The following day was one of rest for Buffy and Methos. Duncan had decided after the first training session that they needed some time for what he had taught her to sink in and he needed to develop a better training strategy. Buffy didn't argue as it meant time away from holding that awful weapon. She had hoped for a dreamless sleep, allowing her to forget the entire situation, but after finding out that the Master had been the vampire that paralyzed Methos' slayer, her dreams had become nightmares consisting of the night the Master had killed her, mixed with the night she killed Angel.

She lay awake most of the night, afraid the dreams would turn to those of Angel. Her own death she could handle, but dreaming about Angel was just too painful. After finding out she had killed the Master, Methos had grown oddly quiet and had bid her goodnight without explanation. Buffy didn't question it, for she knew that look in his eyes meant he wished to be alone to absorb the information privately before he was willing to show any emotional response. It was odd, how well she seemed to know him after only about a month or so. And yet, as much as she did know him well, she knew she would never know him completely. There was too much in his past, too many different men. She might know the man he currently was, but she'd never fully understand all the men he had been. It was an intriguing concept, for an intriguing person.

Angel had intrigued her when she had first met him as well. She shook her head, not wanting to go down that road. She had known Angel. She had known him inside and out. Except for Angelus. And eventually, she had known him too. It only hurt more, having understood someone to completely to destroy them the way she had. She knew that to be true for him as well and wondered just how deeply he hated her right at this very moment.

It was a torturous thought, and one she didn't dwell on. The smell of food caught her nose, causing her to force her attention to the fact that she was hungry. She threw a light sweater over the tank top she had slept in and entered the kitchen where Methos was, making what looked to be an incredibly delicious sausage and French toast breakfast.

"I didn't know you could cook."

"I have many talents." Methos replied with a smile. Buffy wondered if there was a hidden meaning to what he had just said, but decided to shrug it off. Sitting down, she waited in anticipation as Methos handed her a plate.

"So what's with the feeding me?" She wondered, thinking the situation was just a little too domestic for Methos. She had been staying there for some time now, and not once had he gone to any trouble above the occasional fixing a cup of coffee for her in the morning, or making her some toast. This was new…and a little odd.

"What do you mean?" Methos attempted to play up the innocent angle, which only made her nervous.

"I mean, when did you become Martha Stewart's twin brother?" She paused as she took a bite of sausage. "She's not an immortal is she? Did you take her quickening and suddenly have the urge to cook?"

"At least I know that you understand the process of the quickening," Methos murmured to himself. Then in response to her question said, "no, I didn't kill her. As for the immortal question, I'm honestly not sure. I've never met the woman."

"Now you're getting all avoid-y." She said, pointing the fork his way in accusation. "What's with breakfast?"

"I can't just do something nice?" Methos asked. Upon seeing the sceptical look she shot his way, he felt himself sigh. "OK, I wanted to do something nice for you to thank you."

"Thank me?" She echoed, feeling confused and a little nervous. "For what?"

"For killing the Master." He replied. "I know you didn't do it for me…obviously, you didn't even know me. But until I heard that he was dead, I didn't realize how…unfinished the whole thing with Celine seemed. Last night when you told me it was you who had killed him, I….I felt at peace with her death. Finally. I think it's because I know that wherever she is, her job is finished. I don't know if that makes any sense, given how long she's been gone, but…there it is."

"I didn't face him to be noble," Buffy told him bitterly. "When Giles first told me that facing the Master would mean my death I tried to quit then as well. If you had seen what I said to Giles and Angel…it was cowardly. And I'm still a coward. Only this time it's living that frightens me, not dying."

"Someday you will realize just how strong you really are." Methos murmured softly, staring at her with an intensity that unnerved her slightly. "Don't you get it? You faced him, even though you knew you would die. That takes strength, not cowardice. And you're facing this too, weather you like it or not. You're doing it because you know it's right. Sometimes that's the hardest thing to do. I know that's no comfort to you now, but one day it will be. One day Buffy I think you'll be free."

"So now you're a prophet as well as an immortal?" She smirked, trying to hide the lump in her throat. What was it about his quiet assuredness that made her want to break down in his arms?

"I think we were meant to meet Buffy." Methos told her seriously. "I don't think this was by chance. You've managed to absolved me of something I've carried with me for years. The fact that it was you who killed the Master means something. I think you were sent to me for a reason."

"Now you're starting to sound like Giles." Buffy said with a frown. She didn't like the idea of anything in her life being pre-destined. Too much of the pain in her life had been caused by destiny. Just once she wanted something left entirely to chance. "You really think this isn't just a coincidence?"

Methos was silent for a moment, as if giving the matter his full attention.

"You want some advice from the world's oldest man slayer?" He asked her. "Here it is. There are two things in this world that I am absolutely certain do not exist….leprechauns and coincidences."

"I guess I can't really argue with that logic." She replied after a moment's pause. Inwardly though, she instructed herself to question Giles about the leprechauns if she ever saw him again…just to be sure.

"No you can't," Methos said with a smile as he opened the fridge door and pulled out a beer. Buffy frowned as he opened it and took a large gulp.

"Bit early in the day isn't it?" She questioned, then thinking a moment. "Where'd you get it anyway? Yesterday you didn't have any beer in there."

"Yesterday we went to MacLeod's place." Methos said simply, but with a mischievous twinkle in his usually secretive eyes.

"Mooch." She teased. He bowed slightly in response to which she found herself giggling.

"At your service," he said charmingly. "Now, what shall we do today with our day off?"