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Redemption and Relapse (BTVS x-over)	By : LillianLuthor Category: G through L > Highlander Views: 4293 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Highlander: The Series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Redemption and Relapse (BTVS x-over)
- 2-2
- 3-3
- 4-4
- 5-5
- 6-6
- 7-7
- 1
- 2
- 3
(�`�.(�`�.(�`�. 1 .��).��).��)
"What
are you, a bloody mind reader?" he had asked in disbelief.
How could
this human know so well what was going on in his mind at the time? Maybe it was
just a coincidence, but coincidences this big are unlikely. However, he could feel
nothing extraordinary about this man to make him think that he was some kind of
demon. He was just the guy next door. Yet the way he talked... it seemed he had
been living in the same situation as Spike for years.
"No,
sorry, I�m just a guy" he grinned, and suddenly Spike caught a glimpse of
something deceptive in the man�s eye. It was just a fraction of a second, and
then it was gone, leaving only the man in his early thirties...
He was
letting his mind slip to thoughts of how this guy�s blood would taste, when
suddenly he felt a hand hit him casually in the head, and turned shocked to
find Xander standing right behind him.
"Figured
I�d find you here Spike" the boy said in his most goofy tone, yet Spike
could tell he was just acting silly to hide something, maybe something painful.
Scary, he thought, when
he realized how much he had gotten to know the little clown of late. He was
soon taken from his thoughts by another oh-too-cheerful exclamation, as Xander
took the empty seat at Spike�s left;
"I
see you�ve been using this poor guy as a Joyce substitute now that she�s out of
town and can�t psychoanalyze you over the phone" he laughed, pointing at
Methos
"Yeah,
well, psychoanalyzing others always works to forget one�s own problems" Methos
smiled, standing up and grabbing from the next stool a trench-coat that was
pretty much alike Spike�s own coat and putting it on cautiously.
"Leaving
already?" Xander asked in his more-than-usual maniacal tone "Did I
interrupt a planning-to-destroy-the-world meeting?"
Spike
couldn�t but give the boy a threatening look, but deep inside he was always
thankful for those stupid comments. Kind of took some pressure off him, if they
asked him. The stranger, astonishingly easy after the tactless statement, just
patted Spike on the shoulder in a friendly manner and, leaning closer to his
ear, whispered;
"Just
take the hand that�s offered, and maybe the reluctant hand will come right
after..."
Then the
guy paid his drinks and, giving Xander and Spike an acknowledging look, headed
for the door after a casual "I�ll be seeing you guys later"
(�`�.(�`�.(�`�. 2 .��).��).��)
Well
done, Xander! Just mention world destruction planning to the guy just sitting
there. Good introduction line.
Luckily
the guy had not really taken him seriously. That, or they were actually
planning to destroy the world. But it was very unlikely, because Spike had
never been all that world-destruction-inclined, and after the chip he didn�t
even drink from humans anymore. Still, it looked like Spike hadn�t really appreciated
the comment, and it made him feel kind of guilty to mock him now that he was
siding with the good guys.
Truth was,
he even liked Spike. Angel, that was one bastard he hated. Up from the very
beginning. And not only because he was taking Buffy from him, no, he had really
hated him because he never really explained anything; why he was helping, who
he really was. Had it been up to him, they would have never even known he was a
vampire. But with Spike... it was a whole different matter.
He had
shown up without warning in Sunnydale, willing to kill the slayer, and he had
ended up helping her. As a rule, Xander had decided to blame all of Spike�s
murderous inclinations to Drusilla. In the end, when she finally dumped him, he
had returned to Sunnydale to cry his heart out. And then he had tried really
hard to be the big bad again, and had miserably failed each and every time. Maybe
the chip had been a blessing, so he wouldn�t have to keep trying to be evil...
now he had a justification for not really wanting to cause chaos and mass
destruction.
As he saw
him, Spike was just like the punk who tires of juvenile vandalism and becomes a
corporate lawyer; his ethics were still somewhat twisted, and he didn�t have an
inclination to help the hopeless but rather help himself, and yet, he didn�t
feel anymore like causing destruction for no good reason.
"So
what�s the deal, Harris?" Spike�s voice interrupted his thinking. When he
looked up at Spike, it looked like he was doing a big effort to pull the
conversation, which struck Xander as weird.
"Deal?
No deal! I�m just fine, and wanting to spend some quality time with my pal
Spike!"
The rising
eyebrow gave him a valuable hint. When had Spike actually become his �pal�? He
only lived with him, used his clothes, ate his meals, drank his sodas, and
basically knew more about him than any of his friends... Sure, he was always
telling Spike his problems, and complaining about how he had no superpowers and
was always left behind so he wouldn�t get hurt. But, this was... Spike. Spike,
the vampire.
"Okay,
Harris, just pack it up... I�ll probably have to hear of it later anyway, when
we get home and you start brooding about whatever it is that you�re all anxious
about" the vampire again interrupted his mental monologue
"I
don�t brood, Spike! I release my tension by telling you!" Xander jumped to
his own defense
"Whatever"
the blonde said with a dismissive wave of his hand "maybe if I �released
some tension� myself I wouldn�t be so tense right now... I feel like killing
something"
For a
moment the declaration shocked him. Spike? Wanting to release tension in
something other than killing something? He knew Spike had this platonic
relationship with Joyce, and he knew how sometimes he went to visit her and
spent whole nights away from home, obviously talking his problems out with her,
but it had never occurred to him that maybe Spike would want to discuss those
issues with him as well.
He hated
the silence that had fallen between them, because it allowed him to think of
some disturbing things. Like, why would he care if Spike wanted to talk
instead of kill? Or, when had Spike developed the capacity to know when
something was troubling him? And, worse still, when had they started referring
to Xander�s house as home?
He was
really thankful when Buffy walked through the Bronze door and, immediately
spotting them, walked towards him to say hello. She was obviously tired and
annoyed after the slaying of the night.
"Since
when do you have beers with Spike?" she said as a hello, barely glancing
at the blonde vampire as she spoke
"I
just ran into him when I came to see if you or the girls were here" he
said instantly as some kind of excuse for been sharing space with Spike, which
immediately struck him as weird. He didn�t have to apologize for sharing a
bedroom with him, it hadn�t even been his idea in the first place, so why
apologize for having a beer with him?
"Don�t
worry about kicking me out, slayer, I�m just leaving anyway" Spike said at
once, taking the hint, and with that he stood up to leave.
(�`�.(�`�.(�`�. 3 .��).��).��)
Good
morning Sunnydale, he said to himself as he opened his eyes and
realized it was already late to take a bath before his first class. It had
really been long since he had been subjected to schedules, and waking up early
was not his strongpoint. He would barely have time to wash his face and change
clothes, so the students would at least not notice he hadn�t showered.
As he
brushed his teeth, he remembered the vampire he had met that night, and before
he could realize he had gotten caught in a mix of memories, deductions and
conclusions. The story the vampire had told him, although restricted for the
porpoise of not giving away his real nature, had very much resembled Methos�
own personal history. When he thought about it, all he had been trying to do
for at least the last year was to please MacLeod. That judgmental,
narrow-minded highlander with his boy-scout ideals.
He felt
happy that he was following the same advice he had given the vampire the night
before, and would be expecting Joe to arrive in Sunnydale the next morning. That
was a friendship that was worth working on, and he was a friend that had earned
the title in fire and blood.
While he
drove his car to the campus, his mind was still racing, organizing his new life
under the motto of �the highlander hates you, so you might as well pretend he
doesn�t exist�. Joe would come and visit, and they would talk of all the things
they hadn�t discussed in the last few months, and they would have fun
remembering old times and commenting on old manuscripts and last-minute
decapitations.
Then he
made a prospective list of potential friends there in Sunnydale, starting with
Rup, the librarian, who seemed a very affable person and also an intelligent
and cultured man, both very interesting qualities in a newfound friend. Then he
thought about Spike, the vampire in the Bronze, and it surprised him a bit to
find the nasty natural predator included in his list, but he at once decided it
was a right choice. Maybe he had even more in common with him than their brief
talk had showed, and he hadn�t even tried to bite him, so that much for him.
So
immersed he was in his own thoughts that he didn�t even realize as he parked
his car in his designated spot and started walking towards his classroom. Once
there, and noticing he had forgotten his books again, he just decided to start
questioning someone in the first row of seats.
"Okay,
let�s see... redhead"
The look
on her face was priceless, but he surely could annihilate that shyness if only
he pressed hard enough. She certainly had the brains, and to have a specimen of
his very own to investigate and manipulate would be at least some fun in that
rather boring town. Positive manipulation, he told himself as he shot
another question at the terrified girl.
(�`�.(�`�.(�`�. 4 .��).��).��)
He had
briefly encountered Adam in the hallways before the first class of the morning,
and they had arranged to meet for coffee after second period in the library. �You
bring the coffee, Rup� Adam had smilingly proposed �and I�ll just bring
myself... I�m good at that�. A brilliant fellow, he appeared to be, and also
very affable and well predisposed.
Not only
was he in a favorable mood for the prospect of their quickly developing
friendship, but also he was in good spirits after he had received a call from
an old friend, letting him know that he would be in town the next day, visiting
a friend, and since he was planning to stay for a while he would like to meet
him as well.
When the
time had been right, he had fetched the coffee and sat there reading a strange
book he had recently acquired as he waited for Adam. As usual, the young man
arrived a little after the stipulated time, carrying a modest pile of papers.
"American
kids" he exclaimed as he made himself comfortable and deposited the papers
on top of the table "You should see the look on their faces when they hear
the words �surprise essay on Bronze Age, eight hundred words�. Only a few were
able to catch up on the fact that eight hundred words are just barely a couple
of pages... I think most of them took longer counting words than actually
writing"
"Well,
yes, times have changed... you don�t look old enough to all that surprised
about it" Giles replied with a slightly compassionate tone, although fully
agreeing with Adam�s appreciation on modern schooling
"Yes,
well, it hasn�t been so long since I was a student somewhere" he
commented, remembering his times as an apprentice at the watchers "and let
me tell you, those guys surely squeezed your brain to the last living
brain-cell"
It seemed
he would go on with his depreciation of collage nowadays, when suddenly his
eyes caught the cover of the book Giles had been browsing, and at once noticed
the gothic lettering reading �The Scourge of Europe: a synthetic review by a
slayer�s watcher�. The librarian could appreciate how Adam�s smile faded from
his lips, as a somber look set in the youthful face.
"What
were you reading?" he asked in a casual tone, after he had swiftly
regained his composure. It had been only a couple of seconds that his facial
expression had been so distorted, but Giles had just happened to catch it.
"Oh,
well, this is just a weird book I found in a shop downtown" Giles
explained, omitting the fact that the shop actually belonged to him "I
thought it might have some historical value, but then it�s only just peasant
folklore"
"I
see... mindless superstitious waste, uh?" the youth smiled, taking his
coffee and obviously resting importance to the matter "Who�s the
writer?" he asked casually, just out of politeness, Giles assumed
"Oh,
nobody you would be familiar with... one Benjamin Adams"
"Never
heard of him... mustn�t have been such a great guy" Methos grinned, and
immediately changed the subject to more abstract matters, which Giles deeply
appreciated.
He surely
liked Adam, even with his heavy charge of cynicism and irresponsibility, but he
definitely didn�t want to get anyone else involved in the slayer�s secret life.
They had broken the rules a lot already, put many lives in danger... lives that
were still in danger as they spoke about art and history, and he was profoundly
against adding yet another person in the likely-to-get-killed list.
(�`�.(�`�.(�`�. 5 .��).��).��)
"Don�t
you have some house to build somewhere?" Spike exclaimed annoyed when he
was awaken from his deep and comforting sleep by the TV, to find Xander
laughing like a moron of some stupid Three Stooges rerun "You�re missing
two stooges, Harris..." he complained as he forced himself up
"One"
he replied, still focused on the show "With you we make two already"
"What
changed since last night that brought you back to your average state of
goofiness?" the blonde hissed as he moved towards Xander and grabbed the
remote from his hands "Are you stoned?" he asked in disbelief as he
changed channels to watch Passions.
"Nothing
changed" the young man replied, as he stood up to battle for the remote
with Spike "I�m still stupid and you�re still depressed and moody..."
he stated, as he regained control over the remote and put the stooges back
"Wanna talk about it?"
"What?
With you?" Spike laughed in disbelief as he tried to reclaim his supremacy
over the TV "You�d just make fun of me, in the best of cases... or you
would just get all judgmental and almighty, like the slayer"
"C�mon,
Spike" Xander said, this time his tone growing a bit more serious as he
stopped avoiding Spike and just turned the TV off "I almost ate the
principal, and was almost eaten by a breeding teacher; I promise I won�t laugh
or judge"
That was
enough to make Spike uncomfortable in his own skin. Harris seriously wanted to
know how he felt? Since when? Then, suddenly, he remembered the conversation he
had had with the stranger at the Bronze. He had never taken advice from anyone,
not to mention a mortal, but it struck him as funny that he actually wanted
to talk with Xander.
"Ah,
what the hell!" he gave up, as he glanced around the room looking for his
cigarettes "Sit down, Harris, it might take a while..."
(�`�.(�`�.(�`�. 6 .��).��).��)
Another
day, another terrified group of kids, he grinned as he left the
classroom after his last class. If they didn�t care about history, they surely
would after a week of surprise assignments and random sessions of interrogation.
Either that, or they would drop out of his class, which didn�t particularly
worry him. Better a few worthy students, than a lot of mediocre book-eaters.
He would
just pass by the library to drop the book he had borrowed the day before, and
then head back home for a quick shower and dinner before he ventured again to
the Bronze. The Bronze. Had a nice ring to it, come to think about it. He had
to admit the Bronze Age had not been one of his favorite times ever, and he had
lied when he had said he hadn�t felt guilt since the eleventh century. But when
did he not lie?
He was
abstracted in his own thoughts when he reached the library, and was surprised
when he opened the door to find the blond bimbo playing around with a sharp
blade.
"Giles!
You think this sword can cut Mr. Pierson�s head?" she said jokingly as she
waved the weapon carelessly, unaware of Adam�s arrival.
Maybe
I�m pushing the kids too much, he thought as he absorbed the joke of his head been
severed, which somehow did not seem funny at all. She was joking, wasn�t
she?
"Nice
katana. And yes, it can cut my head right off in one good blow..." he said
matter-of-factly as he grabbed the blade from Buffy�s hand in one swift motion,
before she even realized he was there "But the legal implications would be
devastating for you... and I like my head right were it is"
"I...
joke..." she started to stammer in embarrassment, when suddenly Giles
walked into the room, reading a book as he walked, not noticing his presence.
"You
were saying, Buffy?" he asked as he approached, only to take a glance at
the room and find the European History professor holding a katana in one hand,
and the book he had borrowed the day before in the other, while Buffy tried
unsuccessfully to say something, her face very blushed.
"I am
afraid I have missed something" the librarian said, the look on his face
that of confusion
"I
was just enjoying a quite graphic demonstration of the causes of the decadence
of the modern educational system" he explained amused, throwing the sword
back at Buffy tentatively, only with the porpoise of confirming a suspicion
that had been building in him for the last couple of hours. It was indeed
corroborated when she caught it firmly in the air, and put it down on a table.
"What
did you do, Buffy?" the librarian asked her in a reproachful tone, giving
Methos the last piece of evidence he needed. Slayer, watcher.
"I
was just playing" she answered submissively, not looking up to meet Giles�
scrutinizing eyes
"Forgive
her, she... um... she brought this sword... um... her mother bought it... she,
um, wanted to find what period it belonged to" the man tried to lie,
obviously not been very good at it, but he had to give the guy some credit. It�s
not like they trained you for that in the watcher�s academy after all... with
the slayer�s mission supposed to be secret and all.
"It�s
a nice katana... not very old, a century give or take... where did you mother
come across it?" he asked, deeply interested in seeing how much she could
pull off to keep her secret safe. Truth of the matter, he knew where the
katana came from. He had seen it, he had known the young girl who had used
it... hell, he had trained her!
"Aw,
an... old friend of hers... he... he collects that stuff" she stammered,
although her answer was rather quicker than Rupert�s
"Well,
I don�t mean to interrupt you two... I just came to drop by this book, thanks
Rup" he said, handing the book back to Giles and judging his
interrogations as enough for now "I�ll be seeing you tomorrow... Maybe
coffee after first class?"
"Yes,
of course... Good evening, Adam"
(�`�.(�`�.(�`�. 7 .��).��).��)
As he
walked towards the Bonze, fully intending to buy beer -which he usually didn�t
drink, he wondered why he was feeling so anxious if his day had actually worked
out as he had planned. He had asked Spike to tell him what was the matter with
him, as he had decided to do the night before, and Spike had told him. They had
talked about it. They had been talking since morning and up until now,
non-stop, and it struck Xander as weird that he hadn�t felt bored or tired at
all throughout the day.
For some
reason, despite how judgmental his friends might think he was, Xander didn�t
feel inclined to condemn the bleached vampire. Somewhere in the middle of their
conversation, he had actually started wondering how accurate was the definition
of a vampire as a soul-less being; Spike didn�t sound all that soul-less. That
thought had really scared the hell out of him, specially when he had found
himself staring deep into Spike�s eyes as he thought about that. Luckily the
vampire had been talking, and had probably assumed Xander was staring because
he was intently listening to him.
Truth was,
Xander had yet not quite figured why he had been staring. He remembered
thinking that Spike�s eyes were not like Angelus� had been, but instead
reflected a whole lot of emotions and feelings, and then without consciously
planning it he had searched Spike�s eyes to confirm his idea. That was the
scariest part; Spike�s eyes hadn�t seemed at all like a foreign place. It felt
like he knew those eyes, like he had been staring into them forever.
He really
needed a drink, he repeated to himself, trying to block away all thoughts of
the afternoon, as he walked into the Bronze to find it quite deserted. Of
course that was not weird, been that it was only six o�clock, and most of the
people must have been dinning at home by then. He for himself needed no food,
just beer. For some reason, after been all day long with Spike, he also craved
a cigarette...
Listen
to yourself, man! Xander scolded himself as the last thought came to his
mind. How had he come to that? He tried to push all that away as he sat
at the almost empty bar, and ordered a beer. The look on the face of the
bartender told him he was going to get carded, and since he had no kind
of ID he was just getting ready to leave, when he recognized the man
approaching him.
"Hello...
you" Xander greeted the man, suddenly realizing he did not know the man�s
name
"Adam"
the man introduced himself, aware that they had not been presented "You�re
Spike�s friend, right?" he casually asked as he took a seat next to the
boy and ordered two beers, which were at once delivered
So it
seems, he thought, but he settled for a more private "Yeah" and told
the man his name, thanking him for the beer as well "Known Spike for
long?" he asked, trying to get into conversation
"Last
night; I kind of needed someone to distract my attention from the girls that
were hitting on me before statutory rape started to sound like a good
idea" the man replied as he drank a mouthful of his beer, then turned to
look at him just as Xander was laughing at his little joke "There�s much
more to him that meets the eye, I�ll tell you that much. And he seems to be
very fond of you, for what he told me..." Adam added, and suddenly Xander
blushed under the man�s scrutinizing look. The man just grinned and took his
eyes off him as he finished his beer and called for another.
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Redemption and Relapse (BTVS x-over)