I'm finally done! I can't believe it! WAA-HOO!!!!!! I put a lot of
hard work into this, so please tell me what you think! If you aren't
planning to send feedback read this: I worked on this for days. I
poured my heart and soul into this. It's my baby. I am 14 years
old, and I need encouragement for me to keep writing! Think of my
future!! Do you want me to be a successful writer, or not? You do
know that most geniuses are discovered at an early age, look at
Motzart! Now, help a young girl discover her genius, send feedback!
DISCLAIMER: I am not Joss, though I strive to have a job like his
someday. I own nothing but the plot. Buffy, Angel, etc. belong to Mutant Enemy, etc. Duncan,
Methos, etc. belong to the creators and producers of Highlander: the Series. Please don't
sue!
TIME LINE: Future(BtVS), before Richie died in Highlander. The
sequel to "The Perfect Ending" by . . . me!
SYNOPSIS: Buffy, Angel, and the rest of the gang are introduced to
the world of Immortals, and are forced to fight a being that straddles the line between vampires
and Immortals.
DISTRIBUTION: Use Faith's mantra: want, take, have.
AUTHORS NOTES: I am horrible at writing fights, so please excuse this
poor attempt at action! Also, this is not one of my best writings, but I needed to get this
idea onto paper. Special thanks
to Ceit, my "temporary guardian," for putting up with my
strangeness! =^}
FEEDBACK: I need it as much as I need my daily dose of Angel!
(Amazing, I know, but I'm
addicted)
RATING: Probably PG or PG-13.
Giles was sitting in his home reading one of his books, when something caught his eye. On the opposite page there was a prophecy about two circles joining to defeat a being that both circles are forced to fight. Giles knew that one of the circles was Buffy and her friends, but he couldn't think of whom the other circle consisted of. He would have to call his friend, Joe Dawson.
Joe was visibly surprised when he picked up the telephone to be greeted by the voice of Rupert Giles.
Rupert and Joe had played together in clubs while they were both training to become Watchers (Both were training in England, but at different academies), but they hadn't talked since then. Back then, they hadn't told each other what their respective Watcher's Councils were about, but they knew that they both dealt with the supernatural. Because of this, Joe was not surprised when Rupert wanted some help with a prophecy.
Though Joe was not an expert on prophecies, he knew someone who was. He told Rupert to come to Paris ASAP, gave him the address, and hung up the phone. Now all he had to do was find and assemble Amanda, Duncan, Richie, and Methos. They were going to repay him for all the favors he's done for them.
Giles quickly booked five tickets to Paris, and called the, as Xander would say, original Scooby Gang. When they all arrived, Giles explained the prophecy, and told them that they were going to Paris to meet an old friend of his. After he said this, Xander said, "Is this friend anything like Ethan Rayne? If so, I'm staying here. I, for one, am not up to facing another evil sorcerer- guy."
Giles explained to him that, "Joe Dawson is not evil. He and I played in clubs together when we were training to be Watchers. Before you even ask, he's a different kind of Watcher. I'm sure he will explain once we get there."
Buffy and Angel were very happy. They knew that this was the closest thing to a honeymoon that they were going to get. They were going to enjoy it, even if they have to fight some unstoppable evil.
Three hours later, they were airborne. Angel had never flown before, so, naturally, he was nervous. With much coaxing from Buffy, Angel finally calmed down. It took five hours just to get to New York. By then, Xander and Willow were beginning to miss their significant others.
While they were waiting for their connecting flight to Paris, Willow wrote Oz a postcard, and mailed it to him, and Xander did the same for Anya. Giles phoned Joe again, and Buffy and Angel had mysteriously disappeared, only to reappear ten minutes later, a little ruffled. No one questioned where they had gone or what they did; they didn't have time to. As soon as the couple returned, their flight called for them to board.
Once they were in the air, and over the Atlantic, the attendant announced the in-flight movies. Because it was such a long flight, they would be showing three movies: "Interview with a Vampire," "Hocus Pocus," and "An American Werewolf in Paris." The entire group had to suppress a snicker, even Giles. Xander, of course, wise- cracked. "It's like they knew we were coming!", he joked.
During "Interview with a Vampire," Angel, Buffy, Willow, and Xander were comparing fact to fiction. Then near the end of the movie, Buffy exclaimed, "That's Kirsten Dunst! She's in that new cheerleader movie, "Bring It On," with that actress who looks a little like Faith! I so want to see that movie!" Willow concurred with her, and they agreed to see it when they got back to Sunnydale. Giles was reading one of his books the whole flight, of course.
After the movies were done, everyone decided to take naps. When they woke up, there was only three hours left of their twelve-hour flight. During that time, Angel did his best to teach Xander French. It was very lucky that Willow and Buffy took French in high school. It was hard enough to try and teach Xander; after about an hour and a half, he gave up, and decided to spend the rest of the time with his beloved Buffy.
When the plane finally touched down, everyone was relieved to stretch their legs, and walk around. As they were exiting the terminal, they came to the area where all the people with signs were standing. After searching for a moment, Giles spotted Joe holding a sign that read: "Rupert Giles & friends". Giles quickly herded the group to where Joe was standing with a group of people he didn't know.
Joe introduced Duncan Macleod, Amanda DuPres, Richie Ryan, and Adam Pierson. In turn, Giles introduced Buffy Summers and her husband Angel, Willow Rosenberg, and Xander Harris. They split into two groups; Buffy and Angel would be staying with Duncan and Amanda on his barge, and Giles, Willow, and Xander would stay with Joe at his place. Adam said that he'd meet up with "Macleod" later, and left.
After everyone had settled in and unpacked, they all met up at Joe's for dinner, and explanations. Dinner was full of awkward silences and small talk.
Afterwards, the two groups sat and waited for someone to start talking. Both Watchers were hesitant, but then Giles said, "Uh, Joe, wh-why don't you explain about your Council, then I will explain about mine. After that we can delve into our backgrounds a little further."
"Okay. I am part of a Watchers Council that observes but never interferes. We watch Immortals, a group of beings that cannot die. Wait, let me rephrase that, they die, but they don't stay dead. The only way to really kill an Immortal is decapitation. I don't exactly follow the rules of being a watcher. I have interfered, heck, I'm friends with a few Immortals. I own Le Blues Bar here, and Joe's in Seacouver."
Now, it was Giles' turn, "I was part of a Watchers Council that trains the Slayer, er, Slayers. Into every generation, a Slayer is born. One born with the strength and skill to fight the vampires, to stop the spread of evil."
"Blah, blah, blah. Yep kiddies, vampires are real. Explain to them, Giles, but try to shorten it, we don't have forever," Xander said, and shot a look at Angel, "anymore."
A frustrated Giles continued, "Vampires, demons, any of the things you told yourself couldn't be real are. The Slayer fights them, and keeps the world safe."
"Explain to us about Vampires. How are they killed? How are they made?", interjected Amanda.
"Killing a vampire requires direct sunlight, decapitation, or a stake through the heart. To make a vampire, a vampire must suck the blood of a human, and then one must suck the blood of the vampire. If a vampire just sucks one's blood, and stops in time, the only effect is blood loss." At this part, Buffy's hand instinctively went to the scar on her neck. Angel saw this and felt a pang of guilt, but brought his hand up over Buffy's. Now it was time for Buffy to really introduce herself.
"Geez, I feel like I'm at an AA meeting. Anyway, I'm Buffy, and I'm a Slayer. The reason I say "a" is because there are two Slayers now. About four years ago, I died, so the next Slayer was called, but I was revived, so now there are two Slayers. I was called when I was fifteen, and my first watcher was Merrick, when I was in L.A. When I moved to Sunnydale, Giles became my Watcher. But about two years ago, he was fired because the Council said he had a fatherly relationship with me. Soon after, I quit because the Council wouldn't help someone I love. So that's my story; your turn Angel."
Angel was a bit nervous; he didn't trust these people enough to tell them who he really was. "I'm Angel. I love Buffy, and have known about her being the slayer since she was called. My family is Irish, and I'm glad to be back in Europe."
Buffy wasn't a bit surprised that that was all Angel revealed about his past. After all, he had just met these people.
Willow and Xander both said that they were Buffy's friends who tried to help her with the slaying.
Willow also added that she was a witch, very proud of her powers. Duncan, Amanda, and Richie told the group that they were Immortals. Adam simply said that he was a friend of "Macleod's".
Buffy found it kind of odd that all of Duncan's friends called him by his last name, but then remembered that they do the same to Giles. Now, they were all trying to decipher some fine print about the prophecy. It was in a foreign language that Giles didn't know. Adam and Angel were selected to try to figure out the fine print, while the others talked among themselves.
Angel couldn't believe how stubborn Adam was. Angel knew that the fine print was Romany, while Adam insisted that it was Avestan, a language that was dead even before Angel was born. Both men were getting so riled up they were letting things slip that they would regret.
Angel started shouting in Gaelic, and Adam was responding in Gaelic.
Angel was so mad he shouted, "I was cursed in that language, I would hope that I knew it when I saw it!"
Adam then responded, "I helped invent Avestan. Don't tell me that's not Avestan!" They both stopped, and, in English, they said, in unison, "What are you talking about?"
"What do you mean "cursed"?", asked Adam.
Angel sighed, and started to explain himself, "My historical name is Angelus, the one with the angelic face. I was born in 1727 in Galway, Ireland. In 1753, I was turned into a vampire. After a hundred and forty-five years of wreaking havoc as the Scourge of Europe, I was cursed with a soul by the Kalderash gypsies after feeding of a favorite of their clan."
"When you become a vampire, the demon takes your body, but it doesn't get your soul. That's gone. No conscience, no remorse . . . it's an easy way to live," Buffy added.
Angel smiled, remembering that night long ago, but then turned somber, "You have no idea what it's like to have done the things I've done, and to care."
Amazingly enough, Adam didn't believe him. He said, "You were out in the sun. How could you possibly be a vampire?"
That was the last straw for Angel. After eighteen hours in airports and airplanes, all the memories of his days as the Scourge of Europe washing over him, and putting up with this Adam character, he snapped. He launched himself at Adam, with his vampiric visage in full view. Buffy came up to him and tried to calm him down, but all he did was back off. Then, he reached up and touched his face. He hadn't realized he could still go into his game face. "Well, I guess this falls under vampiric reflexes," he thought. His face couldn't return to normal yet. The adrenaline was still pumping through his veins. He took this chance to use himself as a visual aid. He went up to the Immortals and explained that "This is what a vampire looks like. About a month ago, Buffy and I stopped the End of Days. In doing so, I fulfilled my destiny, which was laid out for me in a prophecy. As reward for all of our work as Warriors, I was given my humanity, so we could finally be together. As a favor to a friend of mine, the Oracles let me keep my vampiric strength and reflexes. That is why I was able to be in the sun, and have a heartbeat." Then, with his normal, handsome features, he turned to Adam, "Your turn," and waited patiently for his story.
"Fine. My name is Methos. I am the oldest living Immortal, at five thousand plus," an exasperated Methos finally stated.
After that, they agreed that it was Avestan. It was determined that the fine print was a spell that both circles had to recite once joined together.
On the other side of town, an Immortal was returning from the market when she was ambushed by a group of vampires who turned her. An hour later, the newbie rose, with the power of an Immortal vampire. With all that power, she didn't want just anything to eat. No, Serenity was smart. She knew that with all her power, the only thing to do would be to get rid of the Slayer that killed her brethren, once and for all.
A clash of swords. Lightning. Maniacal laughter. A vampire that couldn't die. "No!"
Buffy woke with a start, and Angel was by her side in an instant.
"Do you know how much I dislike the "prophetic dreams" attribute of being a Slayer?" Buffy remarked.
"What did you see?" Angel asked.
"Basically the same stuff we already know: Immortal vampire, yadda-yadda-yadda. But, now we know who we are fighting. The vampire was once an Immortal named Serenity, and she's gunning for me," explained Buffy, then asked "Should we tell Giles?"
"No, he couldn't help with this dream. He doesn't know any Immortals. We should ask the expert that is our host."
An hour later, when Duncan and Amanda were up, Buffy and Angel explained her dream, and asked Duncan if he knew this Serenity.
"Yes, I do, er, did. She was a friend of mine. About ten years ago, I was her teacher. She had always said that she was somewhat clairvoyant, so I wasn't surprised that she left saying something about making sure a whistler did his job. I never figured out why Serenity was so worried about a whistler?"
"Could she have meant Whistler?" Angel asked Buffy.
Buffy shrugged, and then turned to Duncan, "When did she leave?" "I guess it was in `95 or `96," he replied. "That would be a yes," Angel thought.
"We should regroup while the sun's up. Then, we can split up into research and sparring teams," Buffy said.
Buffy and Angel were sparring, while the rest of the group was researching anything they could find about Immortal vampires. Well, the Slayerettes were researching. The others were watching Buffy and Angel in awe. They had never seen two people more of a match for each other. Buffy and Angel were not just fighting, they were moving together so well, it seemed like they were dancing.
Once they were done, they each called an Immortal to spar with. Buffy called Amanda, and Angel asked Duncan to join him. Both Buffy and Angel decided to go easy on their sparring mate. Even so, the two Immortals were down in an instant. Then they called Richie and Methos.
Angel took this opportunity to see how cocky Methos really was. "So, Methos, want me to take it easy on you?" Angel asked with a lopsided grin. Of course, Methos didn't tell him to take it easy on him, but what Angel wasn't expecting was that Methos was a very skilled fighter. He blocked most of Angel's punches and kicks, but, in the end, Angel had the upper hand.
Just as Buffy and Angel were about to start sparring again, Willow called out, "Hey, I think I found something." Everyone gathered around Willow as she read the text aloud, "The one who is both an Immortal and a vampire shall rise soon after the End of Days. Though her name contradicts her nature, she will bring chaos to order, evil to good, and darkness to light. The ones who will stop her span many generations. They will be the best Warriors the world has ever seen. Though not all are warriors of strength, they are all Warriors. Mind, body, and soul will be joined through friendship, new and old. Once the Immortal vampire has been met, the two circles must join to stop her." Willow paused, and searched the page again,
"That's it." "Okay, let's recap," Xander stated, "Immortal vampire named Serenity; two circles-Scooby Gang and Old Guys-gotta join and say a spell; spell makes the bad woman go away. Am I right?"
"Precisely. Once again, your skills at condensing long, complicated prophecies into one sentence astounds me," Giles retorted.
"I take it he does that a lot?" Methos asked Willow. Willow just smiled and nodded.
"She's here!" exclaimed Amanda. "How can you tell?" Giles asked.
"We can feel other Immortals when they are near," explained Methos.
Everyone was ready to say the spell as soon as Serenity was in sight. Two Watchers, four Immortals, a Slayer, an ex- vampire, a witch, and a Xander were standing in a circle waiting for their enemy to materialize. They stood like that for about ten minutes before the ceiling gave way, and their adversary dropped into the middle of their circle. They all seemed dumbfounded that she just fell into their laps, literally. The exception was Willow; as soon as Serenity landed, she launched into reciting the spell. Not missing many beats, the rest of the group started chanting. Everyone was only paying attention to the magical ambience that was beginning to thicken around them; no one was taking note as to what was happening to Serenity. Once they had finished the spell, everyone gingerly opened their eyes. When they saw that there was no longer a being there, they became wary. They were looking for any chance that Serenity had made it out alive. While that was going on, Buffy found all the evidence she needed. In the middle of the floor was a large pile of ashes that had not been there before.
Relieved that the fight was over, everyone returned to Joe's for a celebration dinner. The meal was wonderful; they had ordered take-out from a great Italian place. After dinner, Giles called the airlines and booked tickets home. Once he was done, he came to tell Willow, Xander, Buffy, and Angel when they were leaving.
Giles said, with a subtle smile on his face, "I have good news; I was just on the phone with the airlines, and I booked our tickets home. We will be leaving in a week. Will that be enough time for sightseeing? Oh, I have already called Spike and Cordelia to let them know that they would be taking over the slaying for the next week."
Buffy and Angel were ecstatic; they would have a real honeymoon. Buffy was already planning an itinerary for the week: the Eiffel Tower on Monday, Champs-Elysees on Tuesday, Notre-Dame and shopping on Wednesday, the Louvre on Thursday, the Arc de Triomphe and a Sienne River cruise on Friday, and then, some quality time with Angel.
Everyone had a great time that week. The Eiffel Tower was great; they spent the whole day there and ate dinner and lunch at the restaurants on the tower. The Champs-Elysees and Notre-Dame were beautiful, and shopping was great. The Louvre was the wonderful, thanks to Angel explaining the pieces to the rest of the group. He was better than the audio tour. On Friday, everyone was getting tired, so the river cruise was perfect. It was very relaxing, and they got to see the beautiful sights from different angles. On Friday, everyone was just chilling, except for Buffy and Angel, who had taken one of Xander's snide remarks to heart and gotten a room.
When it came time to say goodbye, no one wanted to go, but they knew they had to. The Scooby Gang bid their farewells to their new friends, and embarked on the most heinous duty imaginable: a flight from Paris to Sunnydale.
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