Timeless

By Felicity

Disclaimer: I own Xander and Cordy's children except Alex, also Lanie, Sophia, Lady Régine and Duke Hilaire but everyone else belongs to Joss Whedon...I kinda own the various incarnations of people, but not exactly and I don't want to get in trouble so I'm giving up my rights to them...

Author's Notes: This is the fourth in my Forever Series and directly related to "Eternally"...this will probably be the last one. Anyway, I spent like eight months working on this story, so hopefully it'll be good...The songs are "Angel" "Black and White" and "Full of Grace" all by Sarah McLachlan, "It's All Been Done" by the Barenaked Ladies and "Perfect" by Smashing Pumpkins. Feedback is required!!!!!!!!!!!

Part 1

2029

"Hello lover," Buffy said, her mouth curving into a smile. And then his bags were on the floor and he was lifting her up and twirling her around, his mouth on hers. She laughed into his mouth and wrapped her arms around his neck, savoring the moment. When he set her down she just looked up at him for a long moment, like seeing him all over again for the first time. She had missed him so much.

"Hi," he said softly, his dark eyes meeting her green ones. She laughed and got on her tiptoes and kissed him again.

"I missed you," she told him, a gleam in her eyes. His mouth twitched.

"Did you now?" he asked, an answering gleam in his eyes. She tipped her head and considered it, then shook her head.

"Actually, no. I must have been mistaken," she replied innocently. Alex laughed and leaned down to kiss her again.

"No mistletoe," he murmured into her mouth and she giggled.

"I think we’re a little past the stage where we need an excuse Alex," she answered.

"I agree," he murmured.

"But since there’s no mistletoe we might want to move out of the way of all these nice people trying to get off the airplane," she whispered into his ear. His made a face, but obediently picked up his bags and began to walk away from the terminal. She followed quickly, grinning like a fool.

"You’re home!" she exclaimed.

"I’m home," he agreed, grinning just as foolishly. Actually, more so, since the foolish grin was literally in his genes. He’d inherited it from his father who was the master of the foolish grin.

"And you have a degree in art history! What are you going to do now?" she asked brightly, eyeing him.

"Well I’m not going to Disneyland, I can tell you that right off!" Buffy laughed and he smiled at her, his eyes sparkling. "Where is everyone?" he asked after a minute.

"I begged them to let me come myself ‘cause I didn’t get to come to your graduation. Are you dissapointed?" Buffy asked anxiously. He grinned at her.

"Dissapointed? How could I be dissapointed?" he asked, and just to prove his point to her he kissed her deeply, baggage still in hand. She kissed him back, until they both broke apart gasping for breath.

"Well, we know the magic’s not gone!" Buffy joked, still breathless. He laughed and they kept walking through the airport.

"I still can’t believe I’m home for good," Alex said, looking around the familiar airport.

"Neither can I," Buffy said, looking at him. It had been his freshman year of college that they’d fallen in love, and they hadn’t fallen out yet. And now he’d graduated. She still had two years of UCLA left though.

"Well, for good in the area," Alex amended. She smiled at him, joy welling up in her. He’d gotten a job at an art gallery in L.A. so they could be together. It was perfect. Everything was perfect.

"Come on," Buffy said, grabbing one of his arms and tugging. "Our parents will never forgive me if I keep you too long." Alex grinned and followed obediently.

"I knew there was reason I should have stayed away . . ." he joked, eliciting a laugh from the redhead he was following.

"Don’t be such a sissy! They’re just parents! And we’re adults now!" Buffy exclaimed. Words of doom . . .

******************

"Let me look at you! Well, you haven’t lost your good taste at least!" Cordelia exclaimed, eyeing her oldest son. He grinned and exchanged glances with Buffy.

"We wouldn’t want that, would we, honey? I mean, gaining a degree is nothing, taste in clothing . . ." Xander said, trailing off. Buffy looked at her mom, who was holding back a giggle. Cordelia slapped Xander’s arm, before turning to beam at her son.

"It’s good to see you Dad," Alex said, hugging his father. Xander grinned, his fatherly pride showing in his eyes.

"You too Jr." Alex rolled his eyes and turned to kiss his sister’s cheek. Delia was nineteen and going into her sophomore year at the University of Oregon.

"You are so lucky to be done with college! It’s not even fair!" Delia exclaimed. "And to be home! All it ever does in Oregon is rain! Rain rain rain!" Buffy smiled, trying to imagine such a dreary climate . . . Sunnydale was always well . . . sunny, except for the occasional magic-induced hail storm. L.A. went pretty much on the same lines.

"Yeah, you only have three more years though," Alex pointed out. Delia moaned.

"Three years!"

"Just soak up all the sun you can over the summer," Willow advised cheerfully. Cordelia frowned.

"But be careful not to get too much. Tanning is so out!"

"Believe me Mom, I know! So there are good things about living in a place with no sun. Unfortunately, they also have like, no stores. I have to go to Portland for everything." Cordelia actually looked genuinely distressed. Alex arched his eyebrows at Buffy who was silently laughing her head off. Well, like mother like daughter.

"Alex!!!!!!!!" a young voice exclaimed and a moment later the large young man was nearly knocked down by a slip of an eleven year old girl. "You’re home! Finally! You promised to teach me how to kickbox!"

"You’re right, I did, didn’t I?" he said, giving Buffy a "save me" look. She shrugged and indicated there was nothing she could do.

"PRES!" Cassie screamd at the top of her lungs. "Alex’s here!" A moment later a sedate boy walked in, grinning.

"How was your graduation? Mom and Dad wouldn’t let us come!" he exclaimed . . . well, for Preston it was exclaiming. Cassie had gotten most of the exuberance of the pair . . . make that all the exuberance.

"It was great. I wish you’d been there."

"Me too! We got to stay with Aunt Willow though," Preston said, glancing at his red-haired second mother.

"She let me–" Cassie began, then stopped, glancing wide-eyed at her parents. She gave them an angelic smile then started hopping up and down, unable to keep still. "When are you going to teach me kickboxing Alex?" This time Alex did laugh, but she didn’t take offense.

"Why don’t you give your brother some time to settle in?" Buffy suggested. Cassie made a face, then reluctantly agreed.

"I guess," she muttered. Buffy met Alex’s eyes and smiled and he smiled back and he was home . . .

Several hours later after a large dinner and bedtime for the eleven year olds, Buffy whispered in Alex’s ear that she wouldn’t mind if he walked her home . . .

"It’s good to be home," Alex said as they walked through the warm California night. "There’s something about Sunnydale . . . it feels different from everywhere else."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Buffy agreed. Her mouth twitched at the corner. "There’s that Hellmouth-y air to the place." She slanted a glance at Alex, who had an adorable half-smile on his face.

"What’s L.A. like?" Alex asked.

"You’ve been there," Buffy replied. "It’s L.A."

"What’s it like to live there?" he asked.

"Well you’ll see soon enough! I can’t wait to show you our apartment! It’s the most adorable thing!" Buffy exclaimed. When he’d told her he wanted to move in with her after graduating, and she had wholeheartedly agreed, she’d started searching for an apartment with her best friend from college. It had been a long search, but ultimately well worth it. Everytime she thought of living there with Alex she got thrills.

"You are the most adorable thing," Alex said softly, stopping and swinging her around to face him. She smiled up at him and he kissed her softly, underneath the stars.

"We’re here," she whispered. And so they were. It was a short walk.

"I should probably go then," he murmured, but she shook her head.

"No need to go. It’s less crowded here . . ." she whispered, trailing off. His familiar, sexy half-smile appeared.

"Less crowded?" She nodded and after that they didn’t need anymore words. Alex was home for good.

1573

"Ambroise?" a young female voice called. The sound echoed through the stone church, making the young woman jump. "Pére Ambroise?"

"Eliane?" a man asked, peering out into the semi-darkness of the church. He walked out, a candle in hand, and the young woman drew in a breath of relief to see him whole and safe. "What are you doing here?"

"Making sure you were all right!" the young woman exclaimed, walking towards the old priest. "There was another death last night."

"You should patrol more," he said, frowning. She made a face and pushed back the hood of her cloak, revealing golden hair and a pretty face.

"I patrol all the time! Besides, it is noticed if I am missing, and I get in trouble!" Eliane exclaimed.

"Then take your vows as I have counciled time and again! Living in the church no one would notice your absences or be able to do anything about them!"

"I don’t want to take my vows! I have a life and friends, and I certainly don’t intend to be a nun!" she exclaimed, rolling her eyes. He frowned again, then sighed.

"It’s no use. If you’re satisfied I’m not . . . not dying, go patrol! I’m perfectly capable of . . . of taking care of myself." The Slayer groaned and turned away, pulling up the hood of her cloak again.

"All I ever do is patrol. Work in the kitchen all day, patrol all night! That’s my entire life!"

"What did you think you’d be doing? Attending balls?"

"No, but possibly watching some. The duke is holding a ball for his daughter’s birthday and we’re allowed to go and watch all the nobles dance," Eliane said tartly. Ambroise rolled his eyes.

"Utter nonsense. Balls! Birthdays! We have work, real work to do. Vampires to fight. That’s much more important."

"But Ambroise! It’s a ball!" Eliane exclaimed.

"And there are vampires–behind you!" Ambroise exclaimed. Eliane swung about, ready at once. She lashed out, kicking the vampire lunging at her and sending him flying. From behind her, the priest threw her a stake, which she promptly put to use, plunging it into the heart of the next vampire to attack. There were two others. Ambroise threw holy water on one and it cried out, clutching at it’s face long enough for Eliane to throw the stake into it’s heart. She pulled another from the folds of her cloak and faced off with the last. Usually they didn’t venture into churches . . . what could make these do so, especially with the Slayer waiting there?

"He is coming and you will fall before him like all the rest," the vampire said. Eliane rolled her eyes. Apparently it had come to deliver a message.

"Very nice for him I’m sure," she muttered and drove the stake into it’s heart. It gave no resistance, she turned to Ambroise pouting once it was just a pile off dust. "That was too easy! ‘Twasn’t any fun at all!" Her Watcher sighed deeply.

"Go patrol Eliane. I will research who ‘he’ might be."

"Yes do . . . I like to know whom I will fall before!" Eliane said brightly. He gave her a reproving look, to which she returned an innocent one. "Have a good time researching!" she exclaimed, her tone clearly suggesting that her end of the deal was far preferable. Which, since she was the Slayer and he was the Watcher, was probably a very good thing.

*******************

"All right, I know you haven’t any manners, but there must be a point at which we stop. Somewhere around the attacking innocent travelers point. And then there’s the really angering the Slayer, which is never as good idea," Eliane said sweetly, stepping into the middle of a fray. The lone traveler actually wasn’t doing that badly, but it was only a matter of time really. The vampire turned with a growl. Eliane sighed. "Is that the best you can do?" It leaped, she moved out of the way easily, punching it as soon as it came up and ducking a kick. The vampire circled warily, and Eliane followed suit, wearily.

"He is coming Slayer," the vampire hissed.

"Is that all you fellows talk about these days? I’m getting rather bored you know," she said sweetly, lashing out and hitting it’s chest before it grabbed her leg and flipped her. She rolled and came up ready to fight. She directed a roundhouse at the vampire’s head and pulled out a stake, ready to finish the deed when there was a shining arc and she had just enough time to see the vampire’s head roll onto the dirt road before head and body vanished into dust.


"What was that?" Eliane demanded of the supposed "victim" who was sheathing his sword. He pushed back his cloak and eyed her sardonically, one dark brow arched.

"I was saving your life milady," he replied smoothly.

"Saving my life! Why I–I was saving your life!" Eliane exclaimed. His lips twitched upward into a half smile. Really, this stranger was rather handsome, even in the dim light. Even if he had stolen her kill.

"Were you indeed? Then I thank you for it," the stranger said, giving her a courtly bow. Eliane eyed him suspiciously. A noble no doubt, coming for the duke’s ball. She didn’t reply, just studied him. His horse was a good animal, a warhorse and of very good breeding, and though his clothing and cloak were not adorned they were well cut and well made. Yes, certainly a nobleman. And what did he think she was? "You can see me, and yet I haven’t seen your face," he pointed out after a moment. She scowled, deep in the shadow of her cloak.

"Well maybe I want it that way," she replied.

"Why should you? I mean no harm," he said. "I’m a friend."

"Maybe I don’t want a friend!" Eliane shot back. The nobleman didn’t reply, only turned and mounted his horse in one easy movement.

"I didn’t say I was yours," he replied easily and kicked his horse foreward, until he stood before her. "Until next time." As he kicked his horse foreward he tossed her something–a box. Eliane caught it easily and stood clutching it, watching him ride away down the road, towards the castle where she worked in the kitchens. Where he would no doubt court Lady Véronique as all the nobles did. Still . . .

Eliane watched until his horse dissapeared before she remembered the small box in her hands. She opened it to find a small, silver cross, without ornamentation, yet of a very fine quality. It gleamed in the moonlight and without thought Eliane put it on, tucking it safely beneath layers of dirty clothing that hid her young body from those men that might seek to take advantage of her lowly status. So Ambroise had counseled her when she was a little girl and would go to his church to play games that she only learned later were ways of training her. So she had always done. And yet part of her wished she could wear the beautiful gowns, and go to balls and be courted, instead of hiding beneath layers of rags and hunting vampires beneath the stars.

"Oh well, I did not choose my life, it chose me," she sighed and started back to the church to tell Father Ambroise of the nights patrol and see if he had made any progress with their mystery guest. Of course, she didn’t really believe that and she accepted it even less. Someday, Eliane would choose her own life . . .

On to Part 2