Disclaimer: The X-Men and Highlander characters belong to their prospective owners and not me. I only wrote this fanfic for my own entertainment and I'm making no money so don't sue me. It would be a waste of time.
Of Mutants and Immortals
By Animefreek
**denote thoughts
Chapter Seventeen
Remy's thoughts and emotions came crashing down on him like a barrage of hail on a winter's day. He felt his blood run hot and cold at the same time. His mind kept racing back to his childhood and the only woman he had ever called mother.
---------------Flash back New Orleans------------------
Remy was in no mood for another lesson from Jean-luc and had managed to escape the watchful gaze of his adoptive father and mentor. The cobblestoned streets of Bourbon were his only refuge sometimes. He liked having a roof over his head and not having to scrounge for his next meal, but sometimes Jean-Luc was more than he could take. As he strolled down bourbon he watched the many tourists and listened to the various conversations in both english and French. One particular conversation in particular caught his interest highly. It was between a tall blonde woman and a man with sandy blonde hair.
"Amanda its the score of a lifetime!" The sandy haired man said with a northern accent. "My dear all you have to do is stroll in and out. They won't know what hit'em." Amanda watched her companion with questioning eyes as he explained his latest scheme. Stealing a priceless piece of pottery from the New Orleans Museum of Art was risky enough but he wanted her to do it in a room full of people at a charity dinner. "Marcus are you insane? After hours most definately, a piece of cake but not during its going to be impossible." Amanda said annoyed. Remy's curiousity was peeked and he decided to listen.
"No its not. All we need is a proper distraction and replacement for the said piece." With that Marcus pulled out a perfect replica of an urn that was going to be on display the following night at the charity ball. Amanda leaned in mischievously and asked "Whats the distraction?"
Remy quickly ran home to tell Jean-Luc. Freelance thieves in New Orleans had to be dealt with.
----------------------End Flashback---------------------
Remy was calm now and the trio was outside sitting in a clearing in the nearby woods. "Remy I wanted to come back but I couldn't. It killed me to leave you with Jean-Luc." Amanda started. "Don't the damage is done now you lied to me and I payed for your lie." Remy's voice was ragged and Catherine saw silent tears start to stream down his face. Casting a silent glare at her mother she scooted closer to Remy and hugged him. Amanda cleared her throat and continued where Remy had left off.
---------------FlashBack NewOrleans-------------------
Amanda watched the little boy who was obviously listening to the conversation that she and Marcus were having. She caught herself thinking that he seemed like a sweet little boy. ***Ahhh Amanda stop that. This is no time to be having a maternal thought.*** Amanda thought as Marcus was spilling the details of their latest caper. **I know that kid. He's Jean-luc Lebeau's apprentice, he'll probably tell Jean-luc everything. Damn.*** Marcus started to speak up to get the thief's attention again. "Marcus you don't have to yell my hearing is perfect." Amanda said tritely. Remy stifled a giggle. "I have an idea, Amanda started, lets continue this at Cafe Dumonde I'm in the mood for some hot chocolate." "Fine I'll meet you there in an hour to go over the details for tomorrow night." Marcus grunted. He hated it when the older immortal brushed him off for reasons that she never disclosed.
**Marcus is such an ameture. He didn't even notice the kid easedropping on every word. If he was the thief he claimed to be he would have spotted the kid immediately.** Amanda thought as she walked down the busy street and giggled to herself as she saw the young auburn haired boy run in the opposite direction. **This is going to be fun. The Theives guild on my tail for a little while. I haven't played cat and mouse with them for at least three hundred years.**
Remy went straight to Jean-Luc. Jean-Luc was, to say the least, infuriated. How dare a freelancer work in New Orleans without the guild's permission. "Remy, boy, what dis femme look like, did you hear a name?" Jean-Luc asked impatiently. "De femme name is Amanda, she ave blonde hair and dark eyes." Remy told his father proudly. "Good boy Remy where is the snatch going to be?" Jean-Luc asked. "The Museum of Art. Tomorrow night." "Good boy Remy now you leave everything else to the grownups." Jean-Luc replied with a slight smirk. Remy had seen that grin before, not many people survived that look. Pity he kind of liked what he saw and heard of the lady, she had spunk.
At Amanda's Hotel
Jean-Luc's apprentice was no doubt giving a vivid retelling of Marcus' plan. Marcus was definately trying on her nerves, the one time he comes up with a half decent idea he has to spill everything in front of a thieves guild apprentice. **Oh well, Marcus will just have to take the fall for this one. I on the other hand have plans of my own that don't include some dusty old piece of pottery. Those things are hell to fence.** Amanda thought as she admired her new black dress in the mirror. "After all what kind of woman would I be if I passed up diamonds for pottery." Amanda said out loud.
The Next Night at the Ball
Amanda had to admit she was definately looking good in her new dress. Versacci definately did something for her, investing in the company was going to prove worth her while. Heads turned as Marcus and Amanda entered the foyer. Amanda beamed and quickly turned into the social butterfly she trained herself to be for centuries. Marcus was obviously sizing up the crowd, Amanda mentally rolled her eyes and quickly managed to separate herself from the crowd. As the night progressed Amanda danced and socialized putting on the guise of the rich heiress from Paris. Slowly she made her way to the outer room were the jewelery exhhibit was. A mischievous smirk creeped across her face.
The ball ended rather uneventfully and all the New Orleans social climbers went their separate ways until the next affair. Amanda could tell that Marcus was pissed and she soon caught an ear full. "Amanda the set up was perfect,why did you let the perfect distraction go to waste?" Marcus almost growled. "Marcus dear did you notice a small boy the other day on the curb in front of the resturant where we were talking?" Amanda asked with a smile. "Yeah, what about him? Just a kid." Marcus was starting to sound as dense as she thought he really was. "Well my friend if you really did your research about this city you'd know that that "innocent" little boy was the apprentice of the King of Thieves himself. He undoubtably told Jean-Luc everything. If we took anything tonight we'd be at the bottom of the Mississippi by dawn." Amanda said with the tone of a teacher. "In fact one of the guild is following us right now." Amanda shot a look across her shoulder to a tall man with a jet black mane of hair and a mustache.
Marcus was about to panic and Amanda was smiling with glee. **What an ameture. We're immortal, they don't know that, and he's scared.** Amanda was now grinning like a chestire cat. "What do you say we have a little fun with them? Did you bring your sword?" Amanda asked. Marcus just knodded knowing that when Amanda had that look trouble was sure to follow.
Amanda quickly turned around to face her tracker and unsheathed her sword. Marcus wondered how she could have hidden a sword in that dress, but knew better than to ask. He could never get a straight answer from Amanda anyway. Jean-Luc looked both peturbed and impressed. One in the fact that Amanda had known he was following her and the fact that she had managed to conseal a small broad sword in such a revealing dress. He quickly shifted to the thoughts to the back of his brain.
"Really Mr. Lebeau I would have expected a better tail than that. Or did you want me to notice you over there?" Amanda said with a smirk. Jean-Luc was getting more annoyed by the second by this insolate woman, how dare she mock the king of thieves. "Woman you try my patience, I don't usually fight women but since you seem to be challenging me I'll oblige you." With that said swiped across Amanda's chest barely missing her and leaving a slight split in the front of her dress. Amanda gave Jean-luc her most evil and unnerving smile. She had only planned on playing with the man a little bit before taking the diamond collection later that night, now she was going to give him something to remember her by.
Amanda matched his every sword stroke with equal speed and zest. She enjoyed every minute of the battle, but since she had diamonds to steal this fight had to end. After all she had a schedule to keep. Amanda quickly manuvered the fight into a near by alley. She quickly
disarmed the king of thieveswith a thrust of her broad sword and knockede him out with a lightening fast round house to his head. **He's rather...attractive in his sleep to bad he's such an arrogant bastard. Then again I'm a fine one to talk.** Amanda thought as she bounded out of the other end of the alley and left Marcus to his fate.
Meanwhile Marcus was in trouble. Jean-Luc's goons had moved in on him and made quick business of him. The young immortal was a very good swordsmen but he was outnumbered. Thankfully they made Marcus'death quick. The last thing he thought was how he was going to get even with Amanda for this.
-----------------------EndFlashback--------------------
Catherine had managed to put a comforting arm around Remy and unconciously he put his around her waist. Amanda wondered how she could raise a child so innocent and worldly at the same time. Catherine could be such a comfort to anyone she met and she hadn't met a person yet that Catherine hadn't managed to win over in some small degree. Amanda inwardly sighed and wondered what her life would have been like if she had been able to raise Remy like she had planned. What would Catherine have been like if she had a big brother to watch over her? Amanda decided to continue the story to dispell the awkward silence eminating from both her children.
"To make a long story a little shorter I stole the diamonds that night and decided to rub it in the face of the theives guild. After a few weeks of hiding and ducking from them I was captured and given an interesting choice; either I could die or I could marry the king of theives. It seemed that over the weeks I spent taunting and running that I made quite the impression on him. So I agreed to marry him, I figured that if I got tired of the situation I could always kill myself and start over. How was I to know that I'd become so attached to a certain little boy." Amanda was on the verge of tears. She'd watched Remy over the years secretly and wanted to be his mother but the fates had erased all hope of that ever happening. She was about to continue when Remy cut in.
"Oui, chere ya make a big impression on Jean-Luc, ya all he talked bout for weeks. How you out smarted his best at ev'ry turn. I remember the night he caught ya, he tol me that I might have a beautiful momma to learn from and take care o' me and for a little while I did." Remy said looking down at Catherine's hand in his. He felt very jealous of the girl for a second. She had the vibrant woman for her mother all her life and all he had was a few weeks of happy memories. Memories he charished, but sometimes they weren't enough.
"Mom why'd you leave him?" Catherine asked. Amanda could see what her daughter was doing. Usually she never asked "why" questions, often with immortals "why" was difficult and conplicated to explain in simple terms. Catherine only asked because she knew that these things had to be said. Amanda cursed herself and Duncan sometimes for having a child that was so much like them both yet totally different at the same time. Amanda sighed and simply said, "The Assasians killed me." "I never told Jean-Luc about my immortality and after the car explosion their was no coming back for me. I had to start over again. I missed you so much Remy, but after what happened I couldn't scare you like that. You were just a little boy, to have your dead mother come back for you would have been too much even for that street smart little boy I fell in love with." Amanda wanted to reach out to him and call him her "Petite, light of her life." She just didn't know if she should.
Like a dream come true for Amanda, Remy reached out to her and hugged her. He couldn't help himself it was something that he had wanted to do for most of his life. Although he never thought it would be possible. Catherine smiled and looked as though she were going to cry. "I always wanted a big brother, who would have guessed he'd be a thief like me and mom, what a bonus." Catherine joked. Remy and Amanda stared at her for a second and burst into tear filled laughter. "Can I call you petite like I used to?" Amanda asked. Remy hugged her even closer and she took that as a yes. All of a sudden Remy grabbed Catherine in the hug too. "I knew I liked ya fo some reason chere, ya just like ya momma." Remy kissed her on the forehead and hugged them both as tightly as he could.
Chapter Eighteen
The happy trio decided to end the "family moment" and return to the mansion. They hadn't decided how to tell the others about the resent developments that had transpired between them. Amanda was especially worried about telling Duncan, the shock of having a daughter was enough to cause a fainting spell in the very experienced immortal what would be the effect of telling him that he "kinda" had a son too? **My family seems to be getting larger by the moment I wonder how Duncan and the X-Men are going to handle this. I can imagine some choking and cursing occuring.*** Catherine thought with a smile on her lips.
Most of the X-Men and the immortals were now out on the grounds of the mansion having finished their training sessions. Most were in the gardens and enjoying what was left of an unusually quiet day. Bobby was having a rather painfull discussion with Duncan and Conner about thier roles in the Spanish American War. All Bobby had asked was did chicks ever really dig thier uniforms. Now he was getting a rather gorey lecture on how history books were in the majority wrong and how the victors of war always wrote history. After about thirty minutes Bobby was desperately searching for Catherine and a way out of this discussion. Then he saw them.
Catherine was hugging Gambit in a much more friendly and closer way and on the other side Amanda had kissed Gambit's cheak and was ruffling his hair. The hugging he could have handled, but what came next was the straw that broke the camel's back. Catherine had tugged on Gambit's shirt and signaled him to come closer and as he leaned down she kissed him full on the lips for about two seconds by Bobby's count. He was not happy. He couldn't help but notice that the three of them had been gone a considerable amount of time and they all seemed rather drained and happy. A terrible thought struck him.
Duncan and Conner had managed to tear themselves away from their discussion since noticing that the main party involved wasn't listening anymore. They both couldn't help but think how short people's attention spans had gotten over the centuries or was it just Bobby. Neither of the Highlanders could see what Catherine could possibly see in him. Then Duncan caught the same site as Bobby had witnessed. **Why did my daughter kiss the Cajun and why did "My" Amanda kiss the Cajun? OH NO HE DIDN'T!**
Bobby was turning red with anger the closer the trio got to the garden. **He's a lady's man I know, but there's no way. No way she would never go for that! Calm down Bobby you are jumping to conclusions, breathe. They look happy and drained. I saw how he's eyeing Amanda this week, pretty intense to. Catherine, my Catherine would never go for that. Then again she talks as though she has some experience.** A small smile came over his face. **EWWW! No Bobby she wouldn't do that with you or Him.** He took another look at the trio. **I'm going to kill the cajun, I'm going to kill the cajun, I'm going to kill the cajun.** Was the only thing running through his mind.
Meanwhile Duncan had drawn his sword. The only thing going through his mind was, **I'm going to kill the cajun!**
Catherine had just given her brother a friendly kiss on the lips to welcome him to the family. She thought it would be a sweet gesture. Just then her mutant senses kicked in and a rather red blush came across her cheeks. "Chere, you the one dat kiss me, why ya blushing?" Gambit asked amused. "Remy its not you, I just picked up on a thought that Duncan and Bobby were having and I think you should run and hide and they should wash their minds out with soap." Catherine said half embarrased and half disgusted. Gambit thought for a second and then looked at his little sister, NO. "Yeah Remy, thats what they're thinking." Catherine said before he could voice his thought. "Remy not dat kinky." Remy said with an aire of huffiness. Catherine couldn't help but think that the next few minutes were going to be interesting to say the least.
All at once things started to crash. Duncan had his sword drawn and Bobby was using his powers to make some rather nasty looking ice daggers. Catherine telepathically filled her mom in on what was happening and Amanda immediately fell over laughing. This was enough of a shock to make Bobby and Duncan stop charging at Remy long enough for Catherine to slip into their minds and tell them both they were perverted beyond words and she would never do that kind of thing especially with her own brother and they both should think better of their mother. Simultaneously both men blurted out "Your Brother!" Both men promptly looked at each other and just sat on the ground stupified.
***Yes life with these two is going to be interesting. *** Catherine thought to her mother. Amanda just knodded and grabbed her stepson and her daughter and walked to the center of the garden where the others where. Needless to say they got a lot of different reactions from shock from Scott to joy from Rogue. Rogue was happy to see her Remy really happy about somehthing for once. Duncan was kind of peeved that Amanda hadn't told him about that time in her life, but then to know everything about an immortal would take just as many lifetimes as they had lived.
Dinner was really interesting. Catherine after she had time to really think about what had transpired earlier was mad at Bobby for not trusting her to be faithfull to their relationship. He spent most of the meal trying to get her attention to try and apologize. Remy was kind of peeved too, it was his mother and sister after all and besides like he told Catherine he was not that kinky. Catherine kicked her father and boyfriend under the table many times that night making much of the conversation difficult to say the least. Amanda on the other hand was enjoying this way too much and started using Conner to make Duncan jealous. It really did warm her heart to see that Duncan still got riled up when she paid attention to someone else besides him.
Logan was enjoying the floor show. He'd never admit it but he really liked having Catherine around, she was the only one who could continuely sneak up on him without a noise or a scent. He had to find out how she did that. That trick could come in handy. Plus she was almost as good as he was at martial arts. A couple of times she had even managed to make him pat out of the match. Not to mention her boxing lesson with Cyke, Logan had tried to tell slim that the kid knew how to kickbox. Slim earned a nasty bruise on the left side of his face for not listening. Logan hoped the kid would stay but something in his gut told him that she might have to leave them when this was all over.
Joe had gotten back from the local Watcher HQ the next day. He had barely stopped an all out war from erupting. Most of the area Watchers were enraged, especially when they found out about Methos. Most of them thought he was a myth and others just thought the name was one another older immortal used to cover up his identity. Joe had to make up a story about Adam Pierceson disappearing to track Methos and that Methos was after an even older immortal. Of course this was a lie, but telling the truth would have been worse. It would be the witch trials all over again except immortals and anyone they thought that could be a genetically engineered pre-immortal like Catherine would be toast. There was no way that anyone was going to hurt Catherine even if he had to break every Watcher rule in the book to keep her safe. When he told his story to the others they were less than thrilled and when Catherine told them that a much stronger intity might be controling Methos the immortals were even less thrilled. All the immortals except for Amanda agreed that Catherine should be kept under lock and key until this was over.
"What you expect me to hide like a mouse and let you and the others protect me and even die for me! No way, dad I have to fight this battle!" Catherine screamed at Duncan. "Catherine there is no way I'm letting you fight Methos, you can't fight him you're not even an immortal yet." Duncan was trying to keep his cool with his daughter but she was about as stubborn as he was. "Maybe an immortal is not what this situation is calling for." Catherine slipped. She was not ready to tell the others about the occult powers that she had "inherited" from Cassandra yet. So far the only others that really knew anything were Richie and Remy. She felt obligated to tell Remy since her was her brother now and she trusted him to keep quiet until the time was right. Richie was there when it happened, but if she could turn back the hands of time she would rather him not know. Richie seemed severely spooked when he was around her. Amanda had told him to keep a low profile until he could put on a straight face. This secret didn't need to be out yet.
Meanwhile the pressence had assumed some control back over Methos. **This girl is an annoyance beyond the word. There is no way that a child could become stronger than me. Even the world's strongest mind, Charles Xavier, suffered much damage from me before he banished me to the astral plain.** The pressence thought. "Hmmmm, I tried to use the girl's mother against her and that didn't work, maybe I could use the insecuries of those around her to bring her down." The visage of Methos said aloud as he strolled down one of the many crowded sidewalks of Salem center. **Ahh, the one they call Richie is following me and from the state his mind is in right know he may be the perfect pawn to set my new plan into action.** The pressence thought.
Richie had been tailing Methos for over an hour now and was getting angrier by the second. ***This guy has some real nerve. Just walking around in broad daylight like he didn't kill those people at the inn or Cassandra or try and kill Catherine. There he was smiling and walking down the street just like anyone else. Sometimes there's no justice in the world.*** Richie thought as he watched Methos duck into a nearby ally. **Shit! He must know I'm tailing him. Duh, Richie he can sense you, Damn.** Richie berated himself silently as he quickly followed Methos into the and abruptly pinned to the wall.
Meanwhile back at the mansion Catherine decided to up her training sessions to a new level. She was going to take on Duncan and Conner. Duncan laughed at this idea at first until Catherine abruptly knocked her father to the floor and was holding a sword to his throat. Amanda and Remy were on the otherside of the room and watched grinning. Duncan, from the floor, shot Amanda a look that said "Why am I the last person to know things around here?". Amanda smiled even wider and gave him one of her trade mark "innocent smiles" and a wave. Amanda seeing that her daughter's idea wasn't gaining any ground with either immortal decided to chime into the conversation.
"Duncan I have an idea (famous last words for Duncan) how about Catherine and I team up against you and Conner, this way you can judge for yourselves the extent of her skills and we call get in some much needed practice." Amanda said with a smirk on her face. Duncan hated that smirk, it always got him into more trouble than he wanted. He was about to say no when Conner agreed. His cousin could never resist a challenge, and that is just what Amanda and Catherine wanted. "Remy darling petite, could you get the Danger Room ready for us?" Amanda said in a soothing voice. Remy nodded with a smile. He knew exactly what his mother had in mind. The Highlanders were going to see just what Catherine and her mother were really made of. He had to see this.
Back in the ally Richie was pinned to the wall by Methos and unable to reach the short sword he had hidden under his jacket. "Listen to me Richie, Methos said, I don't want to fight you, you don't understand whats really going on here." "I don't? I saw those people you killed at the inn and I saw you kill Cassandra, hell you almost would have killed Catherine if she hadn't seen through that mutant's disguise." Richie spat. "You would've killed me if I wasn't useful at the time."
"Yes thats all true and I won't deny any of it, but everything that I've done has had one single purpose. I did it to save lives." Methos said with conviction. "Save lives! You expect me to believe that. Save lives by taking them, yeah right." Richie wanted to spit in Methos' face.
"Yes, thats right save lives. Catherine has to die she's not suppose to be here, she's upsetting the natural order of things. Richie look at me, I know you can feel it, she's getting stronger by the minute. She will destroy us all and after she's done with the immortals she'll destroy the mortals of this world as well. I can sense her power growing and I can sense the bloodlust growing in her heart. She must be destroyed to save us all and if that means a few lives must be sacrificed then so be it. Sometimes the needs of the many outway the needs of the few." Methos said with conviction. This was definately one of the more believable preformances of his life. He then released Richie from his position against the wall. "Go, the next time you see her fight, watch closely. You'll see, she'll enjoy it. You'll see the savage light behind her eyes, the light that lets her enjoy the kill." With that said Methos walked off leaving a confused Richie Ryan to sort out his thoughts. With his back turned to Richie Methos flashed a fierce grin and a strange shadow passed behind his eyes.
In the Danger Room Amanda and Catherine were matching the efforts of the highlanders blow for blow to the surprise of both men. Duncan never knew Amanda could fight so well, she avoided confrontation like the plague. Conner was wondering how a child as young as Catherine could match his skill in such a short period of time and what made it worse was the nagging feeling that he hadn't seen anything yet. Conner decided to test his theory.
"Come on girl, you'll have to do better than that to survive in our world. You'll never win pulling your punches." Conner said with a grin. He was trying to make her mad so her concentration would be broken. **He's trying to make me mad. Sorry cousin that won't work. I've got more experience than that locked in this head of mine. You won't win that easily.** Catherine thought. "Aren't you going to say something girl?" Conner said mockingly. "Yes, my name isn't girl." Catherine said calmly, although she was moving now with an almost unnatural speed. She wasn't even aware of what she was doing. The wall and floors of the Danger Room seemed as if they moved with her and become gelatinous. **Well two can play at this game.** Conner thought. Duncan and Amanda were now just watching the events of the session unfold.
Catherine hadn't even noticed that her powers both mutant and magical had kicked in by instinct. Slowly her awareness of them piqued as she felt a kind of power surge. She found herself reaching out to the minds around her and peeking in, she silently apologized to Remy instantly knowing that he wasn't quite ready for her to know everything about him. "Well well, something new for show and tell lass." Conner said in a heavy accent.
**Keep your cool girl, he's trying to yank your strings so you'll mess up.** Catherine thought. "The name's Catherine." Catherine said in a monotone voice. Her voice was perfect but the eyes gave her away, she was pissed. **I hate it when people give me nicknames!** She thought while hiding behind an emotionless face. Just then Conner transformed into multiple versions of himself and surrounded her. "Two can play at that game cousin." She smirked. Conner wondered what she was talking about and then found out. Catherine's image split into multiple versions situated at different points in the room. "Now cousin which witch is which?" The multiple versions of Catherine spoke at the same time.
Duncan was in shock, Amanda was smiling, and Remy was wondering if Conner could see real Catherine as well as he could. "Amanda is this a part of her mutant powers?" Duncan asked. "No this is something Cassandra gave her." Amanda answered. Amanda knew that it was going to be a long night of explaining. Conner was amazed at the young girl's improvement, he knew their was something special about her. He smiled at one of the visages knowing that it was her. He then commanded on of his own illusions to point a sword at her. Knowing that she was found out she stepped forward and to the surprise of Conner ignored the illusion and pointed the tip of sword at him. He laughed and slapped his knee. "A draw then girl, until next time." Conner said with a smile as he walked over to the girl. "She can fight with me anytime." Proclaimed Conner. "Shouldn't I be saying that to you old man?" Catherine said as she, Amanda, and Remy left the Danger Room; leaving a somewhat amused and peeved set of Highlanders. Conner turned to Duncan. "She's got spunk, I'll give her that."
Okay next part is coming sooner than you think. Read and Review as always. Do you guys know who the pressence is? If you do I'll write you into the next fic after I finish this one. So make a guess and leave a character name and a discription. Mutant or Immortal.