Disclaimer: I do not own anything. All characters (with the exception of Eve & Lily Morningside, and Lillith) belong to "Highlander: The Series". No harm is intended, and no profit is being made from this fic.

Summary: How did the Watchers get their beginning? Is Methos the oldest immortal alive? (A Methos-centric story, with an OFC).

Rating: T for language.

Season: Post season six for Highlander: The Series, but Highlander: Endgame, Highlander: The Raven, and The Methos Chronicles have absolutely no power in my universe. Heh.

A/N: Hello, everyone. Welcome to my little fic. I originally came up with this plot back in 1995, and wrote a rather crude draft of it. Now I've finally gone back and begun to re-write it. I hope you all enjoy it. Reviews are greatly appreciated. (Re-posted 9/19/05 after editing)

Chapter 1

The rain had been coming down since before the sun had risen. His mood was as black as the clouds as he entered the bar. Today had been a terrible day so far. He'd gotten a flat tire on the way to the university, and when he pulled over to fix it, Methos had discovered his spare was also flat. He'd called and had the Land Rover towed, and the driver had been nice enough to drop him off at the university. Of course, he'd been made late for the weekly staff meeting, so he'd been yelled at by the department head until it was time to go teach his class.

And then there was teaching his class. Being a Monday morning, most of the students were hung-over or still half-asleep when they showed up for this early morning class. The three hour lecture seemed to drag on forever. When class was over, he'd gone to his office to see if he couldn't finish grading last week's exams. Alas, he was not to get any work done. First he had a slew of students coming by, bothering him about the projects due next Monday. After he'd met with all the students, he'd been bombarded by drop by visits from his colleagues. Finally it just got to be too much, and he left.

Methos had gone out into the pouring rain, said to hell with it, and began to walk the thirteen blocks to Joe's bar. By the time he'd finally made it to Joe's, he was completely soaked through. He trudged over to the bar and sank down onto a stool.

"What the hell happened to you, old man? You look like hell."

Methos shot a glare at Joe, hastily taking the glass of beer his friend was holding out to him. "It's been a bad day, Joe. A very bad day."

"Well, cheer up, Methos. The day can only get better!"

He narrowed his eyes at the man behind the bar. "Why are you so bloody cheerful?"

Joe grinned. "Evie Morningside is flying in. She's coming to the bar tonight, and I've convinced her to play a duet with me!"

"Evelyn Morningside is coming here!" Methos' grip on the glass tightened. "I can't find peace anywhere!"

"You never have liked Evie, have you?"

"Of course not!" Methos sighed. "She's been trying to steal the Methos chronicles from me ever since I was assigned to them!"

"Have you even ever met Evie?" Joe sighed, shaking his head. "She's a sweet girl, and her family's been in the Watchers for ages."

"Which is exactly why she is dangerous to me, Joe! I've never met her because I'm afraid she might figure out that Adam Pierson is just a cover!"

"You're too paranoid, old man."

Methos snorted, draining the last of the beer in the glass. "I may be paranoid, but I'm also over 5,000 years old. See any connection between those two things?"

"I know, Methos." Joe grinned, "But you really should meet her! She's just your type!"

"Oh, wonderful. Now you're a matchmaker, Joe?" Methos held out the glass to be refilled and nearly dropped it when he felt the buzz of another immortal. He relaxed slightly as he recognized it as being MacLeod… they'd had an odd connection ever since that whole Horsemen incident in Bordeaux.

"What the hell happened to you, Methos?"

Methos grinned as Joe handed him another beer. "Good to see you too, MacLeod."

The Highlander sat next to Methos at the bar. "No offense, old man, but you look like something the cat dragged in."

"Yes, yes, I've heard all those clever lines already." Methos rolled his eyes.

"Mac, you going to stick around until opening?"

Duncan MacLeod shrugged, "Possibly, Joe. Why? Have something special planned?"

Joe smiled brightly. "Yep! One of my dear friends, Evie Morningside, is coming into town tonight. She's agreed to play a duet with me tonight for the show."

"Friend?" MacLeod raised an eyebrow. "What kind of friend, Joe?"

"She's a Watcher, MacLeod. A researcher, like me. And she's been after my chronicles for years!"

MacLeod laughed, and Joe sighed again. "Well, I highly doubt she'll be after your chronicles any more, Methos. She's just been transferred to the Lillith chronicles."

"Lillith chronicles?" MacLeod looked at Joe inquisitively. "What are the Lillith chronicles?"

Methos sneered. "They're nothing. Lillith doesn't exist. She's just a myth."

"That's what I always said about you, Methos." MacLeod smiled.

"I'm telling you she's not real!" Methos stood quickly, knocking over his stool. "She's just a figment of the imagination!" And with that sentiment, he stormed out of the bar, back into the rain.

Joe looked at MacLeod, "What in the hell was that all about?"

MacLeod shrugged, "I have no idea."

The bar was starting to get a bit crowded, but that wasn't very surprising. Joe's bar was a pretty popular place, recently named the best blues bar in Seacouver. Duncan was sitting at the bar, chatting with Joe when he felt the buzz of another immortal. It wasn't Methos, so he stood and slipped one hand inside his coat to rest on the hilt of his katana. The door swung open to reveal a petite brunette with a duffel bag slung over her shoulder. She was rather eclectic looking, clad in a black full circle skirt with a multitude of colorful scarves around her waist and a white tank top; she jangled slightly as she walked, because she was wearing so many silver necklaces one might wonder how she could stand up straight; to top off the whole outfit, she was wearing a black trench coat that perfectly complemented her pink flip-flops.

"Evie!" Joe came out from behind the bar and hugged the young woman. "It's so good to see you! How was your flight?"

Evie completely ignored Duncan as she dropped the bag and embraced Joe. "Joseph! Mon ami, comment ca va?" She kissed his cheek. "I missed you so much." Duncan noticed that her accent was very similar to Methos'. She turned to Duncan and held out her hand, "Evelyn Morningside, Mr. MacLeod, though most just call me Eve."

Duncan took her hand, "Pleasure to meet you, Eve." He shot a glance at Joe, "So how long have you known Joe?"

Joe laughed, "Practically her whole life, Mac! Eve's mother was the head of my division when I first joined."

"Yes, Joe has known me for the better part of twenty years." She reached down and picked up her duffel bag. "Hate to cut the small talk short, Joseph, but I want to set my stuff down and get warmed up if you intend for me to play tonight." Eve winked at Duncan.

"Of course, Evie." He pointed at a door behind the bar, "Set your stuff down in the back room, and you can get warmed up in there, too. After the show I'll drive you to your hotel."

She gave him another kiss on the cheek, "You're wonderful, Joseph." Eve turned back to Duncan, "Nice to meet you, Mr. MacLeod. Perhaps we'll get a chance to visit more after the show." She turned and disappeared into the back room.

Duncan turned to Joe, who was grinning. "Isn't she just gorgeous, Mac? I tried to get the old man to stick around and meet her… I think they'd get along great. She reminds me of him, actually." He chuckled, "And she's brilliant, too. Always has been."

"Joe." Duncan sighed. "How well do you really know her?"

"Mac, I've known her since she was five. I know her better than she knows herself, probably. Why? What's got you all worked up?"

"I think she's immortal, Joe." Duncan shrugged. "I could've sworn I felt the buzz just before she came in… but she didn't acknowledge me like any other immortal would have, it's like instinct for us."

Joe sighed, "There's no way, Mac. Simply no way. She's grown up at the headquarters in London. Lily never let Eve leave the grounds. This is the first time she's ever traveled."

"Lily?"

"Eve's mother, Lillith."

Duncan raised an eyebrow, "Her mother's name is Lillith?"

"Was." Joe smiled wistfully, "Lily died almost a year ago. Apparently of old age… But she was only 58!" He shrugged, "Anyways, Mac. You must be mistaken. Maybe it was the old man, or just some other immortal passing by."

Duncan sighed, "Maybe it was, Joe. But there is still something incredibly familiar about Eve… I feel like I've met her before."

Joe stood up as the applause began to die down. "Thank you, folks. Now, before we all go home, I have a special treat!" The audience clapped and cheered. "My good friend, Evie Morningside, has agreed to perform a little duet with me! So make her feel welcome!" The applause was thunderous as Evelyn made her way onto the stage in Joe's bar. She smiled and sat down at the baby grand piano as Joe retuned his guitar quickly. She switched on the mic and nodded to Joe.

Duncan watched as Joe began to play a little intro on his guitar, and was soon joined by Eve on the piano. And then she began to sing. "Where's the peace of mind I thought I would win? I thought I found my new best friend, but now he's gone, I'm all alone, it sure feels cold." Duncan found he was utterly mesmerized by the passion Evelyn displayed as she sang… he found it odd that someone who had led such a sheltered life could feel so strongly about the lyrics to a blues song such as this. "I saw an old pal just the other day. It looked like he just threw his life away. Sometimes it's hard to see such pain, and nothing's gained." And Joe joined in for the chorus, singing a harmony line, "But I'll keep pushing on, though it seems all hope is gone, cause love prevails – after dark there's always dawn."

There was another verse, and the chorus once more before the song was over. Duncan clapped enthusiastically along with the rest of the patrons in the bar. Evelyn truly had an amazing singing voice. The bar quickly emptied, soon leaving Joe, Duncan, Evie, and the employees alone. Evelyn retrieved her things from the back room and then returned to where Duncan and Joe were waiting. "You were amazing, Eve. It was a pleasure to hear you perform."

Evelyn winked at Duncan, "Thanks, Mr. MacLeod."

"Just call him Mac, Evie. And I told you she was something, Mac, didn't I?"

"You did, Joe, and you were right."

"Well," Evelyn looped her arm around Joe's, "I hate to interrupt again, boys, but I really am quite tired. A trans-atlantic flight will do that to you."

"Of course, Eve. It was a pleasure meeting you."

"And you, Mac." She smiled, "Perhaps I'll see you again soon."

"Perhaps." Duncan watched her walk out the doors of the bar, and then he turned to Joe. "If you've got time… swing by my place after you drop her off?"

Joe sighed, "Yeah, Mac, sure. But I'm telling you, there's no way Evie could be immortal."

"See you later then, Joe."

"Later, Mac." Joe walked out, leaving Duncan alone in the empty bar.

He felt the buzz as the elevator neared the top of the building. Sensing it was Methos, he relaxed and waited for the elevator to stop. "It's about time you got home, MacLeod."

Duncan stepped out of the elevator then lowered the gate. "Yes, well, the show ran a bit long tonight. You should've stayed. Eve has an amazing voice…"

Methos, who had been sprawled out on the couch with a beer, sat up. "But?" He stared at Duncan expectantly. "There's something more going on…?"

"I think she might be immortal."

"You think she might be immortal? How's that, MacLeod? We don't think those kinds of things, we know."

"Well," Duncan sank down beside Methos on the couch, "just before she came into the bar, I felt the buzz. When she came in, though, she wasn't looking around to spot me… and you know how it is for us. We feel the buzz, we instinctively scan our surroundings to find the other immortal. Even you can't just shrug off the buzz when you feel it."

Methos sat back and folded his arms over his chest. "It's possible that she's immortal and has simply trained herself not to look for the source of the buzz."

"Well, Joe has known her since she was a little girl, and apparently Eve has never been allowed to leave the London headquarters. So if she is immortal, she would be very young."

"Hmm." Methos got up and went into the kitchen. "I guess we'll just have to wait and talk to Joe about this. After all, he's known her the longest." He returned to the couch with two beers. They opened the bottles and got comfortable, in preparation of waiting for Joe to arrive.

It wasn't a long wait, however, as the elevator started to come up just as Duncan and Methos got comfortable on the couch. A few moments later, Joe stepped into the apartment. "Well you two look comfortable."

"Oh, we are." Methos sipped his beer. "So tell us what you know about Morningside."

Joe sighed and sat down in the armchair next to the couch. "Like I told Mac earlier, I've known Evie since she was just a kid, and I knew her mother from the time I joined the Watchers."

"What about her father?"

"Never met him, Mac." Joe shrugged, "Lily never liked to talk about him. Hell, she wouldn't even speak his name."

"Hmm."

"What are you thinking, old man?"

"It just strikes me odd that she'd never even tell you Evelyn's father's name."

Joe shrugged again, "Maybe it was a sensitive subject for Lily."

"Or maybe Eve never had a father."

Duncan looked over at Methos, "If Eve is immortal, then Lillith would have adopted her."

"Lillith?" Methos sat up straighter.

"Yeah, Evie's mom. She hated being called Lillith, and she insisted everyone call her Lily. Even her personnel files list her as 'Lily Morningside'."

Methos groaned. "You guys are going to kill me with all this Lillith shit!"

"What do you mean?" Joe tossed his hands in the air, "What Lillith shit?"

"First you tell me Evelyn Morningside has been assigned to the Lillith chronicles, and then you tell me that her mother's bloody name is Lillith Morningside!" Methos stood in exasperation and began pacing. "Which deity did I piss off to deserve this?" He flung himself dramatically back onto the couch.

"What is your problem with the name Lillith?" Joe sat up, "And what is it about the Lillith chronicles that gets you so riled up? Upset that your title of 'living myth' might be stolen?"

Methos sighed heavily, then took a long swig of his beer. He was silent a few moments before he began to speak quietly. "I really don't remember how long ago it was when I died for the first time. I vaguely remember being lost and confused afterwards, and I don't know how long I wandered from tribe to tribe. I was somewhere in Eastern Europe when I felt the buzz for the first time… my first encounter with another immortal. She approached with her sword drawn, and I didn't know what to do. I fell to me knees and begged her for mercy…

"Please, please don't kill me." He bowed low to the ground before the regal looking woman. "Please, my lady, have mercy."

Methos heard her sheath the sword, and suddenly she was kneeling beside him with her hand on his shoulder. "It will be alright, child, today is not your last." She stood and offered her hand. "Come with me, and I will teach you all you need to know."

He took her hand and stood. "What is it you will teach me, my lady?" He kept his head bowed out of respect for this great noble woman.

A hand lifted his chin, and suddenly Methos was staring into the palest green eyes he'd ever seen. "What do they call you, child?"

"Methos."

The woman smiled kindly, "Methos, you need never refer to me as 'my lady'. I may be your teacher, but we are equals." She moved to stand next to him and put an arm around his shoulder. "Now, come, we will go to my home and have something to eat. Later tonight I will begin to teach you the rules of the Game."

He was too confused to ask about the Game at that point, but he was able to ask her one last thing before they set off on their way to her home. "What is your name?"

She laughed quietly. "I have no spoken name, but I will show you my mark." The woman knelt down and drew a dagger. She carved a symbol in the earth, then stood. "Some tribes around here have given me the name Lillith, which you may call me if it pleases you."

"I'll never forget the mark she called her own." Methos pulled up his sleeve and exposed his inner left wrist, where the Watcher symbol was tattooed in blue ink. "This was what she drew for me."

There was a moment of silence before Joe started to chuckle. "You're telling me that the Watcher symbol is actually the name of the oldest immortal we have records of?" Joe kept laughing until he saw the look on Methos' face. He paused. "You're serious?"

"I swear it's true, Joe. Lillith was my teacher, and this was her symbol."

Duncan sat up, "Was? So you think she's dead?"

Methos snorted, "I know she's dead. Kronos killed her right before the Horsemen disbanded."

"You let him kill your teacher?"

"Of course not, MacLeod!" The older immortal sighed. "We'd met her on one of our raids, and she'd managed to disarm and incapacitate Kronos, Caspian, and Silas. I didn't recognize her at first, and so I fought her. She disarmed me quickly and removed my mask. She looked at me with such disappointment then, and I knew it was her. 'Methos', she said, 'it would have been better for me to have taken your head than for you to have ended up like this.'" He sighed again, folding his arms over his chest. "She walked away, and we made camp there for the night. The next morning I discovered Kronos was missing. Caspian wanted to leave – he thought that Lillith had returned and killed him. We waited for Kronos to return… He trudged back to camp around noon."

"He'd gone after Lillith?"

"Yes, Joe. He came back with her sword, said he'd killed her to remove my last weakness."

Duncan put his hand on Methos' shoulder. "How did you know she was really dead?"

Methos shrugged off Duncan's hand. "Kronos had her sword, MacLeod. She would never have given it to him except if she were dead." He sighed again, "But I digress. The matter at hand is not Lillith, but Evelyn Morningside."

"Well," Joe stood, "come by the bar tomorrow and I'll let you two look over the Morningside personnel files."

"Alright, Joe. Good night."

"Night, Mac, Methos." Joe stepped into the elevator. "You coming, old man?"

Methos, who hadn't moved from his spot on the couch, shrugged. "I think I'll crash here if that's alright, MacLeod."

"It's fine." Duncan shut the grate on the elevator. "See you tomorrow, Joe." Joe nodded as the elevator began it's descent. Duncan went to the fridge and grabbed two more beers before returning to the couch. "Would you like to play a game of chess to take your mind off of things?"

"Are you sure you want to get your ass kicked, MacLeod?"

Duncan handed Methos a beer. "Just set up the board, old man."

A/N: Well, that's chapter one. Not much was changed, as I felt I liked this chapter and it works pretty well. The re-re-written chapter two will be up as soon as I format it. Chapter three will hopefully be ready for posting by the end of the week. Thanks for dropping by and reading my silly little idea.