Hanging up the Weapon by LurkerOOl

Author: LurkerOOl
Title: Hanging up the Weapon
Disclaimer: See End


Xander looked at the wards when the door opened on a cold Monday night. In the doorway stood a big man, topped with bright white hair and piercing ice blue eyes. The wards indicated completely human, and once the newcomer's eyes had adjusted to the bar, he walked on in. As soon as he came close, the face told the story of what Xander estimated to be a guy in his seventies.

"I'd like a beer please...Rolling Rock if you have it?"

"I do...bottle ok?" Xander replied.

"Sure. And my name's Mack."

"Xander."

Once Xander had given the stranger his beer, he backed off to observe what had come to be a bit of an oddity for the bar...a normal human. There were few other customers in the bar and other than making sure none of them were moving towards him, the white haired man slowly sipped his beer, seeming to relax just a bit.

If Xander hadn't been keeping an unobtrusive eye on the new human, he would have missed it. When Mack looked at the huge wall of memorabilia, he gave it a quick once-over, then came back to the picture of Buffy and gave it several minutes of impressively concentrated scrutiny. When he happened to glance again at Giles' picture, however, he grinned with a slight shake of his head. He then turned and caught Xander watching him, and with a continued grin, made a small hand motion to call him over.

"What's the story with the wall?" Mack asked Xander.

"People tell me stories, and if it's a good one, I ask that they leave a memento."

"Why do you have a picture of Buffy and uh...Giles?"

"If you tell me how you know those names...and I like the answer, I'll tell you."

"Do you remember during the time of the fight with Glory, when Buffy broke a leg against some vamps while you all had the flu?"

Xander turned kind of white, Mack grabbed him over the bar and kept him upright until he got his feet back under him. "You gotta be shitting me." Xander croaked out. "I cannot believe I didn't recognize you!" He waved off a Slayer that was stalking up to the bar.

"See, I'd tell you my story, but you already know it." Mack grinned at the Barkeep.

"Buffy won't believe this!" Xander said with a huge grin.

Now he had a chance to see a change as the grin wiped right off of Mack's face. "She didn't die? I just assumed it was a memorial wall."

Xander had to think a bit..."Well, she did die, but she got better."

"I think I'd like you to tell me that story, and I'll leave you an item for your wall."

Xander told him, over about three hours on a quiet bar night, what had happened over the years since Mack Bolan had aided Buffy Summers.

Mack told Xander that he just couldn't quite handle Big Thunder any more, and that he couldn't think of a finer place to let him rest. Just maybe, he could even be useful again someday. Xander created an elegant bubinga and wenge holder that nicely set off the huge stainless steel .44 AutoMag.


Fin


I claim no rights to either Buffy or The Executioner. Those reside in whomever currently owns them.

The back story for this chapter is in my short story "Slayer, Executioner, Friends?"