FIC: Terra Australis Incognito 16/?

[CDRERamius@xxxxxxx]

TITLE: Terra Australis Incognito 16/?
AUTHOR: Tony McD
DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Joss Whendon, Mutant Enemy, WB and 
others. This is for fun, not profit.
SUMMARY: A strainger with many connections to the Scooby Gang arrives and 
changes their lives forever.
SPOILERS: General Season 4. Follows it for a bit the it's an AU.
DISTRIBUTION: Anywhere is fine, just email me first.
RATING: M (Auatralia) PG13(?) (US)


Xander looked at David.
"What do you mean 'we'? Why am I coming with you?" Xander said.
"I need another person to be there in order to do this. I can't contact 
the Deamtime Spirits by myself." informed David.
"Ok, but why me?" asked Xander.
"I can't take Willow or Buffy for reasons that will be clear when you 
come with me tonight. I also want to give you the chance to find out your 
purpose in life. I want you to talk to the Dreamtime Spirits and maybe they 
can give you some idea of a direction in your life. I really think that it 
would do you a world of good." David told him.
Xander began to object but stopped. *Maybe he's right. I guess a sense of 
purpose would be nice. I got nothing to loose.* Xander thought.
"Is it dangerous?" Willow asked David, afraid for Xander's safety.
"Dangerous? Willow, I've saved my best friend from death, had a all an 
out and out fight with a witch and her Slayer lover, helped reverse a 
destructive spell, and killed an evil demon who killed dozens of heavily 
armed soldiers and kicked me through a window. On the scale of things, this 
is the least dangerous thing I'll do all week." smiled David.
"Can I talk to Xander alone please?" David asked the gang. They all got 
up and left, leaving Xander and David alone.
"What do you want to talk about?" Xander inquired.
"Do you believe in fate and destiny?" David asked.
"Hello. Bestfriends with the Slayer, you know, 'The Chosen One'?"
"OK. Stupid question." David said with a smile. "You want to hear my 
views on fate and destiny?"
"Yeah, sure. Go ahead."
"I think life is kind of like a big city and your own life is like 
driving through it. You have free choice generally to go in almost any 
direction you choose. Left, right, straight ahead, whatever. The roads you 
choose are up to you. Sometimes the choices you make lead you into situations 
where you have no choice. Like being in the right hand lane and the sign says 
'right hand lane must turn right'. Then you have fate. It's kind of like 
being at a certain place at a certain time, no matter what you do or where 
you go. How you react to fate largely determines your destiny.
"Destiny is just that; the destination. The end of your journey. No one 
knows their destiny.
"Then sometimes you have a legacy. A legacy is kind of like someone 
coming to their destiny and leaving you rough directions on how to finish the 
rest of the journey. It influences people that come after you.
"When you see the Dreamtime Spirits, remember that they can give you 
guidence, sometimes tell you of fate, but never of destiny. Fate is not the 
same as destiny."
"All right then. When do we go see the Dreamtime Spirits?" Xander asked.
"We'll leave at 11 tonight. There is a place a couple of miles out of 
town that would be perfect."
There was a moment of silence.
"Xander?"
"Yeah David?"
"Whatever is attacking you guys is my fate. I can feel it." David's voice 
grew small and distant.
"I've also got the feeling that it is also my destiny." whispered David.