What Should Have Been

by kathypg

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. They belong to Joss Whedon. Only the rewrite of some BtVS stories belong to me.

Chapter 1

Meeting an Old Acquaintance

Buffy walked down Revello Drive. She had just finished patrol and wanted nothing more than to take a bubble bath and fall into her nice soft bed. As she walked up to her front porch she could see that she had a visitor making himself at home. Just great I don't want to deal with him she thought. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

Whistler took several steps toward her and replied "Came to have a little chat."

"Well the last time we had a chat, I ended up sending my boyfriend to hell" she replied bitterly.

He looked down at his feet and said "Sorry kid it couldn't be helped." She turned her back on him and started to enter her house. "Hey kid don't you even what to know why I came?" She stopped but didn't turn to look at him.

"It's always games with you people. Who do I have to kill this time?" she stated with sadness in her voice.

"It's a long story maybe you could invite me in for coffee" replied Whistler. She didn't say a word but opened door and walked in leaving it open for him to follow. He entered her home and shut the door behind him. He followed her into the kitchen and she started to make coffee without saying a word. She gestured for him to take a seat.

"Do you take cream or sugar?" she asked as she handed him his coffee.

"Black is fine." He took several sips and look up at the young woman in front of him. "I guess I should start the telling." She nodded but remained silent. "You know how there are alternate universes? If I remember you had some experience with a vampire Willow from one of them."

"It sounds like you have been keeping tabs on us" she replied flippantly.

"I'll take that as a yes to knowing that alternate universes exist. As far as the tabs, I hear things. You must also realize that the Powers That Be do not know exactly what the future holds. They have probabilities and the knowledge of many seers and prophecies" he stated while staring into his coffee.

"If you're here to tell me it is prophesied that I die, been there done that twice."

He shook his head and answered "No nothing like that kid. Like I told you it is a story. It is about Buffy, but it isn't your story."

"Ha" replied Buffy with a confused look on her face.

"Alternate universe, alternate Buffy. Is it making sense now?" he stated while looking into her sad hazel eyes.

A look of contempt came over Buffy's face as she jumped out of her chair and started to pace around the room. Whistler watched the girl and wondered what was going through her mind but opted to let her tell him in her own good time. She stopped in front of him. She had one hand on her hip and the other one on the kitchen island. With her most resolved Buffy face she looked him in the eyes and said, "So you're here to compare me the alternate universe Buffy. What can she do, save the World with one hand and cook up gourmet dinners with the other, while using her toes to balance the checkbook and dazzle her employers at her high paying job?"

She continued to stare at Whistler. He was dumbfounded, but finally snapped out of it and told her "No Buffy, I'm here to tell you how I messed up your life."

TBC