Title: Destiny's Gifts
Author: Muse's Inspiration
Archive: Anywhere, just please let me know, ok?
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Prophecy brought them together; honor kept them apart; love made them need each other. Duty will always bring your rewards, just not always when you want them.
Disclaimer: Ahem! I OWN NOTHING! Much as I'd like to claim it, I can't. But at least I came up with the idea on my own… But anyway, they're not mine; I'm only playing with them and will return them only slightly traumatized. I promise.
AN: This is Buffy-centric and Buffy-paired. It is what it is and is nothing more. I'm changing a few things and will note it at either the beginning or end of each chapter. The big thing is that Buffy started having Slayer Dreams (pre-cognition) long before she was ever the Slayer. Secondly, in order to get where I need to go, the events of The Gift and the sequences leading to it have to change slightly. Mainly just the pacing. I'm moving it up a bit. (I'm impatient, dang it!)
Also, anything that is italicized will be a 'sequence' of some sort. Dream, fight, memory, flashback, etc…
That's it! Enjoy and please, read and review!
"Goodnight, Mommy."
"Goodnight, Sweetheart."
The little blonde-haired girl blew the older woman a kiss as she pulled the door shut, casting the bedroom into darkness. The little girl snuggled deeper under her covers, cuddling her beloved stuffed pig close to her chest. Her father had given her the pig before he had dropped her off back home and she held it close now, savoring the scent of his cologne on it. Smiling, she drifted off to sleep with memories of her trip to the aquarium ghosting through her mind…
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"Wake up, child…"
The young woman turned towards the voice, her long blonde hair cascading over her shoulders as she whirled around. She looked around in confusion as she took in the cold, dark emptiness of where she was and the long white silk and lace shift that was now wearing. Shivering from the cold, she wrapped her arms around herself and searched for the source of the voice in the void she found herself in.
"Who are you? Where are you?" she called out.
"Look", the voice said, "see…"
The girl was suddenly bombarded with images: death, destruction, pain, betrayal… love and the pain that comes with it; honor and duty warring with want and need. And superimposed over all of it was herself, solitary, strong, aching with loneliness.
As quickly as it started, it stopped, leaving the girl swaying and unsteady. Suddenly, she dropped to her knees in stunned shock as she realized that she had been shown her life. She had seen what she had done to friends, family and loved ones in the name of her duty. The pain hit as the shock wore off and understanding began.
She began to sob; deep, guttural and heart wrenching, she cried out as she saw that she would sacrifice all for the greater good, and still end up alone.
After the grief came the anger. She pulled herself up off the floor to her knees and snarled out to the unseen presence, "How dare you! I won't do it! I don't want that life!"
"You can't change your destiny, child…"
She screamed out in rage.
But at that moment, she felt a new presence. She suddenly felt comforted and loved like she never had felt before.
"The road is hard, young one. But your rewards will be great and many. Keep pushing forward. Don't ever give up."
With tears in her eyes she shook her head. It was too much and she was too alone. She then felt the impression of strong arms around her. A soft, peaceful voice ghosted through her mind… "You will never be alone, Sweeting. I'm always here. I'm always waiting…"
The presence slowly started fading away and whirled around, frantic. As she did, she caught a glimpse of a man slowly disappearing into a slight mist that had developed. As he left, she noticed two things that her heart would never forget.
One was that he had the most heartbreakingly beautiful smile she had ever seen. And two, he had the most stunning blue eyes…
As he continued to fade away, he held a hand out to her and quietly whispered, "…always, Sweeting…"
"…yes…always…" and she reached her hand out as well, tears streaming down her face…
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"Buffy!"
She snapped out of the dream, confused as she always was when she woke up from it. She had been having the dream since she was a child, but lately it had been getting more intense. She now understood that it was a Slayer Dream that she had been having… but what she didn't understand was how she had been having it since before she became the Slayer.
"Buffy! Will you wake up!"
She finally focused on the voice and came fully awake. Reality fell into place and she looked at Dawn. Her sister had that perpetually annoyed teenager look firmly in place, but Buffy also noticed there was something else going on behind her eyes.
"What's wrong?"
Dawn looked away.
"Dawnie, what's wrong?"
Dawn sighed and looked down at the floor. Buffy started feeling the first skitterings of alarm shiver down her spine.
"Dawnie! Tell me! What's wrong!"
Dawn finally looked up at from the floor, tears in her eyes. "Buffy… it's Tara. Glory got to her. She's… not right… Willow's gone after Glory!"
Buffy looked at her sister in horror. All she'd done was lie down for a short nap! She jumped up and started scrambling around the room.
"Buffy! What are you doing!"
She whirled around and looked at Dawn. "This ends tonight. Now. Go hide, Dawnie. Get somewhere safe. I'll find you when it's all over."
"No! I want to help!"
"Dawnie, go! Now! I have to know you're safe!"
Then she gave her little sister a fierce hug and strode out of the room and out of Dawn's life.
Little did the Slayer know, but her life was about to change forever…
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