What if things were different? What if you had the chance to do something
else with your life, be someone else, and take on another role. What if
everything you once knew changed for the greater good and in the process
you changed along with it? What if?
The air was damp with a hint of thickness to it, bordering on fog. The streets of Sunnydale were deserted and left unattended to. The only ones who dared to be out at this time of the night were the vampire kind, along with the Slayer of course. The dark figure's pace was slow as he made his way along side of one of the many Sunnydale streets, whose names remained unknown to him. Why bother with such trivial things as names and dates when in the end, it doesn't really matter? His steps were slow with caution, but at the same time, a hint of power was apparent. His gaze shifted all around him. One minute he would be staring at the black pavement that lay under his feet, and the next it would be looking upon the vast sky and all it's glory. The stars were out tonight. Chilled hands were placed in the pocket of the black slacks he wore, what seemed like, all the time. Many different thoughts and images ran through his mind all at once, they seemed to blur together at times. It was funny, how one thought had nothing to do with the other, but put together it all made sense, like a puzzle. Funny.
As he passed by one of the houses that had been brave enough to leave their light on, he smelled the scent of what he thought to be hotdogs. It gave him a distinct feeling of nostalgia for a place he used to call home. A place where you could get real New York hotdogs. He missed it from time to time. As he passed along side of a fence to one of the many Sunnydale graveyards, the reason he had come to Sunnydale in the first place made its self known. Something was going to go down in Sunnydale and it is going to change the town in itself, as well as the people who live within it. He had been sent to Sunnydale on a mission, and that mission was to find the Slayer and forewarn her of the events that were to come. Of course, this was only to prep her, being that whatever that was going to happen, was going to happen no matter what her and her group of friends do.
Sunnydale - Present
"C'mon, Xander, just take the shoe!"
"No. I will not lower myself to being the shoe!"
"But! The shoe has....laces! And...and a tongue! And...and a soul!"
"I wanted to be the iron."
"Fine!" Dawn threw up her hands in exasperation, handing Xander the iron-shaped piece. The two of them sat opposite each other. At their feet was a game of Monopoly set up. The loyal Scooby gave her a lopsided grin as he snatched the iron from her in exchange for the shoe.
"See? The iron is ...manly. It's Iron-Man!..." There was a long pause as the young teenager stifled a giggle. Raising her eyebrow at him, he digressed. "...okay, it's a little less manly considering it is an...iron...but...beware the iron!" Dawn just responded by bursting out laughing. Xander was a great source of entertainment. It never failed.
There was a very comfortable calm in the Summers' home. Buffy was in the kitchen chatting with the newly arrived Willow. Willow had painfully gotten down the stairs for the first time since her run-in with Gnarl. Dawn had fully recovered from her almost-mannequin like experience. Nancy had actually phoned Xander, apologizing for her harsh judgment when her boyfriend was skewered. So the entire household was in primarily good spirits. But we all know how long that lasts in Sunnydale.
A knock at the door came suddenly, each member of the household glancing at each other. A silent decision between them, although in different rooms, was that Buffy was to get the door. The blonde rose to her feet, brushing off her pants as she headed to the door. Looking out of the peephole, Buffy's brow furrowed. She didn't see anyone. If it was a vampire, she'd slay. Xander and Dawn climbed over the couch to see out the window, which prompted Dawn to loose her balance and spaz out. Buffy opened the lock, twisting the knob slowly.
As she opened the door, she let out a tiny gasp at the sight. Whistler? Since when did he knock? Since when did he ever show up at her doorstep? She hadn't seen him since..since the Angel deal. Whistler only brought bad news and cryptic foreshadowing. The other members of the house looked confused and slightly defensive at the newcomer. Buffy reassured them with a look, allowing Whistler to enter the household. Well, there went those good spirits. Watch as they fly out the window.
As Buffy opened the door a crack, a broad, but pretty much fake grin appeared on his tiers. He stood there with hands held behind his back. He knew the message he came to tell to her would be hard to explain, but continued to smile as he entered through the doorframe. He took two or three steps inside, leaving enough room for Buffy to close the door and then stood his ground. His gaze passed over all the members of the household, with their confused stares placed upon him. Finally he turned to Buffy and spoke
" Buffy. Nice to see you again."
"I'd say likewise...but last time we met I..threatened to make your ribcage a ...hat?" Buffy gave the small man a half-smile, her green hues trying to read through him. It was nearly impossible, though. Whistler hid emotion and things of that sort pretty well. Probably his job, or whatever. The blonde offered him a seat, sitting herself opposite him. She clasped her hands over her lap, her Slayer instincts finally kicking in. "Is there something wrong? Some big demon..or something that I need to know about?"
" More or less," He offered cryptically, getting a slightly agitated look from the petite Slayer. His face took on a look of compassion as he began to speak again to at least try and explain himself. "It's safe to say I'm not here for a friendly chat. Something's coming and it will change everything you know...and you can not stop it."
"Well, gee, that's unnatural...and supernatural occurances never happen in Sunnydale! Remember that ol' 'you cannot stop your prophecy, you will die' thing? Well..I'm still standing." The melody to that certain Elton John song floated through her mind, but she quickly pushed it out. That was not important! Right now..it was...apocalypse first! ...Apocalypse now, actually. Okay, she'd allow herself a small joke, no matter how lame. "So what demon do I have to kill to stop it?"
The smile he had been forcing upon his lips started to fade as he tried, once again, to explain himself to her properly.
"You make a good point, but what you don't know if the Powers That be created that to be a false prophecy otherwise you would have gone into that battle without the couarge of knowing you were goin' to die...and you wouldda lost. He shifted a bit as he thought, this was going to be hard to explain. "There is no demon..there's nothing you can do."
"So, you came all this way to tell me...nothing? Just to tell me that there's nothing I can do? Everything will change? Well, gee, thanks for that great bit of information...but, isn't there anything else I can do but sit here? Preventing an apolalypse speech is not supposed to be all...'nothing you can do, no cure'. And what exactly will change? My hair?...'Cos I've already done that..." He shifted again. The couch wasn't very comfortable. The uneasy smile remained to his face.
"I'm sorry to be the one to tell you all this, but it's what the 'powers that be' have decided to do." He looked to his watch and then back up " You've got two days you find out what really happens when worlds collide....some of you might not even exist." He said the last part with more regret then he had ever felt..he liked this group...they were alright.
"Listen..." The blonde Slayer was getting angrier and angrier at this guy. What right did he have to tell them that they wouldn't exist! What was he talking about? Buffy's voice lowered to an eerie calm as she spoke to him again. "I'm going to ask you one more time, and you better give me a better answer that that. What. Is. Going. To Happen."
He stood to his feet and made his way to the door. He could sense her anger towards him. After a few moments he spoke "In simple terms. The end of your world. The beginning of another." With his last cryptic message he went out the door. His figure slid into the oblivion darkness, leaving very confused and angry people inside. The four of them stood around in the living room, worried glances being given to one another.
"Okay..who was that?" Xander finally spoke up, looking more confused than an 8-year-old at a presidental election.
"Whistler...kind of a ...apocalypse demon guy. He came around when Angel went bad..told me how to kill him." Buffy spoke in a monotone, her brow furrowed in thought.
"So, we kill him?" Dawn spoke up, her tiny teenage voice coming through. She was obviously very scared...the whole...'some of you might not even exist' deal was hitting her hard. She knew it was her. She didn't belong there to begin with..so, she was going to be the only one to go.
"No, he's a good guy. Cryptic and annoying, but a good guy."
"So ...what do we do? Just sit here and..wait for the world to end? ...O-or begin? or..what was it doing again?" Willow sat down on the couch. A strong feeling of worry and tension was filling the room quickly. All the stress was really taking a toll on her fragile psyche. A mild migraine was beginning to form inside her brain.
"Wait. We're going to wait. The world can't end...not this quickly. Things aren't quiet. They're quiet before an apocalypse comes. So whatever's coming, not even the vamps are aware of it. I guess we can look stuff up, but...we might as well wait it out. I'm sure it's just Whistler testing me or something. The Powers that Be suck."
"Amen to that."
The air was damp with a hint of thickness to it, bordering on fog. The streets of Sunnydale were deserted and left unattended to. The only ones who dared to be out at this time of the night were the vampire kind, along with the Slayer of course. The dark figure's pace was slow as he made his way along side of one of the many Sunnydale streets, whose names remained unknown to him. Why bother with such trivial things as names and dates when in the end, it doesn't really matter? His steps were slow with caution, but at the same time, a hint of power was apparent. His gaze shifted all around him. One minute he would be staring at the black pavement that lay under his feet, and the next it would be looking upon the vast sky and all it's glory. The stars were out tonight. Chilled hands were placed in the pocket of the black slacks he wore, what seemed like, all the time. Many different thoughts and images ran through his mind all at once, they seemed to blur together at times. It was funny, how one thought had nothing to do with the other, but put together it all made sense, like a puzzle. Funny.
As he passed by one of the houses that had been brave enough to leave their light on, he smelled the scent of what he thought to be hotdogs. It gave him a distinct feeling of nostalgia for a place he used to call home. A place where you could get real New York hotdogs. He missed it from time to time. As he passed along side of a fence to one of the many Sunnydale graveyards, the reason he had come to Sunnydale in the first place made its self known. Something was going to go down in Sunnydale and it is going to change the town in itself, as well as the people who live within it. He had been sent to Sunnydale on a mission, and that mission was to find the Slayer and forewarn her of the events that were to come. Of course, this was only to prep her, being that whatever that was going to happen, was going to happen no matter what her and her group of friends do.
Sunnydale - Present
"C'mon, Xander, just take the shoe!"
"No. I will not lower myself to being the shoe!"
"But! The shoe has....laces! And...and a tongue! And...and a soul!"
"I wanted to be the iron."
"Fine!" Dawn threw up her hands in exasperation, handing Xander the iron-shaped piece. The two of them sat opposite each other. At their feet was a game of Monopoly set up. The loyal Scooby gave her a lopsided grin as he snatched the iron from her in exchange for the shoe.
"See? The iron is ...manly. It's Iron-Man!..." There was a long pause as the young teenager stifled a giggle. Raising her eyebrow at him, he digressed. "...okay, it's a little less manly considering it is an...iron...but...beware the iron!" Dawn just responded by bursting out laughing. Xander was a great source of entertainment. It never failed.
There was a very comfortable calm in the Summers' home. Buffy was in the kitchen chatting with the newly arrived Willow. Willow had painfully gotten down the stairs for the first time since her run-in with Gnarl. Dawn had fully recovered from her almost-mannequin like experience. Nancy had actually phoned Xander, apologizing for her harsh judgment when her boyfriend was skewered. So the entire household was in primarily good spirits. But we all know how long that lasts in Sunnydale.
A knock at the door came suddenly, each member of the household glancing at each other. A silent decision between them, although in different rooms, was that Buffy was to get the door. The blonde rose to her feet, brushing off her pants as she headed to the door. Looking out of the peephole, Buffy's brow furrowed. She didn't see anyone. If it was a vampire, she'd slay. Xander and Dawn climbed over the couch to see out the window, which prompted Dawn to loose her balance and spaz out. Buffy opened the lock, twisting the knob slowly.
As she opened the door, she let out a tiny gasp at the sight. Whistler? Since when did he knock? Since when did he ever show up at her doorstep? She hadn't seen him since..since the Angel deal. Whistler only brought bad news and cryptic foreshadowing. The other members of the house looked confused and slightly defensive at the newcomer. Buffy reassured them with a look, allowing Whistler to enter the household. Well, there went those good spirits. Watch as they fly out the window.
As Buffy opened the door a crack, a broad, but pretty much fake grin appeared on his tiers. He stood there with hands held behind his back. He knew the message he came to tell to her would be hard to explain, but continued to smile as he entered through the doorframe. He took two or three steps inside, leaving enough room for Buffy to close the door and then stood his ground. His gaze passed over all the members of the household, with their confused stares placed upon him. Finally he turned to Buffy and spoke
" Buffy. Nice to see you again."
"I'd say likewise...but last time we met I..threatened to make your ribcage a ...hat?" Buffy gave the small man a half-smile, her green hues trying to read through him. It was nearly impossible, though. Whistler hid emotion and things of that sort pretty well. Probably his job, or whatever. The blonde offered him a seat, sitting herself opposite him. She clasped her hands over her lap, her Slayer instincts finally kicking in. "Is there something wrong? Some big demon..or something that I need to know about?"
" More or less," He offered cryptically, getting a slightly agitated look from the petite Slayer. His face took on a look of compassion as he began to speak again to at least try and explain himself. "It's safe to say I'm not here for a friendly chat. Something's coming and it will change everything you know...and you can not stop it."
"Well, gee, that's unnatural...and supernatural occurances never happen in Sunnydale! Remember that ol' 'you cannot stop your prophecy, you will die' thing? Well..I'm still standing." The melody to that certain Elton John song floated through her mind, but she quickly pushed it out. That was not important! Right now..it was...apocalypse first! ...Apocalypse now, actually. Okay, she'd allow herself a small joke, no matter how lame. "So what demon do I have to kill to stop it?"
The smile he had been forcing upon his lips started to fade as he tried, once again, to explain himself to her properly.
"You make a good point, but what you don't know if the Powers That be created that to be a false prophecy otherwise you would have gone into that battle without the couarge of knowing you were goin' to die...and you wouldda lost. He shifted a bit as he thought, this was going to be hard to explain. "There is no demon..there's nothing you can do."
"So, you came all this way to tell me...nothing? Just to tell me that there's nothing I can do? Everything will change? Well, gee, thanks for that great bit of information...but, isn't there anything else I can do but sit here? Preventing an apolalypse speech is not supposed to be all...'nothing you can do, no cure'. And what exactly will change? My hair?...'Cos I've already done that..." He shifted again. The couch wasn't very comfortable. The uneasy smile remained to his face.
"I'm sorry to be the one to tell you all this, but it's what the 'powers that be' have decided to do." He looked to his watch and then back up " You've got two days you find out what really happens when worlds collide....some of you might not even exist." He said the last part with more regret then he had ever felt..he liked this group...they were alright.
"Listen..." The blonde Slayer was getting angrier and angrier at this guy. What right did he have to tell them that they wouldn't exist! What was he talking about? Buffy's voice lowered to an eerie calm as she spoke to him again. "I'm going to ask you one more time, and you better give me a better answer that that. What. Is. Going. To Happen."
He stood to his feet and made his way to the door. He could sense her anger towards him. After a few moments he spoke "In simple terms. The end of your world. The beginning of another." With his last cryptic message he went out the door. His figure slid into the oblivion darkness, leaving very confused and angry people inside. The four of them stood around in the living room, worried glances being given to one another.
"Okay..who was that?" Xander finally spoke up, looking more confused than an 8-year-old at a presidental election.
"Whistler...kind of a ...apocalypse demon guy. He came around when Angel went bad..told me how to kill him." Buffy spoke in a monotone, her brow furrowed in thought.
"So, we kill him?" Dawn spoke up, her tiny teenage voice coming through. She was obviously very scared...the whole...'some of you might not even exist' deal was hitting her hard. She knew it was her. She didn't belong there to begin with..so, she was going to be the only one to go.
"No, he's a good guy. Cryptic and annoying, but a good guy."
"So ...what do we do? Just sit here and..wait for the world to end? ...O-or begin? or..what was it doing again?" Willow sat down on the couch. A strong feeling of worry and tension was filling the room quickly. All the stress was really taking a toll on her fragile psyche. A mild migraine was beginning to form inside her brain.
"Wait. We're going to wait. The world can't end...not this quickly. Things aren't quiet. They're quiet before an apocalypse comes. So whatever's coming, not even the vamps are aware of it. I guess we can look stuff up, but...we might as well wait it out. I'm sure it's just Whistler testing me or something. The Powers that Be suck."
"Amen to that."