Disclaimer:
The characters of Charmed, Buffy – the Vampire Slayer, and Angel do not belong to me. I am only borrowing them.
Author's Note:
Thanks to all of you who have been patient with me between updates. Please read and review.
Chapter Three: Destiny
Part One
The Source was in a very bad mood, and the entire Underworld knew it. The smart (and fast) demons were staying out of his way. It was all the fault of those infuriating Charmed Ones. If Phoebe had only stuck with him, she'd be evil and the Power of Three would be broken forever! He roared in anger and threw a globe of fire at the wall. It exploded, breaking open a hole in the stone wall.
**Throwing a temper tantrum won't solve your problem.**
“Shut up.” He growled. He'd been stuck with Cole's lovesick soul for too long. It was beginning to drive him mad. **Phoebe, Phoebe, Phoebe. Can't you think of anything else?**
The Source stiffened as he heard and felt Cole chuckle in his head. **Damn! Will I never be free of this burden?**
**Nope, sorry, you're stuck with me.**
**Well, at least I'm free of that harpy of yours, Phoebe. The Power of Three may still be an issue, but at least I don't have to deal with her and her sisters down here. I can focus on ruling my kingdom again.**
**That's right, you do that. I'll just think about how to protect Phoebe, and maybe get back to her. I'll never stop fighting you, you know. **
The Source bit back a scream and stormed into his audience chamber. He slowed as he saw a demon kneeling. The demon didn't move or retreat, as most would, considering the Source's temper at this time. He looked closer. Tempus. Now, what brings him here? He had always been the most solitary of demons. For him to enter the Source's chamber meant something significant had occurred.
“Tempus.”
“My liege.” Tempus responded promptly, and kissed the hand the Source offered. Tempus waited until his liege lord had seated himself, and then arose silently and slowly to his feet.
“And what brings you to our throne room?”
**Our?** Cole chuckled in the Source's head. **Interesting choice of words.**
**Do be quiet, Cole. I have things to do.** The Source snapped back at him.
Tempus looked enquiringly at the Source. He seemed to be at odds with himself. He had better take care or an enterprising young turk of a demon may take advantage one day while he is occupied. Ever since the Source was reborn in the half-demon Balthazor's body... Well, really the human Cole's body, that had made things even worse. At any rate, things were less certain now. If, of course, they ever had been.
“My liege, I have news.” He began. He wasn't sure of the Source's reaction to his news. However, perhaps, the human half would be interested.
“Indeed?” The Source responded, one eyebrow raised questioningly.
“I have discovered that I have a child.”
**Now, this is interesting. And, I thought it was going to be another typically predictable day in the Underworld.**
**Cole** The Source reprimanded. **However, you are right. I wasn't expecting this. I wonder who--** “And who, Tempus, is the mother of this child?”
“She is dead, my liege. It seems a witch that I had lain with over 20 years ago had conceived a child. She died in childbirth and my daughter was given to another family to raise.”
“On the surface? There is a half-breed demon witch on the surface? By the Great Mother! What do you know of her? Is she aware of her powers?”
**Very interesting. Tempus has a daughter. She could be using her powers for good. I imagine her mother was a white witch.**
The Source growled and ground his teeth. Tempus narrowed his eyes and continued. “That is how I discovered her. She apparently has been practicing witchcraft since her fifteenth year. She discovered the Dark Arts when she stole some books belonging to a Watcher.”
The Source narrowed his eyes at the word Watcher. He felt Cole's interest as well. **This could be useful. At least the soul isn't moaning about his lost witch now.** “A Watcher, you say?”
“Yes, she grew up in Sunnydale on top of a Hellmouth. She, well, she went to school with the Slayer. She helped her.”
“What!” The Source roared. **Hellfire! A demon fighting on the same side as a Slayer? It was unbearable!**
**Well, well, well. Yes, very interesting. With that kind of history, she'll be lost to us.**
**Us, Cole? And here I thought you wanted nothing to do with US anymore.** Cole was silent to this. **Well at least I shut him up for once.** “Now, Tempus, I'm sure this situation is salvageable. Otherwise, you know, we will have no choice but to destroy her.”
“My liege, I beg your forbearance. I have a plan. My daughter has recently tapped into her darker powers. You may have felt it. She killed a boy in answer to the sacred feelings of rage and vengeance. Then, she dried to drain the earth of its life force as a final paean to her feelings of vengeance. It was beautiful, my liege.”
**This is more like it.**
**It just shows she can tap the powers when upset and emotional. Will she be able to kill those she has no feelings for? Anyone can kill the guilty. Killing the innocent is hard.**
**Deep, Cole, very deep.** “Tempus, this girl sounds as if she has potential. Did she kill the Slayer?”
“No, my liege, another friend of hers talked her out of her rage. However, her friends fear her now. They wish to reign in this glorious power. I don't know what they plan to do, but I have my own plans.”
“And those are?”
“I plan to convince her to join her father. She is being told by her friends that she has done wrong, that she has committed a wicked crime. They are playing to her sense of guilt. However, I will be the one to show her her inheritance, her destiny. She will grasp onto this as a drowning man grasps to a piece of driftwood in the ocean. Then, she will join us in the Underworld where she will be taught our ways and ascend to her true destiny.”
“Excellent, Tempus, excellent. I expect great things.”
**Somehow, I don't think it'll be that easy.**
Part Two
Willow was miserable. Her father – oh, how good that sounds – had left and brought her back to the Magic Box. He said he knew that it would take time for her to adjust. But, actually, it hadn't. She'd already become attached to him. He was her father – her father! - and she wanted to be with him.
Additionally, he had understood about the witchiness. He wasn't blaming her. He didn't want to punish her. Yet, she was back here with the people that did. She looked around the room. Xander looked uncomfortable, Buffy and Dawn were looking defensive, and Giles, well, Giles just looked disappointed and concerned. Very concerned, downright worried.
Oooh! It was just so frustrating. She'd just met her father, and now she was sure that Giles was going to send her away – for her own good, of course. She seethed at the injustice of it all. Hadn't Xander and Buffy and even Giles made mistakes? Hadn't they been responsible for death and destruction? Well, maybe not as much, but still... They should be sympathetic, not judgmental.
“Now, Willow, I realize that you've had a big adjustment today. Finding a father at this stage of life can be very... well, very...”
“Dramatic and emotional.” Buffy filled in.
“However, we need to still deal with the matter of your magicks, Willow. We...”
“Don't you mean I need to deal? I really don't think any of you plan on serving time with me.” Willow spat out.
“Now, Willow.” Buffy cut in. “We're only trying to help. You went too fa--”
“Now, Buffy, you stop right there. What would've happened if it was Angel? What would you have done if someone staked him right in your arms? Would it have mattered if the person was mortal or not? You put Faith in a coma for just such an offense if I remember. And, we all let that slide.”
“Will, that was com--”
“Different? How? Because I used magic and you just beat the crap out of her? Because you're the Slayer? I was hurting, I was upset. I did what I felt was right! I didn't mean to, it got out of hand. And all I want now is my friends to understand, to--”
“We do. We do, Willow.” He paused as he saw Willow glaring at him. This wasn't going well, this wasn't going well at all. Yet they really did need to get her to agree. She needed to learn some discipline, some control. “I just want you to be trained properly, Willow. To learn control and discipline over your powers. I don't want to punish you, really, I don't. I can't punish you anymore than you already have been. I realize that you're eaten up by what you've done.”
Willow took a deep breath and stepped back, away from her friends. The truth was she was sorry. Sorry for attacking Giles, and Buffy and Dawn, and yes, even Anya. But she wasn't sorry for what had happened to Warren. No, if she was truthful to herself, she wasn't sorry at all for him. She looked at her friends and tried to analyze the situation. Buffy was thinking, perhaps planning tactics as Buffy always did. Dawn was upset and wouldn't look her in the eyes. She turned to Xander, who was smiling weakly at her. Then, of course, there was Giles. He was the real issue. He was planning, and thinking of what they could do with her.
It was just all so painful. She wanted... hell, she wanted her father. She didn't want to have to deal with this. Not now. Not ever. She'd come out of it. Surely that was enough. “Giles, you could teach me. I don't need to leave. I can stay here. I can--”
“No, Willow, I don't think I can. I've already failed you once. I don't want to fail you a second time. I want to send you to a coven. They are better prepared, better trained.” He reached out for her.
“NO!” Willow exploded and jumped back from him. “I won't! I won't go! I've just met my father, I can't just leave and not tell him where I've gone. I can handle this. It was only that bad because of Tara dying. It'll be better now. It will!”
“Willow!” She jumped as she heard three voices crying out at her from separate directions. Giles, Xander, and Buffy were all closing in on her. She heard Buffy's voice above the others. “Willow, it'll be alright. We can talk to your father. We can tell him you're... indisposed. But, you have to do this. It's for your own good. You have to go.”
Buffy took another step towards her, but that's as far as she got. She gasped, and barely had the time to register the sound of Xander's and Giles' own gasps, when a crackle of electricity formed between Willow's open fingertips. The electricity knitted itself into the shape of a ball, and, the next thing she knew, it was launched right at her. She jumped into the air, and the ball struck the countertop where the cash register had sat. They all jumped backwards at the explosion which blasted the counter into splinters.
Oh, hell! Willow thought to herself. What have I done? How did I do it? “Buffy, I... I...” What can I say? Oh, damn, I wish I knew where my father was! And, then, the entire room blurred away. She vaguely heard her old friends crying out in vain. When her vision cleared, she was somewhere else. She looked up, to the left and right, and down. She was in a cave, a very warm cave, it was lit by torches.
In front of her, there was a large chair, a throne really. Seated on it was a tall, handsome man with black hair and piercing blue eyes. He really was one of the most gorgeous men she'd ever seen. He was filled with power, dark, black power. She could feel it. It called to her. She knew who this man was instinctively, she wasn't sure how. He was her King. And she had come to-- “Hell.”
“Exactly.” The man on the throne replied smoothly.
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