A Farewell to Kings

by wajag

AU, my take on what happens when Immortals are discovered

Title: A Farewell to Kings

Author: wajag

Feedback:

Rating: R Adult for violence

Characters: M DM J A OFCs

Premise: AU My take on the truth and existence of Immortals being exposed

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Highlander characters but I'd take them in a minute if I thought I could get away with it. The chances of me making any money off this fan fiction are as slim as the chance that Panzer/Davis would make a nice gift of the whole franchise to me for my birthday. (You get the picture) I don't have permission to use the song and sadly I can't remember what the name of it was (picture a black and white TV series about a dog called Hobo)! One more thing, I made up the Fan Clan MacLeod, but just in case there's really a fan club out there that calls themselves that, sorry- no resemblances to fans living or dead....

A Farewell to Kings

When they turn the pages of history

When these days have passed long ago

Will they read of us with sadness for the seeds that we let grow?

We turned our gaze from the castles in the distance

Eyes cast down on the path of least resistance

The hypocrites are slandering the sacred halls of Truth.

Ancient nobles showering their bitterness on youth.

Can't we find the minds that made us strong?

Can't we learn to feel what's right and wrong?

...And scoffing at the wise

Can't we raise our eyes and make a start?

Can't we find the minds to lead us closer to the Heart?

Song by RUSH (used without permission)

Los Angeles USA 1997

Rocky had only been nineteen when a rival gang's drive-by shooting had killed him. He'd revived in the city morgue, scared and alone. Thinking that someone was playing a cruel joke on him, he'd found clothes in a nearby locker and snuck out of the hospital only to see his picture on the local news, victim of a gang shooting. Afraid to go home, he'd wandered the streets for several days until a middle-aged man had found him and talked him into coming with him. Of course the killer headache he'd gotten right before the stranger had appeared, had kept him dazed enough to go with the man. After a serious talk and a scary show and tell, the stranger had been able to convince him that he'd joined a Race of beings called Immortals. Beings who could live forever unless you cut off their heads.

He'd been with Allen for eight months now, learning to cope with his Immortality and learning to fight with a sword. Even with the threat of the Game, life with Allen was better than the one he'd been living. He was out of the gang, had a warm place to sleep, plenty of food, and a friend and mentor in Allen. They'd had a rough start because their backgrounds were so different, but Allen was patient and persistent and eventually Rocky realized that he needed Allen, more than Allen needed his attitude. Allen hadn't made a big deal of Rocky's attitude readjustment, and Rocky appreciated him all the more for it. He'd had to unlearn the attitudes of his previous life and Allen made it easier than it could have been.

Tonight Rocky walked down the street and watched the people going about their business. Allen's neighborhood was a mix of Races and incomes, but generally a safe place to be walking alone. Rocky mused that these people had no idea what kind of people lived in their neighborhood, a man over three hundred years old and a kid that was going to break the record as the world's oldest man! He smiled at the thought. Allen had told him of an Immortal Priest he'd met in Paris. Father Darius was one of the oldest Immortals that Allen had ever heard of, over two thousand years old. Now that his world had expanded, Rocky was determined to go to Paris and meet this old Immortal personally.

Allen had shown his confidence in Rocky's sword skills by letting him take this solo trip to the movies. Rocky had been told that normally a student never went anywhere without his teacher for protection, that Allen had let him, did wonders for Rocky's self-confidence.

Rocky was nearly back to the brick two-story house that Allen owned when he heard sirens and saw flashing lights from the direction he'd come. He slowed his pace only to stop when he heard the sounds of running feet behind him. He glanced in the direction of the noise and was nearly bowled over by two guys dressed in black. He staggered to catch his balance and missed seeing the other men following. He heard the word 'Stop!' shouted before he felt the sting of bullets. He'd remembered that feeling from his first death. He collapsed to the sidewalk, gasping for breath. Two of the men in gray trench coats stopped and knelt beside him while the other two continued running after the men who'd bumped into him.

Rocky felt his shirt being pulled open and the men talking about his wounds.

"I didn't see him! Did I kill him?" A panting voice said loudly.

"He took three rounds, but I don't think any of them are too serious." A calmer voice said.

Racked with pain, Rocky tried to remember what Allen had said about being hurt in public. Don't let them see you heal! Oh no! Rocky tried to curl up and hide the wounds that were even now starting to tingle, a sure sign that his Quickening was starting to heal his body.

"What the hell was that?" The loud voice said and pulled his hands away from Rocky's torso. "Holy Shit! The wounds, they're closing!"

Rocky tried to curl himself into a ball but was stopped by two sets of hands. "Shit!" The other voice said.

Rocky lost track of what happened after that, the hours blurring all together into a haze of pain, drugs and sleep depredation. There were more men who came and looked at him, handcuffing him so that he couldn't run away. It seemed like only minutes had passed before Rocky was being questioned in a dark room with only a single bright light pointed directly into his eyes. Rocky toughed it out for several hours before the drugs overcame his loyalty to Allen. He told the voices everything he knew about Immortals, and then the real pain started.

Paris 1997

On hindsight, Joe should have recognized the signs that Methos was going to run. They'd all returned to the barge after the O'Rourke near disaster and opened several bottles of expensive champagne. They were all still running on adrenalin and the alcohol only added to their high. After Mac talked quietly with Methos, the oldest Immortal's body language was wrong, closed up. The old man hadn't even sprawled later! No, Joe shouldn't have been surprised when the next day he'd found Methos' apartment empty and the old man gone.

Joe had given Mac and Amanda a few days alone before he'd called and asked about the old man.

"You know him Joe, he probably just wanted to clear town in case there were extra Watchers around." Mac said distractedly, as if he wasn't giving the conversation his full attention.

"So what did you two talk about?" Joe asked, trying to figure out what had made Methos leave. He'd seemed content to sprawl at the barge or Le Blues and bum beer. Joe didn't believe for a minute that it was the Watchers that were making Methos nervous, Methos had them convinced he was Ben Adams, a fairly young Immortal. Other than shooting a few Mortal henchmen of O'Rourke's, Methos had been Mac's sidekick and not drawn any attention to himself. He hadn't seemed more than he'd claimed.

"That's personal." Mac said, giving his attention to the question. He didn't think it was any of Joe's business that he'd told Methos he didn't understand the old man, he probably never would he thought sarcastically.

"Personal enough to run him off?" Joe heard Mac sigh in irritation.

"Goodbye Joe. He'll come back when he wants to." Sometimes Joe asked questions that crossed the line between 'Friend' and 'Watcher'. Mac thought as he hung up the phone.

Los Angeles

"He says there's more like him?" Agent Gant said gruffly. What in the hell was he doing on a weirdo case like this? X-files belonged on T.V, not in his life. Fuck! He hated these gray cases; give him a black and white murder case any day!

"He's says he's only been Immortal for less than a year, but his teacher has been around for a couple hundred years. He blabbered on about an Immortal Priest in Paris that thousands of years old."

"Don't you dare hum the X-files theme Wilkins or I'll shoot you!" Gant growled at the excited look on Wilkin's face. "Any more of these Immies? Where's his teacher?"

"His teacher lives a block from where we picked up the kid. He's already been picked up. He goes by the name of Allen Contella. The kid also fingered a former student of Contella's that stopped by a few months ago. He goes by the name of Samuel Brookman. We have a team in Las Vegas looking for him."

Las Vegas

Methos had been in Los Vegas for a week now, drinking at the casinos, catching the shows, and people watching. Since he only bet on sure things, gambling wasn't something he'd come here for. He'd been out in the desert meditating in the heat and was returning to his hotel for a shower and some sleep. Tiredly, he decided to spend the next day checking out a few book outlet stores and amuse himself by watching the retired people in their bright clothes take pictures posing with the scantily clad 'Egyptians' at the pyramid hotel. With a yawn, he pulled his rental car into the hotel parking garage.

He'd had to get out of Paris and away from Duncan MacLeod before he'd said something he'd regret. He'd been a moth fluttering helplessly around the Highlander's flame for years now and he was finally tired of it. After the O'Rourke disaster, Methos had listened to MacLeod tell him that he didn't understand Methos, but that he'd learned from him. Yeah right. That was why the Highlander had been kneeling for O'Rourke to take his head. Methos had realized that it would only get worse. He'd come out of hiding after two hundred years; he'd risked his head and his identity for the Scot and it was all for nothing. The stubborn, holier than thou Scot hadn't heard a damn thing he'd said. Oh yeah, MacLeod was judge, jury, and executioner for the entire world. How exhausting, thought Methos. The young ones were always full of themselves until they reached a thousand or so, and realized that nothing and no one made a difference in the overall scheme of things.

He wasn't angry with MacLeod, the man was only being true to his nature, and now Methos was being true to his. He was tired of living in Immortal central for someone who didn't know who he was, who couldn't understand him, and who frankly, didn't want to. It was Methos' nature to cut his losses and move on. He'd send the occasional post card to Joe, just to let him know he was still alive and well. He'd miss Joe, but Joe and MacLeod were a package deal.

Traveling from town to town to town.

Sometimes I think of settling down.

But once more, I hunger to be free.

Traveling's the only life for me.

I'm drifting, the world is my friend.

I'm traveling, on down the road - again.

He frowned at the radio station and turned it off. He didn't need to be reminded that he hadn't had a 'home' in millennia. He got out of the rental car and headed towards the elevator of the parking garage. It was very late, but he still wasn't surprised when he felt the buzz of a very young Immortal. Joe had teased him that Immortals were part vampire, stalking about in the dead of night. But what did you expect of a Race that made a Game of cutting each other's heads off?

Methos stopped and reversed directions. He'd head for the stairs to the still busy street and go into the hotel through the main lobby. Why didn't these Immortal teachers teach their students to avoid challenges until they had some years under their belts? Noooo, they had to go out and headhunt until they'd made a name for themselves. Even MacLeod's student Richie Ryan hadn't been any different. It was no wonder the young ones didn't make it to the century mark! Methos hid behind a support column when he spotted a Watcher ahead of him. Great! He was trapped between them! His nervousness increased when he spotted more figures dressed in black moving to surround him.

"I can feel you, don't bother hiding!" A voice shouted from the direction of the Immortal.

More good news! Methos growled to himself. He had no intention of sticking around to meet any of these idiots. He looked for the thinnest concentration of men and made a run for it.

Immortal Samuel Brookman spotted a movement to his left and quickly turned. When he realized it was the other Immortal, he took off after the coward. Making sure he had his sword ready, he sped up.

Methos zigged and zagged around the cars in the parking garage, he was almost to the outside rail of the garage. He was only on the second floor; he figured he could survive a jump over the wall. It would hurt, but he'd live and be far enough from the Immortal and the army of darkly dressed commandos. He knew he'd run out of time when he heard the crackle of radios.

"Shoot him! He's going for the ledge!"

Before he could throw himself to the ground, he felt bullets slamming into his back. His legs gave out on him and he collapse forward, landing hard. He grunted in agony, unable to move. It was with a meager amount of satisfaction that he heard the other Immortal shout in surprise before he too was shot.

Methos could feel his Quickening working on his injuries. Come on! Come on! He thought desperately.

"Immortals are down. Secure the area and bring up the van." A crisp military voice snapped out.

"Yes sir!" Several voices responded.

Damn! Methos thought beginning to panic. This was not good. He wiggled his fingers and toes. Good! He concentrated on moving his hand to his back pocket. He pulled out his wallet and flicked it under the car nearest him, hoping his attackers wouldn't find it. If these guys were who he thought they were, he didn't want them to be able to trace him back to Joe or Mac. Seeing several large splatters of his blood nearby, he worked his hand up to one of them and using the secret Watcher language, he drew the symbol for exposed. Normally this symbol was only used when a Watcher had been spotted by his Immortal assignment. This secret code of symbols was taught at the Watcher academy as a back up communication tool if the Watcher were being watched or monitored. To anyone but a Watcher it would look like a few random lines or dots. Methos hoped the Watcher would be curious and investigate after the attackers left, that is if he wasn't taken into custody himself!

He heard footsteps approaching. "Transportation's here. You two secure this one and you two get the other one." He heard a crisp voice command.

Methos felt his arms pulled roughly behind his back and handcuffs tightly snapped in place. He felt some movement down by his feet, but his legs were still numb. He groaned when he was turned over and lifted up. His eyes went wide in alarm when a soldier shoved a needle into his neck. He slumped as his body slowly shut down.

"We got two of them Sir. The one we were after challenged another one just as we were ready to grab him." Methos heard before he slipped into the blackness. Just my luck! He thought, wrong place at the wrong time.

Methos revived in a dark panel van, still handcuffed securely. He counted two armed men watching him and two on the other Immortal handcuffed nearby. An officer kept an eye on both of them.

Colonel Marx noticed that one of the Immortals had revived. He loved assignments like this, top secret and he was free to use whatever means he deemed necessary to accomplish his mission. "That was quick. We know about Immortals. This will be a lot easier on you if you answer all my questions."

"I don't know what you're talking about. What am I doing here?" Methos said, acting as if he were still recovering.

"Let's start off with your name and how old you are." Colonel Marx said. He looked this Immortal freak in the eyes and saw toughness reflected there, intimidation wouldn't work. He'd have to use more 'persuasive' methods on this one.

Methos hoped that the Colonel's question meant that they hadn't found his wallet and ID.

The Questioning went on for weeks. Rocky had already told the Agents about Immortals, the buzz, the Quickening, the Gathering, the Prize, and how to kill Immortals. His teacher had confirmed everything he'd told them. He'd said that Immortals were everywhere but that there weren't that many around. Rocky had only met his teacher and the other student.

Allen Contella had taught the two young Immortals. He was nearly three hundred years old but his teacher had been killed a century ago so he couldn't point to any other living Immortals. The teacher had taken four Quickenings in his life so that had led the Government to believe that there were many more Immortals.

Methos had been tortured and questioned by the worst of humanity over his many millennia, so he was able to compartmentalize the pain and convince his questioners that he didn't know anything. He slipped into one of his many lives and only told them the background for that identity; he was only a few hundred years old, his teacher had been killed and he didn't know where to find any more Immortals. His ability to slip into his identity convinced his questioners that he was telling all that he knew.

Samuel Brookman's Watcher had been terrified when he'd seen his Immortal and the unknown Immortal taken by what could only be Government agents. He'd climbed under a car and hidden while the soldiers searched the garage to make sure they hadn't left any witnesses. After the agents had taken their prisoners and gone, the Watcher wrote down the license plate of the dark van and hurried to look around the area. When he'd gone to the spot where the other Immortal had been shot, a Watcher symbol written in blood immediately caught his attention. How did the Immortal know about the Watcher symbols? While kneeling beside the bloody symbol, he spotted a wallet barely underneath the nearby car. The soldiers must have missed it! Could it be the Immortal's or was it just a clumsy tourist's? He grabbed the wallet and rushed away. When he was several blocks away and convinced that he hadn't been followed, he called his supervisor and reported the catastrophe. He gave his supervisor the license number of the van and the name and address in the wallet and they got to work checking it out.

It didn't take them long to determine that the license was indeed a Government van. The Watchers went on an all points alert. Watchers were to report any activity around their Immortals.

Joe read the report as soon as it came in. His heart skipped a beat when he recognized one of Methos' identities as one of the Immortals taken. He called his own Immortal assignment and friend Duncan MacLeod, with the bad news. Mac raced over to the bar to sit with Joe and read the latest updates when they came in.

Afraid of what was coming, MacLeod called all his Immortal friends and warned them to go into hiding. A heavy weight settled on Mac's shoulders as he worried about his friends and especially the eldest of them all. Was this the beginning of the end for Immortals? He'd thought about being exposed as an Immortal when Kalas had stolen the Watcher prototype disk and threatened to expose all the Immortals and Watchers if Duncan didn't let Kalas take his head. Now it was really happening. Hopefully, the Government only knew of the few Immortals they'd picked up. Methos was the real danger. The oldest Immortal had been a Watcher. If the Watchers were revealed, no Immortal would be safe.

Colorado

Under heavy guard, the heavily drugged and restrained Immortals are taken to a research facility in the hills. For the first few weeks, they were questioned extensively, brutally. Then when it was clear that they'd learned all they were going to learn by questions, the Immortals were turned over to the Medical doctors and scientists.

At first they conducted the same tests on all three of the Immortals, testing healing and recovery times. They knew the Immortals were different ages, but the unknown Immortal seemed to defy their theory that Immortal healing got faster with age. Willing to accept their theory as valid and mark the unknown Immortal as a rapid healer, they assigned four research teams their own Immortal and began work.

The Immortal named Allen was given to the research group developing advanced diagnostic equipment. It was a great benefit to the research team that they had a subject that always returned to 'normal' after the test was run. They could test pain levels, medications, conditions and equipment failures without fear of losing their test subject and wreaking their research.

The youngest student was used to test environmental extremes; hot, cold, wet, dry. They could measure the time and conditions it took him to die in a variety of extremes.

The older student was used to test the effectiveness of helmets and protective gear. Before each piece of equipment was tested, they had to kill the Immortal to demonstrate what would happen without the equipment first. They took great care not to sever his head from his neck; they'd be unable to replace him if he died a true death!

The unknown Immortal was given to the Chemical and biohazards group because of his quick healing ability. It was very beneficial to know what symptoms manifested themselves and what were the actual causes of death from things that were fatal for the subject. The scientists were practically giddy to have a test subject that returned to 'normal' in readiness for the next test.

As the scientists eagerly but clinically collected their data, the Immortals lost more and more of themselves. Great advances to science were made at the cost of four men's sanity.

Rocky succumbed first; after several months of experiments he didn't revive fully from the last experiment. He slipped into a coma and stayed there. Samuel followed shortly after him. By the end of the first year Allen joined the others in a coma. Methos struggled to ignore the pain and torture, actually succeeding several times in breaking free only to be recaptured before he'd gotten too far. He'd been recaptured quickly and his security increased each time. After nearly five years, he blocked it out and went inside himself. Shutting himself off from the pain and terror.

The scientists were unconcerned. They didn't need conscious subjects to do their tests, only Immortal ones.

The experiments had resulted in medical breakthroughs and medical advancements. The information was carefully trickled out, false test data being used to substantiate their discoveries without revealing the unique nature of their test subjects.

After several years of this, rumors began to circulate about a secret research facility where inhuman experiments were being conducted. A bright and innovative investigative reporter named Jim Forrest managed to infiltrate the complex as a technician and after two years, exposed the facility's cruelties and the existence of Immortals. With stolen videos and documents, he went on a well-known investigative reporting program and exposed the secret project using four specials humans called Immortals.

Colorado 2007

Lori Forrest nodded to Tim and bent to connect the electronic scanner to the electronic lock. She activated it and in less than a minute, the door slid open. Lori slipped in first, quickly sliding along the wall and cutting the cables to the room's security camera. Confirming that the camera was dead, Tim rolled the wheelchair into the room and stopped beside the bed.

Lori looked down at the man lying on the bed, his body secured in five point restraints. An IV dripped life sustaining fluids and nourishment into his Immortal body, a catheter took away his body's toxins. His body was emaciated, his head shaved for minimal maintenance. Lori was once again enraged at the depths her fellow humans could sink to in the search for riches and fame. Her brother had been the investigative reporter that had exposed this inhumane treatment of these special beings. She'd quickly formed a group of like-minded people and planned to free these poor victims. Tonight they'd rescue the comatose Immortals and take them someplace safe to ensure that the Immortals would never be experimented on again. They'd committed to protect and hide these poor souls for eternity if need be.

As Lori removed the restraints and hooked the IV and catheter bag to the wheel chair, she looked at the youthful face of the Immortal. He might have been handsome once, she thought. Now his skin was nearly translucent in its paleness. Dark circles under his eyes gave him a cadaverous look. Lori was reminded of pictures she'd seen of holocaust victims, staring through barbed wire fences without a trace of hope in their eyes.

All of the Immortals were only mildly sedated; they'd be easy to remove from the facility. Tim nodded at Lori, indicating that he was ready to lift the Immortal into the wheelchair. On a whispered count of three, they moved the lax Immortal from the narrow bed and into the wheelchair. They fastened the straps to hold him upright in the chair, and with a quick check to see that the hallway was empty, they left the room. The three other teams followed them with the other Immortals in wheelchairs.

They were all safely miles away when the Immortals were reported missing.

When the world heard of the existence of Immortals after the investigative report was aired and validated, there was confusion and panic. The Watcher Tribunal deliberated for days before they decided to come forward and share what they knew about Immortals and their place in history. They made the chronicles of deceased Immortals public and gave general history and explanations about Immortals until they'd calmed the hysteria. Without giving the number of living Immortals, names or locations, they showed that Immortals had been living among the Mortals peacefully with only a few exceptions (hey, Mortals had a higher percentage of 'bad' guys than the Immortals did!) contributing to their neighborhoods and cultures. Living as Police officers, Doctors, businessmen, teachers, scientists, soldiers etc. Immortals weren't a threat to Mortals. The Watchers were able to downplay the Game and the Immortal challenges as the result of their own fears and mistaken beliefs passed on from teachers to students.

A plea was sent out for Immortals to end the Game and come out of hiding so that their stories could be told. In support of the Watchers and Joe, Duncan was one of the first Immortals to step forward. Human rights groups protested the treatment of the original four captive Immortals and demanded their freedom.

There were still a few hate groups that grew out of the knowledge of Immortal existence, but for the most part the world was excited about the discovery. Anything to do with Immortals was big news. Researchers wanted to talk to the older Immortals and hear about the world events they'd lived through. They were thrilled when the Watchers opened up some of their older chronicles to them. It didn't take long for them to discover references in the oldest chronicles to a five thousand year old Immortal still rumored to be alive.

Now that the majority of the world knew about Immortals and had been willing to accept their presence, more Immortals came out in public. Many still remained in hiding, not wanting the publicity involved. Amanda and the deValicourt's were among this group. Immortals serving as police officers or soldiers opted to only tell their superiors about their Immortality, wanting to continue in their chosen careers without the public knowing.

Duncan and several of the other public Immortals talked to the press in a continuing effort to get acceptance and peaceful coexistence ensured. Behind the scenes, Joe and the Watchers worked to have the four captive Immortals freed. It was a sad day for Joe when the investigative reporter showed proof that the Immortals were all now comatose. The research facility officials were adamantly claiming that the Immortals had been taken by an extremist group, and were no longer in the hands of the Government.

This announcement got the press and public all excited again, accusations of a Government cover-up caused the Government to close down the research facility after first letting outside authorities confirm that the Immortals were really gone. Only a few minutes of surveillance video showing the Immortals being removed in wheel chairs, indicated how the Immortals had been moved. No group stepped up to take credit for the abduction.

Still not wanting to expose Methos' identity, Joe and Mac went on TV to plead for the safe return of the Immortals. In private, Joe mentioned to Mac that he feared for the Immortals if they did appear. As long as the Immortals were 'missing', there was no firm evidence against the Government officials that had sanctioned or perpetuated the kidnappings. The videotapes from the facility were grainy and none of them showed close-ups of faces. The lawyers could always argue that they were paid actors hired by the extremists to fake a case against the officials. It would be hearsay testimony against the Government unless the Immortals were able to give first hand testimony. Based on the investigative reporter's stolen video, the Immortals were all vegetables and what they'd once been was now forever lost.

Oregon

Lori watched the television and snorted at the pleadings of the famous Immortal Duncan MacLeod. "Ha! Yeah I just bet you want to see that they're taken care of!" She looked over at Tim and Rachel and said, "I've read his biography on-line. More likely he wants to take their heads and put them out of their misery. He's got a history of playing judge, jury and executioner!"

"We're not going to hand them over are we Lori?" Kate asked, afraid that the poor Immortals would be beheaded because they were defenseless. "I couldn't stand the thought of them losing their heads on top of everything else that they've gone through. I'm sure they wouldn't want that!"

"No. I'm not falling for MacLeod's lies. I swore to keep them safe, and I meant it."

"I found him!" Tim shouted ecstatically. "It has to be him! The description is a perfect match."

The others hurried over to the computer monitor Tim was staring at. "He's got to be Benjamin Adams. Wow is this ever sad; he was a Doctor and one of the few Doctors in the South that would treat slaves. Some way to get paid back for a lifetime of helping others huh?" Tim said sadly.

"It says in his chronicle that before he came to the states, he knew Lord Byron and the Shelley's. Too bad he can't ever share what he knew now." Rachel said vehemently, angry again at what had been done to the Immortals.

"He's only credited with one Quickening and it was self defense according to the Watchers. A real slime ball that continued to sell slaves up to his death in 1995!"

Lori straightened and walked over to the wall, now adorned with the biographies of three of the Immortals. She read the posted pages silently.

Allen Contella, a middle aged Italian merchant that had been killed in a robbery on his way home in 1668. He'd been a decent man, married with two adopted sons and respected in his village. In this century, he'd taken in two students; both had joined him in his torture. His Watcher chronicles said that he'd taken the Quickenings of four Immortals that challenged him, but he hadn't sought them out.

Samuel Brookman had been Immortal ten years. Allen had found him shortly after he'd awaken from his first death in a train accident. He'd been trained and stayed with Allen for five years until he'd taken his first Quickening. He dropped by to visit his teacher several times a year. He'd only been twenty-eight when he'd died his first death. An auto mechanic, he'd only started to spread his wings to discover who he was. Perversely, the Government agents had grabbed him when he'd challenged an Immortal while on vacation in Las Vegas.

Rocky Serbiano had only been Immortal for less than a year. He'd been the one found first by the Government agents. His capture had led to Allen's, Samuel's and the last Immortal's. He was nineteen when a rival gang had killed him and Allen had taken him in as a student. Rocky had been returning from a movie when he'd had the misfortune of being injured and healing in front of the Government men.

The fourth Immortal had been harder to identify. The Government hadn't been able to find any ID on him when they'd captured him. He'd only given them vague answers and inconclusive information when he'd been tortured. Her brother had found reports that said this Immortal had tried to escape several times until he'd finally broken and not woken up after one of the experiments.

Now they could put a name to the poor man, and put his biography on the wall with the others so that he wouldn't be forgotten. He'd been two hundred and fifty years old according to the chronicle that Tim had matched him to.

"Well we won't forget you Allen. Samuel. Rocky. Benjamin. And we won't let another Immortal take your Quickenings." Lori said, her jaw locking in determination.

Six Months later 2008

Lori squeezed out the washcloth and gently wiped Benjamin's pale chest. The secret Pro-Immortal group had diligently looked after their Immortal patients, keeping them clean and as healthy as they could. Lori looked up in surprise when Benjamin took a deep breath and shivered. She watched in amazement as he slowly opened his eyes, blinking as if to try and focus them.

"Benjamin? Can you hear me Benjamin?" Lori asked when the hazel eyes were finally able to lock onto hers.

Benjamin swallowed and licked dry lips. "What?" He croaked out, coughing when his dry throat protested being used after years of silence.

"I'll get you a drink of water." Lori said getting up and hurrying over to a water dispenser that stood near the door of the room. She quickly returned with a paper cup of water. She supported Benjamin's head and shoulders and offered him the water.

His keen eyes watched her carefully as he drank the water.

"More?" Lori asked.

Benjamin nodded once. He was drained from that simple movement. Lori refilled the cup and returned to the bed. After Benjamin had finished the second cup he licked his lips and tried again. "Where am I?"

"You're safe. My friends and I rescued you from the Government and brought you to a safe place."

"Rescued me?" Benjamin asked. He couldn't remember anything before waking up.

"What do you remember Benjamin?" Lori said softly.

"Nothing. Is my name Benjamin?" He asked confused.

Lori nodded. "Your name is Benjamin Adams. My name is Lori."

Lori hurried to the door and called the others in. Together they took turns explaining what had happened to Benjamin.

Benjamin listened quietly as the eight people told him a fantastic story about being Immortal and kidnapped by the Government. He couldn't remember anything they talked about, the kidnapping, torture or being a Doctor or Immortal. He didn't know what a Quickening was or that he was several hundred years old.

"I don't remember any of this. It seems too strange to believe." He said.

"It's true, all of it. It was my brother that exposed the Government's secret. We saved you from them." Lori said proudly.

"Then I owe you all my thanks." Benjamin said.

Lori could see that the Immortal was exhausted; after all, he'd just waken from a several year coma! "Why don't you try and sleep now. When you've rested, we'll talk some more." At Benjamin's exhausted nod, Lori herded the others from the room. "Rest now Benjamin, you're safe with us."

In the other room, the group began to speak excitedly. "He's going to be okay! If he revived, maybe the others will too!" Tim said. The group hugged and congratulated each other on Benjamin's awakening.

Seacouver 2008

Duncan walked to the coffee pot and refilled his cup, stopping to stare out the window of his office. Since he'd gone public as an Immortal, he'd sold the Dojo and conducted his Immortal business in a private office near the waterfront. As one of the more recognized Immortals, he was busy with interviews and public relations activities to insure Immortal acceptance.

Looking towards the water, he couldn't help but see the Immortal Groupies across the street in the park. They hung around in the park all day, waiting for him to leave his office. They'd read Carolyn Marsh's Romance book The Blade of the MacLeods, about him and formed a fan club. They spent their free time watching his office building hoping for a glimpse of him. They were very careful not to harass or stalk him; they were very diligent Pro-Immortal advocates. But their presence was still uncomfortable for Mac.

He sighed and looked up at the knock on the frame of his office doorway. His personal assistant Emily Fox stood there. "Joe wanted to let you know that he would be a few minutes late for your lunch with the museum director. And I took a few messages; the Governor is asking for a follow up meeting with you, and the representative from 60 Minutes called again."

Mac nodded. "Set something up with the Governor for next week and see if you can stall 60 Minutes. Last time I was on that program, all they wanted to talk about was the other Immortals that were still in hiding."

Emily smiled sadly. "You know they won't give up until you tell them where Methos is. Ever since they read Cassandra's chronicle and found out you knew him, they've been going nuts trying to figure out why he's still in hiding. It'll be the scoop of the century to get an interview with him."

Mac turned away from his assistant. Cassandra had been killed several years ago, before the Immortals were exposed. She'd been the only one besides Mac, Joe, and Amanda who could positively identify Methos. The others were all dead. All those years ago, Cassandra's Watcher had reported that Cassandra had found Methos and was hunting his head. Duncan had been with her in Bordeaux when Methos had dropped out of the Watcher radar again. That had been many years ago, but it was still the last of the Methos sightings and the first in many centuries.

When the scientific community had discovered the existence of the oldest Immortal, they were eager to embrace Immortals and Methos in particular. There were repeated pleas for information on him; they had so many questions they wanted to ask. The Watchers insisted they didn't know where he was or what he looked like, and Duncan insisted that it was up to the Immortals to go public. He repeatedly refused to discuss Immortals that were still in hiding.

When the Government had taken Methos, he hadn't had any I.D. A Watcher had found one at the scene of the kidnapping but it was one of Methos' alias'. Most likely Methos had gotten rid of it to keep anyone from finding out who he was. The ID had been an unknown Immortal named Randy Taylor, software geek and just an ordinary guy. There was no link from Randy to Adam Pierson or Methos. Mac and Joe had decided that they'd keep that secret to themselves for a while longer. An extremist group had taken Methos and the other three Immortals over a year ago. Despite all the publicity and Duncan's army of private investigators, no trace of any of the lost Immortals had been found.

"Methos has a very good reason to still be in hiding." Duncan said sadly.

"Does he believe he's in danger?" Emily asked, her Watcher curiosity aroused. Her assignment, Duncan had admitted that Methos was real. "The Game is virtually ended."

"He is still in danger." Duncan said sadly.

Mac and Joe walked slowly down the steps of the museum and headed towards Mac's car. "That went well." Joe said hoping to distract Mac from his brood. "A traveling display of the Watcher Museum will bring good publicity. People are hungry for everything we can tell them about Immortals, even the ones no longer with us."

"Kind of morbid I think." Duncan said sarcastically.

"Maybe, but at least they're accepting that for the most part, Immortals only killed each other. The monsters like the Kurgan and Kalas were exceptions to the rule. It's important that we keep telling them about the ones like Darius, Grace and you. Make them focus on the good."

"I know Joe. It just hurts to have their lives dragged back into the limelight. I still miss them." Mac said thinking of Darius and Fitzcairn.

Joe nodded. He knew the Highlander's reaction was due to missing someone in particular. "Any news on Methos?" He asked. Mac kept an army of private investigators on retainer and looking for any news of the missing Immortal prisoners.

"None. Why don't they come forward? They should be bragging that they rescued the Immortals!" Mac said, his voice rising in frustration.

"The reporter that found them says the Pro-Immortalists are keeping them safe from the Government and other Immortals." Joe said. He knew Mac had heard this a dozen times, but the Highlander wouldn't let it drop as long as a member of his extended clan was missing. Mac probably couldn't do anything for his missing Immortal friend, but it was important to the Scot that he 'see' his friend and know that he wasn't suffering.

Joe blinked away the tears that threatened when he thought of the last known condition of the Immortals. Everyone had seen the pictures of the comatose Immortals. Although the pictures were grainy and indistinct, the proof was strong that they'd been tortured until they'd all been mentally destroyed. He shook his head sadly. What would the scientific community say if they knew the Immortal they most wanted to talk to, was now a mindless vegetable; courtesy of the United States Government. Joe hated to think of the repercussions against the Government when that came out. No, better to let them think that Methos was just in hiding.

Oregon

In the months since his revival, Benjamin had grown stronger. He still couldn't remember anything before waking up, but his strength and health had quickly returned. He was exercising every day to try and get his strength and conditioning back, and helping with the care of the other Immortals. They hadn't revived yet, but they were looking less frail. Methos told his new friends that their Quickenings were getting stronger, a possible sign that their minds were healing.

Every day Benjamin spent an hour with each Immortal, just sitting and talking to them. He told them that he'd gone through the same torture and they could survive. He could feel their Quickenings trying to get into sync with his. Their Immortal presence felt a little less chaotic each day.

Lori secretly watched Benjamin sprawl on the couch as he read one of the many books they kept around. How could the man make lying on a couch look so sexy? Was it something magnetic that all Immortals exuded, or was it just Benjamin? She wondered. As Benjamin's Immortal body returned to full health, her attraction for the handsome Immortal had grown. He was kind, witty, and educated. It was just an added bonus that he was incredibly handsome. Lori heard Kate's snicker and glared over at her friend across the room. Kate had seen the longing look she'd been giving Benjamin.

Both Kate and Rachel had encouraged Lori to tell Benjamin that she was interested in him. The women had insisted that making love to a man several centuries old would certainly be worth it! But Lori was nervous about bringing up the subject with Benjamin. She didn't want him to feel any pressure at accepting the attentions of one of his rescuers. Benjamin treated everyone the same, warmly but remotely, as if he'd been hurt too many times by mortals to fully let his emotional shields down. After what had happened to him, Lori could certainly understand his polite distance. The very short Watcher chronicle they'd hacked into the Watcher database to see, had only mentioned a few women, who'd either been married or died. Benjamin had been very close to Mary Shelley and a slave named Charlotte. His chronicles had not mentioned anything more recent, it was as if he'd just disappeared from the Watcher's radar.

Lori sighed. Since Benjamin still couldn't remember anything before waking up months ago, she couldn't even ask if he'd been married or involved with someone. They'd never know what life he'd been living or what he'd been doing in Las Vegas. The biggest reason she couldn't approach Benjamin, was the fact that she didn't believe a man as special as him, who'd known some very famous people and lived for as long as he had, would even think twice about a plain person like herself. She lived in the real world; she wasn't beautiful, extremely smart or clever. She was just plain Lori.

2009

Eight months after Benjamin's revival, Allen opened his eyes for the first time in years. Benjamin had been watching an interview on 60 Minutes with an Immortal baseball player named Carl Robinson. Carl was describing his years as a slave, his several escapes, and finally finding a place in the Major Leagues. He was now a public official and laughing as he proclaimed his desire to be the first Black President. Benjamin was wondering if he'd been in the South when Carl had been a slave, when he felt the change in Allen's Quickening. He hurried into the room just in time to see Allen open his eyes.

"Allen?" He asked quietly. He hoped that the Immortal's minds were healing but he wouldn't know for sure until they were conscious.

"Who are you? Where am I?" Allen asked hoarsely.

Lori rushed into the room. Seeing Allen's eyes open, she grabbed a large cup of water and slowly approached the bed.

Benjamin had taken the seat next to Allen's bed. "My name is Benjamin. How are you feeling?" He asked quietly. He took the water from Lori and eased the cup to Allen's dry lips.

After drinking, Allen looked at the other Immortal. "I had a terrible nightmare..." Allen said.

Benjamin put a gentle hand on Allen's arm. "It wasn't a nightmare, but it's over now."

"The torture? The experiments?" Allen said, tears beginning to flow freely from his eyes. He clutched at the other Immortal's hand, so gently resting on his arm. He had no reason to trust this Immortal but he did. This Immortal's Quickening was soothing to his own.

"They happened. To you, and me and your two students."

"Rocky and Sam?" Allen asked alarmed.

Benjamin kept Allen from sitting up. "Still unconscious and healing." Benjamin said with a smile, seeing that Allen was taking the news better than expected.

"How long?" Allen asked, afraid of the answer.

"Nine years." Benjamin said softly. He watched for any signs of anxiety or a relapse at this news.

"So long?" Allen said horrified.

"Just a drop in the ocean Allen. You slept through most of it." Benjamin said gently.

"The silver lining?" Allen said sarcastically.

Benjamin nodded. "Nine years out of three hundred."

Allen nodded in agreement; it had been an exciting and fulfilling three hundred years. He had very few regrets. "How'd you get to be so old and wise?"

Benjamin chuckled. "Lori and Tim tell me that you're nearly half a century older than me."

Allen looked over at the smiling faces of the other people that had quietly come into the room. "They know about Immortals?" Allen didn't know how he felt about that. He should be alarmed that his secret was out, but somehow Benjamin's calm voice took away the panic that should be filling him.

The silent group nodded as one. Lori spoke up. "My brother exposed the Government's experiments, he helped us sneak into the facility and get you out. You're safe now, we're not going to let anything happen to you."

Allen nodded at the sincerity he saw in the sad eyes surrounding him.

"Everyone knows about Immortals now. They even have action figures and collector cards." Benjamin grinned for a second before getting serious again. "Because Lori's brother exposed the experiments, we have the public on our side. A secret society called the Watchers came forward with thousands of years of chronicles on Immortals. Apparently they've been Watching us for a long time, observing and recording our lives. They were able to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that we've been around for a long time without threatening mortals." Benjamin said.

Seeing how exhausted Allen was, and realizing that he'd need some time to reflect on what he'd been told, Benjamin patted Allen's arm. "Sleep. We'll talk more later."

Samuel woke a few weeks later. He was still angry over the way the Government had treated him, but he was willing to let it be as long as everyone left him alone. He and Allen spent many long hours in conversation. Benjamin continued to spend time with the young Immortal as well. He could still feel his Quickening healing Samuel's.

After several more months, when both Allen and Samuel's bodies were strong again, the two Immortals decided they were ready to start a new life. They thanked their rescuers and after promising to stay in touch, they left their hiding spot. Benjamin stood by the car that Tim had gotten for the Immortals.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Benjamin asked after looking at the beautiful mountain scenery that surrounded them. This was the first time he'd been outside their hiding place and it felt good!

Allen nodded. "We need to get back out into the world again. We'll stick together until we feel comfortable again. It's been a long time." Allen said sheepishly.

"You're not going to pose for an Action Figure are you?" Benjamin asked trying for humor. He hid his concern over how well Allen and Sam might handle the publicity they would receive if they surfaced. Although the pictures of the four Immortals that had started this change in the world were fuzzy and grainy, the victimized Immortals were still the topic of conversations and speculation. No one but Lori's group knew where they were, or that three of them had regained consciousness. Would the Government try to stop them from talking if they surfaced?

"Not a chance. Neither of us is ready to talk about what we've been through. Kate's given us permission to use her cabin near the coast. It's close enough to people to get us started, while still allowing us to take our time."

"Live, grow stronger." Benjamin said offering his hand in a warriors grasp. Allen took Benjamin's arm and returned the gesture. "Thank you Ben." Allen said. "I've never had an Immortal friend before."

Benjamin smiled. "Then I'm proud to be the first of many."

Samuel stepped forward. "What he said." The young Immortal grinned and shook Ben's hand. "And I'm sorry I tried to take your head and got you into this whole nightmare."

Ben nodded. The past was the past. "It's nothing - literally, I can't remember a bit of it." Ben said cheekily.

"How much longer are you staying Ben?" Allen asked, shrewdly looking at Ben. Ben had recovered from the coma before any of them, was he hiding from the world?

"Until the last of us is well." Ben said sadly. He didn't feel comfortable taking on this responsibility, but he also felt that his Quickening had helped the others. Would they have revived as soon or whole if he'd gone as soon as his instincts had told him to? He called himself a Boy Scout and shrugged his feelings aside.

Allen nodded. Benjamin's chronicle had said he'd been a doctor.

Ben sat at Rocky's bedside letting his Quickening soothe the young Immortal's Quickening. Allen and Sam had been gone several weeks now. The mortals had started to return to the world as well. Lori, Tim and Kate were the last of the original eight. Lori walked into the room and saw the sad expression on Ben's face before he could hide it.

Now that there was only the four of them, Lori decided to take a small risk. She placed herself behind Ben and began to massage his shoulders. She almost let go at Ben's immediate tension. This was the first time in a very long time that anyone had touched him without him initiating the contact.

"Why is it taking him so long to revive?" Lori asked as Ben slowly relaxed into her ministrations.

"That feels good." Ben said. "He was the youngest of us, he didn't have a frame of reference to deal with this."

Lori smiled, pleased that he was accepting her touch. "What was your frame of reference?" Lori thought out loud and immediately regretted it. Ben couldn't remember anything before waking up.

Ben tensed for an instant before forcing himself to relax. He shrugged. "Maybe I saw something when I treated the slaves in New Orleans, or maybe it was the Quickening the Watchers say I took. Rocky never experienced a Quickening."

Lori took a deep breath and calmed herself. She hoped she wasn't making a mistake, but she asked anyway. "Why can't you remember what happened before? Allen and Sam could remember in nightmarish detail."

Ben stood up and stepped away from Lori. He'd been asking himself that question since Allen had woken up normal. "Maybe because I resisted longer than the others, or maybe it was just that I don't want to remember my life before." He shrugged again. "The Watcher chronicles don't really say that much about me."

Lori approached him slowly, stopping in front of him and asking permission with her eyes before draping her arms over his broad shoulders. When he allowed that, she kissed him lightly on the lips, savoring the taste of him as he returned her kiss. Ben's arms slid around her body, his hands pulling her closer as she melded her body into his.

Ben enjoyed the kiss and the feel of Lori in his arms, but something wasn't right about this, the passion wasn't there. He ended the kiss and rested his forehead on Lori's. "Buy you a cup of coffee?" He asked and stepped back, putting some space between them.

Lori still tingled from the kiss. Ben hadn't rejected her advance and had even participated. This was much more than she'd expected. She understood that it would be a long process, he'd need time to feel again, he'd probably shut down all but the most basic of emotions during his ordeal. "Deal." She said with a smile.

Ben lay stretched out on his bed in the room he shared with the still comatose Rocky. He thought about Lori's kiss earlier in the day. He closed his eyes and let his Immortal memory recreate it. On its own, his mind substituted Lori for a petite, pale woman with beautiful, silky long hair. His cock stirred and he understood that he'd been passionate about this woman. Then why hadn't he remembered her?

He let the memory run, feeling her hands on his back and his on her pliant and willing body. He saw the landscape change behind her round smiling face. He knew they'd traveled to many places together. Then he saw her image in a hospital bed, breathing through a tube. At the wrenching of his heart, he knew that she'd died there. Oh. Was that why he didn't want to remember his life?

The scene changed and he saw several other faces he couldn't put names to. Then his memory shifted to a horrible scene, a handsome man was kneeling, his face resigned. A gloating man stood above him, a sword raised to strike the kneeling man dead. "NO! MacLeod!" Ben heard himself scream. He jumped out of the bed and backed against the wall, bracing himself. He struggled to control his breathing.

He looked up at the others as they ran into the room.

"Ben? Are you okay?" Lori asked

"It was just a nightmare." Ben said, wiping at his face.

Lori looked at the upset Immortal. He stood against the wall as if he needed its support. Dressed only in his boxer shorts, his body gleamed in sweat showing just how upsetting the nightmare had been.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Tim offered. It was a good sign that Ben was remembering something, even if it was causing nightmares.

"I think I saw the beheading of someone I knew." Ben said, his voice still emotionally charged from the nightmare.

"You shouted MacLeod, but he's not dead." Tim said, tapping his lip in contemplation. Trying to figure out what the connection might be.

Ben struggled to reconcile his dream with that news.

Seeing Ben's confusion Tim offered, "We can access the Watcher files for Immortals that have gone public or are dead. They've got all the Immortals still in hiding locked away in a secured vault but MacLeod came forward. We only saw your name because it wasn't your current alias."

Ben nodded and slipped into jeans and a tee shirt before following the others to the common area.

Lori brought him a cup of coffee while they waited for Tim's computer to boot up, and for him to log into the Watcher public files.

Tim typed in 'Duncan MacLeod' and Ben found himself staring at the face of the man he'd seen kneeling in his dream.

"That's him, he should be dead." Ben said, sure that's what had upset him about the dream.

"He was the first Immortal to come forward voluntarily. He's the friend of one of the Watchers, a guy named Joe Dawson. Do you know MacLeod?"

"I recognize his face but I don't remember him."

"He's in Seacouver, we could call him." Kate offered.

"Let me think about it."

It took Ben two days to decide to call. He'd finally decided to call when he continued to dream about the Immortal kneeling for the sword. He needed to know why this MacLeod was haunting his dreams. This decision made, Lori and Ben drove the two hours to another town so that they couldn't be traced. They'd pulled a contact number off the Internet and taking a deep breath, Ben dialed.

"MacLeod Enterprises, may I help you?" A cheerful but professional voice said.

"I'd like to speak with Mr. MacLeod please."

"He's in a meeting right now; may I ask whose calling?"

Ben hesitated. "Ben Adams."

"Can I take your number? Mr. MacLeod asked not to be disturbed."

"No, I'm at a pay phone. Thank you." Lori patted his arm consolingly.

"I'll let him know you called." Emily said. It was several hours later when Emily handed Duncan a stack of messages.

Joe chuckled at Mac's rolled eyes.

"Anything I need to respond to right away?" Mac asked Emily when he saw the stack of messages.

"No, just let me know which ones you want me to set up appointments for." She grinned, knowing Duncan hated this part of his public relations work. She returned to her desk, shutting his office door behind her.

Mac quickly glanced through the stack only half reading the messages. He froze when he saw a familiar name. Mac was up and out of his chair in a flash. He jerked open the door of his office, surprising Emily just as she was sitting down again.

"When did you get this message from Ben Adams?"

Joe overheard that familiar name and got to his feet, joining Mac. His heart beat fast in hopeful excitement.

"Earlier this morning. Around ten I think, it would say on the message. He had a very pleasant voice, with some kind of accent."

"Did he leave a number? Some way I could reach him?" Mac pressed.

Emily could see Duncan and Joe's excitement and wondered at it. "No, he said he was at a payphone."

"Was he going to call back?" Duncan persisted.

"He didn't say so." Emily responded.

"I want to talk with him immediately if he calls back. It's very important!"

"Do you think it's him Mac?" Joe asked as they turned back into the office and closed the door.

"Who else would use that name?"

"Can I use your computer? I want to check the database..." Joe said.

Emily overheard their conversation before they shut the office door. Why were Duncan and Joe so excited about that call? To satisfy her own curiosity, she logged into the Watcher database. So Ben Adams was an Immortal that was still in hiding. He was last seen in Paris nearly thirteen years ago. Must be a friend, Emily thought. Reading further, she saw that Joe's daughter Amy had written the last updates to his chronicles, before they'd lost track of the Immortal again. Ben Adams had been a well respected doctor, why would he be in hiding? He'd mingled with the rich and famous; Lord Byron, the Shelley's and several prominent southern families were in his circle of friends. He was probably just a very private man. Emily made a note of the name near her phone and turned back to her tasks. She hadn't seen Duncan or Joe this excited in awhile. She hoped for their sakes, Dr. Benjamin Adams called back.

Ben wrestled with the decision on whether or not to call MacLeod again. All thoughts of this dropped out of his mind when Rocky finally revived, a year to the day that they'd been removed from the Government facility by Lori and her group.

After a week of emotional conversations, Rocky asked to stay with Allen and Sam when he was stronger. Rocky was afraid of Mortals now, even the ones that had rescued him. Rocky wasn't afraid of Ben though, after feeling Ben's Quickening for so long, he felt like he knew him. Rocky talked with Allen and Sam over the phone, and they agreed to come and get him in a few weeks. Ben spent the time helping Rocky get his body back in shape and explaining what had changed in the ten years they'd been gone.

It saddened Ben to see the young Immortal struggling with his fears. It was a good thing he'd given up revenge centuries ago...now where had that thought come from? He wondered.

Rocky was doing better when Allen and Sam returned. They spent a couple more days visiting and thanking their rescuers for giving so much of themselves.

Finally it was just Ben, Lori, Kate and Tim. Ben looked at his rescuers and companions. "There's just no way to say thank you enough for what you've done for us. If you ever need my help please don't hesitate to ask. Now that it's too visible for Immortals to challenge each other, I'm likely to be around for a long time."

There was a tearful series of hugs before Tim asked, "What will you do now Ben?"

Ben smiled. "Well, since I was a doctor before, I thought I might set up a new identity and go back to medical school. It will give me a few years to get back into the swing of things."

The group smiled at his choice.

"When are you leaving?" Lori asked, already missing him.

Ben had been thinking about this since Allen's awakening. He didn't want to drag this out anymore than he had. He wanted to get started on a new life and to let Lori, Tim and Kate get back to their own lives. They'd put everything on hold to take care of them. He told them he was going to set out in the morning if someone could give him a lift into town. Ben spent the evening on Tim's computer applying for medical school and booking airline tickets to Seacouver. He'd decided to stop there first to see if he could talk to MacLeod.

The next morning, Ben shook Tim's hand, hugging Kate and Lori. Lori handed him a credit card when he stepped back from her arms.

"This is good for two thousand dollars. We gave one to each of the others when they left. It's not much but it's what's left of the donations we received. It will get you started again."

Ben thanked them. Lori tearfully handed him a piece of paper. "This is my phone number and address. If you ever need a place to stay, or someone to talk to..."

"Thanks." Ben said wrapping her into another hug. He'd noticed her attraction to him but after that kiss, he'd kept it neutral between them.

After a short flight to Seacouver, Ben checked into a cheap hotel near MacLeod's office and prepared to spend a couple of days watching the other Immortal before introducing himself. He wanted to be familiar with the man before he came out of hiding. On the second day of watching, he knew the man's routine. After MacLeod left the building at lunchtime, Ben went into the office. Nothing about it looked familiar.

"May I help you?" A petite Asian woman asked. Ben recognized her voice as the woman he'd talked on the phone with.

"I was looking for Mr. MacLeod." Ben said knowing that MacLeod wasn't there.

"You just missed him. He was headed out for lunch. Would you like to leave a message?"

"Actually I'm only here until tonight." I'll just try and catch him next time I'm in town." Ben lied.

"What was your name? I'll tell him you dropped by."

"Ben Adams."

"Oh! Mr. Adams, he definitely wanted to speak with you. If you'll just wait a moment, I'll call his cell phone. I'm sure he'll come back, he wouldn't be that far away yet."

"Where was he going for lunch? I could save him a trip back and surprise him there." Ben said since MacLeod had seemed so eager to speak with him, his secretary was likely to be very forthcoming with information.

"Giovanni's on 5th and Weston. That's about six blocks east of here."

"Thank you." Ben said leaving. He went through the motions as if he were headed east, before he turned off. Instead he parked his rental car at a park and sat on a bench. What was he doing here? Nothing but MacLeod's face even looked familiar.

Emily got on the phone and called Duncan as soon as Ben Adams left the office. "I'm sorry to disturb you Mr. MacLeod but the man you wanted to talk to, Ben Adams was just here in the office."

"Is he still there?" Mac asked excitedly.

"No. He said something about only being in town tonight. He asked where you were taking lunch, perhaps he's planning on joining you there."

"What did he look like?" Duncan asked, still hopeful that Ben Adams was really Methos.

"Tall and lean, he had short dark hair and the most wonderful eyes, oh and a very classical sort of nose. He talked with an English accent."

"Thanks Emily. If he comes back, stall and keep him there."

"I will Mr. MacLeod."

Mac waited for over an hour before he finally decided that his mysterious visitor wasn't going to show. He ordered his lunch to go and returned to his office. He had trouble focusing, hoping that he'd feel the warm, comforting feel of Methos' Quickening at any moment.

Ben sat in the park for several hours. Finally he started walking, letting his feet choose the way. He ended up at a gym in the warehouse district. Something about it was familiar until he went inside. His sub-conscious knew that the juice bar in the corner shouldn't be there, and instead of a wall of treadmills and other exercise equipment filling the room, there should have been a large open area.

A six-foot man, blonde, muscular yuppie crossed the room. "Can I help you?"

"No, thank you. I was just passing by and wondered what kind of equipment you had."

The yuppie looked Ben over before deciding that the scrawny man wasn't serious about working out and turned back to the office.

Ben smiled in amusement. The man had obviously worked his muscles not his personality!

Ben wandered out of the gym, still letting his feet guide him. He wandered until he saw a bar and heard a band warming up. He went inside and ordered a draft beer from the bored looking bartender. There were only a few customers in the bar at this early hour. Ben turned towards the stage and stared at the man on stage with a guitar. He'd seen the man at MacLeod's several times since he'd been watching.

When the man started to tune the guitar, Ben closed his eyes. Images came to him with this man in them; the petite woman with the long hair from his memory was hugging the man before getting into a van, the man sitting on a cot with bandages on his chest, then another image of him as he was now, playing his guitar.

Ben sat on the bar stool next to him in shock. Did he know this man? The images certainly made it look that way, but why couldn't he remember? He stared at the man, trying to connect back to the images he'd just seen. He knew instantly when the man saw him.

Ben watched as the man immediately set the guitar aside and stepped towards the stairs in his awkward gait. The silver haired man waved over a waitress and said something to her quickly before continuing towards Ben.

"Cheryl, keep that man's glass full and do me a favor, call MacLeod and tell him to get his ass over here now!" Joe said quietly to the waitress before grabbing a bottled water off the bar counter. He walked up to Methos noticing that Methos was sitting rigidly, his eyes nervously flitting around trying to watch everything.

"You are a sight for sore eyes old man! Where the hell have you been?" Joe asked keeping his voice light.

"Do I know you?" Ben asked, drawing a confused look from the guitar man.

"Only about thirty years. You're kidding me right?"

"You look familiar." Ben said vaguely.

"Are you okay old man?" Joe asked, afraid to use Methos' name in public.

"I was in an accident, I'm having trouble remembering names." Ben said just in case this man didn't know he was an Immortal.

"Why don't we take this into my office so we can talk privately." Joe said. He was shocked by the look of terror that appeared on Methos' face.

"NO." Methos said adamantly, coming half off his bar stool.

"Okay, okay, where ever you feel comfortable." Joe mollified and stiffly sat on a nearby barstool. "I'm Joe Dawson. Where have you been keeping yourself? We haven't heard from you in nearly ten years." Joe spoke quietly, "Not since the Government grabbed you and the Pro-Immortal group raided the research facility."

This man appeared to know what had happened to him. Could he really be a friend, or was he involved in the group that had grabbed him? Ben tensed, looking at the man before him, weighing him as he tried to decide what to say. His instincts told him that he could trust this man. "I don't remember anything before I woke up. Lori and the others had to tell me my name. Apparently the Government couldn't get a name out of me or find my ID."

Joe nodded, "Samuel Brookman's Watcher found your ID under a car. He found the Watcher symbol you left and reported what had happened right away. We were able to alert our field Watchers so no more Immortals were taken. You saved a lot of lives." Joe said, sad that his friend had paid for that with his memory and ten years of his life. He'd noticed that Methos had still not returned to his seat, still nervous then.

Ben nodded and sank back down onto his bar stool. He didn't remember any of this but he was glad that no one else had to pay.

"Where have you been?" Joe asked quietly, a sigh of relief at a now sitting Methos.

Ben looked at his hands. "Lori said after they got us out, the Government was looking for us. We hid out in the mountains."

"What did this 'Lori' tell you?" Joe asked, wanting to know if Methos had been brain washed by his rescuers.

Ben briefly summarized what Lori had said about the Government experiments, the Immortals becoming comatose and being rescued. "Since they didn't know who I was, they had to use the public Watcher files. You're a Watcher aren't you?" Ben asked and nodded at the tattoo on the guitar man's wrist.

Joe nodded. "For nearly fifty years."

Ben hesitated, "am I really Benjamin Adams?" We weren't sure. I just fit the description."

Joe nodded. "That was your identity about two hundred years ago. The Watchers only knew about that one because my daughter Amy was kidnapped by an Immortal named Morgan Walker. He knew you by that name. You took his head and Amy wrote up the closing report identifying 'Ben' as the Immortal who took the Quickening. We let them use that name for the chronicles so they didn't look any deeper than that."

"That's not who I am?" Ben asked. "What's my real name?" He asked, wanting to know for sure, to remember who he was.

Joe leaned closer to be sure that no one could overhear them. "Your real name is Methos."

What a strange name, Ben thought seconds before he felt another Immortal. This one was vaguely familiar. He shot out of his seat and would have run if Joe hadn't grabbed his arm, being careful to let him know that he wasn't threatening or restraining him. "Please Methos, he's been worried sick about you for the last ten years, just talk to him?"

Ben looked towards the bar door nervously. He stood his ground at the pleading in Joe's voice, but his eyes quickly inventoried the things that could be used to protect himself.

Mac raced his car through the streets of Seacouver to get to the bar quickly. At the door, he felt the glorious presence that belonged to Methos. He felt his eyes tearing up as he looked across the bar and saw Methos standing beside Joe. He hurried over but slowed when he saw Methos tense as if to run.

Mac moved his hands out in a non-threatening manner and approached much slower. He reminded himself that Methos had been a prisoner for nearly ten years; he was probably traumatized from his imprisonment. "I've missed you old man." Mac said tearfully, offering his hand.

Ben stared at the Immortal from his nightmares. "I saw you in my dreams."

Mac looked at Joe in confusion. "He doesn't remember anything before he woke up a few months ago." Joe said quietly.

Damn the Government! Duncan thought angrily.

Ben saw the anger in the Immortal's eyes and took an unconscious step back.

"No, not at you Methos; the Bastards that did this to you." Mac said quickly struggling to contain his anger. He didn't want to make Methos any more nervous than he already was.

"I'm okay now, the others are too. We won't be going public anytime in the next thousand years, but we'll heal." Ben said.

"The others are okay now too?" Mac asked. He'd been told the Immortals were all comatose.

Ben nodded. "I woke up a few months after I was freed, Allen and Sam after that. Rocky woke up only a month ago. With all of us healed, we couldn't keep our rescuers from going on with their lives, so we left."

"Did they hurt you?" Mac asked. The self-proclaimed Pro-Immortal group had just disappeared when they'd taken the captive Immortals. He was surprised when Methos looked angry.

"They saved us! They cared for us even though we were just empty shells. They put their lives on hold for us and they committed to do this as long as we needed it!" Methos growled. "We owe them our lives!"

Mac put up his hands in a pacifying gesture. "I didn't know, we'd only heard that they'd taken you. We never heard from them again."

Ben let a little of his anger dissipate. He sat down heavily and rubbed his face. Suddenly he needed to be away from these men. He needed to be alone so he could absorb what he'd heard. "I need to think."

"Please don't run Methos." Mac pleaded quietly.

Ben looked at the two men, but didn't make any promises. He left, walking towards his rental car parked several blocks away.

Mac sat down wearily. "What in the hell did they do to him?"

"Five thousand years lost forever. He may never be the same." Joe said rubbing his teary eyes.

"Aye, and we're all the poorer for it." Mac stood. "Can you put a Watcher on him?"

Joe shook his head. "I don't dare. Did you see how jumpy he was? If he spots a tail, he'll run. He's been through hell Mac; we just have to be patient. He has to learn to trust us again."

Mac nodded. Joe was right. Methos would run. "Can we at least ask that all un-watched Immortals be left alone?"

"I could ask, but they'll want to know why."

"Tell them the truth, the lost Immortals are coming out of hiding. We owe them the chance to try and take back their lives. We need to let them find their own way."

Ben returned to his rental car and hotel room. He stopped for a case of beer on his way back and once he was locked in his room for the night, he started to drink. He knew he'd known Dawson and MacLeod before and trusted them. They knew his real name even if he didn't. They'd been worried about him when he'd gone missing. The way he saw it, he could do two things; just leave and pick up the identity he'd created, or stick around and see what he could remember or learn about himself. If he decided that he wasn't safe, he could always disappear and take up his new life. He was jumpy, but he didn't feel threatened. After talking with Joe and MacLeod, he thought there was more he could learn about who he'd been. With all the stress, he'd forgotten to ask what the rest of his name was, or if that was his last name. Surely Methos wasn't his only name.

Ben watched TV for a little while before he went to bed early. Turning off the television just as a special came on the History channel. It was a documentary of Immortals through history. It started with one of the oldest Immortal in the Watcher chronicles – Methos. The hour long show ended with a commentary speculating what changes the oldest Immortal must have seen, what insights he could offer, and what historical mysteries he could solve just by having been there. This program had a rather large viewing audience that night; after all, everything the Immortals did was interesting to so many people.

Joe stood before the Watcher Tribunal at the Northwest District Watcher head quarters.

"Let me get this straight Joe. You want us to look the other way if our field people see an unwatched Immortal?"

Joe nodded. "I have it from a reliable source that the four Immortals that were taken into Government custody have come out of their comas and are ready to try and pick up their lives again."

"They're healed? That's great! Imagine the knowledge that can come from case studies of them!"

"No, you don't get it. They're still healing. They're afraid. If they spot someone Watching them, they're going to think that it's the Government again. They'll disappear for good or even worse, declare war. We have a peaceful co-existence right now. If those Immortals start a war, it won't be long before the other Immortals are drawn into it."

The Tribunal was silent as they considered what Joe Dawson had said. They all remembered MacLeod's war with Jack Shapiro. "Who's your source?" Can you trust them?"

Joe sighed. He needed to tell them something for their cooperation. "One of the four Immortals talked to MacLeod." When pressed, Joe told them some of what Methos had told him, ending with how fragile their trust was.

"How dangerous is the situation Joe?"

Joe fingered his cane nervously. Ten years ago he'd have known exactly what to expect from Methos. He'd have said the other three Immortals were the unknown element. But he couldn't say that now. Joe knew exactly what kind of cold-blooded things Methos was capable of if pushed. Now that the oldest Immortal couldn't remember his days as Death, he could easily take that path not knowing why he shouldn't. "The teacher has taken his students to a quiet rural area while they adjust. They won't be trouble unless someone goes looking for them."

"And the last one?" The Tribunal asked when Joe hesitated.

"He's a very dangerous, old Immortal that we don't want to set off."

"Could you be a little more specific? Could you put MacLeod on him to keep him in line?"

"Mac would take this Immortal's side. Remember this Immortal was grabbed off the street and tortured for years. He was in a coma from his treatment for five more! He doesn't remember who he is so he's unpredictable. He won't hesitate to react violently if he's cornered."

When they tried to get more out of Joe, he refused. He'd already said too much, but he'd felt this was too important. "Are you going to warn the field or not?"

The Tribunal whispered amongst themselves.

"We know where all the old Immortals were during this."

"All the old ones we knew about anyways. You know we have some that have been in hiding for years."

"Methos, could it be Methos?"

"MacLeod knows him according to Cassandra's old Watcher."

"Oh my God! Did Dawson say he didn't know who he was anymore?"

As one, the Tribunal looked over at Dawson and saw the deep loss etched onto his face. With a nod, they reached their decision.

"We will. Do you think this situation will defuse itself?" The Tribunal asked.

Joe nodded, relaxing a little. "I do. He's not angry; he's been told what happened. He's just not going to take a chance of it happening again. He's starting to remember bits and pieces, but they still don't make any sense to him."

"Let us know if the situation changes."

Ben was waiting outside MacLeod's office when the younger Immortal arrived.

Duncan felt the familiar buzz and smiled at the sight of his friend.

"Can we talk?" Ben said, his eyes still nervously watching everything around him.

"Of course. Is my office okay or would you rather go someplace else?" Mac asked, seeing how nervous Methos still was acting.

"Your office is fine. You don't mind?"

Mac smiled, happier than he'd been in years. "I'll even supply the coffee."

"You're out of your mind! You're crazier than I am!" Ben vented, pacing the large and tastefully decorated office. He couldn't be the oldest Immortal! He'd remember that wouldn't he?

MacLeod was silent knowing that Methos wasn't really expecting an answer. "Joe could probably arrange for you to have access to your chronicles, they aren't on the database. Most of them aren't even written in modern languages."

Methos shook his head in disbelief. He didn't believe it.

"I know it's hard to believe Methos, but it's true. Other than a handful of people, there's no one left who would recognize you so I can't prove it if you won't take my word for it."

Methos sat down on the edge of the chair he'd been sitting in earlier. Mac noticed that the old Immortal still wasn't comfortable enough to sprawl.

"It can't be true!"

Mac was silent as he tried to think of a way to help Methos remember. "We could go to a few of the museums that specialize in Ancient works. Their interpretation of events always amused you. Or, we could travel and see the places you'd told me you'd been, or that were in your chronicles." Mac offered. "Why don't we go to lunch and we can talk about it?"

At Methos' nod, Duncan stood. He held the door for Methos as he told Emily they would be gone several hours.

Emily smiled; pleased that MacLeod's friend had stayed in town. The Highlander had been so serious for the years she'd worked for him. She was glad to see a smile on his face and a bounce in this step.

Across the street, Duncan spotted his Fan club. He focused on ignoring their claps and calls of greeting until he heard the wonderful sounds of Methos laughing. He looked at Methos in surprise and his heart was glad at the twinkling amusement in Methos' eyes, proving to him that his friend was still in that eternally young body.

"You have your own fan club?" Methos stuttered between gasps for air and laughter. He'd seen the women across the street from MacLeod's office when he'd observed the Immortal, but the women hadn't reacted before. Now they were jumping up and down and waving at MacLeod.

Mac couldn't help laughing. He waved at the ladies who increased their efforts to get more of his attention. Duncan was still smiling as he unlocked the passenger door of his car for Methos.

They had a long lunch and Duncan was finally able to talk Methos into going with him to the nearby museum. Mac let Methos wander the exhibits, following him and watching to see what things Methos reacted to. They were in the Weapons section when Methos froze, his eyes riveted to a display case.

Mac moved forward to see what had drawn Methos' attention and saw it. A chill ran down his spine as he recognized Methos' Ivanhoe mixed in with other swords and daggers. He quickly looked over at Methos to see his expression, but Methos had moved forward and in a couple of seconds, had the display case open. A few more motions and Methos had the sword clutched tightly in his hands, his eyes closed and tears running down his pale face.

Mac put a gentle and comforting hand on Methos' shoulder. A security guard rushed into the room; hand on his still holstered gun. Mac put up a calming hand. "It's alright. Could we speak to someone in charge please?"

The guard got on his radio while he warily watched the two men. Several minutes later a thin, bald man hurried in with two more guards.

Mac put on the charm and offered his hand to the Curator. "I'm Duncan MacLeod. We're sorry to cause you so much trouble, but we'd like to buy this sword."

"THE Duncan MacLeod?" The curator said impressed. The famous Immortal Duncan MacLeod had come to see his museum displays?

"Yes. I'd be willing to pay a very generous price for this sword. Several years ago it was stolen from my friend's house in London and as you can see, it means a lot to him."

The curator looked over to the young man that Mr. MacLeod had indicated. The man clutched the sword possessively. "Mr. MacLeod it is a pleasure to met you in person. Let's go to my office, I'm sure we can work something out."

Mac followed the curator, gently pulling Methos along with him. When they were seated, the curator pulled up a program on his computer and read about the swords. "Let's see here. The Ivanhoe was purchased last month along with several other articles. We purchased them through a dealer we've used in the past."

"I want the other three swords and the two daggers." Methos said quietly.

Mac nodded at Methos. The curator cleared his throat nervously. Mac hurried to ease the man's nervousness. "We aren't accusing the Museum of anything irregular, I'm sure your dealer contacts believed they were buying legitimately acquired relics. There's probably a long and convoluted trail back to the thieves that took my friend's keepsakes. I'll pay a very generous price for the relics."

Mac was eventually able to convince the curator to sell the items. A generous check and a promise of lunch later in the month to discuss the loan of some items for display ended the negotiations on a positive note.

Methos clutched the container holding the weapons closely as they left the museum. "Do you have a place I can work out?" Methos asked softly.

Mac nodded and drove to his house, a renovated ranch house outside the city limits. Mac showed Methos to the large workout facility he'd had built behind the house. Methos stripped out of his shoes and shirt and stepped out into the middle of the hardwood floor. Within minutes, he was totally absorbed in a rigorous workout with his sword. Mac watched him for several minutes before he moved over to a quiet corner to watch Methos, and pulled out his cell phone to call Joe to tell him what had happened.

Methos' memories came back to him in their entirety as he worked the Ivanhoe and his body. He relived his fifty centuries up to his seeing his sword in the museum display. His movements increased in energy and violence as he remembered the torture and experiments. He even remembered the years of being in a coma. He'd just gone deeper into his memories and had relived his peaceful years in Greece as a way of mentally escaping the pain. His subconscious had been fully aware of what was happening to his body.

His body was trembling in exhaustion from having pushed it so hard. He sat in the middle of the room and laid the Ivanhoe across his lap. After several deep breaths, he slipped into meditation.

Joe walked past the meditating Immortal and joined Mac who was sitting nearby keeping an eye on Methos. Quietly Joe asked, "How's he doing?"

"He's been like that for an hour. I don't know what was going on in his mind, but his katas definitely got calmer."

"Do you think he's remembering?"

Mac shrugged. "He saw the Ivanhoe from across the room. I'm guessing the other swords belong to the other Immortals. The Government must have gotten rid of them rather than be caught with the damning evidence."

"But why sell them to a museum here?"

"Coincidence. Those swords have been sold several times in the last few years. I started to track them and hit a dead end. In another year, the swords would have been in another museum, they're always rotating their inventory on relics like that. Lucky for us they kept the set together." Mac stood when he saw Methos flow into a standing position. He moved to meet the approaching Immortal.

"Joe." Methos nodded acknowledging his friend. "Mac I'm going to go back to my hotel. There are some things I want to take care of."

"Are you okay?" Mac asked, realizing that Methos had used the more familiar 'Mac' when he'd addressed him.

"I'm fine. I just need to assimilate five thousand years of memories."

"You remembered your past?" Joe asked, hoping to hear some good news.

Methos nodded. "All of it including the past ten years. I'll see you later." Methos said and went over to his pile of clothes. He dressed and turned at the door. "Mac can you call me a cab?"

"I'll drive you." Both Mac and Joe offered.

"No thanks. I want to be alone for a bit."

Methos had the taxi take him to a store where he bought a laptop and equipment. He had the cab drop him off at MacLeod's offices where he'd left his rental car. Once he was back at his room, he set up and was soon connecting to the Internet. He wanted to catch up on things and take care of some business. Primary among them was the video that the Government took of the captured Immortals. He insured that the video and records would be 'misplaced' in the Government and Major Network archives. If anyone wanted to prove who the Immortals were, they'd only have copies that wouldn't stand up to critical evaluation.

He also did some snooping around to see if the Watchers knew where he or the other three Immortals were. He was glad to see that they didn't. Next he checked on his rescuers, sending an email to Lori to let her know that he was still in Seacouver and doing fine. He knew she'd let the others know.

He shifted some money from one of his Seacouver accounts into a new one in Benjamin Adam's name. He might as well continue to use that name for a little while longer he thought. When he was finished, he shut down his computer and walked the few blocks to a grocery store to get beer. He returned and turned out the lights, drinking his beer and reflecting.

Sharon put the newest pictures up on the wall. Her roommate Angi looked at them. "Oh he's cute!" Angi said looking at the picture of a young man.

"He's a friend visiting from out of town. He only just arrived."

"Is he Immortal too?"

"Nah." Sharon said, scrunching her nose as she stared at the picture.

"How do you know?" Angi challenged.

"Immortals have a kind of magnetism about them. They're all like James Bond that way, and MacLeod didn't do the 'buzz' thing. You know the look that tells anyone that knows what to look for, that they feel another Immortal coming."

Angi chuckled. "You've been following MacLeod in your spare time for a year now. When are you going to give it up?" Angi asked her roommate.

"When I find Methos." Sharon said stubbornly.

Angi sighed. "And what makes you think you will when the Watchers couldn't find him? Or that he'll grant you an interview?"

"I won't take NO for an answer." Sharon said with an impish grin.

"Blackmail huh?"

"Whatever works. An interview with him would guarantee me a job anywhere I choose."

"If you say so. What makes you think he won't just kill you?"

"Methos is supposed to be a friend of MacLeod's. MacLeod would never be friends with anyone capable of being a cold-blooded killer like that."

Angi shrugged. "Well, while you're waiting for the five thousand year old Immortal to stop in and introduce himself, why don't you get this guy's name so I can 'accidentally' meet him?"

"You're kidding? Don't you think he's skinny? And his nose is kind of big."

"Nope, he's a dream boat, look at his smile. It shows all the way into his eyes. And those lines show that he smiles a lot."

Sharon rolled her eyes. "He was laughing at the Fan Clan MacLeod."

"See! I like him even more, he's got taste." Angi said giggling.

Angi was getting coffee while waiting for Sharon when she got her wish. Sharon was outside talking with her friends in the Fan Clan MacLeod. Since the Fan Clan had originated, Sharon had cleverly used these ladies as her eyes and ears, having convinced them that she was a fan but had to work instead of being there with them. Every few weekends she needed to spend a day outside MacLeod's office, but it was a firm alibi and excuse to hang out there.

It exhausted Angi's patience to stand and listen to the Fan Clan, so she'd gone for coffee. She was day dreaming about a Hawaiian beach poster on the wall while she waited for her coffee, when a sexy voice broke into her thoughts.

"Makes you want to be there right now doesn't it?" The male voice said.

Angi looked in the direction of the voice. She was pleasantly surprised to look up into the sexy eyes of MacLeod's friend. She blushed, remembering that she'd told Sharon that she thought he was cute. He was even better looking in person and his voice was whipped cream and icing on the cake. "I'd love to be on that beach. Three days in a row of rain will do that to me." Angi said wanting to keep this man talking.

"Bellows Beach is actually nicer than that one." The man said.

"You've been to Hawaii?"

The man nodded. "I'm a 'follow the sun' kind of guy."

"Where are you from? Your accent sounds English." Angi said, thinking as she opened her mouth that she sounded stupid. This guy's eyes were incredible!

"Wales originally, but I've traveled a lot."

"How exciting! The extent of my travels has been to Canada and Mexico." Angi pouted.

The man nodded and reached for the coffee the barista was offering him. "Both wonderful countries to visit. Have a good day." He said.

"I'm Angi Greenwood." Angi said offering her hand.

The man took her offered hand and gently shook it. "Ben Adams."

"Maybe I'll see you in here again?" Angi asked hopefully.

Ben smiled, "Perhaps." With that he was gone.

Angi grabbed her coffee and hurried out to watch the man cross the street and go into MacLeod's offices. "Maybe I could be in his Fan Club." She giggled as she headed towards Sharon and the Fan Clan. When she got there, Sharon hurried her aside and excitedly said; "The gals say a middle aged man went into MacLeod's office half an hour ago. They were sure he was an Immortal by MacLeod's response when he approached his office.

Angi sighed, Sharon wouldn't leave until she'd seen the new Immortal and taken a few pictures for her wall. She smiled as the pleasant thought occurred to her that she might get to see Ben again.

Based on a conversation with Lori, Allen had just arrived in Seacouver and headed immediately for MacLeod's office. He was looking for Ben, but had no idea where to look other than at MacLeod's office. He was worried about Rocky. Allen went inside but was told that MacLeod wasn't in the office. Allen insisted on waiting.

Allen walked over to the window and watched a group of middle-aged women setting up lawn chairs across the street from the office. It was obvious by the way they all focused on the building, that it was the center of their attention.

"Protesters?" He asked the secretary. He hadn't heard that people were staking out Immortals and causing trouble, the news made it sound like it was all 'old news'.

Emily chuckled, "No they're a group of bored women with too much time on their hands. They call themselves the Fan Clan MacLeod. They're harmless."

Allen had just sat down and taken the coffee Emily offered him, when he'd felt another Immortal. He quickly set the cup down and stood facing the door.

Emily watched him discretely. So this was an Immortal and unwatched too. Her guess was confirmed when MacLeod walked into the reception area.

Duncan didn't recognize the Immortal in his waiting room, but made sure to keep his hands in plain sight.

"Duncan MacLeod?" The man asked. Mac nodded. "I'm Allen Contella. A friend told me I might find Ben here."

Mac recognized the man's name. This was one of the Immortals that had been imprisoned with Methos. "Ben speaks highly of you Allen." Duncan said offering his hand.

"I think very highly of him. Do you know where I might find him? It's important."

Duncan gestured Allen into his office. "I expect him shortly."

Emily jumped up to get the visitor's coffee cup for him, wanting to get another look at the Immortal's face. She handed over the cup before Duncan could close the door.

Duncan pulled a bottle of water from the office refrigerator and sat down.

Allen sat down in the chair across from him. "I saw your fan club outside, is that what it's like being a public Immortal?"

"It wasn't in the beginning. There was a lot of suspicion and fear. In the past few years, it's settled down. Mostly due to what you and Ben went through. The public was able to see that we feel pain just like they do."

Allen looked uncomfortable. "Ben told you?"

Mac nodded. "I recognized your name. Ben's just remembered the details of what happened to him. We found your swords and he reacted to his own."

"It didn't do me any good against the Government." Allen said referring to the sword.

"No, but hopefully now we'll never need them again, especially against each other. There hasn't been a challenge in years."

"Well at least something good came of it."

Duncan felt Methos' Quickening. "Ben's here." He said at Allen's nervousness. "Ben and I have been able to recognize each other's Quickening for years." He explained.

Allen thought about the Quickening he felt. Actually he could recognize Ben's Quickening too. It was more soothing than MacLeod's. "How long have you known him?"

"March 6th 1995, we met in Paris when I lived there. He was a student at the Sorbonne."

Methos smiled at Emily as he walked into the waiting room. He could feel MacLeod and Allen in the other room. All his time with the other Immortals held captive had made their Quickenings recognizable to him. Methos knocked on the office door before opening it. Methos stepped into the room and closed the door. He shook Allen's offered hand before sitting in a chair next to him. "What brings you here? Everything okay?" He asked.

The Watchers had ordered the Immortals left alone so Methos hadn't been able to check on them as thoroughly as he'd liked.

"Sam and I are fine, but I was hoping you could help me with Rocky. He responded to you before."

Methos nodded and asked Allen for details. They spent the next hour talking about Rocky's fear and anger towards the few people he ran into.

"It will just take time, but I'd be happy to come down and talk with him. When would you like to leave?"

"Is tomorrow morning too soon?"

"Not at all. Did you drive or fly?"

"Fly, I wanted to get here quickly."

"Want some company?" Mac asked. He'd missed Methos too much in the years he'd been missing and was hesitant to let him get out of his sight.

Methos considered the offer. Mac could talk with the others about how much Immortal's lives had changed and give them a current perspective. On the other hand, Mac was very well known. Methos didn't want anyone following them. "Not unless you can guarantee we're not followed."

Mac nodded, understanding Methos' concerns. "I'll let Joe know and I'll meet you at the airport in disguise. Can you get the tickets so that it doesn't attract anyone's attention?"

Methos nodded. "Allen why don't you come back with me to my hotel. I'll make the arrangements and you can get your sword back."

Sharon watched as MacLeod came out of the building with two other men. Sharon clicked off several shots.

"He's leaving with Ben." Angi said.

Sharon looked at Angi. "Ben?"

Angi shrugged. "Yeah, Ben. I ran into him while I was getting a latte. He has the sexiest voice."

Sharon glared at Angi. "And you didn't tell me?"

"Tell you what? That I talked to him and we exchanged names?"

"Angi! Now I can look him up in the Watcher database to see how long he's known MacLeod. What else did you find out?" Sharon grilled Angi as she dragged her friend to the car.

Ben and the other man had already gotten into a rental car and left, and MacLeod had returned to his office.

After a few phone calls to coordinate, the three Immortals were at the airport. MacLeod had dark glasses and a hat on; in addition, he wore very conservative clothes. The flight and trip to where Allen was staying was uneventful.

When they arrived, Methos could feel the discord in Rocky's Quickening. He let his Quickening reach out and surround the young Immortal's as he had before. Then he took the young man for a walk, away from the others.

Allen and Sam had many questions for Mac, about being a publicly known Immortal and being recognized on the street.

Methos waited until his Quickening had calmed Rocky before he started the conversation that had prompted this visit. "What happened Rocky?"

Rocky sighed. "I should have known there was a reason you were here."

"I care, just like Allen and Sam care." Methos said gently.

"Afraid I'll go off the deep end?" Rocky said sarcastically.

"No. We don't want you to think you're alone."

Rocky sat on a nearby fallen log. "I don't think I'm alone. I know you guys went through the same thing I did." Rocky looked at Ben. "You even went through more years of it before you cracked."

Methos shrugged. "This wasn't your fault Rocky. We live in a technology driven world. It was only a matter of time before the Government and the rest of the Mortals found out about us. We couldn't continue to hide when you can find anything you want about a person on-line."

"But why did it have to be me that told them? How can any of you look me in the face? How can you, hell! How can I trust myself ever again?"

"They were experts at interrogation. They used drugs and torture to get what they wanted. " Methos said. Methos scanned Rocky's Quickening. Self-doubt, and guilt were rippling through the young Immortal's Quickening. Methos went deeper and felt a core of resolve and a need to prove himself. "We trust you with our lives. Can I tell you a secret Rocky?" Rocky nodded. "This is a very big secret. Just you and me."

Rocky gave Ben his full attention. "Sure Ben."

"I remembered who I was when I found my sword. I didn't remember right away because I'd trained my mind to let go of the pain. I was able to run away inside my head like this, not because I'm stronger than the rest of you, but because I've been through this type of thing many times before. I fought with Sparticus and was crucified with what was left of his army, I died repeatedly from the black plague that swept through Europe, and was tortured and killed so many times I lost track. I'm not a couple of centuries old; I'm several thousand years old. I'm only telling you this so you'll believe me when I say that you can live through everything but having your head cut off."

Rocky's jaw dropped. After a few minutes he stuttered, "You're thousands of years old? Are you older than Darius was?" He asked, remembering the oldest Immortal that Allen had ever heard of. Rocky had been saddened when he'd been told the Priest had been killed many years ago.

Methos nodded. "Much older than Darius." Methos smiled at the thought of his long dead friend. "You were a new Immortal Rocky. You didn't have any frame of reference for the things they put you through. The older Immortals have seen and lived through some dark things in history. You can get through this, it will make you stronger." Methos felt Rocky's Quickening settle. He saw the new, firm resolve in Rocky's eyes.

"Does anyone else know about you?"

"Maybe four people. The Watchers know of me, but they don't know who I am. I'd like to keep it that way. I like my quiet lifestyle."

Rocky laughed feeling a lot freer of spirit. He'd been trusted with a great secret, someone believed in him.

Methos looked at him curiously when the boy laughed.

"And Sam was stupid enough to challenge you! Boy would he have been surprised!"

Methos chuckled. Rocky was going to be alright.

"Can I ask you a few questions?"

Methos nodded thinking that Rocky would ask about some of the major events he'd mentioned when giving his age. He was surprised.

"How do you forgive them? Trust mortals again?"

Methos and Rocky talked for hours.

Just as Methos could feel the difference in Rocky's Quickening, he knew that the others could feel it too when they returned. Methos smiled to himself, that was one of the problems with what he was doing with his Quickening, Immortals he'd done this with could recognize him and feel where he'd influenced others. He knew that was why they trusted MacLeod; he'd shared a Quickening with Methos too!

Later that night, when MacLeod and Methos were alone in the spare room they were to sleep in, Duncan asked, "What did you say to Rocky? His Quickening felt less angry when you came back."

"Rocky only needed a little pep talk." Methos said as he pulled out his toiletries in preparation for bed.

"That's not it. What did you do?" Mac wanted to know why Rocky's Quickening had changed so drastically after they'd returned from their talk. He'd never felt anything like it before!

Methos shrugged. "We spent a lot of years in very close proximity to each other. We were all in a vulnerable state and in our subconscious condition; our Quickenings must have sought each other out. As the strongest Quickening, mine has been calming the others when we're close together. I guess it might be an instinctive racial thing, species looking for their own species and all that."

Mac looked at Methos skeptically. He'd never heard of such a thing!

Methos sat on the edge of the bed. Why did these children ask him questions if they weren't ever going to believe him? "Why do you think we can recognize each other?" Methos said patiently.

"The double Quickening..." Mac said.

Methos stared at Mac with his head cocked until the Highlander got it.

"Your Quickening is merging with theirs?" Mac said, not liking the idea that what he and Methos shared wasn't unique to them anymore. He liked the idea of being special to Methos.

"Not as extensively as ours did, we actually shared the Quickenings. I feel what you feel etcetera. But with Allen and the others, they're being brought into sync with my Quickening because it's so strong compared to theirs. Where theirs is troubled, they seek harmony with mine to resolve the turbulence. I really don't know how to explain what I can feel." At the troubled look on Mac's face Methos added, "They won't be able to use it for anything but to recognize my Quickening."

"Could you do this with your Quickening before?" Mac asked, wondering if that is why he felt the instant 'connection' to Methos when they'd met.

"I've always been able to do it. How do you think the Horsemen were able to stay together for a thousand years? My Quickening soothed theirs, created a kind of harmony." Methos snorted. Not that he'd used the harmony to anyone's benefit but his own. Shaking off that train of thought he shifted the conversation. "It was the back-up plan if the Holy Spring hadn't worked on your Dark Quickening. Chain you up and keep you close." Methos said reminding Mac of the worse he'd been but also reminding him of one of the best things he'd done, save the Highlander from himself.

"Would it have worked?" Mac asked having been distracted from the anger just the mention of the Horsemen still caused in him.

"You wouldn't have been the Boy Scout you are now, but you wouldn't have been a sociopath either."

Mac couldn't think of anything to say to that. He'd hated being under the influence of the Dark Quickening and not being able to stop any of the atrocities he'd committed.

This silence held as the two Immortals settled down to sleep in the twin bunk beds.

The next day the group had an enjoyable breakfast, cooked by MacLeod and Allen. Mac was surprised when Methos and Sam went outside to work out with the swords Methos had returned to the Immortals. Mac watched as Methos easily outmaneuvered Sam and then showed him some counter-moves to the things he'd done. They were unspectacular moves, but it was a surprise that Methos was showing the young Immortal anything! Methos had only sparred with him on rare occasions and even then, Mac knew the old man was holding out on him!

After an hour of this, Sam stopped and sat down heavily on a lawn chair. "You could have easily taken my head." He said referring to the challenge he'd made so long ago in Las Vegas. "I didn't stand a chance against you did I?"

Methos smiled and answered gently. "I didn't want to kill you; that's why I ran."

"I wondered about that for only a second. I was so full of myself I thought that just meant you couldn't fight."

"Just because someone doesn't like to fight, doesn't mean they can't." Methos said remembering Morgan Walker.

Sam nodded. "I like the idea that we'll never have to fight now. Duncan says there haven't been any challenges in years. Immortals don't want to expose themselves as Immortals or come across as bloodthirsty killers and spark a witch hunt." Sam said as if asking for confirmation from Ben.

Methos nodded. "I checked the Watcher files, the Immortals are motivated not to upset the fine balance we've achieved. Thanks to people like MacLeod and the Watchers."

The phone rang inside the cabin and Sam used that as his excuse to get out of more exercise. Methos moved to join the others sitting on the steps enjoying a cold drink. Sam returned several minutes later and approached the group on the steps.

"That was Kate. Lori's brother the reporter wants to know if he could interview us, kind of a follow-up to his expose' that stopped the Government. She said she'd call back this evening. What do you guys think?"

"Are you ready to talk about it?" Allen asked his students.

Sam shrugged. "He saved us. I want to thank him. I also want people to hear my story. I've changed since this happened."

"I'd be willing." Allen said agreeing with Sam's reasons.

"Would you do it?" Rocky asked, looking over at Ben. Ben had the most to lose if it got out about his age.

Methos was silent a long moment. "Anonymously Yes. I don't want my name public. I was in the Watchers for many years, they still don't know I'm Immortal." Which was true to a degree, the Watchers didn't know Adam Pierson was Immortal, even if they knew about Ben Adams.

"Would they hurt you?" Rocky asked.

"No, but they'd make my life miserable. I'd be tripping over Watchers." Methos made light of the situation. The Watchers would be a lot angrier than he'd let on, but Methos wanted to make sure the others got the chance to tell their stories.

When Kate called back later that evening, she was excited to hear the good news. She said she'd have Lori's brother wait at the airport to be picked up. He didn't know where her cabin was, so they'd make sure he couldn't find his way back. He'd be staying for two days and using a video camera only. They insisted on having the final approval of everything he shot during the two days.

It was agreed that Duncan would go and get Lori's brother at the airport the next day.

When he arrived, Jim introduced himself to the Immortals and got started right away. He explained that he'd be talking to them over the course of the two days, short interviews with plenty of time between to get their thoughts together. He set up a tripod and sat a chair in front of a stone fireplace. He told them he was going to keep the camera off their faces, use a voice filter and refer to them in the order they'd been taken, rather than by name.

At the end of the weekend everyone sat around the living room preparing to watch the rough tape Jim had made. Nervously they settled down as the video started.

Jim started off by introducing the Immortals as #1, #2, #3 & #4 and giving a small history of their lives as Immortals. After he talked about the Immortals, he described how they were each captured and taken to the Government facility, not to see the light of day until nearly nine years had passed.

Jim moved on and talked about the perspectives of the Immortals. He started with Immortal #2 (Allen). Allen talked about being afraid for himself and his students when he'd first left their hiding place, of being more nervous around Mortals now. Now after a year had passed, he was anxious to pick up the pieces of his life. "As Immortal #3 told me, the nine years of torture was only a moment in an otherwise good life. It's getting easier to be around people now, and I want to make sure that everyone knows we're doing okay thanks to Jim's reporting and the Pro-Immortal group that saved us."

The interview shifted to Immortal #4 (Sam) who said that being back with his teacher, who'd gone through the same thing, had helped him to get ready to face the world again. He wasn't ready to pick up where he'd left off; he was more appreciative of his life, freedom and his Immortality. "Immortal #3 showed me that there's so much out there for me to see and do. I can't be too afraid to go and do it or the Government wins. I'll always regret that it was my stupidity that dragged him into this."

The camera shifted again. Immortal #1 (Rocky) was visually more nervous and afraid while on camera. "I was the last to revive because I was so new. Immortal #3 says it was because I had no frame of reference. A rival gang killed me when I was only nineteen, but that never prepared me for torture. I was very angry and didn't have any idea how to get over it. I think I've got a direction now. I'm excited to get started."

"What changed for you?" Jim asked to help the nervous Rocky.

"Immortal #3 showed me that this has happened all through history; the Dark ages, the Crusades, Hitler's purges, religious Jihads. Bad things happen to good people. I'm determined to stay a good person."

Again the camera shifted. "Immortal #3 (Methos), you stayed alert the longest in your captivity and were the first to revive. What do you credit this to?" Jim asked.

"Stubbornness? My friends will tell you I probably did it to piss the Government off."

Jim chuckled. "The others say you helped them recover and get a prospective on this."

"I've studied history and human nature, that probably helped me keep a perspective on this. Understand that I don't condone the Government's actions or wish torture on anyone, but neither am I willing to let it keep me from living."

"Has this changed you in any way?" Jim asked hoping for more drama. "How do you see people now? How do you react to them?"

"It took me over a year to remember who I was and what had happened to me, does that count?" Methos sighed and tried to come up with another answer. "Well, I'm closer to my friends now. I've opened up to them about things I wouldn't have talked about before."

"Immortal or Mortal friends?" Jim asked curiously.

"Both. I don't choose my friends based on the length of their lifelines."

Jim laughed at this. "You said you didn't remember who you were. Your rescuers were able to put a name to you but it was after your rescue. Why is that?"

"I haven't been a public person for a long time. I like to keep a low profile especially with the Watchers."

"You knew about them? The Watchers I mean."

"I'm very observant. And although I thought what they were doing was respectable, I didn't want to sacrifice my privacy to their cause. I just stayed clear of them."

"Is that why they had trouble naming you?"

"Yes. That and I tossed away my I.D. when I was shot."

"How old are you? Your chronicles are very vague on your first death." Jim asked, not wanting to go into details of their torture and imprisonment. He hoped to dig deeper into this Immortal's story.

"And wreak all my fun? Not a chance!" Methos laughed.

"What do you see happening with Immortal acceptance? What contributions do you see Immortals making?"

"If we can contribute without fear of what we are, more Immortals will come forward. Imagine the mysteries that would be solved. There are scientists and scholars all over the world that want to know more about the history of the world, and we were there but have had to keep silent about what we know. And we can offer more than just closure to historical questions, I know of several Immortals who are great healers. They've had to hide what they know, or stop working on a project so that no one would discover their Immortality or question why they knew what they knew. I myself have gone into areas that would kill a mortal, just to help keep the dying comfortable. We still die from diseases, we just don't stay dead."

"So where do you go from here?"

"Actually I was playing with the idea of writing science fiction; goodness knows I've been living it!"

The interview continued into the next day. When he'd asked his questions, Jim did a wrap up. "Courage, perseverance, forgiveness, hope. Truly amazing men. My thanks to the Pro-Immortal group that saved these men, and my appreciation to the Immortals for sharing their story with us again. I know how difficult it was for them to speak of it; I was there and saw what they went through firsthand. But my greatest thanks goes out to all of you, the average person that said Immortals were people too and no one, not even the Government could treat them as less than human."

The room was quiet as the group reflected on the video they'd watched. Jim nervously shifted in his chair at the continued silence. "Well? What do you think? I know it's rough, but we can smooth it out in the editing."

"It was fine Jim. It's just hard seeing it from a few steps back." Allen said. The rest of the room nodded their agreement.

The next day, Methos, MacLeod and Jim said their goodbyes and headed for the airport. Jim took the opportunity to talk to the famous Duncan MacLeod and made arrangements to interview Mac about his take on Immortals getting on with their lives now that the public knew about them. Methos and Duncan watched Jim board his plane before heading for their own departure lounge.

"So what do you think?" Mac asked. "Is the video going to help Immortal relations or spark more controversy?"

"It'll help. Mortals want to hear that we're more like them than they've been told. It also won't hurt them to know that the four of us aren't crazed lunatics after our stay in Uncle Sam's Hall of Horrors. Jim's video will do that, and let everyone know we appreciate his efforts and the efforts of the Pro-Immortalists." Methos said quietly.

"Now what? Are you really going to become a science fiction writer?" Mac asked lightly, but anxiously waiting to hear what Methos was really going to do.

"No, that was to confuse any reporters that went looking. Actually I thought I'd go back to school to refresh my Doctor's credentials." Methos said calmly.

"Oh." Duncan said sadly. There weren't any good Medical schools on the west coast.

Methos nodded. "I've already been accepted to St. Bartholomew's Medical College in England. I start next semester."

Duncan sat at the bar in Joe's and nursed a beer. He was waiting for Methos to join him here where they would spend an evening with beer, music and friends. Methos wanted to leave for England soon to get set up before he started Medical school. He'd already been confirmed. A little creative hacking and a timed, on-line test had allowed him to transfer in for the next semester as a fourth year student.

"So how'd the trip south go?" Joe asked. MacLeod had been brooding since he arrived in the bar.

"It went fine. Rocky's doing better after a couple hours of the old man's brand of wisdom, and Jim's video came across very supportive and humanizing to Immortals."

"So what's bothering you?" Joe asked as he polished an already spotless glass.

Duncan looked up. "You've been my Watcher too long; I can't keep any secrets from you." He chuckled. "Can't you guess?"

"The old man." Joe said confidently.

Duncan nodded. Joe was silent, knowing that MacLeod would elaborate when he could find the right words.

"He's talking about leaving, picking up his next identity and life."

"Why are you surprised Mac? He's been Adam Pierson for much longer than he's stayed in any identity, and Ben Adams was one he'd left behind centuries ago."

"I know that but... I don't want him to leave. He just came back." Duncan said softly.

"He's a rolling stone Mac."

"I missed him. I was so afraid for him. I felt helpless when I couldn't find and help him."

"He's been taking care of himself for a long time." Joe said gently. "He won't accept your protection."

"I know." Duncan said sadly. He straightened and looked at the door, telling Joe that there was an Immortal near.

Sharon and Angi sat in a booth across the bar and sipped at their wine. "Is that the 'look'?" Angi asked. Sharon had talked her into coming with her to this bar to watch Duncan MacLeod. Normally she wouldn't be hanging out doing this stalking thing with Sharon, but the wine and the music were good and she didn't have any plans for the evening.

Sharon nodded with an excited gleam in her eyes. MacLeod hadn't noticed them over here in the corner and they had a good view of the door. She watched intently as the door opened and a beautiful, shorthaired blonde woman walked in.

Amanda walked in and headed directly to Duncan. She kissed him when he stood to greet her. "I missed you." She said softly, rubbing her body against his. "But a girl like me can't be seen with a celebrity like you." She turned towards Joe. "Thanks for sending a message to me. I came as soon as I could."

Joe nodded. He'd sent word through Amanda's Watcher that she was needed, but that had been over a week ago.

"Is it true? Does he really not remember who he is?" Amanda said horrified.

"Oh he remembers now, his bar tab will prove it!" Joe said getting a laugh from the others.

They'd only been talking a few minutes before they felt another Immortal. They looked to the door and in a few minutes Methos appeared. Amanda hurried to hug him. "Sweetie! I was so worried about you!" She said hugging him tightly.

Methos hugged her back and winked at Mac and Joe. "I'm tougher than I look." He released her and put his hand on the small of her back to guide her to the bar stool she'd left. He sat and took the beer Joe put in front of him. "Hey Joe." He said softly. "How long has the Fan Clan been back there in the corner?"

Joe looked around the bar until he saw what Methos was talking about. Mac looked at Methos in apology. He hadn't even noticed. He'd been preoccupied when he came in.

Methos' eyes narrowed for an instant before he said, "I'll be right back." He picked up his beer and walked to the table with the two women. "Angi?" When she nodded he smiled his most charming smile. "I thought that was you. What a surprise. We just seem to keep catching each other at the same watering holes."

Pleased that he'd remembered her, Angi introduced her friend.

"I'm glad to meet you Sharon. May I join you?"

Angi quickly nodded.

"What about your friends?" Sharon asked, a little flustered at talking with an Immortal. She'd looked up Ben Adams and been shocked to find he was one.

"Oh they want to do some catching up. May I refresh your drinks?" At their nods he waved to Joe indicating he wanted refills. Joe nodded.

If anyone could find out what the two women were up to, it was the old man. Joe thought and readied new drinks for the women.

In a very short time, the women had told Methos their history. "A journalist with a minor in archeology. Very interesting. You should talk with an Immortal. What is your specific time period?"

After they'd talked about her studies, Sharon got brave enough to ask, "Does MacLeod know any Immortals that old?" She knew the answer but wanted to test Ben's response.

"Hmm. He knew Darius, Nephetites and Marcus Constantine but they're all dead now. He's mentioned a couple from the Bronze Age but they're supposed to be pretty illusive and unpredictable."

"Methos?"

"I believe he's mentioned they were friends once or twice. I think he likes to name drop." Methos whispered conspiratorially.

Angi chuckled. "But why are the old ones illusive and unpredictable?" Sharon wanted to know. "Immortals aren't a secret anymore."

Methos leaned forward. "I hear that the old ones were once considered Gods. There's nothing as ugly as a fallen God. Being burned alive or entombed as a sacrifice." He shook his head, "Burr! It gives me cold chills just thinking about it!"

"So how old are you?" Sharon asked.

Methos knew she'd looked him up and knew the general information on him. "Just a few centuries and the world has already changed so much. Imagine how the really old ones feel! Is that why you're watching MacLeod? To observer how they feel, adjust, that sort of thing?"

"Actually I was hoping to find Methos and interview him."

"Going for the Holy Grail huh? Couldn't I talk you into a much more interesting centuries old Englishman?" Methos coaxed and batted his eyes cutely.

Duncan heard the laughter across the room. Methos was a master of small talk and manipulation. Mac smiled at Joe; the women never stood a chance! More soberly, he wondered what they were up to and how long they'd been following. Did they know about Methos and Allen and the others? Duncan sighed. Methos would never stay now.

Sometimes Duncan was sorry he'd gone public with his Immortality. At the time, he'd wanted the Immortals who hadn't been active in the Game to be able to come forward. Friends like Father Liam, Grace and even the deValicourts. His recent Game activity would make the others seem like saints. Times like now, and he was sorry. He was very much a public figure and that was the last thing Methos needed or wanted.

Reading the expression on Duncan's face Amanda said, "He could charm the spots off a leopard."

"He only looks calm, he's ready to run."

Amanda leaned closer. "The shared Quickening?" She asked. Duncan had told her about that bizarre Quickening years ago.

Duncan nodded. "He hides it on the outside but I can feel it since we're in the same room. I couldn't feel any of the torture he went through."

"He hides it well."

"So Ben, what have you been doing? Your records stop in 1995."

Methos smiled. "Oh I was tied up in Colorado. I was thinking of becoming a writer. What do you think, Science fiction or Romance novels?"

The women laughed.

"Your file implied that you treated slaves in the South?" Sharon asked. Slavery was an alien concept to her generation.

Methos nodded. The women were heading in the direction he wanted. He described the things he'd seen, being careful to keep to the things specific to slavery in the past two centuries. Both women were completely entranced by his story telling.

"You should tell people what you know, you're so good at making it come alive." Angi said.

"I can't be around crowds right now." Methos said leading them to the question he wanted them to ask.

Sharon snorted. "You're not shy."

"No. But when I said I was tied up in Colorado, I meant it literally. I was one of the four Immortals the Government held in their facility. I've only recently woken up and remembered who I was."

Sharon gasped in horror and put a hand to her mouth. Angi put a compassionate hand on Ben's. "How can you not be angry? What they did to you was worse than slavery, it was torture!"

"I lived through it. I treated so many slaves that didn't because they didn't have the gift that I have. Most Immortals only want to live normal lives. I'd be letting the few rogues win if I became the monster they thought we were." Methos said. He looked over at Duncan and Amanda.

Amanda read Methos body language and whispered, "He's ready to be rescued." She stood and put her hands on Duncan's shoulders. "Mac's buying me dinner and I insisted you come along. I have so much to tell you about what I've been doing." She said loudly.

Methos excuse himself and gestured to Amanda. "It was nice seeing you ladies again."

After Ben had left with his friends Angi said to Sharon, "I want to be in his fan club."

Sharon nodded, suddenly not so interested in finding Methos. She'd read what she could of his chronicles, and Methos had lived through some ugly periods of human history. What Benjamin had gone through had no doubt been a sampling of what Methos may have gone through. She broke down in tears and was joined by Angi, holding each other for comfort and support.

Taking their cue, Mac followed the two older Immortals out of the bar, waving their goodbyes to Joe.

"So how'd it go? Did you find out what they were up to?"

Methos nodded. "They've been following you and taking pictures of everyone you meet with on the chance it would lead them to Methos."

Duncan's face paled.

"Mac I have to leave. You know where I'll be."

Duncan nodded; he understood what Methos was saying, 'don't lead them to me.' Duncan extended his hand. Methos grasped it in a warriors grasp. Duncan tried to let his eyes express what he felt. He'd miss Methos and wished he didn't have to leave.

Methos nodded hearing the silent message. He let go of Duncan's hand and drew Amanda into a hug. "Sorry to drink and run Amanda, thanks for coming to check on me." He whispered in her ear.

"Where will you go?"

"St Bartholomew's."

"A monastery?"

Methos chuckled. "A Medical School."

Amanda slapped his shoulder. "I'll visit. No one follows me unless I let them." She declared.

In a moment Methos was gone. Amanda pulled Mac into a hug. "He had to go."

Mac closed his eyes and hugged Amanda tighter. "Times like this I Hate being Duncan MacLeod of the clan MacLeod." He said, his voice catching. Once again, he'd endangered the man he most wanted to protect.

"Courage." Amanda said. She knew the tears were wreaking her make-up, but she couldn't help herself. She knew what Duncan was feeling.

Methos had wandered into Duncan's life like a stray cat, uninvited and making himself right at home. Even she'd noticed that Duncan's home felt more like home with the old man sprawled on the couch with a beer, and a sardonic smile on his face. He never seemed to pay for anything, running up a tab at Joe's and helping himself to everything in Mac's homes; clothes, food and drinks. But he was generous with his acceptance of the faults of others and his company. Methos never harassed Amanda about her lifestyle, he'd even laughed like a kid at some of her antics. He'd been there for Duncan when the Highlander had truly needed him, saving his heart and soul during the tragic last few years. He was so enmeshed in their lives that it hurt to have him gone. She'd been as worried about Methos as Duncan and Joe had been when they'd heard he'd been grabbed by the Government, and later the Pro-Immortalists. Amanda had known him since the early days of her Immortality and she'd been horrified at the thought of the intelligence and sparkle in those incredible hazel eyes being lost forever.

Methos had found himself again, but they'd lost him again to the need for him to hide who he was. She'd be able to disappear and visit him, but Duncan would draw unwanted attention to the elusive oldest Immortal. She cried for both men losing their best friend, not to the Game but to the inevitability of progress. Methos couldn't go public with his identity, the temptation of his Quickening could start up the Game again.

"He'll stay in touch. In a few years, he'll calm down and you'll be able to visit him." Amanda consoled.

Mac nodded. As long as Methos was safe, Duncan could wait to feel that Quickening again.

"Now about that dinner." Amanda said with a smile.

The end

Email me if you're interested in what happens to Methos while in medical school, what Allen, Sam, and Rocky are up to, and if the Government is really willing to let bygones be bygones. If enough people are interested, I might just finish the rough draft I've put together.

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