Fic: In Beer Veritas 2/5
Authors: fides & valcon4
Title: In Beer Veritas
Fandoms: Highlander / Buffy / watcherverse
Pairings: Duncan / Methos
Rating: R/15
Summery: In the aftermath of the events of Spiritus Sancti, Duncan demands a few answers.
Warnings: valcon4's first foray into writing! Thanks to hotspur18 for the beta and to fides for the title and all the moral support.
"And now they know in Mongolia!" Methos said snidely.
"What the hell do you expect, and it wasn’t that loud!" I looked around the bar, just to be sure. "Are you serious?" I looked into his eyes - I could get lost in them, I realised, I wanted to… but Methos was looking back at me, unblinking. "God, you are, aren’t you!" I realised. "Does Joe know?" I glanced over towards our friend. Hasn’t he got enough to worry about?
"He does now, although I suspect he and Giles already swapped assignments. They both had reports to turn in after all."
"I…" I had forgotten what I was going to say. "Vampires?!"
"Among other things."
I looked over to him, my mouth doing push-ups. "Other things…? What other things?" Did I really want to hear the answer to this?
"As I said… there are more things…"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know: …than in my philosophy." I butted in. "How long have you known about the vampires and the other things?"
Methos looked directly at me, through me and into the tatters of my soul. Unable to speak, I raise my eyebrows to push the question.
His gentle tone surprised me "I didn't lie to you about Ahriman, I didn't know then."
The honesty of his words: more so.
I could feel my face drop as the memories, my memories, flooded back…Richie.
"If I had known then I would have told you."
Live in the present… Realising I was looking down, I glanced up. "Have you… err… seen one?" I asked, changing the subject completely.
"Yes."
"Wow," It was an involuntary reaction. I added, "Care to share?"
"They look like us most of the time, but when they feed they... change."
I couldn’t help but think of the Hammer Horror films. "Is the whole garlic, wooden stake, sunlight thing just popular myth or..."
"Stakes and sunlight... the garlic thing not so much. And holy water and symbols burns them."
I could feel myself nodding at this.
"Beheading is also good..." this wry comment brought a smile to my face. "But there are a few things that that won’t kill."
"Such as? Never mind." But Methos was already rolling his eyes at my question.
"You know," I said, swigging my drink. "It has never occurred to me that we had any sort of competition on the immortality front."
"Sometimes it seems amazing that anyone lives out a mortal span..." Methos looked so sad; I wanted to hold him, take the pain away. "But they do." And the sadness was gone or rather more likely covered.
Having seen that look I didn’t know what to say to him, "Yep" was the best I could think of. "You know, I thought you were going to tell me that Buffy was a vampire and Giles ‘watches’ her."
Methos shook his head.
"What!" I heard myself say rather defensively.
"Most vampires are soulless." His tone denied the magnitude of the words.
"Only most? I thought that was part and parcel of the whole kit 'n' caboodle."
"Not all branches of the Watchers are as...." a smirk spread across Methos' face "hands off as ours. I am told there are two, just two, who have souls."
"How can a vampire have a soul?" Then it hit me, and blinking hard I looked at Methos, who still had that wonderful smirk on his lips. "When did this become a normal conversation? I'm talking about vampires and vampire hunters for God’s sake!" I took another slug from my drink.
"Do you remember the first time you found out about what you were?"
I smiled at the memory: of Connor finding me, sitting around a fire with him as he told me what I was and not believing a word of it! "Yes."
"How did you deal with it that time?" Methos mused. He paused for a second and a grin begin to light up his face "Oh no... I remember."
That put me on guard "What?" The memory still played in my head: The disbelieve, the anger, throwing a punch at Connor, him slugging me…
"Should I be honoured you haven't swung at me yet?"
I laughed. "I don’t know what you mean." I couldn't help the rueful smile that the recollection caused..
"Oh, are you trying to claim Connor didn't land you on your bum?" Methos was still grinning, the bastard.
… Coming around while Connor was dunking my head in the stream.
"No." I wondered if everyone knew that about me. "What’s your point Methos? If ye even had one."
The grin had gone as if it had never been and his tone was instantly more serious. "Just that we adjust to new information and I am glad this time you didn't respond by trying to fight the truth... literally."
"Things get easier with age, well some things." And some things, I thought, are as hard to discuss now as they were 400 years ago.
Methos smiled slightly and nodded in agreement with me.
"So we have vampires and beasties out there as well." My mind was swimming in all this new information.
"But think... for all recorded history they have left us alone." Methos reassured me,
"Yes, but why? Presuming they really do drink blood, wouldn't ours be like 4 star?"
"The opposite."
Not having heard him answer, I continued, "Maybe they don’t know about us? - Not likely...." Methos’ words finally sunk in to my skull. "Our blood is poisonous to them?"
"We are life MacLeod," he proclaimed, and I nodded. It made good sense. "Instinct keeps up separate."
"How do you know this?" I looked into Methos' eyes, not wanting to miss a speck of emotion.
"Because I have friends in low places." His eyes giving nothing away
I laughed, "You know one?" I was almost stating it.
"No."
"How Methos. Please?" - I knew I shouldn’t be using his real name, but the bar was filling up for the evening entertainment and the band was warming up on stage. Noone was close enough to hear us over the noise.
"How what?" There was a touch of innocence in his voice.
I sighed and tried a different approach. "Who’s the friend in low places?"
Methos laughed. "Who do you think!"
"Ethan?!"
Title: In Beer Veritas
Fandoms: Highlander / Buffy / watcherverse
Pairings: Duncan / Methos
Rating: R/15
Summery: In the aftermath of the events of Spiritus Sancti, Duncan demands a few answers.
Warnings: valcon4's first foray into writing! Thanks to hotspur18 for the beta and to fides for the title and all the moral support.
"And now they know in Mongolia!" Methos said snidely.
"What the hell do you expect, and it wasn’t that loud!" I looked around the bar, just to be sure. "Are you serious?" I looked into his eyes - I could get lost in them, I realised, I wanted to… but Methos was looking back at me, unblinking. "God, you are, aren’t you!" I realised. "Does Joe know?" I glanced over towards our friend. Hasn’t he got enough to worry about?
"He does now, although I suspect he and Giles already swapped assignments. They both had reports to turn in after all."
"I…" I had forgotten what I was going to say. "Vampires?!"
"Among other things."
I looked over to him, my mouth doing push-ups. "Other things…? What other things?" Did I really want to hear the answer to this?
"As I said… there are more things…"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know: …than in my philosophy." I butted in. "How long have you known about the vampires and the other things?"
Methos looked directly at me, through me and into the tatters of my soul. Unable to speak, I raise my eyebrows to push the question.
His gentle tone surprised me "I didn't lie to you about Ahriman, I didn't know then."
The honesty of his words: more so.
I could feel my face drop as the memories, my memories, flooded back…Richie.
"If I had known then I would have told you."
Live in the present… Realising I was looking down, I glanced up. "Have you… err… seen one?" I asked, changing the subject completely.
"Yes."
"Wow," It was an involuntary reaction. I added, "Care to share?"
"They look like us most of the time, but when they feed they... change."
I couldn’t help but think of the Hammer Horror films. "Is the whole garlic, wooden stake, sunlight thing just popular myth or..."
"Stakes and sunlight... the garlic thing not so much. And holy water and symbols burns them."
I could feel myself nodding at this.
"Beheading is also good..." this wry comment brought a smile to my face. "But there are a few things that that won’t kill."
"Such as? Never mind." But Methos was already rolling his eyes at my question.
"You know," I said, swigging my drink. "It has never occurred to me that we had any sort of competition on the immortality front."
"Sometimes it seems amazing that anyone lives out a mortal span..." Methos looked so sad; I wanted to hold him, take the pain away. "But they do." And the sadness was gone or rather more likely covered.
Having seen that look I didn’t know what to say to him, "Yep" was the best I could think of. "You know, I thought you were going to tell me that Buffy was a vampire and Giles ‘watches’ her."
Methos shook his head.
"What!" I heard myself say rather defensively.
"Most vampires are soulless." His tone denied the magnitude of the words.
"Only most? I thought that was part and parcel of the whole kit 'n' caboodle."
"Not all branches of the Watchers are as...." a smirk spread across Methos' face "hands off as ours. I am told there are two, just two, who have souls."
"How can a vampire have a soul?" Then it hit me, and blinking hard I looked at Methos, who still had that wonderful smirk on his lips. "When did this become a normal conversation? I'm talking about vampires and vampire hunters for God’s sake!" I took another slug from my drink.
"Do you remember the first time you found out about what you were?"
I smiled at the memory: of Connor finding me, sitting around a fire with him as he told me what I was and not believing a word of it! "Yes."
"How did you deal with it that time?" Methos mused. He paused for a second and a grin begin to light up his face "Oh no... I remember."
That put me on guard "What?" The memory still played in my head: The disbelieve, the anger, throwing a punch at Connor, him slugging me…
"Should I be honoured you haven't swung at me yet?"
I laughed. "I don’t know what you mean." I couldn't help the rueful smile that the recollection caused..
"Oh, are you trying to claim Connor didn't land you on your bum?" Methos was still grinning, the bastard.
… Coming around while Connor was dunking my head in the stream.
"No." I wondered if everyone knew that about me. "What’s your point Methos? If ye even had one."
The grin had gone as if it had never been and his tone was instantly more serious. "Just that we adjust to new information and I am glad this time you didn't respond by trying to fight the truth... literally."
"Things get easier with age, well some things." And some things, I thought, are as hard to discuss now as they were 400 years ago.
Methos smiled slightly and nodded in agreement with me.
"So we have vampires and beasties out there as well." My mind was swimming in all this new information.
"But think... for all recorded history they have left us alone." Methos reassured me,
"Yes, but why? Presuming they really do drink blood, wouldn't ours be like 4 star?"
"The opposite."
Not having heard him answer, I continued, "Maybe they don’t know about us? - Not likely...." Methos’ words finally sunk in to my skull. "Our blood is poisonous to them?"
"We are life MacLeod," he proclaimed, and I nodded. It made good sense. "Instinct keeps up separate."
"How do you know this?" I looked into Methos' eyes, not wanting to miss a speck of emotion.
"Because I have friends in low places." His eyes giving nothing away
I laughed, "You know one?" I was almost stating it.
"No."
"How Methos. Please?" - I knew I shouldn’t be using his real name, but the bar was filling up for the evening entertainment and the band was warming up on stage. Noone was close enough to hear us over the noise.
"How what?" There was a touch of innocence in his voice.
I sighed and tried a different approach. "Who’s the friend in low places?"
Methos laughed. "Who do you think!"
"Ethan?!"