Fic: The Connection 5

["daenerys_winter" <mwalthew@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Title: The Connection
Spoilers: Bound to be some
Disclaimer: If you recognise a character, they're not mine.
Crossover: Highlander
Rating: R (possibly nc-17 later)
Author: Daenerys
Warning: Crossovers ahead.
Feedback: Please, please, please.
Archive: You want my story, take it please. Just tell me where you 
put it.

AN: A slightly shorter chapter this time. The story seems to have 
taken a life of its own, at this point I'm anxiously waiting to see 
where it goes as much as any reader.

Chapter 5

As Buffy had guessed, Giles was ecstatic that Willow would be 
studying under Cassandra. He now, however was eager to meet her. His 
fascination for ancient cultures drove him to almost continuous bliss 
as he imagined all the questions he had asked himself being answered, 
without having to hide either the mundane questions or mythological 
and mystical. At the same time, he would not be in extreme danger as 
he would be if he conjured a demon to answer his questions, something 
he was loathe to do, especially after Eghyon (sp?). He almost rushed 
out the room to gather the most important books that he could, which 
he had been unable to translate, and which, despite Buffy's 
assurances, he had no plans on ever letting Methos ever seeing, 
though Buffy did burst his bubble when he snidely mentioned this by 
commenting that Methos had actually written two of them. He now left 
the two teenagers, quite bemused in the living room, without stopping 
to clean his glasses since he learnt that Cassandra was coming to 
teach his two surrogate daughters.

"Buffy?" Willow, quite comfortable on Buffy's lap murmured.

"Uh huh."

"Why do I need a teacher?"

This simple question brought the fact crashing down on Buffy that she 
had not yet explained all the facts about immortality to her new 
found love.

"Um, well, ther's slightly more to immortality than just living 
forever Will. Uh, how do I say this."

Willow could feel Buffy tense below her, and turned around to look at 
her. "What are you saying Buff? I mean this is really good, isn't it. 
I mean we'll live forever. To together,right."

"Uh right . . . There's slightly more to it than that I'm afraid 
Will. You see, there's a price to this, just like always when dealing 
with this sort of stuff."

"A a price? We don't have to drink blood do we? Because, I mean Eww."

"No we don't drink blood, it's not really like that Willow. Um, we 
sort of have to . . . kill each other."

Willow froze on Buffy's lap. "Kill each other. We have to kill each 
other?"

Buffy tensed even further if that was possible. "It's kind of like a 
prophecy Will. It's called the Game. At some point all immortals will 
travel to a far off land, and fight all the others in single combat, 
until only one is alive. At that point he, or she, will receive the 
Prize."

"But, but we're immortal. You disembowled me, and Spike broke my 
neck, we can't die . . . can we?"

"There's one way we can die Will. If our head is completely removed 
from our body we die forever. We live by certain rules Will. We 
always fight one on one. We only fight with bladed weapons, mostly 
swords, though I'm told others use axes. Those two are probably the 
most abused, if you're facing a headhunter, most of whom are hardly 
honourable, you have to watch out for guns or helpers, both immortal 
and mortal. The most important rule of all, we never fight on Holy 
Ground. It doesn't matter what type of holy ground, Christian, 
Hebrew, Muslim, Bhuddist monks, consecrated cemetaries, such as 
Indian Burial grounds, Celtic mounds or caerns, if its considered 
holy, we DO NOT fight. According to myth the last time someone fought 
on holy ground was when Pompeii exploded. And finally, the reason we 
fight in the first place 'There Can Be Only One'."

"No."

"Will it's not something we can prevent. We all must fight."

"No."

"Will"

"NO! Never, I'm not a murderer Buffy. And neither are you! We don't 
kill human's remember. This this isn't right."

"There is no choice! We have to!"

"No. This isn't happening, it's just a dream. It isn't real, this 
isn't real. It's not real. It's not real. It's not real." Willow, 
scrambled backwards from Buffy, muttering the same words over 
continuously.

"Willow!" Buffy moved toward her, and as she got up from the sofa, 
her coat flared behind her, revealing once again the sword hidden 
behind it.

"NOOOOO!!!!!" Willow screamed at the sight and fled, rushing upstairs 
in panic. Buffy stood at the door just before the stairs, staring 
upward, as tears slowly started to fall unnoticed from her eyes.

"I'll talk to her Buffy." She turned to see Giles looking at her 
sympathetiacally. "I doubt I'll be able to explain much about 
immortality to her, but I'll calm her down so that you can. It's too 
much for her to accept right now. Having Spike kill her, waking up, 
you killing her again with a sword, discovering she's immortal, that 
you're in love with each other, that she has to kill to survive. And 
it all happened in a period of less than a day. She's just 
overwrought at the moment."

"She was afraid of me Giles. Of me! I've never seen that look in her 
eyes before, only in vampires, and that usually when they have 
gameface on. But not her. Never her. I'd die before I saw her afraid 
of me again. When, . . ., if she ever wants to speak to me again. 
I'll spend a few nights at my mother's. If she doesn't, . . ., get 
her to accept Cassandra's help Giles. And, . . ., tell her I love 
her. I'll leave Sunnydale if she's scared of me. I have a place in 
Seacouver. Goodbye Giles, and, . . ., again. Tell her I love her, and 
I'll never hurt her. I'd lose my head before that happened."

Buffy slowly retreated from the house, not looking up, or drying the 
tears falling from her face. The slayer for the first time that Giles 
had ever seen, defeated and hopeless. He watched her for a while, 
then turned and looked up toward the bedroom Willow had fled to. 
Slowly he closed the door, and made his way up the stairs to talk to 
Willow.

End Chapter 5