Disclaimer : You guys know the drill. I don't own Highlander

Just the character(s) I created…..yada yada yada don't sue
//thoughts//
*emphasis*
"speech"
I think that should cover most of them

Chapter 1

Adam Pierson sat in his office going over some of the graduate term papers. Some were pretty interesting considering the information they had available about the cultures in question. He sighed. As Methos, the oldest Immortal, he knew that some of these papers were dead wrong but he couldn't fault the students for incomplete information. They hadn't been there. Another email popped up on his computer. They had been slowly trickling in throughout the day, messages from the first year class that the dean had asked him to fill in for. God he wasn't looking forward to that week. No matter how hard they tried, first year papers were generally on the same topics.

//Maybe I can push most of them off to the TAs,// Adam thought as he began to open messages. He had given the class the task of writing a paper about a myth. They could take it any way they want to but the basis has to be in mythology. By leaving it that open he was hoping that there would be enough variety to keep him interested when marking their assignments. The first three were all pretty similar: Greek mythology's impact on culture, Greek mythology's impact on literature, Roman religion and myth in today's society. Methos groaned. Maybe he could go on vacation the week they handed in their assignments. Adam opened the next message and raised and eyebrow. This one sounded interesting.

Hey Dr. Pierson

Just letting you know about my topic for the essay. I want to write about the myth of Immortals, and before you say anything, I know it is a broad topic so I am narrowing it down to the non-gods. Just the Immortals with no other power except the long life of course :)

Anyway, I wanted to take the stance that they exist either the way they are depicted or as just an exaggeration of some actual people. I think it'd be kinda cool, but I might have to ask for a bit of an extension. I'm having some probs getting some info from the gov.

BTW your link on the web on where we can pick up our quizzes is missing. I was hoping to pick mine up this week.

Kira Shinomori

Methos reread the email. //What is she trying to get from the government?// He thought. //If it's census reports she's going to be out of luck….Immortals know how to hide themselves. Well there's only one way to find out.//

Kira

The quizzes are in my office. You can come pick yours up during my office hours. Your topic sounds interesting but I am worried about the amount of information you'll need to get. I'd like to go over your topic with you first.

Adam Pierson.

Methos sent off his reply and leaned back into his chair. //I really should get to marking those graduate papers,// he thought.

*************

Adam was sitting in his office staring out the window. //I hate Friday.// He began to spin in his chair. Why did he have to have office hours on a Friday afternoon? No one came. Hell, the majority of students skipped their Friday classes altogether. He glanced at the clock. It read only a minute later than the last time he looked. He glared at the infernal thing. //I just can't understand it. I can remember decades passing by more quickly than this.// Suddenly he heard a chuckle at the door.

"I can tell you, from experience, that never works."

Methos jumped. He hadn't heard anyone coming down the hall. Looking up he saw a girl leaning against the doorframe. She was average height with her brunette hair done up in a single braid that travelled down to the small of her back. But what Methos found really surprising was her eyes. They were an ocean green flecked with gold.

"What never works?" Methos asked giving himself a mental shake.

"Checking the time every few seconds. I have this one prof. who speaks in this monotone and makes his one hour class seem 3 hours long."

Methos chuckled. He knew what professor she was talking about. "So what do you do?"

She smiled. "Well you'd be surprised how much fun a digital camera and some photo editing programs can be."

Methos laughed. "So what can I do for you Miss……?"

She blushed. "Oh I'm sorry, I'm Kira Shinomori," she said finally stepping into the room.

That's when he felt it, an immortal buzz. He paused. //No, she's not Immortal. I would guess that she's pre-Immortal but her quickening feels off.// As he sat there he could feel her quickening fluctuating. He doubted anyone other than him would be able to sense her but this sense was putting him of balance.

On the other side of the desk, Kira continued to talk. "I was hoping to pick up my quiz today and maybe go over my assignment if you weren't to busy, Professor."

"Call me Adam," he said going through the quizzes on his desk.

"Call you Adam? But that seems so disrespectful."

Methos chuckled. "But Professor makes me feel so old," he whined passing Kira's quiz to her.

Kira laughed. "God you sound just like a two year old, but then again, I guess that's what you get for being the baby of the faculty."

Methos smiled. She was good. "So Kira, your topic. I'm worried about the amount of information you'll be able to get," he stated.

"Actually, I found this story in an old journal I found. Actually the book was one of my impulse buys and I had a friend's brother translate for me a couple summers ago."

"Really? What language was it in?"

"Ancient Greek. Any way it told the story of how this one guy lived for 200 years. He went around cutting people's heads off and he eventually died the same way. What happened in these fights was that the winner would like absorb the losers soul and call down lightning."

Methos froze. Could she have one of the Watcher Chronicles? "But that is just one story." he stated trying to feel out her argument.

Kira smiled. "Actually, if I use this story as the basis of what defines this type of immortality, I could use the story of Zeus, cause he controls lightning, and how he killed his father through a beheading as backup."

Methos looked at her. Although he knew that there was no immortal that that myth was based on he could not refute her association. "Ok, but you also said you were going to try and prove that these immortal existed. How exactly?" he asked curious about her response.

"That's why I might need an extension. I've been talking to some police divisions about beheadings in Europe and the US but only a few have got back to me so far."

"Really?" Methos was surprised. The way she was going about this, she might actually turn up something. "Where are you looking?"

"Mostly the large cities, Amsterdam, London, Paris, Rome. In the US I'm looking in New York, LA Seattle. Actually Seattle mentioned that I might want to look in a town called Seacouver. It seems they have had some beheadings over the last 25 years."

Methos looked at her. With this amount of information, he could not tell her to find another topic without raising her suspicions. But She was going to find something. He paused. She already was a pre-Immortal, this would just expose her to it a little earlier than most. "Seems you've been working on this for a while."

"Off and on for about a year and a half. My parents used to encourage it so it would get me out of their hair."

"Used to?" Methos asked sensing something behind the words.

"They died almost a year ago," Kira said sadly.

"I'm sorry."

"It's ok, actually this is one of the things I remember most about them. My mom was a lawyer and my dad was a doctor. I began to read their stuff a few years back when I got bored and began to question what was in their journals. Eventually they got tired of answering and told me to present my arguments as though it were a case. Proof for everything I say. If I couldn't understand then they would help me." Kira smiled. "I guess I have them to thank now."

Methos quirked an eyebrow not sure of where her train of thought was going.

"Well everyone is stressing over finding research and here I am making it more difficult for myself."

Methos chuckled. He had heard some of the students stressing over their assignments already. Suddenly he felt an approaching Immortal. He glanced at the clock. It was almost 5pm which would mean that the Immortal would be MacLeod coming to find him after Methos missed their lunch plans.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take up so much time."

"It's ok, Kira. I think I'm going to give you an extension. Think two weeks is enough?" At her nod he continued. "Good. I'd love to continue chatting unfortunately I'm supposed to meet someone."

"No problem," Kira said getting up. "Thanks for the extension. See you in class," she said as she went out the door passing by MacLeod and Joe. Methos watched he go with a thoughtful expression.

Mac looked between the student and his friend and smiled. "So Adam. Forget lunch? Must have been an engaging conversation," said Joe.

Methos looked at Joe. "Do you know who she is?"

"No why?" replied the bartender.

"I'm wondering if the Watchers are keeping an eye on her. She's halfway there to proving Immortals exist."

"What? How?" asked Mac shocked.

"Well she's in the mythology class I'm teaching and they have a paper due in two months on an aspect if myth. She decided she wanted to prove the myth of Immortals is actually true. As far as I can tell, she hasn't seen anything. This is purely an intellectual pursuit," Methos replied.

"You told them about Immortals in lecture?"

"Don't be stupid MacLeod," Methos said angrily. "She said she found some reference to us in an old Greek text that she found someone to translate. My guess is she found a Chronicle. And is trying to tie it to the beheadings that have been happening recently."

"Why I she trying to tie it to today?" asked Joe confused.

"It's a first year course," replied Methos.

Joe still didn't understand.

"She's trying to be original," said Mac. "That way the marker will remember her in the larger class."

Joe chuckled. "Well she certainly got your attention. Do you want me to check her out?"

Methos nodded. "We're going to have to keep an eye on her."

A/N To be continued…..