AUTHOR: Tisienne Blue

E-MAIL: tisatko@msn.com

DISCLAIMER: Only Serena is mine... all others belong to their respective studios/ producers/ creators...

NOTES: this is an X-over btwn. Buffy, Angel, Highlander, and Pretender... it's for Natty's b-day, and in my little world the totally suck season 5 of Highlander never happened... *****=
change of scene/ location, and ~~~~~~~~ indicates passage of time within a segment.

RATING: a hard R eventually, I think...

PAIRINGS: W/Methos; W/A; Ser/Jarod

DISTRIBUTION: fic-goddess Charity can always have my stuff... list archives and others I've said yes to, also... otherwise ask, cuz I'll say yes.

FEEDBACK: please...

DEDICATIONS: for Nat, of course... also to: AJaKe, Mystra, Ali, Slvr, and Neva... thanks for the feedback, and Myst??? Thanks for letting me talk this one out to you... also for the CO in
its entirety... you rock, my dears...*G*

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*

<< Apt 39-- 9:30 pm >>

Angel sighed as he watched the girl get into the cab from the window of their apartment. He could tell that she was angry with him, but what could he do? He wanted the girl, and he
could never have her. He turned away as the cab drove off into the night, sinking down on the couch and indulging himself in yet another brood.

All day long, while she'd been out with that Adam person, he'd done nothing but think, and he'd come to one unhappy realization. As long as he wanted her, and she wanted him,
they HAD to limit the time they spent together. It was hard enough, at night, knowing that she was laying asleep in the next room, separated from him by only one thin wall... and he
didn't know whether he'd be able to keep to a 'friend'-ly distance if he spent too much time in her all-too-enticing company. That was why he'd sent her off to the club without him. He
knew that she'd spend the evening with Adam now, and while a part of him was screaming and railing against his decision, the majority of him was... not pleased, exactly, but
accepting of the necessity. He'd never thought that he had that kind of strength within him... after all, just look at the way he'd handled the whole Buffy situation... but this was different,
he knew. The Slayer had been... less than Willow was to him, and he cared too much for the redhead to ever endanger her. Besides, he somehow knew, deep inside, that if it ever
came down to it, and he DID lose his soul, Willow wouldn't hesitate for a minute before staking him right, until he was dead and dust. She was stronger than Buffy had ever been; it just
wasn't obvious to the naked eye.

He sighed again, wishing that he could somehow be human again... because if he could, he would be beside the girl right now, and there was no way in hell that he'd ever let that
Adam anywhere near her. He would wrap her warmth in his own, and never, ever let her go. But, he knew sadly, that just wasn't to be. He slumped forward, face in his hands, as he tried
to drive the what-ifs from his mind... but he always HAD had a penchant for punishing himself, and he sighed once more as the visions of a future he would never have played
themselves out behind his eyelids.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

<< China Club-- 10 pm >>

Amanda smiled sleekly at the immortal as he handed her the champagne flute, her smile widening as she took a small sip and glanced at him, slightly surprised. "Dom, Methos?" She
reached out, trailing one finger lightly down his shirt-covered chest. "You shouldn't have..."

The oldest immortal rolled his eyes at her teasing action and stepped back slightly. "Well, only the best, you know... and stop that!" He stepped back even further, eluding her touch,
"The last thing I need right now is for MacLeod to decide that he DOES want my head after all."

The bleached blonde giggled, meeting his eyes. "Oh, fine! Never let a girl have any fun! And speaking of girls," she said, in a sudden change of tone, "What's her name?"

"Serena..." he said softly, looking behind her.

Amanda's eyes widened in shock for a moment. "Wait... Methos, don't tell me that you're thinking about going and getting all... involved with Serena again..."

"What? Oh... oh, no... Serena's here... AND her young man..."

Amanda held in her sigh of relief as she turned to see the tall, red-haired woman standing just inside the doorway with an even taller dark-haired man. From the looks of things, the two
were quite... close. She smiled, glad to see the much younger immortal looking so happy, and swiftly approached the just-arrived pair. "Serena!" she almost shouted, hugging the girl
tightly for a moment before releasing her, "It's been an age! How are you? Although," she continued, glancing the man with the redhead up and down, "From the looks of things, I'd
say you're doing just fine..."

The tall woman smiled at the equally tall blonde. "I am, Amanda... and how's Mac? Still letting you drive him crazy?" She laughed, remembering the way Amanda had always been
able to manipulate the Scotsman. "Oh," she announced, pulling her man closer, "This is Jarod. Jarod, Amanda." She smiled again as she watched them shake hands before pulling
the man back to her side. "Don't go getting any ideas, Amanda! This one's all mine!"

The blonde laughed in turn, smiling at the both of them. "No offense, Jarod, but I wouldn't dream of it!" She shook her head quickly, her eyes crinkling slightly at the corners. "It's
nothing personal, but... MacLeod and I are in a serious 'on-again' phase right now, so..."

Jarod chuckled slightly, wrapping an arm around Serena's waist and pulling her close against him. "Well, then, I'd say he's a very lucky man... Of course, so am I, so... no offense
taken."

Amanda giggled again, sipping at her glass. "I like this one," she directed at the redhead, "You might want to keep him around for a while."

Serena smiled softly, gazing into Jarod's brown eyes. "Planning on it, girl... planning on it... Adam," she finished, catching his approach from the corner of her eye, "What are you
doing here? I thought you'd be out chasing your 'legend'."

Methos sighed deeply. "I'm meeting someone."

"Yes," Amanda interrupted, "He's meeting a GIRL... I think our friend Methos has a bit of a crush!" She smirked when the oldest immortal just stared at her. "Oh, come on, Methos! Do
you really think I don't recognize the twitchy way you're acting? Please! It's so obvious! You've met someone, and you want me to find out if she likes you! God, it's just so... grade
school."

"You never WENT to school, Amanda," he reminded her, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, well," she answered him, still smug, "That doesn't mean I'm completely out of touch..."

Jarod watched the two immortal bickering back and forth, and grinned to himself. They reminded him of siblings. If there was one thing that he'd learned since getting out into the
world, it was that this sort of teasing was usually a sign of great affection. "I like your friends," he murmured into Serena's ear, smirking sexily when she trembled against him. He'd have
to remember to whisper to her more often, if that was the reaction he'd get every time.

Methos was about to tell Amanda exactly what he thought of her odd little 'relationship' with other people's belongings when he saw the girl he was waiting for walk into the club. He
glanced quickly behind her, and was thoroughly surprised not to see the tall solid form of her 'friend'. His brow furrowed slightly as he stepped around his little group and went to her
side. "Willow?" he said, perplexed, "Where's... that is, are you here alone?" He fought to contain his grin when she nodded, suspecting that he'd failed miserably if the look on her face
was any indication.

Willow stared at him for a moment, caught between being glad that he was so happy to see her without Angel, and angry that he apparently didn't like her friend much. She wasn't
entirely sure of why he'd taken such a dislike to the broody vampire, but finally she decided to just let it go for the moment. After all, she was out, in Paris, with a handsome guy who
appeared to like her... she'd worry about how he got on with Angel later. "He... he wasn't feeling well, so he sent me on without him..." she finally said.

The immortal smiled, relieved that she hadn't decided to stay at home with her 'friend'. "Well, I'm sorry to hear that, but... maybe he just needs to rest up a bit... Come on," he
continued, taking her hand, "There are some people I want you to meet..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ one hour later ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Why did I think this was a good idea again?" he asked rhetorically of the two men standing with him at the bar, grimacing slightly when MacLeod and Jarod only laughed at him. He
sipped at his beer, staring hopelessly across the club at the table where the three women were currently chatting away. He'd suspected that they would get on well, but he'd been
completely amazed when the three of them had strolled off for some 'girl-time', banishing the men to the bar. "I mean," he continued, mostly to himself, "I wanted Amanda to find out
about Willow and Angel, but I didn't think that it would take all night! It's been over an hour now! What could they possibly be talking about?"

MacLeod laughed, clapping one large hand on his friend's shoulder. "You really don't understand women, do you? What did you think was going to happen, Methos? You'd introduce
them, Amanda would say 'Hey, what's the deal with you and that vampire you're living with?', and the girl... Willow... would just TELL her?" He shook his head, sadly amused by the
much older man's naiveté. "They're WOMEN, my friend... they need to talk, and get to know each other, before they can start prying into each others lives that way..."

"Look at it this way, Adam," Jarod added, "Would you go telling someone you'd just met that you're not only immortal, but the oldest of your kind? I know it's not the same thing, but to
Willow? Her situation with Angel is probably something she'd hesitate to discuss with anyone, much less a complete stranger! She needs to be sure-- inside-- that when she DOES talk
about it, whoever she tells isn't going to judge her for whatever it is she's feeling, and isn't going to look down on her if they think she should feel differently." His brow furrowed in
thought for a moment. "In fact, I'd say that she's probably hoping that either Amanda or Serena will end up being someone who'll just... listen to her, and tell her that things will work
themselves out... after all, isn't that what we all want?" He barely caught the surprised glances the two immortals were throwing his way, but he did, and he grinned. "What?" he asked
innocently before dropping his little bomb on them, "I was a psychologist once... and a gigolo. But not at the same time, of course..." He chuckled silently when they just stared at him,
stunned. He wondered what they'd say if they knew about all the other things he'd been, but this wasn't really the time, and he knew it. "So..." he said, turning his eyes back to the table
the women were sitting at, "What's this legend you were talking about last night?"

Methos sighed, wondering which side of the fence Serena's 'friend' would come down on once he heard the whole story. "Well," he finally said, "It's like this..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Willow was having a wonderful time with Amanda and Serena. They were both going out of their ways to make her feel welcome, and somehow, they were actually succeeding! She
couldn't quite figure out why, but for some reason, she wasn't anywhere near as shy as she would have been in Sunnydale, and so she was actually holding her own in the
conversation. Of course, the other two women were a good bit more worldly, but she supposed that was only to be expected since this was the first time, other than a few short trips to
LA to visit Angel, that she'd ever been out of Sunnydale! Amanda, she thought was striking, not to mention fun, and amusing... she had the feeling that the blonde woman really knew
how to have a good time. Serena, on the other hand, though equally attractive in her own way, tended towards a wry and sarcastic type of humor that Willow found just as interesting
as Amanda's, although... there was something about the redhead, something that seemed... familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. Maybe she reminded her of someone? She shook
the thought off, figuring that it would come to her eventually. "Oh..." she finally responded to Amanda's last question, "Yeah, I had a great time! We walked around, and went to some
sort of a street market... I didn't buy anything, though... and then I saw this little shop, and I ordered something for Angel. You know," she reminded them, "My friend I'm staying with?
Then we went to this little Bistro where Adam knew the owner, and..." She cut herself off, seeing the amused glances the two women were exchanging. "Sorry, I... I've just never been
out of California before... and Sunnydale is nothing like Paris, so I'm kind of excited!"

Amanda smiled kindly, liking the girl more each minute. "Don't be sorry, Willow, I think it's... refreshing, that you take such joy in experiencing new things! And I hope that you hold on
to that attitude for the rest of your life, because believe me, it'll make things so much more fun!" She winked at the girl, ignoring the way that Serena was rolling her eyes. "So tell me
more about this Angel person... is he handsome?" She made a mental note of the speed with which the girl's blush spread across her face... somehow she had the feeling that Methos
was going to be disappointed.

Serena sighed longingly to herself, glancing at Jarod from the corner of her eye. She liked the little redheaded girl, but... she would rather have been dancing than talking about a
man who wasn't even there. She knew that Amanda was on a mission, but... She saw the two immortals staring blankly at her man and laughed out loud before her attention was drawn
back to her companions by Amanda's loudly cleared throat. "Sorry, guys," she said, after she was able to control her mirth, "But I think Duncan and Adam just found out a little more
than they expected about J..." She giggled some more as she glanced back at the men, and saw that Jarod was smugly sipping at his beer while MacLeod and Methos were still just...
staring. "I apologize, Willow," she said sincerely. "It's just..."

Willow nodded, feeling a sudden kinship with the other redhead. "You like watching your... watching Jarod."

"So," Amanda said, after a few moments of silence had reigned over their table, "You were going to tell me all about your Angel..." She smirked slightly when the girl turned an even
deeper shade of red. Methos would DEFINITELY be disappointed, she thought, as Willow began telling them every single thing about the vampire's appearance... by the time the girl
was done, she'd probably be able to recognize him if she ran into him on the street! Her smirk softened into a gentle smile. Willow talked about this Angel the same way SHE talked
about MacLeod... it was sweet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 30 minutes later ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Willow giggled as their waiter brought them yet another round of shots from the guys. She wasn't entirely sure, but she thought that they might have been trying to get them drunk!
Well, she decided, as she drank hers down, if that was the plan, Adam, for one, was going to be very surprised, because she had no intention of becoming more than slightly tipsy! She
giggled again before muttering, under her breath, the incantation that had gotten her through so many frat parties with Buffy, not noticing the keen glance Serena threw at her while
she did so.

For her part, Serena was almost floored by what she felt coming from the little redhead. The girl was a witch? She couldn't figure out why she hadn't known it sooner; she should have
been able to FEEL it! After her initial surprised look, however, she watched the young woman from the corner of her eye. She could feel her now, but... Her eyes widened in shock
when the girl finished her little spell and was suddenly... invisible to her senses. That was how she did it, Serena realized. Somehow, Willow had managed to find a way of... damping
her powers when she wasn't using them, and... Hadn't she said that she came from Sunnydale, California? The name had sounded a bit familiar, but she'd shrugged it off, thinking that
maybe she'd been there once, but... now that she really thought about it, wasn't that where the current Hellmouth was located? She was suddenly very still as her mind made the
necessary connections. Sunnydale... Hellmouth... trying to end the world... Angelus! That was it! Angelus had been in Sunnydale! And that being the case, she found herself
wondering if maybe this Willow knew what had happened there... maybe she'd have some clue as to where she could FIND the bastard. "So, Willow," she began, only to be interrupted
by the young-ish delivery man who had approached their table.

Jean-Louis stared in awe at the sight before him. He had almost refused the late-night delivery, but had finally agreed to take it when Monsieur Renault offered him double the usual
fee, and now... now he was glad! How often, he wondered, did one such as himself get the opportunity to gaze upon such loveliness without getting slapped? And these three women
were certainly the loveliest he'd ever seen, especially the youngest! He found himself gazing directly into her jade-green eyes as he inquired, "Mademoiselle Rosenberg?" His heart
leapt in his chest when she nodded and smiled at him. He extended the bag he was holding to her, suddenly speechless, and shook his head quickly when she made a move to tip him
for his services. "Non... non, Mademoiselle..." he muttered as he backed away.

Amanda laughed as she watched the poor, smitten delivery man bump into at least six people in his unwillingness to look away from her new friend. "Willow, my dear," she purred
amusedly, "I think you've made another conquest."

The little witch giggled as she pulled the gift she'd commissioned for Angel from the bag. "Well, 'another' would imply me having made one before, so... I don't think so." Her breath
caught in her throat as she got her first look at the finished piece. "Gods," she breathed, "it's... perfect!"

Amanda leaned in from one side to see what the girl was looking at, barely noticing Serena doing the same from the other side. "Why it's... lovely!" she exclaimed, amazed at the
artistry of the pen and ink drawing, "But... what is it? I mean, I can see that it's a gryphon perched in a tree, but... does it mean something?"

Willow smiled, nodding her head. "It's me and Angel. See, I'm the tree... a Willow tree, naturally, and the gryphon... well, Angel's got this tattoo on his back of a gryphon from the Book
of Kells, so..."

The blonde nodded slowly. "So Angel's the gryphon..." And he's perched right there in your heart, she thought. "Well, I think it's a perfectly lovely gift. It's just too bad that he wasn't
feeling well enough to come out tonight..."

Serena's eyes were frozen on the drawing in Willow's hands. It couldn't be... it just couldn't! But... Sunnydale... the tattoo... Angel... Angelus? She forcibly pulled her eyes from the
drawing, her gaze transferring itself to the young redhead. She seemed so... nice, but... was it all an act? Was she just pretending to be the sweet and kind girl she'd presented herself
as being? Somehow, Serena couldn't believe that. But if she WAS what she seemed to be, then how could she be living with Angelus, and calling him her best friend? He had to be
deceiving her, she finally realized, and Willow was just too innocent to suspect that he was setting her up! That must be it! She turned her gaze away from the girl, catching Jarod's eye
where he stood by the bar. She nodded slightly when he raised an eyebrow at her, and finally turned her attention back to her companions. "What?" she asked, having caught only the
tail end of Amanda's question.

The blonde sighed before repeating herself. "I said, are you in for lunch tomorrow. I was telling Willow about Francois', and we thought it might be fun for all of us to go."

The red-haired immortal shook her head, trying to look regretful. "I'm sorry," she lied, "But I already have plans with Jarod... another time?" she directed to Willow, pasting a fake smile
over what she knew had to be a rather sickly expression when the girl nodded. "And speaking of Jarod," she continued, "He's got some work to do tonight, so I think we'd better go... It
was nice meeting you, Willow. I'll see you soon, and we'll do that lunch thing, OK?" She stood, not waiting for a reply, and walked away to join her man.

"Well, that was a little... abrupt," Willow said, staring after the departing couple. "Oh, well.. so," she asked, looking to Amanda, "You really like the drawing?"

Amanda smiled widely. "I think it's fabulous! And I'm sure your friend's going to love it!" Especially, she thought, if he sees what I do in it...

End-- Pt 10

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