Disclaimer:

I am not making any money off this and am doing this out of pure pleasure that I receive from writing my little stories. All recognizable characters from the shows Sentinel and Highlander belong to their respective powers that be. Any original characters belong to me.

Author's notes:

This is my little story that is a sequel to The Past Revisited. The story is an AU of The Sentinel and Highlander: The series. Again, Blair is less nebbish and two of my favorite immortal characters make an appearance.

Please give reviews; constructive criticism only, flames will be ignored. Thanks!

Chapter Three

(Two weeks later)

Joss had discovered his home phone number and email address, and had been bugging Blair for his story. Blair, sick of the intrusion, finally agreed to meet with him in hopes that he could stall his curiosity. They agreed to meet at Blair's favorite park, the one down near the water.

Blair was waiting for Joss when he finally arrived. Blair also knew that Nick was near-by, having felt his presence. Nick agreed to come along to watch Blair's back, to make sure that Joss hadn't brought anyone along to eavesdrop on the conversation. Joss was a tabloid reporter and Blair knew that Joss could be deceitful enough to break his word concerning any recording or listening devices. Methos and Jim, of course, chose to remain out of sight and mind. Both of them had much to risk if they were to be exposed by someone like Joss.

"Hi there," Joss said, smiling, looking as if he were about to get the expose of the century.

"Hey," Blair said, looking somber. He got up from the park bench he was sitting on and began to walk along the path bordering the water, forcing Joss to follow him.

"So are you ready to tell me what happened to you?" Joss asked, following along

"Let me ask you something," said Blair, his hands in shoved into the pockets of his faded blue jeans. "If I were to tell you, what would you do with the information?"

Joss looked perplexed. "What do you mean?"

"Would you put it in print somewhere, even if it meant several people would be harmed by the revealing of certain information?" Blair asked, despite an understanding that Joss was not ready to know and could not be trusted.

"Hey, look dude, freedom of the press and all that. The people have a right to know. Of course I would write the story and do my best to get it published," Joss said, incredulous that someone would ask such an asinine question. "What, you going to pull some cop thing on me and not let me tell your story?"

Blair looked at Joss sideways. "No. I am not that kind of cop. I have much respect for the idea of freedom of the press. However, you are not ready for what happened. Someday you will be, but not now." Blair then pulled out a business card and handed it to Joss. "I promise, and I try to never back out of promises, I will tell you what happened. That said if anything weird happens to you in the near future, please look me up. In the mean time, you write anything about the accident, my friends, or myself, I will sue the shit out of you and your paper," Blair said with a cold smile on his face.

Joss' eyes narrowed at that, but accepted the business card. Realizing that the "interview" was over, he stalked off, angry that nothing had been accomplished, but at the same time hopeful that he would eventually get his story. He also knew that Sandberg was serious about not having anything written about what had happened; he would though try to get some more background information about this mysterious person. It would make a good story someday.

Nick, once Joss was gone, joined Blair by the railing, overlooking the water. "That went well," he remarked.

"Fuck off," Blair said, without any malice in his voice, looking off into the distance. "The kid's time is getting close."

(Three weeks later)

It was now mid July and time for the All-Star game. Everyone was over at Blair's because he was the only one with a big screen TV. Methos, while he was not a fan of the sport, tagged along because Nick, who was a rabid Cubs fan and Moises Alou was playing, was going, and there was a promise of free beer.

"Did you know that the Aztecs had a similar game to baseball, along with basketball," Blair began on one of his cultural trivia trips but was cut off with he was pelted with crushed beer cans.

Suddenly, in the bottom of the fifth inning, two men on, one man out, the count 0 and 2, Methos, Blair, and Nick froze, feeling the presence of another Immortal. Jim, while not an Immortal, heard someone approach the house.

Blair, quietly crossing the room, picked up his sword and approached the front entryway. He stole a look out the small window by the door and saw, to his surprise, Joss. He flipped on the porch light and opened to door, revealing a battered and bloody, newly minted Immortal.

"Holy crap! What happened to you?" Blair exclaimed, allowing Joss to enter.

"Fuck," Joss swore, tired and confused, his eyes swinging wildly from side to side. "You said to look you up if anything weird happened. Well, this is pretty fucking weird."

Blair guided Joss through his home and up the stairs, past the curious looks of Methos, Nick, and Jim. "It'll be okay. What you're feeling will pass. Eventually you'll get used to it. Look, why don't you use the bathroom, get yourself cleaned up, and I'll get you a clean shirt. Then you can tell me what happened," Blair suggested, pointing him in the direction of the bathroom. "There are wash cloths and towels under the sink. Be careful though. Who ever installed the shower put the handles for hot and cold on wrong."

Joss nodded numbly and headed off to take a shower. Blair sprinted down the hall and snagged a clean t-shirt with The University of Cascade emblazoned across the chest in dark green lettering. He placed the shirt on the inside doorknob of the bathroom door. "Joss, when you're ready, come-on downstairs," Blair called out. He heard Joss mumble something, figured he'd be okay eventually, and went back downstairs.

"Should I be going?" Jim asked.

Nick, Methos, and Blair all looked at each other. "Nah," they said in unison.

Eventually Joss came out of the bathroom, his dark blond hair still damp from the shower. He looked better than he had when he first arrived at Blair's home, but he still looked pale and shaky. He sat down in a brown overstuffed armchair. Near-by, on an end table, was a small statue of an African fertility god. Joss looked at it oddly before settling back in the chair.

"Joss, I would like to introduce you to my friends. This is Adam Pierson, Nick Wolfe, and Jim Ellison."

Jim offered his hand to the young Immortal. "Just so you know, I am just a friend," he said and turned his attention partially back to the game on the television. It was now the top of the seventh, Alou was at bat, and the score was two to three, in favor of the American League.

"Can you tell me what happened to you tonight?" Blair gently asked.

Joss took a deep breath. "I was going out to my car. I had parked it in a lot down the street. It was dark and there were only a few cars in the lot. I wasn't paying attention to what was going on around me. I didn't see the guy until he was right in my face. He demanded my money, and when he found out I only had five bucks on me he fucking stabbed me. He then took off and I crawled into my car. I guess I thought I would be able to drive myself to the hospital. It hurt, but not as bad as I would have thought. I remember seeing a lot of my blood. It was everywhere. Then there was nothing. I came to later, still with my blood all over me but there was no wound. I know I didn't imagine it. What the hell happened to me?" he demanded, confusion written all over his face.

Blair smiled at the kid. "The long and short of it is you died Joss."

"Bull shit."

"I swear. You are an Immortal, and that buzzing feeling you were feeling when you first arrived is a warning system that tells you that there are other Immortals near-by," Blair said. "Sorry pal, you died."

Joss was stunned. "I'm Immortal. You mean I can live forever? Will I continue to grow old though?"

Adam spoke up. "No. You will remain at the age you are now, as long as nobody kills you," he said cheerfully.

"What do you mean? Blair said I'm Immortal," Joss said, confused.

"You'll heal from most wounds. Believe me, I've died countless times, some pretty nasty, but I always come back. However, the only way you can die forever is if someone cuts off your head. Then there'll be no coming back," Blair said, half-smiling.

"Why would someone what to do that?" he asked, repulsed by the idea, unconsciously massaging his neck.

Blair glanced over at Adam, inviting him to explain, but he only received a bland smile from his friend. Nick also gave Blair a smart-ass grin, refusing to jump in. Sighing, he dove in himself. "Sometimes, not all of the time, we Immortals fight each other with swords, generally. The winner is the one with his head still attached at the end. To the victor go the loser's power, his Quickening, which is his or her strength, and knowledge."

"But why?" he asked again, looking horrified at the mere idea of killing someone (or being killed himself).

At that, Blair laughed nervously. "Nobody knows for sure, but supposedly there can only be one of us in the end and that person will have all of the power and strength of all of the Immortals in them. They will then be able to guide and rule the world."

"So what now?" he asked. "Are you going to kill me?"

"Why would we want to do that?" Adam asked.

"Well, because, he said that there can be only one left in the end," Joss said, subconsciously accepting the fact that he was an Immortal.

"He said supposedly. We don't always fight each other and it's not all of the time. Some of us have been friends for a long time and we don't feel compelled to kill each other. Well, sometimes," Adam said, grinning at Blair.

"Oh like you've always been in my good graces," Blair shot back. "Anyways, what do you think so far?"

Joss was silent for a while, busy processing everything. When he finally spoke, his eyes were shining with excitement, reaching for his cell phone. "This totally explains what happened when I hit you with my car. Oh man, this is going to make such a great story. I'm sure to get the Pulitzer!"

The next thing he knew, Blair was pressing the sharp end of a sword to his neck, barely breaking the skin, causing a thin trickle of blood to run down his neck.

Blair's demeanor immediately changed. His perpetual smile was replaced with a deadly serious glare. "No. This is not something that the world is ready for. Our secret is not to be told to humans, save a few trusted people. Governments would hunt us down and kill us or, worse, experiment on us like lab rats. Josef Mengels almost found out about us. Imagine what a monster like him would have done if he had found about our existence, then multiply that nightmare by at least one hundred. Countries and terrorists around the world would be after us."

"Joss, the risk is too great. You cannot write this in any sort of newspaper or magazine. Secrecy is what keeps us safe. Not to mention those of us with mortal friends and families. They would be in jeopardy too," Adam said quietly.

Joss then looked at Nick then Jim, both of whom looked back at him blankly. Neither of them seriously believed that Blair would kill the youngster, especially in his own home. They knew that Blair would not risk the property damage a Quickening would cause. However, Joss did not need to know that.

"Um, so mums the word on all of this," he said, resigned.

Blair relaxed and pulled the sword back away from Joss. "Good," he said flippantly, back to his usual happy-hyper disposition.

"So what do I do if someone wants to take my head?" Joss asked.

"Try not to be there when they come knocking," Adam said sarcastically.

"But there are times when you can't slink away in the night," Nick added.

Blair took a deep breath, knowing that he was taking on a huge responsibility. "As Nick said, there are times when you can't run. That is why I am going to teach you to fight. So that way you can survive."

"Teach me?"

Blair shook his head. The boy appeared to be somewhat slow. "I'll teach you how to use a sword to defend yourself and all of the rules that we live by."

"You'd do that?" Joss asked, confused.

Yes," he said patiently.

"Well, thanks," the young Immortal said, still feeling confused but at the same time relieved.

"De nada," Blair said and sat back down.

Jim, who had been very calm and quite interested in the amazing exchange between the Immortals, was ready to get back to the game. "Can you start his training tomorrow? It's now tied in the bottom of the ninth and A. Rod is up," he said, staring at the TV.

"Sure Jim," Blair said, sitting back and refocusing on the American pastime.