Crossover: HL/Supernatural/BtVS (ish) (S4 HL!verse, post season 7 BtVS!verse, only just started watching Supernatural so can't pin it down.)
Claim: Highlander (general series)
For prompt: 011 Red
Characters: RR, DM, M, Joe Dawson, Dean, Sam, misc btvs-style vampires, mention of Buffy and Scoobies.
Summary: lose one, gain one.
A/N: there is temporary character death, but it is only temporary.
A/N2: I never planned that Sam would turn out to be immortal but bethsmom planted a plot bunny that would not let go of my brain so this one is for her - thanks
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Dean waited just long enough to see how efficiently the trio of sword-wielding guys snicked off the vamps heads before he was on his knees next to Sam, taking a wad of cotton off the old guy, and pressing hard on the torn wound in his little brother's throat.
"Come on Sammy, don't do this…"
He begged as redness so thick it was almost black came through the cotton, soaking his hands as he desperately pressed it in place. He took more from the old guy and tried not to see the look of hopelessness on his face.
"Sam, come on. You can't die, you can't."
The cotton was doing nothing so Dean scrambled for the first aid box himself, hoping to find something else. His hands left dark smears across the crisp red cross on the front of the box and as he frantically searched for anything to save his brother's life he was vaguely aware of the fight still going on behind him.
"Hey watch where you're swinging that thing!"
"Well if you will get in the way."
"Well if you will have such a stupidly big sword!"
"Shut up both of you and just let me get the last one, alright?"
"Like you even knew vampires existed ten minutes ago."
Sam gurgled, flopping uselessly on the floor and Dean felt his eyes burn with inevitable tears as he held his brother still.
"No Sammy," he sniffed, "You can't leave me, not like this, not after all we've been through…Come on damnit!"
But it was hopeless. All too soon Sam lay still and Dean felt the threatened tears fall.
"Sammy…no…"
"Is he gone?"
Dean spun around at the casual voice behind him, pulling the gun from his belt and pointing it at the smug bastard's head.
"You want to go with him?"
"Wait a second, you don't want to do this…" The old man began.
"Yes he does," Mr Smug said with a lazy smile.
"Damn right I do! That's my little brother you're talking about."
The old man tottered over, hovering as if he wanted to stand between them, but not dumb enough to do it.
"Hold on, I know this is terrible but it's not Adam's fault." When no one seemed inclined to put away their weapons he continued. "Mac you want to help me out here?"
Ponytail guy shrugged, propping his sword against a chair.
"Not particularly."
"What…?"
"Give it a minute Joe." The blond kid offered, laying his own sword on the bar.
Joe blinked. "Seriously?"
"Yup." Adam smiled smugly, still staring down the barrel of Dean's gun.
There was a load gasp from behind Dean, but he was more interested in the force that knocked them all on their asses. When he turned back to Sam's body it wasn't a body anymore...it was Sam! Sat up, gasping for breath, looking really confused, but with no ugly hole in his neck Sam!
"Sam! But how the…?"
"What the hell was that?" Joe griped loudly, attempting to get up with a great deal of difficulty until Mac gave him a hand.
Adam Smug was not so smug now. In fact he looked a little dazed. "Yes, I wasn't prepared for that."
"Sammy…"
Dean didn't care: he'd seen enough weird shit in his life and this was the best kind of weird shit. If Sam's abilities meant he got to live that's all that mattered.
Though there could be another reason…he had got bitten by a vampire.
Dean grabbed the super-soaker from where Sam had dropped it and shot his little brother…
Who spluttered slightly as the water hit his face but didn't burn: no smoke at all.
"Dude?!" Sam complained as the water rinsed down his neck leaving nothing but a pale orange residue.
Dean shrugged. "You got bit and died. I had to make sure."
"I'm not a vampire dude."
"Sure I can see that now."
"Wait: I died?"
"No doubt. Your neck was all torn to shit too…though it seems fine now."
"Ahem!" Adam cleared his throat pointedly, waiting until he had their full attention before continuing. "There are some things you need to know."
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It took a couple of hours to work through the full nuances of the rules of the game, as well as what Immortals were, to Dean and Sam's satisfaction and Dean wasn't still all that happy about the situation.
"But what was that thing that knocked us all down?" Richie asked.
"That's what I'd like to know," Joe griped, rubbing his sore ass. "I've never seen anything like it."
"That's just this thing Sam can do sometimes…" Dean offered vaguely, still thinking about his little brother's new status as an Immortal.
"What? What did I do?" Sam asked innocently.
"You did one of those psychic punch things just as you were waking up." Dean smirked, "Knocked us all on our asses. Pretty strong thing you got there."
"I told you, I can't do it on purpose."
"You might find you can now."
That drew the brothers' attention. Adam went on.
"Most Immortals who were psychic before their first death find that their powers are stronger once they become Immortal. The older you get and the more Quickenings you take the stronger you'll get too most likely."
"Cool," Dean grinned. "Think it's time for that trip to Vegas yet?"
Sam rolled his eyes, refusing to answer.
"You should really stay," Mac said. "You need to learn how to stay alive."
"Dude, we've done nothing but learn how to stay alive since we were kids."
"He's right," Sam said more gently, "Fighting things…it's how we live."
"Not like this. Do you know how to use a sword? How to kill a man with it?"
Sam shrugged, uncomfortable. "The basics. We met this group down in Sunnydale a few years back who were pretty up on bladed weapons and showed us the ropes."
"Buffy, right?"
Everyone looked at Richie as Sam and Dean nodded.
"Cool! I met Buffy about two years ago. She's one amazing fighter. Could probably even give Mac a run for his money."
"They're up in Cleveland now."
"No way! It would be cool to see them again…"
"Still, you're going to need training. You'll be up against hunters who have centuries more experience than you."
"Does this sound familiar?" Dean asked his brother.
"Shut up Dean. Look, Macleod, we appreciate all you've told us and everything, but we have a job to do. We don't have time for me to spend some quality years training here with you, ok? We'll just have to make do."
"Or one of us could go along with you? Teach you as you go, you know. Maybe even help you out with what you do? There's centuries of experience in this room that could be of use to you."
Sam and Dean shared a glance at Adam's suggestion.
"You know about what we fight?"
"The vampires downstairs were a clue, but I'm guessing there's more than that right?"
"Right."
"More?" Mac asked. "What more?"
"You don't know that either?" Richie beamed. "Man! There's all kinds of demons and beasts out there! The gang down in Sunnydale face off against some nasty stuff: and we're talking straight from hell nasty."
"So?" Adam queried. "Could you use an extra experienced hand that, incidentally, is Immortal, and get some sword lessons thrown in?"
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Sam paused as he was about to get in the car.
"Does it bother you that I can't be your real brother?"
Dean snorted.
"What, so I didn't practically raise you while dad was off hunting when we were kids? Of course it doesn't bother me." Dean slipped into the car and Sam followed suit. "Makes me wonder if dad knew though."
"How could he not?"
"I don't know: maybe you were switched at birth or something."
"You really believe that?"
"Look, you and dad are all the family I ever knew after mum died. I'm not gonna start looking for reasons to cut you loose ok?"
Sam didn't answer, but he couldn't help a warm little smile hovering over his lips.
The back door slammed.
"So, we ready to go?" Adam asked.