| August 29th, 2007 {9:47 am} Back to Basics The smiles and laughter of students reuniting traveled through the windows of the administrative building. Freshmen clutched schedules and maps, taking in the scenery with a wide-eyed, open mouthed stare. Destiny pitied them, thrust into a new environment like being tossed into a pool of frigid water. Destiny was closer to thirty than twenty lately, but she never remembered being that naive or fresh-faced. At the age of nineteen, she was tossed out on her ass, having lost everything dear. After five long years of things she'd rather not remember, she found herself in Searchlight, with even more pain. It was an arrested adolescence, with its bright spots amongst the carnage. Too many people had died, too many had left since she stepped foot in that dusty desert town. The first man she had met succumbed to the disease that had been killing him. The first man she had trusted in a long time had fled to England. Not fled, but the urgency with which he left was painful. And the first man she had ever loved since the death of Adam died. She grimaced at the couples reacquainting themselves with each other after the summer break. It hurt to watch, the open affection and the lovey-dovey stares. She missed Aidan even more when she saw that, even though they hadn't been nearly that touchy-feely. It was the lack of that intimacy that drove her crazy most nights. She couldn't remember how certain parts of his body looked and felt because she hadn't had the opportunity to perceive him in that way. School held no merit after Aidan died. Destiny was only here to cancel her classes and then go home. The closer she stayed to Searchlight, the closer she'd be if needed by W&H. Besides, she was too old to go back to college now. Her classmates back home had masters degrees and PhDs - what would she do with those? A Slayer is a girl who has a destiny to kill vampires. If she had been paying any attention to her namesake, maybe Aidan would still be alive. If she wasn't doing that 5 page paper on the mise en scene of Citizen Kane and was out patrolling, maybe that vampire would have been dead long before that night. Rhiannon was right. Having a life outside of Slaying was foolish. With Wolfram and Hart, at least, she'd be getting Aidan back. The money Will left was running out quickly and a job was much more paramount. Destiny made a mental note to send a note to Emmy saying she quit Unseen Insight. Truth is, she hadn't gone near the place since the funeral and had no desire to visit the place she last saw her pseudo-boyfriend's dead body. Maybe she'd interview somewhere in town as a waitress. Work days, slay nights. What she was supposed to do. Born to do. In the fight against vampires, Destiny would win. In the fight to win back Aidan from the netherworld, Destiny would win. Failure was not an option. Denying her destiny cost her what she held dear and she wasn't going to lose any more. The secretary opened the door and peeked her head out. "Destiny Brown? It's your turn." Destiny got off the floor gracefully and drew herself up to her full height. She followed the lady in, head held high. It was her turn, indeed. | WRITE {0} May 21st, 2007 {11:30 pm} The Five Stages of Grief ( Denial ) ( Anger ) ( Bargaining ) ( Depression ) ( Acceptance ) | WRITE {0} November 5th, 2006 {3:47 pm} What She Missed The clicking of the turning signal was lulling her to sleep as she turned and pulled into the driveway. This was the first time that she had seen the welcoming facade of the one-family home that had been her home for the past year. Wiping an arm across her tired eyes, Destiny put the car into park and turned off the car, the radio fading into the quiet Nevada evening. This past semester held her captive in the library. Her life was study, study, class, study, and finally pass out in the study lounges in the wee hours of the morning, stretched out across vinyl couches or on the futon of a girl from her English class named Christine, who, upon finding her curled up in a library chair, made her come back to her apartment to relax. Luckily, this weekend, she could go home and relax in the short span of time after midterms and before finals. Eyes half-lidded, Destiny rummaged in the passenger side footwell and grabbed her backpack. The door opened and she swung her legs out as she swung the backpack over her shoulder, locking the door in one fluid motion. The door closed loudly behind her with a bump from her rear. Each piece of wood in the stairs creaked under her feet, echoing through the quiet neighborhood. The bulb of the light over the mailbox was dim, due to its needing to be changed and the fact that she hasn't gone shopping for anything lately, except for the bare essentials like food. Her savings were down, and the reserves Will had set up were depleting. Not that she'd be able to get a job. Sighing as she fiddled with the lock, Destiny recounted the meeting with her advisor in her head, the event nothing short of a disaster. "No," Destiny muttered in a mockery of her voice during the meeting, "the on, sly 'marketable skills' I have are Slaying vampires and cooking, neither of which will really help as one deals with creatures no one believes in and the other hasn't been practiced since I started eating Ramen to afford my textbooks." Letting out a small harrumph noise, she pushed the now-sticking front door with a majority of her weight and reached a hand in to turn on the lights. Her foot hit something slightly hollow and set it skidding across the room. The sound of the impact made her jump, the Slayer not expecting anything there at all. Dropping her backpack and her keys into their respective places, Destiny bent down to pick up the small package. The handwriting was familiar, the address wasn't. Sitting on the wood floor with crossed legs, she fumbled with the tape on the box. Frowning, Des scratched her head. Coming into contact with the pen keeping her hair up, Destiny pulled it out and attacked the menacing packing tape. Success! The box was opened. As she pulled the first layer of tissue paper off, she let out a small gasp. A gorgeous mask, a dried rose, and a book? It was so Phantom of the Opera. Destiny picked up the mask and held it gently in her hands, exposing the title of the book underneath. Poe. And it's an old Poe. She opened the small blue book with shaking hands, sending a small piece of paper fluttering to the floor. 1902. Jesus. Her ears caught the sound of the paper hitting the box and she placed the book gently down. The note was handwritten, with four words written down, but it was enough to make her burst into tears. Busy on Halloween?... Aidan. Oh my god. Destiny wiped her eyes with the forearm of her hoodie. Aidan... he did this for me and I wasn't even home to get it. She put everything back into the box onto its bed of red tissue paper. Taking a slow breath in and out, she tried to calm herself. Taking out her cell phone, the Slayer pressed buttons frantically until the cell phone number of one Aidan Revere was located and dialed. The ringing of the phone went on for ages until she got the voice mailbox. ( Phone Message for Aidan ) Closing the phone and putting it next to her, she lay back against the wall next to the stairs and fingered the mask and the rose. Somehow, Aidan made her day that much better, even without realizing it. Destiny just hoped he found her message humorous, or she would be as red as the spaghetti sauce. Spaghetti sauce! With a new spring in her step and all stress forgotten, Destiny ran into the kitchen, flung open the refridgerator, and started planning her "Phantom" spaghetti dinner. | WRITE {0} June 17th, 2006 {2:57 am} Reunion Destiny Brown had not missed the heat of Searchlight, nor did she miss the dryness that made the dirt swirl about and sting her eyes. As she reshouldered her new hobo purse, the brunette Slayer could feel the dust in the air re-adhere itself to her skin and into the folds of her clothing. However, as much as she enjoyed New Jersey, it was time to go home. Her father was back on the mend after a vampire ambush that overwhelmed the two Slayers and the Watcher and left them worse for the wear. Luckily, she and Alyce had only escaped with minor cuts and bruises. Unluckily, her father maintained serious injuries and spent a lot of time in the hospital. Still, he was in Alyce's hands now. And Des had her own Watcher to train with. However, a note upon her return to Searchlight not too long ago said that Will was on Council business in England. Destiny returned to a dark, slightly dusty home. Not wanting to stay in the eerily quiet house, she decided to find her remaining "family" in this town. Not that she had talked to them in the longest time, nor did she think Em really wanted to see her granted that they hadn't really been on the best of terms lately. Aidan and Emmy were almost all she had, though, so she decided to go. Instead of going to the shop, Destiny decided to go straight to their house. The familiar building made her smile and she started to go up the stairs. Pausing on the third step, Des caught the hint of a noise coming from the backyard. Skipping back down the stairs, she went to the fence and leaned over. "Helloooo? Em? Aidan? Anyone home?" ( Hey, Honey. I'm Home! ) ( A Graceful Entrance? ) ( Lemonade Would Be Great ) ( Crazy Cat Lady Sees An Old Friend ) ( Secret Conversation ) ( Unexpected Surprise ) ( Overwhelmed, Then A Solution ) "A moment of silence for a dearly loved car. Unfortunately, I have to agree with Em. This is much more rugged and made for the desert roads," Destiny teased. "But you can come with us... maybe. Unless you don't want to take two wildly attractive ladies out on a night on the town." Sliding the sunglasses onto her eyes, she smiled. "This doesn't count as a night on the town, but I don't mind." A pause. "I'm happy to be back home with all of you again." | WRITE {0} December 28th, 2005 {11:26 pm} Confronting the Past (Warning: REALLY long) ( December 18th ) ( December 21st ) ( December 22nd ) ( December 23rd ) ( December 24th ) | WRITE {0} October 10th, 2005 {11:13 am} Losing Touch College was thoroughly kicking Destiny Brown's ass. It wasn't just kicking her ass, it was the knock-down, drag-out, tie you to the bumper of a car kind of kicking her ass. Unlike the previous semester, she had taken on a full courseload and then some, and, as they say, the vacation was over. Or it would have been over, had it not been for the rapid disappearance of her classmates, and, eventually, her professors. The campus talked in hushed tones about the disappearances, not outright debating or wondering why, with every class, the class size shrunk. With the absence of teachers, other teachers were expected to pick up the slack. This meant a leniency that would not have been granted otherwise, as the faculty struggled to juggle additional classes. It was this leniency that allowed her to patrol for the first time in weeks. Walking the streets of Searchlight with a stake in hand gave her a sense of normalcy. Within the first five minutes, she had fought a small nest of vampires who had had the unfortunate luck to have been in an abandoned building in which she did a sweep. It was a short fight, with the three men and one woman still groggy from sleep. Standing there as the dust floated away on the breeze, Destiny let out a happy sigh. Slaying, once thought of as a burden, was now considered a de-stressor. The irony of that thought struck Destiny and her mouth quirked into a slight smirk. Twirling the stake between her fingers, she whistled as she walked out into the midday sun. After so many days studying and catching up, the warmth of the sun on her face and the adrenaline that still coursed through her veins made her feel more alive than she had in a long time. Her Slaying done for the moment, Destiny fished in her pocket for the grocery list. That was a no. The Slayer patted around her body as one is wont to do when something is missing. Still no list. As she was 0 for 2 on the clothes, Destiny slung her backpack from her back and onto the sandy ground. The bigger pocket held her books, and she rummaged underneath them for any sign of a small post-it note. Her fingers brushed velvet and Destiny thought, for a split second, that there was a small rodent inside her backpack. She tensed, but the presence of the sticky note and the braided cord that cinched the top of the bag reassured her that there were no small animal stowaways in her bag. Pulling out the bag, she peeled the post-it note off and stuck the paper in her jacket pocket. She held the small velvet sack in her hands, the smell of Em and Aidan's house wafting into her nose with the slight breeze. Destiny smiled sadly. It's amazing how one can lose touch so quickly. She thought of Will, whom she hadn't seen in ages, despite them living in the same house. Her thoughts flitted to Aidan, who she had not heard anything from. Finally, her thoughts settled on Emmy. Out of all of her "family" members, it was Emmy that she stood the greatest chance of losing. She bounced the bag once in her palm, deciding in that moment that, homework be damned, she was going to reconnect with everyone. With a decisive nod, Destiny dropped the bag back into her backpack, opened the door to the mercantile, and stepped inside, firmly intending to go visit Aidan and Emmy. ...At least after her sociology paper was finished. | WRITE {0} August 5th, 2005 {1:34 am} With a Little Help From My Friends It had been a lazy day so far, and it had barely even started; she didn't plan on going to the shop, or doing anything even vaguely like work. She stood in the kitchen barefoot, clad in a pair of soft pale green pajamas, embroidered with tiny violet flowers; the pajama pants were cut short on the legs, falling to just below the knee and revealing the ivy tattoo on her ankle that rarely saw the light of day. She had washed but not straightened her hair so it hung past her shoulders in messy waves. A small smile played on Emmy's lips and she hummed along to a small transistor radio that sat atop her refrigerator as she mixed a pitcher of lime Kool-Aid. She didn't like iced tea and Aidan wasn't fond of lemonade, so they had compromised with ultra-sugary mixed fruit drinks. Of course, it was rather early in the morning for such a sugary drink, but by noontime it would be nice and cold. Destiny hadn't had a good night of sleep since Eva. The past couple days had become robotic, and after a series of night terrors, she knew she needed someone to talk to. It was the best she could do, considering how screwed up the situation was now. It was time to bring in the calvary. ( Storytime ) ( Taking Sides ) Destiny smiled at Emmy. "Em, I can't do this without you. You know that. And I'm going to have to talk to Will about this too. And perhaps--" Her head swam with all the things she would have to do to fix it. Shaking her head to rid herself of the headache, she tried to smile brightly, "I'm sure with the three smartest people I know helping, we can think of something." Destiny turned back to Aidan and smirked. "She seemed to like you an awful lot, so sending you in would work." The possessive part of her reared up at such a thought, but Destiny quieted it down. "Anyway, I thank you for your hospitality. I'm definitely going to have to cook for you guys to repay you." Destiny got up from the table, stretched a bit, and started walking towards the stairs. Stopping in the doorway, she turned and smiled gratefully at them. "Good morning." With that, she went upstairs and fell into bed, entering into Dreamland effortlessly. Her last thoughts before succumbing to the Sandman were how sure she was that it all would end happily and how blessed she was to have friends. | WRITE {0} July 22nd, 2005 {6:15 am} The Calm Before The Storm?, Or A Whole Lotta Nothing Destiny opened the door and went inside the house, shivers traveling up and down her back. Even after the crime scene cleanup crew cleaned everything up, it still creeped her out. Tossing her keys into the basket by the door, she closed the door and locked it behind her. Knowing that the unlocked door was one of the reasons someone got in, Destiny made sure to lock every window and door. Better safe than sorry. "Will? I'm home! Patrol was relatively easy." Walking into the kitchen, she took a plum from the fruit basket and washed it in the sink. Destiny took a big bite and wiped the juice from her chin. Funny how Slaying makes you hungry. William sat at his desk upstairs in his study, looking over the notes that he had found in Andew Wells's house. He had various texts of old arcane languages spread out over the desk, as well as on nearby chairs and couches. So far, he had turned up little. A few of the symbols that were annotated were in some of the books, but they were the kind that had multiple meanings and needed to be understood in context. He would probably have to get back in touch with Hayden and Corbett, and see about visiting the stone, or maybe moving it to civilization for better inspection. ( Information ) William smiled and nodded. "I'm sure you will be. Some things never change, and hopefully this is one of them." William headed towards the stairs, and as he mounted the first onem he turned around again. "Sleep well, Des." "Night, Will." Destiny waved and turned around, starting her rounds through the house. Then, and only then, would she be able to sleep, knowing that they were safe. That he was safe. Even so, she thought of the letter. Okay, maybe sleep wasn't going to be that easy to come by. | WRITE {0} July 8th, 2005 {1:21 am} The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most Walking home from the mercantile, Destiny cradled a bag of groceries in her arms. A loaf of bread peeked out from the top of the bag and with every step, it shifted from side to side. Hope Will doesn't mind that I picked up a few things. I want to make dinner for us tonight so we can have some Watcher-Slayer time. Destiny started mentally constructing her menu. She was so deep in thought that she did not notice the yellow tape that stretched across the stairs of the porch as she walked to her house. The sound of a walkie-talkie crackling jolted her out of her thoughts. As if she had just woken up from a dream, she regaled the scene before her with horror. Three police cars and one vehicle marked Las Vegas Metro CSI sat in front of her house. The lights of the vehicles flashed, turning the landscape colors. Her heart plummeted to her feet and the grip on her bag tightened. Oh my God. Trying to maintain her cool, she walked calmly and collectedly to one of the officers. "Officer, this is my house. Can you tell me what happened here?" Destiny inquired, trying to keep the hysteria out of her voice. Her brain ran through possible scenarios, most of which included Dyan. What she was sure of was that Will was in that house before she left to patrol, working in his study. Her heartbeat raced in her chest as she tried not to freak out in front of the officer, who thumbed through a notebook in order to answer her question. Impatience boiled up in her, threatening to make her explode and take the damned notebook away from him. Why was it that when you were waiting for someone and you're nervous, they move slower than molasses? The portly cop turned pages until he got to the day's crime. Squinting at her, he gave her the once-over. "Lady, this ain't your house. It's the house of William Carruthers. Unless, by chance, you're Mrs. Carruthers?" What the hell is with visitors thinking Will's my significant other? Maybe I should go live with Aidan and Emmy and have the real sometime-in-the-future-Mrs. Carruthers move in? The faceless future Mrs. Carruthers. Destiny never met the woman. Frustration tinging her voice, she snapped at the officer, "No. I'm Destiny Brown, his..." Cousin? Niece? What cock-and-bull story were they using this week to appease the locals? Taking a stab in the dark, she finished the statement. "Younger cousin." ( Her Worst Nightmare ) ( The Car Ride & the Hospital ) Through the windows, a clear Nevada nighttime sky went unnoticed as Destiny fell asleep, only one person on her mind. | WRITE {0} July 5th, 2005 {3:29 am} Fading Fireworks Destiny sat on the chest in her room, the remaining cookies and cupcakes sitting beside her. Kat left a little while ago with a package full of them. Will was out somewhere, as usual. At least she thought so. She and her Watcher were like passing ships in the night lately. Not that she was concerned. She and Will had a good, strong relationship. She had a family here. Aidan, Emmy, Rhiannon. And now Kat. A starburst appeared in the moonlit air, followed by a smaller burst of color. Searchlight might have been lacking in the friendliness, but their fireworks display was good. Watching the lights "burst in mid-air", Destiny felt a small pang for home. You're already home. Searchlight is your home. Nevertheless, with each passing firework, she remembered Verona. ( Flashback ) For the first time in five years, Destiny Brown felt Adam's spiritual presence-- in a good way. It wasn't like Kat's (thank God!), but it was comforting all the same. She raised a cupcake in a toast for him. "Happy Fourth of July, Adam. The lights aren't as bright as they were in Verona, but you're still with me, at least in spirit. Like you promised. And I have cupcakes. So two outta three ain't bad." Destiny licked the frosting off her cupcake and watched as Searchlight's display drew to a close, the lights slowly fading away into the night sky. | WRITE {0} July 5th, 2005 {2:36 am} A New Friend Destiny poured the remaining bits of batter into her cupcake pan. A small droplet landed outside of her cupcake foil cups. Destiny looked around to see if anyone was watching, as if there were cameras hidden behind the bread box or on top of the fridge. Satisfied that she was the only one in the house, she stuck out her pointer, wiped up the droplet of batter, and sucked the pad of her finger to get it off. Crossing to the sink, she put the bowl in the sink and filled it with water. Destiny held the spoon with one hand, while she put her cupcake tray into the oven with the other. She set the electronic timer and walked into the den, licking batter from the wooden spoon like it was a lollipop. Unceremoniously flopping onto the couch, Destiny turned on the TV and switched on a movie. Standing right outside the door to the house was Katrina, who stood there, staring at the door intently. Was this the right address? Did Will even really want her to visit or was he being nice? He IS British. Being nice is like a law for them. Well, there was only one way to find out. She yelled loudly at Jonathon to stay at the motel and not follow her, and she was hoping for once he listened. She took a deep breath and knocked at the door. Destiny heard the knock and hopped off the couch, still carrying her spoon. Sure Dr. Spock and every other parental expert when she was growing up told her that cake batter was unhealthy and don't do that you'll get sick, young lady. Destiny took a hearty lick to spite them. Thinking it would be Rhiannon or Aidan or even Emmy, she made no attempt to hide her unorthodox snack. Destiny turned the knob and opened the door, only to be surprised by a new face on the doorstep. Not a vamp, thank God. Destiny's hand automatically went to the concealed stake tucked in between the belt and waistband of her pants. But just in case...She felt awful for being on the defensive, but in this town, better to be safe than sorry. Katrina stood there, obviously taken a bit off-guard. This must be Will's significant other. "Umm... ok. First? It's not what you think. I'm so TOTALLY not sleeping with your guy. I met him the other night and he told me all this watcher crap and said I could come visit and talk because I'm really interested in the supernatural and I figured we could really have a fun conversation and I know you're probably thinking that I'm here to mess things up but I swear I'm not and I hope you don't think I'm bad and beat me up or something because I'm only here on friendly terms ok?" To say that an explosion of laughter erupted from Destiny's mouth would not be innaccurate. Bent over with her hands clutching her stomach, she laughed wholeheartedly, gasping out a sentence to appease the poor girl. "Oh, he's not my boyfriend or anything like that! I'm his Slayer, Destiny. And I don't normally beat up people. Only bad, mean vampires and the occasional asshole who decides that pinching my ass is an appropriate way of courting." Destiny had stopped laughing and started to wipe tears of mirth from her eyes. She wiped her hand on her shirt and extended it to the girl. "Come on in. I've got some cupcakes baking and I already finished baking a basket of red, white, and blue cookies. Will's not home, but I can definitely give you the downlow on the supernatural, although I don't have the extensive vocabulary that Will does." Katrina skittered in quietly, wearing a red and blue plaid skirt, brown sandals, and a snug back Ghostbusters shirt. "Oh! You're Destiny! He told me all about you! Well, not ALL about you I mean he didnt tell me things like what grades you got in school or what your shoe size is or heck even what you do or like but he told me that we'd get along really well and I think I need to shut up." ( Birds of a Feather ) ( Girl Talk ) "That's what Vegas is for. If I ever decide to go out there, I'll give you a call or I'll stop by. Plenty o' men there." Destiny frowned. "And this town isn't THAT bad. Okay, aside from the mean locals, weird phenomena, and really crappy service." "Hmm. Clubs... casinos... sounds like it could be a good Girl's Night Out." Then, she growled to herself and turned to her right, as though listening to something. "Sorry. Girls and GHOUL'S Night Out. Jesus. We should hit a male strip club while we're at it. See how a certain someone likes having unnaturally large 'manparts' hanging in his ghostly face." Destiny burst out laughing. "It'd be perfect. Let's see how long he stays around after that." The timer dinged and Destiny ran into the kitchen to take her cupcakes out. "If you want, you can come in here. I just have to frost them and put the sprinkles on. Help is appreciated!" "Help! Help is good. I shall help!" She got up, hopping to her feet with a grin. "I think this is the beginning of a bee-yoo-tee-ful frendship." | WRITE {0} June 16th, 2005 {8:23 pm} An Unexpected Reunion Now that school was over, Destiny figured that going back to work would be the responsible course of action. Responsible being the key word there. Even if there was that little dude Em's note told her about, it would still be good to earn her keep. Just buying the textbooks for her first semester wiped her bank account clean. Not only did the University want to take all her money for the privilege of going to school there, but they also wanted to overcharge on books she'll never need again and let her get half the money she spent if she did want to get rid of them. Her mini rant made her mood cloud a little. With a frown, Destiny opened the door of Unseen Insight and peered around the store. "Liam? Emmy? Rhi? Anyone?" Aidan was in Emmy's office; he had taken over the computer sales portion of the business, until he had healed well enough to go back to his normal build-it, fix-it, install-it routine. In truth, he rather liked playing with the computer end of things. He could spend half of the time looking up spells and researching gifted' telekinesis - and getting in a few cutthroat games of Literati when the mood struck. He had just sent an emailed reply to a request for a copy of Mystical Swords and Weaponry' when a familiar voice filtered in through Emmy's partially open office door. He stood slowly, still wincing now and again. His flesh had healed on the outside, but the muscle and bone on the inside had yet to fully knit back together. With a measured pace, he opened the door and peered out. "Hey Des," he said quietly. ( Happy Reunion ) ( Silver Linings ) A memory flashed to him, something brief, from the quiet corner of his mind he tried to ignore. He remembered bits and pieces of what it had been like when he was asleep for so long. But some of it he tried to ignore. But still, there it was. Becky. Aidan, you've got to start acting your age. I left you at 19 and here you are, years later... exactly the same. He shook his head as if to clear it. "We all gotta grow up some time," he mumbled. The small change of demeanor was not lost on Destiny and her brow furrowed. "Hey, what's wrong? You have cloudy-face and mumbly-voice." Destiny rose from her crouch and put a hand on his where it lay on the book. "Are you in pain? 'Cause then I'm getting you home, no arguments from you, mister." "Nothin', I'm fine," Aidan replied with a forced smile. He had been angry at Destiny for dwelling on her past for too long; he wouldn't do the same. He'd all but forgotten his own for some time. Strange that it should surface now, just when things had started going right again. "Don't worry about me so much," he added. "Okay, you cannot tell me not to worry. It's my job." Destiny said in a stern voice, a serious expression plastered on her face. "You're gonna have to get used to that whether you like it or not. It's human nature. Hell, it's animal nature. And you have to remember that you can tell me things. See? The two things you have to remember with me. A) I worry. B) I care." Aidan grinned at her. "Good to know." Destiny grinned in return. "So, what needs doing here? I have a paycheck to earn." With that, life seemed to fall back into place. Destiny sighed happily. For the first time since she got to Searchlight, she felt like life was going her way. It was a good feeling and one she hoped to maintain for a long time. | WRITE {0} June 6th, 2005 {1:30 am} Because I figured ya'll should be warned... I will be unavailable from 7pm on through tonight (Monday) because of my high school graduation. I will also be unavailable from Thursday evening to Sunday evening, as that is my college orientation weekend. Between those two days, I am fair game. :-) <3 Sar READ | WRITE {1} May 23rd, 2005 {9:23 pm} Normal Is A Relative Word In This Business Destiny almost bit the eraser off her pencil in her concentration. Despite her all-night cram session (and her new lucky butterfly necklace she got from Julie as a birthday present three days previous), Professor Carruthers' exam was annoyingly difficult. It frustrated her to no end that even those homemade flashcards were not enough to remember who went where in the grand timeline of British history. Okay, so said cards starred stick figures. And all she could remember that the stickfigure with the chicken leg was Henry VIII. But that coupled with the cram session should help, right? Will sat at the desk at the front of the lecture hall and tapped his pencil against the desk blotter. The students had been slowly finishing the exam, and walking out of the classroom, leaving the blue books piled up in front of him. It was a tricky exam, he admitted. And the one student he cared to speak to was still sitting at her desk. After getting out of Unseen Insight, he decided it was time to confron this Destiny thing head-on. And so he was going to corner her today, and either snap her out of it or drag her back to his place and get do it there. All she had to do is finish the exam. ( Talk Between Pupil and Teacher ) ( Trying to Jog Her Memory ) ( The Trigger She Needed ) William smiled again, and looked at his Slayer. "I think it's healthy thinking. Maybe you're growing up, finally," he said with another wink. "Now we best get home. There are birthday presents waiting for you, after all." Destiny's eyes lit up and she squealed like a seven year old riding her first pony. "Presents! Yay! Let's go!" She began to half pull Will out of the room in her enthusiasm. Stopping, she turned and threw her arms around Will and hugged him with all her might. "Thank you." Letting him go, Destiny practically skipped out of the room in her happiness. Presents, real life, Will. Life couldn't get any better. Well, only if Aidan got better. She made a mental note to call Emmy and get a full report. That settled, she let her mind drift to birthday goodies. Who says you have to act your age on your birthday? Or belated birthday as the case may be. Whatever. In Destiny's mind, birthday equaled good. Life equaled good. And that was the best present she could get. | WRITE {0} April 27th, 2005 {12:00 am} Room 629 Living with Julie was great. Not that Searchlight was a happening town -- at least the part that she had seen wasn't. So far, she hadn't spent any time in her new locale. Part of it was because of the stories she had heard from other students. Mysterious deaths, plagues -- enough trauma to make a person hightail it out of town. Destiny asked the family at dinner and was promptly met with an uneasy silence. "The only thing people die of in this place is boredom," Julie argued. The group dissolved into laughter and the subject was dropped. She didn't think about it again until she started working at Cottonwood Cove. In accordance with Julie's squeaky clean All-American image, the girl was working to be a nurse in ICU. Thanks to Julie's connections, however, Destiny now had a job. As a "Volunteen" at the hospital. Snazzy name. The trauma she had seen in the days since she started here somehow made the rumors seem feasible. The man in Room 604 was missing genitalia after having a fight with his girlfriend. That information was thanks to the Las Vegas police station, who decided to interview said girlfriend when Des was changing the water in his flowers. Not her fault if she overheard, right? Mrs. Rollins in 617 had odd puncture wounds and was on life support. The forty-year-old mother of three had a group of visitors every week at seven, supposedly her husband and their three boys of three, seven, and thirteen. Like clockwork, they came in and took the exact same positions. The thirteen year old sat in the playroom on the couch, eyes downcast and hands fiddling with a plastic straw from the hospital restaurant. The seven year old sat next to his father, focusing on the mother's IV drip like he was in the national world championship staring contest. Compared to the other two, the toddler was a ball of energy, asking questions like a rapid fire machine gun. Each question probably felt like a shot to the heart to the traumatised father, who gripped his wife's hand from the moment he came in the room until Destiny tapped him on the shoulder to remind him that visiting hours were over. Destiny took a break when the family came in and played with the three year old boy quietly in the playroom next door. The small boy was the only member of the family that talked--or had the strength to. It brought a smile to her face that he had such hope. What disturbed her was the boy's drawings. His main subject was vampires and he frequently pointed to the crayoned figure. "Mommy," he'd say. "Mommy got bit." She chalked it up to a mythic representation of his mother's murderer--or attempted murder. Little kids were surprisingly prone to active imaginations. Everytime she passed 617, Des prayed a quick prayer that whoever did that would be punished. ( Rm 629 ) | WRITE {0} April 11th, 2005 {8:42 pm} Altered Reality: Back to Searchlight The last thing Destiny saw before she found herself in the infirmary at the University was the smiling face of the admissions officer. Finally awakening, she squinted into the harsh florescent lights. A throbbing pain in her head kept her from lifting her head from the pillow. Blinking, she tried to focus on the faces above her. Her roommate for those two weeks, brows furrowed, stood at her side. For the life of her, Destiny could not remember the girl's name, let alone her own. The only touchstones she had to go on was the bump on her head and the object she was clutching in her hand. It was round; she could tell by the way her hand curled around it. Pulling her hand from under the covers, she tried to make out the writing on the coin. Her splitting headache made this difficult. She dropped her hand back down to the bedspread. Finally, her ears, which seemed very stopped up a second ago, caught the sound of the girl repeating her name over and over. Destiny started to speak, a rasp making its way into her words. "Who are you?" The girl looked like she was ready to pass out from relief. "Thank God. My roommate decided to skip out on me, so Admissions gave me your name. Since you are a new student and the college didn't have any information on your housing plans, I decided to take the initiative to invite you in. You took quite a spill there. We were afraid you were hurt." All business, the nurse nodded at the girl. "She just has a rather nasty bump on her head. If you want to discuss your rooming situation, feel free. I'll leave you two alone." The girl pulled a chair to Destiny's bedside. "You don't mind, right? Oh, my name is Julie." "No, no of course not. The sooner the better. And it's nice to meet you, Julie." Destiny reassured her. "Okay. Tell me about yourself and I'll fill in the necessary information in here." She held up a notebook. "Destiny Alyson Brown, formerly of New Jersey. Spent five years working for my dad at home so I could afford UCLA. UCLA didn't exactly pan out, so I'm here." "Love life?" Julie nodded her head towards the wedding ring. "Oh no! It's just my grandmother's wedding ring. My ex-boyfriend Adam dumped me over e-mail not too long ago." Destiny grimaced. "We kinda grew apart." Julie frowned. "Sorry." Destiny shrugged. "It's okay." The nurse poked her head in. "If you guys don't mind, I'm going to have to ask you to vacate the premises. I've got a case of chicken pox here." Destiny swung her feet and got out of her cot. Motioning for Julie to go first, she struggled to hold the door open. "Hey. Where are you staying anyway?" "My family's from a little town called Searchlight. There's plenty of room in the apartment above them." A small voice in the back of her head made a happy noise at the sound of the town, though she had no idea why. Shaking her head, Destiny smiled and followed Julie out. "Searchlight, here I come." Julie smiled back. "First, we have history class. Then my wonderful hometown." Destiny shouldered her duffle bag and followed Julie outside onto the campus. College was going to be fun. And Searchlight seemed nice and safe, unlike the city that held her future school. Yep, nothing but peace and quiet there. | WRITE {0} March 21st, 2005 {1:21 am} Destiny Departs for College Fun Destiny turned to her closet and put two more outfits into the rolling backpack. She muttered to herself, trying to convince the huge guilty feeling she was feeling for leaving Searchlight yet again. "You are NOT running away, Destiny Alyson. You are going to spend two weeks at University of Nevada, where you will get yourself acquainted with the college and sit in some classes in order to see if this is what you truly want." Her mind argued back, Will's there. There's no way you're going anywhere else. She told her brain to kindly shut up. "There is a reason they have these weeks, you know." And you know that the only reason you're going for two weeks is that you know the only reason you're going to this thing is that you want to pretend you're nineteen again and take a vacation for Slaying. Rhiannon would be so disappointed in you, her brain mocked. "Don't bring Rhi into this!" Destiny angrily threw her undergarments into the suitcase. "She would applaud me for taking such an interest in my schooling." I think you're confusing her with Will. "Oh, shut UP. MY friends stand behind me in everything I do." Destiny closed her suitcase and tried to block out the annoying self-deprecating inner voice. She hefted the suitcase and pulled her backpack onto her shoulders. Inside held directions and other materials of the like. Speaking of special friends, how's Aidan? "I told you. Shut up. And I'm sure he's fine." The mention of Aidan sent a chill up her spine. She rolled the suitcase out of the room, promptly forgetting her cell phone in her fight to win against her inner angst. It was off to college--sorta-- with her long-time roommate Snarky Inner Voice, formerly known as the voice of her childhood nemesis. Joy. | WRITE {0} March 19th, 2005 {5:54 pm} Again a Reunion Two days had passed since William Carruthers's return home. He had spent them dealing with the last few preparations for his first classes at the University. He had been trying to reach Jordan, but there had been no word from her. Not necessarily unexpected, with her case load, but he was starting to get nervous. And while he knew Destiny was around, he hadn't really run across her. it seemed they were keeping different schedules. He was down in the kitchen, making a hamburger and reading through some of the books he had gotten from the bookstore, and scratching iddly at the bandage at his right temple, while trying to decide what he wanted to do with the evening ahead. Destiny made her way to the front door, balancing a bag full of laundry. Very messy vampire dustings and an accidental run in with that damned cane made her clothes messy and ripped. The latter object left a hole in one of her shirts, making it in need of repair. Her sewing kit was in the desk, so she figured she could go home to fix it. And truthfully, she was looking forward to her University of Nevada letter. Destiny kept it secret, only because she didn't want anyone to get excited about it. Checking the mailbox, she found it empty. Sighing, she unlocked the door and entered her house. ( What They've Been Up To ) ( Destiny on Cloud 9 ) ( Dinner and a Movie, as per usual ) "I think I can deal with it a little more. Why don't you go in and set up the movie, and I'll get us drinks?" He smiled and moved to the fridge. It was good to be home. "Oh, and Destiny, I'm glad you're back." Destiny walked away with her sandwich, paused in the doorway, and turned to Will. "I'm glad you're back." Without another word, the two slipped into the familiar routine of dinner and a movie that was so appealingly familiar. | WRITE {0} March 13th, 2005 {10:15 pm} Small Talk Has Its Uses - Or, Des needs to stop watching television Tyler's mind wondered more about Jordan as he returned home, and retrieved William's cane. But there was little he could do now, other than take her advice and head over to William's place. With Star out doing whatever it was she was doing (probably working) Ty made his way to the watcher's house, to see if the resident slayer, whom he had never met, would be around. Ty admired the weapon a bit more as he made his way over, keeping an eye out for any vamps along the way. It was quite, even to the Tyler who now was a little more aware. He found himself knocking on William's door, hoping that someone was home. His jeans hung loosely from his waiste, and his bright green T-shirt stopped right above the black leather belt, all of which was covered by a black jacket that was unzipped. Strapped to his back was a sheath, housing his sword. Raising his hand, he knocked on the door a few times and waited. Destiny reached into the washer, her body half inside in order to reach that one last sock that was eluding her outstretched arm. The cusses echoed in the small chamber. As she heard the knock on the door, Des smacked her head on the top of the inside and let out another strong, loud string of curses. Finally reaching the sock, she snatched it and ran upstairs. Destiny opened the door, quite out of breath and still clutching the lone sock. ( Good Clean Fun ) ( Fun With Slogans ) "Wouldn't dream of it," he replied with a grin. "Have a good evening Destiny. Enjoy the laundry," he said as he exited the house. The air was beginning to cool this night, and it was like a tiny version of Christmas to Ty, who would spend the night hunting until about the time Star got off work. He wanted to head over and surprise her when she got off. He turned around to face the slayer again. "Next time we'll have to do the safty in numbers thing." "Thank you. And definitely! Bye!" Destiny closed the door and looked through the open doorway into the kitchen. A-ha! Destiny slid in her stockinged feet into the kitchen and retrieved her sock from atop the cookie jar. With that accomplished, she retreated downstairs and finished her laundry. The exciting life of a Slayer, she thought sarcastically as she rested the side of the laundry basket on her hip and made the trek up the stairs. | WRITE {0} February 12th, 2005 {10:21 pm} Home... Again The first words out of her mouth when she saw the porch were not ones that would be polite in regular speech. Destiny knew exactly who did it as soon as she saw it. This was Jason's work, no mistaking it. Destiny fit her key in the lock, somehow suprised that it went in at all. She had half-expected Will to have changed the locks. Not that she'd be here long. Having to wash and wear the same clothes over and over was a pain in the ass, hence the sneaking in and getting the clothing. The door opened with little trouble and Destiny sprinted upstairs to her room. William pulled his jeep back up to the front of his house and got out. His left hand was now professionally bandaged, and he had received an anti-biotic to keep infection away. There were first and second degree burns, and he would be wearing the bandages for the next week or so, but things could have been a lot worse, for instance it could have been his right hand that was burned. He walked up to his front door and looked over at the charred wreckage of half his porch. It would have to wait until he had two funstioning hands again. Reaching into his pocket, he fished his keys out and unlocked the door. Expecting silence, he instead heard someone moving around upstairs. And no one was supposed to be home. Destiny took a small backpack from her closet and filled it with five more outfits. Scanning the room, she searched for her journal, lamentably left here in the runaway portion of the past couple months. A lightbulb activated above her head and she made her way from her bed to the desk. Opening the top desk drawer, she found two envelopes, one addressed to Will and one to her. A CD was taped to her letter. The handwriting was unmistakeably Adam's and she felt a sharp pain in her heart. The envelope was torn open and the CD fell back into the opened drawer. ( Letter to Des ) ( More Than Usually Polite ) ( Long Story Short ) ( Jordan & Aidan ) ( Return to Normalcy ) William watched as she went. "I think I'm fine, thank you." Will moved back over to the couch, and sat down, putting the movie into the DVD player. It was good to have things back to normal. Destiny's voice rang out from the kitchen. "Will? Where the hell is the fridge?" Ah, yes, thought William, back to normal indeed. | WRITE {0} February 10th, 2005 {12:11 am} Clearing the Air Destiny sat on the couch in the living room, trying her darnedest to concentrate on her recent acquisition from the library. Every nerve was on edge. Aidan and she had been avoiding each other for a multitude of reasons, her hand to his chest not excluded. For the first couple of days, she hadn't seen him-- mostly because she was out cold, Slayer healing working its magic. She felt better now and finally hobbled downstairs, minimal weight on her sprained ankle. So there she sat, very very glad for the change in scenery. Aidan walked briskly through the living room. Or, at least he tried. Spotting Destiny on the couch was a little shock to his system, since he hadn't seen hide or hair of her in days. He stopped short and found himself stumbling over his own feet and the carpet, landing flat on his face. "Ow," he grumbled, standing up and rubbing his forehead. He glanced to Destiny, and gave a nod. "Hey." Destiny heard the thump and looked up to see Aidan getting up off the floor. She smirked a bit and put the book back in front of her face. "Hey yourself. And I thought I was clumsy." Glancing at her ankle, she conceded a little. "Well, maybe a little." ( Into the Open ) ( Hard Choices ) ( Slip of the Tongue ) ( You've Got a Friend In Me ) "I'll take your word for it," Aidan told her, chuckling as he stood. "I'm glad we could talk like this. It was getting tense around here, you know?" He moved along his way towards the kitchen, knowing there was much left unsaid. Another time, another day. Destiny followed him. "The perfect thing to break up tense is a good movie. She's All That is on in a half hour. I'll make the popcorn?" Her heart ached a little, remembering a similar experience with a certain Watcher. Again, she reaffirmed her mission mentally and closed off that particular part of her memory. Aidan laughed. "Damn, Des... didn't pick you for that kind of movie," he said, shaking his head. "Not... not really my thing." Thinking she would feel blown off if he refused, he paused. "But I have some DVD's we could go through. Find something else?" Destiny frowned a bit at his laughter. "I'm a hopeless romantic with a penchant for chick flicks. Is there something wrong with that? You know, there's more to me than Slaying." She pouted for a second, then brightened. "Sure. As long as it's not anything with fighting. Get enough of that during patrol. Like to keep my job and free time separate, ya know?" Destiny smiled as she reached into the cabinet. "I hope you like buttery popcorn." | WRITE {0} |