Joyce, Shaw and Amy stared at the three fairies in shock, not able to accept what they just heard. "What do you mean, you wrote the scroll?" Amy said.
"I don't think our accents are that thick, lass," Liam said.
"Wait a minute, wait a minute, you wrote the scroll?" Amy repeated.
"Well, Robin did the actual penwork, we just helped with the wording," Aideen explained.
All three women looked over at Robin. "Terrific work, I must say. You know, the tricky part was going back every now and then to change to wording to keep up with the times, keep the ink aged, excellent workmanship, if I do-----"
"Robin!" Amy yelled.
"Sorry," Robin sobered. "For God's sake, keep your voice down. The last thing we need is for the others to hear this."
"Robin, what on Earth would possess you to forge the scroll?" Shaw asked in disbelief.
"Well, interesting choice of words, Shaw," Robin said. "Earth had nothing to do with it and yet everything as well."
"Oh, lord, he's gonna get on the podium again," Aideen muttered.
Robin sighed, slowly pacing about. "About four thousand years ago, the Oracles informed the Eternals that if something wasn't done, by the year 2000, using your current calendar, the Game would be over. And that scared everyone shitless."
"Why?" Joyce asked.
"Because if the Game is over, then that means the Prize has been won."
"Then there is a prize?" Amy asked. "What?"
"What it's always believed to be," Liam answered. "Power. The combined power of every Immortal who ever lived. Enough power to rule the world forever. Or destroy it. Power that can't be held, by anyone, ever."
"I do understand that you cannot allow an evil Immortal to gain the Prize----" Shaw began.
"Lass, ye don't get it," Aideen interrupted, shaking her head. "NO Immortal can ever gain the Prize. Or humanity will be ruled over by a dictator who is utterly invincible."
"But, it's someone like Steve or Buffy-----"
"Joyce, your daughter is a wonderful woman and Steve is one of the bravest men I know," Robin said. "But if any member of your race ever knew what he was talking about, it was Lord Action, when he said that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. And this is absolute power, Joyce, believe me. It doesn't matter how good a person is, how old he or she is, we are talking power on a scale you can barely imagine."
"I can, Robin," Shaw put in.
"Shaw, what you saw and felt was nothing. Take that and multiply it to the thousandth power and you're nowhere near what the Prize would be. The Quickening alone would destroy all of New York City. I'm not just talking Manhattan, but the Bronx, Queens, the Boroughs and part of Jersey too. There is no way any human mind can handle an influx of power on a scale like that. They would be driven completely and utterly mad and a madman with the power of a god is a dangerous thing. For a prime example, look at yourself."
Shaw went silent, unable to argue with Robin's words as the faery continued. "Needless to say, the Oracles stirred up a shitstorm with that statement. Four thousand years may sound like a long time to you, but to us, it's not a lot. And the Eternals, especially the god ones, weren't crazy about the idea of a simple human suddenly coming onto their level and completely insane to boot."
"Especially given how the Game started," Aideen said. She became aware of everyone staring at her, Robin and Liam with expressions of pain. "Ah, hell, I did it again."
"Nice bloody going, Aid," Liam said. "We could have just gone by on this, tell them it was just to prevent a mad god from rising, but nooooo, we have to tell them bloody everything!"
"What do you mean?" Amy said. "You mean you know how the Game started?"
Robin sighed and nodded. "We do." He took a deep breath as he looked up at the others. "Eight thousand years ago, the Game didn't exist. It wasn't supposed to exist, it was never meant to happen."
"Then why-----?" Shaw started.
"Immortals were always intended to be humanity's defenders," Liam explained. "To be the first line against demons and the like, fighting in small groups and never having more power than each had. Swords were the best weapons then and so the elder Immortals would teach their students that way."
"There were also intended as a sot of last stand defense," Liam said. "Say you've got ten thousand Immortals facing a demon army. Those ten thousand get beheaded, the Quickening is equal to a forty-megaton nuclear explosion and the army's taken out."
"And new Immortals born soon pick up the slack and fill the void," Aideen added.
"A sound tactical maneuver," Shaw said. "So what the hell happened?"
"A demon named Farku hit upon a rather brilliant idea," Robin sighed. "He impersonated Krevar, at the time the oldest living Immortal and told Krevar's students that Immortals were meant to fight to the death and the winner absorbing his victim's power."
"And the two fight and the winner spreads the news and the Game starts," Amy said, shock in every word. "Goddess, this is unbelievable."
"Farku knew full well that the Game would soon whittle down the Immortal population so much that not even new Immortals being born would bring it up to their levels," Robin went on. "And that it would distract Immortals from ever turning their intentions to what should have been their true goal, the destruction of demons."
"Bastard did his job well," Aideen muttered. "You want a reason demons are so prevalent on Earth now? He's it."
"And he knew what the Prize would eventually do to the last Immortal," Robin said. "And he knew there could be no better way for demons to take control than to unleash a mad Immortal with the power of a God on Earth."
Joyce took a breath as she tried to process all this. "So, the...Eternals weren't just trying to protect their own interests. They didn't want the balance of power shifted."
"Shifted?" Liam snorted. "More like blasted to pieces, lass. This would have given the side of evil a major boost, so big that there may have been no stopping it. And to maintain a universal balance, the Eternals thought any means would be necessary."
"The arguments raged over the realms for years," Liam continued. "Finally, me, Rob, Aid and a couple of others got the idea of forging the scroll. We felt if people didn't think their was any point to the Game, it would stop." Liam fixed his friend with a gaze. "Course, we thought he'd leave it someplace where it could be found a lot sooner."
Robin rolled his eyes. "Hey, it had to look real. I couldn't just dump it in the middle of the local library, all right! I really thought someone would have found it a few centuries ago. Actually, it's better that it was found now, with the advances in communications and all, got the word out faster."
"Then what of Krevar,?" Shaw asked.
"Poor bloke just couldn't take how he'd been partially the cause of the genocide of Immortals by themselves," Liam said sadly. "He retired to holy ground for centuries, remained there until he was tricked out and beheaded just as the whole plan was coming together. So, that just played into things, made the whole thing more believable."
"I've always heard people say that the best way to make a lie convincing is to tell the truth," Joyce sighed. "Just switch a few details."
"What of the holy ground rule?" Shaw asked, curious.
"Now that was always in place before the whole Game thing," Liam said. "A little precaution just in case two Immortals ever quarreled."
"Just what would happen if an Immortal beheaded another on holy ground?" Joyce asked.
"The last time it happened was in a temple in Italy," Robin said. "In Pompei. In 79 A.D."
All three women's eyes widened as they realized he was talking about the volcanic eruption that destroyed the city. "So you faked this so the Prize wouldn't be won?" Amy was having a difficult time taking this in. "I can't believe this. So when Steve told Merlin----"
"Merlin doesn't know," Robin said plainly.
It would have been hard to shock the three women any more but Robin did it with that statement. "Yeah, he doesn't know," he went on to their stunned looks. "And neither does JP Withers. Or Horace and Bureau 13. In fact, as far as we know, there isn't a single non-Eternal on Earth that knows the truth."
"Okay, now I can't buy this," Amy shook her head. "How the hell can you keep this quiet >from them?"
"We've been keeping it quiet for four thousand years, lass," Liam said gently. "There was discussion about bringing them in but it was decided not to. That they couldn't know."
"Why not?" Shaw demanded.
"Because they're human," Aideen said gently. "Oh, I know it's hard to think of Merlin and JP in those terms but yes, they're human. And this is purely an Eternal matter. If those two knew the truth, they might tell it, whether by design or letting it out in anger."
"Yes, Merlin has proven capable of that," Shaw said sourly.
Amy shook her head. "What about what Shiva said in L.A.?"
Amazingly, Robin smiled. "Yeah, old Shiv did a nice one there. Almost worthy of me. He always on our side on this, agreed that Immortals and humanity deserved a chance. The Eternals all took a vow-----"
"One we're breaking, keep in mind," Aideen added.
"That we cannot even hint at the truth of the Scroll," Robin continued. "But we never said we couldn't help make it more believable, just like Shiva did then."
"So, you guys figured this was a secret just for your private little club?" Amy scowled, glaring at Robin, who shrunk back a bit from her anger.
"It's more than that, lass," Liam said gently. "It's why the three of ye can never tell anyone what you've heard, especially Steve. Because if he hears, he's going to want to tell and that's going to lead back to the Watchers. And if you think the Immortals are pissed about this being a fraud, think of how these guys feel with nothing to watch. A bunch of them will probably spread the word, get the Game going again just to have something to watch. And by doing so, they'll seal the fate of all mankind."
"What do you mean?" Joyce asked.
The three fairies were silent for a moment before Aideen spoke. "What we did was Plan A. And it took a lot of arguing to get it done and we've had to fight like hell over the centuries to make sure it stayed that way, that the gods wouldn't go off. If you talk, if the truth gets out....then it's on to plan B."
"Which is?"
"To the gods, it's very simple," Robin sighed. "No Immortals, no Prize. Kill all the Immortals and there's no Game."
"Now wait a minute," Amy said, holding up a hand. "I know I may not be as big an expert on this but there are new Immortals being born all the time, even if no one knows how. Even if they behead every Immortal on Earth, there are going to be more being created."
"True, lass," Liam nodded.
"Well then, how are they-----" Joyce broke off, her eyes widening as she, along with Shaw and Amy realized what Liam was saying. "No," she whispered. "No, they can't. They can't kill all of humanity."
"They can," Aideen nodded. "Trust me, they have the power and more."
"There are thousands upon thousands of realities out there," Liam said. " Plenty of Earths. The Powers That Be wouldn't have much of a problem yanking the plug on one if things didn't work out right there.
"Wait a minute, wait a minute, what are we talking about here?" Amy asked.
"Armageddon," Liam answered. "Rangorak. Judgement Day. The end of the world as we know and trust me, no one's going to be feeling fine."
"Tthey can't just exterminate all of humanity!" Amy called out.
"For God's sake, and I emphasize that, keep quiet!" Aideen hissed. "And they wouldn't kill everyone. Just the ones likely to come into contact with the conditions that would create Immortals."
"Which are what?" Shaw asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Sorry," Aideen smiled slightly. "We're sworn on our lives to never divulge that."
Sighing, Shaw continued. "So, how many would be destroyed?"
"Well, I actually calculated that once," Liam explained. "Course, it's shifted due to natural balances, population growth, the progression of the game-----"
"How many?" Shaw said in an impatient tone.
Swallowing, Liam looked upward, as if trying to recalculate in his mind. "Five billion, eight hundred and seventy-four million, four hundred and fifty-eight thousand, nine hundred and forty-six. Give or take a few hundred million, of course."
"And there's another aspect," Aideen calmly added. "Something like that would require a razing of the natures of this planet. Including magic. So by the end of it, no more wizards or witches or mages or such. Old Merlin and JP, if they survive, wouldn't be able to do card tricks after it's all over."
The three women stared at him in total shock. They glanced over at Robin and Liam, who just stood there with sober expressions. "Jesus Christ," Joyce whispered, slumping into a chair. "I can't------they can't-----this is----"
"Yeah, it's brutal," Robin said. "That's why we came up with the Scroll idea. They accepted but they've been chomping on the bit since then, demanding it come out sooner or later, particularly as the time limit the Oracles gave kept coming closer. It Steve hadn't found it when he did, they might have taken action."
"Action?" A stunned Amy asked. "What action?"
"The action that will come if you tell anyone what we've just told you," Liam said. "If the truth gets out, the Game will start over again with a vengeance. And thus, the Eternals will go to Plan B. And while they're under oaths even they can't break to not spill the beans, a lot of them want it to happen. Believe me, Ares would jump at the chance to unleash his forces on Earth and the rest of Olympus would be right with him."
"But Artemis would-----" Amy began.
"Amy," Robin said in the gentlest voice he could. "Artemis is a wonderful woman and she loves you like a daughter, she loves all her Amazons like that. But if it came down to you and making sure the Prize wasn't won------she wouldn't hesitate to put a long shaft through your heart."
Amy's shock increased as her jaw dropped at this. Shaw and Joyce were just as taken back by the revelation. "What about the Lady?" Shaw said. "Or Jehanne?"
"They know," Robin nodded. "Obviously, Joanie didn't for a while, this was before she was born, of course. But the angels know and naturally, they don't want to say anything."
"I can't believe this," Amy whispered. She fixed a gaze of anger on Robin. "You've been lying to us. All this time, you've been lying to us."
"It's something I had to do, Amy," Robin said sadly. "I hated it, believe me. But dammit, can't you see how important this is? We're talking about something that can change the world. And not for the better. Believe me, I wanted to tell you at least but I promised I wouldn't. I'm breaking that now because of what you've heard. You've got to keep your oaths, all of you. You can't breathe even a hint of this to anyone or we're all in major trouble with the kind of people you do not, under any circumstances whatsoever, want to fuck with."
"I can attest to that," Shaw muttered softly.
"I have to go," Amy said softly. "I just have to-----" she walked off, heading towards the upstairs. Robin made a move to her, but Joyce put a hand to him. "No. Let her go, Robin. I know how it's like to be hurt by someone you care about. I know you didn't intend for it," she said, cutting off Robin's protest. "But I'll talk to her. Okay?" She walked off, following Amy.
"She's kind of a den mother to all, isn't she?" Aideen asked.
"She has that quality," Shaw said softly. She paused as a thought occurred to her, turning to Robin. "Robin, did the Lady agree to this idea of yours?"
"She was among the other high Eternals, yeah," Robin replied.
"I see," Shaw breathed. "So if the truth comes out, she will side with the Gods to destroy humanity. Including-----Amy and the others."
Robin sadly nodded. "Yes. And you'd have to be on her side when she does."
Shaw stared at him in mild surprise. "You know."
"It's the same with me, Shaw," Robin said. He nodded to his friends. "Liam with McAllister, Aideen with Fin Varra. I love Earth and humans and you know I feel about the guys. But I am a faery and if we go war, I know which side I have to be on. Liam will go against Ireland, Aideen against the Knights. We'll fight together. We'll kill our friends, our second family, we'll help send humanity back tens of thousands of years, we'll fight to save ourselves because we don't have a choice."
"It is not the fight itself that frightens me. It is the idea of living two hundred years with the guilt."
"I'm going to live a lot longer than you, Shaw," Robin smiled softly. "And I'll probably spend the first thousand years cursing the day the Game was created."
Shaw looked at Robin with pain in her eyes. "I don't want this to happen, Robin."
"And I do?"
To his surprise, Shaw moved forward and hugged him tightly. He was taken aback for a moment but then hugged back, remembering that for all her strength, Shaw was still fragile with family connections and knew the thought of losing them tore at her. "Thank you," she said softly. "For understanding."
"I won't tell Amy about Millie," Robin said. "Don't worry."
"Thank you again," Shaw said, breaking off the hug. "Robin----if the worse happens----if the truth ever comes out----what will we truly do?"
"I don't know, Shaw," Robin said solemnly. "Gods help me, I don't know."
Shaw sighed and moved off. "I have to talk to Amy and Joyce. Thank you." She moved off, leaving the three fairies alone.
"Lass is taking it hard," Aideen said.
"Well, I guess we should be lucky Ulric was out of town," Robin sighed. "If he was in danger, Shaw would be ripping apart the walls right now."
"I thought that was what she was like when she was in a good mood," Liam said with a smirk.
"No, when she's in a good mood she plays sadistically evil pranks on others," Robin replied.
Liam stared at him in disbelief. "Don't tell me she managed to get one over on you."
"Oh no, she knows better. But remind me to show you what she did to the little bastard."
"What?" Liam said, smiling.
"Got him in deeper trouble with Obe."
"Deeper than he already was?" Liam said in disbelief. "This I have to see."
"I'll show you the tape when this is over," Robin replied.
"So, maybe now you'll let the whole Midsummer Night's thing go?"
Robin fixed him with a glare. "Don't. Go. There."
"One can dream," Liam smiled.
Aideen sighed as she stepped away from the sink. "You know," she pointed out. "We could have made them forget. About the slip. About all this."
Robin shook his head. "Trust me, Aid, you do not want to see Shaw when someone messes with her head. She's half-elf, she can feel it and it seriously pisses her off." "With the three of us, we could have done it," Aideen said. "I think the loophole in using your powers would extend to this too. We could have done it."
Robin fixed her with a look. "Would you have done it if the Knights were the ones who were here? Or Torc?"
Aideen held his gaze for a long moment before looking down. "No."
"No," Robin nodded. "Well, I don't want to do it to them. They'll help us out, keep any more slips from happening. I hate to throw the knowledge on them but they're strong, they can take it. Especially Amy." He sighed. "Dammit, I hate hurting her like that. I do." He turned to see Aideen and Liam gazing at him with goofy smiles. "What?"
"My god," Liam said. "It's finally happened. You're in love."
Robin let out a short laugh of disbelief. "What?"
"No, no, you are in love," Liam continued. "With Amy. You love her."
"Oh come on," Robin snorted. "Sure, I like being with her a lot and the sex is great, but this-----? Love? Come on, I don't-------"
"Do you feel your heart beat faster whenever she's near?" Liam cut in.
"Do you think of her all the time no matter what you're doing?" Aideen added.
"Does waking up next to her just make your entire day seem worth living?"
"Do you feel a great joy in your heart whenever she walks into a room?"
"Do you actually see yourself spending the rest of your life with her?"
"Would you give your life for her, without hesitation, without question?"
Robin's face took on a look of absolute amazement and realization. "My god," he whispered, sinking into a chair. "I love her." He let out a laugh, a goofy smile coming onto his face. "I love her."
"Ah, it had to happen eventually," Liam said, patting him on the shoulder. "Never thought it'd be a witch, of course. And an Amazon to boot."
"Why not?" Aideen said, smiling. "Everyone goes for the unusual. Me and Torc for instance."
"You always favored the rough types," Liam shrugged. "Ah, it's a grand thing to be in the midst of this romance."
"Yeah, and you're trying to get a bit too," Robin said, recovering a bit from his realization of his feelings for Amy.
"What do you mean?" Liam asked, frowning.
"Shaw," Robin shrugged. "Come on, I've seen the way you look at her. You haven't looked at a woman like that since------"
"Don't say her name." All joviality had left Liam's voice, her face drawn in anger. "You promised me you'd never say her name!"
Robin stared at him in disbelief. "Liam, it's been eight hundred years! You have to let go-- --"
"I will never let go!" he yelled back. "I do that----I do that, then she's gone forever." He turned away, lost to his own memories. Robin stared at his friend's back for a long moment before replying. "Nothing's forever, Liam. Not humans. Not Immortals. Not even you or me. The right thing can come around more than once, Liam. But you only get so many chances to grab it. Think about it."
Liam was silent, leaning against the sink as Aideen sighed, taking a sip from her drink. "It says something when I'm the one with the stable relationship."
"He did not mean to hurt you, Amy," Shaw was saying. She and Joyce were sitting side by side in the small room, Amy between them. "He was only doing what he thought was right."
"What, you agree with him?" Amy asked.
"He had good cause," Shaw nodded. "Think about how he must have felt, Amy, having to carry this around with him all this time. Being around you and knowing he might have to see you all destroyed at some time. It had to weigh at him a lot."
"I know," Amy sighed. "But it still hurts that he couldn't have told me this, considering how close we are."
"Amy, I know about being lied to by a man," Joyce said. "But Robin had a good reason to do it. And he cares for a lot. So give him a break on this."
"God, it's so much," Amy said. "To think about this, that the Gods would destroy humanity if the Game gets going. It's so much."
"I know," Joyce said, rubbing her shoulders. "And Robin has had to carry that secret with him for a long time. Remember that."
Amy smiled at her. "Thanks, Joyce. Look, could you guys give me some time here? I need to think about this, okay?"
Nodding in agreement, Joyce and Shaw stood up, moving to the hallway. "Guess I'll just crash on that cot," Joyce said, yawning. "What about you, Shaw?"
"I am not sleeping," Shaw said, moving towards the doorway. "I need to conserve my strength."
"Shaw, that's not healthy," Joyce said, moving behind her. "You need to rest here. At least a few hours?"
"Perhaps," Shaw said, tapping her foot against the floor. "This is such a difficult thing to take in."
"I know the feeling," Joyce said. "I'm not used to being in the heat of the action like this. I see now why Buffy wants me out of it. I don't have powers or anything, I just can't keep up." She blew out a sigh. "Come on, Shaw, let's get something from the kitchen to drink. I could use my usual."
"I do not see how hot cocoa is going to solve anything."
"That's because you're not a mother," Joyce answered. She paused and looked towards Shaw. "Shaw, why did you come here in the first place?"
"I had no choice in the matter, Joyce Sum----"
"Stop," Joyce said, holding up a hand. "You can just call me Joyce. I know you want to be respectful, but it's okay. Now, why didn't you have any choice in the matter?"
Shaw sighed. "It would seem that no matter what dimensions you live in, one thing is constant; ancient prophecies have the most annoying ways of making themselves come to pass."
"But you fulfilled it months ago, didn't you?" Joyce pointed out.
"Yes," Shaw nodded, looking at Joyce curiously. "What are you trying to ask me."
"Why didn't you try and find a way to get back to your dimension? Buffy told me you could do it. You had a chance to go back to the only home you know. But you stayed here. Why?"
Shaw pressed her lips together, gathering her thoughts. "I spent the first forty years of my life on Toril." It took Joyce a moment to recover from that. Even though Buffy had explained it, she still felt it hard to understand that the teenage-looking girl was over fifty years old. Unheeding, Shaw went on. "On Toril, I was caring, hopeful and a truly good person. But I was naive and too idealistic, without the proper balance of realism." Her expression grew hard. "Then I spent thirteen years in that living hell, trying to do nothing more than survive, becoming so cold and efficient at killing vampires that they feared me. And then, I came here. I wanted nothing more, from the moment I came to Earth, to do whatever was required of me and then return to Toril. But, over my time in Sunnydale, things changed for me."
"What happened?" Joyce asked softly.
Shaw let out a breath. "What happened was that despite all the odds, all the obstacles I faced, from the only family I knew being angry with me, to most of the others being suspicious of me, not due to my origins but because I withheld the truth about myself >from them, I found myself changing." Shaw shook her head, remembering her past.
"Joyce, think about this if you will: by all logic, by all reason, by all conventional wisdom, >from alienating Amy to Cordelia not liking me from the moment we met, probably because we are so much alike, to having only Willow and later Xander accepting me from the beginning for who I was, despite my secrecy, despite what they knew about my past at that point, I had no reason to stay here, on Earth or in Sunnydale in particular. This was before I met Buffy and Steven, this was before my relationship with Amy turned for the better, it was before Robin starting acting like an older brother to me, and it was most certainly before I came to care so much about these people that I do not think of as family or consider family. They *are* family. *My* family."
"You love them," Joyce said, a little surprised.
"Yes," Shaw nodded. "And that is not the only reason, either. I had the choice to return to Toril, my homeworld, where I am known, where my Goddess is worshiped, and where I lived three quarters of my life. Yet I chose to remain on Earth, where I have only lived for a year, only two-thirds of that in Sunnydale. A world where I must hide not only who, but what I am, nearly every minute of every day, where I have to be careful around everyone who does not know the truth about me, where I would most likely be rejected, if not worse, by the very people I fight to protect. And I do this, as the others do this, for what boils down to the greatest reason of all."
"And that is?" Joyce was a little taken aback by how much Shaw had said, the most she'd ever heard her say. Shaw fixed her with a gaze of pure emotion, slight tears in her eyes. "This is my home. And I cannot imagine being anywhere else."
Joyce looked at her for a moment and then moved forward and hugged her tight. "It's my home too, Shaw," she said softly. "And whether Buffy wants me to or not, I want to fight for it as much as you do."
"I know, Joyce," Shaw said. "And that is what makes you such a fine mother."
They stood there, embracing, the elf and the human, the vast distance between them closed in an instant.
Amy shuffled on her sheets as she tried to get some sleep. She was unable to push aside the weight of the massive secret she had found herself becoming part of. She no longer blamed Robin, it wasn't his fault, none of this. Still, that he could care so much for humanity to do something like that made Amy realize more than ever he was far from the joker he pretended to be.
A shuffling sound came and then Robin appeared on the bed. Amy opened her mouth but he lifted up a finger and pressed it against her lips. He moved his hand up, brushing at her hair. "In case I've never told you," he said softly in a voice of pure emotion. "You are the most beautiful woman I've ever known." He moved in and kissed her with a tenderness he had never shown before. Amy closed her eyes as she felt him brush his lips on hers. He slowly began to unbutton her shirt as he lay her down. While the times before had been with passion and raw energy, this was different, this had an emotion that none of their previous times in bed had had together. For the first time in his long life, Robin Goodfellow made love to a woman he knew he had given his heart to.
The mood in the meeting room was dark. It always was whenever Khan entered a room and it spread to his generals. Motaro's tail twitched behind him, he and Sheeva exchanging glances of pure hatred, the natural enmity of their species coming to the fore as they exchanged ugly looks.
"I still believe I should be in charge of the armies, My Lord," Sheeva said. "I proved myself as the personal protector of Queen Sindel."
"Ah, and wasn't it under your protection that the Queen was allowed to kill herself?" Motaro smirked. Sheeva growled at him as Khan shook his head.
"I've had enough of your petty squabbling," he said in an authoritive voice. "You are both far too impetuous for such important work as this. Shang shall remain my second in command until I say otherwise."
"My Lord, you cannot expect me to share command with this Centaur!" Sheeva growled. "He should be behind bars in one of this world's zoos!"
"If those bars could keep me away from you, Sheeva," Motaro hissed. "I would welcome them!"
"ENOUGH!" Khan screamed as the two, stopping them from going at one another. "Kill each other if you wish, but not now and not here! It's bad for morale. For now, you will obey my commands, both of you. After the battle is won-----you can kill each other for all I care. But no one dies in this palace unless I command it!"
With that, he turned and marched off, stomping into the hallway, heading towards the throne room. He sighed as he saw Shang Tsung approach him, giving a short bow to his master. "You should be with the captives," Khan said without preamble.
"I've spent enough time with them," Shang sighed. "I really wish Mider had come up with a way to gag them when he was making that thing."
"At least you don't have to put up with those two," Khan hissed.
"My Lord, why is Sheeva still here?" Shang asked. "You gave the order for the extermination of her race before we started the assault. If her people die, shouldn't she die?"
"I have use for her still," Khan said. "That delays her death. But when this is over, she will join humanity and her own race of scum in the grave." He fixed Shang with a deadly gaze. "Do you have news?"
"Well, do you wish it to be good?"
"That depends on whether you wish to continue breathing," Khan replied in an angry tone.
"Actually, My Lord, you'll be pleased to know that I have managed to get a partial fix on the escapees. It's hard, no doubt those fairies are masking their trail but with the energy of Outworld increasing, I'm confident we can soon get a definite location on them. I've already made arrangements for an extermination squad to go when we-----"
Shang's voice cut off as he looked up and saw the expression on Khan's face. His lips were drawn back so far they looked like they could touch his ears. His eyes lit up with a sudden insane energy with a fire within them that had never been seen before, his partially yellowed teeth exposed as his lips drew wider.
Shang's lips trembled, his voice trying to find itself through the wave of terror that had come across it. "M-m-my my Lord? Your face------What----What's wrong with it?"
"Nothing, Shang," Khan said as his lips split further. "It's a smile."
The car ride started out slow and silent. No one had much to say the next day. Everyone was so lost in their own thoughts they didn't seem to notice how the van was suddenly able to accommodate an extra six people without any problem. Liam was in the driver's seat, Robin next to him. The Knights filled the next row, Diedre and Rhoan holding hands together with Aideen and Torc on the other side. Behind them were Mulder, Scully, Joyce, Amy and Shaw, the elf staring out the window, deep in thought.
Joyce leaned in towards Shaw, trying to keep quiet. "Shaw, did you get any sleep last night?"
"A few hours," Shaw replied. "That is all I needed."
"Are you sure?" Joyce said.
"Yes," Shaw's cool reply came.
"So, Shaw," Angus said in an attempt to strike up some conversation. "I heard you've gotten hooked up with some interesting folks since you came to this world."
Shaw fixed a glare at the faery in the front seat, who slumped a little down. "You could say that," she said.
"You good at fighting, then?" Angus pressed on.
"I had some good teachers," Shaw smiled.
"Really? Who?"
"Connor MacLeod, for one."
"Oh, yeah, I've heard of him," Angus nodded. "Didn't he beat someone big once?"
"He has beaten many. You are probably thinking of the Kurgan."
The five Immortals stared at her in amazement. "*He* took out the *Kurgan?*" Torc said in amazement.
"Yes," Shaw nodded. "And his clansman, Duncan MacLeod, has taken out some such as Xavier St. Cloud and Kalas."
"He took both of those bastards down?" Rhoan said, truly impressed. "Wow." "Shaw, I believe I speak for everyone when I say our estimation of you has gone up a thousandfold," Ivar said.
Sniffing, Mulder leaned towards Scully. "Sure, Connor trains us but do we ever get acknowledged by it? Nooooooo."
"Well, Shaw had a pretty good guide when she first got her," Robin said, smiling.
"Do not tell them about Jehanne," Shaw said in a cooler tone. "They will not believe you."
"Who's Jehanne?" Aideen asked.
"A Frenchwoman," Shaw said quickly, cutting off Robin's possible response.
"Your big hotshot guide was French?" Angus said in confusion.
Shaw shrugged. "She told me why I was here on Earth."
"So, who is she?" Ivar asked.
"She's------" Amy began.
"Deceased," Shaw put in, glaring at her cousin.
Robin let out an evil grin. "Stop cutting us off, Shaw, we're going to tell them."
Shaw rolled her eyes, resigning to the inevitable. "Go ahead. But they will think you insane."
"I'm used to it," Robin smiled.
"Okay, I'll bite," Angus said. "Who's this Jehanne that she thinks we won't believe in?"
"Well, the English translation would be Joan," Robin said, his smile widening.
"And what's the big deal about that?" Aideen asked in confusion.
"Well, she was deceased when Shaw came to Earth. She's been dead a long time."
"Oh, is that all? Your guide was a ghost?" Diedre asked. "Don't worry, we don't think that's crazy."
"You don't?" Joyce said, staring at the Irishwoman.
"Well, when your father shows up at your wedding to give you away two hundred years after he died, it opens your mind a bit," Diedre said matter-of-factly, sharing a smile with Aideen. The fairy smiled back, then turned to Shaw. "So, you got yourself your own private ghost then?"
"Yes," Shaw nodded. "The way she died was bad."
"Really?" Aideen asked sympathetically. "How'd she die?"
"She was burned at the stake," Amy answered. She glanced up to Robin. "When was this again?"
"1431," the fairy answered. "Joanie was nineteen at the time."
It took a moment for Diedre to put it together and her eyes widened. "Wait a minute, you *cannot* be talking about------"
Robin, Amy, Joyce, Shaw, Mulder and Scully all nodded empathetically. "Her?" Ivar asked in disbelief.
"Yep," Liam said. "And from what Robbie was telling me last night, she works for the big man himself."
"Joan of Arc?" Rhoan said. "Your guide on Earth was Joan of Arc?"
"Indeed she was," Shaw nodded back. "Did you know her?"
"Not personally," Rhoan answered. "We were in Spain at the time. But her reputation was impressive even then."
"So, how'd you meet her?" Diedre asked, genially curious.
"She entered my dreams and later appeared to me in person," Shaw answered.
"You saw Joan of Arc in the flesh?" Rhoan asked in disbelief.
"Do not be stupid," Shaw said, missing the eye rolling Amy and Robin did. "She is a divine servant of the Christian God. Flesh is not in the equation."
"You don't have to be rude about it," Rhoan sniffed.
"I apologize, Rhoan," Shaw nodded. "She was the one who informed me about my purpose here and she told me about my Earth ancestry, as well as my duty to meet Amy and Randi."
"Randi?" Diedre asked.
"Randi Jessup," Shaw explained. "She is a young Immortal and Jehanne said that I had to give her a sword to use against a demon and then she was to wield it as Jehanne once did."
Rhoan and Diedre both looked stunned at the proclamation Shaw made. "The sword Jehanne used?" Rhoan choked out.
"Yes, the Sword of St. Catherine," Shaw nodded. "Connor was very upset when she found out he had given me a holy relic. Jehanne entrusted it into my care, to give to Randi. And she has done very well, as has her brother Brian, the reincarnation of Marcus the Valient."
Rhoan and Diedre continued to stare at her in shock. Angus decided to take up the slack for his friends. "Let me get this straight," he said calmly. "You trained under Connor Macleod, you know Duncan Macleod......."
"And I am an adopted member of their clan," Shaw added.
"You fight alongside the wielders of two Swords of Destiny *and* the wielder of Joan of Arc's sword------"
"Jeahanne's chosen heir, yes," Shaw nodded.
"So what else has Joan said to you?" Ivar wanted to know.
Shaw took a deep breath and let it out. "She said I reminded her of what she was like when she walked the Earth as a mortal. I have read her history, and I do not see anything that could compare me to her. Even after a year, I do not rate that comparison."
"Joanie seems to think differently," Robin said from the front.
"Joanie?" Diedre asked.
"Yeah, but don't call her that. Joanie doesn't like it."
"Then why do you do it?"
"I'm the exception to the rule."
"Laddie, you're the exception to *every* bloody rule," Liam grinned at his friend.
"Aideen tells me you don't have any rules," Diedre said.
Robin looked back at Aideen and bent his head in thought. "True," he finally nodded.
Diedre took a long moment to take in all the Americans in the van. "This is the kind of group you hang out with?"
"And damn proud of it," Robin answered. 'And there's still stuff you don't know about Shaw hanging out with Immortals."
"What, there's more?!" Torc barked.
"Well, what she didn't mention was that she fought this guy named McGuire and it was pretty brutal since she didn't know about Immies then. Markham was lucky enough to scratch her, but she took him out pretty quickly. But two months ago, she really pulled it off, much to the surprise of the two Macleods. Puts her nearly in their class-----"
"It does not, Robin."
"Although she'd never admit it."
"In the same class as the Kurgan?" Diedre said in disbelief. "Kalas? St. Cloud?"
"Well, keep in mind that Connor also killed Kane and Duncan killed Caspian and Kronos of the Four Horsemen."
"And Shaw?" Rhoan asked. He looked to the elf, who merely glanced out the window in response. Robin answered for her. "The name Jacob Kell ring any bells?"
All the old Immortals were staring at him in response. "Jacob Kell?" Angus said. "Fought him in 1754, damn tough. Only got away by jumping off a cliff. She killed him?"
"Please," Robin snorted. "She beat, raped, violated and bitch slapped him. Never fight a ranger two-handed style, my friends. Especially an ambidextrous one. Shortens your life expectancy."
"A ranger?" Aideen said, raising her eyes. "She's a bloody ranger?"
"Do I even want to know?" Diedre asked.
"Not really," Came the reply from the stunned fairy.
Diedre leaned to her husband and whispered. "Rhoan, what the bloody hell have we gotten ourselves into with these people?"
Aideen sighed and then looked up to the view from the front. "Pull up here, Liam."
"What, we're there already?" Amy asked.
"No," Rhoan said. "We have to make a stop first."
"We're kind of pressed for time," Mulder pointed out. Rhoan turned and fixed the younger Immortal with a hard gaze that let him know the conversation was closed.
The van pulled off the main road and up a hill, handling the hard terrain with nary a bump, moving to the large structure standing before it. Liam pulled to a stop and parked the van, the doors opening to let the Knights out, all facing the fortress before them.
Castle Kells had seen better days, that was true. Much of it carried moss and vines, walls and towers chipped with sections broken. But it still carried a majesty to it, a feeling that echoed the time when it was the center of a nation long passed into legend and the home to the Knights gathered before it.
"Wait here," Rhoan said. "We won't be long."
"What?" Amy asked as the Irishmen, the fairy and the Moor moved off. "Excuse me, what do you think------"
"Leave them alone, lass," Liam cut in. Amy stared at the leprechaun who looked right back. "This is something they have to do. Trust me, it'll help."
The Amazon witch just sighed and sat back, crossing her arms as she stared at the group that made their way through the gates and into the heart of the castle.
The Knights made their way slowly to the open courtyard. They looked about, each seeing only the memories of the past. What was now just grassy and rocky field and empty windows was once a husting, bustling place filled with people who treated them as heroes.
Diedre broke off from the rest, walking towards a corner of the castle, her eyes looking past the entanglement of branches and grass, pushing them aside to come across a small stone marking little ravaged by the centuries. "Hello, Father," she said softly. "It's been a long time, I know. Sorry I haven't been here more. You know how it is, I'm sure. Having eternity on your hands. Although, frankly, yours is a lot more certain than mine."
She paused and brushed away a lock of hair. "Just like old times, I suppose. The four of us together, fighting Maeve and Mider. Only now so much has changed. I'm not just talking the times or how they pass by so quickly. Like you wake up one morning and there's electricity. No, it's more than that. I don't know quite how to put it into words, but then I never really had to do that with you, did I?"
Diedre paused to wipe a tear away from her eyes, choking a bit as she went on. "I hope we can do this. I hope we can pull ourselves back together again and fight. I hope we win. And more than anything, I hope and I pray I can make you proud of me. I know you always said you were but I still want to feel it for myself. I guess it's part of the whole royalty bit, still seeking approval. I guess it just feels better to know I have it."
The others hung back, watching Diedre at her father's grave, talking softly. "How long has it been?" Ivar asked.
"About fifteen years," Rhoan said. "You know how busy things get. Hope he understands."
"Ah, Conchobar was always a good sport," Angus said. "And a damn good thing for you, if you'll recall."
Rhoan smiled as he did.........
Kells
624 A.D.
The clash of swords cut through the air, the slamming of steel on steel echoing through the closed room. One combatant leaped back, sword swinging wildly, putting some distance before moving in. The other simply sighed and dodged the strike, his blade moving out and smacking the sword out of the hands of his opponent. A blow to the face knocked the other fighter down and a sword was placed onto the neck.
"I've told you before about overextending yourself," Torc said, the sword firm in his grasp. "You have to use your size to your advantage. You don't have the strength to fight on even terms, remember?"
"You know, I am your princess," Diedre answered. "I think you could show a little more courtesy."
"Believe me, Diedre, most of the Immortals you'll face won't think twice about your lineage," Torc said. "You can't hide behind your crown, you have to fight as best you can." It had been four months since Torc had returned to tell the Knights what they were. After getting over their disbelief, helped by Aideen confirming the existence of Immortals, they had decided to give Torc the benefit of the doubt and let him help. At first, Torc was kept under steady guard, his movements thought the castle restricted by Conchobar. But soon, the king realized that the former Temra general had truly changed or rather changed back into the man who had once served him with honor.
It had taken the Knights a while to get used to Torc teaching them and not trying to kill them but they were adapting quickly. Torc insisted that his training be done in a remote area of the castle, that the secret of the Knights' true natures had to be kept carefully under wraps as long as possible. It would have been hard to keep the Knight's Immortality under wraps considering that Torc was rather demanding in his training, the Knights quickly getting used to their new healing abilities the hard way.
Diedre groaned slightly, feeling the aches in her legs as she stood up, adjusting her cloak. "That's another thing," Torc announced. "Don't have something that can be grabbed that easy. Try to keep your outfits simple when you duel, easier to move about in."
"When I need fashion advice, I'll ask my maids," Diedre sniffed. She glanced over to the side where Rhoan, Ivar, Angus and Garrett were smiling. "Oh, laugh it up, lads. Your turns are coming, remember?"
Torc sighed and rolled his eyes, remembering why he hated teaching new Immortals. Sure, the Knights were good but they were still undisciplined and made it hard for Torc to get their heads on the Game. He was pleased with their progress but knew they were a long way away >from handling their own against a seasoned Immortal. "Right. Brief break before we start again."
"Fine by me," Diedre moaned softly as she reached over and took a flash offered by Angus, drinking hard as she sat down. She leaned her head against the wall, eyes closed, getting used to the odd sensation of a cut on her arm healing up. A slight fluttering sound and a light wind blowing by her ear got her attention. She turned to see Aideen hovering nearby, a smile on her face. "I think you're improving," she said in her light accent.
"Coming from someone who can never hold a sword, I'll take that as big a compliment as I can," Diedre smiled. "It's been rough."
"Ah, Torc's the good sort," Aideen smiled. "Good teacher, good fighter, he'll get you all into shape in time."
"I wasn't aware we were on a timetable," Diedre said, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, it's better if you learn quickly," Aideen pointed out. "Makes your survival rate better."
"I'll take your word for it," Deidre sighed. "I'm still a little angry you never told us, you know."
Aideen shrugged. "Not my place, really. I didn't know when it was going to happen and you needed a teacher before you could really start training."
"A little warning might have helped," Diedre shrugged. "It's a lot to get used to."
"I know," Aideen nodded. "Not dying, the Game, learning the King's not really your father, not being able to have children------"
"What was that?" Diedre said, her head whipping towards Aideen, her face becoming pale. "What did you just say?"
Aideen stared at her in apparent confusion. "What, the part about children?"
"No, no, no," Diedre said. "The part before that. What do you mean the King is not my father?"
"Well, you know," Aideen started. "Immortals are foundlings. They don't have parents, not really. So, your father really couldn't have given birth to you and-----" Aideen's voice broke off as she got a good look at the stunned looks on the faces of Diedre and the other Knights. Diedre stared at her, then at Torc. "Is this true?" she said in a hoarse voice. Torc bowed his head, sorry he had never brought this up before. "Is it true!" Diedre yelled, rising to her feet.
"It's true," Torc sighed. Without a word, Diedre turned and walked out of the room, leaving behind the silent Torc and the stunned Knights. As one, they all turned towards Aideen who gave sheepish shrug. "Oops?"
Conchobar sighed as he flipped through the papers in front of him. The war with the Northmen had died down a bit but there were still various troop movements and matters of state he had to handle. More of the responsibilities of the crown, something he wished more than once he had never achieved. He took another scroll from Cathbad, skimming the contents. "I think we can figure out a way to get this village a well," he nodded.
"The terrain in that area of the nation is tough," Cathbad pointed out.
"I think it-----" Before Conchobar could finish, Diedre stormed into the throne room, fire in her eyes as she glared at the man who until a few minutes ago, she had considered her father. "Who am I?" she asked without any preamble.
"What?" an understandably confused Conchobar said. Cathbad furrowed his brow, having a good idea of what Diedre had uncovered.
"Torc and Aideen just told us that Immortals are foundlings," Diedre said, her voice tight. "Which means you can't be my father. So who the hell am I?"
Conchobar was silent, biting his lip before rising and walking towards the fireplace. He took a few moments to stare into it before speaking. "Your mother made me promise on her deathbed to never tell you. For the first time ever, I'm going to have to break a promise I made to her."
He turned to face Diedre, who simply stared back at him with bristling anger. "Your mother found you in some bushes when she was riding. A beautiful baby girl, just left out in the middle of nowhere, Lord knows why or how. She told me that she fell in love with you with one look. She always wanted a daughter, you know. She preferred it to a son, really. And by that time, we had pretty much given up on being able to have some of our own. She took you back, took you here and told me she was going to raise you as our daughter." Conchobar let out a slight chuckle. "She was always was stubborn and I knew there was no way I could talk her out of it. So, we did it. And it wasn't long before I loved you as well."
"And continuing the line had nothing to do with it, I'm sure," Diedre hissed. She turned her glare over to Cathbad. "You knew."
The druid nodded slowly. "I did. I have been his advisor for a long time, you know. So, yes, I helped them keep it secret. It wasn't hard as you might think. Your mother did keep to herself a lot so hiding a supposed pregnancy wasn't too difficult. We produced you as their natural daughter and you were raised accordingly, with all the rights and privileges."
"Except a chance to have my own identity," Diedre said, tears beginning to strain her eyes.
Conchobar looked to her and stepped forward, reaching out to Diedre. She slapped his hands away and backed away. "Why didn't you tell me?" she said.
"Your mother made me swear not to," Conchobar said. "She felt it would be better if you could think of yourself as a princess, that it made you a better woman. And I think she was right in that. You are a good woman, Diedre. You truly are. And I count myself lucky to have you as------- "
"As a daughter?" Diedre said contempously. "I'm not your daughter. Not now, not ever. You lied to me. All these years, you've lied to me, my entire life has been nothing but one massive lie because of you." Tears were starting to fill up her eyes as she glared at him. "You lied about my birth. You lied about my upbringing. You lied about your love."
"I never-----" Before he could finish, Conchobar was shocked when Diedre's hand slammed into his cheek. Turning, she stalked out of the room, leaving Conchobar to stare after her. He turned to his throne and walked towards it, sinking into the seat as Cathbad looked at him. "Don't start, Cathbad," Conchobar said in a soft tone of defeat. "Please, not now."
The druid looked at his king and saw the obvious pain in his features and wisely decided to keep quiet and hope things could turn out for the best.
Diedre stormed into her room, slamming the door behind her as she marched over to her bed. She sat down on it hard, her breath coming out in ragged heaves, the pain and anger of her discovery tearing at her. She slowly reached up and took off her crown, staring at it long and hard. She moved it around in her hands and examined it, her eyes not really noticing the jewels or embalms. All she saw were the lies and deceit it had carried for her for so long. With a heave, she hauled back and threw it across the room, the action finally releasing the pain of emotions in her and she fell onto the bed, tears streaking down her face and onto her pillow as she let loose all the emotion welling inside her.
She had no idea how long she had been lying there, sobbing, when the feeling of another Immortal hit her, the headache fading but the chill along her spine remaining. "Go away," she got out, having a good idea who it was.
The door opened and Rhoan stepped inside, staring at the young woman lying on the bed. "Diedre, are you-----" He stopped, seeing there was no use asking, he could tell she wasn't okay. "I think we should talk."
"I don't want to talk to anyone," Diedre said.
"Diedre------I do have an idea what you're going through. We all do now. Ivar and Garrett aren't that happy not being royalty. Angus-----well, actually, he never knew any family so it's not as bad as him. Me.....I just barely handled things with Maeve. Frankly, it's not that hard for me to accept this."
"It is for me," Diedre said, still crying. "You never knew until near the end that Maeve was your mother. I've spent my whole life thinking him my father and now----now I don't know what to think."
She let out a short laugh as she sat up. "You knew what you were going to be, Rhoan. You were chosen, remember? It was your destiny to be Dragenta. You were chosen by destiny. Me....my entire life has been one big mistake."
"You're a lot of things, Diedre, almost all of them good," Rhoan answered back. "But a mistake is not in any way one of them."
Slowly, Rhoan moved over to the end of the bed, sitting down and looking at Diedre, fighting the urge to put a hand on her. "He does love you, Diedre. I've seen that. He loves you and he's proud of you just like any father is for a daughter. The sort of love I certainly never received. I know he never wanted to hurt you, Diedre."
"Well, he did," Diedre said, running a hand through her hair. "God, this is too much, Rhoan. I can't take this, I can't take any of this. Mystic armor, conversing with fairies, fighting monsters, warring on other nations, dying and coming back, being told we're going to live forever but have to duel to do it. And now this, this is-----"
She bit her lip before speaking. "I'm never going to be able to have children, Rhoan. Never a son or daughter, never a baby of mine to hold. I'm never going to know that joy."
"Sounds to me like the same sort of thing your mother might have said," Rhoan pointed out. "Maybe that's why she did."
"Maybe," Diedre nodded. "But I still wish she'd told me. Or he had. It was his responsibility, after all."
"Maybe not as big as you might think," Rhoan shrugged. "He did make a promise, apparently. And he loved your mother enough to keep it."
"And not me enough to tell me," Diedre said, wiping at her eyes.
Rhoan sighed. "Diedre, it shouldn't matter how you were raised. It doesn't matter whether you are a princess or not. What matters is what kind of person you are. And you are a wonderful woman, Diedre. You're brave, you're kind, considerate, you put the fate and the welfare of your people above yourself. You give everything your all and you never give up. Never. So whether you have a crown or not shouldn't matter one bit. What matter is the person you are. And the person I see is a woman I am proud to know and I am proud to say has a place in my heart."
Diedre looked at him, her tears back, only now ones of joy. She moved forward and hugged Rhoan hard, the man somewhat taken aback by her show of emotion. He hugged back, feeling himself give strength to Diedre as they hugged. She brought her face around and their lips brushed together briefly. The two paused for a moment, then kissed harder, both still as their lips pressed together.
After a few moments, Rhoan broke off, staring at her. "I'm----I'm sorry," he stammered. "I shouldn't have-----I didn't-----"
"You didn't?" Diedre said.
"Well, I did. I mean, it's just, I-----"
"Rhoan," Diedre said softly in a way that cut through it all. "I know how you feel. I do. That kiss....I felt the same thing you did. Same thing that I guess I always have. Why didn't you say anything before?"
"You're the princess," Rhoan shrugged. "For all my skills, I am just a common man, I can't just say.....Say I love you."
"I'm not a princess, Rhoan. Not anymore, remember? I'm just a woman, with----- " she took a deep breath. "With the man she loves. And hopes he loves her back."
Rhoan looked at her, brushing a lock of hair off her face. Then he pushed his lips on hers and kissed her longer and harder. They moved back on the bed, Rhoan gently pushing her down as they kissed, their hands running over each other as they started fumbling for their clothing, peeling away everything that prevented them from enjoying one another completely.
Rhoan lay her down on the bed, his eyes traveling over her body, the flawless skin laid out for him. "You're more beautiful than I imagined."
"I could say the same," Diedre said and meant it too. She reached up and brought him down into another long kiss as, slowly at first, but then with more passion, the two finally joined together.
The cock of the crow woke Diedre up. She blinked her eyes open, brushing away a lock of her hair before realizing she was lying on top of Rhoan. She looked up at his sleeping face, smiling as she reflected on what the two had shared throughout the night. She trailed a hand along his naked chest, hearing him grunt a bit as he woke up and looked up at her, returning the smile.
"You know," he said. "I thought nothing could equal the thrill of when we put on the armor. Until now."
"Benefits of being common," Diedre said, a flash of pain showing through her smile.
"You know, for a woman who's been raised in a very closed environment, you certainly seemed to know your business," Rhoan observed.
"Well, I have been trained to know everything I can about life before I experience it myself," Diedre calmly said as she shifted beside Rhoan, one breast pushing against his arm.
"Stole a couple of books from the library, right?"
"Well, my fat-----Conchobar was hardly forthcoming about it," Diedre calmly answered. She glanced out the window, seeing the sun start to rise. "You'd better go before my----before the King shows up."
"I'm Immortal, what can he do?" "We have a guillotine, Rhoan," Diedre pointed out.
"Let's see, window would be faster, right?" A knocking on the door got both their attentions and a voice called out. "Diedre? Diedre, I need to speak to you."
The two stared at one another, both horrified at hearing Conchobar's voice come through the door. There was a flurry of movement, as the two kicked off the bed and rushed to throw something on. Without a word, Diedre pointed to a nearby closet as Rhoan rushed in, pants fumbling as he did. Throwing on a robe, Diedre moved to the door, opening it to allow Conchobar to step in.
There was a long moment of silence as they looked at each other. "May I come in?" Conchobar asked.
"Certainly. Sire." Conchobar flinched a bit at Diedre's cool tone as he came in. He looked about, seeing the crown lying on the floor. "You appear to have dropped something."
"Nothing that really belonged to me," Diedre said, shuffling a bit as she moved back to the bed, sitting down. Conchobar paused before sitting next to her. There was another long silence, both lost to their own thoughts before both spoke at the same time.
"I'm sorry."
They paused, looking at one another before Diedre spoke. "I'm sorry I hit you like that. After all you've done for me, to lash out at you like that.....It just wasn't right. I'm sorry."
"I understand," Conchobar nodded. "I'm sorry too. To tell you this, to spring it on you like this. I should never have kept it quiet, Diedre. I'm sorry for that."
He paused before moving a hand forward, keeping it only a few inches away from her hand. "I love you, Diedre. I never lied about that. Never. Your mother never gave birth to you, that's true. But I raised you, Diedre. I raised you and I loved you more than any father could ever love a daughter. I worry for you, Diedre and I worried every time you went into battle. I know this Immortality is throwing you, it's throwing me as well. I can't imagine what your life will be like now. But however long you live and whatever else you do......always know that I will be with you with all my love and all my heart. Never doubt that."
There was a pause before Diedre placed her hand in Conchobar's. He looked up at her as she gave him a smile. "I know that....Father." She moved forward and embraced him, the two knowing the gulf between them was no longer impassable.
A banging sound caught through the room as both father and daughter looked up to see the closet door fly open and a half-naked Rhoan fly out, several pots and vases crashing around him. Conchobar took one look at him, then at the robed Diedre and swiftly put two and two together, raising a bushy eyebrow as the two young people had expressions of pain on their faces.
Before either could speak, they both got an all-too familiar sensation. "Oh, dear God, no," Diedre moaned just before the door burst in and Ivar, Angus, Torc and Garrett entered. "Hey, Diedre, have you seen----" Angus broke off as the four came to a stop, quickly taking in the scene before them. Without a word, Torc turned and walked right back out.
"Ah, sorry," Ivar stammered. "We'd better-----that is-----" With that, he turned and followed Torc out. Angus and Garrett just shared a smile and shook their heads. "Bout damn time," Angus chuckled.
"Out. Now." Rhoan hissed.
"Okay, but we're going to talk about it later," Garrett laughed as the two walked out. Conchobar folded his arms, gazing from one to the other. "Now, Father, before you get upset----" Diedre started.
"I know this looks badly, my Lord, but we do-----" Rhoan began.
"Damn," Conchobar said, shaking his head. "Now I owe Cathbad a shilling."
The two stared at him. "What?" Diedre asked.
"Well, he was sure you two would be together within a year. I thought you would wait a bit longer before telling each other how you felt," Conchobar shrugged. "What can I say? I underestimated your stubbornness."
The two just stared at him, mouths open. Conchobar looked at Rhoan with a gaze of admiration. "You're the son I wish I'd had. And I can't think of anyone else I'd rather see take care of my daughter." He smiled and turned. "We can talk about this later. For now.....I think you two would like to be left alone."
He walked out and let the two just stare at one another before breaking out in laughter. "God, why were we the last ones to see it?" Rhoan said.
"Love's a funny thing," Diedre shrugged. She looked over at Rhoan and a mischievous look he had never seen on her before came over her face. She undid her robe and slid it off, revealing her naked body. "I do believe he's given us his royal blessing. Shall we enjoy it?"
Rhoan grinned as he kissed her hard, then threw her on the bed with a laugh and moved to join her.
"And just when I thought discovering I wasn't a prince was the greatest shock of the day," Ivar said, shaking his head as he, Garrett and Angus walked down the hallway.
"That was a bit of an unexpected development," Garrett sighed. "I'm going to have to have a long talk with my 'parents' when I go back to my own kingdom."
"Ah, it's not as bad as you think, lads," Angus shrugged. "I grew up common and look how I turned out."
Garrett and Ivar stared at him, then each other with horrified looks. "God help us," Garrett muttered.
"Come on, it's got benefits," Angus said. "For one thing, it's doubtful Diedre would ever had hooked up with Rhoan if not for this."
"I don't understand how you two can be so blase about this," Ivar asked. "I mean, I thought you both-------"
"Wanted Diedre ourselves?" Angus answered. "Maybe in the beginning. But Rhoan's my best friend, Angus. I just couldn't hurt him by going after someone he wanted."
"You saw that?" Ivar asked.
"Of course he did," Garrett replied. "What, you think Diedre turned down being married to me just because she didn't like me? It's true I was arrogant and boastful when I came to Kells, but come on, Ivar, it's obvious he's always been the one she's loved. I can't compete with that."
Ivar looked from one to the other, then threw his hands and head up. "Great Allah, what kind of a people have you sent me to live upon?"
It was probably a good thing that his question went unanswered.
Kells
Today
Angus smiled as he looked over at Rhoan, who had come up to hug Diedre from behind. "Ah, the perfect couple. Does my heart good to see them still together."
"True," Ivar said. "Which reminds me, you owe me a hundred."
Letting out a groan, Angus moved to his wallet. "It was a hundred pieces of gold, Angus," Ivar said. "Actually, more given 1200 years of interest."
Angus stared at him. "You know how much that is on today's market?!"
Ivar gave him a small, peaceful smile. "A bet's a bet, Angus. How many times have you told me that?"
As Angus groaned, Aideen and Torc smiled at their friends. "Ah, it's lovely to see a love that long-lasting," Torc said. "And to think, all it took was one little comment from you to get it going."
"Yep," Aideen grinned. "One little comment."
Something in her voice caused Torc to look at her, at the look on her face and his eyes widened as it all came together. "You knew it would happen," he said, stunned. "You planned it to happen."
"Well, it took you bloody long enough to figure it out!" Aideen laughed.
"Well, I am surprised," Torc said. "I always thought you had a thing for Rhoan."
"I did at first," Aideen nodded. "But I'm an Eternal, Torc. I see things you don't, feel things you don't. And I know two soulmates when I see them. Whatever I felt for him, I couldn't steal him away from his true love. Besides.....I've got something just as good here."
She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and smiled at him. Her smile suddenly faded as she glanced about. "What is it?" Torc asked, knowing something was wrong.
"I felt something," Aideen said, glancing around the ruins. "A slight spatial shift, local."
Ivar was also looking about, his eyes darting around the castle walls. "Has anyone here ever been to a horror movie or some such and you watch a character go into an obviously dangerous situation and you keep yelling at them that they're in danger?" "Is there a point to this?" Angus asked.
Ivar paused before answering. "Why am I getting the feeling that if someone was watching us now, they'd be trying to warn us we're in danger?"
A massive howl went through the ruins, the Knights glancing up to see nearly thirty black- clad ninjas pour out from the castle walls and openings, a variety of weapons in their hands and hate in their exposed eyes.
"It's bad enough you're such a pessimist," Angus hissed to Ivar. "But do you have to be bloody *right* all the time?!"
"This was the absolute last place you should have come to do this," Diedre hissed, reaching under her coat and pulling out a short sword, throwing her coat off and away as she moved into a dueler's stance. Beside her, Rhoan had pulled out a broadsword, a replica of the Sword of Kells, large but able to do the job.
Behind them, Angus had pulled out what appeared to a regular saber with a rather large handle to it. Ivar had a polished scimitar, the curved blade ready to taste action again while Torc's large sword was ready.
Turning, Aideen let out a shrill whistle that led right to the van. "Right, tea time's over, rock 'em, sock 'em!" Liam yelled out as he opened the car doors.
"Joyce, you stay here," Amy said. "Lock the doors and give a scream if anyone comes close."
"I can handle it, Amy," Joyce said, a bit put out.
"Hey, anything happens to you, Buffy's kicking my ass," Amy said. "This is for my benefit too. Just hang loose." She piled out with the others, Liam locking the door behind them as they took off at a run towards the castle.
"So, what's the plan?" Mulder said, reaching under his coat for his sword.
"Take the offensive," Shaw cooly responded, Feasellityar in her hands.
"You are so predictable," Mulder shook his head.
"Since when?" Shaw replied. Mulder craned his head, thought about it and nodded in agreement.
Amy passed through the castle gates first, heading right to the courtyard. She saw the Knights in the midst of battle, several ninjas already down but more coming from the walls and corridors. Leaping up, she swept through the air, landing a kick onto one ninja's face, knocking him away from Torc. The aged Immortal stared in surprise at the young woman who backfliped, landing her feet on two more ninjas.
Robin smiled as he moved in, the loophole of Oberon's promise meaning that he could feel his old magical powers returning, albeit at a much lower scale than they should have been. One ninja leaped toward him, sword in hand. Without even looking, Robin snapped his fingers and the ninja turned into a glob of jello before plopping to the ground.
Robin looked over at Liam, who was standing over a pair of ninjas who appeared to have lost and solidity to their bodies. "Here's a tip," Liam said. "These guys don't hit as hard after ye've turned their bones into rubber."
"Nah, not original enough," Robin shrugged. "You know I'm better than that." As if to prove it, he glanced towards four ninjas running towards him. A flash of the eyes and the ground below them suddenly vanished, dropping the ninjas in. Robin immediately resealed the hole, trapping the ninjas inside a space rapidly filling with the jello remains of the first ninja he'd dispatched.
"Ah, back to old times," Aideen smiled. She glanced up at a group of ninjas on a turret overhead. With a thought, the turret came apart, sending the ninjas crashing down fifty feet to the hard ground below. The turret then reformed itself perfectly, Aideen shrugging at her two friends. "Diedre likes the place orderly as possible."
Angus swung his sword overhead, expertly spinning the large handle in his hands. He sliced it out, cutting one ninja across the chest and sending him down before moving back and into another. One ninja came up from behind, trying to wrap a chain around Angus' throat. With a grunt, Angus hit a small button on the handle. Instantly, the ninja gasped in pain as a short blade, about two inches shorter than the main one, popped out the other end and impaled him. Pulling his sword out, Angus spun it, letting both blades slice at the ninjas surrounding him.
Diedre ducked a swing by a ninja who was beheaded by Rhoan's powerful stroke. She reached under her and pulled out another sword, a shorter blade of a Spanish design. She used both blades to block a ninja's sword thrust, then slashed out with both, taking two ninjas down. She blocked another sword with her short blade, the other plunging into a ninja's throat. She spun both blades around in her hands, backing towards her husband, who sliced down three ninjas with one swipe.
The two glanced over and suddenly felt their jaws drop as they saw Mulder and Scully heading towards them at a fast run. The thing that threw them was the fact that the duo were running on the wall beside them, Scully above Mulder, the two defying the laws of gravity as they headed towards the ninjas. As one, they kicked off the wall, Scully going high, Mulder low, kicking into the crowd of ninjas before them.
<Shall we show them how we do things in Section Seven?> Mulder grinned as he telepathically talked to Scully.
<Lead the way> Scully grinned back.
Instantly, the two had their swords out and swinging, each easily handling five opponents at a time. Scully's foot lashed out, hitting a ninja square on the nose while a fist slammed into another, her sword slashing into a third. Mulder leaped up, each foot hitting a ninja, then slamming together into another. Spinning in mid-air, Mulder slashed another ninja down.
Watching the two take down the ninjas with ease, the two Immortal Irishmen could only stare at one another. "For the first time, I'm glad the Game's a fake," Rhoan said.
"Why?" Diedre got out as she watched Mulder take out three ninjas with one kick.
"Because we wouldn't last five minutes against those two," Rhoan said.
"We're each 1400 years old, Rhoan."
"I know. That's why I gave us another three minutes."
Nearby, Ivar was getting his own look at a person who was more than they seemed. As he dragged his blade across a ninja's stomach, he glanced over to see Amy leap up and slam a ninja in the face, then spin about in the air, feet lashing out to kick another three down before landing. Waving her hand, Amy spoke and the ground beneath one ninja became ice.
Amy's smirk turned to surprise when the ninja kept on sliding, the ice slick growing far faster than Amy had intended, the ninja sliding along as it grew to a point, the black clad soldier flying up and into the air. A piece of rock from a wall came loose and flew up, slamming right into the ninja and pulverizing him.
Amy looked down to see Robin smirking. "Ah, good to be back in the saddle," he grinned, high-fiving Liam.
"God, and I thought he was bad with the Genie," Amy rolled her eyes as he looked over to where Shaw was. She and Angus were back to back, both of them swinging their double-edged blades in wide arcs, careful not to hit each other but still expertly taking down every ninja sorry enough to get close to them, blood flying about. "Nice sword," Shaw said as she sliced one ninja's throat.
"Made it myself," Angus replied, driving one end into a warrior's chest. "A bit tricky but it's got a few tricks."
"So does mine," Shaw replied. She concentrated and her sword split into two, both ends glowing as she started to slice away.
"Lord, this woman's starting to grow on me," Liam whispered, reaching behind him to grab a ninja. A brief glow flowed around him and when it was over, the ninja had shrunk to the size of a rat, scurrying off like mad.
Aideen moved to where Torc was slicing at some other ninjas. "Admit it," she grinned, letting loose a fireball that incinerated a pair near a wall. "You're loving being back in the middle of it."
"It's got its moments," Torc agreed, spinning about to slam his blade into a chest. He glanced over to where Amy was leaping over a ninja, her hands glowing just before its robes burst into flame. Amy slammed her feet into the ninja's head, knocking him down and out. "Damn, woman's more than she seems."
"Like Robin would put up with anyone else," Aideen smirked.
Amy glanced over to where Rhoan and Deidre stood, staring in amazement at the ninjas being torn apart by Mulder and Scully. Rhoan saw a ninja approaching Scully from behind. He reached into a pocket and pulled out a small handful of powder. Muttering under his breath, he threw it, igniting the ninja's back. "Whoa. How'd you do that?" Amy called out.
"You hang with a druid for thirty years, you pick up a few things," Rhoan shrugged. "I'm no mage but I get by."
"Hey, Shaw, why aren't you doing stuff like that?" Amy called out.
"I must conserve my energy," Shaw replied as she spun one half of her sword into a ninja's torso and gutting him with the other. "These are hardly worth the effort."
"Speak for yourself," Angus barked as he took one ninja's head off. "First decent workout I've had in months."
Mulder and Scully had just finished with their ninja opponents, taking down a dozen in less than a minute as Rhoan and Diedre just stared at them in shock. The two agents looked up to see another wave of ninjas come at them.
<This whole hand to bastard ratio is getting annoying,> Mulder sent Scully. <Shall we break out the hardware?>
<You got it,> Scully replied. <Time to teach these guys not to bring swords to a gun fight.>
Sharing a tired, look, they each planted their swords into the ground and then pulled out their guns, aiming them and fired into the ninja horde.
"Shit!" Diedre said, instinctively ducking as the two kept on firing, bullets striking the walls nearby as the ninjas fell back, several of them going down from the hail of gunfire. By this point, the less than dozen ninjas remaining realized they were outclassed and immediately began to back off. One of them seemed to throw something in the air and a shimmering hole opened up before them. Before anyone could react, the ninjas rushed into the hole, closing behind the last one, the portal immediately sealing.
"Ah, damn," Robin muttered. "Just when I was getting into it too."
"Ah, we let it drag as it did," Liam shrugged. "Could have had it done in a flash."
"And where would the fun in that be?"
"Too true, laddie, too true."
"What the hell were the guns for?" Rhoan asked as he and Diedre faced the two Feds.
Mulder took a look at their swords and raised an eyebrow. "Hey, I appreciate you guys like a trip down memory lane, but this is 1999. Swords happen to be a bit out of fashion against superior numbers."
"And besides," Scully added. "We need all our strength to free the others."
"I'll have to go along with them on that," Angus nodded.
"Angus!" Rhoan yelled.
"Well, come on, face it, you can get more with a kind word and an Uzi than with just a kind word."
"If that's not the philosophy for this group, I don't know what is," Amy smiled. Her smile faded as Diedre marched forward face set, pushing Amy aside to get to Mulder and Scully. "Hey, watch it! Stop acting like we should be treating you like royalty."
"I am royalty," Diedre shot back before facing the two agents. "I can't believe you two!" Diedre howled as she walked up.
"What?" Mulder said in an innocent expression.
"You're trigger happy maniacs!" Diedre yelled.
"These guns were our only major advantage against those ninjas," Scully answered, keeping her voice cool despite Diedre's anger.
"You carry swords for a reason!" Diedre shot out.
"Sword don't do much good against ten to one odds," Scully pointed out.
"You're Immortal!"
"We're FBI agents."
"Good point," Angus said, nodding.
"That's not why I'm angry!" Diedre yelled. "You shot up the home I grew up in!'
Mulder took a long look around at the ruins of the castle. "Talk about a fixer upper..." He turned around just in time for Diedre's fist to smash into his jaw, knocking him down. "This is my home, you arrogant bastard!" she screamed at him. "How dare you talk about it like this?!"
Scully moved forward and gripped Diedre's arm hard. "Back up. Now," she said in a tone that left no room for argument. Diedre was taken aback by Scully's strength and how Mulder flipped back to his feet as if nothing had happened, the two glaring at her. Shaking it off, Diedre moved back on the offensive. "You two have no authority here!"
"We work for the government," Scully said.
"American government doesn't carry a lot of weight here," Diedre hissed. "And even if you worked for the Irish government, it wouldn't matter. This is my home, my land, my kingdom."
"Your kingdom?" Mulder asked. "I hate to break this to you but your kingdom fell quite a while ago."
"I know," Diedre said. "I was there. But this land is still mine by my birthright. I may not have been able to take the throne because of what I am, but I was in line to rule. And as the sole surviving member of the Royal Line of Kells, this castle is mine."
"Um, hate to interrupt," Amy said with a cough. "But this place is frankly a ruin. And it really belongs to the county, doesn't it?"
"True," Rhoan said, putting himself into the conversation. "But if you check the records, you'll find that it was bequeathed to the country by a landowner some centuries back on the condition it would never be destroyed."
Amy looked at him, then at Diedre. "Don't tell me......"
"Amazing how cheap land was to buy at the time," Rhoan smiled.
"Best birthday present I ever had," Diedre added. "So I'd appreciate you not ruining it."
Amy took a long look around. "So, a lot of stuff happened here, huh?"
"You have no idea, young lady," Diedre sighed, reaching to touch a stone wall. "If these walls could talk......"
"They can," Shaw said in a off-handed tone. Everyone turned and stared at her.
"I beg your pardon?" Diedre asked, thrown a bit.
"The stone that these walls are made of can talk," Shaw replied. "I simply do not have the power for that spell."
Diedre's eyes narrowed and she took on her angry tone again. "I don't appreciate jokes about this, half-breed. Don't make me angry. An Irish Immortal is not somebody you want to antagonize."
Shaw seemed to shake off the insult as she returned Diedre's gaze. "Irish Immortals have not impressed me in the past, Diedre. Raymond McGuire and Richard Markham antagonized me. Do not make that mistake."
The Knights all stared at her in amazement. "You took McGuire?" Torc said in amazement.
Shaw answered his steely gaze. "I did, Torc. That was before I found out the truth about Immortals. That is what happens when people threaten my chosen family."
"Macleod?" Angus asked. When Shaw nodded, he grinned. "That explains the sick, twisted and sadistic sense of humor."
"You have no room to talk," Shaw shot back.
"True," Angus said, returning her grin.
Diedre sighed as she tried to bring the conversation back on track. "I still don't appreciate you make jokes about my home."
"She's not joking," Robin put in, getting Diedre's attention. "High level priests have the ability to communicate with stone and other elements of the Earth. It's a good way to gain knowledge that no living being, Immortal, God or Eternal might have."
"Elven magic?" Diedre asked.
"No, it's---- "
"A priest thing," Shaw interrupted. "I would love the hear the stone's impressions of the history that you were a part of. Natural elements often have a much more unique view of things, such as your battles, your lives, more."
"Really?" Angus said with a smirk. "How about Rhoan and......"
"Finish that thought and I'll take your head," Diedre said in a cool tone.
"He finished it," Shaw put in.
Diedre gazed at her in astonishment. "You're a telepath?"
Shaw took on an innocent look. "No, but I figured it was worth a try."
"Do you always live this dangerously?" Angus asked with a slightly pale face.
Shaw gazed at him with a look of total professionalism. "I am a half-elf living in a world of humans, attending high school in America."
"Oh, come on, that's not as bad as everyone says it is," Angus snorted.
"How about the fact that I also have to Amazons, one of whom is my blood relative, constantly attempting to match me up with a potential mate."
"Hey!" Amy said, put off by Shaw's words."
"Now that would be a problem," Angus laughed.
"HEY!" Amy yelled again.
Angus looked at the group. "So, women have a Greek Goddess, the men a fairy given free rein by the Oracles. All we had was the Irish equivalent of Orson Welles."
"Hey!" Aideen said, smacking Angus on the arm.
"It is better than what I had," Shaw said in a light tone.
"Not this again," Diedre said, rolling her eyes.
Shaw gazed at her with a look of mild disdain. "Do you have a problem with me?"
"I don't need to hear moaning from some teenager, not here, not now."
"Why?" Shaw said. "Would you prefer doing your own brooding for yourself?"
"If it comes to a fight, I've got ten bucks on Diedre," Liam whispered to Robin.
"You do know Shaw is a half-elven Harper who's close to Millie, right?" Robin whispered back.
"Ever see a fighting mad Irishwoman?"
"Good point. No bet."
"I just don't need to hear you talk about loss," Diedre said, facing the elf. "You think you know loss? I've been alive for a thousand years. I had to bury the man I knew as a father. I saw one of my best friends beheaded and was helpless to do anything about it. I couldn't take the throne because of what I am and had to watch my kingdom and everything I grew up with fade so deep into history that people think it's myth. At least your world gets a line of best-selling books. MY HOME is only supposed to be fiction according to every history book. I've watched as every mortal person I've grown close to grew old and died while I kept going. If it hadn't been for Rhoan, I'd have gone mad. I've been through more wars and revolutions than anyone has a right to. I've had to die and come back and start over again and rebuild a totally new life and it never, ever gets easier. And now I've learned that my friend died for nothing, that I've been killing for nothing, that the last thousand years have been one massive cosmic joke played on me. So don't you dare talk to me about lost. I've lost more than you could ever hope to gain but I don't let it consume me. That's a lesson you should learn."
Diedre took a breath as Shaw looked at her carefully, tilting her head a bit. "Well, how is this for loss," she said in a cool tone. "Do you know how your father died?"
"Of course," Diedre said, thrown by the question.
"I know how my grandparents died," Shaw said in a tone that couldn't hide the pain the memories gave her. "They were sucked dry by a bloodrinking bastard, the ultimate pervasion of the natural order of life. He did not drink their blood. No, the vampires of my homeworld are much worse. They feed by draining your lifeforce, the very energy that keeps you alive. And I know exactly how it felt. I know the pain they felt, the hopelessness they felt. Because it happened to me. Ten years later, I went through the same thing they did, the same horror of feeling your life being slowly drained to feed that monster. The very same monster that killed my family. It is one thing to know how your parents, Diedre. It is another thing entirely to experience it. And another thing again to have to live with that knowledge. And more thing, Immortal. I know what it is like to bury friends. Yes, I am a half-breed. Yes, I am a mortal. But I know that I will likely live long enough to go through what you do. So do not think I do not understand your loss. To be honest, I understand it all too well."
"What is this, dueling soliloquies?" Angus said throwing up his arms.
"Shut up, Angus!" Diedre and Shaw told him, still glaring at one another. "Do you really expect me to believe you could possibly understand what I've been through in my life?" Diedre asked.
Shaw returned her with an equal gaze. "I do not lie, unless lives are at stake, Diedre. And we are not currently trying to save anyone's life."
"That's not the point," Diedre said. "Do you really believe you can understand my pain?"
Shaw turned towards Robin. "Robin, show her."
"Show her?" Robin repeated in confusion. "Show her what?"
"Everything," Shaw replied in a flat tone. "My past, my memories, everything." Robin and Amy's jaws dropped in shock. They dropped lower when Shaw added, "And show her from *my* point of view."
"No, Shaw," Robin said, shaking his head vigorously. "That's too much for anyone else, even an Immie."
"How would you show me your memories?" Diedre asked.
"Telepathy," the faery and the witch replied.
Diedre shook her head. "I don't think so. I've had some bad experiences with that in the past. How could I know they'd be real and not fake thoughts?"
Shaw narrowed her eyes at Diedre. "Oh, she shouldn't have said that," Aideen muttered.
"Fine," Shaw said, her voice ice. "Follow me and I will show you something that cannot be faked, Diedre."
Amy's eyes widened as she realized what Shaw was going to do. "Shaw, you don't have to do this."
Shaw ignored her, looking right at Diedre. "The choice is yours. Princess."
"I'm calling your bluff, half-breed," Diedre replied cooly.
"I do not bluff," Shaw said, walking off to a nearby chamber, Diedre following her. Amy leaned next to Robin, sighing.
"Why is she doing this?"
"To get it through someone's skull what she's willing to do to rescue the others."
"Don't give me that," Amy said. "They know what's at stake here."
"And what do you think about the face she's gotten over that in the last year, that she can show them, let alone talk about it so easily? And you were responsible for that. Like I said, she's making a point."
"Hell of a way to do," Amy sighed.
"Aye," Liam said, coming up behind them. "Putting herself on all the way here. I admire that."
As Amy rolled her eyes, Diedre walked out of the chamber, ashen-faced followed by Shaw, who was tucking back in her shirt, her face neutral instead of the victorious one a person might have expected.
"Well?" Rhoan asked his wife.
"I......." Diedre seemed to be at a loss for words.
"She wasn't bluffing, was she?" Rhoan said softly.
Diedre shook her head.
"So, how bad was it?"
Diedre took a deep breath. "Remember that fire we got into in Germany? 1533 or thereabouts?"
"Yeah," Rhoan said with a shiver.
"Imagine if we couldn't heal and you've got a good idea of how bad it is," Diedre replied, letting her husband hug her.
Shaw moved away from them, coming near Angus and Ivar. Ivar waited until she was nearly past him before speaking up. "I think you were a bit rough with Diedre."
Shaw sighed, not wanting to get into another royal argument. "She needed to learn about my dedication to my friends."
"She knows all about dedication, Shaw," Ivar softly replied. "To her, honor is everything, as with us all."
"And yet she hides it beneath an exterior of superiority," Shaw sniffed.
"Ah, that's just her way," Angus said. "You can't really let go of your upbringing, no matter how old you are."
"Which explains a lot about Angus," Ivar put in to his friend's grin.
"Very true," Shaw nodded. "Still, it does not give her the right to criticize------"
"How old do elves live, Shaw?" Ivar interrupted.
It was Shaw's turn to be thrown by a question. "I beg your pardon?"
"Normal elf life spans," Ivar went on. "How long do they go? Two hundred years? Five? A thousand?"
"Why do you ask?" Shaw wondered.
Ivar fixed her with a steady gaze as he spoke. "You say you understand loss and I believe you. But I don't think you truly understand us, Shaw. We have memories that stretch beyond your imagination. We've seen things other people haven't, things other people can't. We remember when air truly was air, unpolluted and unclouded. We've watched civilization grow in ways we could never imagine and couldn't control. And we've all had to endure loss, Shaw. Not just losing your mortal friends. We've each watched someone we treated like family fall and couldn't do anything about it. You say you understand but you don't. You can't. You cannot begin to understand what it's like to watch a man you've known as a damn good friend for five hundred years be killed before your eyes and you can't do anything but watch it happen. There's a lot about you we don't know. But I can assure you, there is a lot more about us that you cannot begin to understand."
He stood up and walked away, leaving Angus and Shaw staring after him. "You know, I think that's the most he's ever said at one time," Angus remarked. "You should be honored."
A full ten seconds passed before Shaw spoke again. "And perhaps he is right about most of what he said."
"Oh, he was actually wrong about something?" Angus scoffed. "That'd be a first."
"Only about seeing thing that other people cannot or have not seen," Shaw replied.
Angus crossed his arms and leaned back, appraising her for a moment before speaking. "Try me."
Shaw gazed at him, seeing not defiance or arrogance but genuine curiosity. She paused before answering. "I did not come to Earth directly from my homeworld. I was stranded in a dimension before that, for thirteen years. And it was a living Hell that I think you cannot imagine."
"At the risk of sounding like a broken record-----"
"What is a record?"
"Ach, bury me," Angus muttered, rolling his eyes. "Try me."
It took Shaw a few moments to think of an analogy that would get her point across best. "Think of Kells as it was in your mortal lifetime."
"Done," Angus nodded.
Taking a deep breath, Shaw went on. "Now, imagine if Diedre's father was a master vampire that made Dracula look like a saint, the druid who raised Rhoan was a lich, an undead archmage nearly of Merlin's level of power, Rhoan as an undead, twisted and blackhearted version of King Arthur and Deidre herself as a banshee."
"Actually, you're not that far off sometimes," Angus cracked, then silenced at Shaw's glare. "Okay, moving on?"
"Then, imagine being alone and stranded in that kingdom for thirteen years, only surviving because you became just as cold and uncaring as they were, becoming so feared that vampires actually gave you a title out of fear."
"What did they call you?" Angus asked softly.
"Where do you think I got my last name from?"
"Damn," Angus said. He took a deep breath before replying. "But it still doesn't compare to all we've seen in our lifetimes."
"No," Shaw agreed. "But I do know what he is talking about."
"Maybe," Angus nodded. "But what was the answer, anyway?"
Shaw raised an eyebrow at him. "To what question?"
"Elven lifespans."
"Seven to eight centuries," Shaw shrugged. "Because of my mixed nature, two and a half centuries for myself."
"So, compared to us you're *still* a rookie."
"Perhaps," Shaw smiled. "But when was the last time you and your companions defeated a God and lived to talk about it?"
"Uh, well......" Angus stammered, racking his brain. "Let's see, a Druid.....no, that doesn't count. Nope, no actual Gods."
"So I thought," Shaw nodded.
"Which God did you kick around?"
"Ares."
"The character or the genuine article?"
"The latter."
Angus let out a whistle. "I'll have to talk with Rhoan about that."
Shaw stared at him in amazement. "You would actually go after a God."
"Hey, like Robin said, I LOVE those kinds of challenges."
His remark happened to carry over to where Amy stood with Robin. The teenager shook her head as she turned to Robin. "Are these guys nuts?"
"No, they're Irish," Robin shrugged. "Which is the closest thing possible."
"Um, Robin, my family's Irish."
"Well, only the one half. The other half probably dilutes the effect. I mean, it could only be worse if the other half was Scottish."
"Robin, they were Scottish."
Robin stared at her. "So, you're a half-Irish, half-Scottish, Amazon witch?" he said in a calm voice.
Amy smiled and nodded.
"I'm doomed," Robin moaned. "Aid will love this."
"What does she have to-----"Amy took a look at him and her eyes widened in understanding. "You and Aideen?"
"It was a long time ago," Robin sighed.
"How long?"
"Rome," Robin shrugged. At Amy's stare, he rolled his eyes. "Come on, Amy, I'm 55,000 years old, you can't believe I've never been with anyone before you."
"I guess," Amy said, glancing towards Aideen. "I guess she and I should talk."
She walked off and Robin closed his eyes in pain. "Please attack now, please attack now, please attack now...." he muttered as Liam gave him a pat on the back in sympathy that didn't match his grin.
Shaw was fitting her sword back together when Diedre came up to her. "Yes?" Shaw asked, not looking at the Immortal.
Diedre took a deep breath before speaking. "My father always taught me to ignore the old rules in one respect. If I was wrong, I should be able to say it. I can't see myself standing here of all places and not heeding his lessons. I'm sorry. For insulting you that way and doubting your commitment. You've been through a lot on your own and I failed to consider that. I am sorry."
Shaw was silent before nodding. "Your apology is accepted."
"Thank you," Diedre said, letting out the breath she'd been holding. "I've been a little on edge the last few hours. Because of Rhoan."
"What do you mean?" Shaw frowned.
Diedre sighed, looking over to where her husband stood with Angus and Ivar. "Maeve hurt him so much, more than he's ever told me. Learning his own mother was a monster, that she knew all along he was her son and still wanted to destroy him and everything he loved and cared for.....That's a lot of pain and it took him a long time to make peace with it. And now, it all gets thrown into her face. I don't know how he's going to get through it."
Shaw paused before putting a hand on Diedre's shoulder. "With your help," she said simply, giving Diedre a look of true respect. Diedre smiled at her and nodded. "Thank you."
"I felt you were a little reckless," Rhoan said as he entered the conversation. "There can be such a thing as overkill."
"I was trying to defeat them quickly," Shaw said. "Do you doubt my commitment now? Because I am prepared to lay down my life."
"I can see that," Rhoan nodded. "However, and as a warrior you have to agree with me, it makes a lot more sense to get them to lay down their lives first."
"I think she can handle them, love," Diedre smiled. "Something tells me this girl's got tricks we don't know about yet."
"There is more to you than I had guessed as well," Shaw said. "I was impressed by how well you handled those twin blades. Not quite up to Harper levels but still very nice."
"Picked it up in Spain almost two centuries ago," Diedre shrugged. "Another student gave me a tough time training, as it happens. Poor Teresa. Hope she worked it out before she died the first time."
<Teresa?> Scully thought to Mulder. <You don't think----->
<Makes sense,> Mulder shot back. <Should we tell her?>
<Nah,> Scully smiled. <Let her find out herself.>
<Amazons,> Mulder shook his head. <Always sticking up for each other.>
<Damn straight.>
"Looks like this empowerment deal isn't all it's cracked up to be," Angus said, nodding towards a tear in Mulder's shoulder, the cut healing under his shirt.
"Glad we borrowed some spares from the house," Mulder nodded."
Rhoan's eyes fell on the marking of what was once a bullet hole underneath. "Nice scar. Pre-Immortality, I assume."
"Yeah," Mulder nodded. "Got shot."
"By who?"
"By me," Scully answered.
Rhoan and Diedre looked at them, then at each other. "And I thought we hit bumpy rocks in our marriage," Diedre said.
"We weren't married then," Mulder shrugged.
"Is this another bizarre Western courtship tradition I've never heard of?" Ivar asked dryly.
"I was trying to save his life," Scully said patiently.
"I feel so reassured around these people now," Diedre said dryly.
"I'm really hoping this isn't how you have fun every night," Angus remarked.
"Thank you, Angus, I really wanted that mental image in my mind for the next few decades," Ivar groaned.
"Hey, Aideen?" Amy called as she walked up to the faery.
"I was wondering when you'd be getting around to this," Aideen smiled as she turned around. She looked Amy up and down. "So, you're Robin's new beau, eh?"
"And you're his old one," Amy nodded.
"Times past, lassie, times long past," Aideen sighed.
"So, what am I in for?" Amy said, not sure if she wanted to know the answer.
Aideen took a breath and let it out. "Laughs. Tears. Joy. A bit of heartache. But he's a good lad underneath it all, really. Very good. He'll treat you right, Amy. Never doubt that."
"So, you and Torc are together now?" Amy asked. "Out of curiosity, what do you see in him?"
Aideen took a deep breath and looked towards Torc. "Once, I had an attraction to Rhoan, when the Knights first got together. Even did a couple of stupid deals with Maeve to try and get him. I guess it started when he came to help teach them. I just saw a side to him I'd never seen before. He really is a good man, just made some bad choices, like everyone does. And, well, it took a while but he finally told me I meant the same to him. It can work, Amy, a relationship between a human and a faery. It's true, it can work."
"Good to know," Amy said. She began walking over towards Torc. "Hang on, where are you going?" Aideen frowned.
Amy turned to her with a light smile. "Oh, I just wanted to exchange notes with Torc. See if sex with a faery is just as good on the other end."
Aideen watched her leave and closed her eyes. "Please attack now, please attack now, please attack now......"
A loud honking cut through the yard as everyone looked outwards. "Oh, yeah, thought we'd forgotten something," Liam said. "Poor Joyce, missed all the fun."
"Liam, do not ever refer to Joyce witnessing fights as fun in front of Buffy," Robin said. "Or you are in for a world of pain."
"Why? She got powers?"
"She's a mother. She doesn't need any."
To say the mood in the throne room was dark didn't even begin to describe. The few surviving ninjas had just given their report and the mood of their master was letting them know that they might have been a lot better off taking their chances with the fighters they'd just faced.
"Outnumbered five to one and they beat you," Khan said in a very low and dangerous voice.
"There more than we expected my Lord," one ninja said. "And they were quite skilled in both fighting tactics and magic."
"I warned you not to underestimate them," Mider muttered.
"We were ready for the ones we had been told about," the ninja said. "But as I said, there were more to their number and-----"
"My orders were short and to the point," Khan said in a low tone. "In fact, I made them that way specifically for you. You were to get the two Immortals and the Amazon. The rest were to be eliminated. And you were not to come back unless you had them. And you ran."
The leader of the ninja hordes swallowed and spoke. "My Lord----"
He was cut off as Khan rose, growling, energy crackling from his hands and striking forth, blasting the ninjas back, their charred corpses falling in a pile before him. Khan stalked down from his throne and spoke. "Tsung, do me a favor and check through my records and see if you can find anyone in my empire who is capable in the least of KILLING THESE PEOPLE!!!"
Tsung took a breath, glancing over at the captives before returning his gaze to Shao Khan. "I have found some people who might be capable of killing these people, my Lord. But...."
"Give me names," Khan said, fixing his glare on Tsung.
"But, my Lord....."
"NOW!!!!"
Sighing, Tsung began to speak. "Connor Macleod, Duncan Macleod, Methos, Cassandra...."
A loud burst of laughter echoed from the structure as the prisoners laughed as one, Maeve joining in, which did little to alleviate Khan's anger. He fixed his glare on Maeve who sobered slightly under it. "What is so amusing, witch?"
Maeve stopped laughing but a slight smile kept on her face. "It seems that the only people who are capable of killing the escapees are allied with them."
"Very well," Khan said, gritting his teeth. "Is there anyone who is *not* allied with them that could kill someone even as skilled as the Wanderer?"
"Well, there is a man known as JP Withers. He makes the Wanderer look like----" He paused, trying to think of a fair comparison.
"Mother Theresa," Maeve put in.
"Thank you," Tsung nodded.
"Well, let's get him then," Mider said, clicking his nail in impatience.
"He is also known as Aderron of Atlantis," Tsung spoke to Khan. Instantly, Maeve and Mider's faces went white, jaws dropping in horror at Tsung's words. "ADERRON?!" they both gasped.
"There's more," Tsung said to Kahn, nearly causing the witch and the faery to faint. "What?" Mider cried out.
"It would seem that this....Aderron has a daughter, Adrianna, who was recently reincarnated into a new form."
"So, let us kidnap her and force her to do our bidding," Khan shrugged, missing the grin Buffy got on her face.
"Well, it is not so simple, My Lord," Tsung said.
"Why. Not?" Khan growled.
Tsung took a deep breath. "We already have her."
"WHO?" Maeve shrieked.
"That would be me, assholes."
As one, everyone looked over toward the grinning Slayer. "Oh, sublime, meet ridiculous," Maeve muttered.
"Well, looks like the research needed a bit of work, eh, Maeve?" Mider growled.
"And if you guys know what's good for you, you'll let us go and get the hell out of Dodge before JP hears about this," Steve put in.
"If you are trying to intimidate me, Wanderer, you will have to do better than that," Khan said.
Everyone, including Maeve and Mider, stared at him in shock. "Do you know what this bastard is?" Maeve asked.
"Not really," Khan said. "But I know who I am. I am the man who has ruled an empire of hundreds of dimensions for more centuries than you can count. I have ripped apart armies with my bare hands and built my palace on their bones. And with each realm I conquer, my power grows, physical and magical. And when this realm is mine, he will be merely human. And dead at my feet."
"I don't think you know how bad he is," Buffy said.
"Considering I killed his daughter in less than half a minute, I doubt he will be much," Khan shrugged, turning his back on them.
"Be different if you face him, pal," Xander said.
"Do not fear him, Harris. He is not here. I am. Fear me."
"How am I supposed to fear a guy who dresses like Skeletor?"
Khan stared at him, then at Maeve, who shrugged and shook her head. "No idea."
"Yes!" Xander grinned. "Finally got her!" The grin faded with a yell as Maeve blasted him again. "It was worth it," he grunted.
Hissing, Khan turned back to his chief sorcerer. "All right, Tsung. Amateur night is over! Get our best fighters and get me what I want and get it NOW!"
"Of course, My Lord," Tsung bowed, a slight smile coming onto his face. "It will require one small modification, if you will permit?"
"Get on with it," Khan growled.
Nodding, Tsung turned towards Maeve. "As we discussed? If you please?"
"With pleasure," Maeve said. She spun nicely on her heel and walked over towards the balcony set along one edge of the throne room, facing the column of fire that connected the Hellmouth to the Outworld portal. Aiming the gem-tipped end of her staff, Maeve began to speak in a mixture of tongues, combining her magics with those of Outworld, a beam blasting from her staff and into the column itself. There was a pause, then a ball of fire shot out from the column and flew over Maeve's head, entering the throne room and blasting to the floor before Khan.
The flame soon took on the form of a man, the fires forming into a ninja outfit. Completely black save for the yellow coverings along its chest and back. It's cowl was yellow with a large mouthpiece instead of a mask. In the space between was what appeared to be a normal human face, save for the completely white eyes, which glanced up at Khan as it remained in a kneeling position.
For the first time since the ninjas had returned, a smile came upon Khan's face. "Scorpion," he nodded. "Rise, my loyal servant. It is good to see you in service again."
Scorpion nodded slightly as he rose, fists clenching and unclenching as he took in the group before him. "Very good, Shang. Very good indeed," Khan nodded.
"Thank you, my Lord," Tsung nodded back. He turned to Scorpion, keeping his voice level. "You have been recalled for a mission of the utmost importance."
Scorpion stared back at him.
"The chance to be among us when we merge Earth with Outworld," Tsung nodded although Scorpion hadn't said a word. "You will lead the capture party."
Scorpion cocked his head.
"You shall have your pick of the finest warriors in the Emperor's service," Tsung said. "Take whoever and however many you need. These people are not to be underestimated."
Scorpion nodded and turned his gaze to Mave and Mider.
"An Amazon witch and two Immortals," Maeve answered.
"The witch is a blonde teenager, the Immortals adults, watch for wedding rings," Mider put in. "The rest are expendable."
Scorpion nodded. "Great, a ninja mime," Xander muttered.
"Xander, that's Scorpion," Giles said in a hushed tone.
"Yeah, so?" Cordelia asked. "What's so big about banana boy?"
"Well, he tends to make people do strange things," Giles said carefully.
"Like what?" Xander asked.
"Like driving flaming longswords through their bodies," Steve said coolly.
Xander and Cordelia stared at him, then at Scorpion. "That's HIM?!"
"Oh and Scorpion?" Shang said with a smile. "One of the little expendables is the half-breed who handed you defeat the last time. I would imagine you would want to know."
Although it was hard to tell and harder to imagine, it seemed that Scorpion might have smiled slightly under his mask. His only outward sign was a bow as he suddenly blurred and vanished before them.
"What was that last part about, Tsung?" Khan frowned.
"Scorpion was involved in a battle last year here in Sunnydale," Tsung answered. "The half-elf was the warrior who sent him back to Hell."
"Ah, you've given him a reason to be successful in this mission," Mider grinned. "My compliments."
"What the hell are you two babbling about?" Maeve frowned.
"My dear Queen," Mider smiled. "Scorpion may be a demon but he is still a Lin Kuei. They take vengeance very seriously."
"And if he keeps the half-breed from interfering, it will make an easy mission all the more easier," Shang put in.
"And knowing how the mongrel will feel," Maeve nodded. "Knowing she is the only one left free and unable to take any action whatsoever to stop the merging?"
"Exactly," Shang smiled.
"On that topic," Khan announced. "Since the merger is imminent, I wish to make a list of those who must be disposed of."
"Kings, Queens, Prime Ministers, Presidents?" Maeve asked.
"No. I mean individuals who have power."
"So, who should be the first targets we eliminate?" Mider said.
"Why should we go after specific individuals?" Shang frowned.
"History, Tusng, history," Maeve wagged a finger at him. "Alexander. Caesar. Arthur. Charlemange. William the Conqueror. Robin Hood. Joan of Arc. Washington. Hitler. People with personality and magnetism that just could not be denied, and whom made life difficult for all those they opposed."
"Why doesn't it surprise me that you include Caesar and Hitler to such a list?" Giles sighed from the structure.
"I'm using personalities as an example," Maeve said as if to a child. "Have to take the bad with the good."
Giles snorted. "Hitler wasn't bad, he was a raving psychopathic lunatic!"
"That's not my idea of bad," Maeve smiled. "Actually, I suppose you could say I just rubbed off on him."
Even Khan was taken aback by this. "You----you----you knew Adolf Hitler?" Buffy choked.
"And we're what, surprised by this?" Willow asked.
"Told him his paintings sucked and he was better off trying to get into politics," Maeve shrugged. "We talked a while and I gave him some ruling pointers, how to get into power, hold to hold onto it, how to install terror to keep people under control. Told him all he needed to do was put blame on some group or another, whip people into a frenzy, ruling was no problem." She sighed deeply. "Unfortunately, the old boy just didn't have much control. Invading Russia was a big mistake, even I didn't think the Soviet resolve was going to be that steely. And then declaring war on America? A shame, he could have gone far."
"So, you're an expert at depravity and violence?" Steve asked.
"Of course," Maeve said, raising an eyebrow. "I was at Woodstock."
"That explains so much," Cordelia muttered.
Khan decided to get things back under control. "You make sense, Maeve. We take out those who could act as leaders for our enemies." He stood up from his throne, cracking his knuckles. "I will personally eliminate this Atlantean you speak so fearfully of."
Maeve and Mider stared at him mutely, taken aback by his confidence. "Do you really think you can take Aderron?" Mider asked
"Easily," Khan nodded. "Tsung!"
"My Lord?"
"Pass the word to all our warriors. When the assault of Earth begins, Aderron of Atlantis is mine." He stared straight ahead, fire in his eyes. "So let it be written, so let it be done."
Maeve's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as she looked at Khan, then whirled towards Xander, who just rolled his eyes at her.
"Oh, come on," he grunted. "Don't tell me you didn't see that one coming."
His scream of pain gave Maeve a thrill of satisfaction as Khan simply stared at her.
"Didn't we do this scene already?" Mulder muttered as he and the others walked through the forest. "Couldn't we have parked a little closer?"
"Cars and trucks and the sort don't do much good near Tir Na Nog," Aideen answered as she led the group. "Fin Varra likes his privacy."
"So, back to the old homestead for you?" Scully asked as she walked by Mulder.
"Yeah. Been a long while since I was here last," Aideen said. "I