Prologue

In a dark, silent abyss, three figures sat around a large basin of water. Millions of images flittered in and out of the ripples, not one staying longer than any of the others. A hand, covered by the black sleeve of the robe the figure wore, reached forward until fingertips barely brushed the top of the pool. Ripples moved outward from the chaste touch. A scene swam into focus and voices filled the silence.

"Buffy, hey!" a bubbly redhead greets as she meets up with a blonde.

"Oh, boy am I glad to see you," the blonde mutters in relief. They continue walking, but their voices are nonexistent the next time their mouths move.

A rather young, feminine voice drifted through the air. It came from one of the other figures. This one is dressed in a white robe.

"Their destinies are forever entwined. Where the Slayer goes, the witch will follow."

"Yes." The voice that replied is somewhat more mature. A hand cloaked by a grey sleeve passes over the basin and sound is once again given to the scene within.

"Ooh, boyfriend! My on-campus boyfriend," the redhead says excitedly as a young man approaches the two. He kisses the redhead, while the blonde discreetly looks away.

"Oh no, I forgot to pick mine up. Line's probably really long there, too," the blonde comments, trying for humor.

"But these are the two we are here to debate," the black figure said in a mature voice that held a world of wisdom. It motions to the redhead and her boyfriend, and the sleeve of its robe falls back to reveal an aged hand.

"Their love is like that of the Slayer and the Souled Vampire," the young voice began. "But I do not feel it is fair for it to end the same way."

"Their destinies have already been mapped out, my child."

The grey figure was silent through this exchange, thinking to itself. Finally, it pointed out, "We have altered the destinies of mortals before."

The white figure nodded its head once. "We can surely alter the destinies of these two."

"You have taken a liking to them," the black figure accused.

The white figure shifted, as if it were embarrassed. "I cannot deny it."

The black figure heaved a deep sigh. "And you encourage her?"

The grey figure made a movement as if to shrug. "We are not supposed to become attached to any one mortal, this I know," it began. "But to destroy one pair of star-crossed lovers was hard enough. I do not think it fair to destroy another."

"And how do you propose we carry out this change?" The question was directed at the white figure.

The hand of a child slipped out of the white sleeve to gently touch the top of the pool, mirroring the black figure's movements from earlier. Ripples distorted the scene before them. The frozen image of a young woman with dark brown eyes and black curls that stop just below her ears filled the pool.

"She has the ability to see the future. Slipping her a vision of what is to come will provide a way for their destinies to be altered."

The black figure gave a brief nod. "So be it," it responded. "We will give the witch and the werewolf what we could not the Slayer and the Souled Vampire."

Once again, it reached out and brushed its fingertips against the surface of the pool. The image of the young woman was surrounded by a soft blue light for a second or two. Then ripples once again spread through the pool from those fingertips and the blue light faded. The image of the girl vanished, giving way to the millions of images that flittered through the ripples once more.

I know the title is lame, but it's what my brain came up with. Also, I'm aware that the italisized references to 'The Freshman' are in present tense while the rest of the story is in past tense. That was done on purpose. Obviously, this story will take place starting at the beginning of Season Four. At some point, not gonna say when, it will become an AU. That's all I'm saying for now. Want to read more? All you gotta do is click the lovely button that has the words 'Review this Story/Chapter' and tell me so. Constructive criticism is welcome. Flames are not. Ciao!