After a month of living in AMC City, everything was going well for Jesse Plunk. The building he had recently bought was doing incredibly well for itself as he rented it out as an apartment complex that was more along the lines of a luxury suite for each renter. He didn't charge much, as he actually didn't need the money. The only things he was actually paying for were the cable services and a few basic utilities. The electricity was generated by a supposedly experimental fusion engine that in truth provided the power to most of AMC and a good portion of the eastern United States without anyone but a few choice government officials being the wiser.

Water was supplied from an underground spring whose depths and actual size had yet to be determined officially. Unofficially, it was about two miles deep and a good seven miles in area. Of course, only a handful knew this.

The phone lines were owned by Microsoft, which in truth Jesse had founded. Of course, no one realized this. He merely guided others using a bit of simple mind alteration and psychic inducement to give them ideas and keep them from making any mistakes at all in their research. In other words, they worked flawlessly and profits were far beyond what anyone except himself knew.

And oh how he had laughed when the world had worried about Y2K. First, the computer aspect, while serious, was no problem. He had already figured the answer to that problem back in the third century B.C.. As for the Christian religious aspects, since the founding of the A.D calendar was done hundreds of years after Christ's reported birth, they were off by a few years. The true year two thousand, as they thought they were recording it, had taken place years ago. The only thing that had happened was the ending of another thousand years imprisonment by a dark evil that was defeated by the Highlander, Duncan Macleod of the Clan Macleod, a young Immortal whose name was legendary among Immortals and Watchers alike. He had a habit of surviving things Jesse himself might have balked at.

"Well, its almost time to get something to eat," Jesse muses as he closes another window on the computer screen, "I wonder if Pierre has figured out how to properly prepare red Moblin Meat yet? Maybe I should tell him. Then his profits will really skyrocket."

Jesse didn't really care for money. Why, a person could live steadily from just his yearly tax returns from an infant to living to be a hundred. A hundred and fifty if they spent their money wisely.

Not to mention the fact that he actually knew how to turn lead into gold and wood into silver either by scientific, magical, or even psychic means.

"I wonder when the others will arrive?" Jesse asks himself, "they should have noticed my tampering with the world's ki lines the day I did it. The MOMENT I started tampering with them in fact. Maybe they're too deep into their current lives to take care of things without causing a lot of heartache. I know none of them are dead. Without our sub-psychic link, we'd have felt it if one of us died."

Jesse's stomach growls, telling him that it's empty and talking to himself would not fill it up.

"Well, I guess it is time to eat," Jesse muses. He closes out the program on the computer and heads out of his apartments and gets into the elevator and presses the button that will take him to the kitchen and Pierre's Bar.

Pierre's Bar was a hotspot for teenagers in the city of AMC. It didn't serve alcoholic beverages to those under the age of fourteen and it obeyed all the laws set for such establishments. There were only two abnormalities about it: it was almost outside of the city limits, well away from two of the three high schools, and it was underneath a house that doubled as an apartment building. If fact, its kitchen doubled as the buildings kitchen.

"Hey Pierre, you got any of that special meat only this place seems to have?" a dark-haired young man asks.

And Pierre's Bar was home to a trend that was quickly catching on over the rest of the city and even the rest of the country.

"Speed Demon, how nice to see you not almost-hitting people in your car," Pierre says with his French accent. The dark-haired teen's face flushes.

"I haven't run anyone down yet," the teen known as Speed Demon for his reckless driving at incredibly high speeds retorts.

"Only because we all quickly learned how to dodge," Pierre snaps, "would you like anything to drink?"

"Yes, some Pepsi would be nice," Speed Demon replies, "make it a medium."

"One order of Moblin Meat coming right up," Pierre says, "would you like the red or the blue?"

"The blue please, done medium well," Speed Demon replies, "you know nobody orders the red. It's dangerous around fire and a few of your patrons smoke."

"I know the red is dangerous," Pierre mutters, "and I wish I knew how this place never seems to run out of food."

When Pierre returns, he hands Speed Demon his food and drink and Speed demon pays him. Then a strange young woman enters from the outside entrance and sits down at the bar.

She had long golden blonde hair that reached her shoulders and sky blue eyes. Her bearing seemed a little odd, as if she was expecting to be attacked. But her demeanor was cheerful and friendly, if a bit secretive.

"What will be your pleasure, mademoiselle?" Pierre asks the stranger.

"I'll have the Moblin Meat, red, medium well, and a glass of Benadouchi, 1934," the young woman asks.

"May I see some ID?" Pierre asks.

The woman shows him her ID and Pierre goes off to fix the woman's order. Speed Demon looks at the young woman with something akin to pity, thinking she doesn't know what she's getting herself into by eating red Moblin Meat.

Pierre brings back the order and places it before the young woman. She pays him. She then takes out a matchbox, pulls out a match, lights it, and drops it onto the Moblin Meat. The meat catches fire, but it quickly goes out.

"There, now I don't have to worry about any unpleasant surprises in gaseous emissions after eating this," she says as she takes a bite out of the meat as Pierre and Speed demon ogle her in amazement, "red Moblin Meat is so delicious, but its also so dangerous since so few know the ways to prepare it, and most of those people have no way of passing the knowledge down."

"That's amazing," Pierre gasps, "if I set fire to the meat after it is cooked in an oven, it will be safe to eat?"

"Actually, Moblin Meat is supposed to be cooked over an open fire," the young woman replies, "but not many restaurants are able to do this. I'm surprised you even have any Moblin Meat at all. Its extremely rare."

"What kind of animal does Moblin Meat come from?" Pierre asks.

"Sorry, that's a special secret that only those who gather the meat know, and they are sworn to secrecy," the young woman replies.

"Well, thank you anyway for showing me how to fix it after cooking to make it safe to eat," Pierre says, "I am Pierre, owner of this establishment. You are the only person I have seen in a long time who will eat red Moblin Meat."

"Well, isn't that interesting," the young woman replies, "my name is Elizabeth. I'm a bit of a wanderer. I love to travel, but every now and then I spend a while in a place and build myself a life there."

"Well, if you are looking for a place to stay, you could try the House," Pierre offers.

"The House?" Elizabeth asks after taking a sip of her wine.

"Pierre's Bar is located underneath the House," Pierre replies, "the owner rents it out cheaply, but he doesn't let many stay here. It wouldn't hurt to ask him. It's about time for him to come down and eat anyway. He rents the dining area and kitchen out to me."

"Thank you, and please come again," the female automated voice of the elevator says when it reaches the appointed floor, "please take ticket."

Grudgingly, Jesse takes the ticket, knowing full well what it was. He didn't know why he let Pierre talk him into putting that blasted ticket machine in the elevator. The tickets ranged from free meals to free passes for games to even free play at the game that the Bar was famous for: Spin the Bottle. And Jesse always got Free Spin the Bottle tickets. And since the moment he touched them they were encoded to his DNA, he couldn't sell them to anyone or give them away. And Pierre was adamant about enforcing that rule.

However, for some strange reason, something business arrangement always called him away on Spin the Bottle nights. How peculiar.

But now Jesse had an odd feeling of dread. He wasn't sure what it was, but he could feel that something was nearby, hiding from him.

However, since none of the enemies he had that were mortal were due for another week, Jesse relaxed, knowing that whatever it was would likely be an inconvenience at the worst.

He walks into Pierre's Bar and posts Pierre chatting with a lovely young blonde. His heart skips a beat when he sees who it was. He now knew the source of his ominous feeling.

Grinning, he walks over to the bar and steps up behind the young woman. He motions to Pierre to keep silent. Deepening his voice, he speaks in a friendly matter of a guy desperate for a talk with a pretty young lady that would hopefully lead to something in the way of getting some 'action' later on.

"Excuse me miss, mind if I sit here beside you?"

Elizabeth turns around to glare at him, talking as she turns around. "Listen you, if you testosterone-laden men don't stop bothering me, there'll be body parts scattered everywhere. I already have a boyfriend."

She goggles at Jesse the moment her eyes meet his.

"I'm glad to hear it," Jesse grins, his voice returning to normal, "been a long time Elizabeth."

Jesse takes her right hand and lifts it to his lips, planting a gentlemanly kiss on it. "I take it you are awed by my inspiring presence as always."

"You wish," Elizabeth scoffs, a twinkle of merriment in her eyes, "but it seriously has been too long since we last saw each other."

"You were the one who wanted to travel separately," Jesse replies, "have you had any contact with the others lately?"

"Well, I did talk with Alex when I made a stop in Rome last year," Elizabeth replies, "he was doing very well for himself. He's doing the usual stuff."

"I don't think he'll ever change," Jesse chuckles, "no word from Adam or Laci?"

"Nope," Elizabeth says, "no, that's no true. I got a letter from Adam a while back saying he was studying in a monastery with some Buddhist monks. As for Laci, I think she's just roaming the highways on that motorcycle you gave her for her birthday."

"Adam as a monk?" Jesse goggles, "now that was unexpected. I'd have expected something like that from Alex and even myself, but not Adam."

"I think he's trying to learn to control his temper," Elizabeth replies.

"That explains it," Jesse says, "that temper of his was always getting him into trouble."

"Mostly with you," Elizabeth points out as she takes another sip of wine.

"Benadouchi '34?" Jesse inquires. Elizabeth nods.

"You two know each other?" Pierre asks.

"Remember how I kept turning down every guy who wanted to sit with me by saying I had a boyfriend?" Elizabeth asks, "well, Jesse's him. I take it you're the owner of the House, I presume?"

"And Pierre's very silent partner," Jesse says, "I keep the pantry stocked, he sells the food and brings business to this part of AMC. I eventually plan to help open up a few other businesses and get this area booming. Bring jobs and the like here."

"You always were the business entrepreneur," Elizabeth chuckles.

"Pierre, I'll have my usual," Jesse says, "and make it medium rare this time. Doctor recently told me I need to eat my meat a bit more raw."

Pierre nods and walks off to prepare the food.

"Was that doctor bit true?" Elizabeth asks, "as I remember, it, the only 'doctor' you've allowed to examine you in years was Alex. Or does that witch doctor back in Puerto Rico count?"

Jesse groans at that memory. "Are you ever gonna let me live that down?"

Elizabeth eyes him carefully. "Jesse, even if you live to be a million we'll never let you live it down."

Jesse sighs and takes the plate holding his dinner from Pierre. It was a sort of salad of meat, consisting of mostly red and blue Moblin Meat and chunks of beef in a rich and spicy marinade with a glass of Benadouchi 1933 to wash it down.

"The Benadouchi '34 is a good year, but the '33 is even better. It has a much more fruity taste," Jesse says as he takes a sip of his wine.

"I thought you didn't like wine?" Elizabeth asks, "what about that, er, problem you had last time me, you, and the others went drinking?"

"Oh, that?" Jesse laughs, "I took care of that. Turns out it was simply Lucky screwing around with me again. I think he's still licking his wounds."

Elizabeth blinks, but says nothing else.

Jesse and Elizabeth chat away, reminiscing about old times, never once mentioning a specific year.

As closing time for the Bar comes to pass, Pierre walks up to his silent partner.

"So this is why you kept turning down those schoolgirls who flirted with you," Pierre chuckles, "she is a pretty one. You could easily do worse."

"Yeah, I could have taken up with one of those schoolgirls," Jesse says blandly, "the whole lot of them, with maybe one or two exceptions, don't have the combined brainpower to add up two and two. The exceptions are a decent sort. I'd actually talk to them if they weren't such flirts."

"They only see you as a way to money," Elizabeth says firmly.

"Only if by easy money you mean free rent here at the House and free meals in Pierre's Bar," Jesse laughs.

"I see," Elizabeth says.

"Yes, not many know about Monsieur Jesse's extensive funds," Pierre says, "in fact, he only told me that he was doing well enough to run the Bar and the House like he does. I don't see how he turns a profit, but I have never seen him complain about bills or anything."

"Well Elizabeth, would you like to see your room?" Jesse asks, standing up.

"Yes, and we can talk about old times some more," Elizabeth says with a fond smile, "particularly your most embarrassing moments."

"Just great, I love being embarrassed," Jesse grumbles as the two of them head for the elevator.

"Jesse, why did you try using that fire spell on the ticket?" Elizabeth asks.

"Because those tickets are evil," Jesse replies as he once again tries to rip the ticket to shreds. How in the world did Pierre manage to make these tickets so durable that even I couldn't tear them up?

"And how is a slip of paper evil?" Elizabeth inquires.

"Pierre has various games and the like and one of them is Spin the Bottle," Jesse replies, "for some reason, I always get Free Spin the Bottle tickets. I have to create all sorts of excuses to keep from being forced to participate. If you are in the area on Spin the Bottle night and you have a Free Spin the Bottle ticket, participation is mandatory."

"Oh, poor Jesse," Elizabeth laughs, "you always did have bad luck in everything except fighting and saving people."

"That hasn't changed in 6,000 years," Jesse says, "you're the closest I've ever come to a steady girlfriend."

"And we've only been on one date," Elizabeth adds, "not much of a steady relationship."

"Can we even call that night a date?" Jesse asks, "as I recall, it was a perfect example of Murphy's Law. Not a single thing went right. We ended up getting into five fights with other Immortals each, ten bar fights, three shootouts with gangsters, had to avoid two hit squads, and ended up having to save the world from an ancient evil that we thought we had sealed away in ancient China that was accidentally released by a bunch of street kids."

"It was one exciting night," Elizabeth agrees, "but before all of that happened, it was still nice. By the way, have you even looked for someone?"

"Elizabeth, even though we are approaching the end of the Game, it may still be a hundred years before it is over," Jesse says sadly, "how can I put anyone through that? Watching me stay the same while they grow older and older until they pass away from old age."

"Tis a sad and lonely life, being an Immortal," Elizabeth agrees.

"Have you found anyone recently?" Jesse asks, "I know you hadn't found anyone since we last met."

"Nope, still been single," Elizabeth says.

"You know, we're probably the oldest living single people in history," Jesse chuckles.

"Not to mention the oldest living virgins," Elizabeth laughs. Jesse blushes faintly.

"Still a bit of a prude, are you?" Elizabeth asks upon seeing Jesse blush.

"I am not a prude," Jesse retorts, "I'm just sensitive."

"You're a prude and you know it," Elizabeth argues, "and Alex and your siblings are just as bad."

"I'm surprised Alex hasn't found anyone," Jesse says, "after all, he was the heartthrob of the Clans six thousand years ago."

"I remember all the girls trailing after him once they reached puberty," Elizabeth giggles, "it was funny seeing him so flustered all the time."

"It was the same for Adam and Laci," Jesse chuckles, "a lot of the guys were after Laci, but they stopped once she beat one or two senseless. As for Adam, he ended up having to master every invisibility spell he could get his hands on to escape his adoring crowd."

"Why weren't you ever trailed like your brother and half the guys in your Clan?" Elizabeth asks, "I've always wondered about that."

"Because I constantly insulted them until they left me alone," Jesse replies evenly, "you were the only one who I didn't insult, and for the life of me I can't figure out why I didn't insult you before we got to know each other."

"Probably because you simply noticed something special about me," Elizabeth says with a saccharine smile.

Jesse frowns in disgust while Elizabeth bursts out laughing. Finally, Elizabeth brings herself back under control and becomes completely serious.

"So, has the time finally come?" she asks.

"It has," Jesse replies, mirroring Elizabeth's seriousness, "the prophecies all point to this period of time as being when everything will come to a head. The forces of Darkness and Evil are coming forth and gaining strength."

"How long do we have until the battle reaches its peak?" Elizabeth asks.

"According to the prophecies, sometime within the next three decades," Jesse says, "the others who are to help us are alive now and of age to help. The New Age Mage, the Heart of Truth, the Creator of a Dynasty, and the Lost Warrior are all within this city."

"What about the Shadow?" Elizabeth asks, "and the Warrior of Power? Those five and the Shadow are our only hope for possible successors to our power."

"I have not been able to locate the Shadow," Jesse replies, though his eyes grow troubled at the mention of the Shadow, "the Shadow doesn't seem to exist at the moment."

"Then things look bleak," Elizabeth remarks.

"Not necessarily," Jesse replies, "remember, some of those people spoken of in The Prophecy are there for just one event. And there are many who are not mentioned in The Prophecy or any other prophecy that I or even Alex has seen that will play roles maybe as big as the one I will play were I still under normal circumstances. Now I have power out the wazoo, since normal circumstances no longer apply to me.

"Normal circumstances no longer apply to you?" Elizabeth asks, "what do you mean? If what you say is true, then what kind of circumstances can possibly give you that much power?"

"I have located The Prophecy," Jesse says sullenly, "it names me as the spearhead for the fight against Evil and the Power of Black in the upcoming war."

Elizabeth's eyes widen and she gasps. "Oh Jesse, you don't mean?"

Jesse nods before she can finish. Confusion is now evident in his eyes. "It names me as the Chosen One of the AMC Universe."

"Of just the AMC Universe?" Elizabeth asks.

"Yes, the AMC Universe," Jesse says, "apparently, there are several other universes. Our Universe, the AMC Universe, is the one where the battle of Good and Evil will come to a head. Heroes from the other universes will come here to aid us in our battle, but the villains will help the evil as well. But those of the AMC Universe will be the difference-makers. Those indicated by the prophecies will be the main focal points. But the prophecies are incomplete and The Prophecy is mainly directed at a group known as "the Five"."

"The Five?" Elizabeth asks, puzzled.

"Me, you, Alex, Adam, and Laci," Jesse replies, "it seems that we will be defending all that is innocent and neutral with the help of several others."

"Who are these others?" Elizabeth asks.

"I don't know," Jesse admits, "there isn't even any mention in The Prophecy that I can decipher. The part that had that information was in a language that I don't know and The Prophecy is immune to any and all translation spells."

"So we're gonna be stuck with strangers?" Elizabeth asks.

"Yes, and we're undermanned with just me and you here," Jesse replies, "The Prophecy states that the Five will face a powerful force, and this force will come soon."

"How soon?" Elizabeth asks.

"That's a bit of speculation," Jesse grumbles, "you know how prophecies are. They do not specify specific times. It does mention the dark of the moon, and that's in two weeks."

"It was also on the day you messed with the ki lines, remember?" Elizabeth asks.

"Point, so they may already be here, but just be waiting for the Five to gather to crush us," Jesse admits, "The Prophecy does mention several events happening within the next few years."

"So, what do we do?" Elizabeth asks.

"We wait for the others to get here," Jesse says, "once they arrive we can move on to fulfilling our destinies."

"What about the game?" Elizabeth asks, "the time of the Gathering has come, after all."

Jesse sighs. "I know. We'll still have to fight other Immortals for the Prize, but our destiny has been sundered from the Game. As near as I can tell, the only reason we even became Immortal was because we needed the life experiences of these past 6,000 years."

"Have you found any way to become mortal without forcing us to age to the age we're supposed to be?" Elizabeth asks, "I know you and Alex were looking into that."

"We have been looking for such a way for the last 2,000 years, but I haven't found anything yet," Jesse replies, "nothing that I'd risk using, that is."

Elizabeth sighs and lowers her head. "Have you found out what the Prize is?"

"Surprisingly, yes," Jesse says.

Elizabeth looks up, her eyes wide with astonishment. "How? What is it?"

"We become as we were before we became Immortal," Jesse replies, "in other words, we become mortal again. We can have children. But only one Immortal can have the Prize. But it is not the destiny of one of us to gain the Prize. When our destinies are fulfilled, we'll become mortal and be allowed to live out a natural human life."

"Really?" Elizabeth asks.

"Yes, provided that we aren't killed in the final battle and that we win that fight," Jesse replies.

"How can anyone possibly equal even Laci?" Elizabeth asks, "we've spent six thousand years training, increasing our power to levels beyond the comprehension of most anyone."

"Believe it or not, we're weak compared to some of the evils we may have to face," Jesse replies, "but we will grow far stronger than we already are during the coming battles. Our power will increase a thousand fold, sometimes in a single instant."

"Jesse, have you determined what will be the cue for when the events in The Prophecy will start to come to a head?" Elizabeth asks.

"I've already identified it," Jesse replies.

"When will it happen?" Elizabeth asks.

"The final events were set in motion when I rearranged the ki lines," Jesse replies, "that is how everything was set in motion. However, the next move belongs to the forces of evil. And if I understand correctly, the spawns of Hell."

"Hellspawn?" Elizabeth gulps. Fighting the minions of the purest place of evil was always unsettling. There was no remorse or hint of humanity within a Hellspawn.

"Hopefully not," Jesse replies in distaste, "mostly Imps and Goblins, maybe some minor Demons leading them, but hopefully no Hellspawn."

"Dragons?" Elizabeth inquires.

"I definitely hope not," Jesse says, "if we run into Dragons, we'll be in serious trouble. If they've been enhanced at all by the powers of Hell, then they'll crush us easily."

"So, mainly we'll be dealing with hordes of Imps and Goblins?" Elizabeth asks.

"Yes, and without Alex here, we'll have to kill them and then incinerate their bodies," Jesse replies.

"How soon will we know when they try to wreak havoc?" Elizabeth asks.

"The moment the portals start opening," Jesse replies, "we can teleport there instantly and either try to seal off the portal or stand there, awaiting the hordes and destroy them as they come through the portal."

"That's suicide, even for us!" Elizabeth exclaims, "even if all five of us were together, we couldn't hope to fend off a horde!"

"If we used our magic along with our steel, we can win," Jesse replies, "but we would still be hard pressed. Even we would have a hard time taking out more than a hundred each at a time."

"We'll likely get a full invasion in the first wave," Elizabeth remarks.

"No, they have to wear away the barrier with many portals. They've been working that through necromancers over the millennia, having them summon demons and the like to do their bidding. They can probably get a hundred beings through in the first few tries. After that, there'll be a thousand or so afterwards for a while. Eventually they'll get into the tens of thousands and finally into the full horde."

"Any idea how long before the portals will be large enough for full hordes to come through?" Elizabeth asks.

"Alex might be able to calculate it, but I can't," Jesse replies, "magic theory isn't one of my forte's."

"No, you always let Alex figure that stuff out, and then together you'd employ it," Elizabeth chuckles.

Jesse laughs, then sobers up. "By the way, did you know that you've picked up an admirer?"

"Say what?" Elizabeth asks, puzzled.

"You've picked up a Watcher," Jesse says with a mild distaste.

"I have?" Elizabeth asks.

"Yep," Jesse replies, "you must have been really lazy not to notice him. He didn't pay any attention to me."

"That means he could be your Watcher," Elizabeth says, "if he is yours, then he'd be paying attention to me to find out more about you."

"Point," Jesse replies, "but I've been careful. I may not be as good as Alex at altering my appearance, but I am good enough to give off the appearance of aging. Plus, I put up shields around those few Immortals that I do fight and then I incinerate their bodies if it is to the death. Trust me, I'm careful."

"Needlessly so," Elizabeth smirks.

"Still, he isn't my Watcher," Jesse replies, "I've kept up my infiltration of the Watcher's, same as Methos has on occasion. I am not one of the Immortals that is being Watched in this general vicinity. You, however, are. You fit the description of an 'Unknown Immortal, Caucasian Female' to the "T"."

Elizabeth scowls. Jesse always did have an annoying habit of rarely being wrong. And he was always so smug about it, too. She sighs.

"What are we gonna do about it then?" she asks, "we can't have the Watchers knowing our secrets."

"Not yet, at least," Jesse replies, "they'll learn soon enough. They might be tempted to actually interfere if they knew the truth about us."

"Hard to believe that the very organization we helped found never even knew we were Immortals," Elizabeth smiles wryly.

"Neither did the other Immortals who did the actual founding," Jesse chuckles, "learning how to mask the ability for other Immortals to detect us was a stroke of luck."

"One that may have possibly saved our lives numerous times," Elizabeth agrees, "we still gotta be wary around other Immortals, since they might notice something peculiar if several generations of a family looked alike."

"This is true," Jesse agrees, "but its not like disguising ourselves from generation to generation would be too difficult."

Elizabeth chuckles and agrees. She had used magic and simple cosmetics to change her appearance on several occasions. She'd bleached her hair a decade or so ago for one disguise, making her hair a bleached blonde instead of its normal golden blonde.

"Well, its getting late, so I should turn in," Elizabeth says, "mind showing me my rooms, or do I have to bunk in here?"

"I wouldn't mind you bunking with me if you wanted to," Jesse replies with a grin, "but you do have your own room. Alex, Adam, and Laci each have their own rooms as well, tailored to each of them. Your room is no different, as it is tailored to you. My room is the same way. But you will have to fix things the way you want them to make it perfectly suited to you."

"Sounds good," Elizabeth says, "lead the way, my gracious host."

"As milady doth command," Jesse replies formally. He leads Elizabeth out of his rooms, though suite or penthouse would be a better description, and takes her to the elevator.

"To tell the truth, each of us have a single floor all to ourselves, with every room interconnected on the floors. The uppermost floor is pretty much our war room. My floor is the one right below that and yours is below mine. Alex's floor is below yours, Adam's below Alex's, and Laci's below Adam's. All of the floors from there to the second floor are rooms that I rent out, though I really don't need the money for any of the utilities. Not with a cold fusion reactor a quarter mile beneath the ground for power, an underground lake for pure water, and I own several farms so the pantries are always stocked for the general tenants and Pierre's Bar though there is a kitchenette in each room."

"Sounds like this place has it all," Elizabeth remarks as they get into the elevator.

"If this place came under siege, it could survive a ten year siege," Jesse says dryly, "forty years if we went on rations."

"You know that there's only been a few armies in history who had been willing to lay siege for that long," Elizabeth says.

"The Greek army that laid siege to Troy comes to mind," Jesse says, "at first, when I heard of the beauty of Helen, I thought it could have been you with a spell to change your hair color."

"And when I heard of how powerful Heracles and Achilles were, I though you had gone glory-seeking," Elizabeth retorts.

"And that was one of the few times we were both wrong in the same time frame," Jesse adds. He pulls out a key made of pure gold and inserts it into the keyhole and turns it.

Jesse opens the door, opening it so that Elizabeth could see almost the entire room all at once. "Your quarters, milady."

Elizabeth steps into her room. She had to admit, Jesse knew her better than anyone. Her suite was designed after every single one of her interests, all blended perfectly and fashionably.

"You know Jesse, you wouldn't know good fashion when it comes to clothes if it came up and bit you on the ass, but you could make King Solomon look like a pauper in a matter of months if you went into interior design," Elizabeth says as she carefully takes in every detail of the main room.

Jesse laughs. "Yeah, I probably could, though I think you should notice that my fashion sense has improved."

"You hired someone to teach you about fashion," Elizabeth accuses.

"Now why would I do that?" Jesse asks, "fashion is always changing. Did you know that several of the old fighting styles are radically different today from when we learned them, despite bearing the same name?"

"Yes, I have noticed," Elizabeth replies, "and just admit it. Every decade or so you hire someone to teach you about modern fashion."

"All right, I'll admit it," Jesse grumbles, "but its every twenty years that I hire someone. I used to be able to go for a century or four without worrying about fashion. I miss the good old days."

"Yes, but would you really give up air conditioning?" Elizabeth asks.

"I know ice magic," Jesse replies, "I've never been bothered by a hot summer's day that much."

"Neither have I, but its kinda draining keeping up a small zone of cool air around you nonstop during a summer in the Sahara," Elizabeth says.

"You got a point," Jesse admits, "but I still miss the old days. Living with the rest of the Clans, even though I was an outcast for being a bastard. Training and eventually becoming the best warrior and second best wizard in all of the Clans. I just miss everything, you know? It's close to the time of our birthday, and the anniversary or the day we became Immortals."

"You're feeling a bit melancholic, that's all," Elizabeth says, hugging Jesse, "we all feel like that for a while. How many times have you become a hermit to get away from the Game? Four, five times? Each time lasting centuries, as I recall. We've all done it. At some point in their Immortality, every Immortal just goes away for a while. Some even go to Sanctuary, that holy ground where the Watchers keep those who just want to leave it all forever. Or at least leave until they and one other are the only ones left."

"Sanctuary has been destroyed," Jesse says, "the third highlands Immortal, Jacob Kane, found it and destroyed it in his ongoing torture of Connor Macleod, who had gone there after his last home had been blown to bits, also an act of Kane."

"Narto is dead?" Elizabeth gasps. Narto Salamor had been an old friend of hers and Jesse's back during the French Revolution. He had been around for about fifteen hundred years already. They had led him to believe that they were each only about two hundred years old. A hundred years after they had met him, he went into Sanctuary after his wife was brutally murdered by another Immortal. He had gone in after he had gotten his revenge, which only took him two and a half minutes.

"Sadly, yes," Jesse replies, "Duncan eventually took Kane's head, though he also took Connor's head. From the reports by Joe Dawson, Duncan's Watcher, he was forced to do it. Connor was just too tired to go on."

"How sad," Elizabeth murmurs, "he was only about five hundred years old, and yet he had had such a troubling life. Poor guy."

"Life just enjoys torturing the Highlanders," Jesse says, "Duncan's lost so much over the years as well."

"But it doesn't enjoy torturing the Highlanders nearly as much as it enjoys torturing us," Elizabeth quips.

"Not true," Jesse says, "it just seems like that because we remember centuries the way most people, even Immortals, think of years. And we think of millennia the way other Immortals recall centuries."

"A curse of having lived for so long?" Elizabeth asks.

"Or a perhaps a way for the powers that be to keep us from going insane from the passage of time," Jesse replies.

"It's always a possibility," Elizabeth says, then yawns.

"Sleepy?" Jesse asks, "I can leave so you can get some rest."

"No, stay," Elizabeth says, "it's been a long time since we've been less than five hundred miles from each other. I appreciate you're company."

With that, Jesse and Elizabeth settled down and talked until Elizabeth went to sleep. Creating a blanket out of thin air with his magic, he carefully covers Elizabeth's sleeping form with it.

"Sleep well, milady," Jesse says softly before he settles down on the floor and goes to sleep.

And watching from the window, floating motionlessly, is a figure cloaked in black robes. His eyes momentarily flash an unholy black, then his gaze softens on Elizabeth's sleeping form. He turns his gaze to Jesse.

"Soon, my friend, you shall join those whom you dearly miss," the watcher says, "soon, you shall die, and so will all those you hold dear."

The floating figure teleports out, leaving behind a mark on the window that Jesse could easily trace to him.

~~

Well, how do you like this chapter? This story has a possibly limitless number of possible chapters. No fooling! Though this can actually be true of any story, depending on the skill of the author, but this is one that could have no limit due to the way it will be written and the way the plot will work. It'll take a few more chapters for things to pick up, but once they do, everything will be great. Jesse and Elizabeth of the Five have made their definite appearances, as well as one other mysterious person who is most likely evil. I hope someone tries to guess which one of those evils that were mentioned in the Prologue. No guarantee that this person will be revealed in the next chapter, but I will tell those who are correct that they were correct.

Also, if you're registered onto FanFiction.net, be a pal and sign in. I don't care about flames. I treat them all as constructive criticism and respect the opinions of the reviewers. I respect everyone's opinions. And please please please please review. I adore reviews.