Note: This chapter was written by Blue Oyster Cult. Yes, the queen of
extremely short chapters. Burning Truth asked me to do this one, I agreed to
have it to him on Wednesday, Wednesday rolled around, and I didn't have it, I
apologize profusely for my lateness and hope that this chapter was worth it. I
made it long. Just as a heads up: if anyone has read both of our stuff,
you'll notice that we have different styles of writing. So this chapter is
different from the others because it is mainly in my style. So any flames you
have, direct them at me. Burning Truth had nothing to do with it. Unless
you're wondering what he was smoking when he let me do this. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing. Joss Whedon owns Buffy, Kendra, and all
the other characters except Des, who is owned by Burning Truth.


Des POV

The monster turned toward me and Dawn. It was enormous and hideous. Giant
pulsating sores covered its head and it had two beady black eyes. Nothing too
unusual except for the fact that it had two mouths, one on top of the other.

These facts flashed into my mind in the time it took for me and Dawn to rush
to Buffy's side as she fell.

The door flew open. "Buffy!" Xander's voice.

"We're in here!" Dawn yelled.

Xander ran over. The monster roared and reached for Buffy. Me, Dawn, and
Xander got to her first and the other two started dragging her toward the
front door. I turned to the monster, which was vaguely familiar. Where did I
know it from? "Okay, bring it on, you sick pile of toxic waste." I growled. I
wasn't scared. Last time I had been in this situation, those strange powers
had saved me. They'd work this time.

Right?


Narrator POV

The ghost roads were an empty desolate place. It was as if all the color and
happiness had been sucked out of them. This was where the dead wandered until
they found their destination, heaven or hell. This was limbo.

Kendra wandered these roads, searching for her destiny. She didn't know how
long it had been since her death; time had no meaning here. He time as Slayer
on Earth had ended but she could still feel the Slayer instincts.

Something was coming. Something from an immortal realm other than the ghost
roads. It had the power to destroy the roads and release all the dead, good
and evil, back into the mortal realm. There were enough evil spirits here to
create an army if it chose to. An army that the living Slayer couldn't handle
on her own.

But Kendra was dead. All that remained of her powers was the instinct that she
had been born with. But she had to prevent this from happening. As much as she
hated the ghost roads, she still clung to the hope that someday she would
reach her destination. Someday she would reach Heaven.


Des POV

Okay, maybe I should leave now. It glared at me, steam pouring out of its
bottom mouth. "Destiny." It growled again. "You failed."

Failed? Failed what? To kill him? Okay, I'd do it now.

Dawn and Xander still hadn't come back. I could've really used their help
right then. I opened my mouth to yell for them and the monster lunged,
clamping its bottom mouth over mine.

Oh my God, was it kissing me?

I struggled but it gripped me. The dining room was disappearing, replaced with
a blinding light. What was going on?


Narrator POV

It was coming. Kendra tensed up, praying that maybe traces of her power would
come back for the battle. She needed them.

The rip formed directly in front of her and a figure fell out. Sensing the
power radiating off of him, Kendra dove and snatched him by the
throat. "Whatever you're planning to do, you'll have to get through the Slayer
first." She snarled. Then her eyes widened as she realized she wasn't
strangling a demon, but a young ghost.

She dropped him. "What's going on?" he demanded, standing up. "Where the hell
am I?"

"You're on the ghost roads." Kendra said.

The ghost boy looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. "Who are you?"

Kendra pulled her shoulders up and gazed at the rip, which was rapidly
closing. "My name is Kendra." She said, "Kendra the Vampire Slayer."


Des POV

Kendra the Vampire Slayer? But Buffy was the Slayer. And there was only one.
She must have been faking. Unless she was dead. And if she was dead then that
meant—

"Am I dead?" I asked.

She nodded. "These roads will lead you to your fate."

"But I can't be dead!" I exclaimed. "I'm only fifteen! I gotta help Buffy."

She froze. "Buffy?"

"Buffy Summers. The Slayer." Hmm, maybe I shouldn't've told her that. I didn't
know her. She could've been lying about everything.

"You know Buffy?"

"Yeah."

"Then you must know Xander!"

Ugh, even in the afterlife I couldn't get away from him.

She shook her head. "We can't discuss this here. It's coming."

What was coming? And would I be able to get un-dead? Or maybe not. Undead
didn't sound too good.

Kendra turned to me. "Go." She said. "Walk the ghost roads until you reach
wherever it is that you have to go."

"Listen to me!" I exclaimed, "I can't be dead! It's impossible."

"Go! If you're lucky you'll be far enough when it comes that you won't be sent
back to the mortal realm."

"But that's where I want to be. Earth! 'Cause I'm not dead!"

"You are dead." She snapped. "Deal with it and get your ass out of here."

I gaped. She sounded exactly like Buffy right then. Maybe it was a Slayer
thing.

"What about you?" I asked. "Where are you going to go?"

"I'm the Slayer, remember. I'll stay here and fight it."

She was staying? But what if it killed her? Stupid, I said to myself, she's
already dead. And so are you. So you can help.

"I'll help." I said.

"No, this is the Slayer's job."

"But I have powers! I can help!"

She looked skeptical. "Really, I do!" My voice was rising to a pitch that I
hated. "I've helped Buffy."

"Well,"

"Thank you!"

"I never said yes!"

"I don't care." I said, "I mean, what's the worst it can do? Kill me?"



Narrator POV

Stupid boy. Did he have any idea what he was getting into? Kendra shook her
head but relented. The two of them stood there, side by side, waiting for
something they didn't know. But Kendra had a feeling she'd know what it was
when she saw it.

She was right. The road's barrier ripped, not like it had when the boy came
through, but like a jagged open wound. Red light streamed in, illuminating the
gray of the roads. Then the creature itself.

Kendra would've laughed if she didn't realize the severity of the situation.
It looked so, so generic. Regular run of the mill monster. Except for the two
mouths.

She glanced at the boy, who was glaring at the monster with more hatred than
she had thought possible.

The monster opened its top mouth. "Destiny." It said.

"You killed me." The boy said.

It laughed. "That's true, Destiny."

"Why?"

It shrugged nonchalantly. "You were in the way. I had to get to the Slayer.
You know how it is. But then I realized after you were dead that not only did
you have the power to destroy me, you had the power I needed to kill the
Slayer."

"How did you know about my powers?" Destiny demanded.

It laughed. "My dear boy," it said, "I gave them to you."



Des POV

It hit me then. My last night at my parents' house. A strange shadow in my
bedroom.

"You were my tool to kill the Slayer. You'd infiltrate her life and, when the
moment was right, strike. I thought you had failed so I went to kill her
myself, then kill you too for making me waste my powers on you. Then you came
back with the Key and I was so furious that I killed you."

A weapon against Buffy? I couldn't be. "Liar!"

It shook its wobbly pudding head. "I'm sorry Destiny. You weren't supposed to
find out this way."

"Then how the hell was I supposed to find out?"

"There was a one way connection between us. When the time was right you would
kill her."

"I would never do that!"

It shrugged, again looking like a giant pudding. "You might've been able to
stop it. I don't know. But the problem is, I gave you too much of my power.
You have more now than I have. It goes out of control. They know about it."

I shook my head. "No, no, you're lying."

"I'm not. Feel your temple."

I reached my hands up and found an arc shaped carving on my right temple. It
ran from my temple to my ear.

Pudding Head turned and revealed an identical mark on its head. "It connects
us."

"Okay, so I was programmed to kill Buffy." I said, "But I'm dead now. So you
failed, not me."

"I can bring you back." Pudding Head said, fingering a red jewel that was
attached to his throat like a brooch. "I travel between realms. I can bring
you back to life and you can finish the job."

"Hold on!" Kendra said. I had completely forgotten about her. "So you're only
here for Destiny?"

I cringed. "I want to bring him back to do what he was made to do."

I felt the familiar heat behind my eyes. "I won't do it." I said.

"You have no choice."

I closed my eyes and concentrated on the powers. "Yes I do."


Narrator POV

Kendra watched, spell bound, as a sphere of light surrounded Destiny. Then a
laser like beam shot out and hit the monster in the mouths. Within seconds it
was consumed and screaming in agony. The boy collapsed to the road.

The screaming stopped. Where the monster had been standing before there was
only a pile of ash, some bone fragments, and a large red jewel. She plucked
the jewel from the ashes and went over to Destiny. He was standing up and
looking around dazedly.

She placed the jewel in his hand. "Congratulations." She said, "You get to go
back."

"You too."

She shook her head. "You have a body to go back to." She said, "I don't. But
if you could just do one thing for me."

She kissed his cheek. "Give that to Xander."


Des POV

Oh, there was no way that was going to happen. Not in a million years. "Good
luck, Destiny."

I cringed again. "Call me Des, please!"

Then she was gone. The ghost roads were gone and I was hovering over the
Summers' house. There was nobody outside. They must've gone back inside. By
now they would've found my body. I fell slowly, winding up at the front door.

I could hear Dawn crying as I came in. as soon as I got to the dining room,
the first thing I saw was the three of them huddled in a circle in the corner.
I walked up behind them and put my hand on Dawn's shoulder. She didn't notice
it. My body was lying there, eyes wide and staring. A magnetic pull drew me
back into it.



Narrator POV

He was dead. They'd brought Buffy outside, away from the monster and when they
came back Des was dead and the monster was gone. Dawn was heartbroken. She had
her head buried in Buffy's shoulder. Xander was the only one that saw the kid
blink and sit up. The thought ZOMBIES! screamed through his mind. Then he
watched, half terrified and half ecstatic as Dawn realized that Des was alive
and flung her arms around him.


Des POV

When I told them what had happened, I left out the part about me being sent to
kill Buffy. Pudding Head was dead. He wasn't going to make me do anything. I
also left out the part about Kendra's kiss for Xander. I wasn't kissing him.
No chance. I wondered what had gone on between those two though.

That night after everyone else was asleep, I lay awake on the Summers' couch,
thinking about what had happened and what the monster had told me. Giles was
right. My powers were evil. Maybe I should be destroyed.

No, I thought, I'm in control. They never need to know.








So, what did you think? Good guest chapter?