AUTHOR: Tisienne Blue

E-MAIL: tisatko@msn.com

DISCLAIMER: I own Serena... everyone else belongs to their respective companies...

RATING: overall, probably a hard R...

PAIRINGS: W/A; W/Methos; Serena/Jarod...

NOTES: this is an x-over fic between Buffy, Angel, Highlander, and Pretender, and it's a b-day prezzie for Natty, who wanted "w/a, with a little Methos thrown in"... Pretender is in there
for me, though, just cuz I love that show.... For my purposes, the totally suck 5th season of Highlander never happened. Oh, and ***** indicates change of location/scene, while ~~~~~
shows passage of time within a segment... hope that makes sense.

DISTRIBUTION: Charity can always have my stuff if she wants it, and anyone I said yes to for anything else can have this, too... otherwise, just ask...

FEEDBACK: OK, but this is my first crossover attempt, so... don't be too mean...*G*

DEDICATIONS: for Natty, of course... Happy Birthday, sweet... also, to Salice... you know why, and... sorry!!!*giggle* Plus, to lj, Kermet, and Neva... glad you all liked it...

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

< a plane, somewhere over the US, 10 pm PST >

The redhead glanced once more around the cabin of the small plane before finally resting her eyes on the long form of the dark haired vampire sitting across from her. "Y'know..." she
eventually murmured, after staring at him for just a few moments too long, "We could have flown commercial..."

Angel laughed slightly, tearing his eyes from hers. "Well, but there'd be no sure way to guard against the sun, would there? And as much as I... well, as much as I care about you, what
with you being my best friend and all, I'd really rather not burst into flames, if you don't mind..." He smiled at her and reached quickly for the bottle of champagne he'd requested when
he'd pulled more strings than he'd even known existed in order to get them this plane on less than ten hours notice... for the amount of money he'd had to pay, he should have
requested a case of the stuff!

Willow smiled at him, surprised, as he pulled the cork from the bottle with a satisfying pop, and hesitantly accepted the glass he poured for her. She took a careful sip, and glanced
over at him again, her eyebrows raising when he immediately topped off her glass. "Angel," she said teasingly, "You're not trying to get me drunk, are you?"

"Yes, Willow," he dead-panned, sipping quickly from his own glass, "Of course I am... I mean, I'm almost two hundred and fifty years old, and I'm still not a member of the mile-high
club..." He forced his face to remain stoic, and his voice to stay serious. "So I thought I'd get you drunk and take advantage of you." Try as he might, though, he couldn't keep a straight
face when he saw her eyes widen in first shock, then realization, and he burst out laughing.

"You... you... vampire!" the redhead cried, her own giggles escaping her mouth as he chuckled. "That was so..." She smiled, watching him laugh. She had never seen him this way, full
of joy and amusement... never. And it made him look... She shook her head. She was so not going there... he was her friend, there was no way that he would ever want to be anything
more, and she was still getting over the whole Tara thing, which was yet another reason to be glad that she was out of Sunnydale... in Paris, there wouldn't be a single thing to remind
her of her ex-girlfriend. "You're mean, Angel!" she finally finished, laughing happily at the continuing sight of her friend enjoying himself.

~~~~~~~~~~ some hours later ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Angel smiled softly at the sleeping redhead. He had hoped that they would be able to talk a bit during the rather long flight, and they had, but... he'd been hoping for more. Still, he
supposed that all the sleep the girl had been missing for the last few years back in Sunnydale must have finally caught up with her.

They had talked for a few hours, sipping slowly at their drinks, until he'd noticed just how hard she was trying to keep her eyes open, and finally he'd just taken the glass from her hand
and told her to sleep. He'd realized just how tired she actually was when she didn't even try to argue; she had only smiled and apologized before letting her eyes slip shut, and soon,
she was breathing the deep, steady breaths of sleep. That had been almost five hours earlier, and he'd been watching her ever since.

He was, he admitted to himself, fascinated by the girl. She was very smart, but he'd known that already, simply be virtue of having known her for years, and she was definitely powerful,
if she could be used to open the Hellmouth, but he'd known that, too, seeing as she'd been the one to restore his soul to him, even while un-taught. What he hadn't known, probably
because he had never spent any real amount of time with just her before, was that she had a way about her... a way of bringing out the light in the people around her... even him. He
sighed slightly, watching as she twitched slightly in her sleep. He'd also never realized just how... attractive she was. He wasn't sure of just how it had escaped his notice before, but...

He shook his head, a bit angry with himself for the direction his thoughts were taking. It didn't matter that she had skin like the finest porcelain, or eyes as rich and deep as the best
emeralds, or even that her hair encompassed every shade of flame he'd ever seen. What mattered was that she was his friend... she trusted him! And, he swore to himself, he'd be
damned yet again before he took advantage of that trust, that friendship, by pursuing her... by trying to make her his. He didn't have the right, and if he was going to be honest with
himself, he wasn't even sure that that was what he wanted.

He definitely liked the girl... a lot, but... He wasn't really sure of why he was having these feelings all of a sudden. He'd known her for years, and while he'd always had a great deal of
appreciation for the woman she was becoming, he'd never actually... wanted her before. Not when he was himself, anyway. Angelus... well, Angelus had been another story entirely.

His un-souled counter-part had seen the redhead and been drawn to her sweet nature, to her innocence, like a moth to a flame, and although the girl didn't know it, her spell had
saved her own life, just as surely as it had saved his chances for redemption...

And maybe that was it, he realized. Maybe this attraction he was feeling towards her was some sort of a remnant from his most recent stint without a soul... or maybe it was just a
delayed reaction to spending time alone with her, to seeing that even though she knew the things that he was capable of, she still trusted him... accepted him completely... or maybe it
was just that he was... lonely. Maybe.

Whatever it was, he decided, as he watched her beginning to stir in her seat, he wasn't going to screw this up... He would go on being her friend, and see where his feelings led him
once they were surrounded by people, and not all cooped up together in the tiny cabin of this small jet. And if he decided that he did want her? he asked himself, If it turned out that
he was falling for her, and falling hard?

He sighed deeply to himself as her eyes fluttered open and fixed themselves on his. He would worry about that later. For the time being, he was her friend... and she was his. And that
was something he never wanted to lose, no matter what happened in the future.

He smiled softly as she straightened in her seat, blinking the sleep from her eyes. "Have a nice nap, Will?" he asked, and laughed to himself as she began chattering once again, this
time about Paris, and what she wanted to see there... He definitely never wanted to lose this...

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

< Paris, France >

The immortal slammed the front door of the bar, smiling a bit when his friend cringed against the noise. "Feeling a bit rough today, Joe?" he asked, crossing to the bar and sitting
down beside him.

The ex-watcher cringed again at the brightness in his friend's voice. "You're entirely too awake for a man who was up drinking until the wee hours of the morning..." he groaned, taking
a deep draught of his black-as-sin coffee.

Methos laughed slightly. "Yeah, well, centuries of experience, my friend... centuries! I'd say that my alcohol tolerance is probably a bit higher than yours by now..."

Joe groaned again, glaring at the other man through slitted eyes. "Yeah, so you keep reminding me... Oh, and Methos, gloating about it is not the way to make friends and influence
people."

The tall immortal laughed again. Joe was always amusing, and even more so when hung-over, however... "Fine, Joe. Tell me what you've got, then, and I'll leave you alone to nurse
your poor throbbing head." He smirked slightly when the blues man groaned again. "C'mon, Joseph," he cajoled, "I know you must have found something out by now... When do they
arrive?... Where are they staying?... Tell me what you know, and I'll leave." He grinned then, and sweetened the deal. "Tell me, and I won't slam the door on my way out..."

Joe almost chuckled at the much older man's obvious impatience. He wasn't exactly sure of why Methos would be interested in the little girl from Sunnydale, but obviously he was,
enough so that he'd had someone watching the girl, and reporting to Joe on her movements. He had almost thought, for a time, that the girl was going to become immortal someday,
but if that was so, then why was Methos planning to interfere in her life? That wasn't the way the oldest immortal generally operated. He sighed, finally deciding that he'd get it out of
his friend one way or another... eventually. Besides, maybe it was about Methos' past with that Angelus character... yeah, he decided, that was probably it...

"They're already here," he finally said, wincing at his friend's surprised shout. "Now, before you go off half-cocked, they've been here for over an hour, and they're still holed up in a
hangar out at the airport. I don't know why, but my source is positive that they're planning to stay there until after dark." His brow furrowed for a moment before he continued. "I don't
want to hear about you going out there and killing this Angelus in public, though." He stood as the man started walking away. "I mean it, Methos!" he called out after him.

The dark haired immortal paused, one hand on the door. "Don't worry, Joe," he finally said, "If I do kill him, there won't be any light show... Angelus isn't that kind of immortal." He
pushed through the door and stepped out onto the street, closing the door gently behind him as he'd promised. He would have loved to have stayed for a while, and talked with his
friend, but he had things to do, especially if he was going to protect Willow Rosenberg from Angelus.

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

<inside a hangar at the airport, just outside Paris>

Willow smiled slightly as Angel spoke on the hangar phone in what she could only assume was flawless French. She hadn't really thought about it before, but she was going to have
trouble in Paris, seeing as she didn't speak the language. She had heard that the French were very mean, especially to Americans, and she really hoped that that wasn't true... Of
course, she had Angel with her, and he'd probably be willing to translate... She sighed deeply. She'd been hoping to be able to explore the city during the day, while he slept, but...
Oh, well, she was sure that she'd have a good time, anyway! "So?" she asked expectantly when he finally hung up, stepping closer to hear his reply.

The vampire grinned at her tone of voice. "No problem, Will... I just had to explain about you not speaking the language, and my 'allergy' to the sun, but... there should be some food
here for you soon..." He laughed aloud at the look on her face. "What? You thought I couldn't do it?" His smile softened when she wrapped her arms around his waist and gave him a
good squeeze.

"No, Angel," the redhead murmured against his shirt, "I knew you could do it, it just seemed so... easy!" She pulled away from him then, telling herself that she didn't feel colder when
she wasn't touching him. Friends! she reminded herself, Friends! "Ummm... OK," she said softly, turning away from him. "I'm gonna go find the, umm, facilities... I'll be right back." She
picked her backpack up from the floor and headed towards the bathroom, deliberately not looking back at him.

He watched as she found the proper door at the back of the hangar, sighing in relief when she entered and closed it behind her. He had thought that it would be easier, once they were
out of the cramped confines of the small plane, but now... even with all the space in the hangar, he couldn't help feeling... No, he reminded himself, they would be around other
people soon. And once they were... maybe he wouldn't feel this intense desire to... kiss her.

Willow smiled to herself as she closed the door behind her and took in the sight of the dingy, rather dirty bathroom. Angel had no idea of why she'd asked for a rare steak and a big
order of sautéed spinach, but he was going to find out! Or, at least, he would if she could find a cup of some kind... Her eyes lit up as she saw the empty coffee can on the floor, and
she picked it up, scowling at the dust and dirt inside it. Oh, well, she figured that's what they made soap for... She spent a good three minutes scrubbing and rinsing at the inside of it,
until she was satisfied with its degree of cleanliness, and set it on the edge of the sink.

She readied herself mentally, prepared for the pain when she sliced the blade of the small folding knife from her bag deep into her wrist. Her breath hissed out through her teeth as she
watched her blood flowing slowly into the can, pinching off the wound when the can was half full. She leaned back against the door, her eyes glowing slightly while she recited the
small healing incantation that she'd used once or twice before, although never for something like this. She felt the heat flow down her arm and settle on the cut, finally removing her
other hand from covering it when she felt the tingling stop.

Her lips twitched into a grin as she flexed her fingers a few times... good as new! She quickly rinsed her hands and picked up her bag before grabbing the can and leaving the
bathroom.

Angel's brow furrowed as he saw the redhead coming towards him once again... she smelled of... blood? His eyes were drawn, irresistibly, to the old tin can in her hand. What?
"Willow..." he said hesitantly, almost afraid of what she might have done. "Willow... what...?"

The redheaded witch grinned, coming to a stop right in front of her friend. "Well, umm... you got me food, but I didn't think you could get anything delivered here for you, so..." She
rushed on, hoping to quell the rising anger she saw in his eyes. "It's not a big deal, Angel, I just... I wanted to donate for you... after all you've done for me, and..." She swallowed hard,
her eyes wide, when he growled.

Angel was furious! How could the girl do that? She'd hurt herself... bled!... and for him? Did she think that that was what he wanted, that he'd brought her half way around the world so
that he could drink her? "The whole point of this trip," he finally growled, turning his back on her, "Is to keep you safe, damn it!" He stalked away from her, pacing angrily. "I didn't bring
you here to feed on you, Willow! I brought you because I thought you'd enjoy it! And I don't need your blood!" He turned back towards her, some of his anger slipping away when he
saw the tears sliding down her reddened cheeks.

"I... I'm sorry, Will," he said softly, suddenly by her side, "I didn't mean... well, I did, but..." He sighed, tilting her chin up so that he could meet her eyes. "I really never... you surprised
me, is all. I wasn't expecting... and you shouldn't have... but you did, and... I just... thank you for thinking of me, Will..." His voice trailed off and he lost himself in her eyes as they
began to sparkle.

Willow sniffled a bit, and smiled softly up at him. "Angel..." she said quietly, "You're my friend. I couldn't just let you go hungry, and honestly, it's not like what I did was dangerous!
Really!" She could see the disbelief in his eyes, and unthinkingly thrust the blood filled coffee can into his hands. "Look!" she demanded, holding her arm out for inspection. "It's
nothing! Not even a mark! And besides, you're Angel! I know that you'd never feed on me in the usual way, but this is different!"

The vampire swallowed hard, the warmth of her blood, even through the metal of the can, along with the smell, almost making him crazy... it had been so long since he'd had
anything warm... and human. "H... how is it different?" he forced out, trying desperately to keep the demon from emerging. "It... it's still your blood, Will..."

"D... don't you want it?" she asked, suddenly afraid that maybe her blood wasn't good enough... she wasn't Buffy, after all...

Angel closed his eyes in despair, hoping that she would understand what he was about to say. "Yes, I want it... God, Will, you have no idea... and that's the problem." His eyes opened
again, just in time to catch her confused gaze. "I... I want it so much, but... I'm afraid." He could tell by her expression that she didn't understand what he was trying to say. "What if...
what if I drink this, and then... what if I can't control myself, Will? What if it's so good I can't resist... taking more?" He dragged his eyes from hers and focused on the concrete floor,
trying to control the trembling in his body. "What if I end up... hurting you?"

Willow smiled softly, one hand wrapping around his strong fingers while he shivered. "Angel..." she said gently, "I know you better than that, even if you don't." She sighed when he
kept his eyes trained on the floor. "I know you'll never hurt me. You're my friend!... and I trust you." She smiled again when his eyes finally met hers. "It's only blood, Angel. You've had
blood before, and you didn't lose it then, so I think we're pretty safe here." She waited until she saw the haunted look in his eyes fade a bit before nodding towards the can in his hand.
"Now, drink..." she said softly, smiling as the demon came to the fore, and he raised the can to his lips.

He kept his gold-coloured eyes locked on her green ones as he drank down her offering, and she tasted... amazing... like nothing he'd ever had before. Of course there was the blood
taste, and that he was well-familiar with, but underneath... she was raspberries, and vanilla, and just the slightest hint of honey... amazing... He lowered the can from his mouth, and
wiped almost frantically at his lips, afraid to see the disgust that he just knew was going to bloom in her eyes any second now... any second... any...

She smiled again, more broadly, this time, and reached up, running her fingers lightly across his brow ridges. "There now," she murmured, "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Angel's eyes slid shut, and he almost purred at the sensation of her soft little fingers stroking his demon's features fearlessly. She really did trust him, and... "You're not... repulsed?" he
said breathlessly, still relishing her touch.

Willow thought about it for a moment, catalogueing the emotions rushing through her body. "No..." she finally said, slightly surprised to find that she meant it. "Actually, I feel kind of...
special... and happy that I could make you feel so good." She blinked a few times as a thought occurred to her. "Umm... you do feel good, don't you?"

His eyes slowly opened, and he focused himself entirely on the girl before him... his friend, he reminded himself yet again. "Honestly, Will?" he sighed, pulling her into a tight hug as
his human mask slid back into place, "I feel... almost too good..." He bowed his head, burying his face in her red hair as he enjoyed the moment. "Just do me one favor, OK?" he
asked, as he released her and stepped away. "Don't ever do that again."

One corner of her mouth twitched in amusement. "Angel..." she began, only to be interrupted by a loud knocking at the hangar door. "Well, that must be my food," she said lightly,
crossing the wide concrete floor and letting the delivery man in. She looked over at the vampire, slightly embarrassed. "Ummm... I don't have anything but American money..."

Angel grinned. "It's OK, Will... we're at the airport, after all..." He joined the girl and handed the man a few large bills, explaining the situation in French. He laughed when the
delivery man looked at the amount of money he'd just been handed and rushed out into the sunlight. "See?" the vampire laughed, "No problem!" He followed the redhead over to the
wall, and sat down beside her, watching as she opened the bags she'd been given and started eating.

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

< also at the airport-- 1 hour later >

It had taken him a while, but he had finally managed to convince the airport officials that his cab should be allowed to go out over the tarmac to collect the two American travelers
who were currently holed up in one of the hangars. He had been told of the man's 'allergy' to sunlight, but had countered with the information that the tinted windows of the taxi would
eliminate that problem, and finally, he was allowed to proceed. His mind was humming dangerously as he drove across the blacktop... if that damned vampire had hurt the girl, well,
he didn't know exactly what he would do, but at some point he was fairly certain that he'd be using his sword to separate Angelus' head from his body. Granted, there would be no
quickening, but it would be fatal, none the less... not to mention satisfying!

He pulled up in front of the large doors that were designed to allow the planes access to the building, and pulled himself from the car, cautiously approaching the small door set
beside the much larger ones. He glanced through the window, and was surprised to see, against the far wall, an apparently human couple leaning back with food containers scattered
around them.

He watched, amazed, as the girl said something that made the dark haired man laugh, and as the man replied with a comment that apparently caused the redhead to almost convulse
with glee. The girl, he was sure, was Willow Rosenberg, although she had grown somewhat since the last picture he'd seen had been taken. He wasn't sure, however, about exactly who
the man was. Joe had said that her companion was Angelus, but... this man wasn't acting like any vampire he'd ever seen before. Still, the 'allergy' to the sun was suspicious in and of
itself...

He slid his sword back under his coat. He would have to wait and see what this man, if he was a man, was about. Judging from the looks of things, he wasn't any threat to Willow, and in
fact, he seemed to be somewhat... protective of her. He shook his head quickly, confused by the contrast between what he knew of vampires, and what he was seeing. He'd have to
figure it out later.

That decided, he pushed the door open and stepped through, gratified by the speed with which the man, no, vampire, moved to get between the girl and any possible threat. He
chuckled softly to himself. Whoever this vampire was, whatever his story, he was definitely not Angelus... Angelus would never have wanted to protect a human... not even one as
lovely as Willow had turned out to be.

He took a step back when the vampire growled, and held out both hands, empty at his sides. "Whoa, there... I'm just here to drive you..." He dropped his hands when the other man
relaxed slightly. "The officials thought you might like to get out of here a bit earlier than sundown, and since my cab has tinted windows..."

Angel relaxed still further, although he continued to keep his body between the strange man and the redhead as he stood, pulling her up behind him. "Yeah?" he asked suspiciously,
"And why would they do that?"

Methos did some quick thinking. He hadn't been expecting the question, mostly because vampires, in his experience, tended to just take what was offered if they thought it might make
their... lives, for lack of a better word, easier. "Well..." he stalled, mind racing, "I think it has something to do with insurance, or civilians being in employee only areas... I'm not sure;
they don't exactly clear their decisions with me, now do they?" He shrugged, trying to look disinterested. "Doesn't matter to me, anyway... They told me to come and offer, and I did.
But if you two want to stay here forever, I certainly don't care..."

Willow stepped up beside Angel, staring at the tall cab driver. "No!" she swiftly interjected, staying close to her friend, "We want to go, but... my friend is..."

"Allergic to sunlight, yeah, I know." the immortal finished for her. "I thought I'd open one of the big doors, and I could just drive right in..." He smiled rakishly when she nodded slightly,
and turned to go back out. "I'm Adam, by the way," he threw over his shoulder, "Adam Pierson..."

Angel looked down at the redhead once the other man was gone. He could smell her interest in the cab driver, and he didn't like it a bit. She'd only just met the man, how could she
be interested? Not that he'd object to her finding a... boyfriend... He almost growled the word in his mind... But this Adam Pierson? He just didn't trust him... there was something too
slick about him, like he knew something they didn't. Angel figured that if he kept telling himself that, then maybe he'd start to believe it... he hoped so, because he really didn't want to
think that his immediate dislike of the cab driver was based entirely upon Willow's interest in him... and his in her.

End-- Pt 2

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