Well it's been about another three months since I last updated. I know you all want to read more, so you can thankMiranda and Polaris for having 'demanded' a new chapter. Also the start and finish of this chapter will be a point-of-view monologe from Whistler.

Chapter Nine – Not Meant to Be

Realities are a very complex organism. I call them organisms because they have a life of their own. Give it a single scratch and it will retaliate – brake it and everything begins to fall apart. That is what has begun to happen. It started with only a one little loose thread in the delicate tapestry that caused it to unwind and that is why I am here.

As much as I see all the good that was done because of the change the First Joy made by sending the vampire Spike, now a slayer by the name of William to my reality, I cannot turn a blind eye to the damage that has already begun. The Underworld has become more viscous and the Heavenly Above has grown to weak. Our scions upon the earth are in grave danger. The Nothing, the great vastness that gave birth to the First Joy and the First Evil has been revived and seeks to take back what had once been its. The whole in the realities has allowed the Nothing to brake down the barriers and shatter each given world – mixing them together like too much paint.

Although I know that I go against my mistress, the First Joy's will, I know I must seek out the boy, the one called Spike and the girl that has become his sole love this new reality, the budding wiccan Willow. As a messenger of the Powers that Be, I know they will listen to me. If they had heal the damaged caused together, then maybe things will be all right. But I doubt that – it just isn't meant to be.

Whistler

Spike continued to stare at the little man wondering what on earth (or heaven or hell) the Power's messenger could be here now for. If his memories served him right, Whistler was suppose to appear in Sunnydale for another year. He could feel Willow draw instinctively close to him, as if she feared the demon to do something and with what she had just experienced, he couldn't blame her.

"Why are you here?" Spike asked bluntly, deciding to be direct.

"I figured that would be obvious to you" the messenger sighed. "You're very existence here has caused a lot of problems"

"Well sorry to disappoint you, but I don't even know what your talking about"

"Sure you do Spike. Death was just the beginning. You were granted the gift of a new life in a new time, but there was the consequences"

"Death? Gift? Spike, what's this man talking about?" Willow whispered.

Whistler smiled sadly.

"You haven't told her have you? About your last life and what brought you here?"

"This is my second chance plain and simple" the young slayer growled dangerously, but Whistler just shook his head.

"It was meant to be in the beginning. The First Joy, mother of the Powers that Be and all good upon the earth deemed you worthy of a second chance. You've faced her twin the First Evil and survived to tell the tale and you also broke his hold over one world. But sadly many others and I have seen that she was mistaken. By granting you a new life here has begun to shatter the all other existing realities. It has caused the revival of the Nothing"

"Talk some sense here mate" Spike snapped. "Now what's this about nothing?"

"No you fool – the Nothing, an entity that predates all good and all evil. Because of you, is shall swallow up the world"

Spike took an involuntary step back. This couldn't be happening – things were finally good and right for once.

"How dare you say this is his fault!"

Both men turned to stare at Willow now. Her face was as red as her flaming hair and her first were shaking with rage. Although she knew nothing of the conversation, no one had the right to say anything like that to the boy she liked in her books.

"This concerns you too young witch" Whistler shrugged. "Your love for this man has caused him to be permanently held to this reality. Even if I had the power to reverse everything, I would not be able"

Now Spike was rally confused. He couldn't even pay attention when Willow looked to him and mouthed the word 'witch?'

"Then why did the Powers send you?" he asked.

"They didn't"

"WHAT?"

Willow jumped back from him as he bellowed his exclamation of shock and disbelief.

"What do you mean they didn't send you?"

It wasn't a question – it was a demand.

Whistler sighed again, fetched a small flask out of his coat pocket, took a long swig and replaced it.

"I thought that I might be able to appeal to you for you help. Your girlfriend is powerful – that you know and you also know the danger that her abilities can cause if left unchecked"

"Spike… please, what is he talking about?" Willow whimpered. "Am I a witch like this man says? Tell me"

"Yes Will you are a witch, but a good one" Spike smiled at her before turning his attention back to the messenger. "Now what exactly do you want?"

"Help. With a teacher such as yourself, she will fine. If you combined the powers of a slayer and a witch together and you might be able to mend the fabric of reality. Think about it and do what you choose, but I will remind you that once the Nothing gets what it wants, life itself will be exactly that – nothing"

In a flash the little man disappeared, leaving behind the two confused teens. After a few minutes of pregnant silence, Willow turned to Spike.

"Okay mister, you have a lot of explaining to do"

"Buffy, no!"

At the same time as Buffy flung herself at Angel ready to kill, Xander managed to catch the bloodthirsty slayer by the back of her shirt, causing them to tumble back in a heap of arms and legs on the cold cement. Buffy was shocked at what had just transpired for only a few seconds before she pushed herself away from her new boyfriend glaring.

"What the hell did you do that for?" she snapped angrily.

"Well you kinda went coo coo for Coco Puffs right then" he replied. "I know Jesse better then anyone and if he says that we should trust this guy, vampire or not, we should give him a chance"

"Are you crazy?"

"I must be, you're already giving fashion tips"

That earned him a smack upside the head, getting a snicker out of both Jesse and Angel. When the slayer turned back to them, they shut up instantly.

"Explain – now"

Not wanting Buffy to do anything drastic again, Jesse didn't hesitate to launch into the telling of his tale. He told how he had run away from school that day because he was feeling left out since Xander and Willow had found someone special. Then he spoke about meeting Darla – about her and Angel, Buffy already knew – and how she had chomped him. He told them how it was Angel that rescued him and that the vampire had soul. In the end, the poor boy was panting for breath.

Buffy looked at Angel.

"If this is a thrall, I'll stake you without a thought" she said.

"I wouldn't expect less from the slayer of ol' Lothos – the bastard deserved what he got" Angel offered with a small smile. "I'm sorry about your old Watcher"

"How do you know about that?"

"I was there. Someone told me that you might need some help. After you Los Angeles, I made my decision that you needed it"

"Fine…but don't get in my way"

Stiffly Buffy turned grabbed Xander by the sleeve of his shirt and dragged his off, leaving only Jesse and Angel alone in the ally. For Angel, he was amazed by how lightly the girl taken all of this. He had once been the world's deadliest vampire and he was sure she would have been told about him – that or she didn't know.

For Jesse, he was just happy to be alive… and it seemed that he had a new friend.

"So how long will you be staying in Sunnydale for?" he asked, trying to start a conversation.

"Till I earn redemption or die trying" the broody vampire replied and he began to leave the ally.

"Have you got any friends?"

"Do you mean human friends? Vampires normal don't have human friends – humans are there food and I know you understand that very well?" Angel replied dryly, almost wishing that he hadn't saved that boy after all.

"Hey!" Jesse gasped indignantly. "I was only trying to be nice"

Angel sighed. That demon Whistler hadn't said anything about this…

I made a choice to play with Fate and I hope I did the right thing. I've played my hand as well as I can; bringing together the souled vampire, the two slayers, the witch, the Watcher and those that will help to keep thing steady. It might have been a bad choice for things could go far worse. I am just a messenger and I have played the game of Gods.

The Nothing grows closer as I sit back and wonder if the young male slayer that was once an evil vampire will choose to accept my words as truth. But with the chance that the young witch fall to her power she had did once in another time, in another world, I fear he will not chance the risk.

But destiny is a funny thing – it always has a way of turning this around. So now I wonder once again: was it meant to be or not.

Whistler

Okay here it is. I am going on a hiatus for a while. I am really sorry for all of you that keep reviewing all the time, bagging for me to continue. I really wish I had the time, but I don't. I not really sure how many months it will be till I post the next chapter, but I'll try must best to make it the best of all.

I hope this chapter had done justice of all the time you had to wait for it. Sorry I haven't been able to be there for you. Later!