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 10
Buffy's house
Xander woke up the next morning with a host of aches and pains, none of which were helped by the fact that somehow during the night he'd managed to roll off of the couch and onto the hard floor. (Wait a minute... THE COUCH???) Xander thought, confused as to his whereabouts. (This isn't my house, is it? So where the heck am I?)
As if in answer to his silent questions, he heard the sound of pots and pans clanking from the general vacinity of the kitchen. (Now I know for sure that I'm not at home. Mom would never actually cook something this early... or at any time of the day for that matter.)
Xander ran a hand through his sleep-mused hair and stood up, wondering absently what had happened to his clothes. He frowned, trying to figure out where he'd gotten the T-shirt and shorts that he was now sporting but the growling of his stomach distracted him from such thoughts and spurred him on toward the kitchen instead.
As he walked through the doorway, he stopped short when he saw Buffy Summers leaning over the stove, a cookbook in one hand and a spatula in the other. Suddenly everything clicked into place and all the memories from the night before came rushing back to him, specifically the memories involving kissing. Xander shook his head and tried to concentrate on something else before he embarrassed himself in front of Buffy. (Speaking of Buffy...) Xander laughed silently to himself as he watched her at work. She was frowning as she stared at the book and then looked at the interesting concoction that was brewing on the stove. "It sure doesn't look like the picture in this book does..." she grumbled, flipping back through the pages. "If this is the beginners cookbook, then I'd hate to see the advanced version!"
After he was sure that her mother wasn't in the kitchen with them, Xander grinned and snuck up behind Buffy, snaking his arms around her waist and giving her a peck on the cheek. "What'cha cooking?" he asked, peering over her shoulder at the stove.
Buffy jumped, inadvertently moving the spatula, and her egg, bacon and salsa concoction went flying onto the floor. She looked at the floor, pouting. "Now all my work is spoiled!"
Then, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, she pulled away from him and went for a sponge. "But it probably would have been gross anyway. I almost flunked Home-Ec."
After cleaning up the mess, she pulled out two bowls, spoons and the Cheerios and milk. "You know what they say, the breakfast of champions." Buffy frowned. "Or maybe that's Wheaties! Umm ... they're G*R*R*R*EAT?"
Xander laughed. "I think you've got your pop-culture references mixed up. Tony the Tiger is the one who says that quote and his cereal is Frosted Flakes." Xander shrugged, taking a bite of his breakfast. "Cheerios is the one with the bee."
After they had finished their food, Xander helped Buffy clean up the dishes. Then he glanced at his watch, shocked to discover that it was only an hour until school started. "Uh, I'd better get going if I wanna get cleaned up and changed in time to avoid being late to class." Grinning he added, "But since we have the same first period, I'll see you there, okay?"
Buffy nodded and gave him a sweet smile. Then she ran into the laundry room and grabbed his freshly washed duds from the night before. "You can bring the other clothes back whenever."
Xander pulled on his jacket over the borrowed clothes and headed for the door before an idea struck him. Turning back to face Buffy, he said, "Hey, Sonya and I usually take our lunches outside to eat. It's kind of a tradition. There's this special place that we like to go... no one else really knows about it. Would you like to join us this afternoon?"
Buffy smiled at the invitation. Xander wanted to eat lunch with her, yet another indication that he had changed his mind about getting involved. She was afraid to say anything lest he change his mind again.
But as much as Buffy wanted to eat lunch with Xander, she didn't want to eat with Sonya -- the girl had barely been civil the night before. Buffy admitted that maybe she had tried too hard, but still she didn't want to be in forced contact with the girl. But she DID want to eat with Xander! She was about to say she would, when she remembered something that made her gasp.
"I'm so sorry, Xander," she said as they walked to the front door, "but I can't today. I mean, I'd love to, and normally I would, but I met someone last night -- definite friend potential -- and we're supposed to do lunch today. Maybe you and I can do the dinner thing -- or even the after-school-snack thing -- instead?" She opened the door for him and looked up hopefully.
Xander smiled and said, "Sure, sounds like a plan." He walked down the driveway and paused when he reached the street, turning to look back at Buffy. "So, I guess I'll see you in class?"
"OK," Buffy said with a smile and a little wave. Then she went inside and closed the door just in time to see Joyce coming down the stairs fully dressed.
"Did Xander leave?" Joyce asked.
"Yeah," Buffy replied. "We had breakfast and then he had to go change for school. Thanks for letting him stay last night."
"It's all right," Joyce said, then her tone became more motherly. "But encourage him to see a counselor or something if you can, OK? I think it would be good for him in his situation."
"I will," Buffy promised, though she wasn't sure she actually would. She didn't want to rock the boat. He didn't seem terribly inclined to talk about his parents much. Though he needed to if he breakdown were any indication. Buffy didn't want him to be mad at her for interfering. Xander was touchy about that. Then again, Mr. Platt was a very nice guy, maybe Xander wouldn't mind talking to him.
Then, pushing unpleasantness away from her mind, Buffy scampered upstairs and got ready for school.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~
As Xander walked home from Buffy's, he began to replay the previous night's events through his mind. It was still hard to believe that so much could have happened in just one night! As he remembered the fight with Willow and Spike, he decided that he'd make sure to drop by the library before class to give a quick report to the librarian. Giles would definitely want to know what had happened. But then he froze mid step and groaned, remembering everything the Watcher had told him about revealing their secrets to outsiders. Don't spill the beans to the general populace... that was the cardinal rule of slaying. Xander snorted. Well, he'd pretty much botched that one up, hadn't he? He'd told Buffy everything and now she would probably want to help them with their mission. How was he going to explain all of this to the gang?
"Giles is gonna KILL me!" he muttered as he slowly trudged home. "And if he doesn't... Sonya definitely will!" Xander sighed the sigh of a man condemned. "I'm doomed."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
After a quick shower, Buffy picked out her clothes with special care. She wanted to look pretty today -- both for when she saw Xander again, and to reflect her great mood. For an instant, she wished she still had some of her killer clothes from before the accident, but they were out of style now anyway. From her new, conservative wardrobe, she settled on a pair of old jeans, just worn enough to look soft and cling to her every curve, a white T-shirt worn under a denim button-down shirt with the tails tied at her waist, and her sturdy black boots.
This morning when Joyce dropped Buffy off at school, Buffy was not scared or worried. Somehow, knowing the truth about the world of darkness that surrounded them made her feel less awkward. What was the point about worrying about normal things when one's life was in jeopardy. And there were happy things to think about, too, like Xander's lips, and his arms around her waist this morning, and seeing him again in English class, and even her new, almost-friend Oz who would be sharing lunch with her today. Despite the baddies, life in Sunnydale was starting to look up.
She was walking up the path when suddenly Cordelia stood in front of her holding some books and papers. Buffy had a sense of deja vu, and Cordelia made a big show of stepping back. "Don't hit me, Muffy, OK?"
Buffy glared at Cordelia. "It's BUFFY."
"Chill out, girl," Cordelia said, lifting an eyebrow to indicate how little she cared.
Her buoyant attitude deflated, Buffy turned and walked into the school. (Well,) she decided, (it may still matter what people think, but at least it doesn't quite matter as much.) Feeling mildly better, Buffy hurried off to English, wondering if Xander was already there.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The windows of the factory across town were boarded up for two reasons. First of all, the boards kept potential prowlers out and secondly, they blocked out the sunlight, making it possible for Spike and Willow to roam around through the building unhindered by the light of day. All in all, it was a fairly good arrangement.
Spike was just thinking about that when he heard a booming knock from the front room. "Now who would be callin' at such an ungodly hour?" he wondered, joining Willow at the door. "No one I know, that's for sure!"
Willow rolled her eyes at him and replied, "Don't worry, lover. I know who's knocking at our door. They're here to solve all of our problems for us..." She trailed off, turning to face the door with a satisfied smile on her lips.
Staring at the patch of sunlight that filtered through a crack in the shoe-polish covered window on the door, Spike took a step back and scowled. "Well, that's all fine and dandy, pet. But who's going to open the bloody thing and risk gettin' burned to a crisp? That's what I'm wantin' to know."
Willow smiled and rang a small bell that she was holding in her right hand. The sound chimed through the factory, echoing slightly off the walls. "Oh Samuel..." she purred, twirling around on her toes. "Won't you be a dear and come open the door for Mommy? We have guests waiting."
#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 10
Buffy's house
Xander woke up the next morning with a host of aches and pains, none of which were helped by the fact that somehow during the night he'd managed to roll off of the couch and onto the hard floor. (Wait a minute... THE COUCH???) Xander thought, confused as to his whereabouts. (This isn't my house, is it? So where the heck am I?)
As if in answer to his silent questions, he heard the sound of pots and pans clanking from the general vacinity of the kitchen. (Now I know for sure that I'm not at home. Mom would never actually cook something this early... or at any time of the day for that matter.)
Xander ran a hand through his sleep-mused hair and stood up, wondering absently what had happened to his clothes. He frowned, trying to figure out where he'd gotten the T-shirt and shorts that he was now sporting but the growling of his stomach distracted him from such thoughts and spurred him on toward the kitchen instead.
As he walked through the doorway, he stopped short when he saw Buffy Summers leaning over the stove, a cookbook in one hand and a spatula in the other. Suddenly everything clicked into place and all the memories from the night before came rushing back to him, specifically the memories involving kissing. Xander shook his head and tried to concentrate on something else before he embarrassed himself in front of Buffy. (Speaking of Buffy...) Xander laughed silently to himself as he watched her at work. She was frowning as she stared at the book and then looked at the interesting concoction that was brewing on the stove. "It sure doesn't look like the picture in this book does..." she grumbled, flipping back through the pages. "If this is the beginners cookbook, then I'd hate to see the advanced version!"
After he was sure that her mother wasn't in the kitchen with them, Xander grinned and snuck up behind Buffy, snaking his arms around her waist and giving her a peck on the cheek. "What'cha cooking?" he asked, peering over her shoulder at the stove.
Buffy jumped, inadvertently moving the spatula, and her egg, bacon and salsa concoction went flying onto the floor. She looked at the floor, pouting. "Now all my work is spoiled!"
Then, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, she pulled away from him and went for a sponge. "But it probably would have been gross anyway. I almost flunked Home-Ec."
After cleaning up the mess, she pulled out two bowls, spoons and the Cheerios and milk. "You know what they say, the breakfast of champions." Buffy frowned. "Or maybe that's Wheaties! Umm ... they're G*R*R*R*EAT?"
Xander laughed. "I think you've got your pop-culture references mixed up. Tony the Tiger is the one who says that quote and his cereal is Frosted Flakes." Xander shrugged, taking a bite of his breakfast. "Cheerios is the one with the bee."
After they had finished their food, Xander helped Buffy clean up the dishes. Then he glanced at his watch, shocked to discover that it was only an hour until school started. "Uh, I'd better get going if I wanna get cleaned up and changed in time to avoid being late to class." Grinning he added, "But since we have the same first period, I'll see you there, okay?"
Buffy nodded and gave him a sweet smile. Then she ran into the laundry room and grabbed his freshly washed duds from the night before. "You can bring the other clothes back whenever."
Xander pulled on his jacket over the borrowed clothes and headed for the door before an idea struck him. Turning back to face Buffy, he said, "Hey, Sonya and I usually take our lunches outside to eat. It's kind of a tradition. There's this special place that we like to go... no one else really knows about it. Would you like to join us this afternoon?"
Buffy smiled at the invitation. Xander wanted to eat lunch with her, yet another indication that he had changed his mind about getting involved. She was afraid to say anything lest he change his mind again.
But as much as Buffy wanted to eat lunch with Xander, she didn't want to eat with Sonya -- the girl had barely been civil the night before. Buffy admitted that maybe she had tried too hard, but still she didn't want to be in forced contact with the girl. But she DID want to eat with Xander! She was about to say she would, when she remembered something that made her gasp.
"I'm so sorry, Xander," she said as they walked to the front door, "but I can't today. I mean, I'd love to, and normally I would, but I met someone last night -- definite friend potential -- and we're supposed to do lunch today. Maybe you and I can do the dinner thing -- or even the after-school-snack thing -- instead?" She opened the door for him and looked up hopefully.
Xander smiled and said, "Sure, sounds like a plan." He walked down the driveway and paused when he reached the street, turning to look back at Buffy. "So, I guess I'll see you in class?"
"OK," Buffy said with a smile and a little wave. Then she went inside and closed the door just in time to see Joyce coming down the stairs fully dressed.
"Did Xander leave?" Joyce asked.
"Yeah," Buffy replied. "We had breakfast and then he had to go change for school. Thanks for letting him stay last night."
"It's all right," Joyce said, then her tone became more motherly. "But encourage him to see a counselor or something if you can, OK? I think it would be good for him in his situation."
"I will," Buffy promised, though she wasn't sure she actually would. She didn't want to rock the boat. He didn't seem terribly inclined to talk about his parents much. Though he needed to if he breakdown were any indication. Buffy didn't want him to be mad at her for interfering. Xander was touchy about that. Then again, Mr. Platt was a very nice guy, maybe Xander wouldn't mind talking to him.
Then, pushing unpleasantness away from her mind, Buffy scampered upstairs and got ready for school.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~
As Xander walked home from Buffy's, he began to replay the previous night's events through his mind. It was still hard to believe that so much could have happened in just one night! As he remembered the fight with Willow and Spike, he decided that he'd make sure to drop by the library before class to give a quick report to the librarian. Giles would definitely want to know what had happened. But then he froze mid step and groaned, remembering everything the Watcher had told him about revealing their secrets to outsiders. Don't spill the beans to the general populace... that was the cardinal rule of slaying. Xander snorted. Well, he'd pretty much botched that one up, hadn't he? He'd told Buffy everything and now she would probably want to help them with their mission. How was he going to explain all of this to the gang?
"Giles is gonna KILL me!" he muttered as he slowly trudged home. "And if he doesn't... Sonya definitely will!" Xander sighed the sigh of a man condemned. "I'm doomed."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
After a quick shower, Buffy picked out her clothes with special care. She wanted to look pretty today -- both for when she saw Xander again, and to reflect her great mood. For an instant, she wished she still had some of her killer clothes from before the accident, but they were out of style now anyway. From her new, conservative wardrobe, she settled on a pair of old jeans, just worn enough to look soft and cling to her every curve, a white T-shirt worn under a denim button-down shirt with the tails tied at her waist, and her sturdy black boots.
This morning when Joyce dropped Buffy off at school, Buffy was not scared or worried. Somehow, knowing the truth about the world of darkness that surrounded them made her feel less awkward. What was the point about worrying about normal things when one's life was in jeopardy. And there were happy things to think about, too, like Xander's lips, and his arms around her waist this morning, and seeing him again in English class, and even her new, almost-friend Oz who would be sharing lunch with her today. Despite the baddies, life in Sunnydale was starting to look up.
She was walking up the path when suddenly Cordelia stood in front of her holding some books and papers. Buffy had a sense of deja vu, and Cordelia made a big show of stepping back. "Don't hit me, Muffy, OK?"
Buffy glared at Cordelia. "It's BUFFY."
"Chill out, girl," Cordelia said, lifting an eyebrow to indicate how little she cared.
Her buoyant attitude deflated, Buffy turned and walked into the school. (Well,) she decided, (it may still matter what people think, but at least it doesn't quite matter as much.) Feeling mildly better, Buffy hurried off to English, wondering if Xander was already there.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The windows of the factory across town were boarded up for two reasons. First of all, the boards kept potential prowlers out and secondly, they blocked out the sunlight, making it possible for Spike and Willow to roam around through the building unhindered by the light of day. All in all, it was a fairly good arrangement.
Spike was just thinking about that when he heard a booming knock from the front room. "Now who would be callin' at such an ungodly hour?" he wondered, joining Willow at the door. "No one I know, that's for sure!"
Willow rolled her eyes at him and replied, "Don't worry, lover. I know who's knocking at our door. They're here to solve all of our problems for us..." She trailed off, turning to face the door with a satisfied smile on her lips.
Staring at the patch of sunlight that filtered through a crack in the shoe-polish covered window on the door, Spike took a step back and scowled. "Well, that's all fine and dandy, pet. But who's going to open the bloody thing and risk gettin' burned to a crisp? That's what I'm wantin' to know."
Willow smiled and rang a small bell that she was holding in her right hand. The sound chimed through the factory, echoing slightly off the walls. "Oh Samuel..." she purred, twirling around on her toes. "Won't you be a dear and come open the door for Mommy? We have guests waiting."