Disclaimer: I don't own them, etc.
Rating: PG-13 / 12A
Series: The "Rebirth" series.
Warnings: Crossover universe - The Sentinel/Highlander.
Summary: Methos discovers a tribal watchman over a century after they died out.
Notes: This started out as a one off "encounter" story but just started growing.
All that Glistens…
By NorthernStar
There was something immoral about walking in the snow, gloriously warm under layers of clothing with a belly full of rich foods. Methos scanned the snow covered park, eyes not really taking in the sloping open spaces and the knots of bare trees laden with white. Children dragged toboggans past him, taking advantage of the icy sloping hillside of Cascade's central park, their laughter echoing through the frosty air, filled with the kind of joy Methos had never known. He remembered long, bitter winters, over the span of many centuries, where the cold was all encompassing, almost a living thing, and the only heat came from the hatred in his heart.
But the world had moved on, the way it always did, and so had Methos.
And as he walked through the characterless and neat man made wilderness in the midst of Cascade city, the sound of freshly lain snow crunching under foot, the heat inside him came this time from grief.
Deep in his pocket, Methos' hand tightened around the thin strand of gold entwined about his fingers. Two hours ago he'd buried its owner and this was the only token of their life together that he had allowed himself to keep. The rest was just dust and memories.
He'd watched the coffin lower into the frozen ground and heard the stifled sobs of Leanne's family, smelt the incense wafting on the icy breeze and felt nothing but tiredness.
His grief was spent, wicked away in the blaze of a quickening. Torn and tossed and finally empty, he'd sank down next to the headless corpse of the Immortal who'd stolen Leanne's life from him and accepted that as past; there would no more tears for his lost love. He had sat there until the cold began to leech into his bones and the dawn light reddened the sky with the approaching day. By the time the sun sank back below the horizon, Leanne would be buried…and so would the persona of her lover.
Time for a new Methos…
He had started walking when the funeral came to an end, and the mourners had all slipped quietly away. He hadn't stopped since.
"Stevie! Look out!"
The cry came the same moment something thumped into him, knocking him off balance. Methos put out his hands to stop himself but the pathway was covered in ice and his momentum carried him down the slope, out of control. He thudded to a halt at the bottom.
A kid ran over, scooting down the icy path with surprising poise. "I'm sorry sir." The kid said, grabbing Methos' arm to help him up. "My brother's just got a really bad aim. He didn't mean anything by it."
The boy threw a scowl at another child, standing well back, looking suitably apologetic and not a little frightened. At any other time, Methos might have enjoyed that look, but it was all insignificant.
"Be more careful." He snapped and turned to leave, putting his hands back into his pocket to warm them, and to once again touch all he had left of Leanne. His pocket was empty.
Methos looked down at where he'd lain in the snow.
The boy watched him as he got to his knees and began frantically brushing at the ground with his bare hands.
"Um…are you OK?"
Methos looked up. "I dropped something." He muttered and moved a pace forward to search again. "A necklace."
The boy raised his chin, stretching out to his fullest height and scanned the expanse of white. Methos ignored him until the kid let out a yell and broke into a run.
"I see it!" He cried as he scooted across the thick snow. Methos watched as the boy skidded to a halt a good 300 yards away and bent over to scoop something out of snow. He held it up.
At this distance, he couldn't see the fine gold thread, but the yellowy winter sunshine caught on rich metal and it glinted in the light.
Methos broke into a run.
The kid grinned at him as he handed back the necklace. Methos saw that his adult front teeth were half grown down. The kid was younger than he'd thought. But that wasn't why he studied the boy so closely.
He took the necklace and returned it to his pocket. He didn't thank him.
The boy shuffled awkwardly at the appraisal until Methos broke the gaze to look back at where they'd stood searching, so far away.
Too far for normal vision.
Then he looked back at the boy. Really looked.
It had been over 400 years since Methos had last seen a tribal watchman. The modern world, so quick to leave such things behind, had no need of them. Or so it thought.
But in all that time, he had never forgotten what they were; what they stood for. Or what they looked like.
There was no doubt. The child was a Sentinel.
"What's your name?" His tone was hard, commanding.
"Jimmie." The kid replied, responding instinctively to the note of command. "I mean, James Ellison."
Blair Sandburg had spent nearly all of his 800 years seeking out and guiding Sentinels, but lost touch with his quest about 150 years ago when the incidences of watchmen had been fewer and fewer.
And then there had been the war and the camps…
And here Methos was - tripping over one in Cascade, Washington
Methos' lips settled into an almost smile as he thought of his friend. He had not seen Blair for several decades. As far as he knew he was still in Tibet, seeking peace and enlightenment with the monks. His former teacher, Naomi, had taken him there when he'd finally been released from Auschwitz.
He had been there ever since, locked in the past.
Methos' hand tightened around the precious strand of gold.
"C'mon, Jimmie!" The boy's brother yelled. "Let's build a snowman!"
The kid turned to go. "Bye." Jimmie Ellison said, eyes meeting the Immortal's for a second before he hurried off in pursuit of his brother.
Methos watched him go. Then turned to carry on walking, but at least now he knew where he was going. He had a purpose.
It had been a long time since he'd seen Blair and now he had a message to deliver. There was a future in that boy's eyes, something that might be an end of a journey for one Immortal…
…And the start of one for Methos.
Maybe they would all find what they were looking for.
~~FIN~~