Daughter of Destiny

Author's Note: Once again, sorry guys. I've just been so set on finishing this other story mine. I'm glad you're enjoying this, and I hope you'll like this next chapter too. Please read and review!

Chapter Three: Fight

The Future

She sat Indian style in her room of the Hyperion, arms crossed over her chest and a glare on her face directed to the figure standing in the door. Her long, dark hair, which was so much like her mother's, fell to the center of her back, flowing over her shoulders. She had refused to let anyone cut it more than an inch every two months to keep it "pretty". According the six-year-old, long hair was "in".

"Please…" the young woman at the door said, in a small voice, trying hard not to get her madder than she already was.

"Nuh-uh," the tiny girl on the floor shook her head vigorously, refusing to give in to anything being offered by her current sitter.

"How about if I give you an ice cream sundae, chocolate cake, and you can stay up as late as you want," the sitter offered again, stepping into the room. Her brown hair was almost as long as the child's and her blue eyes sparkled in the light of the room.

"Nope," she shook her head again and then looked up at the woman, her brown eyes fogging with tears, "I want Mommy and Daddy to come home tonight."

"I know," stooping down to her level, the older brunette placed a hand on her shoulder, "But they've got a really important job to do tonight, they'll be back tomorrow."

"Promise?" her voice was small, and sad. Too often were her parents gone out on some mission, fighting the bad guys, and saving the world.

"Promise." The girls frown bloomed into a smile and she launched herself at the older woman and buried her head in her neck as she hugged her.

"Dawnie…" she mumbled, letting her sentence trail off. Preparing to ask for something.

"You want the sundae, cake and late night now huh?" Dawn Summers chuckled, sometimes she thought that the kid was too much like herself as a kid for her own good. After all, her over-night babysitting sessions with Cordy and Angel's young daughter were a frequent occurrence lately.

"Yeah," the five-year-old nodded. Dawn stood up and took her hand, leading her out of her room and towards the kitchen of the Hyperion.

The Gang might be out on an important mission, but Dawn couldn't help but believe that she had the most important mission of all, babysitting this youngster. After all, the young girl whose hand she held basically ruled the Hyperion Hotel. She had everyone eating out of her hands most of the time; it was one of many things she had inherited from Cordelia Chase.

"Dawnie," she whispered her babysitter's name once again.

"Yeah kiddo?" Dawn raised her brow and looked down at her.

"Bad things are coming," informed the younger brunette, "Bad, bad things and a big, big fight."

The Present

Conner and Sage walked alongside down Hollywood Boulevard, Sage leading the way down the busy street to where she was certain her monster friend would be hiding. Then, maybe she would be able to end this and go home. Go home before she got too attached to seeing her parents, Lorne, and Illyria again.

"Oh! They're so cute!" She cooed, catching sight of a pair of pumps in the window. Obviously not the best pair of shoes to fight in, but for a party they'd be perfect. Although, she hadn't had a chance to party in years she still loved to look good.

"We're supposed to be looking for a demon," Connor pointed out, impatiently.

"I know," she replied passively, "Just daydreaming of a time where I might actually be able to put those shoes to use. Now, we can move on."

"You're very strange," Connor muttered, as they continued their way down the street, "What happened to tough girl back at the Hyperion."

"Oh, her?" Sage raised a brow and shrugged, "She tends to make an appearance now and then, more now than then."

"You mean more often than not, right?" Connor asked.

"Yeah, that's it," she nodded as she maneuvered her way through the bushels of tourists shopping on the street. Every so often a hand went to her side where her sword was strapped on, making sure it was still there.

"What it is you're hiding?" he wanted to know, his curiosity obviously getting the better of him at that moment.

"More than you'll ever know," she told him, looking up and holding his gaze for a moment, "For a while at least."

"We're close in the future," her brother stated. This comment struck Sage hard, and she glanced at him. Was it that obvious? She hadn't really said much to indicate that, she had made it clear they knew each other but were close?

"Yeah," Sage nodded slowly.

"Figured," Connor shrugged, "By the way you acted, the way you looked at me. As if you wanted to say something, but couldn't."

"Well, I'd trust you with my life," she said simply. If he pressed on, she knew that she would end up spilling some really important details. It had always been hard to keep anything from Connor; in the future he'd been able to read her like an open book.

Connor let it go at that though, seemingly sensing her unwillingness to divulge anything further than what she already had. Content, Sage continued along the street before ducking into a nearby alley. Los Angeles hadn't changed much in the future, it'd been a plan of the governor's to keep the city as close to as it had in the past to keep the "essence" alive. It would only make it easier for Sage to get around.

At the far end of the alley, there was a brick wall. Like any other brick wall you'd find any other place in the world. Sage, on the other hand, knew that it was a secret passageway to the basement of the museum, and where she'd find her monster friend. Biting her lip, she reached out and pressed the combination of bricks she had been taught. It was very Harry Potter-esque, but art imitated life.

Giving way to the secret code, the brick wall shaped a simple archway into a dark tunnel. Shivering, Sage stepped in, her mind flashing back to the night in the future when she'd for the first time ventured into the tunnel. Connor had been with her, but with the other demons and Vamps on their trail he had sent her in alone. Something that proved to be a big mistake in Sage's mind because it was, after all, what had ultimately landed her in the past.

"Come oh children of the night," a booming voice bellowed, drawing them further into the tunnel. Sage knew it was the time-travel monster, the one that kept evading their every move to kill him. She had a sneaking suspicion that there might be something other than just trying to keep itself alive by travelling to the past. This specific moment in the past on top of that.

"Okay, this is creepy," she muttered to herself. Connor, still next to her, nodded a silent agreement, having drawn out his own weapon from its hiding place, a simple battle-axe. Sage reached for her sword, and withdrew the weapon from its sheath. What little light that still reached them this far down in the tunnel glistened off the silver metal.

Struck with a vision that very moment, Sage stopped. Her eyes squeezed shut; she backed to the wall in the side and leaned against it. She'd never felt such searing pain while having a vision, and she bent over, her hand at her head. Connor had stopped, and had rushed to her side concerned about what was going on. She could do nothing but groan in pain as the images it her mind.

Pain. It was always about pain, and fights. Bloody death of strangers, and sometimes people she cared about. Those were the ones that hurt the most, and the ones she'd had to bear for the majority of her life. This one, was no exception. Except, in a way it was worse because it'd been years since she had seen her father or mother's deaths in a vision, had seen someone from the "old" gang die in a battle, and she'd never expected to have to see them again.

When the vision was over, the pain remained. Dulled slightly, but resounding never the less through her head. She gripped her sword tighter than before and marched down the tunnel, searching for the demon. Now, she knew that she couldn't leave even if she did kill him. Yes, he was involved in her vision, but there was something else too. Something it had brought with it that was stronger, and more evil that she could imagine. A monster that had evaded their attacks longer than this one she had followed to the past, one that she would do anything to kill.

"Sage!" Connor called out her name, for the first time since she had gotten here. She didn't stop to answer though because she knew he would follow despite whatever she said, so she continued on down the tunnel.

When she reached the clearing, the basement of the museum. She scanned the room carefully. Something was off about this room, just not right and it made her tense up. There was more than just some monster she had accidentally let go in here.

"What's going on?" Connor asked, joining her.

"I had a vision," Sage clarified, "Another power of mine." Looking around she continued, "It's in here, but there's something else. I can feel it."

"So can I," Connor told her. The two stood side by side, scanning the room. A shadowed figure, shaped like a tiger launched itself at them, and Sage barely had enough time to react. Ducking down low, her sword shot up and pierced the tiger-shaped shadow behind its hide leg.

A growl rumbled through the room as the shadow hit the ground, and morphed into a tall, more human looking demon. Midnight black in color with long, red claws extending from its fingers. It bared its teeth at her and then reached back, and pulled out a double-sided sword.

"Sage..." Connor trailed, and Sage turned her head, just barely to look at her brother.

"Don't worry big brother," she said, and immediately regretted saying those words, regretted revealing one of her biggest secrets, "I'll take care of myself."

"Big brother?" Connor raised a curious brow, but she ignored him. She didn't have the time to answer or explain because the demon had launched itself at her. Putting her sword up in defense, she fended off the demon's own.

Recovering from the shock of his discover, Connor leapt into battle swinging his own battle axe at one of the demon's long, hideous clawed arms. It remained lodged in the shoulder blade a moment, in between the dark metallic armor it wore, and Connor had to work to push through before the arm fell limply to the ground, sword and all.

Screeching in pain, the demon whirled around and hit Connor, sending him flying into a cluttered corner or the room. Sage took the demon's being distracted by Connor for advantage, and kicked the demon square in the chest, twirling her sword around she moved into finish what she had came to do by killing the demon.

A strange power overcame her, and Sage felt her arms grow heavy. Struggling to keep a hold of the sword. She refused to let whatever it was hold her back, make her lose. Gritting her teeth, Sage mumbled a spell she had learnt long ago to ward off whatever magical attack was being forced on her. In a moment, she felt normal again. While it was going on though, she had taken her attention off the demon, and that had given it back its advantage.

Its remaining arm had retrieved its sword and it was moving in to hit Sage, quickly she moved but the sword struck her on her side. She squeezed her eyes shut in pain, and took a deep breath. One little wound couldn't keep her down, it never had before, and she certainly wasn't going to let it now.

"Give up girl," a voice boomed, and this time she knew it wasn't the demon she fought now. It was that other power she had sensed the minute she stepped into the room, the minute she had gotten her vision. "You're never going to win, not in this time, and not in your own!"

"What me," she growled, but suddenly the world began to spin, as the demon struck her hard across the face. She fell to the ground, and looked up as it lifted its sword. Bringing it down fast, she tried to crawl out of the way. This time, it struck her in the stomach before something tackled the demon out of the way.

It was Connor, and he had rushed to her side within seconds. She was loosing blood, lots of blood. "Don't tell," she whispered, "Don't tell anyone."

"Fine," Connor nodded.

"Bad things are coming," she mumbled, feeling herself lose grip of the conscious world, "Bad, bad things, and a big, big fight." Then, she gave way to unconsciousness.