rather well, all things considered. Angel, I need her to gather some components for a spell tonight, so don't plan anything that involves her."

"I wasn't going to. What spell?"

"An identification spell, to give us as much information as possible on what might have come with Willow, and a summoning spell."

"A summoning spell? For what?" Angel asked.

"A spirit-teacher," Wesley answered, sitting down in a chair that faced the couch and using the small coffee table in front of it to continue writing out his list.

"Oh," Angel said passively, then the full meaning of what Wesley had said hit him. "A what!"

"Spirit-teacher," Wesley explained calmly. "It teaches magic at a very rapid pace to whomever the summoner wishes."

"I know what it is, Wes. What I want to know is why you're gathering the ingredients to summon it."

"If the this Willow is to have any chance of facing the Willow of our reality, she is going to need to know how to magically defend herself. You yourself stated even before we brought her here that we are going to have to force her to learn a lot very fast. This is the best way to do that. With a spirit-teacher helping, she should progress to the level that our Willow was at a year ago in just a week. With the power you told me she displayed at Caritas, she might go even further."

"But a spirit-teacher, Wes?" Angel asked, his question rhetorical enough that Wesley didn't respond. "That spell is dangerous, even in the hands of someone who's spent their lives learning magic. We don't have anyone here with that kind of skill. In fact, I'm the only one of all of us with any real spellcasting experience, and I know that even trying that spell might kill me."

Wesley nodded. "I know, Angel. Quite frankly, I would rather have Giles do it than anyone else, since he seems to have quite the ability where it comes to summoning spells. However, since he is unreachable, and we must act as quickly as possible, I have an alternative method. One that I think will work out for the best."

"You've hired someone to do it, haven't you?" Angel asked.

Wesley shook his head. "Not yet, I wanted to gather all the components first."

"But you have someone who will do it for us," Angel stated, Wesley nodded once, then continued to write on the piece of paper. "What is the price?"

"Two hundred thousand pounds," Wesley said without looking up.

Angel's jaw dropped. "That's half a million dollars, Wes!" He cried. "We don't have that kind of money!"

"The Initiative does," the ex-Watcher pointed out. "And they have said that they will spare no expense in eliminating the threat that our Willow poses to the world. I don't think they will deny us this."

"Are you sure? Have you asked them?" Wesley looked up from his list and quirked a sheepish smile. Angel rolled his eyes. "You haven't. Did you send Spike to ask them for the money too?"

"No, of course not. We have enough problems as it is. You're going."

"What!"

"Once we have all the ingredients for the spell, I will contact the person I have in mind, and you will request the funds from the Initiative."

"And the part in this where they don't just laugh at me is?"

"Trust me, Angel. They will give us what we need. And we need this."

Angel nodded, understanding. "I know, Wes. It's just that I really don't like having to go ask for money."

"Careful, Angel," came Faith's voice from the basement door. "Accent-boy there might threaten to can your ass."

"Faith," Angel said calmly. "How are you doing?"

"Five by five," Faith responded, her usual euphemism for 'fine' showing just how upset she was.

"Mmmmm, no, not George Michael," Willow moaned in her sleep. They stared at her for a long moment.

"Right," Faith said, breaking the silence. "Is that list ready yet, Wes. 'Cause I don't want to spend any more time with her than I have to."

Wesley got up and walked over to Faith, holding the complete list out before him. "This is all the ingredients I need and where you will be able to find them. Pay for what you can, but if that becomes impossible, do what you must."

Faith gave the former Watcher a long, cold glare before snatching the paper from his hands and storming out of the hotel. Angel and Wesley stared after her for a few moments before falling into the chairs that faced Willow's couch. "Well, hasn't this been one hell of a night," Angel sighed.

"Indeed," Wesley agreed. "The good thing is that it's almost over. Sunrise should be in about two hours."

"You should get some sleep, Wes," Angel said. "I'll stay here and watch Willow. When Gunn and Fred get back from the hospital I'll fill them in on what's been happening."

"Puppy?" Willow asked slowly, obviously regaining her consciousness.

"Why does she keep calling you that?" Wesley asked.

Angel shrugged. "I don't know, and I have a feeling that I don't want to," he leaned towards the awakening vampire. "Willow, are you alright? What do you remember?"

Willow stretched languidly on the couch and turned towards the sound of Angel's voice, she hadn't opened her eyes yet. "Did I fall asleep in the cage again? No, too soft for that," her eyes slowly opened, their sparkling green taking in her surroundings. "Oh, shit. It wasn't a dream was it?" Angel shook his head, Willow groaned. "That means that you really did make me sing."

"So you remember it then?"

"Remember? Of all the horribly traumatic experiences of my existence, up to and including my own death, I will forever be haunted by that one! What the hell were you thinking, making me do that?"

"'Lorne, demon you met, he can read aura's, but only when someone sings. We needed him to find out a few things about your path. What I want to know is if you remember doing anything strange, like say casting a spell?"

"A spell? What do I look like, a witch?" Willow said disgustedly. Angel and Wesley just stared at her until she realized what she had just said. "Okay, bad question. Of course I look like a witch. That's the problem, right? But still! I do not cast spells. I never learned how, I mean when we vamped Amy she tried, but I was never a good study after I was turned. I couldn't cast a spell if my unlife depended on it!"

"You turned Amy?" Wesley asked, recognizing the name.

Willow shook her head. "No, I wasn't allowed to turn anyone. 'You must be pure' the Master says. Big nasty bat-guy. All he had was rules for me, and he only let me play with puppy half as much as I deserved. You know, I'm kinda glad he got his ass dusted. Now I don't have to follow all of his 'keep Willow from having fun' rules. Well, some of them still, or else guilt city, but the rest of them I'm scot free on!"

"Be that as it may, you say that you knew a witch named Amy Madison?" Wesley asked.

Willow shrugged. "Yeah, I knew her. I wasn't allowed to do anything fun with her either. Why do you want to know?"

"Amy Madison disappeared from our world shortly before you made your first appearance here. She, uh, turned herself into a rat. Now, a few days before what we believe was the event that began our Willow's descent into darkness, Amy as a human reappeared. We know that Amy was a powerful witch in her own right, and that she had many connections to other practitioners of the dark arts that Willow herself lacked. We beleive that it might have been something that Amy did, or someone who she introduced Willow to that was what caused our Willow to become as she is."

"Really? Is Amy the lesbian lover that I was told about? 'Cause if she is I'd think that she might have dumped me, and gotten me all cranky."

"No, Amy is not the one you were told about. That girl's name is Tara Maclay."

"Oh, really? And what happened to her."

Angel and Wesley were silent for a long moment before the vampire responded. "We're not entirely sure about that one. We know she did break up with our Willow just before Amy reappeared. But two weeks later she just vanished from the face of the earth."

"Told you, break up equals cranky Willow. I mean, I wouldn't really know for sure, since the only serious relationship I have ever been in was with Xander, and he was a vampire, with more of a thing for his precious little Sire Darla than he ever had for me."

"Still, if you knew Amy, then we might have a better chance of finding out what caused our Willow to become as dark as she is," Wesley said, taking off his glasses to clean them.

"Why bother? Fuzzy me finally saw the power of the dark side. I could tell that from the first moment I saw her."

"You could?"

"Of course! I could smell it all over her. She had all this happy good energy zipping around her body, but underneath her fuzzy, happy exterior, I could see, well, me. It was like I was looking into a mirror, except for the fact that I could actually see myself. She had a lot of repressed evil in her, and all the confinement was just making it grow. I was kinda expecting her to accept my offer to turn her. Then, of course, she shot me with a tranquilizer. The bitch."

Angel looked somewhat pensive. There was something about what she was saying that was nagging at him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He opened his mouth to ask a question, but the phone rang, interrupting his thoughts. He walked over to the counter and picked up the receiver. "Angel investigations, I'm sorry, but we're not open right," he stopped and listened for a moment. "Fred? Fred, slow down. Slower. Slower. Just give the phone to Gunn. Hey, Gunn, what's Fred talking about, I only caught a few distinct words. Oh. Oh! I'll be right over!" He hung up the phone and tuned back towards Willow and Wesley. "Wes, we've got to get to the hospital. Cordelia's awake!"

Wesley's eyes went wide as he soaked this in. In an instant he was rushing to get his coat. Angel Tossed him the keys to his car as the ex-Watcher dashed by. "I'll get the car running, you decide what to do with Willow," Wesley said, running full tilt out the doors.

"Willow, do you feel well enough for another trip?" Angel asked as the red-haired vampire pulled herself to her feet.

"Do I have to sing again?"

"No."

"Then let's go!"