Chapter 1

Prodigal Son

The Morpheus Lounge was not what Gideon Gold expected. The smell alone almost made him turn back. The air was thick with smoke far too sweet to just be from cigarettes. If he wasn't in the Land Without Magic, he would have guessed that at least some of the scents came from magic. Whatever foul concoctions were being inhaled here, he wanted no part of it. But this was for Papa, so Gideon stepped inside, trying his best not to breathe too deeply.

Once his eyes adjusted to the dim light and hazy fog, he saw the unusual layout of the room. The bar was the hub, with a semicircle of pillowed alcoves where a typical establishment would have tables and booths. There was very little chatter because all the patrons seemed to be in various states of stupor. Even the music was lethargic, drifting from the ceiling in a style this world called New Age, if Gideon was not mistaken. He was almost surprised to see barstools at the bar since no one seemed to use them.

Thankfully, the bartender was not a hookah-smoking caterpillar, but a seemingly average guy. He watched Gideon approach before breaking into a snarky grin.

"Come in, said the spider to the fly," he said. "Are you sure you weren't looking for Roni's? She's just down the street."

Gideon took a seat at the bar and shook his head. "I'm looking for someone named Adam Pierson. I was told he works here."

The bartender frowned. "Who's asking?"

"I am. I just said that."

"You really aren't from around here, are you?" the bartender asked. "Fine. I'm Adam Pierson. Nice to meet you. And you are?"

"Oh. Sorry." Gideon reached out his hand. "Gideon Gold." Adam's hand was bony but his grip was strong. "I was hoping you could tell me what you know about the Guardian."

Adam hesitated. "You mean the UK newspaper Guardian, or the US Coast Guard movie Guardian?"

"What?" Gideon shook his head. "No. That's not what I meant."

"How about I get you a drink while you think about that? Beer?"

Gideon had no intention of drinking, but he was too distracted to refuse. Could his lead have been wrong? Was he chasing after the wrong Guardian, or was it all the same one? How could he explain which Guardian he was looking for without sounding crazy to someone who may not know about magic after all?

Adam left a beer on the bar in front of Gideon and turned to help a patron who had just come in. "So, what will it be today, Detective? Manhattan or McCutcheon?"

The voice that responded was familiar, but disguised by a strange accent. "McCutcheon. But make it double and with a shot of Blue Lace."

Gideon looked up as the newcomer took a seat at the bar, his heart racing. It was Rumplestiltskin. Wearing far too much denim and looking just as sad and tired as he had the day they buried Belle, but it was him. "Papa," he said when he realized Rumple hadn't noticed him yet.

Rumple looked over without recognition and smirked. "Who's this, Pierson? You never mentioned you had a family. He looks just like you."

Adam was watching Gideon with a similar expression. "He does, doesn't he?" He set Rumple's ordered drink on the bar and shrugged. "Weaver, meet Gideon. Gideon, this is Detective Weaver."

Rumple – no, Weaver – smiled and held out a hand. "Pleasure to meet you. Wish I could say I've heard all about you, but your old man is apparently quite the secret keeper."

All Gideon could do was stare as he shook his father's hand until the bartender tapped him on the shoulder and scolded, "Hey, Gid. Didn't your mother ever teach you manners? Pick your jaw up off the floor and let the detective have his hand back."

Gideon blinked. "Oh. Sorry." He lowered his gaze and was baffled again by the sight of his father wearing jeans and work boots.

"No matter," Weaver said. "First time meeting a cop, I suppose? Believe me, the job's not as glamorous as it looks on TV."

"Right." Gideon tried to laugh, but Weaver was already turning away, taking his drink off to one of the rooms in the back. He watched him go, wishing he could have the last five minutes back again.

The bartender was studying him when he managed to look away from the doorway his father had disappeared through. Gideon supposed they did look as if they could be related. They were both tall, slender, with dark hair and high cheekbones. He could understand how a stranger could mistake them for father and son. But it didn't explain why Adam Pierson didn't correct Weaver.

"Why did you lie to him?" Gideon asked.

All humor was gone from Adam's posture. "Oh, no. I did you a favor."

A/N: Thanks for reading! This is a work in progress, so please send prompts!

Also, If you're reading this with no knowledge of Highlander or Methos, please let me know! I want to know how well I'm doing making it accessible. If anything is confusing, I want to fix it (unless, of course confusion is warranted and not caused by lack of familiarity). I know there was no mention of Methos in this chapter, but we'll get there.

Chapter titles come from Highlander: The Series episode titles, but otherwise no relation to the episodes.