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Return to You by Thianna
 
5 - You're My Destiny
 
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Disclaimer: The characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer are owned by Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and Fox studios. This story is not meant to infringe upon anyone's rights, only to entertain.


Chapter 5 - You're my Destiny

Buffy took another sip of her drink as she scanned the club Collin had taken her to. The crowd was definitely older than what was in the Bronze. There were people everywhere. The bar was crowded and Collin was nice enough to get the drinks while she sat in the booth they had chosen. It was strange being in a club environment without the rest of her friends. She missed Willow and Xander and she remembered times when they would hang out in the Bronze years ago. She looked over at her companion nursing his Jack Daniels as he played with his Zippo lighter with his other hand.

Collin felt like a teenager on a first date. After what happened earlier this evening, he wasn’t sure how to talk to her. He had said too much -- revealed too much of himself to a woman he had only met a month or so ago. He knew everything about her, well everything that the archives had on her. But the archives recorded deeds of Slayers and opinions of Watchers, not emotions. He wondered what she thought of him. She must think that he was a sodding nut or maybe a pathetic loser trying to take advantage of her. No, she didn't think that. He saw genuine concern in her eyes.

He twirled the lighter between his fingers, then flipped it open then closed again. He felt her eyes on him and he flashed her a winning smile, trying his best to think of what to say. But nothing really came to mind. He heard the DJ mutter something over the microphone and he thought if nothing else, at least it would be better than sitting here in silence. He stood up and extended his hand. “You wanna dance?" Buffy looked him somewhat hesitant, somehow his words seemed familiar. "Come on. I'm pretty sure you know how. I can feel it, Slayer. You know you wanna dance." Buffy gasped at his words and though the way Collin said it was somewhat playful, it brought back a painful memory. Spike had asked her to dance once, and she rejected him vehemently, venom laced her reply. She looked up at the blue eyes that now looked at her hopefully, part of her wishing they belonged to someone else. She pushed the doubts that were slowly building inside her. "It was just a dance, with a new friend... no harm in that right?" she thought. Her lips formed a smile as she took his hand and he led them to the dance floor.

The music that was playing had a pretty fast beat and Buffy let the music take over. Collin couldn’t help but smile at seeing the Slayer’s lithe body move to the beat. He could sense other guys looking over at them, most of whom had their eyes plastered to the woman dancing so close to him. He caught a number of jealous looks and the smile soon turned to a grin as he felt like he was one of the luckiest bloke on the dance floor. The song soon ended and the DJ decided to follow it up with a slow song. What she did next surprised him. She moved closer and gave him a sweet smile as she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in. Collin tentatively placed his hands on her waist, looking slightly puzzled at her actions. But it felt right. Being here with her felt so right. He tentatively moved his hands towards her back, his arms now around her. She rested her head on his chest and sighed softly.

Collin leaned his head gently against hers and muttered thanks to whatever power had made it possible for him to be this close to her. It felt like a dream he had long ago. He never would have thought that when Giles decided to send him to the U.S. that things would be like this. Buffy was his unicorn. She wore the face of the woman he had loved since he was a boy. He never really knew or understood why but when he first saw the portrait that now hung in the receiving room, he felt that she was his destiny. It was foolish, but deep down he always thought he knew who she was. When he became a Watcher, the picture of Buffy Anne Summers in the archives struck him to his core. It was her – his destiny was a Slayer and this Slayer just so happens to have been involved with William the Bloody. It was more than a bit eerie but he knew that at the very least, he had to meet her. And here she was, in his arms and he wanted nothing more than to stay this way. She made him feel safe as if the world and all it’s little problems didn’t matter. Could this be what Spike had felt?

“Buffy?”

“Hmmm?” she murmured into his chest.

“I promise to protect you.”

She looked up at him and smiled. “And I know you keep your promises. You always do.”

Collin took her in, the way her hair glowed, her green eyes looking up at him, and her lips smiling. But what she just said was nagging him. "You always do?", he replayed what she just said. And that led him to thinking. Why was she so close to him now? Was it because she saw him -- Collin, or was she trying to re-live a possible memory? He moved one hand from her back to caress her cheek, gazing into her eyes as if to find some truth into how she felt.

Buffy moved her hand to cover his own, searching his eyes just as he searched hers. Realizing what she just said, she bit her lip in regret. She was thinking of Spike again -- thinking that the strong arms around her were his, finding comfort in the smell of Jack Daniels on his breath and cigarettes on his shirt. "I’m sorry. I didn't..."

With a soft sigh, Collin took his hand from underneath hers and placed a finger on her lips. "It's okay, love. I understand. We're both confused right now. But.. but I meant it. What I said. I promise to protect you. I know you don't need me to, but I want to."

"Well since you're a Watcher, it is part of your job right?"

"Buffy, you know what I meant!", he said a little hurt.

She giggled, "I'm sorry." Then her face became more serious. "But seriously, I think it's sweet. And you're right. We're both confused."

Collin nodded and secretly wished that he was on the receiving end of such love. To say that a Slayer was so touched by a vampire was a more than a little disconcerting. Spike's redeeming actions unfortunately are just words on a paper to him. But, William the Bloody's sins are dreams that replay over and over in his head. He could only hope that with Buffy he could make peace with what's troubling him. And maybe, maybe something more. He won't deny that ever since he first saw her picture, he was attracted to her. One might even say that his interest in the legendary Slayer rivaled his interest in the vampire who shares his face. And when he met her for the first time, he did his best to hide anxiousness by acting cooling. God only knows how many cigarettes he smoked that night to calm his nerves. Now she was here, in his arms and he hoped that this wouldn't be the last time.
 
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