Notes: Okay, a few things before we begin. Richie is not dead. It never
happened! Not many Btvs spoilers, just anytime AFTER "The Freshmen" when we
learn of Xander's roadtrip to all 50 states (except for Hawaii, we assume),
and any time of Highlander. Riley isn't in this though, simply because I
refuse to give the Initiative any "paper" time. Thank ye for reading..
"The night is young and we live forever." He proclaimed, facing two- dozen of his faithful. "They're out there, waiting for us. They're looking for us too, like we are for them. Tonight is another chance, the first we have in this great city."
There was a murmuring and a few people nodded.
"Let's get out there." He said, and raised his glass with a wide smile like a motivational speaker. The twenty-four raised theirs and together they drank. Then they disbanded, each walking out the door single file and separating like ants scattering from a sugar cube once the light was turned on. Elisa stepped outside and breathed in the night air. A man stood beside her.
"I know it's the night." She said.
"You say that about every night." The man replied, smirking.
She frowned. "But this night is different."
"How?"
"Someone new is here." She said. She cocked her head like a wolf hearing howling in the distance from another pack. "Someone new."
"Come on." The man said, taking her by the arm.
***
Duncan took another sip from his glass. Joe was even busier than usual, something that didn't stop Methos from walking in and drinking half the bar. He had retreated only a few minutes ago, possibly to end up in Duncan's apartment again, drinking beer.
He gave another man a shot of vodka and gave a woman a bottle of beer. On the opposite end of the bar, David, his new employee, was working his hardest to accommodate the onslaught of people.
"So how's life been, MacLeod?" Joe asked, taking a break.
"Very quiet." Duncan smiled. It was true, no new conflict in at least a few weeks. It seemed almost suspicious, but Duncan and Joe chalked it up to good luck.
There was a loud shattering and a small group dispersed. Joe nodded to David and he grabbed a dustpan and broom to scoop up the broken glass.
"A toast to peace." Joe said, pouring himself a shot. They raised their glasses. As Duncan swallowed his, he was overcome with the sneaking suspicion that there was someone else in the room. He turned on his stool and Joe frowned. The sudden tenseness in the muscles, the acute sense of awareness, and especially the darting of the eyes as they scanned the crowd only meant one thing.there was another immortal.
Joe looked around and from his memory, there wasn't an immortal he recognized. The door opened and a man walked in. Joe considered carding him, since he didn't even look like he was old enough to drink. His eyes darted about also, searching. He spotted Duncan. Frowning, he shook his head and left the bar.
Duncan jumped off the stool and left the bar without a word. Confident he would talk about it later, Joe didn't leave his bar.
Outside, Duncan drew his sword and followed his senses. He was drawn into an alley-why do all things seem to lead to alleys? Looking around, he felt his senses increase, then decrease. He heard a rustling a few meters away and approached the noise.
"Who are you?" He shouted into the night. The noise from Joe's bar drowned out any possibility that anyone outside of the alley could hear him.
No answer came. "Who are you? I don't want to fight." Duncan said. With his experience, those who seek him out to claim his head boldly approach him. The way the immortal walked in, saw Duncan, and left meant he didn't want confrontation.
Someone walked out. Seeing only a silhouette, Duncan squinted.
"Who are you?" He repeated.
"Who are you?" The other man asked.
"I'm Duncan MacLeod." He called out. "It's your turn."
The light from a partially spray-painted window shone down on the damp street. The man's shadow elongated forward, stretching and then disappearing in the shadows.
"All right. I'm Xander Harris." He said.
Duncan pondered. He had never heard of the name.
"Friend or foe?" Xander asked. He had heard of Duncan MacLeod before, and if the reputation was right, he hoped this Duncan would say 'friend', because he really needed one right about then. Sunnydale.it was all right and all, but a lot of things had happened. Things he couldn't tell people.
"Well, Mr. Harris." Duncan sheathed his sword. "Let's talk."
***
"So you've only been dead-" He used the word 'dead' lightly. "For two years?"
Xander nodded. He took a sip from the beer bottle Duncan had handed him.
"Who was your teacher?" He asked.
Xander shook his head. "I live on the Hellmouth. Every three blocks is holy ground and there are more undead than living."
Duncan smiled. "Exactly why we stay away from it."
"But it's my home. I live there. Who knew I'd end up becoming allergic to Sunnydale? I never learned much about swords, which is why I came looking for you." Xander's voice became quiet. "I heard about the great Duncan MacLeod and I decided that it was about time I knew how to defend myself."
"Does anyone else know about your situation?" Duncan asked him.
".no." Xander said slowly. "Not even my fiancé." He said, a hint of regret in his voice.
"I wish I could say that you have all the time in the world now, but the truth is that while you will live forever, your fiancé will not." Duncan sat down across from Xander. Surprisingly, Methos was not in the apartment when they walked inside. "I really can't say whether it hurts more to tell her what you are, or not do it." He remembered all the people he had loved, told, and even kept secrets from. Those who faded into history, only alive in his memories. Some he wished he could tell before anything had happened. But he was happy that he had told Tessa, someone he could truly depend on.
"I want to tell Anya. But she's-she's been worried before about her own mortality. Now, I think confronted with the idea that her husband is immortal only makes it worse." He didn't know whether she'd react in the worst way.
"And your friends?"
"Friends. I need them."
"I understand." Duncan said. He thought of Richie, Joe, even Methos. All were a part of his family. Among those he had loved and lost, he had gained many more. Amanda became a lover and a friend, someone he was always wary of, but who would never betray him. Joe, a confidant in everything and always a Watcher first, but became something more to him. Richie-his young protégée, who never really had a family until he met MacLeod. And Methos, the double agent. Playing both sides of the Watcher/Immortal spectrum as Adam Pierson, he didn't want trouble, but it followed him everywhere. And with trouble, Duncan found someone he could gain direction and wisdom from, even if it was at the expense of a monthly beer budget.
"What I can offer in advice is if you want to be trained, you've found me. My dojo is welcome." He said. "Aren't your friends going to be concerned about you?"
"Yeah, I actually left Anya in a bad mood. She didn't know why I had to go up to Seacouver. I told her I had a meeting up there with a boss from work." Xander laughed, but it came out choked. "The irony is that dead men don't work."
"Where you come from, dead men don't walk out of graves either." Duncan said. He shook his head in disbelief. "There's some irony."
"Do Immortals know about the Hellmouth?" Xander asked, immediately feeling foolish, since the question was a bit redundant. Duncan obviously knew about it.
Duncan's brow furrowed in thought. "Some of us do." He said. "Most of us know to stay away from it, but the Hellmouth is a dangerous place."
"No kidding."
"I'm serious. I know you've had your share of sights in Sunnydale, but things are more dangerous now, especially since vampires can sense you. You're no longer quite human, Xander. Demons can sense you, not like Immortals can, but they know you're not the average human and they might come after you. After you learn to defend yourself with a sword, you'll be able to handle them much more, but the best defense is to just not attract them in the first place."
"Really? Your solution is to avoid them?" Xander asked. "I always thought that you guys liked to rush into the midst of danger."
"Some of us are headhunters. Only in it for the quickening. Many of us are regular people, living an everyday life, only extended."
"Yeah, by hundreds of years." Xander said, sighing. He ran a hand through his dark hair. He was just confused. Not necessarily about the concept of immortality, even though it was still mind boggling, but more at the concept that his life had changed and he had no ability to tell anyone. No physical capability to get the words out to tell his friends, his only family, that he was in fact immortal now.
"You're wondering what to tell your friends." Duncan guessed. Xander looked up and his eyes sad a solemn yes. "As I said, there's a good side and a bad side. But from what I know, you've known these people for a very long time. You'll have time, but they won't. If they are the people you describe them to be, they'll love you no matter how long you live or what you keep hidden in your coat."
***
Richie Ryan stopped his motorcycle outside MacLeod's apartment and took his helmet off. Running a hand through his short cropped hair, he tucked his helmet under his arm and started to enter the building. On his way in, his alarm went off. His eyes went wide and he looked up at an equally surprised man, about his age. He looked weary and when he passed, he just nodded and Richie caught the eye of MacLeod, who was standing on the second flight of stairs.
"Who was he?" Richie asked as he closed the door behind him.
"Xander Harris. He's a new Immortal." Duncan said, feeling slightly inadequate at saying he was new. He had after all, been immortal for two years.
"Am I going to get a sidekick?" Richie joked.
Duncan smiled. "He's looking for direction in life, and he's suddenly faced with the prospect that he has more than one."
Richie nodded. "That sounds familiar. Where's he from?" He asked.
"Sunnydale, California."
Richie frowned. It seemed familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on where he had heard the name from.
"I should explain. Sunnydale is a Hellmouth. It's a center of convergence for basically anything evil. Should the apocalypse come, it'd be there."
"Apocalypse? Like the end of the game?" Richie asked.
"No, the apocalypse as in the end of the world and everything in it." Duncan said, nodding. "I'm planning on training him. Otherwise, who would? He hasn't told his friends yet."
"I bet they'll flip." Richie said.
Xander walked down the cold street, his hands in his pockets. His body felt sore and he breathed in harsh freezing air. But he was suddenly hit with the realization that he didn't mind. He didn't mind because it wouldn't kill him. Nothing would. Nothing again.
"Somehow, I don't think so." Duncan said. "People down there, they've seen everything, things you never hope to see."
***
"Xander should be back this afternoon. He called this morning." Anya said excitedly. "Are we slaying anything tonight? Cause I'd like to have a nice evening."
"I'll check the to-do list, but I don't think we're scheduled for slayage." Willow said. "If anything comes up, we'll let you know."
"Well, slaying or no, we should probably get to training for today." Giles said to Buffy, who nodded. The Watcher and the Slayer disappeared into the backroom dojo and Tara focused on her book again.
"I wish he'd be back already." Anya said, pouting. "I miss him."
"Why's he in Seacouver again?" Willow asked. Xander was never really clear on why he had left.
"He said he was sent up there to talk to one of the company bosses or something." Anya said. "Maybe he'll get a promotion. Maybe they're making him an executive." Her eyes lit up.
"Has anyone seen my book of Celtic History?" Giles asked, walking out from the dojo. Buffy walked behind him with a confused expression.
"I thought you were training." Anya asked.
"We were, but Giles noticed a book missing. And we all know that books have a decreased chance of being found if we don't put up missing posters within fifteen seconds." Buffy said, nodding.
Willow shook her head. "I haven't seen it at all." She frowned. "Xander was up there about a week ago, maybe he's seen it."
Giles nodded slowly. "All right."
They retreated once more.
"I think I'll go home and make dinner." Anya said.
"But-the store." Tara said, looking around.
"Well, Giles is here. And you two aren't doing anything." She said, shrugging. "Besides, my fia-" She shut her mouth and in the process bit her tongue. She stopped. "-Boyfriend is coming home. My boyfriend is coming home." She sighed and in a feign gesture, threw her hands into the air. "Yipee!" She turned and walked out of the magic shop as Willow and Tara exchanged perplexed expressions.
***
Anya walked around the kitchen with oven mitts on her hands. She opened the oven and pulled out a pan of brownies, soft and extra fudge like Xander liked them. She put it on the counter and turned to check on her pasta. The boiling water in the pot bubbled and she opened the top as water spilled over the edge, spilling on the floor and getting on her shirt. Groaning as the hot water drenched her shirt, she put the top on the counter and lowered the flame. Walking into the bedroom for a change of clothes, she pulled out another shirt and took her wet one off. Throwing it in the hamper, she put her shirt on as she was walking towards the door and almost tripped on the trashcan that had been next to the wall.
Anya righted the tipped over trash bin and frowned. The bottom paneling in the wall was protruding slightly and she thought that the house was completely clear of oddities like these. They had made sure that nothing was sticking out or broken when they moved in. Fingering the piece of wood, she found that it slid open. She pulled it out and got on her stomach to look in. She then got back up and opened a drawer and pulled out a tiny flashlight. Putting it into the slot, she saw a book about three inches thick. She reached in and pulled it out, her hand being scratched by the wood in the process. Wiping the bit of blood from the scratch on her new shirt, she didn't seem to care. She looked at the book and scowled.
"What's this doing here?" She asked herself, as she stared at the book of Celtic History.
"The night is young and we live forever." He proclaimed, facing two- dozen of his faithful. "They're out there, waiting for us. They're looking for us too, like we are for them. Tonight is another chance, the first we have in this great city."
There was a murmuring and a few people nodded.
"Let's get out there." He said, and raised his glass with a wide smile like a motivational speaker. The twenty-four raised theirs and together they drank. Then they disbanded, each walking out the door single file and separating like ants scattering from a sugar cube once the light was turned on. Elisa stepped outside and breathed in the night air. A man stood beside her.
"I know it's the night." She said.
"You say that about every night." The man replied, smirking.
She frowned. "But this night is different."
"How?"
"Someone new is here." She said. She cocked her head like a wolf hearing howling in the distance from another pack. "Someone new."
"Come on." The man said, taking her by the arm.
***
Duncan took another sip from his glass. Joe was even busier than usual, something that didn't stop Methos from walking in and drinking half the bar. He had retreated only a few minutes ago, possibly to end up in Duncan's apartment again, drinking beer.
He gave another man a shot of vodka and gave a woman a bottle of beer. On the opposite end of the bar, David, his new employee, was working his hardest to accommodate the onslaught of people.
"So how's life been, MacLeod?" Joe asked, taking a break.
"Very quiet." Duncan smiled. It was true, no new conflict in at least a few weeks. It seemed almost suspicious, but Duncan and Joe chalked it up to good luck.
There was a loud shattering and a small group dispersed. Joe nodded to David and he grabbed a dustpan and broom to scoop up the broken glass.
"A toast to peace." Joe said, pouring himself a shot. They raised their glasses. As Duncan swallowed his, he was overcome with the sneaking suspicion that there was someone else in the room. He turned on his stool and Joe frowned. The sudden tenseness in the muscles, the acute sense of awareness, and especially the darting of the eyes as they scanned the crowd only meant one thing.there was another immortal.
Joe looked around and from his memory, there wasn't an immortal he recognized. The door opened and a man walked in. Joe considered carding him, since he didn't even look like he was old enough to drink. His eyes darted about also, searching. He spotted Duncan. Frowning, he shook his head and left the bar.
Duncan jumped off the stool and left the bar without a word. Confident he would talk about it later, Joe didn't leave his bar.
Outside, Duncan drew his sword and followed his senses. He was drawn into an alley-why do all things seem to lead to alleys? Looking around, he felt his senses increase, then decrease. He heard a rustling a few meters away and approached the noise.
"Who are you?" He shouted into the night. The noise from Joe's bar drowned out any possibility that anyone outside of the alley could hear him.
No answer came. "Who are you? I don't want to fight." Duncan said. With his experience, those who seek him out to claim his head boldly approach him. The way the immortal walked in, saw Duncan, and left meant he didn't want confrontation.
Someone walked out. Seeing only a silhouette, Duncan squinted.
"Who are you?" He repeated.
"Who are you?" The other man asked.
"I'm Duncan MacLeod." He called out. "It's your turn."
The light from a partially spray-painted window shone down on the damp street. The man's shadow elongated forward, stretching and then disappearing in the shadows.
"All right. I'm Xander Harris." He said.
Duncan pondered. He had never heard of the name.
"Friend or foe?" Xander asked. He had heard of Duncan MacLeod before, and if the reputation was right, he hoped this Duncan would say 'friend', because he really needed one right about then. Sunnydale.it was all right and all, but a lot of things had happened. Things he couldn't tell people.
"Well, Mr. Harris." Duncan sheathed his sword. "Let's talk."
***
"So you've only been dead-" He used the word 'dead' lightly. "For two years?"
Xander nodded. He took a sip from the beer bottle Duncan had handed him.
"Who was your teacher?" He asked.
Xander shook his head. "I live on the Hellmouth. Every three blocks is holy ground and there are more undead than living."
Duncan smiled. "Exactly why we stay away from it."
"But it's my home. I live there. Who knew I'd end up becoming allergic to Sunnydale? I never learned much about swords, which is why I came looking for you." Xander's voice became quiet. "I heard about the great Duncan MacLeod and I decided that it was about time I knew how to defend myself."
"Does anyone else know about your situation?" Duncan asked him.
".no." Xander said slowly. "Not even my fiancé." He said, a hint of regret in his voice.
"I wish I could say that you have all the time in the world now, but the truth is that while you will live forever, your fiancé will not." Duncan sat down across from Xander. Surprisingly, Methos was not in the apartment when they walked inside. "I really can't say whether it hurts more to tell her what you are, or not do it." He remembered all the people he had loved, told, and even kept secrets from. Those who faded into history, only alive in his memories. Some he wished he could tell before anything had happened. But he was happy that he had told Tessa, someone he could truly depend on.
"I want to tell Anya. But she's-she's been worried before about her own mortality. Now, I think confronted with the idea that her husband is immortal only makes it worse." He didn't know whether she'd react in the worst way.
"And your friends?"
"Friends. I need them."
"I understand." Duncan said. He thought of Richie, Joe, even Methos. All were a part of his family. Among those he had loved and lost, he had gained many more. Amanda became a lover and a friend, someone he was always wary of, but who would never betray him. Joe, a confidant in everything and always a Watcher first, but became something more to him. Richie-his young protégée, who never really had a family until he met MacLeod. And Methos, the double agent. Playing both sides of the Watcher/Immortal spectrum as Adam Pierson, he didn't want trouble, but it followed him everywhere. And with trouble, Duncan found someone he could gain direction and wisdom from, even if it was at the expense of a monthly beer budget.
"What I can offer in advice is if you want to be trained, you've found me. My dojo is welcome." He said. "Aren't your friends going to be concerned about you?"
"Yeah, I actually left Anya in a bad mood. She didn't know why I had to go up to Seacouver. I told her I had a meeting up there with a boss from work." Xander laughed, but it came out choked. "The irony is that dead men don't work."
"Where you come from, dead men don't walk out of graves either." Duncan said. He shook his head in disbelief. "There's some irony."
"Do Immortals know about the Hellmouth?" Xander asked, immediately feeling foolish, since the question was a bit redundant. Duncan obviously knew about it.
Duncan's brow furrowed in thought. "Some of us do." He said. "Most of us know to stay away from it, but the Hellmouth is a dangerous place."
"No kidding."
"I'm serious. I know you've had your share of sights in Sunnydale, but things are more dangerous now, especially since vampires can sense you. You're no longer quite human, Xander. Demons can sense you, not like Immortals can, but they know you're not the average human and they might come after you. After you learn to defend yourself with a sword, you'll be able to handle them much more, but the best defense is to just not attract them in the first place."
"Really? Your solution is to avoid them?" Xander asked. "I always thought that you guys liked to rush into the midst of danger."
"Some of us are headhunters. Only in it for the quickening. Many of us are regular people, living an everyday life, only extended."
"Yeah, by hundreds of years." Xander said, sighing. He ran a hand through his dark hair. He was just confused. Not necessarily about the concept of immortality, even though it was still mind boggling, but more at the concept that his life had changed and he had no ability to tell anyone. No physical capability to get the words out to tell his friends, his only family, that he was in fact immortal now.
"You're wondering what to tell your friends." Duncan guessed. Xander looked up and his eyes sad a solemn yes. "As I said, there's a good side and a bad side. But from what I know, you've known these people for a very long time. You'll have time, but they won't. If they are the people you describe them to be, they'll love you no matter how long you live or what you keep hidden in your coat."
***
Richie Ryan stopped his motorcycle outside MacLeod's apartment and took his helmet off. Running a hand through his short cropped hair, he tucked his helmet under his arm and started to enter the building. On his way in, his alarm went off. His eyes went wide and he looked up at an equally surprised man, about his age. He looked weary and when he passed, he just nodded and Richie caught the eye of MacLeod, who was standing on the second flight of stairs.
"Who was he?" Richie asked as he closed the door behind him.
"Xander Harris. He's a new Immortal." Duncan said, feeling slightly inadequate at saying he was new. He had after all, been immortal for two years.
"Am I going to get a sidekick?" Richie joked.
Duncan smiled. "He's looking for direction in life, and he's suddenly faced with the prospect that he has more than one."
Richie nodded. "That sounds familiar. Where's he from?" He asked.
"Sunnydale, California."
Richie frowned. It seemed familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on where he had heard the name from.
"I should explain. Sunnydale is a Hellmouth. It's a center of convergence for basically anything evil. Should the apocalypse come, it'd be there."
"Apocalypse? Like the end of the game?" Richie asked.
"No, the apocalypse as in the end of the world and everything in it." Duncan said, nodding. "I'm planning on training him. Otherwise, who would? He hasn't told his friends yet."
"I bet they'll flip." Richie said.
Xander walked down the cold street, his hands in his pockets. His body felt sore and he breathed in harsh freezing air. But he was suddenly hit with the realization that he didn't mind. He didn't mind because it wouldn't kill him. Nothing would. Nothing again.
"Somehow, I don't think so." Duncan said. "People down there, they've seen everything, things you never hope to see."
***
"Xander should be back this afternoon. He called this morning." Anya said excitedly. "Are we slaying anything tonight? Cause I'd like to have a nice evening."
"I'll check the to-do list, but I don't think we're scheduled for slayage." Willow said. "If anything comes up, we'll let you know."
"Well, slaying or no, we should probably get to training for today." Giles said to Buffy, who nodded. The Watcher and the Slayer disappeared into the backroom dojo and Tara focused on her book again.
"I wish he'd be back already." Anya said, pouting. "I miss him."
"Why's he in Seacouver again?" Willow asked. Xander was never really clear on why he had left.
"He said he was sent up there to talk to one of the company bosses or something." Anya said. "Maybe he'll get a promotion. Maybe they're making him an executive." Her eyes lit up.
"Has anyone seen my book of Celtic History?" Giles asked, walking out from the dojo. Buffy walked behind him with a confused expression.
"I thought you were training." Anya asked.
"We were, but Giles noticed a book missing. And we all know that books have a decreased chance of being found if we don't put up missing posters within fifteen seconds." Buffy said, nodding.
Willow shook her head. "I haven't seen it at all." She frowned. "Xander was up there about a week ago, maybe he's seen it."
Giles nodded slowly. "All right."
They retreated once more.
"I think I'll go home and make dinner." Anya said.
"But-the store." Tara said, looking around.
"Well, Giles is here. And you two aren't doing anything." She said, shrugging. "Besides, my fia-" She shut her mouth and in the process bit her tongue. She stopped. "-Boyfriend is coming home. My boyfriend is coming home." She sighed and in a feign gesture, threw her hands into the air. "Yipee!" She turned and walked out of the magic shop as Willow and Tara exchanged perplexed expressions.
***
Anya walked around the kitchen with oven mitts on her hands. She opened the oven and pulled out a pan of brownies, soft and extra fudge like Xander liked them. She put it on the counter and turned to check on her pasta. The boiling water in the pot bubbled and she opened the top as water spilled over the edge, spilling on the floor and getting on her shirt. Groaning as the hot water drenched her shirt, she put the top on the counter and lowered the flame. Walking into the bedroom for a change of clothes, she pulled out another shirt and took her wet one off. Throwing it in the hamper, she put her shirt on as she was walking towards the door and almost tripped on the trashcan that had been next to the wall.
Anya righted the tipped over trash bin and frowned. The bottom paneling in the wall was protruding slightly and she thought that the house was completely clear of oddities like these. They had made sure that nothing was sticking out or broken when they moved in. Fingering the piece of wood, she found that it slid open. She pulled it out and got on her stomach to look in. She then got back up and opened a drawer and pulled out a tiny flashlight. Putting it into the slot, she saw a book about three inches thick. She reached in and pulled it out, her hand being scratched by the wood in the process. Wiping the bit of blood from the scratch on her new shirt, she didn't seem to care. She looked at the book and scowled.
"What's this doing here?" She asked herself, as she stared at the book of Celtic History.