Day of Remembrance

Okay, this was originally supposed to be very simple Buffy/WWF cross, that went completely left field at the end. You'll see what I mean. Enjoy. To WWF readers of my other fics, this is not to be confused with Remembrance.

TITLE: Day of Remembrance 1/1
AUTHOR: Juliet or Juliet3:16
EMAIL: Sweetvalley99@aol.com
RATING: G
CONTENT: Nothing worse than a damn.
CATEGORY: Vignette, ANGST
SPOILERS: For Buffy, "The Gift" and Angel's season finale. No spoilers for WWF or Highlander, I don't think, *glares at borg muse*
SUMMARY: Angel finds a kindred spirit.
DISCLAIMER: Joss owns Angel, Bret Hart owns himself. The Highlander characters belong to David Prynzer.
DISTRIBUTION: www.shadowranger.com, the Realm. Anywhere else please ask.

Day of Remembrance

Angel had the bartender pour him another shot of liquor. It had been twenty-four hours since it happened. Twenty - four hours since she died. He'd lost his head and just got into his car, pulled the top up, and just took off. Now, twenty - four hours later, he was drowning his sorrows in a bar in Canada. How he got there, he'd never know.
Another man walked in. He was about Angel's height, but a little more built. He had blue eyes, and brown hair that barely touched the shoulders. He sat down next to Angel.
"Line 'em up," the other man said to the bartender. Instantly, four shots of liquor lined up on the table.
The man downed the shots and turned to Angel. "You look like I feel," the man said quietly.
"Somebody important to me died yesterday," Angel said staring off into space.
The man stared down at one of the glass shots. "Yeah I know the feeling," the man said looking up. "My brother died two years ago today."
"Doesn't get easier does it?" Angel asked rhetorically, "Losing those you care about."
The older man smiled bitterly. "No, it doesn't. There are times when something happens and I want to tell my brother about it an - "
"- and he isn't there? Yeah, I'm starting to know the feeling." He'd wanted to call Buffy that evening when he'd found he was in Canada only to realize she was the reason he'd gone to Canada, and she'd never know it. "Then there are times when you just want to disengage completely. Not care about anyone or anything."
Especially when the person you love's death, causes those around you to self destruct" The man said quietly. He turned to face Angel. "I'm Bret," the man said, offering Angel his hand.
"Angel," Angel replied, shaking Bret's hand.
"So, where you from?" Bret asked.
"Los Angeles," Angel answered.
"Pretty far to be drowning your sorrows," Bret remarked.
"Yeah, well one minute, I'm hearing Buffy's dead, the next I'm in my car driving up to Canada,"Angel said.
"She must have been pretty special to invoke that kinda reaction in you. You two must have been really close." Bret said.
Angel shook his head. "That's the damning part. The last time I saw Buffy, we got into this huge argument and she stormed away and I hadn't see her since. That was a year ago. Damn, why did I leave things like that!"
Definitely doesn't make things easier when the person dies and terms aren't good," Bret said. speaking from experience.
"Ever think of joining your brother?" Angel asked, looking Bret in the eye.
"There's not a day that goes by that I don't," Bret responded.
"What keeps you going?" Angel inquired.
Brett looked up for a moment, then gave a wistful smile. "Because I know my brother. He'd want me to live and try to pick myself up and go on. Take care of those left behind and protect them the best I can. Owen would've wanted that."
Angel looked at his glass for a second. "Yeah so would Buffy."
Angel stood up. "Speaking of friends, I've got a long drive to make. Gotta get back to LA before my friends thing I've done something completely stupid."
"Like drive all the way to Canada?" Bret quipped.
Angel smiled sadly. "Yeah something like that." Angel reached for his wallet. Bret stopped him.
"I'll pay, go before your friends really start to panic."
Angel started for the door when Bret's voice stopped him.
"Hey Angel," Bret began, "did your friend, did Buffy die on her own terms?"
Angel thought about what Willow had told him about Buffy's death. "She died saving her sister and her friends. She'd have had it no other way." Angel explained.
That was all Bret needed to hear. "That's all anybody can hope for in their deaths," Bret replied as Angel headed out into the night. Bret turned to the bartender with some cash.
"Here Joe, I think I'll visit Martha and the kids this year, something different. I think Owen would want me to do that." Bret turned and followed the path Angel went.
Joe Dawson collected the money from the bar and sighed. He hoped that Angel and Bret's meeting could help heal the wounds in both men's hearts. And from the looks of both men when they left it looked as though it had, at least a little. He also hoped it helped another.
"Did some of what they said get through to you, Richie?" The old man turned towards a young - looking man with short strawberry blond hair.
Richie Ryan stepped from the shadows where he'd listened to Bret's and Angel's exchange. "Yeah, it did. Do you think that's what Mack would've wanted me to keep going?"
"Richie, I know so," Joe said, taking two shot glasses and filled them to the brim with scotch.
"Room for one more?" said a tall British fellow.
"Me too," said his knockout female companion.
"Always room for friends, Methos, Amanda," Joe gestured to two empty chairs at the bar while producing two more shot glasses and filled them as well.
The oldest living immortal and the worlds oldest thief, sat down and raised the shot glasses while Richie and Joe did the same.
"To Duncan MacLeod of the Clan McLeod," Joe began, "and all the others who've died saving the world or doing what they love to do."
"Here, here," the other three chimed in, clinking their glasses and downing the liquid.
The foursome then sat there awhile. Remembering their absent friend and others.

The end.

Okay, how the heck did I end up with that ending? Okay about the Highlander stuff, to make a long story short, it's an alternate universe where Richie was the one that took Mac's head and not the other way around*ducks kitana's and other stuff from HL fans* I may do a fic based on this someday and bring Mac back to life, but for now, in this fic and universe, he's dead. Please tell me and my muse what you think, cause feedback keeps him from getting wild endings like the one to this one.