a little angsty fic featuring Methos and Willow and some other good characters from BtVS and Highlander.

a Will for Miracles

Chapter 1

"Of course… don't worry… yes… Buffy, don't be silly… relax… I'll be fine. What can happen to me in a day time in a crowded place?" Willow was sitting in dimmed bar and tried hard to persuade her best friend not to worry. It's good that Buffy didn't know that bar was half empty. "I'll call you as soon as I finish. I promise. Say 'hi' to Dawn."

Willow sighed and looked at her wristwatch. 5.30. Person she's waiting for was late. "Not good, definitely not good." She muttered. It was a very important meeting, Giles expected her to get a rare manuscript, which can be somehow connected to Hellmouth in Los Angeles. And to Angel and Buffy, who kept it under control. For now. Surprisingly easy they united their force and now, having a bunch of young slayers, tried to prevent "second Sunnydale". Giles used his old connections and somehow managed to find the trail of mysterious manuscript. He hoped it'll reveal a way to win without losing friends and allies. But there can't be such a wonderful way, that's what Willow thought. They were never lucky enough to keep everybody alive. She believed in magic but not in miracles. She was incredibly powerful. She could do things other people couldn't even imagine. And she did it willingly. Each spell she casted, she casted with all her soul. Magic was getting her back, slowly and irreversibly. Buffy didn't notice much because of Angel and Dawn and all that new beginning they had. Willow was glad for her, Buffy suffered a lot and now it's time for her to be happy. Even with all those demons, vampires and fights she got some kind of a family back. And that was good. And Willow needed the book to keep it that way.

"Could you please…" she waved to a graying man behind the bar counter.

"One more coffee?" he smiled. "It'll be the fourth, you sure you want it?"

"I'm a coffeeholic, so it won't do any harm. And I'm looking forward a long flight, and being sleepy is what I hate while I'm on plane. I hope I won't miss it because of some not punctual, lazy or busy or sclerotic or …"

"Before you finish the sentence, I would like to say I'm really sorry for being late." A soft voice came from behind her back. "Normally I'm never late, when such a beautiful lady is waiting, but today some circumstances tried to prevent me from meeting you."

Willow turned to face the owner of that voice, and was pretty surprised to see a man in his late thirties smiling calmly at her. Giles sail that his acquaintance spent pretty much time studying occult sciences.

"Are you…"

"Adam. It's nice to meet you, Miss Rosenberg"

"It's actually Willow. Willow is fine." He had a gorgeous nose and sadly smiling chocolate eyes. 'stop staring at him, Rosenberg' she thought. "Have you got a thing Giles asked you about? Can I have a look at it? It's nice to meet you too, Adam."

"Joe, could you…" Barman just nodded and got a bottle of beer. Willow was excited to see the manuscript, but Adam wasn't hurrying to give it to her.

"So, how do you like Seacover so far? Have you seen our new memorial or ruins of old Church. According to what Rupert told me about you, you would like it. May be we could go there sometime. For example now?"

Willow blushed a little. This Adam guy was somehow weird, her witch powers sensed in him a kind of… hidden mystery. Willow liked other people's mysteries. It' held her from going too deep in her own.

But he was obviously nervous. Willow wanted to ask what's wrong, but the next second somebody grabbed Adam's shoulder and sharply turned him.

"What do you think, you can hide from me? I'll get you wherever you are. Now, give me that damned paper and I'll disappear from your life. Otherwise you'll curse the day you've met William the Bloody!"

"SPIKE!" Willow dropper her bag and screamed.