Chapter 5
~~~~~~~
"Well, let's go have a beer and discuss this, shall we?" replied Methos.
"I'm afraid I don't have time for that, my old friend" responded Brian. "Let me be blunt. I am having some sort of schizophrenic effect to a quickening. I am seeing people that aren't there. Sometimes I am myself. Sometimes I am possessed by someone and can't get free."
Methos stared at him for a moment and then recovered.
"You weren't lying," Methos said quietly. "Come, let's see if my friends can help you."
~~~~~~~
Richie and Dawn walked into the local pizzeria and sat down at a small booth near the kitchen. Richie relaxed and took off his coat, then picked up his menu and Dawn followed suit.
"Pepperoni and cheese?" Richie asked.
"Yes please, and no pepper sauce this time. You know I don't like that," Dawn trailed off as Richie tensed and started to look around him. Dawn rolled her eyes and picked up her coat. "Well, I'll get back to the shop. Go. Find them. We can eat later."
Richie shot Dawn a grin, put on his coat and was out the door. Dawn sighed and followed, stomping her feet as she walked.
~~~~~~~
Richie stepped outside and put on his sunglasses. He scanned the area and was relieved when he saw Methos walking down the street with another man. Calling after them he jogged over and caught up.
"Hey Adam, who's your friend?" asked Richie.
"I'll explain later, but this is Brian. The Brian," he replied, patiently waiting for Richie to catch on.
Richies eyes widened then he recovered and said, "Nice to meet you. I'm Richie." He stuck out his hand and Brian reached out to shake it. Richie soon regretted this simple action of courtesy. When their hands met a tiny bolt of electricity crossed their palms and Brian's eyes turned black.
"You, it was you that did this to me!" said an enraged Brian, in a voice not his own. Richie knew whom it belonged to. It belonged to Willow.
~~~~~~~
Giles, Duncan and Joe had just finished a light lunch when Duncan suddenly got up. Joe sighed and looked at Giles. A few moments later, the door to the Magic Box opened and Methos, Richie, and another man Duncan had never seen walked in. Richie was obviously agitated and Methos was calm as usual. The other man just looked nervous.
"Adam, Richie, who's your friend?" asked Duncan casually.
"MacLeod, before I tell you that promise me you won't kill him, yet" replied Methos.
Duncan looked at Methos, narrowing his eyes. He glanced back at Richie and then Brian.
"You have my word," said Duncan.
"Mac, this is Brian the Irish" Richie said, introducing the taller man.
Brian bowed deeply and said, "I have heard of you Highlander."
"And I of you," replied MacLeod bowing stiffly from the waist in return.
Methos rolled his eyes and muttered, "Damn, ceremonial Celts."
Duncan and Brian just glared. Giles stifled a smile while Richie and Joe coughed away their laughter.
Methos waited for his interruption to die down and said, "Giles, we are going to need your help. Maybe even the help of Willow as well."
"You have it. What else do you need?" replied Giles.
~~~~~~~
The tale that had unfolded was amazing even to Sunnydale standards. Willow had arrived and at Methos' request, performed a binding spell on Brian so he couldn't get free or use any magic of any kind. What had surprised even Methos was that this spell had forced the spirit of the evil Willow to the top. Brian's eyes had turned black and his voice had changed again. The real Willow just sat in shock as she saw what she had been like from an outside perspective. Every so often she would wipe tears away from her eyes.
Soon, the evil Willow had subsided and Brian was back in control. Fortunately he could draw from his counterpart's memory and he told her story.
~~~~~~~
Alternate universe, about 3 years previous
"Willow, no" screamed Xander just before he died. The blast of energy ripped his heart apart and his body would not function. He was a hero, but that didn't change the fact that he was dead.
"I'll see you in a few minutes, crayon boy" replied a thoroughly hate- filled Willow.
The black-eyed witch flung the body away from the statue and continued to draw the temple from the ground. It's grotesque figurehead towered above her and finally stopped as the building was completely above ground.
Willow started toward the entrance of the building and suddenly stopped.
"Damn it, not now," she cursed. The familiar feeling of an Immortal washed over her. Willow looked around her and saw a lone figure walking up the hill toward her.
The man as it turned out to be was of a medium height and had short-cropped curly red hair. Willow waited impatiently for him to come up to her.
"I'll just take his head and use the extra power to finish this job" she thought.
The man walked up to her and stopped.
"Willow Rosenberg I presume?" asked the man.
Willow looked up startled then angry.
"What do you want? I'm a bit busy right now," she replied angrily.
Already she started forming a fireball in her hands to kill him with. The man suddenly held up his hands. In it he held a glowing crystal orb the color of the sea after a storm. As he held it, the light grew brighter while it seemed that the sunlight around them grew dim. Nothing could be seen around them in clarity except for the two Immortals and the orb.
Willow saw this was a powerful item and raised her hands to drain it of its energy when all of a sudden she collapsed in pain.
"This was designed for you," said Richie. "It drains your powers and effectively your soul. The White Council chose me to do this for some reason, and now I to take your head. You will cease to exist in this reality. There is a slight chance you may be transported to another, but there is no telling as this orb was created in a hurry. The arts of orb making have been lost for century and there was no time."
Richie finished speaking and withdrew his rapier.
As he swung towards Willow's unprotected neck he said," Even in this universe, there can be only one."
~~~~~~~~~
The Scoobies sat pondering the story they were being told. Willow took it well with little shock. She at least had an answer to a lot of the what- ifs that ran through her mind. She had acted the same way in alternate universes and dimensions.
Xander was hurt though. The other Willow had killed him outright. To his thinking, it could have gone that way in this universe as well except for some minor cosmic difference in the sequence of events. His head hurt just thinking about it.
Brian began to speak again.
"Apparently the other Willow was trapped in the orb which was locked away for all time. For some reason the orb began to degenerate and she was released. She finally ended up in this reality just a short while ago with almost no powers and a sword. I found a car off the side of the road where she challenged me. I tried to refuse but she attacked me. So I fought and I won and took her Quickening. That brings us to the present."
"Most interesting," began Giles only to be interrupted by Buffy.
"So, let's get these two separated or something," she said.
"Yes well, that may take some doing. We don't know the first thing about what we're dealing with," finished Giles.
"Wait a minute. What's this White Council?" asked Richie.
"I have no idea, we have nothing like it in this reality that I know of," replied Giles.
Methos looked up. "I haven't heard of it either. Sorry Richard."
"How many times have I told you not to call me that!" exclaimed Richie.
Buffy and Willow rolled their eyes. "Here we go again," they thought.
~~~~~~~~
End of chapter 5
Questions, comments, suggestions? Review please.
~~~~~~~
"Well, let's go have a beer and discuss this, shall we?" replied Methos.
"I'm afraid I don't have time for that, my old friend" responded Brian. "Let me be blunt. I am having some sort of schizophrenic effect to a quickening. I am seeing people that aren't there. Sometimes I am myself. Sometimes I am possessed by someone and can't get free."
Methos stared at him for a moment and then recovered.
"You weren't lying," Methos said quietly. "Come, let's see if my friends can help you."
~~~~~~~
Richie and Dawn walked into the local pizzeria and sat down at a small booth near the kitchen. Richie relaxed and took off his coat, then picked up his menu and Dawn followed suit.
"Pepperoni and cheese?" Richie asked.
"Yes please, and no pepper sauce this time. You know I don't like that," Dawn trailed off as Richie tensed and started to look around him. Dawn rolled her eyes and picked up her coat. "Well, I'll get back to the shop. Go. Find them. We can eat later."
Richie shot Dawn a grin, put on his coat and was out the door. Dawn sighed and followed, stomping her feet as she walked.
~~~~~~~
Richie stepped outside and put on his sunglasses. He scanned the area and was relieved when he saw Methos walking down the street with another man. Calling after them he jogged over and caught up.
"Hey Adam, who's your friend?" asked Richie.
"I'll explain later, but this is Brian. The Brian," he replied, patiently waiting for Richie to catch on.
Richies eyes widened then he recovered and said, "Nice to meet you. I'm Richie." He stuck out his hand and Brian reached out to shake it. Richie soon regretted this simple action of courtesy. When their hands met a tiny bolt of electricity crossed their palms and Brian's eyes turned black.
"You, it was you that did this to me!" said an enraged Brian, in a voice not his own. Richie knew whom it belonged to. It belonged to Willow.
~~~~~~~
Giles, Duncan and Joe had just finished a light lunch when Duncan suddenly got up. Joe sighed and looked at Giles. A few moments later, the door to the Magic Box opened and Methos, Richie, and another man Duncan had never seen walked in. Richie was obviously agitated and Methos was calm as usual. The other man just looked nervous.
"Adam, Richie, who's your friend?" asked Duncan casually.
"MacLeod, before I tell you that promise me you won't kill him, yet" replied Methos.
Duncan looked at Methos, narrowing his eyes. He glanced back at Richie and then Brian.
"You have my word," said Duncan.
"Mac, this is Brian the Irish" Richie said, introducing the taller man.
Brian bowed deeply and said, "I have heard of you Highlander."
"And I of you," replied MacLeod bowing stiffly from the waist in return.
Methos rolled his eyes and muttered, "Damn, ceremonial Celts."
Duncan and Brian just glared. Giles stifled a smile while Richie and Joe coughed away their laughter.
Methos waited for his interruption to die down and said, "Giles, we are going to need your help. Maybe even the help of Willow as well."
"You have it. What else do you need?" replied Giles.
~~~~~~~
The tale that had unfolded was amazing even to Sunnydale standards. Willow had arrived and at Methos' request, performed a binding spell on Brian so he couldn't get free or use any magic of any kind. What had surprised even Methos was that this spell had forced the spirit of the evil Willow to the top. Brian's eyes had turned black and his voice had changed again. The real Willow just sat in shock as she saw what she had been like from an outside perspective. Every so often she would wipe tears away from her eyes.
Soon, the evil Willow had subsided and Brian was back in control. Fortunately he could draw from his counterpart's memory and he told her story.
~~~~~~~
Alternate universe, about 3 years previous
"Willow, no" screamed Xander just before he died. The blast of energy ripped his heart apart and his body would not function. He was a hero, but that didn't change the fact that he was dead.
"I'll see you in a few minutes, crayon boy" replied a thoroughly hate- filled Willow.
The black-eyed witch flung the body away from the statue and continued to draw the temple from the ground. It's grotesque figurehead towered above her and finally stopped as the building was completely above ground.
Willow started toward the entrance of the building and suddenly stopped.
"Damn it, not now," she cursed. The familiar feeling of an Immortal washed over her. Willow looked around her and saw a lone figure walking up the hill toward her.
The man as it turned out to be was of a medium height and had short-cropped curly red hair. Willow waited impatiently for him to come up to her.
"I'll just take his head and use the extra power to finish this job" she thought.
The man walked up to her and stopped.
"Willow Rosenberg I presume?" asked the man.
Willow looked up startled then angry.
"What do you want? I'm a bit busy right now," she replied angrily.
Already she started forming a fireball in her hands to kill him with. The man suddenly held up his hands. In it he held a glowing crystal orb the color of the sea after a storm. As he held it, the light grew brighter while it seemed that the sunlight around them grew dim. Nothing could be seen around them in clarity except for the two Immortals and the orb.
Willow saw this was a powerful item and raised her hands to drain it of its energy when all of a sudden she collapsed in pain.
"This was designed for you," said Richie. "It drains your powers and effectively your soul. The White Council chose me to do this for some reason, and now I to take your head. You will cease to exist in this reality. There is a slight chance you may be transported to another, but there is no telling as this orb was created in a hurry. The arts of orb making have been lost for century and there was no time."
Richie finished speaking and withdrew his rapier.
As he swung towards Willow's unprotected neck he said," Even in this universe, there can be only one."
~~~~~~~~~
The Scoobies sat pondering the story they were being told. Willow took it well with little shock. She at least had an answer to a lot of the what- ifs that ran through her mind. She had acted the same way in alternate universes and dimensions.
Xander was hurt though. The other Willow had killed him outright. To his thinking, it could have gone that way in this universe as well except for some minor cosmic difference in the sequence of events. His head hurt just thinking about it.
Brian began to speak again.
"Apparently the other Willow was trapped in the orb which was locked away for all time. For some reason the orb began to degenerate and she was released. She finally ended up in this reality just a short while ago with almost no powers and a sword. I found a car off the side of the road where she challenged me. I tried to refuse but she attacked me. So I fought and I won and took her Quickening. That brings us to the present."
"Most interesting," began Giles only to be interrupted by Buffy.
"So, let's get these two separated or something," she said.
"Yes well, that may take some doing. We don't know the first thing about what we're dealing with," finished Giles.
"Wait a minute. What's this White Council?" asked Richie.
"I have no idea, we have nothing like it in this reality that I know of," replied Giles.
Methos looked up. "I haven't heard of it either. Sorry Richard."
"How many times have I told you not to call me that!" exclaimed Richie.
Buffy and Willow rolled their eyes. "Here we go again," they thought.
~~~~~~~~
End of chapter 5
Questions, comments, suggestions? Review please.