Destiny Lost
#1: In the Space of a Heartbeat
Authors: Sonya and Erin
E-mail: sonyajeb@swbell.net OR carynsilver@yahoo.com
Rating: PG-13
Category: B/X, AU, action/adventure, romance
Summary: An accident seconds before being chosen causes the Slayer Essence to skip Buffy, leaving her a normal girl. Then, a year and a half later, her mom's new job and her parents' divorce brings Buffy and her mother to Sunnydale, where Buffy comes in contact with the world of the night and a young man dedicated to its destruction.
Disclaimer: We do not own Buffy or any of the original characters or ideas from the show. They all belong to Joss, Mutant Enemy, etc. All we own is our own creative genius (unless that's too strong a word :) and any characters we make up.
Distribution: Sure, just let us know where it is!
Feedback: Love it! We want to know your likes AND dislikes. Flames are the only thing we do not accept.
Spoilers: Becoming Part 1 (very slight)
Author's Note: We realize that everyone has different ideas about how the Slayer is "chosen." This is our idea. We wanted to write a story that shows how Buffy's destiny comes to pass regardless of mythology. If you have a different idea, we'd love to hear it -- however, we most likely will not change our story based on it! :)
Also, there's no B/X in this part, but just wait -- it's coming soon!!!
And this is our first fanfic, so we want to know what you think.
Oh, and all thoughts are indicated by parenthesis.
One more thing to mention... this fanfiction saga was started way back in the summer between seasons 3 and 4 of BtVS. It's been an ongoing project for both of us for the past 4 years and it's one we poured a lot of time and energy into. When we began, we were rather immature as far as writing goes, but we like to think that as this story progressed, so did our skills as authors both together and apart. We've both written many things since this: Sonya focused on fanfiction for many different TV shows (Cowboy Bebop and BtVS/Angel for the most part) while Erin moved on to write a trilogy of org. fantasy novels that she hopes one day to get published. But through it all, we've continued to work on this story, even when we stopped getting feedback altogether (except from our beta readers and a few choice RL friends). It became so important to us because it was our first unified vision as writers and once we reached the ending it was about telling the story and not about the kinds of feedback we received. We ended it the way we thought it needed to be ended, staying true to our vision, and we're proud to be able to look back and say, "Hey, we wrote that." Here's hoping that you will enjoy the journey of reading it just as much as we enjoyed the journey of writing it. :)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Prologue
1996:
A Chevrolet Impala pulled up across the street from Hemery High School in Los Angeles, but no one noticed, least of all the four girls standing on the front steps gossiping about the next school dance.
"Is Tyler taking you?" one girl asked.
"Where were you when I got over Tyler?" demanded a gorgeous blonde with a smile even brighter than her pink outfit. "He's of the past."
(She is so beautiful) Angel thought from the protection of the Chevy with the shoe-polish-blackened windows. For a split second when looking at Buffy Summers, he felt a sense of wholeness creep over his soul. His hand started to reach for the door latch as his longing to help and protect this girl -- the future Chosen One -- washed over him. In Angel's mind, Buffy was more than she was right now -- he could see her as she could be: a strong, vibrant woman saving the world from vampires and other creatures of darkness.
"Tyler would have to crawl on his hands and knees to get me to go to the dance with him," Buffy continued, gesturing with her lollypop. "Which, actually, he's supposed to do after practice, so I'm gonna wait."
"OK. See ya later," one of the other girls said, but Angel didn't even notice. The man, or perhaps demon was a better word, next to him shifted in the driver's seat, but Angel was oblivious.
Whistler, a self-proclaimed "good demon," elbowed Angel in the ribs, pointing to a portly man walking across the lawn. "That'll be her Watcher," Whistler hissed, excitement coloring his voice. "Just wait, any second now she's gonna get called."
"The Watchers do the calling?" Angel asked, confused.
"No!" Whistler replied. "It's a strange, mystical force. A Slayer Essence if you will. It goes from one girl to the next after a Slayer's death. But this time the Watchers know when it's gonna happen. The last slayer is a mental vegetable. They're turning off the machines today. Probably already have. Any second now it's gonna happen. Shut up and watch, OK?"
Angel started at the Watcher. He knew that this bittersweet moment would change Buffy's life forever. Yes, she would become the Slayer, and she would grow strong and mature, but the innocence that exuded from the simple schoolgirl would be lost. And, as Angel knew better than anyone, once innocence was lost, it could never be regained.
The loud squealing of brakes caught Angel's attention and his eyes darted back to where Buffy had been standing. She was gone.
"Oh, shit," Whistler muttered under his breath.
"Where is she?" Angel demanded. "I can't see through all this shoe polish."
Whistler shook his head and put the Impala in reverse, angling the car so the vampire could see. Angel looked out the window, ducking to avoid a sunbeam. When he raised up again, he saw it. A black pickup truck stopped in the middle of the crosswalk that led from the school lawn to the football field across the street. A tall young man with a shock of dark hair and a terrified expression stood next to the truck. "I didn't even see her," he moaned to anyone who would listen. "She just darted right out in front of me."
"You're supposed to yield to pedestrians, you jerk!" yelled one of the girls that had been hanging around Buffy on the steps. She tried to slap the boy, but another student pulled her away.
A crowd had begun to form around the truck, but Angel could see something that would have made his heart stop with dread -- if he still had a heart. Buffy's hair lay in red-stained tangles against the black asphalt. Her tanned face was white, and her eyes were closed. Buffy was obviously unconscious. But the most horrifying thing was the unnatural way her legs were bent behind her. Angel squinted and thought he saw the white glint of bone in the punishing sunlight.
"Is she going to be OK?" the driver of the truck cried. The boy looked like he'd stepped into his worst nightmare. A woman, probably a teacher, touched his arm. "Don't worry, Bobby. Someone's already called the ambulance."
A man in a cap with a whistle around his neck leaned over Buffy's fallen body. He touched her throat. "She's alive," he called, and a wave of relief went over the crowd. But the relief didn't extend to those in the car.
"Look," Whistler said, pointing to the lawn. Angel looked and saw the Watcher standing dumbstruck. Then the portly man simply turned and walked away.
"What's going to happen now?" Angel demanded, looking at Whistler with despair-filled eyes. "How can an injured Slayer save the world?"
Whistler shook his head. "She wasn't called. She's not the Chosen One. The powers will go to someone else."
"Someone else?" Angel repeated. The words didn't make sense to him. "But what about Buffy?"
"She's just Buffy Summers now. She's just a human."
Angel heard ambulance sirens in the distance. He rolled up the window slowly, as if in a daze. Whistler started the car, and drove away from the accident.
"Where are we going?" Angel asked a few minutes later, mostly just to drown out thoughts of Buffy.
"Sunnydale."
"Sunnydale?"
Whistler nodded. "There's still going to be a Slayer, and that's where she'll end up. You're needed there to help her stop the Master when it's time for the Harvest."
"But Buffy..."
"Get over Buffy!" Whistler slammed his hand down on the top of the steering wheel. "Buffy isn't important anymore! You have to help the Slayer!"
Angel looked blankly at Whistler.
"The next girl in line was called instead of Buffy, and the new Slayer will go to Sunnydale," Whistler explained slowly. "That's why the Watcher left - to call the Council and see who the prophecies say is the next Chosen One. Do you get it now?"
Angel said nothing, and let Whistler drive wherever he wanted.
#1: In the Space of a Heartbeat
Authors: Sonya and Erin
E-mail: sonyajeb@swbell.net OR carynsilver@yahoo.com
Rating: PG-13
Category: B/X, AU, action/adventure, romance
Summary: An accident seconds before being chosen causes the Slayer Essence to skip Buffy, leaving her a normal girl. Then, a year and a half later, her mom's new job and her parents' divorce brings Buffy and her mother to Sunnydale, where Buffy comes in contact with the world of the night and a young man dedicated to its destruction.
Disclaimer: We do not own Buffy or any of the original characters or ideas from the show. They all belong to Joss, Mutant Enemy, etc. All we own is our own creative genius (unless that's too strong a word :) and any characters we make up.
Distribution: Sure, just let us know where it is!
Feedback: Love it! We want to know your likes AND dislikes. Flames are the only thing we do not accept.
Spoilers: Becoming Part 1 (very slight)
Author's Note: We realize that everyone has different ideas about how the Slayer is "chosen." This is our idea. We wanted to write a story that shows how Buffy's destiny comes to pass regardless of mythology. If you have a different idea, we'd love to hear it -- however, we most likely will not change our story based on it! :)
Also, there's no B/X in this part, but just wait -- it's coming soon!!!
And this is our first fanfic, so we want to know what you think.
Oh, and all thoughts are indicated by parenthesis.
One more thing to mention... this fanfiction saga was started way back in the summer between seasons 3 and 4 of BtVS. It's been an ongoing project for both of us for the past 4 years and it's one we poured a lot of time and energy into. When we began, we were rather immature as far as writing goes, but we like to think that as this story progressed, so did our skills as authors both together and apart. We've both written many things since this: Sonya focused on fanfiction for many different TV shows (Cowboy Bebop and BtVS/Angel for the most part) while Erin moved on to write a trilogy of org. fantasy novels that she hopes one day to get published. But through it all, we've continued to work on this story, even when we stopped getting feedback altogether (except from our beta readers and a few choice RL friends). It became so important to us because it was our first unified vision as writers and once we reached the ending it was about telling the story and not about the kinds of feedback we received. We ended it the way we thought it needed to be ended, staying true to our vision, and we're proud to be able to look back and say, "Hey, we wrote that." Here's hoping that you will enjoy the journey of reading it just as much as we enjoyed the journey of writing it. :)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Prologue
1996:
A Chevrolet Impala pulled up across the street from Hemery High School in Los Angeles, but no one noticed, least of all the four girls standing on the front steps gossiping about the next school dance.
"Is Tyler taking you?" one girl asked.
"Where were you when I got over Tyler?" demanded a gorgeous blonde with a smile even brighter than her pink outfit. "He's of the past."
(She is so beautiful) Angel thought from the protection of the Chevy with the shoe-polish-blackened windows. For a split second when looking at Buffy Summers, he felt a sense of wholeness creep over his soul. His hand started to reach for the door latch as his longing to help and protect this girl -- the future Chosen One -- washed over him. In Angel's mind, Buffy was more than she was right now -- he could see her as she could be: a strong, vibrant woman saving the world from vampires and other creatures of darkness.
"Tyler would have to crawl on his hands and knees to get me to go to the dance with him," Buffy continued, gesturing with her lollypop. "Which, actually, he's supposed to do after practice, so I'm gonna wait."
"OK. See ya later," one of the other girls said, but Angel didn't even notice. The man, or perhaps demon was a better word, next to him shifted in the driver's seat, but Angel was oblivious.
Whistler, a self-proclaimed "good demon," elbowed Angel in the ribs, pointing to a portly man walking across the lawn. "That'll be her Watcher," Whistler hissed, excitement coloring his voice. "Just wait, any second now she's gonna get called."
"The Watchers do the calling?" Angel asked, confused.
"No!" Whistler replied. "It's a strange, mystical force. A Slayer Essence if you will. It goes from one girl to the next after a Slayer's death. But this time the Watchers know when it's gonna happen. The last slayer is a mental vegetable. They're turning off the machines today. Probably already have. Any second now it's gonna happen. Shut up and watch, OK?"
Angel started at the Watcher. He knew that this bittersweet moment would change Buffy's life forever. Yes, she would become the Slayer, and she would grow strong and mature, but the innocence that exuded from the simple schoolgirl would be lost. And, as Angel knew better than anyone, once innocence was lost, it could never be regained.
The loud squealing of brakes caught Angel's attention and his eyes darted back to where Buffy had been standing. She was gone.
"Oh, shit," Whistler muttered under his breath.
"Where is she?" Angel demanded. "I can't see through all this shoe polish."
Whistler shook his head and put the Impala in reverse, angling the car so the vampire could see. Angel looked out the window, ducking to avoid a sunbeam. When he raised up again, he saw it. A black pickup truck stopped in the middle of the crosswalk that led from the school lawn to the football field across the street. A tall young man with a shock of dark hair and a terrified expression stood next to the truck. "I didn't even see her," he moaned to anyone who would listen. "She just darted right out in front of me."
"You're supposed to yield to pedestrians, you jerk!" yelled one of the girls that had been hanging around Buffy on the steps. She tried to slap the boy, but another student pulled her away.
A crowd had begun to form around the truck, but Angel could see something that would have made his heart stop with dread -- if he still had a heart. Buffy's hair lay in red-stained tangles against the black asphalt. Her tanned face was white, and her eyes were closed. Buffy was obviously unconscious. But the most horrifying thing was the unnatural way her legs were bent behind her. Angel squinted and thought he saw the white glint of bone in the punishing sunlight.
"Is she going to be OK?" the driver of the truck cried. The boy looked like he'd stepped into his worst nightmare. A woman, probably a teacher, touched his arm. "Don't worry, Bobby. Someone's already called the ambulance."
A man in a cap with a whistle around his neck leaned over Buffy's fallen body. He touched her throat. "She's alive," he called, and a wave of relief went over the crowd. But the relief didn't extend to those in the car.
"Look," Whistler said, pointing to the lawn. Angel looked and saw the Watcher standing dumbstruck. Then the portly man simply turned and walked away.
"What's going to happen now?" Angel demanded, looking at Whistler with despair-filled eyes. "How can an injured Slayer save the world?"
Whistler shook his head. "She wasn't called. She's not the Chosen One. The powers will go to someone else."
"Someone else?" Angel repeated. The words didn't make sense to him. "But what about Buffy?"
"She's just Buffy Summers now. She's just a human."
Angel heard ambulance sirens in the distance. He rolled up the window slowly, as if in a daze. Whistler started the car, and drove away from the accident.
"Where are we going?" Angel asked a few minutes later, mostly just to drown out thoughts of Buffy.
"Sunnydale."
"Sunnydale?"
Whistler nodded. "There's still going to be a Slayer, and that's where she'll end up. You're needed there to help her stop the Master when it's time for the Harvest."
"But Buffy..."
"Get over Buffy!" Whistler slammed his hand down on the top of the steering wheel. "Buffy isn't important anymore! You have to help the Slayer!"
Angel looked blankly at Whistler.
"The next girl in line was called instead of Buffy, and the new Slayer will go to Sunnydale," Whistler explained slowly. "That's why the Watcher left - to call the Council and see who the prophecies say is the next Chosen One. Do you get it now?"
Angel said nothing, and let Whistler drive wherever he wanted.