Title: Immortal Convergence...but that's subject to change <g>
Author: Kay
Email: kaygrr@hotmail.com
Feedback: Do you really want to see me beg?  My happy dance is way more
entertaining. Website:  ssfdu.tripod.com/kay/journal.htm  (Sandy rocks)
Archive: Hey, just ask first <g> Series: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Pairing:
Xander/Wesley, Xander/Wesley/Spike, Duncan/Methos, Giles/Richie...etc.
Rating: PG-13 Sequel:  None Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the
characters of the show don't belong to me in anyway whatsoever. Mutant
Enemy, I live in envy of you.  The same goes for Highlander and Rysher -
they may be your toys, but I'm going to play with them.  Niener.  This
story is written for enjoyment, not for profit.  This whore only works for
feedback.  Litigation would be a waste of time, people. I'm a member of
the Starving Student Sect. Summery:  A renegade immortal on the Hellmouth
puts Sunnydale in danger, and it's up to the Scooby Gang and some visitors
from Seacouver to put things right. Warnings:  spoilers up to Graduation
II...I think.  Xander returned from his summer a month ago, but that's
about it.  No Anya, no Tara (<sniff> I *like* Tara).  There is Riley,
though.  As for HL...say it with me people:  Richie isn't dead!  Let's
just pretend that in the next to last season, Ahriman was vanquished
without a certain never-to-be-mentioned incident occurring, K?  And the
final season of HL never happened, either.  Hell, if I'm going to be
messing about with the characters, why not mess around with time, too? <g>


Important Notes:
First, this part ends with a bit of a cliffhanger.  Don't read it if you
don't want to wait a little while to find out what happens next, K?
Second, the Richie/Giles brilliance in this part is a direct result of
Sandy's suggestions and influence.  I outright stole most of the dialogue
from her (with her gracious permission).  She is also directly responsible
for the Princess Bride reference.  If you're falling for RR/G, be sure to
let her know, K?  (ssfdu@hotmail.com)



Part Eight/?

A faint scuff teased at Spike's ears, drawing him down the dark alleyway. 
He leapt upon the source of the sound, dragging it out into the
illumination of the street lights.  He took a look at the struggling
figure in his grip and sighed in disgust.  "Vlertik."

The scaly demon fought harder to get away, twisting in Spike's hands as it
strained to dive back into the alley, back into the darkness.  The vampire
shook it merciless as he glanced back over his shoulder at the men behind
him.  "Want me to kill it?"

Wesley shook his head.  "It's just a scavenger, Spike.  Let it go."

Spike tightened his grip, sneering as the Vlertik squealed in pain. 
"Easier just to kill it."  He smirked as the demon fought frantically,
fruitlessly as he increased the pressure.  Hands closed his shoulders and
he was jerked backwards.  Surprised, he released the Vlertik as he snarled
and turned on the person who had touched him.  "What the hell are you
doing?" he demanded of Wesley.

The taller man ignored him.  He cast a quick glance at the cowering demon.
 "Get out of town.  If I see you here again, I'll be most put out."

"Wyndem-Pryce?" the demon whimpered.  The Vlertik scrambled away, moaning
in abject terror.

Spike forgot his outrage immediately.  The demon was scared shitless of
Wesley.  What the hell was going on?  "How did you do that?"

Wesley smiled mysteriously.  "If you behave yourself and restrain your
homicidal impulses, perhaps you shall find out."

Spike growled a little, but Wesley didn't react.  He just walked back to
the main part of the street and took his place beside Xander.  Xander said
something quietly, too low for Spike to catch, and Wesley laughed and
rewarded his comment with a hard kiss.

The groups started moving again and Spike fell in step behind Wesley and
Xander, hands shoved deep in the pockets of his duster.  He watched as
Wesley's hand found its way into the back of Xander's jeans and the two
men drifted closer to each other.  He shook his head.  He didn't know how
those two had gotten together and he had no idea how they thought they
were going to be able to keep it a secret.  They barely took their hands
off each other as it was; he wasn't sure how they'd managed to restrain
themselves when they were at the Watcher's.

He'd never paid to much attention to either of them.  He was aware of them
as the back ups to his main enemy, the Slayer.  Not especially dangerous
or interesting in and of themselves, they were a force to be reckoned with
only when they were teamed with the rest of the Slayer's team.

He wasn't making that mistake now.  He was watching for the loon they were
hunting, and he kept some small amount of attention on Benjamin -Adam-,
his stuffy friend, and the older man, but the bulk of his focus was
reserved for Xander and Wesley.  His gaze greedily took in the way Xander
had put on muscle, on the easy way Wesley carried himself, on the constant
touches and comments that flowed between the two men.

He'd given in to his curiosity the other night, creeping over to the
bedroom door Wesley had shut and listening through the wood.  As soon as
he'd heard the bedsprings creak, he'd eased the door open, peering through
the small crack to catch sight of the men inside.  He'd been captivated by
the sight of the pale expanse of Wesley's back as he knelt over Xander,
the tight line of his ass as he moved over his lover.  He had traced the
lines of limbs that trembled even as they moved in ecstasy.  He hadn't
missed the expressions on their faces:  passion and love and want as they
exchanged broken words.  He hadn't been able to move or look away until
both of men had come and lay entwined in each other's arms.  Only at that
point was he able to slip away and dash for the bathroom, where he was
able to relieve the erection that was demanding his attention.

Just like in the bed, on the streets they moved in perfect sync with each
other, always aware of where the other was, always coming back to move
together.  He knew they couldn't have been together long, but they acted
as though they'd been involved forever, their awareness of each other so
deep as to be instinctive.

Spike fought down a strong wave of longing.  Lust he was prepared to deal
with; how was he supposed to help himself when confronted with Wesley and
Xander?  The longing, now, that was different.  That was dangerous.  Spike
didn't lie to himself.  He might not always pay any attention to the truth
and usually refused to allow it to stop him from doing whatever he wanted,
but he didn't try to deny it.  He knew that he wasn't solitary by nature. 
He was meant to be with other people, needed constant contact with others
in order to keep himself happy and sane.  As much as he'd enjoyed
irritating the hell out of Darla and Angelus, he had needed to be around
them in order to do so.  Without them around, his life was emptier.  It
helped to explain his attachment to Drusilla.  He loved his dark princess,
to be sure, had devoted his unlife to her without compunction or regret,
but he was honest enough with himself to admit that his need for her had
been as much a part of his need for companionship as it had been love.

He had been separated from Drusilla long enough that he was beginning to
feel the lack of company.  Seeing Wesley and Xander so easy together made
him more aware of his own loneliness.  It made his lust for the two of
them become something more, something stronger, something dangerous.

Something that he probably wasn't going to be able to resist.  Spike
grinned sardonically as he lit a fresh cigarette.  So he knew they were
probably going to complicate his plans more than he wanted.  He took in
the way Wesley's eyes crinkled at the corners when he laughed, watched
Xander's tongue flicker out to moisten his full lower lip.  It would be
worth it.

As they turned the corner on to another street, voices carried to them
from up the block.  Spike peered through the darkness, relying on his
superior night vision.  "Slayer," he said.  Buffy and the rest of her
merry band were walking towards them.

Xander and Wesley separated smoothly, moving apart as though they were
just finishing a conversation.  "Hey, Buffy," Xander called.  "You find
anything?"

"Only a few fledges so inept that the Boy Wonder over there was able to
stake one," Buffy said, jerking her chin over in the direction of the
curly-haired Immortal.

Spike smirked.  Sounded like someone hadn't made much of an impression. 
He looked over at Richie, approving of the way the man didn't react to
Buffy's comment.  Richie just tucked his hands into his back pockets and
grinned.  The vampire raised an eyebrow as he noticed the way Richie's
gaze lingered on Giles.  Every time Giles met the Immortal's gaze, he
flushed a little, but there was definite interest in the Watcher's eyes.

Looked like Sunnyhell was going to be even more entertaining than usual.

"Fledges?" Duncan asked, staring at Richie.

"Newly-turned vampires," Giles explained.  "They tend to be ravenous, but
as Buffy said, they are inept.  Quick to attack, but they do so with no
finesse.  Ah...Richie did quite will in his first encounter with them,
actually."

Richie was standing closer to Giles than anyone else.  The Immortal leaned
in close to Giles and murmured in a low voice, "Thanks, Tiger.  Was it
good for you too?"

The former Watcher rolled his eyes and replied in an equally quiet tone,
"It was adequate.  I've had better, if you must know."

Unfazed by the dismissal, Richie leered at the other man.  "You know what
they say:  practice makes perfect."

The looks between Richie and Giles got even more interesting as Giles
glared at the other man, a mixture of irritation and heat.  Thanks to his
vampiric hearing, Spike was the only other person to hear the comment. 
Spike took a long drag on his cigarette.  No matter what happened now, he
was going to have to stay in town.  There was no way he was going to miss
this.

His gaze strayed back over to where Wesley and Xander were trying to keep
their distance from each other.  Well, no way he'd miss it, unless he was
otherwise occupied.  As he watched, Xander frowned and shook his head,
hard.

"So we both came up empty," Buffy said.  "Great.  Any ideas on where else
we should look for this guy?"

Now Richie was rubbing at his temples, even as Duncan shook his head.

"If he's into magic, we might want to cruise past the Magic Box again,"
Willow suggested.

"Yes," Giles agreed.  "That could work.  Or-"

"Or we could look down the street a bit," Adam interrupted.  His face was
impassive, but his hand had crept inside his enveloping coat.  "I believe
I saw something there."

Spike tossed his cigarette into the street and got himself ready.  Adam
hadn't visibly reacted, but he was willing to bet that the other Immortals
had been reacting to the presence of another Immortal.  "I think you're
right," he said, even though he saw nothing.  "I think that's him."  No
need to reveal everyone's secret, now was there?

He raised his hands innocently when Xander turned to stare at him.  The
dark-eyed man realized what Spike was doing, and the vampire was rewarded
with a delighted grin before everyone started moving down the street. 
Spike sighed as he followed Wesley and Xander.  The things he did for a
nice ass...

As they got closer to the end of the block, Spike realized that he could
see movement in one of the many abandoned buildings that littered
Sunnydale.  The one at the end of the street was composed of crumbling
bricks and rotting wood, untouched by care and worn by time.

Wesley squinted at the building.  "If he is attempting to mold himself
into a stereotypical wizard, perhaps he has sought out a building that
conforms to the image of the haunted house stereotype to frequent as
well."

Xander smirked.  "If you're going to attempt to live one bad cliche, might
as well go for them all."

Buffy walked over to the front of the building, moving slowly toward the
door.  Duncan moved up to stand beside her.  She glared at him over her
shoulder.  "Do you mind?  I need some space."

"You need someone to back you up," he countered.

"That would be one of my friends, then.  No offense, but I don't know
you."  She eased inside the doorway, muttering something about another Boy
Wonder.

A few seconds of tense silence passed, then Buffy ran back out the door. 
"Get back!" she ordered, physically pushing Duncan in front of her as she
fled from the building.  Stinking flames filled the doorway behind her and
spilled out into the street.

"That's him," Wesley called as he and Xander moved forward.  "Don't let
the fire touch you.  It seems to be his only trick, but be ready for
anything else.  There's no telling what he may have learned since we last
encountered him."

Spike shook his head as he moved to shadow Wesley.  After watching them,
he had no doubt that both men could take care of themselves.  No matter
what anyone else thought, they were capable, deadly fighters.  But Xander
had the edge of Immortality on his side, so Spike would stay closer to
Wesley.  He wanted to make sure both of them lived through this.

As he moved closer to Wesley, he could hear the taller man swearing under
his breath.  Spike knew where is frustration was coming from.  There was
no good way to come at the Immortal.  Hidden inside the building, he
tossed reeking fire at them through the empty windows and doorways,
guaranteeing that they couldn't come at him through any of the entryways. 
At the same time, they had him penned down:  they couldn't get in, but he
couldn't get out, either.

"I'm going to try something," Wesley warned the others.

"Wesley, are you sure?" Willow asked.  "I could-"

"Let the man work," Spike said impatiently.  Hadn't they seen how well he
could direct deadly magic against his enemies?  He ignored the witch's
startled look and focused on Wesley, waiting to see what he would come up
with.

The tall man spoke quietly under his breath, words clear and precise as
his hands sketched exotic patterns in the air.  He spoke for a few
moments, then dropped his hands and waited.

After a few seconds passed and nothing happened, Buffy rolled her eyes. 
"That was great, Wesley.  Really terrific.  Willow, could you try
something?"

Willow's reply was lost in a tremendous roar as smoke boiled out of the
windows and doors, oily gray and clinging to the bricks as it drifted
reluctantly into the night air.

"Nice, Wes," Xander said, grinning appreciatively.

"Oh, yeah," Spike echoed.

Wesley included them both in his triumphant smile.  "This will either
flush him out or kill him."

"Then we can go collect the body after the smoke clears."  Adam's voice
was approving.  "Quite efficient.  Very intelligent."

Spike glared at the Immortal, repressing the urge to growl.  He settled
for baring his teeth in a vicious snarl, silently warning the Immortal to
stay away from Wesley.  Couldn't he see that the man belonged to Xander? 
Didn't he see that both of them were going to belong to Spike?

He was distracted from his possessive anger by the emergence of the 
Immortal, coughing and gasping.  He was still dressed in the ridiculous
robes from the other night, but all the wheezing rather ruined whatever
dramatic effect he may have been attempting to achieve.

Buffy moved in on the coughing man.  "All right.  Time for you to stop
trying to live the dream and just be grateful that I'm going to let you
keep living."

The Immortal raised his hands in a threatening gesture.  "Stay away from
me! 
  I mean it!"

"Anybody want a peanut?" Spike murmured.  He laughed out loud at the look
of surprise on everyone's faces.  His laughter mingled with Xander's as
the dark-eyed man was nearly doubled over in amusement and disbelief.

The Immortal took advantage of the momentary distraction to grab Buffy and
slam her into the wall of the building, hard.  He released her
immediately, allowing her to fall heavily to the ground.  He then turned
his attention to Wesley.  "You!  You're even more powerful than the witch!
 I need that power!"  He lunged towards Wesley, chanting in a voice that
rose to a shriek.

Spike moved forward with vampiric speed, placing himself between the
Immortal and Wesley.  At the same time, Xander delivered a vicious kick to
the Immortal's midsection, sending him staggering back toward the
building.  As he fell backwards, the energy he'd summoned with his spell
went wild; rather than heading straight for Wesley, it slammed into the
building behind him.

Spike listened in horror as the he heard the wall groan under the force of
the blast.  The entire structure shuddered.  Spike had heard enough
buildings collapse in his time to know what was going to happen next. 
Xander was clear of the wall, but Wesley had moved forward in order to
counter the crazed Immortal as well as back up his lover.

Ignoring the voices inside his head screaming that he was a fool, Spike
ran forward a few steps to grab Wesley by the upper arms and swing him
around hard, propelling him in a hard arc out of danger.

He had time to shield his head with his arms before he was buried in an
avalanche of bricks and dust.

*****
I warned you!

<eg>

Kay