Go the Whole Wide World

Author: enigmaticblue

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: The standard "I don't own them, please don't sue" should suffice, don't you think?

Archive: If you've got my stuff already, otherwise just ask.

Summary: Wesley finds himself with business in Rome, and Angel sends Spike along for company, wanting to get him out of his hair. It's amazing how small the world is sometimes. Set sometime after Why We Fight.

A/N: spikes_lady asked for Spike and Wesley bonding with possible Spuffy. I hope this suits.

Chapter 9: To Tell the Truth

"Chase after the truth like all hell and you'll free yourself, even though you never touch its coattails." ~Clarence Darrow

Magic had always made Spike a little bit nervous. Granted, he'd used it himself on occasion, but only when there had been no other way around it. Curing Dru, for example, had been one of those rare occasions when there had literally been no other choice.

Perhaps that was why Willow still made him edgy. The girl used magic the way most people used a kitchen appliance—easily, and with as little thought.

No, he corrected himself. She'd changed; they all had.

Spike wasn't sure if he wanted to be around for the fireworks if the spell went wrong, as they had been wont to do with Willow. Of course, he didn't much care to leave either, because he wanted to see the results firsthand.

"You want me to take him downstairs?" Spike asked, nodding at the cyborg.

Willow frowned. "I thought you were serious about the bathtub."

Spike raised an eyebrow. "I thought we were goin' to do the interrogation in the other apartment."

"If we're going to use the truth spell, I'd just as soon do it here," Willow replied. "I have all my supplies, and I'm not sure you want to be wandering around without any clothes on."

Buffy murmured something that even Spike's sharp ears couldn't make out.

"What's that?" he asked.

"Nothing," she replied guiltily. "I think Willow's right, though. It might be better for everybody to stay here. With Dawn and the other Slayers gone, we've got more room."

"If you think it's best, Buffy," Wesley said. "We'll defer to your judgment."

Spike had a feeling that Wesley would defer to anyone's judgment unless he disagreed with them, but he kept his mouth shut. The Watcher really was being a good sport about the whole thing.

"Spike, Rosalia, dump the cyborg in the bathtub," Buffy said.

Spike grabbed one arm while Rosalia grabbed the other. Between the two of them, they easily dragged the cyborg to the bathroom and dumped him in the tub.

"Willow, if you want to set up..." Buffy began as they came back out into the living room.

"I'm on it," Willow replied, grabbing the bag with her magic supplies. "This is a little like the spell you did to check on your mom, Buffy. Tirer la couture."

Wesley's eyes narrowed in thought. "An interesting choice."

"It's the least invasive," Willow replied.

"What does it do?" Rosalia asked.

Willow didn't look up from her preparations. "It lets me see magical influences, spells, and alterations," she replied. "I tweaked it a little, so it should show me more."

"Impressive," Wesley murmured.

Willow shot him a look, and if Spike wasn't mistaken, she blushed a little. He raised an eyebrow. This could be a very interesting development.

~~~~~

Buffy watched as Willow dropped into the trance. She'd done the same spell—or one very much like it—in the past, so she had some idea of what Willow would experience. When her friend's eyes opened, the pupils dilated, Buffy could see that she wasn't all there.

Willow turned to Buffy first, her face expressionless. "You have a parasite."

"What the hell does that mean?" Spike demanded.

Buffy watched as Wesley elbowed him sharply. "Don't disturb her concentration," Wesley hissed.

"You have a hole," Willow said, turning to Wesley.

Wesley blinked. "What?"

Spike smirked and elbowed him. "Don't disturb her concentration."

Willow turned back to Buffy, reaching out a hand. "May I?"

Buffy allowed Willow to take her hand. The witch held it in both of hers, then reached up to touch the side of her neck. "I can't kill it," she murmured.

She released Buffy and then turned towards Wesley. "Give me your hand." Wesley stepped closer, doing as she asked. "There's a barrier spell. Your memories are incomplete."

Buffy watched as Wesley swallowed hard. "Can you fix it?"

Willow gazed at him intently for a long, silent moment. "Yes, but it has to be now."

Buffy's eyes widened as she realized that Willow was going to fix whatever it was right then, and she stepped forward, wanting to stop her. Until they knew what the spell was, and why it was there, it was probably better to leave it alone. "Will! No!"

"Do it." Wesley seemed to have no trouble with the idea of her removing the spell, just like that.

Willow touched his forehead, then his temple. There was a flash of light, and Buffy closed her eyes against the brightness. Wesley began to slump, and Spike moved to catch him. Willow swayed on her feet.

Rosalia put an arm around Willow and led her over to the couch. "Are you alright?" she asked.

Willow shook her head as if to clear it. "I—give me a minute."

"Wes?" Spike asked. "You with me?" He managed to get Wesley into a chair, and the ex-Watcher doubled over, his head in his hands. "You alright?"

Wesley shook his head, not speaking.

Buffy judged that Wesley was the more shaken of the two, and she perched next to him on the arm of the chair. "Wes? Talk to us."

"Angel did the spell." Wesley looked at Spike, his eyes burning. "It's why he went to Wolfram and Hart."

"I'm sorry," Willow said from her position on the couch. "I had to do it while still under the effects of the trance, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to see the problem to fix it."

Wesley shook his head. "It was important that I know." He glanced up at Buffy, and then back at Willow. "I'll explain later, but I'm not the priority right now. You said something about a parasite?"

"It's a link that's been established," Willow explained. "Probably through sexual contact."

Buffy got a sinking feeling in her gut. "So, it's the Immortal?"

"Unless there's another possibility that you know of," Willow said.

She shook her head. "What do we do? Can't you fix it like you did with Wesley's thing?"

Willow sighed. "The spell blocking Wesley's memories wasn't as strong, and it's not tied to someone else's life force. It's possible that the only way to remove the link to the Immortal is to kill him."

"Not a problem," Spike growled.

Willow gave him a rueful look. "It's not that simple. Do you know why he's called the Immortal?"

Spike shrugged. "Always figured he was a demon, although the bint I talked to last night seemed to think he was human at some point."

Buffy felt a stirring of alarm. "What woman?"

"Demon bar I went to, lookin' for information." Spike looked amused, sensing her jealousy. "There was a vampire who was willin' to talk."

Buffy raised an eyebrow. "And a girl vampire was the only one who would talk to you?"

"She was the first one to approach me," Spike shot back.

"I think we're getting off the subject," Willow intervened. "The point is that we don't know what the Immortal is, and therefore we don't know if we have to break the spell first or kill him first. Since Buffy could die if we get it wrong, I say we find out."

"I'll second that," Buffy said.

"What about the drain on her life force?" Wesley asked. "I'm assuming that could kill her, too."

Willow nodded. "I think I can find a way to stop it. I'll get started right away."

"We've still got a cyborg to interrogate," Spike pointed out. "They were after me last night, so it's not just Wes or Peaches they're interested in. It may be that this is bigger than we thought."

"Give me a few more minutes, and I can do the truth spell," Willow said.

"I can do it." Wesley's voice was quiet, but firm. "It doesn't take much power, but you've done enough for the day, Willow. It wouldn't be wise to overextend yourself."

"He's right, Will," Buffy said. "If he can do the spell, you should let him."

Willow nodded slowly, concern on her face. "If you're sure."

Wesley smiled, although the expression didn't reach his eyes. "I'll be fine."

Buffy wasn't so sure, judging by the hard light in his eyes that hadn't been there before.

~~~~~

Wesley took a deep breath, staring up at the bright blue sky. He'd needed a few minutes to clear his head before attempting the truth spell. What he wanted more than anything else at that moment was a drink; that would have to wait until later, however—and probably much later.

"Wesley, I'm sorry."

He turned to look at Willow, seeing the worry and regret in her eyes. "Don't be," he replied, deliberately gentling his tone. "I needed this knowledge."

"I should have thought it through better," Willow said. "If I had waited—"

"You said it yourself," Wesley said, cutting her off. "If you had waited, you might not have been able to take any action at all."

Willow sighed. "I wouldn't have been able to break the spell," she admitted. "Without the tirer la couture, there would have been no way to see where the barriers were, and no way to take them all down at once."

"Then it had to be done," Wesley said. "It's better this way."

"What did it do?" Willow asked. "I could tell that the spell had blocked off some of your memories, but not what it was supposed to do."

Wesley swallowed hard. "Angel had a son, and I was instrumental in taking the child away from him."

"That's why he did the spell?"

"No." Wesley shook his head. "No, that was only the beginning, but we don't have time for the whole story now."

Willow looked at him compassionately. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather have left the spell in place? There are a few things that I would be happier to forget."

Wesley gave her a wry smile. "Perhaps, but those memories are a part of who I am. What Angel did was high-handed, and a betrayal of my trust, a trust that I had thought we were rebuilding." He pushed away from the building. "Let's go."

"Wesley." Willow put a hand on his arm, squeezing gently. "If you need to talk—to tell the story—I've done my share of horrible things. I think I might be able to understand."

He nodded, somehow grateful for her compassion. "Thank you. I might take you up on that offer."

All Watchers had to learn how to perform a truth spell. Although the idea was that those in the field would be able to conduct such a spell under the worst possible conditions, the reality was often very different. Wesley didn't know many Watchers who were capable of performing a spell while in the middle of a fight, except for a few select field agents.

Wesley wondered if those were the Watchers who had survived.

The idea of going back to the Council was now more tempting than it had ever been. Wesley believed that Angel still needed him—but that might not be enough now that he knew. It wasn't just the memories that had been returned to him; it was the fact that they had been stolen in the first place.

When Wesley walked into Buffy's apartment, Spike was dressed in his jeans and tattered t-shirt again. "You alright, mate?"

The real concern in Spike's blue eyes touched Wesley. "I will be. Thank you, Spike."

"You think this is going to work?" Spike asked.

Wesley shook his head. "I have no idea, not when the cyborgs are half-machine."

"Not to mention a bit mystical, yeah?" Spike shrugged. "Well, s'pose we better get to it. You got any idea what you're goin' to do with him after you interrogate him?"

It was a good question, to which Wesley had no answer. "I suppose that will depend on what it tells us."

Wesley began to set the spell components up in the kitchen while Spike and Rosalia dragged the cyborg from the bathroom. The creature was just beginning to come around, and he quickened his pace, wanting the spell to take effect by the time the cyborg fully regained consciousness.

"How much longer?" Spike asked.

"A few moments." Wesley glanced up and around, realizing that he hadn't seen Buffy since he and Willow had come back inside. "Where's Buffy?"

Spike shrugged, not replying immediately. Willow was the one to respond. "I suggested that she rest to conserve her strength. I don't know how successful I'll be with finding a way to stop the spell, and we still have to find the Immortal."

"We haven't started lookin' yet," Spike said. "When we do, we'll find him."

"We don't know that," Willow objected.

Spike glared at her. "I won't let it happen any other way."

Rosalia cleared her throat. "Is there anything we can do, Wesley?"

"Just step back," he replied. "It would be best if you don't get caught in the truth spell."

He spoke the words of the spell quickly, keeping his focus on the task at hand, trying not to think about the memories that had been revealed.

That was for later; Wesley was good at putting his feelings aside to do the job at hand.

By the time he finished the spell, the cyborg's face plate was turned towards him. "Tell me," Wesley said, squatting down next to it. Spike and Rosalia had left the chains on, so it couldn't move more than a few inches. "Can you speak without me having to remove your mask, or shall I pull it off?"

"No." The voice that came out of the thing sounded tinny and robotic. "I can speak."

"Good." Wesley felt a glimmer of satisfaction. "What are you doing here in Rome?"

"We knew that our secrets had been unearthed."

"You mean the discs?" Wesley asked.

"Yes."

Wesley knew that this was going to be a very long, very difficult interrogation. Although the truth spell would compel a person to speak only what was true, it didn't prevent him from giving the shortest possible answer. "What is on the discs?"

"The power."

"To do what?"

"To understand."

Wesley sighed. "Why did you go after Angel?"

"We were warned about him."

"Who warned you?" Wesley asked.

"It's in the prophecy."

"What prophecy?"

"He will bring the apocalypse."

Spike snorted. "Like that's anything new."

Wesley shot the vampire a look, then turned back to the cyborg. "And you thought you could prevent it by taking control? Had you considered that by doing so you could, in fact, bring about the apocalypse?"

"No." There was a pause, and then the cyborg began to speak without prompting. "We know about this law firm. It was there long before our order came into existence, and we have given up everything to fight it. The vampire plays into its hands."

Wesley swallowed, unable to completely disagree. "Be that as it may, controlling Angel might not prevent the end of the world. Things do not work that way." He changed the subject. "Why did you go after Spike last night?"

"We were told about him."

Spike rolled his eyes. "Why won't he give a bloody straight answer?"

"That's not the way the spell works," Willow said before Wesley could reply. "Hush or leave."

Wesley ignored them. "Who told you?"

"One who knows."

Wesley got a sinking feeling in his stomach. "Was it the Immortal?"

"Yes."

"Bloody hell!" Spike burst out. "I knew it! They're in this together. He probably helped the bastard hurt Buffy."

"Shut it!" Wesley's tone was sharp enough to surprise Spike into silence. "Either be quiet, or leave, Spike. We haven't much more time with the spell."

When Spike subsided, Wesley turned back to the cyborg. "What did he tell you?"

"That the vampire was a great force for evil." There was a pause. "You were both at the law firm."

"I think you'll find that appearances can be deceiving," Wesley said, a wry note in his voice. "Our allegiance is not to the law firm, but to fighting evil. It is our belief that the man who told you about Spike is now attempting to subvert the Slayer."

Without a question, the cyborg felt no compulsion to reply, but after a moment, it spoke reluctantly. "I must talk to my brethren about this."

"Good. Will you set up negotiations for us? Without a promise, I will be forced to kill you."

"I will do as you ask."

"Do you swear?" Wesley pressed, knowing that while the cyborg could go back on his word later, they would at least know that he was telling the truth about his intentions now.

"I swear it."

"Spike, let him go."

Spike stared at him, and Wesley met his eyes, wondering if the vampire would argue or follow his lead. In a sense, Spike had no real reason to trust him. They hadn't known each other very long, and it took time to build a relationship where one person would follow another without question.

After a long moment, Spike began fishing around in his pocket for the key. "I'll take care of it. You'd better sit down before you fall down."

His gruff comment told Wesley that the vampire was not happy with the decision, but that he wasn't going argue—not right then anyway.

Willow waited until Spike had escorted the cyborg out of the apartment before speaking. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"I'm not sure what other choice we have," Wesley replied. "All of our information to date has suggested that they're on the same side we are. Quite frankly, I don't believe that we can afford to split our resources."

"You mean to deal with the Immortal and the cyborg army?" Willow asked.

Rosalia frowned, having been mostly silent during the entire process. "You do not worry that they will attack Spike again?"

Wesley shook his head. "No, I don't think so. Now that they know that the Immortal might be part of what they're fighting, it's possible that they'll offer their help, or at least not get in our way."

"I hope you had a good reason for that," Spike said, entering the apartment again. "I still don't know why I just let that bastard go."

Wesley raised an eyebrow. "Don't you think it would be better to enlist their aid, rather than being forced to look over our shoulders at all times?"

"No question about that," Spike agreed with a sigh. "If they're willin' to lay off, that would be enough for me."

"Let's hope that they agree to the truce." Oddly enough, even after what he now knew, Wesley still had the capacity for hope.