Duncan-
Duncan still smiled at the memory of his first sight of Buffy. He had been on his knees in so much pain that he had wanted to die when she had come around the corner like a blond avenging angel. When she had saved his life he liked her even more.
There were some days that it really didn't pay to get out of bed, and meeting Randall in that alley had been one of them. After the quickening, when he had finally gotten his strength back he had retrieved his sword, found hers and scooped Buffy up and carried her back to his loft. She was a little dirty but hadn't been injured. He had been a bit snoopy and searched her pockets for i.d. but had only found sharpened wooden stakes and of course her sword.
Duncan had shaken his head over the sword. It was made well, it was just ugly to look at. She had come to at about that point and when he had tried to bluff her she had cut through it all. They had become fast friends that night and closer as the days progressed.
Richie had taken to her immediately; she looked younger than she was. When he had tried to romance her, Buffy had been kind but she had firmly put him in his place and now they were like brother and sister. Squabbling ones. She had begun taking him on patrols when she had seen his skills with the sword and he had learned a lot from Buffy, tightening the bond between them.
As Buffy and he had discovered the girls and began training them Duncan and Richie had become attached to them as well. Beautiful Mary, a Scot like himself, who was shy as a mouse, but strong. Beaten down Riley who was beginning to blossom into her own self, no longer a victim. Then there was sassy Eva who flirted as easily as she breathed but had a singlemindedness that made her seem older than 16.
They trained together, learned together and frequently ate together as a family. Duncan was happier than he had been since Tessa had died. He had sensed it in Richie as well, a new purpose and a new family.
Neither one of them had contacted Joe. Duncan didn't want to bring unwanted attention to the training so he kept their watcher friend out of the loop. He knew that there would be hell to pay but they could cross that bridge when it crashed underneath them.
Duncan and Buffy had been mildly attracted to each other from the beginning, but she had told him about Angel and he had waited like a gentleman. The plan had been blown out of the water when Methos had met her. Duncan had watched the visible, almost audible connection between them and sighed. Couldn't have happened to a better immortal, and he was happy for them. As for he and Buffy, they had actually gotten closer as well. He didn't have a lot of female friends that could best him occasionally at sword play, and one that he admired as well.
If he sighed occasionally for what might have been, it was soothed by the fact that she trusted him and he trusted her. You dinna waste a friendship like that.
