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: Basic BtVS mythology and vampire/slayer lore
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 5
The Bronze
Oz could feel the music flowing through him as his fingers strummed furiously at his guitar, leading the Dingoes through one of his favorite songs. Devon was crooning away at the microphone, causing the girls to swoon as usual. For a minute, Oz was jealous of Devon's ability to impress all the members of the opposite sex, but only for a moment. Then the intense feeling faded away, and Oz was back to his normal, easy-going self in no time.
As they were wrapping up the last song for this set, Oz scanned the audience for anyone he knew, hoping to spot a few of his friends in the crowd. As his eyes flitted across the room, they landed on a familiar face -- the face of the blonde girl from the cafeteria. She was standing near the dance floor, gently swaying to the music. As Oz played the final chords of the song, she, along with the rest of the crowd in the Bronze, began to clap.
Oz set his guitar down and took a step forward, standing next to Devon. "Hey, man," he said, gesturing to Buffy, "Have you seen that girl before? Do you know who she is?"
Devon grinned and stepped back from the mike, giving Oz a knowing look. "Hey, she's pretty much a hottie, isn't she? I heard that she's the new girl in school. Moved here from LA." Devon paused, looking Buffy up and down. "Hey, man, do you think she'd go out with me?"
Oz rolled his eyes at Devon and replied, "You have a one track mind, Dev." Then he turned away from the singer and hopped down off the stage, making a beeline for the bar. After he got a drink, he went over to where the girl was standing and tapped her on the shoulder, getting her attention. Not a man of many words, he said simply, "Hey."
"Hello," she replied in a surprised tone. She took a sip of her Coke and then added, "I'm Buffy Summers."
In another one-word statement, he gave her his name. "Oz."
"As in the Wizard of...?" Buffy smiled.
Oz rolled his eyes.
"I bet you get that joke a lot," Buffy said.
"Yep."
Buffy decided not to mention cocker spaniels. "So ... your band really rocks. You guys have a good sound. Really loud."
"We just bought new amps," Oz replied. "Devon said we needed to pump up the volume."
"Logical." Buffy nodded.
"Your first time at the Bronze?" Oz asked. "I've never seen you here before."
"I'm new in Sunnydale," she explained. "My mom got a job at the art gallery."
"I like art," he said. "It's so surreal. Like music."
Buffy didn't really know what Oz meant by that, but she assumed it was just something artists, musicians, writers and other creative types had in common. She was glad just to be talking to someone.
"I saw you," Oz informed her. "In the caf. Reading."
"Yeah." Her insecurities started to come back. "I read a lot. I have for the past year or so."
"Reading is cool," he said positively. "It expands the brain."
"I guess you're right," Buffy agreed. "I hadn't thought of it like that."
The two of them talked for a little longer, and then Oz had to get back on stage for the next set.
"See you around," Buffy said, a little sad that her first almost-friend was already leaving.
"Yeah," Oz agreed. "Lunch tomorrow? I'll bring my book, too."
"That would be great," she replied with a small smile. Oz seemed really nice, even if he was a bit out there. She kind of liked that about him. And she wouldn't have to eat lunch alone tomorrow!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
After listening to a couple of songs in the second set, Buffy decided to go. She didn't want to press her luck. She'd already made a friend. Sure, Xander hadn't shown yet, but at this point she doubted he would.
She finished her Coke, threw away the plastic cup, and decided to go home and chat with her mom for a few minutes before bedtime. Buffy opened the door of the crowded club and looked outside as she slung her purse to her shoulder. Everyone who had been walking out there earlier had either left or gone inside to hear the Dingoes. It was quiet and deserted.
Buffy felt a thrill of fear run up and down her spine. (Stop that!) she ordered herself. (You are a strong, independent woman. You aren't afraid of the dark. It's barely 10:30. There are no boogie-men. In just one block you will be onto a more populated road.)
After her self-pep talk, Buffy stepped fully out of the Bronze and let the door swing shut behind her. She started walking, rather quickly, along the street, noticing the dumpsters and bags of trash around for the first time. Her white sneakers -- the perfect shoe for the sundress but only when worn with a pair of white tights thick enough to cover her scars -- made little squishing noises as she walked.
"Hello there, girlie."
Buffy jumped and spun around. "Who's there?"
The shadows seemed to part at her demand and out stepped a very tall, very pale young man with hungry eyes. "I'm Linus. Would you like to go have dinner with me?"
"Umm..." Buffy shook her head. "No, actually not. I have to get home. Maybe some other time?" She hoped her bright smile would fool him about how scared she was. She glanced at the door to the club, but Linus was standing between it and her.
He followed her glance. "No, dear, you can't go back in there."
"I left my purse in there," she protested. "I have to go back in. Maybe you could come with me and help me find it. You look like the savior type." Buffy knew she was spouting nonsense, but she would try anything to get this guy away from her and into the crowded Bronze. Thoughts of all the rape-prevention classes she'd had in school came back to her.
"Your purse is right there," Linus said, frowning.
Buffy looked down at the purse on her arm as if it were a foreign object. "Well, so it is. I'd better go back inside and tell the doorman I found it." She tried to edge around him, but he blocked her way.
"About that dinner..." Linus started closing in on her.
"I've taken Tae Kwan Do," Buffy warned. She actually had -- her physical therapist had recommended the class as a way to re-build muscle mass in Buffy's legs. Buffy fell into the attack position. Then she screamed. Linus' face had taken on a whole new visage, complete with glowing red eyes and fangs. "What are you?"
"I know what you are," Linus growled. "You're the dinner."
Buffy was freaking out, but she held herself together enough to try a kick. It landed perfectly on his chest. Linus staggered back, but that didn't stop him for long.
"Is that the best you can do?" he demanded. "It's so much more fun when you fight."
Buffy looked around for a weapon. She didn't know what was going on, but she knew if he got close enough to touch her, she was doomed. Her eyes landed on a glass bottle. Better than nothing. She reached for it just at Linus pounced. He grabbed her from behind. She broke the bottle over his head.
"That hurt, you bitch!" he accused in that terrifying guttural voice. "Now I'm not going to be gentle." Some blood trickled from his temple, but the skin closed up unnaturally fast.
Buffy struggled in his arms, but his grip was stronger than anything she'd ever felt. She knew she couldn't get away. Linus leaned in, aiming for her throat.
"Wait," Buffy begged weakly. "First, please tell me what you are."
"You silly girl," Linus said, his grin all the more demonic because of the fangs. "I'm a vampire."
"Vampires don't exist," Buffy protested in a whisper.
"They do," Linus said, "and I'm the undead proof."
Then, while he was distracted by her conversation, Buffy pulled a leg up and kicked backwards with all her strength. It hit him in the groin. He sagged, but his grip didn't loosen.
"You'll pay for that," he promised, running his tongue around the shell of her ear.
The touch of his cold, wet tongue finally broke Buffy's resolve. A tear trickled down onto her cheek. She'd survived the accident and battled her way back to being a whole person once again only to die at the hands of a demon from a nightmare or a horror movie. She wished she had the chance to tell her mom goodbye.
"No! You'll pay for that, fang-face!"
The owner of the new voice wrenched Linus away from Buffy, and she fell on the ground. She looked up just in time to see Xander thrust a wooden stake into the growling beast. Seconds later the vampire turned to dust.
Buffy just blinked, seemingly unaware of the dust that settled onto her hair and clothing. She looked up at Xander, but she couldn't say anything. She knew if she spoke, she would lose all control. She rocked back and forth on the cold, clammy asphalt, trying to hold back the torrent of tears that threatened to come. Then she gratefully surrendered to the darkness of unconsciousness.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The doors to the library slammed open, crashing back against the wall with a loud bang. Sonya and Giles looked up and were astonished to see Xander walk in, carrying an unconscious Buffy in his arms.
"What happened?" Sonya demanded, pushing her wheelchair away from the reading table and moving closer to Xander's side.
"She was attacked by a vampire named Linus that I'd tracked all the way to the Bronze," Xander explained, a note of sadness in his voice. "He tried to put the bite on her but I got there in time to stop him. She went into shock right after it happened and then she just passed out cold." As he was talking, Xander carried Buffy's still form over to the cot that Giles kept in the back of the library and gently laid her down, covering her up with a thick blanket to keep her from getting too cold. Looking back up at Giles and Sonya, he added, "I had no clue as to where she lived, so I decided to bring her here. Sonya, could you look up her address on the school's database for me?"
The wheelchair-bound slayer nodded, moving over to the computer terminal and flipping it on. "I'll have that address for you in a flash, Xand."
While she was looking up Buffy's information on the computer, with Giles watching carefully over her shoulder, Xander kneeled next to Buffy and gently brushed her golden hair out of her eyes. His eyes landed on a bruise that was forming on her cheek and he sighed, lightly running the pad of his thumb across it. "I had hoped that you would be spared from all of this, Buffy. That's why I didn't ask you out on a date, even though I wanted to so badly. I thought that if I could just keep you away from me, that none of the darkness would be able to touch you." He continued to caress her cheek as he spoke in a soft whisper. "I guess that plan's moot now. But I swear to you that I'll do everything in my power to keep anything like this from happening to you again, Buffy." His gaze became deadly serious as he repeated his vow once again. "I swear it."
Just then, the Buffy's eyes began to flutter open...
#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: Basic BtVS mythology and vampire/slayer lore
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 5
The Bronze
Oz could feel the music flowing through him as his fingers strummed furiously at his guitar, leading the Dingoes through one of his favorite songs. Devon was crooning away at the microphone, causing the girls to swoon as usual. For a minute, Oz was jealous of Devon's ability to impress all the members of the opposite sex, but only for a moment. Then the intense feeling faded away, and Oz was back to his normal, easy-going self in no time.
As they were wrapping up the last song for this set, Oz scanned the audience for anyone he knew, hoping to spot a few of his friends in the crowd. As his eyes flitted across the room, they landed on a familiar face -- the face of the blonde girl from the cafeteria. She was standing near the dance floor, gently swaying to the music. As Oz played the final chords of the song, she, along with the rest of the crowd in the Bronze, began to clap.
Oz set his guitar down and took a step forward, standing next to Devon. "Hey, man," he said, gesturing to Buffy, "Have you seen that girl before? Do you know who she is?"
Devon grinned and stepped back from the mike, giving Oz a knowing look. "Hey, she's pretty much a hottie, isn't she? I heard that she's the new girl in school. Moved here from LA." Devon paused, looking Buffy up and down. "Hey, man, do you think she'd go out with me?"
Oz rolled his eyes at Devon and replied, "You have a one track mind, Dev." Then he turned away from the singer and hopped down off the stage, making a beeline for the bar. After he got a drink, he went over to where the girl was standing and tapped her on the shoulder, getting her attention. Not a man of many words, he said simply, "Hey."
"Hello," she replied in a surprised tone. She took a sip of her Coke and then added, "I'm Buffy Summers."
In another one-word statement, he gave her his name. "Oz."
"As in the Wizard of...?" Buffy smiled.
Oz rolled his eyes.
"I bet you get that joke a lot," Buffy said.
"Yep."
Buffy decided not to mention cocker spaniels. "So ... your band really rocks. You guys have a good sound. Really loud."
"We just bought new amps," Oz replied. "Devon said we needed to pump up the volume."
"Logical." Buffy nodded.
"Your first time at the Bronze?" Oz asked. "I've never seen you here before."
"I'm new in Sunnydale," she explained. "My mom got a job at the art gallery."
"I like art," he said. "It's so surreal. Like music."
Buffy didn't really know what Oz meant by that, but she assumed it was just something artists, musicians, writers and other creative types had in common. She was glad just to be talking to someone.
"I saw you," Oz informed her. "In the caf. Reading."
"Yeah." Her insecurities started to come back. "I read a lot. I have for the past year or so."
"Reading is cool," he said positively. "It expands the brain."
"I guess you're right," Buffy agreed. "I hadn't thought of it like that."
The two of them talked for a little longer, and then Oz had to get back on stage for the next set.
"See you around," Buffy said, a little sad that her first almost-friend was already leaving.
"Yeah," Oz agreed. "Lunch tomorrow? I'll bring my book, too."
"That would be great," she replied with a small smile. Oz seemed really nice, even if he was a bit out there. She kind of liked that about him. And she wouldn't have to eat lunch alone tomorrow!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
After listening to a couple of songs in the second set, Buffy decided to go. She didn't want to press her luck. She'd already made a friend. Sure, Xander hadn't shown yet, but at this point she doubted he would.
She finished her Coke, threw away the plastic cup, and decided to go home and chat with her mom for a few minutes before bedtime. Buffy opened the door of the crowded club and looked outside as she slung her purse to her shoulder. Everyone who had been walking out there earlier had either left or gone inside to hear the Dingoes. It was quiet and deserted.
Buffy felt a thrill of fear run up and down her spine. (Stop that!) she ordered herself. (You are a strong, independent woman. You aren't afraid of the dark. It's barely 10:30. There are no boogie-men. In just one block you will be onto a more populated road.)
After her self-pep talk, Buffy stepped fully out of the Bronze and let the door swing shut behind her. She started walking, rather quickly, along the street, noticing the dumpsters and bags of trash around for the first time. Her white sneakers -- the perfect shoe for the sundress but only when worn with a pair of white tights thick enough to cover her scars -- made little squishing noises as she walked.
"Hello there, girlie."
Buffy jumped and spun around. "Who's there?"
The shadows seemed to part at her demand and out stepped a very tall, very pale young man with hungry eyes. "I'm Linus. Would you like to go have dinner with me?"
"Umm..." Buffy shook her head. "No, actually not. I have to get home. Maybe some other time?" She hoped her bright smile would fool him about how scared she was. She glanced at the door to the club, but Linus was standing between it and her.
He followed her glance. "No, dear, you can't go back in there."
"I left my purse in there," she protested. "I have to go back in. Maybe you could come with me and help me find it. You look like the savior type." Buffy knew she was spouting nonsense, but she would try anything to get this guy away from her and into the crowded Bronze. Thoughts of all the rape-prevention classes she'd had in school came back to her.
"Your purse is right there," Linus said, frowning.
Buffy looked down at the purse on her arm as if it were a foreign object. "Well, so it is. I'd better go back inside and tell the doorman I found it." She tried to edge around him, but he blocked her way.
"About that dinner..." Linus started closing in on her.
"I've taken Tae Kwan Do," Buffy warned. She actually had -- her physical therapist had recommended the class as a way to re-build muscle mass in Buffy's legs. Buffy fell into the attack position. Then she screamed. Linus' face had taken on a whole new visage, complete with glowing red eyes and fangs. "What are you?"
"I know what you are," Linus growled. "You're the dinner."
Buffy was freaking out, but she held herself together enough to try a kick. It landed perfectly on his chest. Linus staggered back, but that didn't stop him for long.
"Is that the best you can do?" he demanded. "It's so much more fun when you fight."
Buffy looked around for a weapon. She didn't know what was going on, but she knew if he got close enough to touch her, she was doomed. Her eyes landed on a glass bottle. Better than nothing. She reached for it just at Linus pounced. He grabbed her from behind. She broke the bottle over his head.
"That hurt, you bitch!" he accused in that terrifying guttural voice. "Now I'm not going to be gentle." Some blood trickled from his temple, but the skin closed up unnaturally fast.
Buffy struggled in his arms, but his grip was stronger than anything she'd ever felt. She knew she couldn't get away. Linus leaned in, aiming for her throat.
"Wait," Buffy begged weakly. "First, please tell me what you are."
"You silly girl," Linus said, his grin all the more demonic because of the fangs. "I'm a vampire."
"Vampires don't exist," Buffy protested in a whisper.
"They do," Linus said, "and I'm the undead proof."
Then, while he was distracted by her conversation, Buffy pulled a leg up and kicked backwards with all her strength. It hit him in the groin. He sagged, but his grip didn't loosen.
"You'll pay for that," he promised, running his tongue around the shell of her ear.
The touch of his cold, wet tongue finally broke Buffy's resolve. A tear trickled down onto her cheek. She'd survived the accident and battled her way back to being a whole person once again only to die at the hands of a demon from a nightmare or a horror movie. She wished she had the chance to tell her mom goodbye.
"No! You'll pay for that, fang-face!"
The owner of the new voice wrenched Linus away from Buffy, and she fell on the ground. She looked up just in time to see Xander thrust a wooden stake into the growling beast. Seconds later the vampire turned to dust.
Buffy just blinked, seemingly unaware of the dust that settled onto her hair and clothing. She looked up at Xander, but she couldn't say anything. She knew if she spoke, she would lose all control. She rocked back and forth on the cold, clammy asphalt, trying to hold back the torrent of tears that threatened to come. Then she gratefully surrendered to the darkness of unconsciousness.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The doors to the library slammed open, crashing back against the wall with a loud bang. Sonya and Giles looked up and were astonished to see Xander walk in, carrying an unconscious Buffy in his arms.
"What happened?" Sonya demanded, pushing her wheelchair away from the reading table and moving closer to Xander's side.
"She was attacked by a vampire named Linus that I'd tracked all the way to the Bronze," Xander explained, a note of sadness in his voice. "He tried to put the bite on her but I got there in time to stop him. She went into shock right after it happened and then she just passed out cold." As he was talking, Xander carried Buffy's still form over to the cot that Giles kept in the back of the library and gently laid her down, covering her up with a thick blanket to keep her from getting too cold. Looking back up at Giles and Sonya, he added, "I had no clue as to where she lived, so I decided to bring her here. Sonya, could you look up her address on the school's database for me?"
The wheelchair-bound slayer nodded, moving over to the computer terminal and flipping it on. "I'll have that address for you in a flash, Xand."
While she was looking up Buffy's information on the computer, with Giles watching carefully over her shoulder, Xander kneeled next to Buffy and gently brushed her golden hair out of her eyes. His eyes landed on a bruise that was forming on her cheek and he sighed, lightly running the pad of his thumb across it. "I had hoped that you would be spared from all of this, Buffy. That's why I didn't ask you out on a date, even though I wanted to so badly. I thought that if I could just keep you away from me, that none of the darkness would be able to touch you." He continued to caress her cheek as he spoke in a soft whisper. "I guess that plan's moot now. But I swear to you that I'll do everything in my power to keep anything like this from happening to you again, Buffy." His gaze became deadly serious as he repeated his vow once again. "I swear it."
Just then, the Buffy's eyes began to flutter open...