FanFic: If Destiny Wills (7/?)

[keeper444@xxxxxxxxx]

Here's it goes again it's like that damn rabbit, it just keeps going,
and going, and going...well you get the idea. I send it in hopes ya'all
like it.
Later
Alex
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Title: If Destiny Wills (7/?)
Author: Alex P.
Feedback: Please any comments or suggestions to: keeper444@xxxxxxxxx
Archive: Whatever or whoever Just tell me
 Summary: Sequel to A Higher Power
Spoilers: Starts where Next Illogical Step leaves off. Still in college
Still near future.
Disclaimer: The characters of Buffy Willow Giles and any others from
BTVS are the property of Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy etc. No
infringement of any kind intended.
Notes: Plans and surprises.
   <>thoughts<>
   *****flashbacks****
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Title: If Destiny Wills (7/?)
Author: Alex P.
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              Kresis was enraged so enraged
in fact he'd lost control, something he rarely did. As soon as Hela's
emissary had arrived at his door he knew he'd been played for a fool by
his ex once again.
              Once the black skinned demon
had suffered enough, he finally confessed to his part in her conspiracy,
the Count had become nearly insane with rage.
Kresis was so enraged he'd torn the already terrified
demon into small pieces, all of which were scattered all around the
throne room. Several of his servants were attempting to clean up the
torn bits of flesh and the thick green goo the had past for the demon's
blood from the floors, walls, and furniture.

            " I see my lords temperament hasn't
improved since we were last together." said a confident voice from
across the room

                Kresis looked up and saw
a tall muscular figure leaning against the door frame casually. He knew
only one being in this realm that dare address him in such an insolent
manner.

                "Caladin, is that truly
you my old friend." the Count shouted what passed for a smile spread
across his face. "Thank the Darkness you are here."

                  The only one there
that didn't cringe when the Count flashed his razor sharp teeth with
fangs was the tall heavily muscled warrior, he pushed himself off the
door jam and approached his sworn leige lord and long time comrade.
Caladin strode straight up to the Count and took the
offered hand, Kresis threw his other arm around the big man's shoulders
and took the in a friendly embrace.
Caladin stepped back surprised at his old comrade and
commander would show such familiarity in a public place. He studied his
face for a few moments and saw the weariness and frustration clearly
written on the normally emotionless face.

            "You seem to be troubled my lord."
Caladin said quietly so that only Kresis could hear him. "Is there
anything I can do? My men and I are at your service as always."

            "As always my old friend you have
read the situation perfectly" Kresis said placing a taloned hand on the
battle scared warrior's shoulder "It is time I took control of this
entire fiasco and now that you are here I may even get out of this
alive. Let us adjourn to a more private place, we have some serious
strategy to discuss."
      The Count led his battle scared friend from the room
down a narrow hallway to a small room that had a heavy wooden table and
six chairs.
On the wall was a large highly detailed map of Sunnydale and the
surrounding area that contained far more detail than any normal map.
The detail and the fact that the map was printed on cured human skin led
Caladin to think that no ordinary human map maker was involved in it's
creation.
            Caladin went to a small bar in a
corner of the room and found the ingredients for the Count's favorite
drink and a large bottle of his favorite Irish whiskey (Bushmills), as
Caladin made each of them a drink
Kresis briefed his best strategist and warlord on the entire
situation leaving nothing out including how he'd been fooled into coming
here by his ex, an adversary Caladin knew well.

                    "Well
Caladin what do you think?" Kresis asked as he accepted the drink the
battle wise veteran brought him. "After all, Besides me, you are the
only one I know of that has gone up against Hela and lived."

                    "Not by
much, as you will recall." Caladin said tapping the empty socket where
his left eye had once been "and that was a minor skirmish. The bitch
means to destroy you this time my lord."

                      "Yes
well be that as it may," Kresis said doing his best to smile and shrug
"If I don't receive word from Tarsus by tomorrow then I'll be forced to
join her in tomorrow nights ambush and going by our past record, I will
not fare well."

                  "Then it would be
safe to assume that you have a contingency plan." The cunning old
warrior said smiling slyly "and that plan will make use of my men and
I."

                  "Exactly my
mercenary friend." Kresis said returning the smile "Only I know of the
existence of you and your mercenaries and I have cooked up a little for
our dear sweet Hela. If it works out I'll have vindicated myself with
the darklord and the council, and our little lady friend will pay the
price for betraying me."

                Caladin closed the door,
it didn't open again for over six hours. Then the two comrades shook
hands and went their separate ways smiling at the thought of getting
revenge on their mutual long time enemy.
................................
.................................
Same day early morning.
..................................
                Giles was in his kitchen
making his breakfast when he heard his front door slam open.
Grabbing a revolver with specially made ammunition from a drawer, he
cautiously entered the hallway and with the handgun at the low ready
position he approached the front entry-way.

              "Stay where you are" he
ordered as he leapt into the small entrance hall and found himself
pointing the gun at Buffy's face.

                Buffy was standing there
holding Willow in her arms. She looked exhausted and while Willow was
unconscious Giles couldn't see any obvious injuries.

                  "Damn Giles, who
are you tryin' to be," Buffy exclaimed surprised to be facing her
watcher with a gun, "England's answer to Dirty Harry!?"

                      Giles
lowered the gun and stood speechless starring at the
girls.

                  "Come on Giles,
either shoot me or get out of the way." Buffy growled "Even a Slayer
gets tired and my little sweetheart here is getting heavy."

            Once he stepped aside Buffy carried
her precious burden into the living room and laid her gently down on the
oversized couch.
She sat down next to Willow and scooted over so her red
haired love's head rested on her lap.

                "What happened?" Giles
asked worried about the two girls' welfare. "Is Willow alright?"

                "She's just exhausted."
Buffy explained wearily "We ran into another ambush, I don't know how
many. I kept killing and killing and they just kept coming. Willow was
doing her best but she keeps coming up against some kind of higher dark
magic that takes nearly everything she's got just to hold it off.
Between that and supporting me through our bond she's drained almost
completely. She collapsed just at sunrise and I thought...I wasn't...Oh
Giles I was afraid she was hurt again, I thought I'd failed her again
but she woke enough to tell me she's just tired and had to shut down to
recharge then she passed out so I carried her here. Giles you have to
help us, this is just too much, I can't do it any more."

          The compassionate man sat on the coffee
table facing Buffy and took her hand then looked directly into the young
Slayer's blue-green eyes.

                "Fill me in Buffy," he
began softly "this is what the fourth or fifth ambush in the last six
weeks and I would say that was unusually high at any time but even more
so considering this is summer and activities normally decrease during
this season not increase.
                        Further
I have come to the conclusion that this has something to do with your
upcoming nuptials.
                      For
some reason the dark side seems determined to stop them, which would
appear to be all the encouragement we need to see that they go off
without a hitch."

          Buffy smiled at Giles ability to belabor
the obvious, and his left handed way of saying he approved of her and
Willow's making public their commitment to each other.

                  "Okay, okay give
me a minute will ya" she began resigning herself to spending the next
few hours bringing Giles up to date on what was going on
          Buffy felt a twinge of guilt for not
keeping Giles better informed then showing up on his doorstep expecting
instant results.
It wasn't fair to Giles especially when she knew he would now
spend his every waking moment trying to find a suitable solution for
their problems.
              Knowing what Giles needed to
know Buffy began back at the very first ambush in June right after
Litha. She described each ambush in as much detail as she could recall,
how each ambush was worse than the last, and was harder to fend off.
She told him how Willow was being forced not only to face
various demons and vampires but she also had to fight an unknown
assailant that used very powerful dark magic was coordinating his
attacks with that of the others and judging by the strength of his magic
this unknown force was more than likely the leader.
            Buffy also told him of the latest
twist in demon strategy, how they would use human hostages to lure them
into the trap then while they watched unable to help the demons would
butcher the innocent victims.
It had started with the teenage girl they had taken from the
Bronze and it happened again last night to some poor couple whose only
mistake was picking the wrong tree to make out under.
The siime demons had ripped their living bodies to shreds right in front
of the two girls.
              Buffy laid her head back and
closed her eyes, she could still hear the young couples screams ringing
in her ears, tearing at her soul.

            "Please Giles you've gotta help us."
Buffy pleaded her voice cracking as she wept quietly "We're in way over
our heads here. Willow's been wonderful but look at her Giles, this is
killing her, she wasn't meant for this,
I will not allow her to be hurt any more because of this
destiny thing,
I'd die before I'd permit anything happen to her. It's
gotta stop Giles people innocent people are dyeing."

    Giles leaned forward and placed his hand on the Slayer's
shoulder giving it a light reassuring squeeze. He looked deep into her
red rimed eyes, he could see the stress and horror of the last several
weeks clearly written in her pain filled eyes.
Giles felt the tightness in his chest, wishing he could take her
burdens on for her but he knew the only way he could help Buffy was to
help her to cope with the dark realities of her life and support both
her and Willow in any way he could. Giles was determined to perform that
task to the best of his abilities.

              "Okay Buffy," the ex-watcher
said in that soft reassuring tone he reserved just for his Slayer and
her witch. "You and Willow stay here and relax, if you get hungry call
for some delivery, the numbers are by the telephone just have them
charge it to my account. If you want a shower, you already know where
everything is and I'm sure the two of you have at least one change
around here somewhere. I want you to stay here so if I find something I
be able to find you."

              "Alright I didn't want to wake
Wills up anyway." Buffy knowing he just wanted them to stay so he could
watch over them, "I think we'll stay right here for now, Wills looks
comfortable and I'm not leavin' her right now for any reason."

                  "That's fine
Buffy" he said releasing her shoulder "Is there anything else I should
know before I get started?"

                  "Ah...no nothing I
can think of right now." Buffy said not wanting to tell him about the
dreams. the sleep walking, and the self-mutilation.
                    <>He has
enough to worry about.<> she told herself rationalizing her not being
completely honest with Giles.

                    "Okay then I
will get to work." Giles said frowning, he had known Buffy long enough t
know when she was holding back something.

                        <>She
will tell me when she is ready<> he reassured himself.

                              Giles
got up and headed for his study. leaving the girls to rest on the couch.
He would need all his resources to find the cause of this latest attack
on the slayer and her chosen mate. .............

            Later in his study Giles heard Buffy
crying out, he bolted from his chair and into the living room. For the
first time he saw the erie glow that surrounded the girls as they slept
recuperating from a hard night.
Buffy was tossing her head from side to side and begging
someone to forgive her for something.
As she begged the glow around her began to change from neon
green to a sickly reddish yellow. The stain spread across the Slayer's
half of the protective glow very nearly covering her completely.
                  Giles was unable
to move as he watched the evil looking glow spreading and Buffy becoming
more and more agitated, he knew he should do something but for some
reason he couldn't move or speak.
                  Just as the sickly
looking glow was about to engulf Buffy completely, Giles heard Willow
mumbling something in her sleep.

            "A'nal Na'thrak U'thas Bethard
Dannal Vheindah"

                  Giles had no idea
what it meant but Willow began chanting it over and over again.

            " A'nal Na'thrak U'thas Bethard
Dannal Viendah"

        He saw the glow on Willow's side of the glow
growing brighter each time she uttered the phrase. Her voice got louder
and stronger each time she repeated the words until it reached it's
peak.

            "A'NAL NA'THRAK U'THAS BETHARD
DANNAL VIENDAH"

            There was a sudden bright flash of
light from Willow's side of the surrounding glow, the stain was gone and
Buffy was once more sleeping peacefully.
                Giles realized he had
just witnessed a mystical attack on them while they slept. It was then
he realized the seriousness of the mystic threat they faced.
He knew now that they faced a far greater evil than they'd
faced before because there two of them. One was coming at them head on
meeting them in battle supporting the dark forces that were attacking
them.
However the one he'd just seen was sly and cunning more
subtle and quite possibility far more dangerous.
                Giles knew he should
hurry and get on the phone to call reinforcements but for a few moments
all he could do was stare at the small red haired witch snuggled up
against her lover.
He shook his head in wonder at how someone so sweet and
innocent could wield such great power.

                  <>She really has
no idea how powerful she truly is.<> he thought chuckling <>She has just
used an ancient spell from the book that neither one of them has been
able to translate yet ad she just used it to protect Buffy in her sleep,
fascinating.<>

                    Breaking out
of his thoughts Giles got into his rolidex and began making calls, they
were going to need all the help they could get.
.................................
.................................
              Countess Hela had finally
reached the Slayer's sleeping subconscious and was beginning to
manipulate the human's dreams.

                      "This
is almost too easy." she cackled to herself "Kresis wears them down and
distracts the little witch-kit while I sneak in the back door and take
control of the Slayer then through her the little witch-kit."

                  Watching her
intended victim in the glowing blue sphere that hovered in front of her.
Hela could feel her magic fingers reaching deep into the hidden recesses
of her prey's mind prying out her deepest secrets and her darkest fears
bringing them to the surface forcing them into her dreams to torture and
torment the Slayer weakening her defences until Hela could bend the
Slayer's will to her own.
                Suddenly just as Hela
was about to once again take control of the Slayer's subconscious
another force struck out at her. She wasn't sure where this other power
came from but it was stronger than any Hela had encountered before in
this world. It smashed into her own probing magic power and blew back at
her, causing her viewing sphere to explode in a blinding flash of
greenish white light. The power released by the backlash lifted the
demoness off her feet and threw her across the room into a wall.
                  Hela slid down the
wall stunned by the force that had just hit her. The power released by
the blast shook the entire house. For the first time in her life Hela
knew true fear, she was facing an unknown factor that was so powerful it
had swatted her back like she was an insignificant insect. From her
brief contact with this power she knew it's wielder was female and she
was not of the Darkness oh no this powerful mage was most decidedly on
the side of Light, automatically making an enemy to be reckoned with and
Hela had just lost her first battle with it.
                    Her screams
of rage echoed throughout the house, many of the beings staying there
did not live through the day.
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End part 7
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TBC