Author's notes: Sorry it's been a while, classes are keeping me tied up…

Chapter 6

Sunnydale, December 24, 2002

Giles stood with his back against the wall of the 'training' room in the Magic Box. He could hardly belief that the Xander he saw in front of him was the same person that had been with the group for five years. For the past few months, Richie had been working with all of them, honing every skill he could find within them. Right then Xander and Richie were engaged it what could almost be seen as a dance. They held practice swords and moved gracefully back and forth counteracting each other's movements. It was beautiful. Xander was slowly accepting the strange twist the fates had thrown at him. Giles believed that Richie accepting Xander as an equal had helped him out. Richie didn't push Xander away from the danger like the rest of the group had always done. He taught Xander how to face that danger. Giles was drawn from his thoughts when he heard a thud on the practice mat in front of him.

"Ouch! Man, I'm going to have to get extra padding on this mat if you're going to keep this up," Richie said as he looked up at the victor of the latest match. He reached out to accept the helping hand that Xander had offered.

"You just need to partake of more doughnuts. You see, the doughnut is the secret to a long, healthy, strong life," Xander smiled at his friend as he took a bite out of a jelly filled doughnut. "My motto is 'Ten doughnuts a day keep the vamps away.'"

"You'll need more than doughnuts to stop this next threat." Giles cleared his throat and pushed his glasses up. "It's written that 'On the day of the Lord, death will come. The Hell is opened and only the one sacrifice can close it.'" Giles looked up from the book at the blank stares in front of him.

"Man, I don't see how Buffy could handle all of the death prophecies that were written. So, on Christmas day, hell is opened, I will die and save the world. Did I miss something?" Xander sank down to the practice mat and placed his head on his knees. He was not ready to die; he had too much to live for.

"Xander, we're not going to lose you. Prophecies aren't always clean. We could be missing a word, or the interpretation. Your death is not going to happen." Giles walked over and placed a hand on the young man's shoulder. "I won't let you die," he whispered to the man he considered a son.

Richie stood across the room lost in thought. Only he knew that Xander could not die like normal people. So if the prophecy were right, Xander would die his first mortal death tomorrow. Richie had to make sure that would not happen. He knew that Xander could hold his own in battle, but he did not want Xander to have his life cut so short like his own life was.

***Flashback, 1993 (author's note: I think it was '93, maybe '94)***

The gunshot rang through his ears. He felt a punch in his stomach and then his chest. There was pain mixed with fear. He fell to ground and felt the darkness envelope him. His life played like a movie in front of. He remember the loss of Emily Ryan, the pain of going from foster home to foster home, the hurt of nobody wanting him. He remembered learning his way on the streets, getting busted, and then that fateful day when he broke into the antique shop. He had discovered Duncan's secret, had become part of the lives of him and Tessa. He was a street kid who had now seen Paris and had a 'family' he could turn to. But it was gone now. The darkness overtook as he exhaled his last breath and thought, 'Duncan, please forgive me for not saving Tessa…'

***Present***

Richie would do all he could to prevent his friend from suffering the pain that came with death. He did not want the others to suffer through that pain as well. Xander was not going to die yet…

Christmas Eve at the Summers-Giles residence, 2002

The entire gang was enjoying a night of games, jokes, and gifts. Everyone was trying hard to keep the thoughts of what might happen tomorrow out of their minds.

"I say it's time to open gifts. I can't wait to see everyone's faces." Willow looked around at her 'family'. "Oh, and don't worry, I didn't get anybody anything witchy or spelly."

Gifts were passed around and opened. Shouts of happiness were heard and thank yous were given. Joyce had been the easiest to shop for; she was four months pregnant. Baby things were all around her. Xander had gotten Giles a book titled "What Not to Say in the Delivery Room", and Willow had given him a shirt and coffee mug that had '#1 Dad' written on it. Oz and Willow shocked everyone by showing the ring that Oz had presented to Willow the night before. Everyone gave the happy witch/werewolf couple their best wishes. Then, Richie had presented Xander with a gift that shocked the young man. It was an exquisite sword. It was no ordinary sword though. It was a katana like the practice swords he used with Richie, with one difference. The blade was made with wood sharpened to a fine edge. It was engrave with writings across the blade and handle. Xander just looked at his friend in shock, "How…where…what does the writings mean?"

Richie gave a sad smile to his friend. He knew that one day the sword would be used against immortals as well as vampires and demons. "I have a friend who owed me a favor. He made it for you. The engravings are written in Gaelic. It says, 'The One, The Wielder, Let no pure soul perish by this blade.' I thought it kind of appropriate." Richie finished speaking and sent a silent thanks to Duncan for making the sword.

"All I can say is wow." Xander picked the sword up and gave a few practice swings in the air, getting use to its weight and balance. He would treasure this fine weapon until he died; which hopefully wasn't tomorrow.

After all the gifts were given and put away, the group just sat. They wanted to savor every moment of this peaceful day that they could. None wanted to think that everything might change in less than 24 hours.

Richie was thinking about all that had happened in the last few months. He couldn't believe that he had actually become attached to the group of people that sat around the room. The only other time he had felt this way was when Tessa was still alive. It was almost like he had a family. Of course he did feel bad about lying to them. None knew that he was an immortal, that he was actually 28 and not 20. They would find out all too soon though. "Hey, we should play a game or something. How about…" Richie stopped short when he felt something that he had not felt the entire five months in Sunnydale; the presence of another immortal. It wasn't a weak presence, whoever the immortal was had some age.

Xander felt a minute tingle in his spine. It was almost the same feeling he received when he would see Richie but just a bit stronger. It was enough to make him prepare for something, even though he didn't know what. He noticed that Richie had stopped talking and was looking toward the door. A brief thought crossed Xander's mind, 'Had Richie felt it to?'

When the doorbell rang, Giles got up to answer it. He didn't even think about the fact that Richie had stopped talking before the sound, not after. He also didn't notice Richie following him to the door. Giles opened the door to reveal a man in long duster jacket, his face had a hawk like appearance, and his eyes had a depth of eons in them. "May I help you?" Giles looked at the stranger trying to decide what kind of threat he posed.

"Perhaps, I'm looking for Richie Ryan. Do you know where I might find him?" The man's accent was hard to trace. It wasn't American, but it seemed to have a trace of many lands in it. Before Giles could say anything, Richie stepped into the doorway.

"Adam! It's been a while, what are you doing here?" Richie put a welcoming arm on the strangers shoulder and brought him into the house.

"Well, I heard through the wires that you were fighting demons, vampires, and knew a slayer. Well, in all my years I only got to meet one slayer and…well I wanted to meet another." Adam smiled wickedly at the young immortal in front of him.

"Well, you are right that there is a slayer here, only I don't think HE would be interested in you that way. He's kind of into girls." Richie chuckled at the old man.

"You mean there's a male slayer! How's that possible?" Adam looked Richie and then he felt the presence of a pre-immortal and a sinking feeling began to form in his stomach. He remembered something that had been buried in his caverns of memory. Something that had scared him when he first heard it, and still scared him whenever he thought about it.

***Flashback around 1000 BC***

(author's note: Don't know when the horsemen road, so taking some liberty)

Death was beginning to grow tired of the group. All Kronos wanted was power and Caspian and Silas just followed whatever they were told. Ever since he had let the young immortal slave they had found leave, he was growing a conscience. Before the slave had fled from the camp, she had looked at Methos and left him with words that he would never forget. "One day, Death you will have if you don't change. If you do, you will forever be a warrior for the powers for all your acts." He hadn't let her words infect him at the time. It didn't bother him that he had murdered thousands, but what really bothered him was that he was letting someone else control him. Kronos had started out as an equal when the four had formed their group, but now he saw himself as the leader and that irked Methos to no extent. He knew that they had a made a deal with the demon that had appeared before them to perform the horrid acts they did in return for immortality. But Methos had been watching and learning. He knew that the demon had lied to them. The four were already immortal without the help of any demon or powers that be. He had seen others, and seen what happened when they lost their heads. He wanted to be on his own and see if the demon was lying. He wanted to also find more like him. He had tasted the power that came from the fire that came out of the severed head and he wanted more. He didn't want to share with his brothers. That night, Methos left the camp they had set up on the holy ground of the last tribe they had massacred. He left his brothers and his pledge to them he left to find his own way and his power.

About 1000 years later, Methos had made a name for himself. He was seen as the lone horseman. He had become the namesake he had carried with the group; he was Death. It was at this time that he witnessed something that he had never seen in his 3000 years of existence. He saw a young girl; she couldn't have been more than 13 years old. She was fighting a demon, a demon with fangs. He saw her place the wooden stake in the chest of the demon and saw the demon turn to dust. He watched in amazement the rest of the night as she fought and killed the demons around her. This was a special girl and she served a special purpose in the course of things. Then she saw him and her faced changed. She now had one thought on her mind; she was going to kill the angel of Death so he could no longer harm the world. Methos saw her coming and prepared to fight the young one. He didn't want to kill the special girl, but he didn't want to die either. That gave her the advantage and she stabbed him through the heart, but he did not die. Many times that night she killed him, but he always came back. Finally she saw her loss and prepared for her own death. That was when the slave girl's words came back to him and he made a decision. He told the girl he would spare her life. In a flash of light, a demon appeared before him. He was wearing clothing that was strange and holding a strange white stick in his hand that smoked. "Name's Whistler. Here you like goin' 'round and killin' people. Well, you've got a choice…Let the slayer here kill you after I drop a hint to her about how you can die, or fight on her side, protect the weaker ones. Take Death only to those who give death to others. Whaddya say?"

Methos looked at the strange being in front of him. He knew that if he agreed he would spend eternity on the good side fighting, but if he didn't he would be dead. There was one thing that Methos had always wanted, and that was to live. So he made his choice and joined with the powers that be.

***Present***

Xander looked suspiciously at the man who just walked in the room. "Who are you, and how do you know about slayers?"