Part 6

Willow looked around at her surroundings. She was in a large sparsely furnished room. The windows were small and little in number. A body couldn't fit through them but they did allow light to enter. Despite all this Willow had been well treated though she had yet to meet her host physically. He had welcomed her telepathically when she first arrived but she hadn't heard or seen him since.

The door squeaked as it opened and a small man with greasy black hair appeared. "I am to take you to my lord."

Willow followed him through long dark corridors and up four flights of stairs until they finally came to a large open room.

Sitting in a chair on a raised dais was a man. At least Willow thought it was a man. His face was covered in a black iron-like mask. It was long and narrow.

The figure indicated that she should come closer and she walked tentatively forward.

Sauron was impressed with this woman's magick, he felt it stronger here. When he had looked in on Glory and saw this young one teleport her out and then again on the day Glory was defeated she had used powerful magick to get her friend's memories back he knew he had to have her. The mind control worked best when the subject came willingly but he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity if she had refused to come.

Sauron slowly stood and walked to meet Willow. He brought his hands up to rest lightly on the sides of her head.

Willow watched in confusion as the figure approached and gently laid his hands on the side of her head. All thought ceased as a pain she never felt before entered her body. It felt like her head would explode and after a minute she wished it would. The room began to spin and grow fuzzy. Willow could finally stand the pain no longer and fainted into oblivion.

"Is she dead?"

Sauron turned sharply on the little man and with a wave of his hand sent him flying against the wall. "You question me? She is merely asleep and when she wakes I will be in control."

Grima Wormtongue cowered at the feet of his lord and asked himself for the millionth time why he ever left Saruman to come in service to the Dark Lord. He scuttled closer to the girl lying on the ground. Her hair was beginning to turn dark which made her skin seem paler. He could see Sauron starting to take over.

Dark Willow's eyelids began to blink and she slowly opened her eyes. A smirk appeared as she saw Grima staring at her. "Do you like me in the form of a woman, Grima? Is that why you stare?"

Willow watched in horror as her body rose and she levitated the man in front of her off the ground. No matter what she did she couldn't seem to control her actions. She felt the other powerful entity in her body but instead of being completely taken over by it she retained knowledge of what the possessor was doing. She was trapped in a cell in her body. Was this what Angel/Angelus went through?

Dark Willow smiled evilly as she floated Grima toward the edge of the room and near the balcony. Sauron smiled behind his mask as he watched his other self frighten Grima. He felt powerful dark magick coursing through the shell of Willow and he was just beginning to tap into it.

Grima whimpered as his body floated ever closer to the edge of the balcony. Surely his lord Sauron wouldn't kill him. With a flick of her wrist Dark Willow let Grima drop . . .off the side of the balcony. She smiled as she listened to Grima's frightened screams all the way to the bottom and they were suddenly cut off as his body hit the ground.

Dark Willow turned to Sauron. "Our time is now. We can conquer Middle Earth. Gandalf and the others are no match for us this time."

Willow let a tear escape her eye as she watched her other self kill in cold blood. Was this how Angel knew what he did as Angelus? This was torture to watch yourself and not be able to stop it. Should she remain conscious and watch the atrocities she knew she would be committing or should she escape into oblivion? She chose oblivion for the time being.

Dark Willow heaved a sigh of relief, "She's gone at last. Her thoughts were becoming annoying. Where do we begin our attacks?"

Sauron smiled, "I think Isengard. We should teach that old wizard a lesson for helping Glorificus. Saruman chose the wrong leader to follow and when the others see how strong our magick combined is they will be easier to defeat."

Dark Willow smiled in anticipation.

~~~~

Legolas found himself walking through a fog-enshrouded forest. As he came upon a meadow the fog began to lift and he saw a young red haired woman sitting by a stream.

He wrinkled his brow in confusion as to why he would be dreaming about this woman but continued closer. She stopped contemplating the flowers and turned her head to look at him when she heard him approach.

Willow smiled, "Hello."

Legolas smiled in return, "Hello, my lady. Why are you sitting all alone among the flowers?"

"It's my happy place."

Legolas cocked an eyebrow, "A happy place?"

Willow nodded, "Yep. Whenever I'm frightened I visualize a happy place and I go there until the danger passes."

Legolas sat down next to her, "Why am I here?"

Willow shrugged, "Dunno. First time anyone ever joined me except maybe Xander. I normally think of Xander with me in my happy place."

Legolas thought about what she just said. There couldn't possible be more than one Xander. The young dark haired stranger was the first one he ever met and now this young woman was talking about a Xander.

He quietly asked her, "Would your name be Willow?"

Willow smiled over at him, "Of course it would. You should know who I am since I conjured you to my happy place. What's your name? You'd think I'd know since I made you up but I don't."

"My name is Legolas. I am of the Mirkwood Elves. Why did you come to your happy place? Are you frightened?"

Willow watched him a long time before answering, "For a figment of my imagination you sure ask a lot of questions." She sighed before muttering, "I guess my subconscious wants to figure everything out."

Willow turned fully to face Legolas, "I'm in my happy place because the other me is doing horrible things." Willow leaned in closer and bit her lip, "I just killed a man."

Legolas tried to keep the shock from his face, "The other you?"

"Yeah. My host. The dark guy in the iron mask, he placed his hands on my head and there was so much pain and when I woke up I wasn't me anymore."

Legolas closed his eyes in pain for the young woman sitting next to him. Sauron had performed a mind control on her. When he opened his eyes he saw green eyes staring into his. He smiled sadly at her, "I'm sorry but know this, Willow. I promise you that I will come for you. Your friends have come to this land and we are to begin our journey to find you."

Willow reached a hand up to cup his cheek and smiled. "At least if I didn't conjure up Xander I conjured up someone just as nice."

Legolas put his hand over hers, "I am real, Willow. You didn't conjure me. I don't know how I came to your happy place but believe that I will come for you."

Willow watched as Legolas faded away. Turning back to the stream she watched as a deer came out of the trees and came to the stream to drink.

~~~~

Legolas sat up suddenly in bed and looked around. Jumping up he began yelling for Gimli and Aragorn. Gimli and Aragorn came running when they heard their friend yelling. Buffy, Xander, Angel and Wesley came bounding out of their rooms when they heard the Elf calling frantically for his friends.

"Legolas, what is it that troubles you?"

He took a deep breath and turned to Xander, "Does Willow have a happy place that she goes to in times of trouble?"

Xnader blinked a few times before answering. "I am to the only one that knows about that. It started when she was a little girl and her parents left her at home alone and she would get scared. She created a safe place for herself until they returned. Why do you want to know?"

Legolas smiled grimly, "I don't know how or why but I was just with her in her happy place. I was sleeping and came upon a red haired woman in my dream." Legolas went on to explain what he dreamt about to everyone.

Buffy reached for both Angel and Xander's hands as she listened to Legolas. Tears began to form in her eyes, "That has got to be torture for Willow. Life is sacred to her. She would never intentionally hurt anyone unless it was in self defense."

Angel tightened his hold on Buffy's hand and felt his heart break. He knew what it was like to helplessly watch yourself kill and torture others. He was more determined than ever to get Willow back.

A silent tear slipped out of Xander's eye at the thought of what his best friend was going through. He let go of Buffy's hand after a comforting squeeze and said, "Well the sooner we get started the soon I can kill Sauron."