Into the clearing 8 men appeared. They all had wild beards and appeared to be dressed alike in snow white mantles with a blood red cross in startling clarity against it's background. The men glanced around quickly, took in their situation, pulled their great broadswords as one and shouted, "Beausant!" and joined the battle.
Faith and Buffy looked at each other and shrugged, then started beheading some more demons. The fight was starting to slow with the extra assist.
Methos had been fighting, his back to the flash of light. He had been too busy to check it out, but when his back had bumped into someone else he spun quickly, sword at the ready.
There in front of him, a tall curly headed man with a familiar grin.
"Gavin?" Methos gasped.
"Hail Brother, Well met!" The Knight cried cheerfully and thrust past the frozen Methos to slay a demon.
"Pay attention Methos!" The Knight scolded and Methos nodded dumbly and stepped back into the fray.
As he fought he saw more faces he recognized. As one after another saw him they would lay a hand on their heart in greeting and continue fighting.
Buffy was ambushed from behind by a demon and from a vamp in front when suddenly she was pierced through her body with a claw. She stiffened and Faith shrieked "B!" Buffy took her sword and dispatched the demon and in the same movement beheaded the vamp before falling to her knees. A Knight Templar knelt beside her and looked at her in concern, "Thou are wounded my lady." He said and Methos ran over and threw himself down beside her, he reached down and blue light from his fingers reached out and healed her instantly. They looked at each other in astonishment before Nicholas shrugged, "Back to the fight." He helped her up and Methos grinned wildly, "To the fight!" Buffy felt where the wound was experimentally and shrugged, 'back to the fight.' And into the fray they jumped. All of the new demons and all of the vamps were destroyed and Buffy faced Appolyon.
Buffy was 10 yards from the demon and stopped. Faith had made her way around and was behind the demon, facing Buffy. A Knight stepped up besides Faith and then Methos walked up to stand beside Buffy. Mac joined at Faith's right side and the Templars filled in the loose circle one by one, surrounding the plainly frightened demon.
A Knight Templar raised his sword and spoke, "I John, Knight Templar in the service of God do bind thee demon Appolyon to your prison. Each Knight spoke the same vow, one at a time, "I Gaetan….I Geoffrie….I Hughes.…I Nicolas.…I Michael….I William….I Gavin….", who gave a sideways look at Methos. Methos sighed deeply and lifted his sword, "I Methos, former Knight Templar in the service of God do bind thee demon Appolyon to your prison. Amen."
There was a thunderclap and the Power that was called ran around the circle, bright and powerful, snapping everyone's head back, including the Slayers and McLeod. The power then shot out, surrounding Appolyon, enveloping the demon in holy light and dropping it into the alabaster box, the lid falling straight back on it with a loud clunk.
Then the earth shook, opening in the center of the circle to drop the box into the earth. The power crescendoed, filling the clearing with a bright light before it disappeared in a burst of sound.
Buffy opened her eyes, realized she was on her knees beside Methos in the clearing. He grabbed her in a tight hug and she laughed, "I guess the fat lady didn't sing so much as explode." He smiled into her hair, feeling her arms around him just as tight. He looked up to meet Duncan's wry smile, and to see Faith standing in the moonlight with a satisfied smile on her face. The Templars had vanished.
Methos stood and helped Buffy up and took her hand, linking their fingers. Duncan walked over with Faith, "So you were a Knight Templar? A stinky bearded Knight Templar?" Mac's voice held barely suppressed laughter.
Methos frowned at his friend, "Can I help it if Saint Bernard thought that dirtiness was next to godliness?" The girls laughed and the four of them began to walk back to the city.
"So who was the ugly demon?" Faith asked.
Methos sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"About 4,000 years ago, give or take, some nitwit decided to call up a demon for some inane reason. The Knights were called by Gabriel and the prison was formed by some Saint or other and it was supposed to be imprisoned for eternity."
Mac looked up at the moon and sighed, "Let me take a wild stab, it was hidden here in the forest?" he asked and Methos nodded.
"You're half right, it was in the catacombs below where the château and the church used to stand. The vamps must have found it." Methos said thoughtfully.
Mac shot Buffy a look, winking and making her smile, "So wouldn't you say that the Templars were like the ultimate boyscouts?" He asked and Buffy laughed.
Methos sent Mac a dirty look, "Shut up Highlander."
The four of them spent the rest of their time in Paris having fun and sightseeing. The men saw new side to the Slayers that made them smile, and more often than not, laugh. It was the calm before the storm.
Buffy dreaded the nights because of nightmares so she and Faith would drag the men out to French nightclubs and dance almost to dawn. The night before they were to leave Faith and Buffy were dancing together. They had some fun rebuffing the men, and some women who would hit on them. Mac and Methos watching in amusement.
Buffy looked at Faith and said, "I'm staying with you in LA."
"B." Faith said warningly. "Don't mess up this great thing you have with Adam."
Buffy shook her head and as the song ended walked to the women's restroom towing Faith behind her. They walked in, Faith hopping up to sit on the counter, watching her friend pace agitatedly.
"OK B, what gives?"
Buffy looked her, eyes filled with shadows; "I need to spend some time with you and Giles and Will. I need to see Dawnie and Xander. I need to stop having nightmares!" Buffy shouted and stood there with her eyes closed.
"Ok B. You'll get no argument from me, but what are you going to tell Adam?" Faith's face held such compassion that Buffy couldn't meet her eyes.
"I don't know."
The next day they were on the flight to NY and Buffy slept. Faith didn't flirt with Mac once; she was too busy keeping an eye on Buffy. Both men knew that something serious was wrong but neither woman would talk.
Methos had gone to the bathroom when Buffy started to moan and thrash. Faith moved like lightening, waking her and reassuring her before moving back to sit by Duncan.
Duncan took Faith's hand, "Tell me." He pleaded quietly.
Faith's eyes were sad as she shook her head, "I can't, it's for B to say."
The flight had been a non-stop from Paris to LA and when they all had trooped off and were standing in the concourse to say good byes, Buffy had looked at Faith who nodded. Faith had dragged Duncan off and Buffy looked at Methos whose heart suddenly stuttered in fear.
"Adam, I need to stay here for a while." She couldn't meet his eyes.
He froze, then touched her face gently, "Why?"
"There's something that I have to do." She replied evasively.
"Can you tell me?"
"Not yet." She sighed heavily and he nodded and stepped back from her, his heart cracking. Buffy looked up, gave him a weary smile and walked away to Faith.
"Running away won't help!" He called after her.
She stopped, turned to face this man that she loved so much, and nodded, "I know, but it's all I have right now." And she walked away with Faith.
Duncan knew his friend well enough to know he was suffering. He clapped him on the shoulder in sympathy. "Let's go to my place. She'll call when she's ready."
Methos stared until he could no longer see the bright gold of Buffy's hair.
"Let's
go to Joe's. I need a beer." He said flatly and walked the other way.
