Um ... well, okay, here it is. My first ever Highlander fic. I've taken certain liberties with the whole Immortal Mythology arc, so if you find something that actually makes sense, I will be more shocked than you.
Feedback ? Yes !!! Maybe I'll even turn this into a series!
Zanna zannamjs@yahoo.com
Nocturnal Discoveries 1/1
Nick wasn't sure what woke him. The cold, the feel of a strange bed or maybe it was the sound of Amanda crying. For Nick it was stranger hear the strong, independent woman that he had grown to love these last couple of months cry, than to wake up in her arms. Her back was spooned against his chest and she was almost, but not quite, curled up into a ball. Trying not to make any more movements that necessary, he peered over her shoulder to see the silent tears fall from her long lashes to the now soggy pillow and was struck by a sense of wonder.
For a woman who had seen generations worth of atrocities and had to find means of survival in ages for when just being a woman you could get burned at the stake, she had continued to bounce through life with boundless enthusiasm and with a seemingly guiltless mind. But at night her demons caught up with her. Nick didn't know what he could do to help except hold her and whisper sweet nothings in her ear, as if she was a child.
She was stroking her stomach, just below her belly-button and Nick knew what demon she was battling. Although he knew that she would deny it, he had seen the way she looked at children, had seen the longing in her eyes every time she saw a woman with a child. Nick sighed and slowly started waking her up. He put one of his hands on top of hers and grasped it, moving his hand with hers and started to lovingly whisper in her ear.
"Amanda ? It's going to be okay. It was only a dream. Everything is going to be all right."
"No, it's not." Her sleepy voice startled him. She wiggled herself deeper into his arms and futily tried to wipe away the last of her tears.
"You would've thought that after a thousand years I would've made peace with it, or at least accept it. But I can't and as much as I know that there is a reason for it, I just can't."
"What can't you accept ? Tell me, maybe I can help."
"Did I ever tell you that Immortals can't have children ?"
"No, but it makes sense, in an Immortal kinda way."
"Somehow, the person who granted us our curse realised that watching our children grow old and die over and over again wasn't a good thing."
"Also a bigger chance of exposure."
"Yes, I suppose so. You know that no Immortal ever knew their biological parents ?"
"Really ?"
"Yup, we're all foundlings. Not even the Watchers know how Immortals enter this world."
"That's weird." Amanda laughed.
"Yes, I suppose it is." came the sober reply
"There is always adoption."
"True, a lot of Immortals that I know have adopted. Sometimes they 'inherit' the child from mortal friends, others are legally adopted. Some Immortals only adopt children with life-threatening diseases like AIDS that guarantee that the child won't live past it's teens."
"Doesn't it make the death all that much worse ?"
"As you said, less chance of exposure. We can tell them who we are and just be ourselves, but you're right. Their deaths are harder but it's worth every last bit of pain to have them share their life with you. Do you know that at the moment I am the godmother of nearly 20 children ?"
"So how come you never visit them ?"
"Oh I do, every couple of years. Their adoptive parents just don't want me around them too much. Afraid that they'll pick up some of my 'bad habits' as they call them."
"Can't say I blame them, but you didn't answer my question."
"What question ?"
"Why don't you adopt ?"
"You mean besides the fact that I am an Immortal thief who are on every wanted list from here to Zimbabwe, unmarried and I change houses as often as shoes. No, I can't think of a single reason."
"You have a clean record."
"Only because I haven't been caught yet."
"So get married, settle down and try to keep honest for at least twenty years. It isn't that difficult Amanda."
"Been there, done the marriage bit. Although I do remember saying I do with a sword at my neck."
"I take it Immortals don't really like marriage ?"
"Nick, in our case forever really means forever. Now, if you don't mind, I would like to get some sleep. For a mere mortal you have a lot of stamina."
"Nice to know I can still keep up."
"Oh you do, you do."
"Amanda ?"
"What ?" Amanda groaned beneath the covers
"Will you marry me ?"
"What ?"
"I said will you marry me ?"
"You want an answer now ?"
"Yes !"
"But why ?"
"Just answer the question Amanda."
"Yes, fine, okay I will marry you. Now can we please go to sleep?"
And they slept
Nick turned around with a grin on his face.
"Wolf ?"
"What now Amanda ?"
"I don't deserve you."
"I know that. Now sleep."
And they slept ******************************************