Fate

Title: Fate
Author: Kye
Summary: It's BtVS redone. All the characters are there, but their roles are slightly...different. What happens when their paths cross with the slayer?
Rating: NC-17 (eventually)
Pairing(s): Faith/Buffy Willow/Kennedy
Feedback: Yes, please.
Disclaimer: I am making absolutely no money WHATSOEVER from this fic. I have none. Please don't sue me.

****

London, England - 1756

The rain beat down against the cobblestone street as the faint sound of footsteps echoed through the deserted alley. A rat skittered across the ground, barely missed being crushed by a falling foot as a young woman ran by screaming.

Seconds later, another figure, slightly taller and more looming, walks casually by after her.

The girl suddenly triped and fell, landing in a puddle of water. She quickly pushed herself up, but suddenly became frozen at the sound of the husky voice.

“Why do you run?”

The girl slowly turned her head to look up through wet blonde locks at the figure before her.

The stranger finally stepped into the moonlight, illuminating gentle, feminine features and deep wavy brown locks.

“Do I frighten you?”

The terrified girl only nodded in response.

“Well, we simply can't have that,” the other woman replied and extended her hand out to the girl. When the girl hesitates, the woman smiles reassuringly. “I only mean to see you safely home. These streets are not safe for such a fair maiden as thee.”

The girl slowly and cautiously took the stranger's outstretched hand and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. “You frightened me. You should not sneak up on one from behind at such a late hour.”

“Forgive me,” the woman replied. “I did not mean to startle you. I was only out in search of a late...dinner.”

The girl smiled, finally at ease with the stranger. “Do you not have a home?”

The stranger paused in thought before replying, “I have yet to find a place that holds my interest for longer than a fortnight.”

“What about a family? Do you not have interest in that either?” the girl laughed.

The strange woman smiled, her features embracing their beauty. “Oh no, that I have. In fact, they are the reason for my late night...hunt.”

“For dinner?”
“Yes,” the stranger replied, eyeing the girl strangely. Her long blonde hair flowed down over her shoulders, her deep green eyes seemed to look right through her and those soft, soft lips...

“Are you alright?” the girl suddenly asked, worried about the stranger's odd behavior.

“Fine,” the stranger replied instantly. “I am just not certain that you will be enough to satisfy their hunger.”

The look on the girl's face becomes indescribable. “W-what?”

“I have a quite...unusual family, you see. I mean, Darla herself could eat an entire village and still crave...” The stranger stopped in mid-rant and peered down at the girl who started to struggle in her arms.

“On the other hand,” the stranger started as her face slowly transformed into a gruesome visage right before the young girl's eyes. “You will more than satisfy mine.”

Before the girl could even open her mouth to scream, the demon sunk her teeth into her neck with a low growl and started to feast.

Moments later, the young girl body fell to the ground, lifeless.

The vampire lifted her hand and wiped at her mouth. “Young blood,” she growled, “there is nothing better.”

“Oh, on the contrary.”

The vampire swung around to face the source of the sudden intrusion upon her meal.

Darla slowly stepped out from the darkness of the alley, smiling as she approached. “If you think that was good,” she whispered as she nodded to the dead body, “you can not even begin to imagine what real ecstasy is.”

“Darla, love, so good of you to come.”

The blonde vampire stepped over the girl's corpse to bring herself within a breath of the taller demon. The brunette reached out and placed her hands on her sire's hips.

“So, what is this talk of ecstasy that you speak of?” the vampire grinned. “Am I to show you a whole new meaning of the word?”

Darla chuckled deep in her throat. “Oh, love. Of that, I am sure you are capable.”

The taller vampire leaned in, but was stopped by a silent finger upon her lips.

“Not tonight, love,” Darla admonished softly. “I have a surprise for you.”

The other vampire's eyes lit up at the possibility.

Darla just smiled as she grabbed the vampire by the front of her shirt and pulled her towards the back of the alley. “Tonight, I show you the true source of ecstasy.”

“I thought we were not playing that game?”

Darla's smile widened as she curtly responded, “Not that kind of ecstasy. This is the kind only one woman can bring you.”

The brunette's brow furrowed as she allowed herself to be lead away. “Darla? Have you been socializing with Dru for too long? You are starting to make about as much sense as she does.”

“Trust me, my love,” Darla replied, her eyes burning with evil intentions. “When you see her, you will know.”

“When I see who?”

Darla just smiled. “The Slayer.”

*****

Sunnydale, CA - Present Day

“Buffy! Look out!”

The blonde managed to duck just in time as the axe when whizzing by her head before embedding itself in the nearest tree.

Buffy's head popped back up and she glanced over at the protruding weapon, “An axe?” She whipped her head around to face her red-headed friend. “Since when do they use axes? What happened to the nice and comfy old-fashioned way of biting?”

Willow grimaced and smiled nervously. “Variety is the spice of life? Eeep!” The witch jumped and squirmed out of the way just enough to make a charging vampire miss her by an inch, sending him face first into the dirt.

Buffy looked over at the sound of the struggle as she fought against two attacking vampires. “Will!” She punched one in the face and then sent a hard knee into the gut of the other. “Xander! Giles!”

At that moment, both men came running from around a crypt, a hoard of vampires hot on their trail.

“Vampires! More...vampires!” Xander shouted, as he ran past Buffy to hide behind the tree. Giles soon came stumbling after him. “Buffy,” the man panted, out of breath. “Th-there i...is another ne...nest.”

“Thanks,” she grunted as she struggled to hold the vampire in a headlock. “I noticed.” She suddenly found herself lifted into the air and swung around. Her grip on the vampire broke instantly and she was flung a few feet away.

Willow rushed to her side. “Buffy? Are you okay?”

The slayer slowly lifted her head to look up at her friend, spitting a mouthful of dirt out in the process. “I hate vampires.”

“Well, how 'bout that,” another voice drawled from behind. “That makes two of us.”

Both women looked up and shouted at the same time. “Kennedy!”

The other slayer jumped and then scoffed. “What? I had a late night, alright?”

“Where have you been?” Willow asked angrily as she stood up to face down the brunette. “We coulda all been the walking dead by now. You really have to stop all this...this...un-slayer like stuff that you do!”

Kennedy just smiled as she stepped up to the other woman. Leaning over, she whispered huskily, “Did anyone ever tell you how hot you look when you're angry?”

Willow's facade instantly fell as she turned away to blush furiously.

Kennedy just smirked, satisfied with the moment.

Buffy flipped to her feet and brushed off the sides of her pants. Her finger snagged on a deep rip along her right thigh and she sighed. “Okay, that's the third pair this week.” She looked up at the dozen or so vampires that had started to close in around them. “Now...I'm pissed.”

Kennedy looked over at the older slayer and grinned as they turned and charged at the vampires.

A few yards away, hidden in the darkness, a figure emerged from behind a tree. Her eyes remained trained on the slayers deep in battle as she kept a silent vigil.

Moments later, the fight was over and only the two women were left standing in a cloud of dust.

“Well, that was...fun,” Kennedy sighed as she tucked her stake back into her jacket and turned away disinterested. “Well, looks like my job here is done. Gotta motor.” She turned to leave, but stopped just long enough to face the witch with a grin. “Hey Red?”

Willow looked over from her spot next to Buffy.

“You still owe me that favor, right?”

Willow's eyes widened slightly and she swallowed back. “Umm...yeah?”

Kennedy nodded towards the gate of the graveyard. “How 'bout a late night dinner? Keep me company?”

The witch looked over at her best friend, but Buffy just shrugged. “Go. I won't be doing much more of anything than sleeping tonight, anyway.”

Willow unconsciously pushed a strand of red behind her ear as she turned back to Kennedy with a shy smile. “I'd l-love to.”

“Awesome,” the slayer replied cooly. She bowed and extended her arm. “Bait...I mean, ladies first.”

Willow's expression changed to shock and then to horror as she felt herself being dragged away by a chuckling slayer.

Buffy just smiled as she reached down to retrieve her own stake from it's place on the ground.

“You fight well.”

Buffy suddenly swung around at the intrusive voice. Her hand gripped her stake and her body instantly went into fight mode.

The stranger lifted her hands in defense. “Hey, I'm not here to hurt you. I only wanted to talk.”

Buffy eyed her warily before slowly dropping her stake. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”

The brunette seemed to be confused as she dropped her hands to her sides. Her long black duster swayed with the movement as she took a subtle step away from the slayer.

“What? Do I smell or something?” Buffy asked with a raised brow.

“Huh? Oh, no!” the stranger instantly responded. “No, it's just I...”

“Didn't want me to smell you?” Buffy shot back.

The stranger's stance faltered and her dark brown eyes grew saddened.

“Don't look so surprised,” the blonde answered. “I didn't get this job because I like the hours.” Buffy grew silent for a long moment before quietly adding, “You're a vampire.”

The stranger stared back into the deep green gaze that had her frozen in place. “Yes,” she finally replied. “I am.”

“So...” Buffy drew out, her brows furrowed slightly. “How come I'm not kickin' your ass all over this graveyard right now?”

The vampire couldn't help but crack a smile. “Because, I'm not like all the other vampires.”

“Okay,” Buffy nodded. “You get points for originality.”

“I'm really not looking for...points, here,” the brunette replied a bit confused. “I am only here to help you.”

Buffy's eyebrows nearly shot right off her face. “You? Here? To help...me?” she finished, pointing at herself.

“Yes,” the vampire replied. “There is a great evil coming, and only I know how to defeat her.”

“Wait, her?” Buffy repeated, even more confused. “Since when are great evils 'hers'? And since when do vampires help slayers?”

“I told you,” the vampire answered calmly. “I'm not like the others.”

Buffy stared down the strange demon, still uneasy about her purpose. “Still, doesn't explain this overwhelming urge I have to...trust you.” The slayer's brows furrowed once again, and she looked lost in thought. “Funny, this wasn't in the Slayer handbook. Unless I slept through that part. Actually, I think I slept through all the parts...”

“You didn't sleep through anything,” the vampire answered. “I'm not in your handbook, or any other book for that matter.”

Buffy looked up at the other woman strangely. “What are you?”

The vampire was quiet for a long moment. “A friend.” The vampire slowly turned and started to disappear back into the darkness. “I'll contact you again shortly.”

“Hey, wait,” Buffy called out to the vampire before she slipped away completely. When the stranger stopped, but didn't turn around, the slayer hesitated before calling out, “Does this new friend of mine have a name?”

The vampire's form was rigidly still. “Faith.”

And then she slipped away into the darkness.

Buffy stood silent before finally shrugging. “Funny name for a vampire.” Wordlessly, she turned and made her way from the graveyard.

The only sign of life was the dust blowing in the light breeze as the night once again grew still.