Long Lived Xander
Chapter 4
---
"Hey Mike, give me a bottle of Jager, will ya?" Xander asked.
Mike just shrugged and handed him the bottle with two shot glasses. Behind the bar he signaled to Joe who was on stage and jerked his head over to where Xander and Faith now sat. Joe's eyes widened and he half-grinned and continued to play a slow blues song on his guitar while crooning out the sad lyrics in his mellow but rough voice.
Xander quickly opened up the bottle and poured himself a shot of the black liquor. Faith just watched as he drank the shot down and started to slightly shake. She leaned back a bit into the booth's seat and poured herself a shot then refilled Xander's glass.
"Ya wanna tell me bout it?" Faith asked though she knew what the issue was.
Xander looked up at her and stared for a minute.
"Faith, I need your help. I need to know why I am still alive. I am feeling a bit freaked right now, ya know?" Xander replied.
Faith started to reply when she was cut off by Xander grabbing his head in pain and doubling over in his seat. She frowned when she saw the door to the bar open and a tall dark-haired man walked in and scanned the room as if looking for someone. She unconsciously licked her lips as she stared at him. He was tall and broad shouldered with olive skin and very well built and wore a long black coat. Faith looked down in embarrassment that she couldn't explain when their eyes locked. She looked up again and his eyes were now on Xander and he sighed deeply. Faith frowned again.
Xander took a deep breath and relaxed now that the pain had dissipated. He shook his head and swallowed the drink that was in front of him. He then looked up at Faith and started to apologize when he noticed she was staring rather intently at the doorway. He turned and looked and saw MacLeod looking at him with a sad expression on his face.
"Come on Faith, there's someone I want you to meet," Xander said with a sudden gladness in his heart.
----
Xander knew he wouldn't like it when Duncan said, "Xander, we need to talk."
They were at Mac's loft sitting down trying to figure out Xander's new role in this world. Duncan was surprised that it didn't hit Xander as hard as he thought it would. The new girl, Faith, was also on the whole, unsurprised. What did surprise MacLeod the most was when she asked if Immortals as a whole were evil. When asked why she asked that question she just shrugged but MacLeod noticed that she was relieved when he told her that as a whole they weren't evil just a little more than human. He did sense something off about the girl though. MacLeod then dropped the bomb.
"What do you mean, cut off their heads?" Xander practically screamed.
"Calm down, Xander. What I mean is that if you want to live potentially forever, you must learn that if one of us comes after your head, you must be able to take theirs," MacLeod replied calmly.
Xander got up and started to pace. Duncan sighed, the young man reminded him a lot of Richie.
"Look, I am not saying you have to like it, you just need to accept it so we can get on with your training" MacLeod said.
"Hold on a second Dunc. Just how old are you anyway," Faith suddenly asked.
Xander stopped pacing at that, and turned to look at their host.
MacLeod smiled. "I wondered when someone would ask that. I was born in 1592 in Glenfinnan, on the shores of Loch Shiel in the Highlands of Scotland," MacLeod said slipping back into his thick Scottish accent.
Xander just stared for a second and could almost smell the peat smoke on the cold air and the feel the wildness surging through his veins as the longing in him surged for places unseen.
"Yeah, now I can understand the advantages of this whole Immortality thing," Xander said quietly. "So, when do we start this training?"
---
"I see you have held a sword before," MacLeod said while standing over his newest student.
"Apparently not well enough," Xander cracked as he looked at his sword on the floor across the room from where he now lay. He got up and retrieved his weapon and took his fighting stance once more.
"Okay, now this time when I fake to your head, do NOT assume that's what I am doing. Rather anticipate that any move might be a fake and make me commit to that move instead of have it be a fake otherwise the fake will work. Do you understand?" MacLeod instructed.
"Right, make the fake real. Got it," Xander replied warming up to the task.
For years as a Scooby, Xander had been virtually worthless in a fight. But now, after several months of training in unarmed combat, his experience built as a Scooby was blown away. He had learned things he knew Buffy didn't know and he was glad to be alive for the first time in a long time. Now they had moved on to the sword, which made sense. He was now conditioned enough to be able to use it and his confidence was up about a lot of things. Sword work was just the next step.
Faith had been hanging around a lot to watch Xander train. She had become a good friend but Xander could not figure out why. They had grown closer ever since the night she had killed him. She had become attached and somewhat protective of him. He just shrugged and went with it.
Faith sat in a chair in MacLeod's dojo and watched the two men train. Just by watching a man with 400 years of experience she was able to pick-up moves she never dreamed of. For the first time in her life, Faith felt like she was able to relax and be around people who wouldn't let her down. Xander just liked her to be around just for her. Apparently they had a lot more in common that previously thought. Plus, he didn't try to get some out of her. MacLeod was like the father they both had never had. She had met Adam and Joe and took to both of them almost instantly. They asked for no explanations and as a result she felt at home and safe with them. They were just accepting of Faith as she was. Adam surprised her one night by bringing up her imprisonment. He had read a newspaper about her turning herself in and lauded her choice. Joe just shrugged.
Faith felt like her new friends just got it. She knew MacLeod did from some of his stories about his past and Joe knew from Vietnam and other parts of life that mistakes happen. It's just what you did about them that mattered the most. Then there was Adam, the constantly sarcastic, young looking man who loved beer as much as life. But always, there was his eyes that showed age and experience that belied his apparent age.
But, true to form, whenever Faith got settled down and relaxed, the trouble started.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Okay folks, here is the latest update. Please read and review. What I would really like to know is about my style of writing for this chapter. I don't mean to wax on or write a slow chapter but this is what silences the muses.
Chapter 4
---
"Hey Mike, give me a bottle of Jager, will ya?" Xander asked.
Mike just shrugged and handed him the bottle with two shot glasses. Behind the bar he signaled to Joe who was on stage and jerked his head over to where Xander and Faith now sat. Joe's eyes widened and he half-grinned and continued to play a slow blues song on his guitar while crooning out the sad lyrics in his mellow but rough voice.
Xander quickly opened up the bottle and poured himself a shot of the black liquor. Faith just watched as he drank the shot down and started to slightly shake. She leaned back a bit into the booth's seat and poured herself a shot then refilled Xander's glass.
"Ya wanna tell me bout it?" Faith asked though she knew what the issue was.
Xander looked up at her and stared for a minute.
"Faith, I need your help. I need to know why I am still alive. I am feeling a bit freaked right now, ya know?" Xander replied.
Faith started to reply when she was cut off by Xander grabbing his head in pain and doubling over in his seat. She frowned when she saw the door to the bar open and a tall dark-haired man walked in and scanned the room as if looking for someone. She unconsciously licked her lips as she stared at him. He was tall and broad shouldered with olive skin and very well built and wore a long black coat. Faith looked down in embarrassment that she couldn't explain when their eyes locked. She looked up again and his eyes were now on Xander and he sighed deeply. Faith frowned again.
Xander took a deep breath and relaxed now that the pain had dissipated. He shook his head and swallowed the drink that was in front of him. He then looked up at Faith and started to apologize when he noticed she was staring rather intently at the doorway. He turned and looked and saw MacLeod looking at him with a sad expression on his face.
"Come on Faith, there's someone I want you to meet," Xander said with a sudden gladness in his heart.
----
Xander knew he wouldn't like it when Duncan said, "Xander, we need to talk."
They were at Mac's loft sitting down trying to figure out Xander's new role in this world. Duncan was surprised that it didn't hit Xander as hard as he thought it would. The new girl, Faith, was also on the whole, unsurprised. What did surprise MacLeod the most was when she asked if Immortals as a whole were evil. When asked why she asked that question she just shrugged but MacLeod noticed that she was relieved when he told her that as a whole they weren't evil just a little more than human. He did sense something off about the girl though. MacLeod then dropped the bomb.
"What do you mean, cut off their heads?" Xander practically screamed.
"Calm down, Xander. What I mean is that if you want to live potentially forever, you must learn that if one of us comes after your head, you must be able to take theirs," MacLeod replied calmly.
Xander got up and started to pace. Duncan sighed, the young man reminded him a lot of Richie.
"Look, I am not saying you have to like it, you just need to accept it so we can get on with your training" MacLeod said.
"Hold on a second Dunc. Just how old are you anyway," Faith suddenly asked.
Xander stopped pacing at that, and turned to look at their host.
MacLeod smiled. "I wondered when someone would ask that. I was born in 1592 in Glenfinnan, on the shores of Loch Shiel in the Highlands of Scotland," MacLeod said slipping back into his thick Scottish accent.
Xander just stared for a second and could almost smell the peat smoke on the cold air and the feel the wildness surging through his veins as the longing in him surged for places unseen.
"Yeah, now I can understand the advantages of this whole Immortality thing," Xander said quietly. "So, when do we start this training?"
---
"I see you have held a sword before," MacLeod said while standing over his newest student.
"Apparently not well enough," Xander cracked as he looked at his sword on the floor across the room from where he now lay. He got up and retrieved his weapon and took his fighting stance once more.
"Okay, now this time when I fake to your head, do NOT assume that's what I am doing. Rather anticipate that any move might be a fake and make me commit to that move instead of have it be a fake otherwise the fake will work. Do you understand?" MacLeod instructed.
"Right, make the fake real. Got it," Xander replied warming up to the task.
For years as a Scooby, Xander had been virtually worthless in a fight. But now, after several months of training in unarmed combat, his experience built as a Scooby was blown away. He had learned things he knew Buffy didn't know and he was glad to be alive for the first time in a long time. Now they had moved on to the sword, which made sense. He was now conditioned enough to be able to use it and his confidence was up about a lot of things. Sword work was just the next step.
Faith had been hanging around a lot to watch Xander train. She had become a good friend but Xander could not figure out why. They had grown closer ever since the night she had killed him. She had become attached and somewhat protective of him. He just shrugged and went with it.
Faith sat in a chair in MacLeod's dojo and watched the two men train. Just by watching a man with 400 years of experience she was able to pick-up moves she never dreamed of. For the first time in her life, Faith felt like she was able to relax and be around people who wouldn't let her down. Xander just liked her to be around just for her. Apparently they had a lot more in common that previously thought. Plus, he didn't try to get some out of her. MacLeod was like the father they both had never had. She had met Adam and Joe and took to both of them almost instantly. They asked for no explanations and as a result she felt at home and safe with them. They were just accepting of Faith as she was. Adam surprised her one night by bringing up her imprisonment. He had read a newspaper about her turning herself in and lauded her choice. Joe just shrugged.
Faith felt like her new friends just got it. She knew MacLeod did from some of his stories about his past and Joe knew from Vietnam and other parts of life that mistakes happen. It's just what you did about them that mattered the most. Then there was Adam, the constantly sarcastic, young looking man who loved beer as much as life. But always, there was his eyes that showed age and experience that belied his apparent age.
But, true to form, whenever Faith got settled down and relaxed, the trouble started.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Okay folks, here is the latest update. Please read and review. What I would really like to know is about my style of writing for this chapter. I don't mean to wax on or write a slow chapter but this is what silences the muses.