ETERNAL NO LONGER
Part I
Buffy and Willow walked along the main quad of UC Sunnydale, taking in the view and generally enjoying the day. After two days as "Cave Slayer", Buffy had awakened with a nasty hangover, complete recall of what she had done and said under the influence of the magic beer, and a general sense that all was well in her world. Willow had been pleased at the improvement in her best friend's mood, and they were discussing Professor Walsh's latest lecture when a familiar voice called out, "So this is the American college experience. . .sorry I missed out on it."
Buffy and Willow turned around and saw Duncan MacLeod, with a mischievous expression on his face and gladness in his eyes. Buffy grinned and called out, "Duncan!" as she gave him an uninhibited hug: Willow settled for a smile and a nod, which Duncan returned as Buffy withdrew and asked, "When did you get here? How did you manage to track us down?"
"Giles told me you were both going to school here," the Highlander replied, "and once I got here, finding you was not a problem. . .you set off my paranormal senses far more readily than most Immortals do." He smiled again, then commented, "It was a good thing that you and Willow were together. . .something has come up, and I need to discuss it with both of you back at Giles' apartment."
Buffy frowned and replied, "We don't have any more classes today, so that's not a problem. . .Duncan, what's wrong?"
Duncan's face turned sad as he replied, "I think I'll have to show you that back at Giles' place, Buffy. We should hurry back. . .I parked close to here." He gestured for the two young women to follow him, and Buffy felt the cold tickle of dread brush against her soul as she and Willow followed her enigmatic friend back to his car.
*****
Buffy knocked on the door, and after a few seconds Giles opened it: Buffy could see that Giles had suffered a great shock recently from the look on his face. "Giles. . .what's wrong?" Buffy asked softly, her sense of dread growing by the moment as she realized something terrible must have happened.
Giles looked at her, trying to reassure her and failing utterly as he replied, "We'll let you know in a minute, Buffy." He gestured to indicate that Buffy, Willow, and Duncan should come in, and they walked into the living room of Giles' apartment, where Xander, Anya, and Oz were sitting along with three people that neither Buffy nor Willow recognized.
Duncan motioned over to the strangers, and they walked over, their expressions somber. Duncan turned back to Buffy and said, "Buffy, these are three good friends of mine." He motioned to the tall, platinum blonde woman standing next to him and continued, "Buffy Summers, this is Amanda."
In spite of her anxiety, Buffy smiled: she remembered the stories that Duncan had told her about this Immortal during their brief time together in January. The Slayer grinned and commented, "Good to meet you, Amanda. If half of what Duncan told me about you is true, we'll have to have a long conversation before you leave."
The Immortal cat burglar chuckled and replied, "I could say the same about you, Buffy. . .I've heard about Slayers, but I've never met one before. . .we'll have to exchange tips on technique." Buffy laughed, hoping she was talking about fighting. Duncan motioned to a tall, thin man with a close-cropped haircut and continued, "This is Methos. . .an old friend of mine."
Methos stepped forward and clasped Buffy's hand, lifting it to his lips in an old-fashioned gesture that fascinated Buffy. * There's something about him. . .just how old can Immortals get, anyway? Duncan told me that Amanda was twelve centuries old, but Methos seems older, somehow * She smiled at Methos and commented, "Nice to meet you, Methos," as her eyes told him that she was rather curious about him. The elder Immortal noted the scrutiny and smiled inwardly: some things never changed.
Duncan concluded the introductions by nodding at the large, thirtyish looking dark-haired man standing behind Methos and elaborating, "This is Nick Wolfe, Buffy: a good friend of Amanda's. . .and a recent entry into our membership."
Buffy took the initiative this time: she walked up to Nick and shook his hand firmly as she commented, "Nice to meet you, Nick. So, you're a new Immortal. . .Duncan told me the whole story about how it is when you're first learning about things. . .how are you adjusting?"
Nick grimaced and replied, "I'm muddling along. . .it's not as if I have much of a choice but to adjust." He gave Amanda a mock glare as she walked over and slipped her arm around his. The lovely Immortal laughed and commented, "You just won't let some things go, will you, Nick?" She leaned over to Buffy and whispered, "You shoot some people just once, and they never let you forget about it."
Buffy smiled politely, making a mental note to question Duncan about that little comment later, before frowning and commenting, "It's nice to meet all of you. . .but I have a feeling this isn't a social call, from the way that Duncan rushed over to campus to find us. What's wrong?" She noticed the grim faces of the visitors and continued, "Let me guess. . .some rogue Immortal has teamed up with some seriously nasty demon, and we're looking at the Apocalypse. . .causing you to come to see your friendly neighborhood Slayer."
Buffy saw Duncan look away briefly, his eyes sad, before turning back to Buffy and replying, "No demonic problems, Buffy. . .but it does involve an Immortal."
Buffy looked into his eyes. . .and knew. She sank into a nearby easy chair and looked up at Duncan, her eyes brimming as she asked: "Alyssa?"
Duncan swallowed and nodded before replying, "I'm sorry, Buffy. She's gone."
*****
Buffy just stared at Duncan for a long moment, disbelieving. Anticipating her reaction, Giles had moved over to her side, and his judgment was vindicated as she flung herself at her Watcher and buried her face in his chest as she sobbed uncontrollably. Long seconds passed as she stood there crying; abruptly, she pulled away and glared mercilessly at Duncan as she snarled, "So, one of you finally got her. Why are you here, Duncan? Afraid that I'll violate your little code and go after Alyssa's murderer?"
She was surprised that none of the Immortals reacted negatively to her outburst, and Methos' expression was compassionate as he replied, "No, Buffy. Alyssa was killed in violation of the rules of the Game. . .and we are here to ask for your help in dealing with her killer."
Buffy blinked in surprise, clearing tears away and allowing her to see that all four Immortals were looking intently at her, waiting for her response. She took a deep breath, and commented, "All right, I'm listening."
Duncan motioned for her to sit, and they all found seats in Giles' living room as Duncan began to explain, "Alyssa was found dead two weeks ago in an alley several hundred yards from the Watchers' compound. When I heard, I went to the Council and questioned them, but they had no idea why Alyssa had strayed off of holy ground. Fortunately, I have a reliable contact within the organization that observes the activities of Immortals-who, by the way, also refer to themselves as Watchers-and he was able to pass on to me a videotape that a Watcher had managed to obtain. . .it contains footage of Alyssa's death. . .and the attendant circumstances."
Buffy shuddered in revulsion, as did Willow, but Buffy recovered quickly and responded, "All right, let's see it."
Duncan walked over to the VCR and pushed the play button: the screen quickly lit up and showed Alyssa walking down a dimly lit alley; abruptly, she reacted as if something had stung her, and a man stepped into view, wielding a sword. Alyssa briefly pleaded with the man not to attack her, but it was futile: he charged at her and battle was joined. Alyssa apparently decided rather quickly that this man would see no reason, and she dispatched him with three brutally efficient moves, concluding with the stranger's head bouncing off of the cobblestones.
Buffy watched as Alyssa was transfixed by the Quickening, only to see a new, cloaked figure walking up to Alyssa while she was helpless and strike off her head. An involuntary snarl escaped from her as the incredibly cowardly nature of the act sunk in, and she watched as the figure took in Alyssa's Quickening. After the fireworks had died down, the figure casually walked away, leaving the corpse of the woman that Buffy had seen as a symbol of hope.
The screen went blank, and Duncan turned off the VCR as Buffy blinked, still in shock. After a moment, she looked at Duncan and grated out, "Who did this?. . .he's a dead man."
Duncan looked grimly at Buffy and replied, "My source in the Watchers has identified him as Conrad Daniels. He's about five hundred years old, and has not been terribly active in the Game. . .the consensus is that he's been playing it cagey up to now, looking for opportunities to get easy Quickenings. As far as they know, he's never violated the Rules before, but apparently the Immortal Slayer was too much for him to resist. My source sent a picture along." He handed Buffy a manila folder, which she opened and examined. Her eyes widened, and she stared for a long moment before screaming in rage and slamming her fist into the nearest wall, tearing a large hole into the surface and causing Willow and Xander to rush over to her. A savage gesture stopped them in their tracks, and Buffy met Giles' eyes with a truly lethal glare as she grated out, "Damn it, Giles. . .this time they've gone too far."
Giles blinked, and his thoughts were racing as he asked, "What do you mean, Buffy?"
Buffy walked over and handed him the folder as she snarled, "See for yourself, Giles." Giles opened the folder and looked at the picture: a burst of anger so intense raced through him that he had no doubt that he was fully capable of ripping the head of the person depicted in the photo off of its shoulders without much effort.
Willow perceived Giles' anger and asked, "Uh, Giles? Could you fill the rest of us in on this. . .we're not used to seeing you ready to rip someone's spine out."
Giles looked at Buffy for a long moment: she nodded, and Giles turned to the others and replied, "Unfortunately, it seems as if the guilty individual is someone who has the full confidence of the Council of Watchers. . .someone who could cause the Council to take precipitous action to deal with what it saw as a risk." He took a deep breath, then elaborated:
"The Immortal in question is now going by the name of. . ." He turned to Buffy and met her intense gaze as he continued: "Quentin Travers."
As before, comments are welcome and desired.
Part I
Buffy and Willow walked along the main quad of UC Sunnydale, taking in the view and generally enjoying the day. After two days as "Cave Slayer", Buffy had awakened with a nasty hangover, complete recall of what she had done and said under the influence of the magic beer, and a general sense that all was well in her world. Willow had been pleased at the improvement in her best friend's mood, and they were discussing Professor Walsh's latest lecture when a familiar voice called out, "So this is the American college experience. . .sorry I missed out on it."
Buffy and Willow turned around and saw Duncan MacLeod, with a mischievous expression on his face and gladness in his eyes. Buffy grinned and called out, "Duncan!" as she gave him an uninhibited hug: Willow settled for a smile and a nod, which Duncan returned as Buffy withdrew and asked, "When did you get here? How did you manage to track us down?"
"Giles told me you were both going to school here," the Highlander replied, "and once I got here, finding you was not a problem. . .you set off my paranormal senses far more readily than most Immortals do." He smiled again, then commented, "It was a good thing that you and Willow were together. . .something has come up, and I need to discuss it with both of you back at Giles' apartment."
Buffy frowned and replied, "We don't have any more classes today, so that's not a problem. . .Duncan, what's wrong?"
Duncan's face turned sad as he replied, "I think I'll have to show you that back at Giles' place, Buffy. We should hurry back. . .I parked close to here." He gestured for the two young women to follow him, and Buffy felt the cold tickle of dread brush against her soul as she and Willow followed her enigmatic friend back to his car.
*****
Buffy knocked on the door, and after a few seconds Giles opened it: Buffy could see that Giles had suffered a great shock recently from the look on his face. "Giles. . .what's wrong?" Buffy asked softly, her sense of dread growing by the moment as she realized something terrible must have happened.
Giles looked at her, trying to reassure her and failing utterly as he replied, "We'll let you know in a minute, Buffy." He gestured to indicate that Buffy, Willow, and Duncan should come in, and they walked into the living room of Giles' apartment, where Xander, Anya, and Oz were sitting along with three people that neither Buffy nor Willow recognized.
Duncan motioned over to the strangers, and they walked over, their expressions somber. Duncan turned back to Buffy and said, "Buffy, these are three good friends of mine." He motioned to the tall, platinum blonde woman standing next to him and continued, "Buffy Summers, this is Amanda."
In spite of her anxiety, Buffy smiled: she remembered the stories that Duncan had told her about this Immortal during their brief time together in January. The Slayer grinned and commented, "Good to meet you, Amanda. If half of what Duncan told me about you is true, we'll have to have a long conversation before you leave."
The Immortal cat burglar chuckled and replied, "I could say the same about you, Buffy. . .I've heard about Slayers, but I've never met one before. . .we'll have to exchange tips on technique." Buffy laughed, hoping she was talking about fighting. Duncan motioned to a tall, thin man with a close-cropped haircut and continued, "This is Methos. . .an old friend of mine."
Methos stepped forward and clasped Buffy's hand, lifting it to his lips in an old-fashioned gesture that fascinated Buffy. * There's something about him. . .just how old can Immortals get, anyway? Duncan told me that Amanda was twelve centuries old, but Methos seems older, somehow * She smiled at Methos and commented, "Nice to meet you, Methos," as her eyes told him that she was rather curious about him. The elder Immortal noted the scrutiny and smiled inwardly: some things never changed.
Duncan concluded the introductions by nodding at the large, thirtyish looking dark-haired man standing behind Methos and elaborating, "This is Nick Wolfe, Buffy: a good friend of Amanda's. . .and a recent entry into our membership."
Buffy took the initiative this time: she walked up to Nick and shook his hand firmly as she commented, "Nice to meet you, Nick. So, you're a new Immortal. . .Duncan told me the whole story about how it is when you're first learning about things. . .how are you adjusting?"
Nick grimaced and replied, "I'm muddling along. . .it's not as if I have much of a choice but to adjust." He gave Amanda a mock glare as she walked over and slipped her arm around his. The lovely Immortal laughed and commented, "You just won't let some things go, will you, Nick?" She leaned over to Buffy and whispered, "You shoot some people just once, and they never let you forget about it."
Buffy smiled politely, making a mental note to question Duncan about that little comment later, before frowning and commenting, "It's nice to meet all of you. . .but I have a feeling this isn't a social call, from the way that Duncan rushed over to campus to find us. What's wrong?" She noticed the grim faces of the visitors and continued, "Let me guess. . .some rogue Immortal has teamed up with some seriously nasty demon, and we're looking at the Apocalypse. . .causing you to come to see your friendly neighborhood Slayer."
Buffy saw Duncan look away briefly, his eyes sad, before turning back to Buffy and replying, "No demonic problems, Buffy. . .but it does involve an Immortal."
Buffy looked into his eyes. . .and knew. She sank into a nearby easy chair and looked up at Duncan, her eyes brimming as she asked: "Alyssa?"
Duncan swallowed and nodded before replying, "I'm sorry, Buffy. She's gone."
*****
Buffy just stared at Duncan for a long moment, disbelieving. Anticipating her reaction, Giles had moved over to her side, and his judgment was vindicated as she flung herself at her Watcher and buried her face in his chest as she sobbed uncontrollably. Long seconds passed as she stood there crying; abruptly, she pulled away and glared mercilessly at Duncan as she snarled, "So, one of you finally got her. Why are you here, Duncan? Afraid that I'll violate your little code and go after Alyssa's murderer?"
She was surprised that none of the Immortals reacted negatively to her outburst, and Methos' expression was compassionate as he replied, "No, Buffy. Alyssa was killed in violation of the rules of the Game. . .and we are here to ask for your help in dealing with her killer."
Buffy blinked in surprise, clearing tears away and allowing her to see that all four Immortals were looking intently at her, waiting for her response. She took a deep breath, and commented, "All right, I'm listening."
Duncan motioned for her to sit, and they all found seats in Giles' living room as Duncan began to explain, "Alyssa was found dead two weeks ago in an alley several hundred yards from the Watchers' compound. When I heard, I went to the Council and questioned them, but they had no idea why Alyssa had strayed off of holy ground. Fortunately, I have a reliable contact within the organization that observes the activities of Immortals-who, by the way, also refer to themselves as Watchers-and he was able to pass on to me a videotape that a Watcher had managed to obtain. . .it contains footage of Alyssa's death. . .and the attendant circumstances."
Buffy shuddered in revulsion, as did Willow, but Buffy recovered quickly and responded, "All right, let's see it."
Duncan walked over to the VCR and pushed the play button: the screen quickly lit up and showed Alyssa walking down a dimly lit alley; abruptly, she reacted as if something had stung her, and a man stepped into view, wielding a sword. Alyssa briefly pleaded with the man not to attack her, but it was futile: he charged at her and battle was joined. Alyssa apparently decided rather quickly that this man would see no reason, and she dispatched him with three brutally efficient moves, concluding with the stranger's head bouncing off of the cobblestones.
Buffy watched as Alyssa was transfixed by the Quickening, only to see a new, cloaked figure walking up to Alyssa while she was helpless and strike off her head. An involuntary snarl escaped from her as the incredibly cowardly nature of the act sunk in, and she watched as the figure took in Alyssa's Quickening. After the fireworks had died down, the figure casually walked away, leaving the corpse of the woman that Buffy had seen as a symbol of hope.
The screen went blank, and Duncan turned off the VCR as Buffy blinked, still in shock. After a moment, she looked at Duncan and grated out, "Who did this?. . .he's a dead man."
Duncan looked grimly at Buffy and replied, "My source in the Watchers has identified him as Conrad Daniels. He's about five hundred years old, and has not been terribly active in the Game. . .the consensus is that he's been playing it cagey up to now, looking for opportunities to get easy Quickenings. As far as they know, he's never violated the Rules before, but apparently the Immortal Slayer was too much for him to resist. My source sent a picture along." He handed Buffy a manila folder, which she opened and examined. Her eyes widened, and she stared for a long moment before screaming in rage and slamming her fist into the nearest wall, tearing a large hole into the surface and causing Willow and Xander to rush over to her. A savage gesture stopped them in their tracks, and Buffy met Giles' eyes with a truly lethal glare as she grated out, "Damn it, Giles. . .this time they've gone too far."
Giles blinked, and his thoughts were racing as he asked, "What do you mean, Buffy?"
Buffy walked over and handed him the folder as she snarled, "See for yourself, Giles." Giles opened the folder and looked at the picture: a burst of anger so intense raced through him that he had no doubt that he was fully capable of ripping the head of the person depicted in the photo off of its shoulders without much effort.
Willow perceived Giles' anger and asked, "Uh, Giles? Could you fill the rest of us in on this. . .we're not used to seeing you ready to rip someone's spine out."
Giles looked at Buffy for a long moment: she nodded, and Giles turned to the others and replied, "Unfortunately, it seems as if the guilty individual is someone who has the full confidence of the Council of Watchers. . .someone who could cause the Council to take precipitous action to deal with what it saw as a risk." He took a deep breath, then elaborated:
"The Immortal in question is now going by the name of. . ." He turned to Buffy and met her intense gaze as he continued: "Quentin Travers."
As before, comments are welcome and desired.