Disclaimer: BtVS belongs to Joss Whedon, Fox Television, etc. Highlander belongs to Panzer/Davis and a bunch of others
TtH-100 Prompt: #025, Jealousy.
Wordcount: 1004 (5 of 100 )
Note: This is set in the universe of my little ficlet Gone but a lot later. Decades even.

Chapter Title: Waiting

She stared down into her glass, occasionally taking a small sip of the bitter beverage. Each sip was followed with a glance at the mirror behind the bar and a faint grimace. She wasn't interested in getting drunk but a little numbness would have been very welcome.

"If you don't like it, don't drink it." she heard Joe's voice telling her.

She looked up at the gray haired Watcher. "Shouldn't you be watching someone else?" She waved over at the corner table where her partner was sitting on Duncan Macleod's lap and whispering something into his ear.

He shook his head at her. "They aren't going anywhere."

"Not now." She agreed, taking a larger drink and ignoring his sympathetic look. More than once in the years since she'd met him, he'd provided a shoulder for her to cry on.

Even after all these years, she couldn't stay away from her. She'd learned everything she could from Amanda about being immortal but there was something about her that kept drawing Dawn back, even when the older immortal was in the middle of one of her short dalliances with her favorite Scot.

No matter what they were into, or how involved their current job was, like a homing pigeon, every couple years Amanda would find a reason to spend at least a month in MacLeod's bed. And he would welcome her back as if she'd never been away. It was one of the few things she'd been unable to figure out about Amanda in all the years she'd known her.

She'd never been given a reason that could justify her jealousy. Although Amanda was aware of her feelings, she continued to treat Dawn like a much younger sister. So, whenever they went to Seacover, Paris, or wherever MaCleod was that year, Dawn would spend her days pursuing other interests and her evenings sitting at some bar, close enough to protect her if she needed it but far enough away that she could pretend to ignore them. And if she were lucky, they would be at one of Joe's bars.

Joe, an old romantic, might sympathize with her plight but MacLeod... MacLeod appeared to have no idea how she really felt about Amanda. And she preferred to keep it that way, always turning down his offers to spar with her, not sure how good her emotional control would be, swinging a sword at her unaware rival. She liked to believe she had her jealousy under control but had no desire to test her resolve any time soon.

She was on her fourth glass when she felt it. It had been years since she'd done any real magic but through the slight buzz of alcohol she still recognized the feeling that something was twisting reality somewhere nearby. It wasn't the same feeling she would get from the approach of an unfamiliar immortal. Some kind of magical portal had opened up nearby.

She tried to turn casually so that she faced the door, but she could tell that she hadn't fooled Joe. He was a Watcher, and they were trained to detect all the signs that an immortal had detected another. Out of the corner of one eye, she could see him glancing quickly over at Macleod and Amanda, before turning back to her with a very puzzled look on his face. She just shrugged and continued to watch the door. Demons and other mystical creatures tended to stay away from immortal hang-outs.

Two young women, looking much too young to be there, casually strolled into the bar. She didn't recognize either of them but the smaller, younger looking one moved with a grace that Dawn found very familiar. At one time, years ago, when she'd been someone else, she'd lived among many girls like this. The other, a taller redhead, stood awkwardly just inside the entrance but Dawn assumed she was just as dangerous, if not more, sensing a trace of the magic from earlier around her.

Sighing, she put down her glass and stood up, drawing their attention. She could also feel Amanda looking towards her and used the subtle hand signal they used to mean she wasn't to interfere in whatever happened.

She turned back to Joe, and put her closest hand on his before he could even begin to interrogate them, saying "I'll take care of them." She thought longingly of her sword in its hidden scabbard in her jacket but if the smaller woman was what she suspected it wouldn't do her much good anyway. Dawn knew from experience that she could defend herself from the run of the mill immortal head hunter but it would be centuries before she had the skill to defeat someone with the innate strength and reflexes of a slayer.

She stepped in front of them, intentionally blocking their view of the rest of the bar, keeping her amusement at her height advantage well hidden. Spending so many years with the tall Amanda she'd forgotten that most slayers tended to be shorter than she was. She was sure it was going to be the only advantage she had if anything happened.

"What brings you here?" she asked them bluntly. "We have no need of you or the services of the Council of Watchers." She kept her face blank, ignoring the coughing sound coming from the bar. She would hopefully have plenty of time to deal with Joe later.

The redhead muttered something under her breath that Dawn didn't quite catch but which caused the other to laugh. Dawn disdainfully raised an eyebrow and waited.

The redhead removed a small cream colored envelope from a pocket and gingerly held it out to Dawn. "She wanted you there." the other told her cryptically.

Taking it, she noticed an ominous looking black seal on the back and her name on the front. She stared at it, turning it over in her hand for several minutes before looking up. Intending to question them, she noticed the two young women were gone.

Note 2: Who or what is Dawn waiting for? It's all in the sub/text...