Author's notes: Well, sorry it took so long. There were classes and Spring Break and now I can give all the next chapter. Hope you enjoy keep the reviews going. They are my encouragement!

Chapter 8

Still Christmas Eve in 2002

Everyone sat in silence contemplating the new information that had been presented before them. Richie was immortal. He wasn't human, but he wasn't evil either.

Xander looked over at his friend. 'No wonder he was always tripping this slayer sense thing off, but what does that mean about this Adam guy,' Xander wondered. He glanced over at the man who looked to be in his late 20s and saw a depth in him that surpassed that of Angel. Xander knew that this Adam was hiding the fact of being immortal, but he also knew to respect things that others wanted hidden. "So Richie…" everyone waited to hear his reaction. Would he still trust his friend or would he feel betrayed? "How'd you die for the first time?" Xander threw a smile out with is question, letting everyone know that he would accept the new aspect of their friend.

Richie smiled inwardly. 'They still accept me!' "Well, the whole knowledge of immortals actually came before I knew I was one. I got caught breaking into an antique store in 1992…"

"Wait a minute," Xander interrupted, "you were a thief?"

"Yeah, more of a petty time guy who wasn't very good. Although now I've had some practice and a good teacher." Richie smiled as he though about Amanda and saw Methos doing the same. "The guy who owned the place came at me with a sword and I musta looked like I was going to wet my pants before he realized that I wasn't a threat. Then another guy busted in with a sword and another one showed up through a side door. I hauled ass out of there, but the cops picked me up. Well, the owner didn't press charges but threatened me to silence. Curiosity got the better of me so I followed the owner and the 3rd sword guy around. I saw a sword fight, saw a beheading, and then saw a quickening for the first time. You've never experienced anything 'till you've seen a quickening light show." Richie took a breath and saw that the gang was hanging on his words. "The owner, Duncan, took me in and let me work at his shop. I lived there with him and his girlfriend Tessa." Richie choked when he said her name. Ten years and it still hurt like it was yesterday. "During that time, I found out about immortals, traveled to Paris and experienced so many things that I thought I would never do as an orphaned street kid." As Richie prepared to talk about his first death, he eyes took on a dark, hurt appearance. "During that year, we had found out about the watchers and the hunters. Duncan had even met his watcher. Well," Richie searched for the right words, "we ran across one hunter would kill immortals by kidnapping the immortal's human girlfriends or wives and use them as bait. Duncan went to rescue her and managed to save her. I had followed him that night even though he told me not to, never did listen." Richie paused looking for the strength to continue. Everyone looked at him with sympathy. He had as hard of a life as they had, maybe even harder. "It was funny because a girl I had met said she could tell fortunes and couldn't really until she met Duncan. She had warned us that something terrible was going to happen, going to happen to Tessa. Duncan had even just proposed to her too. He was trying to break what a gypsy woman once told him when he wouldn't marry her daughter: he would have many women, but he would never marry one." The gang all glanced at each other with a common though on their minds: 'The gypsies and their curses.' Richie continued, "Duncan had told me to take Tessa home and we were walking to the car when some punk pulled a gun on us, he wanted all our money." Richie's mind flashed back

**He was holding that same punk a few stories up off of a fire escape. All he had to do was let go. The punk that killed Tessa, that killed him, would be dead if he let go. But who was he to judge? This punk now had someone who would grieve for him, a baby on the way who would never know him. Richie did not want the baby to grow up without a father. No matter what sins clouded the baby's father, Richie could not let the kid be fatherless.**

"We didn't have anything so he shot us. I remember praying that Tessa was okay, that she would live, but it didn't happen that way. She died and I came back to life."

Silence filled the room. Richie's grief and pain seemed to touch every soul in the room. All were thinking about someone who had been lost. Thoughts of Buffy, Jenny Calendar, Jesse, Tessa, and countless others were passing through their minds. Methos gave a sympathetic look to Richie; the young immortal was still within his first lifetime. He would have so many deaths to face in the road ahead.

"Well," Richie tried to break the solemn mood, "I learned how to sword fight, learned how to fight, and now I'm learning about the darker parts of the world from you all. I'm just glad you don't mind that I withheld the truth from you. It's kinda hard to come out and say something like this." Richie smiled at all of his friends.

"Hey man," Xander quipped, "all of us superheroes have to keep are identities a secret. If you were a villain and little Peter Parker walked up with his camera, would you be frightened? I think not!" Everyone let out a little groan. "Come on, just trying to break a smile here."

The group swapped some more small talk for a while. They discussed immortals, demons, watchers, and the best superhero secret identity. (Richie won that discussion with Daredevil on the argument that nobody would ever suspect a blind guy.) But soon the topic was brought back to what would happen on Christmas day. A topic which nobody wanted to discuss, but it needed to be figured out.

Giles looked over the group, for the last hour they had been enjoying the lighthearted conversations. Adam and Richie talked about immortals and their watchers. Giles was particularly interested in what Adam had to say. The man looked as if he had wisdom beyond his years. But now it was time to focus on the important situation that lay before them: the prophecy.

"So," Giles pushed his glasses up, "the translation I've settled on says 'On the day of the Lord, death will come. The Hell is opened and only the one sacrifice can close it.' Now we only need to find the correct interpretation and prevent it from happening." He looked at Xander, wishing that none of this had fallen on the poor boy. That was when Adam spoke up.

"Giles, do you mind if I look at your book. I would like a shot at translating it. I'm fairly decent with ancient languages." Adam was trying hard not to reveal his true self, although he suspected that Xander already knew, and the others might be wondering. He also had a sinking feeling that he knew what the prophecy was; it was one he had heard long ago. As Giles handed him the ancient text, memories began to flash through his mind, memories he had buried in the recesses of his mind.

**Flashback, around 100AD**

For one hundred years, Methos had not taken a human life. He had been the worse kind of demon; one that did horrid acts with his soul and mind completely intact. Now he was just beginning his future of repayment. He fought alongside the slayers, trained them, and then saw them die fighting some form of evil. Methos had plans. The slayers needed help in order to survive the world they lived in. Methos was working on forming a group who could train the slayers, who could work beside them and be the support they needed. He was gathering strong fighters, great thinkers, and even those who could cast spells or prophesy. They would be the beginning of generations of people all devoted to the slayers. They would have the knowledge, the skills, and even the magical forces on their side. One such person that Methos had located had the power of foresight. He had compiled many predictions that had been shown to him over the years from the powers. The man had told Methos that in this time, his power would be used to see into the far future. But, as his power passes through the years, it would be used to see the immediate future. For now, he would record what he could and hope the future could understand what he had seen in flashes. Methos had glanced through his books, but tried not to linger in them. One who would eventually be in the future didn't need to know too much of what was in it. Although, there was one phrase that caught Methos' eye. It contained the phrase, 'Death will come.' To everyone else, death was the body dying, but to Methos, Death was his name name. Was this prophecy about him? What was the day of the Lord, and who was the one sacrifice? Methos began to wonder too many questions about a future that wasn't for certain. He shut the book and tried hard to forget the short prophecy. If it were meant to happen, then it would happen whether he wanted it too or not.

**Present**

Adam looked at the almost 2000-year-old book, and smiled at the memories it brought him. Then he looked serious as reaffirmed his thoughts from long ago. He looked at his watch; it was a little after 1am. He had arrived at about midnight, on the day of the Lord, Christmas. Death had arrived and the rest was waiting to unfold. Adam mumbled in some language that was long dead and then looked at the group around him. "It has already started. I set in motion the first part. Death has come on the day of the Lord and now Hell will open." The group stared at him with shocked looks and Adam looked at each lingering on Xander then on Richie. Richie had a look of realization in his eyes, he knew what Death was and knew what Methos meant. Now they had to save Xander.