Destiny

By PSUBrat

Dark of Night

What had been a beautiful moonlit night in Sunnydale quickly became cloudy and dark, almost as if nature sensed the impending confrontations that were to come. The two figures stood in the front yard of 1630 Revello Drive. The only available light came from the living room of the Summers' house. It filtered through the windows and washed across the front lawn towards the road, illuminating two figures. The one standing behind Steven wasn't paying much attention to the weather or to the wind whispering in the trees. There was only one thing on his mind. He stepped into the open so that Steven could see him clearly. The teen squinted to get a better view of his stalker.

"Good evening Connor," Wesley stated dryly. Tracking down the boy hadn't been that hard to do. Wolfram and Hart had been keeping a close watch on him ever since they had noticed him frequenting the Magic Box.

"My name is Steven," he said in a flat tone.

"It wasn't always...I should know."

"Who are you," Steven demanded as he clenched his fists. He knew he could out run his opponent if need be, but he was curious.

"You could say I'm an old friend of your father's," Wesley said as he took a step closer to the boy.

Steven instinctively took a step back, wanting to keep enough distance between himself and the man. He narrowed his eyes as he took in the man before him. He didn't recognize him but there was something familiar about the voice. "I don't know you," he finally said.

"No. Not at the present time. But you did. I changed your diapers as a baby and looked after you."

Steven said nothing. He stood breathing deeply, preparing himself for the confrontation he was sure was to come.

"It's true you know," Wesley soothed. "I'm not here to harm you. I just want to talk."

"I don't trust you." Steven said flatly. Every muscle in his body was tense and every nerve ending was firing.

"As well you shouldn't." Wesley paused for a moment as he studied the teenager's posture. So much like his father. Proud and defiant. "Your father trusted me and he shouldn't have."

Steven furrowed his brow. "You say my father trusted you. My father was a monster. Are you?"

Wesley sighed. "No. I'm not a monster as you so eloquently put it. I'm human, although I think your father would disagree with me there. All I want to do is talk to you."

"Why?"

"Because, I think you and I have much to discuss."

"What could we have to talk about?" He asked as the anger built in his voice. "My father? My true father is dead at the hands of that monster. I have nothing to talk to you about." He turned to walk away.

Wesley grabbed him by the arm.

"Let go of me," Steven demanded with an icy glare.

Wesley responded by dropping his arm to his side. He had never seen such hatred in a young person's eyes before.

Steven began walking away but Wesley followed. The teen picked up the pace but Wesley matched it until Steven broke into a run.

"Stop!" Wesley yelled, after several blocks of trying to keep up with the boy. He had to say something quickly, before Steven disappeared into the night. "I'm the one that sent you to hell!"

***

Buffy hung up the phone not long after she had admitted her love for Spike, William, again with the whatever. She knew she was in love with the vampire: but was she in love with the man. She didn't know William that well, not that she had tried to get to know him, she had been too busy feeling sorry for herself after the century old lovers reunited right in front of her. It shouldn't have been Cecily hugging and kissing him it should have been her. He was her's, not that former demon's who was so busy gloating that she hadn't even noticed Buffy's coolness towards her. Then again, nothing had really changed in that regard.

She wandered out of her room and down the hall towards Dawn's room. After checking on her sister, who was sound asleep, she decided to head outside to sit on the back steps. The fresh air just might help her clear her muddled brain. On her way out, she turned off the lights and locked the front door. Even though it had been a while since they had moved back into the house, she still wasn't used to it being so quiet. At times like this, she missed her mother, Giles, Willow, everyone who came and went through that door over the last six and a half years. Well, maybe not everyone. She really didn't miss Angel all that much anymore.

The night was warm and dark. She could sense a change in the seasons approaching. It was almost Autumn now. The days would still be warm but the nights would start cooling off soon. Those were the nights to look forward to since they were better for patrolling. She looked up into the sky hoping to see stars but all she saw was darkness. Typical. All she wanted to do was gaze at the stars and think. The stars were a pretty distraction and tonight she needed one. Fire bad, tree pretty. That's what her mind felt like right now. She sat down heavily on the top step. A smile slowly played across her lips as she remembered the times that Spike had joined her there. He had been there the night she found out her mom had to go to the hospital for tests, before she…died. He always seemed to be there for her at the most critical times in her life.

She sighed deeply and closed her eyes. Her life had changed radically in the last year and the one person who had shared it all with her was now somewhere else comforting someone else. It didn't seem fair. Yes, Giles would tell her that life wasn't fair and that they would all have to make do with the hand that was dealt, but she wasn't sure she believed in that anymore. Destiny. Prophecies. Some days it was just all too much. All she wanted right now was to be happy and to be loved by the one person who knew her inside and out. Spike. Suddenly, she heard him calling her name.

***

Steven stopped abruptly and stood completely still. Had he just heard right? Had he just heard the man say that he was the one that sent him to that hell place? His true father had always told him that the monster had been responsible for that. He slowly turned his body sideways so that he could look at the man. "You're lying."

"No. No I'm not. It was my fault that you were taken there. I was deceived and in return I deceived your father."

"Stop lying to me," he growled as he took several strides closer to Wesley. His hands were clenched and his face was contorted in a scowl.

Wesley stood his ground. "Connor, please. Let's just go somewhere to talk. It's not safe out here on the streets. People are looking for you."

Finally, Steven's shoulders slumped. He didn't trust the man but if it were true, if people were looking for him, he needed to get somewhere safe. "Say I do go with you. How do I know you won't try to kill me?"

Wesley looked at the boy, the offspring of two vampires, and sneered. "I saw you with Angel that night in the club."

Steven frowned and shook his head, indicating that he wasn't sure what Wesley was talking about.

"The night you and your father fought side by side. You have incredible strength and power. I assure you, I don't want to go up against that." He sensed that Connor was torn between what he wanted to do and what he knew he should do.

Finally, Steven spoke. "I will go with you. But I swear, if you try to do anything to me, I will kill you."

Wesley nodded. "I have no doubt about that."

***

William ran through the streets trying to make his way to Revello Drive. In the weeks since he had been back in Sunnydale, he hadn't bothered to get his car. Why? Because it had been Spike's and he didn't want it. Now that he was walking, okay, running as fast as he could to the other side of town, the reason for not picking up the car seemed almost foolish. He stopped for a moment to catch his breath. He still had the ability to run like a vampire but his lungs needed to catch up. "Bloody brilliant you are," he gasped, "trying to be all above board and human. Maybe next time you should take the sodding bus!" Or maybe he should have decided to find an apartment closer to the Summers' home instead of making sure he was on the opposite end of town from it.

The area he was in now wasn't well lit, and without his vampire vision he was mostly running blind. As he picked up the pace again, he tripped over something on the sidewalk. It was the body of a young blonde woman. At first glance his heart sank. In the darkness, the body could have been mistaken for Buffy. It was the same height and build. Slowly he picked himself up and tried to examine the body in the dim light. He was certain that he already knew the cause of death without even looking, but he pushed himself to continue. There, on the left side of her neck, were the tell tale puncture marks; but there was something else, a symbol that he recognized. He drew in a sharp breath and cursed silently to himself, and gently laid the woman's head back down on the sidewalk. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to report the body but figured that in Sunnyhell, a cop would come across it soon enough.

Amazingly enough, five minutes later, and not as winded as before, William reached the front of the Summers' home. Panic began to fill him once again when he noticed the house was dark and still. Only twenty minutes, tops, had elapsed from the time he had left his apartment to the moment he had arrived here. Things couldn't have quieted down in the house that quickly. He checked the front door. It was locked. After trying to peer into the living room window, he gave up and made his way to the back of the house. He was trying to remain calm but his emotions were getting the better of him. What if something had happened? What if Dawn was hurt and Buffy was dead? He knew he wouldn't be able to go on living, not without her in his life. It had almost killed him the last time.

Tears were threatening to spill down his cheeks as he rounded the corner of the house. His heart stopped when he saw her. She was sitting on the back steps looking into the night. She was alive and well. His emotions took over. "Buffy," he called out as he ran towards her. She turned towards the voice, looking surprised. When he reached her, he knelt before her and took her face in his hands.

"William? What are you doing here?" She was concerned. Something awful must have happened for him to be acting so strangely. She tried to stand up but he wouldn't let her.

"I was so afraid something happened to you luv." He pulled her into an embrace and stroked her hair.

***

Buffy relished the feel of his arms around her. She wanted so desperately to be lost in him, but there was something wrong. Why was he here? She tried to pull back from the embrace a second time and this time he let her. He kept touching her face and stroking her hair. What had gotten into him to make him act this way?

"Buffy, I'm so glad you're okay. I thought the worst when I couldn't get through on the phone to you…"

Confused, she gave him a frown. Oh. The phone. It had been busy. "William just because the phone is busy doesn't mean the world is ending. Some of us don't have call waiting. Why would you think that something happened?"

"Giles said…"

"What does this have to do with Giles," she demanded going into complete Slayer mode.

William took a step back when he realized his mistake. "Nothing. He, uh, had to go to England."

"What? Now? Tonight?" Giles wouldn't just up and leave without a good reason, of that she was positive.

"They translated part of the prophecy and they needed him there to verify it. That's all." He had composed himself by this point.

"Don't lie to me William," she said grabbing him by his shirt. She was sure he was hiding something from her.

"Take your hands off me! I've just told you the truth."

She glared and released him from her grip. "So you came all this way just to tell me that Giles left? I find that hard to believe. He would have called himself…"

"He couldn't. He was packing and asked me to let you know. I couldn't get through on the phone. I figured you'd want to know right away since you two are so chummy." He could feel them falling back into the old familiar routine. He'd give her information and she'd beat him up over it. No way. Not this time. He was the watcher now, not her punching bag.

"You're lying." She didn't think he was but she didn't want him to just leave.

"Why would I lie to you about something like that," he demanded. Anger began to rise up in him.

"You act surprised that I wouldn't trust you." She shook her head and started walking away. She knew she was playing a game with him, but did he?

"Don't walk away from me after saying that." He grabbed her by the arm and spun her around. "How do you think that makes me feel? I'm not the same as when I left. You can't just treat me like something you throw out with morning rubbish any longer. I'm human, Buffy, and as much as you don't want to see that, it's too bad. I'm not going anywhere so get used to it."

"Are you finished?"

"I am." He let go of her arm and looked her in the eyes.

"Good. Now how dare you come back here and just expect me to accept you as my watcher. Especially after everything. Go home to Cecily, William. I'm tired."

"Is that what this is all about? Cecily? Get over yourself already!"

"Why? Because you did?" She was yelling now as well as crying.

He softened at the sight of her tears. "Buffy, I…"

It was too late. She was too far-gone. The pain of the last few weeks was eating her up inside and she needed to release it. "You left because you wanted to get a soul so that I could love you, but you know what? I already loved you!"

He stood in shock, staring at her.

"I already loved you and you left. Just like they all do. Then…then you come back, and you're not even the same person I fell in love with."

He walked over to her and pulled her into his arms.

"As if that wasn't enough," she continued through her tears, "you fall in love with Cecily. It's supposed to be me that you love! Not her!" She was beating on his chest now with both fists.

"Buffy, luv…"

"Just stop. I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear how much you love her."

"Luv," he said taking her face in his hands, "I don't love her. I love you."

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