If Destiny Wills (2/20) B/Willow By Alex P.

["Diana" <DianaBouvier@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Title: If Destiny Wills (2/20)
Author: Alex P. keeper444@xxxxxxxxx
Feedback: Please any comments or suggestions to: keeper444@xxxxxxxxx
Archive: Gary's site and Bill's Bubblegum Crisis
Otherwise if you want it, ask.
Sequel to: A Higher Power, Truth and Consequences, Next Illogical Step
Spoilers: General Fourth Season
Rating: NC-17 This story is about two adult women that are sharing their
lives-if this isn't your thing or if it is illegal where you live please
delete this email now.
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.
A special thanks to Bill and Gary for giving a home to the ramblings of my
demented mind.

<>Thoughts<>


If Destiny Wills

Part Two

By Alex P

Willow woke to the familiar darkness of their bedroom. Being the slayer
meant that Buffy's eyesight was so sensitive to light that she liked to have
the room as dark as possible at night. Willow didn't mind the darkness if it
helped her slayer get a good night's rest.

The Witch wondered what had woken her up? Was it a sound from outside the
window? Or was it something else? She tried to think but she was wrapped
around the warm body of her lover and Buffy's breathing began to lull her
back into sleep.

Willow had almost drifted off again when she felt the pace of her love's
breathing change-her Slayer's breath was beginning to come in gasps. Under
Willow's hand she felt Buffy's heart rate pick-up and she knew that the
blonde was in the grip of another nightmare.

The redhead knew better than to try and shake the slayer awake. She instead
started to project soothing thoughts and emotions while slowly tracing small
circles where her hand lay on Buffy's stomach.

It had been nearly a month since Buffy's last nightmare-the longest the
slayer could remember going without having her sleep disturbed. Ever since
becoming lovers, Willow had helped her soulmate through the terrors being a
slayer brought to her sleep.

Willow slipped easily into Buffy's sleeping mind to see what monsters were
haunting her tonight. A tiny strand of seeking green light winding its way
from the young Witch into her love's heart. If the room hadn't been so dark
the light would have been nearly invisible.

After that first night, when Willow saw all of Buffy's pain, and had been
driven to edge of insanity by it, she had put up shields. Since then she
had never accidentally "spied" on her lover's dreams-instead opting for the
"legal way" by asking Buffy for her permission to view only her nightmares,
so she could help ease her slayer's internal demons.

Remembering that first night, Buffy had been resistant to the idea until
Willow quietly explained that having a slayer dreaming dark and violent
images next to a person wasn't particularly safe for that person. And since
there was no way Willow was going to let Buffy sleep alone she really had no
choice in the matter-so her slayer gave her permission-and from then on
Buffy's nightmares had slowly gotten better.

The redhead watched as a familiar dreamscape unfolded before her. It was
funny how she felt she was a spectator in the dream but not a part of it.
Buffy was fighting Angelus, again. One part of Willow's mind detached and
she was thinking on two levels: the dream level-waiting for the fight to end
because dream or not she did not want to get between those two welding
swords. And on the level that she remembered the argument that Giles and
Buffy had that day about asking Angel to try and translate something from
the Book of Souls.

The dream fight was coming to an end but before Buffy could plunge the sword
through Angel, Willow stepped in front of him.

"Buffy, you are having a nightmare. Angel is safe in LA." The dream slayer
at first looked confused, then hopeful, then the dreamscape dissolved and
Willow was physically pulled into a huge hug as Buffy woke.

*****

The tiny light floated just outside of the Slayer and Witches' home unable
to enter. The wards and protections surrounding the dwelling were too
strong and advanced for him to go through undetected. He had been testing
for a weakness when the Witch woke and nearly caught him. He fluttered
around outside the window; he could just see the Slayer and her mate through
a tiny crack in the drapes.

It was a really heart-warming scene how the Witch was holding her friend
while she sobbed. Human's and their emotions-he would never be able to
understand them-emotion seemed like such a weakness to him. Just as dawn
was breaking on the horizon the two girls finally settled back into sleep.

He knew he would just have to wait and watch for an opportunity to be
carried into the house through the protections. He was a mundane creature,
with little or no magical qualities, so once inside he could go unnoticed.
No, he wasn't magical in and of himself, but small magic's could be
transmitted through him. Thus, his people were the perfect spies for the
Master or in his case, his Countess.

He flew off in search of a place to watch the house from during the day.
The Oak Tree would have been the perfect place, with a view inside the main
rooms of both the Witches and the Watcher's houses-except for that stupid
Raven. The dumb bird had taken up residence in the old oak and the little
entity had no delusions that it wouldn't think of him as lunch.

"Oh, well, the things I put up with for my Mistress." It sighed as it flew
away.

*****


Kresis sat sprawled comfortably in the custom made seat of his private jet
as it flew steadily northward.

He was contemplating the latest twist in his ill-fated existence.

Somehow his name had been brought up to the Darklord and Master of his kind
and he did not know why. The only thing he was certain of was that somehow
Hela was behind it. She had once been his mate and had hated him ever since
the council had exiled him instead of having him destroyed. He was a loose
end and she hated loose ends.

At one time she'd been his coconspirator in a bid for power but politics on
Tarsus were competitive and often deadly. In the finest tradition of the
first circle Hela had betrayed him and turned him over to his rivals on the
council.

She had counted on them destroying him but instead they had exiled him to
this backward world. He thought, darkly, that he would have preferred the
execution squad.

Now he was on his way back to a gods forsaken place he hadn't seen since his
first unpleasant day on this world.

<>I've come full circle, <> he thought, <>and still I'm not in control of my
own life. <>

His plane streaked through the black velvet night sky carrying him to his
ultimate fate, he sat cursing his mortal enemy, Hela, and trying to figure
out where she fit in the Darklord's plans.

Kresis had sent one of the spies to gather first hand information on the
Witch and the Slayer but she had disappeared-no doubt Hela's work. His
request for another one had gone unanswered. He imagined the insurrection
on Tarsus must be worse than originally reported to the outlying worlds.

His thoughts were interrupted by the voice of his human pilot coming over
the intercom.

"We are getting ready to land Lord Kresis," the voice said. "Are there any
further instructions?"

"Just land this blasted thing," Kresis said irritably. "We should be
expected, those fools on the ground are to be ready."

<>These humans have no imagination, they're only good for servants or food,
<> he thought disgustedly. <>One way or another it ends here! <>

*****

Willow was beside herself with frustration, her mother was slowly turning a
supposedly simple wedding into a major social event. Every time she turned
around her mother was there making changes of some kind or another to the
wedding or the reception afterwards.

Oh, and Buffy's mother was of little or no help when came to dealing with
"Mom Rosenberg." It was Giles' theory that both women were trying to make
up for whatever past mistakes they'd made by overcompensating with the
wedding arrangements.

One of their first major skirmishes had been over Willow and Buffy's choices
for their wedding party. Willow's mother had wanted them to have Willow's
cousins as bridesmaids. But, on this one thing they able to stand firm
mostly because neither Willow nor Buffy knew the cousins all that well.
Willow was going to have Xander as her best man (or man of honor, or
whatever.) and Buffy was going to ask Cordelia to be her maid of honor.
Giles, of course, would give the 'bride' away.

They decided that since Willow had 'popped the question' Buffy was the one
to be given away.

Joyce had tried for several days to reach Buffy's father and when she
finally did reach him; he refused to even attend the ceremony. As he put it
"he didn't want to participate in another of his daughter's mistakes."

It tore her mother's heart out to tell her daughter, but Buffy had already
figured out what his reaction would be after the way he'd taken the news of
her 'coming out.' Giles had been more like a father to her over the years
since she'd moved to Sunnydale. She felt it was about time that her mother
acknowledges the place Giles held in her life-he was her father in every
sense of the word-except for biology. But, Willow knew that Joyce still
silently cursed her former husband for his insensitivity.

Willow and Buffy invited Xander and Cordelia over for dinner to ask them to
join the wedding party.

Xander had been easy; he just stared for a minute then sputtered out a "yes
of course."

Cordelia's reaction had them puzzled however.

When Buffy asked her to be her maid of honor, Cordelia had burst into tears
and collapsed to the living room floor.

Willow sat down on the floor next to her while Buffy forcefully ushered a
confused Xander out of the front door.

"What's wrong Cordy?" Willow asked softly, putting her arm around the
weeping girl's shoulders. "Was it something we did? Or Xander? What?"

Cordy couldn't seem to stop crying but she held her hand up and shook her
head. Buffy returned carrying three glasses and two bottles of wine.

"I gave Xander a tray full of cocktail wieners and a cold six pack and told
him to go bother Giles for a few hours." Buffy said as she sat down on the
other side of Cordelia "I told him we had some girl type issues to work out,
he couldn't get out of here fast enough. Is it me or does Xander seem to be
getting smarter every day?"

They all laughed and that seemed to calm Cordelia's tears for a moment.

"Now," Buffy said, focusing her attention on the girl between them. "What's
the matter with Queen C.?"

With Buffy's question Cordelia burst out with a fresh bout of tears.

"Don't know," Willow replied with a shrug. "All she's done is cry."

Buffy poured three glasses of red wine and handed Willow one holding the
other one until Cordy had calmed down again.

Cordelia took a sip and after a second began to explain her reaction

"I-I'm s-sorry," she began. "It's just...well...I know you guys didn't
really like me before, even when I was dating Xander in high school." She
paused to take another sip of wine. Willow thought she could the Cordelia
mentally bracing herself.

"I knew you only accepted me because of him. So when I left for LA with all
my big plans and then came back a failure I was sure you'd treat me like I
treated you." Cordy looked out the French doors into the darkness beyond.
"I knew I deserved it, especially from you, Willow."

Cordelia stood up and walked over the doors hugging herself tightly. The
young Witch thought she looked exactly like Buffy did when she facing down
her own demons.

"Then Xander took me back, and he never talks about LA or asks me what
happened. He just sits there and listens when I need to talk and after he
just says he's glad I'm back and that he feels lucky I still wanted him."
She spoke still facing the doors or Willow thought the night beyond the
doors. Angel would never tell them why Cordy quit and moved back to
Sunnydale-only that she would need to have friends-friends she could count
on.

"Then you guys have been so nice," Cordelia continued turning and looking
Willow in the eyes for the first time since she broke down. "You've been so
nice about everything; even when I run my stupid mouth without thinking...."
Another pause and far off look, "now you want me to be a part of the most
important day of your lives and I'm just so overwhelmed!"

She walked back over to the two girls on the floor and pulled them up into a
hug.

"I don't know how to thank you."

*****

The three girls stayed in each other's arms for a long time as Cordy
overcame what ever was haunting her. When she started to pull away Buffy
felt it was time to offer more wine to break some of the tension. She was
slightly uncomfortable at the turn the night's events had taken--she had
never known the depths of emotions the former beauty queen was feeling.

As Willow led Cordy over the couch Buffy picked up the wine and poured them
another glass, then after handing Cordy hers and placing Willow's on the
coffee table she sat down in the over stuffed chair.

"If you want to thank me, okay. But first hear what we want you to do."
Buffy told Cordy with a small smile.

Cordelia finished off the glass of wine in one gulp and looked up at Buffy
with the beginnings of that old Cordelia spark that had been missing for the
past few months.

"No, let me guess?" Cordy smiled back at Buffy. "You want me to step in and
do my famous Cordy party planner--maid of honor from hell thing."

Buffy nearly choked on the wine she was sipping and Willow laughed at
Cordy's bluntness. As the slayer refilled Cordy's and her glass for the
fourth time she tried to explain her what was happening.

"We love our mothers but they are driving us nuts! So, yes, we need you to
get between us and our moms."

"Look Cordy," Willow picked up where Buffy left off. "I want you to
understand, we love you and we know how hard you've worked to create the new
user friendly Cordelia." She smiled at Cordy to reassure her. "And we
really don't want you to change if you don't want to...."

"But what you guys need right now is the good old take charge Queen C. like
in high school." The Slayer noticed that very familiar glint return to
Cordelia's eyes in full force.

"To be 'The Bitch.'" Cordelia finished sitting up straighter on the couch
and smiling her beauty Queen smile.

Buffy and Willow looked at each other and then drained their glasses each
hoping they weren't recreating the monster.

"Yeah Cordy, you know," Buffy took over again. "We want you to use your
powers for good and not for evil."

They spent the rest evening finishing off the wine, or at least Buffy and
Cordy finished off the wine and making plans not only for the wedding but
for the future as well. By the time Giles had had enough of Xander and sent
him back to Willow and Buffy's, the slayer and "Queen C" were more than a
little tipsy.

Cordelia and Xander ended up spending the night in the girl's spare bedroom
and in the morning the dreaded and widely feared Queen C. appeared and took
over control of the wedding plans.

*****


The black skinned demon entered his mistress' private quarters and found her
still sleeping. Next to her on the bed was the nude form of what was once
very pretty young girl. The girl's flawless skin was now covered with cuts
and bite marks. Her eyes were open and starring blankly at the ceiling, as
line of drool seeped from the corner of her swollen battered and bleeding
lips.

The demon tore his eyes away from his Mistress' victim and watched the scene
that the spy was showing. It was a small magic for the spy to project what
it was viewing to the Mistress. But, he wondered what his owner found so
interesting about a pair of non-descript apartment buildings.

<> It is not my place to think, <> the demon reminded himself. He reached
down to stroke the Countesses face to wake her.

"It is time to leave your grace," the demon whispered. "The vehicle is here
to take us to the plane."

He watched as her beautiful eyes opened and she stretched in a cat like
fashion. His beautiful master smiled at him and he was so happy he thought
he would die.

He helped her sit-up-she was always tired after playing as hard as she did
last night. He couldn't help the hunger that shown in his face as he
followed her gaze down to the catatonic girl next to her. The Countess had
let him watch most of the events, and at one point, let him briefly join the
fun.

He licked his lips as she ran her fingers down the girl's abused and
tortured body her razor sharp talons leaving thin trails of blood to mark
their passage.

"So, so, pretty, but oh, so fragile." She mused wishfully. "I wonder if the
Slayer will have more stamina?"

She then looked up to make sure she had her audience and plunged her hand
into the girl's chest pulling out holding her still beating heart.

The demon didn't stop the drool that leaked out of his mouth as his Goddess
took a large bite of the warm quivering organ.

"This one was delicious though," she laughed as she chewed slowly as if
relishing the flavor of the organ. She pointed to the body with her free
hand; "the rest is yours."

"You are too kind your grace," he proclaimed bowing and then pulling the
rapidly cooling corpse from the bed. He knelt and began tearing the flesh
from the girl's body, and loudly enjoying his feast as only his kind could.
All the while staying aware of what was happening in the room around.

Being one of the slaves to Countess Hela of the Inner Circle meant being
alert at all times. He watched his Master as she slowly walked over to view
what the spy was projecting. It reminded him of one of this world's
televisions sets, except for it floated in mid-air and was bordered by the
red tinge of magic.

"So, he still hasn't been able to gain entrance into the they're home." The
Countess stated and then at the wave of her bloody hand the view dissolved.

She pulled a bell cord and licked the blood from her fingers while she
waited for one of the human servants.

A huge muscular Latino man, who the Black demon hated, entered the room. And
he was pleased to see the human pale visibly at the sight of him tearing and
consuming what was left of the girl.

"Yes Countess Hela," the man asked softly.

"We are leaving, Max," she answered. "Close the house and join us in
Sunnydale."

She reached out and ran a bloody talon down his cheek looking deep into his
big brown eyes with her glowing red ones, causing him to shiver in terror.

"Don't take so long that I have to come back here and fetch you, I promise
that wouldn't be pleasant."

"As you wish Countess."

"Hurry up pet," she called over her shoulder after the human left. "I'm sure
none of us will go hungry in Sunnydale."

The sickening sounds of the demon feasting served as a counter balance to
the Countess Hela's shrill maniacal laughter.


The End of Part Two