The Blood of Brotherhood by Merrie Thomas Part V
Disclaimer: I do not own nor claim to own Methos, Kronos, MacLeod, Amanda, Joe, Cassandra or any other characters from Highlander. If I did own them, I would be making new episodes instead of writing fan fiction in place of new episodes. Oh well. (sigh)
Summary: Methos and Kronos were brothers. In arms, in blood, in everything except birth. What exactly does this mean for Immortals?
Characters: DM, J, M, A, C, K, Valerie Viscount OFC, Allorem OFC
Author's Note: This is an alternate-universe story based around the events of Comes A Horseman and Revelations 6:8, WARNING if you don't wish to read about a Kronos romance, you may still read this story, but you won't like parts of it. Also, I live in the Midwest and I have traveled few places in my life, so I took some liberty and made some stuff up about the cities mentioned here. By the way, I'm sorry for the delay, moving to college is hell on your posting schedule. Hopefully now that I am moved in, updates will be quicker. Thanks for your patience!
Rating: This story is rated PG-13 for language and violence.
Chapter Five
The mixed group of mortals and Immortals were walking up the steps of Valerie's ground-floor apartment when they heard an ungodly scream echoing from somewhere near them. They turned to watch as Kronos dropped to the ground and writhed in agony. Valerie ran over to him from her place at the door, her keys dropped and forgotten. "Nigel! Speak to me! What is happening to you?" Kronos was beyond the point of coherent conversation though, and soon after Valerie had spoken, he lay still. Valerie cautiously put a trembling hand to his shoulder. "Nigel? Nigel, wake up. What's wrong? What was that? Please, talk to me!" Amanda came to her side and put a hand to Kronos' throat.
"He's dead," she announced to the group. "We'd better get him inside." She stepped back and let MacLeod through to help with Kronos' dead weight.
"Wait! What do you mean he's dead? He can't be dead! No! I don't believe it! It's not true." Valerie shouted hysterically. Joe laid a hand on her shoulder.
"Valerie, don't worry, I've seen this before. Nigel will be alright, trust me."
"What do you mean he'll be alright?! She said he was dead."
"Not dead enough." MacLeod muttered under his breath as he hefted the Kronos' dead weight over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. Joe glared at him.
"Trust me, Valerie. Nigel will be alright. Just wait and see." Joe assured her.
"I don't understand. What is happening? What is all of this?"
"We will explain everything, as soon as we get Nigel inside. Ok?"
"Ok," she agreed reluctantly, walking over to retrieve her keys from where they had been dropped. She unlocked the door and let MacLeod through first.
"Where should I put him?" MacLeod asked, knowing that if he simply dropped him down on the floor, his friends would have a fit.
"Over here, follow me." Valerie said as she led him through a long hallway to the living room. "You can put him down on the couch, it's closest." She said, and gestured to a long cream colored leather couch, and helped MacLeod lower Kronos onto it.
"I know this is probably not the time to comment, Valerie, but you have a beautiful little place here." Amanda said, surveying her surroundings with the observation of a thief. "Do you live here alone?"
"It's just me and my cat Cronos," she said, gesturing to the large orange and white tabby cat who had just entered into the room to inspect the commotion. He jumped up on Kronos' chest, sniffed him a couple of times, and curled up and laid down.
"Cronos, you say? What an unusual name for a cat. It sounds familiar though..." MacLeod commented
"It's from Greek mythology. Cronos, the ruler of the gods. But that's not the issue here, the issue is that my newly-found boyfriend is lying dead, yes dead, on my living room couch, and that you people assure me that everything will be fine." At that, Kronos sat up with a large gasp of air as he came back to life, dumping the cat onto the floor in the progress.
"Nigel! You're alive! How could this be? I'm sorry about Cronos. I'm sorry I didn't move him, but I thought you were dead, but you were dead, you just fell to the ground, and oh I didn't know what to do, and they assured me that you weren't really dead, but I didn't really believe them, and I was so scared that they were lying, and I just met you, I don't want you to be dead, and-"
"Valerie! Amanda and Kronos shouted at the same time. They looked at each other.
"Valerie," Kronos continued, Amanda having given him a nod to go on, "I'm alright. I will explain everything, I promise." He stopped and looked at MacLeod, Joe, and Amanda's questioning stares, "To everyone involved."
"You could start by telling us what the hell just happened back there!" MacLeod shouted at him.
"You wait your turn. Valerie, what I am about to tell you, you can never speak of to anyone. Do you hear me? No one can know about this. Promise me that you will never tell a soul about what you have heard tonight."
"Or what, you'll have to kill me?" Valerie quipped. At Kronos' silence, she swallowed and said, "I promise."
"Alright then. Valerie, I am an Immortal, I was born around 4000 years ago." he paused to take in the reactions his last statement got from the group. "My name is Kronos." Valerie began to laugh a little hysterically. Kronos looked over to the others, and they seemed to be holding back laughter as well. Kronos frowned. "What is it? My name used to inspire terror in nations. How can it possibly be funny?"
"I don't know what that means, but the cat, the one who was on your chest just now, his name is Cronos." Valerie said, catching her breath. She suddenly stopped laughing. "Wait a minute, did you just say you were 4000 years old? As in, 4000 years of life? How can that be possible? You certainly don't look 4000 years old."
"I don't know how it's possible, Val, but it's the truth. I am Immortal. I cannot die unless my head is separated from my body."
"Are there many of you?" Valerie asked timidly.
"Actually both MacLeod and Amanda are Immortals as well." he gestured to each of them in turn.
"How can you tell?" She looked over at them, trying to discern the answer from their appearance.
"It's not anything on the outside. We don't really look any different from ordinary people. The way I can tell is that I can feel them."
"Feel them?" Valerie asked.
"It's like a sense. I simply know when other Immortals are near."
"Why would you want to know when other Immortals are near?"
"Because they are probably hunting after your head. You see, we play a Game. A very dangerous Game that is probably nothing more than some drunken idiot's idea one night many thousands of years ago. We fight to the death, taking an enemy's head, and with it, his power."
"His power? What do you mean?"
"It's called a Quickening. It's like their life force, or soul, or whatever you want to call it. When the head of an Immortal is removed from their body, a lightning storm erupts, a Quickening, which enters into the body of the victor."
"You get struck by lighting for killing someone? Isn't that a little ironic?" Valerie couldn't help but commenting.
"It's not like that. First of all, it usually doesn't hurt, well, it does, but it's a pain/pleasure kind of thing. And secondly, you don't die from it, you are renewed."
"And what is the point of fighting in this so-called Game?"
"Supposedly there is supposed to be some kind of Prize to the victor, but I think that's a load of crap."
"Why?" MacLeod asked.
"Oh, think about it MacLeod. What good would having some kind of almighty Prize, of being the very last Immortal on earth, get you? I'll tell you. Absolute loneliness. There would never again be anyone who could ever hope to understand what you've gone through, or what you're going through. All of the people you know would grow old and die, nothing would be permanent."
"I've uh, never thought of it that way before." MacLeod said.
"Oh course you haven't. None of us have. We simply look forward to the benefits of having some great unknown Prize without looking to the consequences."
"Well, Valerie, now that you know what I am, I will try and explain what has been happening to me."
"Yes, I for one would certainly like to know what the hell happened back there." MacLeod said, coming over to where Kronos still lay on the couch.
"It's a bit difficult to explain," he said as he lifted up his shirt. He gestured to the lingering marks of torture that Methos had gone through.
"How in God's name did that happen?" Joe asked as he came to investigate.
"It actually didn't happen to me, it happened to our mutual friend. I assume you know who he really is? How old he really is?" Kronos asked.
"Yes, we all know who the Old Man really is. What do you mean it happened to him? How can that possibly affect you?" Amanda asked.
"As I said before, that is a bit difficult to explain. Methos has been tortured, and therefore I am tortured. We are connected you see, through our blood."
"What do you mean you're connected through your blood? Immortals don't have blood relatives." MacLeod said, merely stating a fact.
Kronos sighed. "I have know Methos my entire life. We have traveled to and fro in the earth, and up and down in it for many centuries. We are brothers."
"What do you mean you are brothers? Brothers in what? You certainly can't be from the same family, you said so yourself, he's 1000 years older than you." Joe asked.
"Oh, but we were, MacLeod. Methos and I were part of the most feared band of men in all history." He stopped as he looked over at Valerie, disbelief written all over her faith. He continued, laying all before her. "We were part of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse."
"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? You can't be serious." MacLeod said.
"Can't I?" Kronos questioned, ignoring the lingering pain in his chest and walking over to where MacLeod was, his voice growing cold, "How can you be so sure about that?"
"I-I don't believe it! Methos would never-" MacLeod sputtered, shocked.
"Believe it, MacLeod. He and I burned, raped, and pillaged over half of the known world for generations." Kronos said.
"No, not Methos-" MacLeod sputtered again before he was interrupted.
"No, it's not true. I know you, Nigel. You would never-I can't take this." Valerie stated, and ran out the front door.
"Valerie, wait!" Kronos shouted after, groaning as he got up from the couch to give chase. The others followed him.
As they reached the door, however, Valerie was no where to be seen.
"Can you really blame her, Kronos? I'm not so sure I would want to stick around if I found out my boyfriend was a murdering psychopath either." MacLeod quipped, his voice filled with hate and disgust. Kronos turned to him, his eyes blazing ice-blue fire. Before MacLeod could comment again, he found a long deadly looking sword at his neck that he hadn't noticed Kronos pick up.
"Don't you say a word, or I'll take your head in an instant. The only thing keeping you alive right now is Methos. Never forget that. I love that woman more than I have loved anyone in a long time, and I will get her back."
"We'll find her, Kronos. Now let MacLeod go. This solves nothing." Amanda said quietly, hoping that he was listening. She sighed in relief as Kronos pushed MacLeod away.
"You just wait, after this is over, you're head is mine." MacLeod seethed as he regained his balance from the hard shove.
"Likewise." was all Kronos had to comment.
"Where could she have gone?" Joe asked, trying to change the subject.
"I don't know, she knows the city and I don't. She could be anywhere." Kronos answered him.
"I'm sorry to say this, but do we have the time to look for her? You said that Methos is being tortured, and will perhaps even be killed by whoever has taken him. What happens to you if he is killed? I mean, permanently killed?" Amanda queried.
Kronos paused and sighed. "I'm not entirely sure. As you know, whatever happens to him, happens to me. Well, that's not always the case. It usually takes something pretty harmful to affect me through the link. For instance, if Methos were to accidently cut his hand, or something small such as that, I wouldn't feel it, but if he were to be tortured and murdered, well, you've seen the affects of that." Kronos answered her.
"Is there anyway to stop it?" Joe asked.
"Not that I know of, no. Methos and I were foolish to ever attempt it, but we were young and we didn't really believe or know about what would happen. We never even paused to consider the consequences. What can I say, we were young."
"Well, where do we go from here?" Amanda asked him.
"To be honest, I have no idea." Kronos sighed leading them back inside Valerie's house.
TBC A/N: Thanks for reading, hopefully the new chapter will be up soon! Please post your reviews!
Disclaimer: I do not own nor claim to own Methos, Kronos, MacLeod, Amanda, Joe, Cassandra or any other characters from Highlander. If I did own them, I would be making new episodes instead of writing fan fiction in place of new episodes. Oh well. (sigh)
Summary: Methos and Kronos were brothers. In arms, in blood, in everything except birth. What exactly does this mean for Immortals?
Characters: DM, J, M, A, C, K, Valerie Viscount OFC, Allorem OFC
Author's Note: This is an alternate-universe story based around the events of Comes A Horseman and Revelations 6:8, WARNING if you don't wish to read about a Kronos romance, you may still read this story, but you won't like parts of it. Also, I live in the Midwest and I have traveled few places in my life, so I took some liberty and made some stuff up about the cities mentioned here. By the way, I'm sorry for the delay, moving to college is hell on your posting schedule. Hopefully now that I am moved in, updates will be quicker. Thanks for your patience!
Rating: This story is rated PG-13 for language and violence.
Chapter Five
The mixed group of mortals and Immortals were walking up the steps of Valerie's ground-floor apartment when they heard an ungodly scream echoing from somewhere near them. They turned to watch as Kronos dropped to the ground and writhed in agony. Valerie ran over to him from her place at the door, her keys dropped and forgotten. "Nigel! Speak to me! What is happening to you?" Kronos was beyond the point of coherent conversation though, and soon after Valerie had spoken, he lay still. Valerie cautiously put a trembling hand to his shoulder. "Nigel? Nigel, wake up. What's wrong? What was that? Please, talk to me!" Amanda came to her side and put a hand to Kronos' throat.
"He's dead," she announced to the group. "We'd better get him inside." She stepped back and let MacLeod through to help with Kronos' dead weight.
"Wait! What do you mean he's dead? He can't be dead! No! I don't believe it! It's not true." Valerie shouted hysterically. Joe laid a hand on her shoulder.
"Valerie, don't worry, I've seen this before. Nigel will be alright, trust me."
"What do you mean he'll be alright?! She said he was dead."
"Not dead enough." MacLeod muttered under his breath as he hefted the Kronos' dead weight over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. Joe glared at him.
"Trust me, Valerie. Nigel will be alright. Just wait and see." Joe assured her.
"I don't understand. What is happening? What is all of this?"
"We will explain everything, as soon as we get Nigel inside. Ok?"
"Ok," she agreed reluctantly, walking over to retrieve her keys from where they had been dropped. She unlocked the door and let MacLeod through first.
"Where should I put him?" MacLeod asked, knowing that if he simply dropped him down on the floor, his friends would have a fit.
"Over here, follow me." Valerie said as she led him through a long hallway to the living room. "You can put him down on the couch, it's closest." She said, and gestured to a long cream colored leather couch, and helped MacLeod lower Kronos onto it.
"I know this is probably not the time to comment, Valerie, but you have a beautiful little place here." Amanda said, surveying her surroundings with the observation of a thief. "Do you live here alone?"
"It's just me and my cat Cronos," she said, gesturing to the large orange and white tabby cat who had just entered into the room to inspect the commotion. He jumped up on Kronos' chest, sniffed him a couple of times, and curled up and laid down.
"Cronos, you say? What an unusual name for a cat. It sounds familiar though..." MacLeod commented
"It's from Greek mythology. Cronos, the ruler of the gods. But that's not the issue here, the issue is that my newly-found boyfriend is lying dead, yes dead, on my living room couch, and that you people assure me that everything will be fine." At that, Kronos sat up with a large gasp of air as he came back to life, dumping the cat onto the floor in the progress.
"Nigel! You're alive! How could this be? I'm sorry about Cronos. I'm sorry I didn't move him, but I thought you were dead, but you were dead, you just fell to the ground, and oh I didn't know what to do, and they assured me that you weren't really dead, but I didn't really believe them, and I was so scared that they were lying, and I just met you, I don't want you to be dead, and-"
"Valerie! Amanda and Kronos shouted at the same time. They looked at each other.
"Valerie," Kronos continued, Amanda having given him a nod to go on, "I'm alright. I will explain everything, I promise." He stopped and looked at MacLeod, Joe, and Amanda's questioning stares, "To everyone involved."
"You could start by telling us what the hell just happened back there!" MacLeod shouted at him.
"You wait your turn. Valerie, what I am about to tell you, you can never speak of to anyone. Do you hear me? No one can know about this. Promise me that you will never tell a soul about what you have heard tonight."
"Or what, you'll have to kill me?" Valerie quipped. At Kronos' silence, she swallowed and said, "I promise."
"Alright then. Valerie, I am an Immortal, I was born around 4000 years ago." he paused to take in the reactions his last statement got from the group. "My name is Kronos." Valerie began to laugh a little hysterically. Kronos looked over to the others, and they seemed to be holding back laughter as well. Kronos frowned. "What is it? My name used to inspire terror in nations. How can it possibly be funny?"
"I don't know what that means, but the cat, the one who was on your chest just now, his name is Cronos." Valerie said, catching her breath. She suddenly stopped laughing. "Wait a minute, did you just say you were 4000 years old? As in, 4000 years of life? How can that be possible? You certainly don't look 4000 years old."
"I don't know how it's possible, Val, but it's the truth. I am Immortal. I cannot die unless my head is separated from my body."
"Are there many of you?" Valerie asked timidly.
"Actually both MacLeod and Amanda are Immortals as well." he gestured to each of them in turn.
"How can you tell?" She looked over at them, trying to discern the answer from their appearance.
"It's not anything on the outside. We don't really look any different from ordinary people. The way I can tell is that I can feel them."
"Feel them?" Valerie asked.
"It's like a sense. I simply know when other Immortals are near."
"Why would you want to know when other Immortals are near?"
"Because they are probably hunting after your head. You see, we play a Game. A very dangerous Game that is probably nothing more than some drunken idiot's idea one night many thousands of years ago. We fight to the death, taking an enemy's head, and with it, his power."
"His power? What do you mean?"
"It's called a Quickening. It's like their life force, or soul, or whatever you want to call it. When the head of an Immortal is removed from their body, a lightning storm erupts, a Quickening, which enters into the body of the victor."
"You get struck by lighting for killing someone? Isn't that a little ironic?" Valerie couldn't help but commenting.
"It's not like that. First of all, it usually doesn't hurt, well, it does, but it's a pain/pleasure kind of thing. And secondly, you don't die from it, you are renewed."
"And what is the point of fighting in this so-called Game?"
"Supposedly there is supposed to be some kind of Prize to the victor, but I think that's a load of crap."
"Why?" MacLeod asked.
"Oh, think about it MacLeod. What good would having some kind of almighty Prize, of being the very last Immortal on earth, get you? I'll tell you. Absolute loneliness. There would never again be anyone who could ever hope to understand what you've gone through, or what you're going through. All of the people you know would grow old and die, nothing would be permanent."
"I've uh, never thought of it that way before." MacLeod said.
"Oh course you haven't. None of us have. We simply look forward to the benefits of having some great unknown Prize without looking to the consequences."
"Well, Valerie, now that you know what I am, I will try and explain what has been happening to me."
"Yes, I for one would certainly like to know what the hell happened back there." MacLeod said, coming over to where Kronos still lay on the couch.
"It's a bit difficult to explain," he said as he lifted up his shirt. He gestured to the lingering marks of torture that Methos had gone through.
"How in God's name did that happen?" Joe asked as he came to investigate.
"It actually didn't happen to me, it happened to our mutual friend. I assume you know who he really is? How old he really is?" Kronos asked.
"Yes, we all know who the Old Man really is. What do you mean it happened to him? How can that possibly affect you?" Amanda asked.
"As I said before, that is a bit difficult to explain. Methos has been tortured, and therefore I am tortured. We are connected you see, through our blood."
"What do you mean you're connected through your blood? Immortals don't have blood relatives." MacLeod said, merely stating a fact.
Kronos sighed. "I have know Methos my entire life. We have traveled to and fro in the earth, and up and down in it for many centuries. We are brothers."
"What do you mean you are brothers? Brothers in what? You certainly can't be from the same family, you said so yourself, he's 1000 years older than you." Joe asked.
"Oh, but we were, MacLeod. Methos and I were part of the most feared band of men in all history." He stopped as he looked over at Valerie, disbelief written all over her faith. He continued, laying all before her. "We were part of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse."
"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? You can't be serious." MacLeod said.
"Can't I?" Kronos questioned, ignoring the lingering pain in his chest and walking over to where MacLeod was, his voice growing cold, "How can you be so sure about that?"
"I-I don't believe it! Methos would never-" MacLeod sputtered, shocked.
"Believe it, MacLeod. He and I burned, raped, and pillaged over half of the known world for generations." Kronos said.
"No, not Methos-" MacLeod sputtered again before he was interrupted.
"No, it's not true. I know you, Nigel. You would never-I can't take this." Valerie stated, and ran out the front door.
"Valerie, wait!" Kronos shouted after, groaning as he got up from the couch to give chase. The others followed him.
As they reached the door, however, Valerie was no where to be seen.
"Can you really blame her, Kronos? I'm not so sure I would want to stick around if I found out my boyfriend was a murdering psychopath either." MacLeod quipped, his voice filled with hate and disgust. Kronos turned to him, his eyes blazing ice-blue fire. Before MacLeod could comment again, he found a long deadly looking sword at his neck that he hadn't noticed Kronos pick up.
"Don't you say a word, or I'll take your head in an instant. The only thing keeping you alive right now is Methos. Never forget that. I love that woman more than I have loved anyone in a long time, and I will get her back."
"We'll find her, Kronos. Now let MacLeod go. This solves nothing." Amanda said quietly, hoping that he was listening. She sighed in relief as Kronos pushed MacLeod away.
"You just wait, after this is over, you're head is mine." MacLeod seethed as he regained his balance from the hard shove.
"Likewise." was all Kronos had to comment.
"Where could she have gone?" Joe asked, trying to change the subject.
"I don't know, she knows the city and I don't. She could be anywhere." Kronos answered him.
"I'm sorry to say this, but do we have the time to look for her? You said that Methos is being tortured, and will perhaps even be killed by whoever has taken him. What happens to you if he is killed? I mean, permanently killed?" Amanda queried.
Kronos paused and sighed. "I'm not entirely sure. As you know, whatever happens to him, happens to me. Well, that's not always the case. It usually takes something pretty harmful to affect me through the link. For instance, if Methos were to accidently cut his hand, or something small such as that, I wouldn't feel it, but if he were to be tortured and murdered, well, you've seen the affects of that." Kronos answered her.
"Is there anyway to stop it?" Joe asked.
"Not that I know of, no. Methos and I were foolish to ever attempt it, but we were young and we didn't really believe or know about what would happen. We never even paused to consider the consequences. What can I say, we were young."
"Well, where do we go from here?" Amanda asked him.
"To be honest, I have no idea." Kronos sighed leading them back inside Valerie's house.
TBC A/N: Thanks for reading, hopefully the new chapter will be up soon! Please post your reviews!