There's a sadly unfinished story called Immortal Lovers that's a Highlander crossover. A number of people have pm'd me asking if I'd do a Highlander crossover. The author of Immortal Lovers offered the story to anyone who wants to finish it. I pm'd the author awhile back asking if they'd mind if I did so. I never heard back. Without express permission from that author, I won't use her prophecy. However, I don't see any harm in using a prophecy in general for the basis of my story. This fic will start the day after the graduation and the defeat of the Major and will start out as a betrayal of Xander story. But Willow and Buffy will not be the bad guys in the story, they'll just seem like it to start with. Feedback is as always welcome, it's been immeasurably helpful in improving my stories, just keep the comments polite please.

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Buffy felt satisfied with her decision. She and Willow had been up half the night discussing it and crafting what they considered to be very good reasons for Xander to stop being apart of the Slaying. With him out of the way, they could stop worrying about him. There were just three problems that they didn't stop to consider. One, their arguments weren't based on any facts, just their beliefs, two the fact that they thought those arguments were remotely convincing, let alone assured of success, brought them straight to number three. That they thought they could convince the very stubborn Xander Harris to give up on something he believed, just because they wanted him to. Made one wonder if they ever knew or understood him.

"Xander, we need to talk to you." Buffy said, when he answered the knock on his door the next day.

"Make it snappy, I want to be on the road for my road trip, by ten." Xander answered, leading her and Willow back towards his bedroom. "What's up guys?" He asked, once they arrived.

"We've been trying to get you to stop with this crazy idea you have of being involved in the Slaying, Xander." Buffy said. "We'd hoped you'd eventually realize just how bad an idea it is for you to be involved, but apparently we have to be more forceful in getting you to see reason."

Xander froze at her words. He thought he'd finally managed to show them that he could contribute. The military knowledge in his head had come in handy three times now, against the Judge, the summer Buffy ran away and yesterday's battle against the Mayor. He could contribute so much more if they'd just let him. Why wouldn't they let him?

"Why do you think it's crazy for me to be involved, Buffy?" He asked, trying to stay calm.

"Xander, you're just going to get hurt. You can't fight and you have no powers to protect yourself with."

"Willow and Giles rarely do any actual fighting, but get hurt far more then I do. And last I checked, I don't need powers to protect myself. I've been trying to teach myself how to be more then a brawler because no one will teach me and I didn't want to dig into my savings to pay for lessons."

"Xander, you're normal. Normal people shouldn't be fighting the supernatural."

"You didn't have a problem with normal people fighting yesterday against the Mayor. Until Willow started studying Magic, she was normal and up 'til then, you didn't have a problem with either one of us being involved. Willow's only done three things with Magic since she started studying it, the soul curse, helping Giles close the Hellmouth the night the Jhe opened it and clearing the mist in the Jhe cave the same night. I've saved your life multiple times, more then you've saved mine. The military knowledge has come in handy three times and could be so much more useful if you'd just let me use it. I can help and I've proven it."

"Xander, you deserve a normal life." Trying to get him to see reason.

"We all do, why single me out?"

"Xander, you're safer away from us." Buffy told him. "The vampires and demons will leave you alone if you're not part of the group."

"How? Because people are safer in groups and vamps pick off loners, so how is forcing me away from the safety of the group going to make me safer?"

"Xander, could you just stop being ass and listen to us?" Buffy said angrily, this was not going at all the way they'd thought it would. Why was he being so stubborn?

Xander blinked and then said softly. "Nothing you've said is based on facts, Buffy. Only your beliefs, the fact that you think those beliefs are good enough reasons for me to stop doesn't make sense, since I can refute every one of them with actual facts. But that you actually thought I'd accept them, tells me you have little or no respect for me or what I've managed to contribute without help or support. I've contributed more then Willow, but it's Willow you want involved. I make more sense as part of the Slaying then she does at this point. But in the end, it doesn't matter, you have no right to make choices for me."

"We just want what's best for you, Xander. Why can't you see that?" Willow implored.

"And who gave you the right to decide what's best for me? I certainly didn't and I'm the only one who can decide what's best for me. Congratulations, you get what you want, me gone. You just painted a big fat target on my back. I don't have any choice but to leave and stay gone."

"What are you talking about, Xander?" Buffy demanded, scowling at him. "How did we paint a target on your back? We're trying to keep you safe, so we don't have to keep worrying about you."

"There's no way for me to be safe in Sunnydale by myself, Buffy. I'm a known member of this group. People are safer in groups, people alone, are in danger. You just rang the dinner bell on me. Get out. Now I have to pack everything I can fit in my car. Maybe I'll see you around sometime, but I doubt it."