Title: Death Is But A Memory
Author: Kylia
Email: kylia_bug@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Nobody belongs to me, unfortunately. They belong to Joss & Mutant Enemy, and a few other people I don’t know. ; Highlander is owned by Davis-Panzer & Rysher .
Rating: R
Spoilers: Nothing Really. General Season 4 BtVS, Season 1 Angel
Category: Willow/Spike; Who Else?
Summary: Fate has drawn Willow and Spike together.
Distribution: Fire & Ice, WitchFanFic, anyone else, ask, and you shall receive
Author's Notes: This takes place in the future.
Author's Notes #2: Crossover with the Highlander universe.
Dedication: Courtney Lynn, and the girls on the second floor. Elka, my favorite Bad Ass!

The night was a cold and callous thing. He liked it that way. It spoke of death. It could tell you things you would never believe. At least that’s what he’s been told. What she had told him. She once told him never to walk around unprotected after the sun went down. He thought she was mad. Losing her marbles, that is of course if she had any marbles to begin with. He couldn’t quite be sure.

He had only known her for just under a decade. She had this essence about her. She was like a force of nature. She seemed so sweet, so innocent, but yet, wise beyond her years. Although in all honesty, he didn’t really know how old she was. She hadn’t aged a day in the ten years since she had saved his life.

She was immortal. A mysterious force. A creature of the night. She thrived in the darkness. He couldn’t understand how someone so pure of heart would choose to spend an eternity in darkness. She told him it reminded her of home.

Home. That was a place he didn’t understand. Sure, he knew what a home was. What it was supposed to be, but not what it meant to the beautiful redhead. He wanted to know what home meant to her. He wanted to know what she had left behind, and why.

He wondered where she was now. Who she had become. Had she found what she was looking for? Her missing piece, the one she was forced to abandon?

Willow closed the doors behind her, for the last time. It was time to leave. Time to move one. She would miss the New York nightlife. She had been so fond of the people she had met here. But, it was time for her to disappear, time for her to drift back into the shadows.

She took one more look at the building behind her, before she walked off into the night.

Spike walked out into the night. He turned to look at the sky. There wasn’t a star in sight. It made him shudder. He hadn’t seen the sky so starless since that night. The night he lost her. The night his Willow had died. He had tried to forget. Forget the screams, forget the way her body had been limp, and cold, against his own skin. He could still remember his own scream, as he realized that she was dead. He had been too late. There was nothing that could be done.

After killing her friends, Spike left Sunnydale. He had never gone back. It just wasn’t the same, not without her there. He went to Los Angeles, and spent several months torturing his sire. Taunting him, telling him in excruciating detail how they slayer and her friends had met their gruesome deaths, only to succeed in ridding the world of the bloody poof once and for all.

When Angelus had returned that time, it was like coming home. The two trekked across the globe, leaving a path of death and destruction in their wake. It was like old times. They spent half of a century reminding the world why they were two of the most feared vampires in the Watcher Diaries. It was great fun!

Eventually, they went their separate ways. They managed to see one another every couple of decades. The last Spike had heard, Angelus was in control of several towns in Ireland. He had returned home after decimating every last Romany gypsy clan.

Spike took another look at the sky and then headed out. He was leaving. He had decided to go back to Europe. He had an old friend in Paris that he was going to visit. It had been so long since he had been to Paris. Over two centuries. He hoped the French were still as sweet tasting as he remembered.

Nick ran down the staircase, and nearly lost his balance about halfway down. His head felt like it was going to explode. It reverberated all around him. He shook his body out of its involuntary reaction as he grabbed his sword and prepared to open the door.

He almost lost his grip on th3 weapon when he opened the door to find the most stunning redhead he had ever seen. She had the most translucent green eyes he had ever seen.

“Hello?” She asked, “I’m looking for someone.”

“Oh?” He didn’t want to be taken in by her beauty. Men older than him had lost there heads over less.

She smiled at his hesitation. “Sorry. I’m not here for your head. I’m looking for a friend. Amanda. Amanda Montrose.”

Nick relaxed, and moved out of the way, ushering her into the apartment.

“Come in. She isn’t here, yet. She seems to be running late. Which, for Amanda is a state of existence.”

The redhead laughed. “Yeah, I do seem to recall something about that.”

Willow took a seat on the couch and turned her attention the man. “You must be Nick. Wolfe, isn’t it?” He nodded, “I’m Willow. It’s nice to meet you.”

Nick sat down on the couch across from Willow, and found himself feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"So, where do you know Amanda from? You don't look like a thief." He looked her over appraisingly, trying to decide what it was she did look like.

Willow laughed. "No. I'm not a thief." She watched as he tried to decide what to think about her. "Actually, I'm a witch."

She said the words so casually, Nick thought he had misheard her. "Did you say witch? As in pointy hats, warts, and a flying broom?"

Willow crinkled her nose at his description, "Well, if you say it like that, it does sound a bit ridiculous." She laughed. She was about to answer his earlier question when she felt it. It was like a hum, that filled her body, filled her senses. She turned to the front door as a woman entered.

The woman was tall, with short jet-black hair. She smiled when she saw Willow sitting on the couch. She ran over to the redhead and enveloped her in a big hug.

"Willow! You made it!"

Willow smiled at her teacher. " It's great to see you."

Amanda pulled Willow off the couch and guided her into another room. Once the two women were seated at a bar, Amanda turned to her student.

"So, tell me what's happened. What brings you here?"

Willow took a deep breath; "I'm in trouble, Amanda. I'm being hunted. I'm not exactly sure by whom. But I could feel this presence, watching me, waiting." Willow stood up and started pacing around the room. "It's another, like me. I can feel the power. It's strong."

"Stronger than yours?" Amanda asked calmly and then relaxed slightly when Willow shook her head.

"No. There's only one I have seen that even comes close to my strength." Willow's face took on a look of sadness.

"Will, It wasn't your fault." Amanda walked over to Willow and enveloped her in a hug. "She would have said that her destiny was planned from the beginning. It was meant to be."

Willow smiled slightly as she pulled away from her teacher. "Yeah, I guess. But she was so old. So wise. She had such knowledge, and power."

"And now, it lives on in you." Amanda reminded her softly.

"So, tell me about Nick." Willow was anxious to change the subject.

Trey walked into the seedy bar and ordered a beer. He glared at the bar tender, hoping to squelch any conversation. He felt the presence as soon as it entered. It was old, and powerful. He turned and looked around the bar, searching for the face that belonged to the other, like him.

There was a woman standing in the doorway. She was incased in leather from head to foot. Her hair was pitch black, and fell in tumble around her face. Her skin, what he could see of it, was lightly tanned. She held a motorcycle helmet, which surprised him, since barely anyone ever rode them anymore.

When her violet eyes met his across the bar, he knew she was the one he had felt. She stalked towards him and sat down. She ordered a drink he had never heard of before, and swallowed it in one shot. She kept her eyes forward, never looking at him.

They sat like that for close to an hour. Trey, drinking his beer and the stranger drinking shot after shot of the strange liquid. It didn't seem to intoxicate her. He wondered again what was in it. Finally she spoke.

"I'm not here for your head." Her voice was cold, telling him of the countless centuries she had been alive. Trey detected a small hint of an accent but he couldn't place the region it had come from.

Trey found his voice. "Why are you here?"

The woman turned to look coldly at him. "Stay out of my way, and I'll stay out of yours." She stood up and started to leave, but turned to Trey once more.

"Take some advice. Move along. The witch you hunt, is too powerful, and you're too young."

Trey watched her leave and tried to shake the strange feeling, which had washed over him. When he saw the bartender smirking over his discomfort, Trey stood up, and grabbed him by the throat, lifting him halfway over the bar.

"Who was that woman?" He snarled through clenched teeth.

The bartender chuckled at his show of anger, causing Trey to grip him further.

"Who? Elka?" He rasped out. "She's out of your league."

Trey released his hold on the bartender, and walked out of the building.

Nick was hesitant to disturb Amanda and her friend, but the man on the phone had said it was urgent. He peered into the room and relaxed when he saw the two women giggling hysterically over some memory.

"Hey." He turned to Willow. "There's a guy on the phone. He says it's important." He held out the phone to her.

Willow grabbed the phone and walked to a small corner of the room.

"Hello?"

"Willow? It's Cienne. He was here."

Willow took a deep breath. "Did he ask you any questions?"

Cienne chuckled. "Not about you. But he was warned."

Willow's brow crinkled in confusion. "Warned? By who?"

"Elka."

Willow lost her breath. "Elka? Are you sure?" She asked, unsure if she had heard correctly.

Cienne laughed heartily this time. "Yes. I'm sure. She's not someone you forget."

Willow laughed as well. "No, I guess not." She turned around to find Amanda and Nick staring expectantly at her. "Thanks. If you see him again…"

"I'll call. Don't worry." Cienne smiled into the phone and hung up.

Willow handed the phone back to Nick, and smiled. "That was a friend of mine who own one of the local establishments" She emphasized the last word. "There has been a guy following me, sometimes. I'm not sure if he is connected to the other, but this one I know. His name is Trey"

"Does he want your head?" Nick asked, slightly confused about some of the conversation, but knowing that any kind of headhunter was someone you needed to watch out for.

Willow shrugged. "I don't know. He's never confronted me. I saw him in several of the clubs I frequented in New York, and then there was this place not far from Heathrow, when a came into Europe, and there he was. I called Selene. She did some checking. Found out who he was. He's not a threat, not by himself. But if he works for the other, well that could prove to be a danger." She rubbed her temples, and started to head back into the living room.

"I'm gonna go. I need to sleep."

When she reached the front door Amanda stopped her. "You sure you don't want to stay here? We have plenty of room."

Willow started to decline, but then thought better of it. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. C'Mon." Amanda pulled her towards the stairs and a suite of guestrooms.

Willow was too tired to protest. She climbed into the comfortable bed and fell asleep. Her last thought was of Elka, and why she would be in Paris.

Spike growled dangerously as he entered the bar. It wasn’t one of the better places on this side of town, but he knew the bartender, and they catered to his kind. He took a seat at the bar and took a look around the place. It hadn’t changed much in the nearly two centuries since he had been there. The air was smoky, and had a feel about it. Something the average mortal couldn’t detect, but was noticeable to his vampiric senses.

"What’ll you have?" The bartender asked with unusual accent as he wiped the counter without looking up.

"Dead man’s poison. Double strong." Spike smirked, as the bartender looked up, slightly shocked.

"Spike?" Cienne reached over the counter and grabbed Spike in a huge hug. "Where the hell have you been?" He asked grinning. "It’s been what? A hundred years?"

"Two." Spike grinned back as Cienne handed him the strange concoction.

"I see you still like to live dangerously." Spike stated as he took another look around at the various, demons, mortals, vampires, and other creatures that frequented the bar.

Cienne shrugged. "Well, what can I say? Safety is over-rated."

Spike nodded his agreement as he swallowed the smoky liquid from the shot glass, signaling for another.

"So, tell me why are you here? And is the old bastard with you?"

Spike down the second shot glass and smirked. "No, Angelus’ is off terrorizing some poor village back home. I’m just here for a little R and R. Got a friend I’m gonna catch up with. How about you? How’s business?"

Elka climbed off of her bike and entered the bar silently. She looked around the room and was pleased to see the young immortal had taken her advice. If he had any sense he would leave Paris, but she had a feeling sense was something he was lacking.

She smiled when she saw the blond vampire sitting at the bar. She walked up behind him and listened as he talked to the bartender. She wondered briefly why he was here in Paris, now. If it was for the same reason she was. When she locked eyes with the bartender and saw his expression, she realized that it wasn’t.

"Cienne. Black Plague." She ordered her drink and then turned her violet eyes to the vampire.

"William. You look… Well dead." She grinned.

Spike turned around stared into violet eyes he hadn’t seen in over a hundred and fifty years.

"Elka? Bloody Hell! I didn’t know you were in Europe. Last I heard you were causing a ruckus in Asia."

Elka took the seat next to Spike and swallowed her drink. "Business. I have an old debt that needs to be repaid."

Spike snorted, knowing exactly what kind of Business Elka was famous for attending to. He turned to the immortal and kissed squarely on the lips. Heading out of the bar he called over his shoulder. "See you around."

After Spike had left the bar, Elka turned back to the Cienne. "He doesn’t know?" It was a statement.

"No. But he will." Cienne told her with a wry grin. Elka raised an eyebrow, causing Cienne to smirk as he explained.

"He staying with Nick Wolfe."

At that news Elka stood up and walked out of the bar, leaving a chuckling Cienne in her wake.

Things were about to get very interesting.

Trey was furious. Who did that Immortal bitch thing she was? Warning him away from the witch? She wasn’t a threat. He scoffed at the idea that a small slip of a girl could take him on. He stormed down the street, ducking into a back alley a few blocks away from the building he had seen Willow enter. He waited knowing that it was almost time. He would have her head, and her power.

Willow walked briskly through the park, marveling at how different Paris was from New York. She loved the city. It seemed to sing its defiance of the evil that surrounded it. The people knew about the dangers, they just didn’t care. S he liked that.

She slowed her pace slightly as she felt the familiar tingling which signaled another of her kind. She followed the feeling into an alley as she removed her sword from her long coat.

"It’s time." Trey told her from behind.

Willow swung around and smiled as her sword clashed with his. He was clumsy, and had no real feel for his weapon. She blocked him easily. After several moments she got tired, and kicked out at him, bringing him to his knees. As her blade rested dangerously close to the spot which separated his head from his shoulders.

"Why?" She asked, knowing the reason but wanted to hear it nonetheless.

"Because I can." He answered defiantly as she swung her blade up and sliced through his neck.

"There can be only one." She whispered as the ground started to shake.

The sky darkened briefly with the oncoming lightning storm. Her body shook with convulsions as his power was added to her own. She fell to her knees in a heap. After several moments she stood up and walked slowly back onto the street, ignoring the familiar buzz as she walked past the figure in the shadows.

Elka watched the quickening over take her old friend and smiled at the headless body. "I warned you."

Willow walked briskly towards the apartment building, but stopped in front of the door. She hesitated before entering. She had a strange feeling. Like something was about to happen. Something she had no control over. It frightened her. Not wanting to face whatever awaited her, Willow turned around and headed toward "Death's Door", the secret club above Cienne's bar.

When she entered the bar, Willow smiled as she saw Cienne chatting animatedly at one of his many non-human patrons. She approached the bar and leaned over one of the stools.

"I'm going up. When Elka comes in, send her up." Willow's green eyes sparkled at the unspoken question in the man's eyes. "Don't worry. She'll be here."

Cienne laughed as he watched the redhead weave her wave through the crowd until she reached the back and entered a seemingly invisible door.

Willow closed the door behind her as she started up the winding stairs, which led to the club. When she reached the top, she knocked once on a solid wood door. The door opened slightly to reveal a snarling vampire. The vampire was several inches taller than Willow and had platinum blond hair, and coal black eyes.

"Now, Now, Lia. It's not nice to growl at the guests." Willow smiled broadly as she embraced the vampire in a fierce hug.

"Willow?" The vampire stepped aside as she let the redhead enter, so she could close the door behind her. "I can't believe it! What are you doing here?" She asked.

Willow, ignoring the vampire's question stepped further into the club and marveled at the lack of changes. She turned to Lia. "Someone should tell Cienne that change isn't necessarily a bad thing."

Lia shrugged. "We're old. We like to remember how things used to be."

Willow nodded as she handed to coat and sword to a brakken demon standing off to one side.

"Vodka, straight. Double shot." Willow told one of the bartenders's, and then pointed to a secluded both on a third level. "There."

The bartender nodded as he began to prepare the drink.

Willow started towards the both without checking to see if the blond vampire was following her. She knew she would be. When she reached the booth, Willow slid into one side and turned her green eyes to Lia, waiting for the questions she knew waiting to come out.

"Why are you here?" Lia asked, a little hesitantly. "We weren't told you were coming." Lia paused, showing her nervousness.

"That would be me." The voice was slightly accented. Elka's violet eyes bore into Willow's green as she spoke to the vampire. "Go." When the vampire didn't move, Elka turned her head slightly. "Now!" She barked, sending an involuntary shiver down the blonde's back.

Once the vampire had disappeared, Elka sat across from Willow, both sitting silently, staring at the other. It wasn't until several moments later, after their drinks had been delivered that the silence was broken.

"You've improved." Elka knocked back her shot, never wavering her gaze.

"He was young, inexperienced, and arrogant." Willow shrugged.

"All fine qualities in the headless." Elka's words were serious, but Willow could see the mischief in her eyes, if only for a moment.

"Why are you here?" Willow asked, needing to know if it was for the reason she feared.

"Why are you?"

Willow swallowed her shot and let a smile curve across her lips as she spoke. "The prey has become the predator. As I recall, you taught me that to hunt the hunter, you must become the prey."

Elka quirked an eyebrow. "I also taught you to keep better company."

Willow frowned. "Why are you here?"

"Amanda Montrose. I've come for her head."

Nick opened the front door, expecting to see Willow on the other side, and instead was greeted by the lean form of a bleach blond vampire.

Spike stood on the other side of the door smirking. "Are you gonna invite me in, or do I just stand here?"

"Come in." Nick stepped aside, allowing the vampire entrance. "You look good, Spike."

Spike sauntered into the living room and flopped down on the couch.

"Where's Amanda?" Spike asked surveying the room.

"She's out. She has a guest, and they went out to dinner, and then Amanda had a job to do. She'll be back before sunrise."

"A guest? Anyone I know?" Spike waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"No. I seriously doubt the two of you run in the same circles. Besides, she's too young for you."

"How old is too young?" Spike pouted.

"Two hundred. And don't ask me to set you up. She falls under the 'I am never dating again' category." At Spike's puzzled expression, Nick elaborated. "Red hair, green eyes, fiery spirit. Ring any bells?"

At Nick's description, Spike's green eyes darkened with grief. "Yes, unfortunately. It's been two bloody centuries, and still I dream about her every night. I can still see her dead body. It haunts me." Spike stood up, aggravated with himself, and headed towards the bar to pour himself a drink.

Nick watched his old friend sadly. He wished there were something he could have done. But knowing that with the exception of staking him, there wasn't anything that could be done.

Amanda walked into the living room and leaned back against the couch. She took out the small pouch and emptied it into her hands. She picked out a medium sized stone out of the handful of others. She lifted it to eye-level, examining it carefully. "So, that's it?"

Amanda turned, startled at the voice. She hadn't known anyone else was home.

"How did you get in here?" She asked the intruder. He simply smirked. "What are you doing here? If she sees you…" Amanda's words were cut off as she felt the familiar feeling which signaled the presence of another immortal. She waved her guest towards the staircase. As she slipped the stone back into the velvet bag, hiding it in a secret compartment built into her coffee table.

Amanda turned towards the door, as it was opened. She breathed a sigh of relief when Nick entered, followed by Spike.

"Spike!" Amanda stood up and gave the vampire a hug.

Spike gave her a cocky grin, and then surveyed the room, inhaling deeply. She smiled slyly and walked silently towards the stairs. When he didn't fins anyone, he turned around, and shouted to into the air.

"Come on out you old, Wanker!"

Spike turned when he heard a deep chuckle from behind him.

Willow stared at Elka closely, trying to decide if she had heard her old friend correctly. Deciding she had, she raised an eyebrow. "Amanda? You're here for her? Why?"

Elka turned her gaze to the room in general, avoiding looking into Willow's green eyes. "It's personal."

Willow snorted. "Personal? No such thing. What's the real reason? And don't tell me you have a debt that needs to be repaid."

Elka turned her violet eyes to look at Willow at the younger woman's harsh words. They stared at each other silently for what seemed like hours, before Elka broke the gaze, and shrugged. "She has something that belongs to me. I want it back. Simple as that."

"Something that belongs to you?" Willow asked quizzically, "Translated that means 'She stole something that belonged to your people, and you've come to collect'. Is it really that important? What's one lost artifact?"

Elka hesitated for a moment. She was unsure what she could safely tell her old friend. She turned her gaze the room in general, and let her voice drop to a whisper. "Yes."

Willow nodded as she stood up. "Very well. Tell me what it is. I'll get back. And Amanda can keep her head."

"It's not that simple." She looked up into Willow's eyes and smiled sadly. "You don't understand."

"Explain it to me." When Elka remained silent she continued, "Because I will not let you take her head. That isn't an option. Steal the item back if you have to, but you will NOT have her quickening. Not while I'm alive." Willow stormed out of the secluded booth, leaving Elka to ponder her words.

"That's what I'm afraid of, Red. That's what I'm afraid of."

Amanda stood in amused silence as she watched the two vampires hug.

"Look, I don't want to interrupt this joyous reunion, but it's late. Why don't you finish this… elsewhere." Amanda shot a pointed glance at Angelus at her last word. He smirked in return.

"Yes, my boy, why don't we do that. I'm hungry." He turned towards Spike with a wicked grin. "Are the Parisians' still as tasty as I remember?"

Angelus followed Spike back into the living room, stopping in front of Amanda. "We'll talk later." He whispered.

Willow walked briskly up the stairs. She was so upset she had decided to take the stairs up to the top floor. She heard noises coming from the apartment, but she was so lost in her own thoughts, she couldn't make them out. She felt the familiar buzz, alerting her to Amanda's presence, but she wasn't sure who else was with her. She was about to knock on the door when it opened.

Spike opened the front door, and felt his whole body go numb at the site, which greeted him. If he had had breath, he would have lost it. His eyes took in her appearance. She looked different, but yet the same. She hadn't aged. Not a single day. He turned his stunned gaze to her eyes. They were the same crystalline green orbs that haunted his dreams.

"Willow?" He choked out after finding his voice.

"Spike." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Willow?" Spike asked again, not sure if he was really seeing her.

"Spike." Willow smiled slightly, a sense of dread and fear filling her.

"Hello, Red." Angelus smirked from where he stood behind Spike.

"Angelus." Willow turned her gaze to the older vampire, staring daggers at him.

"We should go inside." Willow whispered, avoiding Spike's blue eyes, afraid of what she would find there.

Spike moved aside, to allow her to enter the apartment. He followed her into the living room.

"I have to go. I have an appointment." Amanda announced into the silent room. She turned to Willow. "You'll be alright?" She asked quietly. When Willow nodded she turned towards Nick and Angelus. "C'Mon, let's go."

"Aw, but the funs juts starting." Angelus grinned.

"Now!" Amanda snapped. Angelus shrugged and followed the two immortals out of the building.

Elka left the club in a darker mood than when she had entered. Things were becoming complicated. When she had come to Paris, she had hoped that her source had been wrong about the location of the artifact. Amanda's possession of it made things more difficult. She had no desire to kill the younger immortal, but she couldn't allow the item to fall into the wrong hands. There was too much at stake. She sighed heavily as she looked at her watch and realized it was time for her to retrieve the second item that brought her to France. She climbed on her bike and headed out of the city towards a small province on the outskirts of town. She drove down the silent roads until she reached a small restaurant. It was closed for the evening, but that didn't matter. She looked into the large windows and smiled when she found the building to be empty. With any luck, she could get in, get what she came for, and get out. Elka pulled out some small tools and began to work on the alarm system. It was delicate work, and under normal circumstances might have taken her seconds to release the mechanism, but the aggravation of the evening, was costing her speed. After nearly ninety seconds, Elka heard the click, telling her she had been successful. She let herself into the building, and let her eyes roam over the walls, searching for her target. Seeing that it wasn't in the first room, she wandered farther back, until she saw it. Plastered against one of the secluded booths. Covered, in a slick protective material, the map seemed to glow. She looked it over carefully, making sure it was authentic. Satisfied that it was, she climbed over the chairs so that she could reach her treasure. She gently took it of the wall, and rolled it up carefully. Hearing a noise in the outer room, Elka paused.

"What do you think you're doing?" It was a man's voice who spoke.

Elka turned around, and stared into the brown eyes of the owner of the restaurant. She walked swiftly towards the man, not bothering to acknowledge that he had spoke. When she walked past him, he grabbed her arm. Without a second thought to ponder her actions, Elka spun around, and used her free arm to lash out at the man. Her concentrated blow, 'caused him to fall to his knees, unconscious. She took a moment to set the map down on a nearby table, before turning back to the slumped mortal. She bent over him, and using a strength that wasn't necessary, she snapped his neck. Satisfied, she picked up the map and left the building.




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