Gather
the Children
Chapter 6
Tony Brooks was on his way to a small rural hospital an hour away from Seacouver. He'd called all the local police stations on Jessi's route and found out that there was a Jane Doe that had been shot earlier in the day. Although he wasn't on duty any more, that did not matter. Someone had messed with his "little sister" and he wanted to make sure she was in good condition.
At first Tony hadn't realized that it was the same girl he'd known when he was 14. But when he'd found out that her parents were Watchers and he'd taken a closer look at her driver's license picture, he was sure it was her. As he drove along the long, twisty highway he thought back to the first time he'd met her.
1987
James was teaching them how to fence. Tony was paired with James, while the other kids were paired off, except for Jason. The younger kids had to take turns sitting out since there was an uneven number of them. James all of a sudden stopped. "Everyone stop!" All of the children immediately stopped, placed their swords at their sides, and looked at James. Xavier came into view with a new child. A girl with dark brown hair and eyes. Like the rest of them had when they first appeared, she looked scared, not quite sure what was going on.
"Children," Xavier exclaimed, "this is your new sister, Jessi. Jessi, the others will introduce themselves later. For now you will join the class and learn." He leaned down to her. "I expect for you to learn the rules before breakfast tomorrow. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, sir." Jessi said. She walked over to where the lone boy was. "I guess we will spare together."
"Yeah, sure!" Jason said.
Dinner finally came and went. Jessi had quickly learned that she wasn't suppose to talk. Finally all seven children were seated in the training room, talking and laughing. Tony introduced himself and the others.
"So who are you?" He asked her.
"My name is Jessi St. Clare. I'm ten. I want to go home."
"This is your home now. That's rule number one." Kaitlin responded.
"Do we have many rules?"
"Yes!" Jacob groaned. "Lots of them!"
Tony explained, "You aren't supposed to talk to James or Xavier unless spoken to. No talking to each other at all during meal times. We are all to go to bed at 8pm and wake up at 7am. We are to learn all of our lessons. If you have to ask a question you must raise your hand. Do you get the idea?"
"Yeah, I think I do. "
The group continued to laugh and play until bedtime. Then they went off to their rooms to go to sleep.
Present day
Tony couldn't help but remember the precocious child he'd known. No doubt she had turned into a strong-willed, independent young woman. He wondered what she looked like. He also wondered if she would turn out to be an immortal, and how the Watcher's would recruit a foundling. He turned his car into the hospital parking lot. He got out of the car and put on his long coat. He walked into the hospital and stopped at the nurse's station.
"I am a police officer in Seacouver investigation a missing persons case. I believe that you have a Jane Doe here," he spoke to an older woman.
"Yes, she's in room 147," the nurse pointed down the hall.
"Thank you." As Tony continued forward, he was suddenly overwhelmed with the presence of another immortal. Wondering if it might be Jessi, he continued forward. As he entered her room, he was suprised to see a gentleman standing at the end of her bed.
"Hello," the other man said. He stood protectively next to the girl.
"Hello," Tony responded. "Is this the woman that was shot today by a car-jacker?"
The man didn't speak for a moment, "Yes, it is. I jumped into the river to try to save her."
"Good. Thank you. I am sure her parents will be glad to here she's ok. My name is Tony Brooks. I am a police office in Seacouver. Do you know Jessi?" he showed the other man is ID Badge.
"My name is Marcus Constantine. No, I don't. I didn't even know her name. I saw the crime and wanted to help her. I just wish that the car-jacker would have picked the next car." he responded wryly.
Tony looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"I was in the next car."
"Ah, I see."
Both men were startled when Jessi began stirring again. She was slowly waking up. "Darius," she said quietly and then was fully awake. She was startled to see two men standing at the edge of her bed. She looked around and realized that she was in a hospital room.
"Where am I?" she asked, but she could barely get the words out. Her mouth was so dry. The younger of the two men picked up the water pitcher by her bed and poured her a glass of water. She noticed that her left arm was bandaged and she realized that she was also in a lot of pain and that her whole body felt stiff and sore. She slowly sipped the water. As her senses returned to her, she realized that both men were extremely familiar. It finally dawned on her who they where and she nearly yelled.
Constantine saw the look of recognition on her face and managed to cover her mouth before she could yell. He saw her struggle underneath his grip.
"Do not worry. We will not hurt you. I was the one that rescued you from the river and he's the police office that has been assigned to look for you. It's ok."
Jessi relaxed a little bit, but was still tense. It was usually never a good sign when a watcher was in the company of immortals.
The younger immortal, Tony Brooks, had remained quiet. He came to the other side of her hospital bed.
"Hey Jessi-cat. How are you? You know you're a sight for sore eyes, don't ya?"
Jessi was confused. The only person who'd ever call me Jessi-cat was Tony. Wait Tony....Tony Brooks. Xavier....Xavier St. Cloud! Of course. It all makes sense now!
"Tony!" She nearly yelped. "Its so good to see you again!" She tried to sit up. Realizing that she was trying to hug him, he leaned over and gave her a small hug to try to keep from hurting her.
A nurse entered the room at that moment, "Well look whose awake. How are you feeling, and more importantly what is your name?" The woman had a gentle smile on her face.
"Jessica St. Clare, and I feel sore all over."
"Well that's to be expected since you were shot and fell into the river. You should thank this man. He saved your life." The nurse pointed to Marcus. "Well I'll go find the doctor to let him know you are awake and to see if he will authorize some pain medication." She turned in left.
Jessi turned to Marcus, "Thank you Mr. Constantine."
"You are welcome Jessi. May I ask you a question?"
"You can ask it but I may not be able to answer it." Jessi and Tony looked at Marcus.
"Well you said Darius a couple of times when you were unconscious. I was just wondering how you knew him."
"Darius? Oh! You mean the old priest that helped get us away from Xavier." She turned to Tony. "Do you remember him?"
"Yep, I do. I liked him."
"Yeah, so um, how do you know him then?" Jessi asked.
Marcus looked at her, his surprise clearly evident. "You do know that he was an immortal, don't you?"
"He was a what?!" she asked incredulously.
"Don't tell me you're a watcher and you don't know what an immortal is?" Marcus laughed.
"Of course I know what an immortal is, I just didn't know he was one." She looked at Tony. "We are talking about the same Darius, aren't we?"
Tony shrugged, "As far as I know."
Marcus spoke up, "I do have a picture of him in my belongings. I will be right back."
As he left, the doctor entered the room and picked up her chart.
"Well, lets see how you are doing Ms. St. Clare. How do you feel?"
"I feel like I've been shot and fell about 50 feet and nearly drowned."
"Ah, sense of humor intact. Check. " the doctor smiled. "You'll be sore for several days, if not weeks, especially your arm. We can increase your pain dosage if you need it."
"Thanks, but I don't like taking too much medicine. Can we see how I feel tomorrow?"
"We can do that." The doctor continued his check up. "Well if there aren't any complications, and I don't expect any, then you should be able to leave tomorrow."
"Yea!" Jessi responded. The doctor smiled again and left. As soon as he was out of earshot, Jessi turned to Tony. "So Xavier was an immortal, and so was James? He must have been. That must have been what happened that night that the man found us."
"You mean Connor?"
"Oh yeah! I had forgotten his name. Connor. Wait! Connor MacLeod?!"
"Yes. He became my teacher after I was shot."
"Ah."
Marcus reentered the room with an old photograph in his hand. Jessi and Tony looked at it. "Yep that's him," she said. "So, that means he's dead." At the look on Marcus's face she explained. "I've only been a Watcher for a couple of months. I only had enough time to learn our methods and techniques and the names and faces of known, living immortals. I was going to learn the rest once I got settled at my new position. Any way, how did it happen? He was a priest the last time we saw him."
Marcus and Tony looked at each other. Tony shrugged and sat down in the chair nearest Jessi's bed. Marcus also sat down. "Jessi, it was the Watchers that did it."
"WHAT?!?!?!" She cried quietly so as not to be overheard, quickly becoming hysterical. "No! It can't be!" Tony reached for Jessi's hand and held it tightly while she grieved. A few moments passed and she once again grew calm. "I didn't join the Watchers the first time they asked because I found out about Horton's activities. I just didn't realize that the man who helped save me from Xavier was one of the one's that Horton killed. He was such a wonderful man. He was wise and intelligent. He had so much to share. It's just not fair."
Highlander is owned by Panzer and Davies. This site, its stories and pages are not for profit and are in no way affiliated with Panzer and Davies.
Chapter 6
Tony Brooks was on his way to a small rural hospital an hour away from Seacouver. He'd called all the local police stations on Jessi's route and found out that there was a Jane Doe that had been shot earlier in the day. Although he wasn't on duty any more, that did not matter. Someone had messed with his "little sister" and he wanted to make sure she was in good condition.
At first Tony hadn't realized that it was the same girl he'd known when he was 14. But when he'd found out that her parents were Watchers and he'd taken a closer look at her driver's license picture, he was sure it was her. As he drove along the long, twisty highway he thought back to the first time he'd met her.
1987
James was teaching them how to fence. Tony was paired with James, while the other kids were paired off, except for Jason. The younger kids had to take turns sitting out since there was an uneven number of them. James all of a sudden stopped. "Everyone stop!" All of the children immediately stopped, placed their swords at their sides, and looked at James. Xavier came into view with a new child. A girl with dark brown hair and eyes. Like the rest of them had when they first appeared, she looked scared, not quite sure what was going on.
"Children," Xavier exclaimed, "this is your new sister, Jessi. Jessi, the others will introduce themselves later. For now you will join the class and learn." He leaned down to her. "I expect for you to learn the rules before breakfast tomorrow. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, sir." Jessi said. She walked over to where the lone boy was. "I guess we will spare together."
"Yeah, sure!" Jason said.
Dinner finally came and went. Jessi had quickly learned that she wasn't suppose to talk. Finally all seven children were seated in the training room, talking and laughing. Tony introduced himself and the others.
"So who are you?" He asked her.
"My name is Jessi St. Clare. I'm ten. I want to go home."
"This is your home now. That's rule number one." Kaitlin responded.
"Do we have many rules?"
"Yes!" Jacob groaned. "Lots of them!"
Tony explained, "You aren't supposed to talk to James or Xavier unless spoken to. No talking to each other at all during meal times. We are all to go to bed at 8pm and wake up at 7am. We are to learn all of our lessons. If you have to ask a question you must raise your hand. Do you get the idea?"
"Yeah, I think I do. "
The group continued to laugh and play until bedtime. Then they went off to their rooms to go to sleep.
Present day
Tony couldn't help but remember the precocious child he'd known. No doubt she had turned into a strong-willed, independent young woman. He wondered what she looked like. He also wondered if she would turn out to be an immortal, and how the Watcher's would recruit a foundling. He turned his car into the hospital parking lot. He got out of the car and put on his long coat. He walked into the hospital and stopped at the nurse's station.
"I am a police officer in Seacouver investigation a missing persons case. I believe that you have a Jane Doe here," he spoke to an older woman.
"Yes, she's in room 147," the nurse pointed down the hall.
"Thank you." As Tony continued forward, he was suddenly overwhelmed with the presence of another immortal. Wondering if it might be Jessi, he continued forward. As he entered her room, he was suprised to see a gentleman standing at the end of her bed.
"Hello," the other man said. He stood protectively next to the girl.
"Hello," Tony responded. "Is this the woman that was shot today by a car-jacker?"
The man didn't speak for a moment, "Yes, it is. I jumped into the river to try to save her."
"Good. Thank you. I am sure her parents will be glad to here she's ok. My name is Tony Brooks. I am a police office in Seacouver. Do you know Jessi?" he showed the other man is ID Badge.
"My name is Marcus Constantine. No, I don't. I didn't even know her name. I saw the crime and wanted to help her. I just wish that the car-jacker would have picked the next car." he responded wryly.
Tony looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"I was in the next car."
"Ah, I see."
Both men were startled when Jessi began stirring again. She was slowly waking up. "Darius," she said quietly and then was fully awake. She was startled to see two men standing at the edge of her bed. She looked around and realized that she was in a hospital room.
"Where am I?" she asked, but she could barely get the words out. Her mouth was so dry. The younger of the two men picked up the water pitcher by her bed and poured her a glass of water. She noticed that her left arm was bandaged and she realized that she was also in a lot of pain and that her whole body felt stiff and sore. She slowly sipped the water. As her senses returned to her, she realized that both men were extremely familiar. It finally dawned on her who they where and she nearly yelled.
Constantine saw the look of recognition on her face and managed to cover her mouth before she could yell. He saw her struggle underneath his grip.
"Do not worry. We will not hurt you. I was the one that rescued you from the river and he's the police office that has been assigned to look for you. It's ok."
Jessi relaxed a little bit, but was still tense. It was usually never a good sign when a watcher was in the company of immortals.
The younger immortal, Tony Brooks, had remained quiet. He came to the other side of her hospital bed.
"Hey Jessi-cat. How are you? You know you're a sight for sore eyes, don't ya?"
Jessi was confused. The only person who'd ever call me Jessi-cat was Tony. Wait Tony....Tony Brooks. Xavier....Xavier St. Cloud! Of course. It all makes sense now!
"Tony!" She nearly yelped. "Its so good to see you again!" She tried to sit up. Realizing that she was trying to hug him, he leaned over and gave her a small hug to try to keep from hurting her.
A nurse entered the room at that moment, "Well look whose awake. How are you feeling, and more importantly what is your name?" The woman had a gentle smile on her face.
"Jessica St. Clare, and I feel sore all over."
"Well that's to be expected since you were shot and fell into the river. You should thank this man. He saved your life." The nurse pointed to Marcus. "Well I'll go find the doctor to let him know you are awake and to see if he will authorize some pain medication." She turned in left.
Jessi turned to Marcus, "Thank you Mr. Constantine."
"You are welcome Jessi. May I ask you a question?"
"You can ask it but I may not be able to answer it." Jessi and Tony looked at Marcus.
"Well you said Darius a couple of times when you were unconscious. I was just wondering how you knew him."
"Darius? Oh! You mean the old priest that helped get us away from Xavier." She turned to Tony. "Do you remember him?"
"Yep, I do. I liked him."
"Yeah, so um, how do you know him then?" Jessi asked.
Marcus looked at her, his surprise clearly evident. "You do know that he was an immortal, don't you?"
"He was a what?!" she asked incredulously.
"Don't tell me you're a watcher and you don't know what an immortal is?" Marcus laughed.
"Of course I know what an immortal is, I just didn't know he was one." She looked at Tony. "We are talking about the same Darius, aren't we?"
Tony shrugged, "As far as I know."
Marcus spoke up, "I do have a picture of him in my belongings. I will be right back."
As he left, the doctor entered the room and picked up her chart.
"Well, lets see how you are doing Ms. St. Clare. How do you feel?"
"I feel like I've been shot and fell about 50 feet and nearly drowned."
"Ah, sense of humor intact. Check. " the doctor smiled. "You'll be sore for several days, if not weeks, especially your arm. We can increase your pain dosage if you need it."
"Thanks, but I don't like taking too much medicine. Can we see how I feel tomorrow?"
"We can do that." The doctor continued his check up. "Well if there aren't any complications, and I don't expect any, then you should be able to leave tomorrow."
"Yea!" Jessi responded. The doctor smiled again and left. As soon as he was out of earshot, Jessi turned to Tony. "So Xavier was an immortal, and so was James? He must have been. That must have been what happened that night that the man found us."
"You mean Connor?"
"Oh yeah! I had forgotten his name. Connor. Wait! Connor MacLeod?!"
"Yes. He became my teacher after I was shot."
"Ah."
Marcus reentered the room with an old photograph in his hand. Jessi and Tony looked at it. "Yep that's him," she said. "So, that means he's dead." At the look on Marcus's face she explained. "I've only been a Watcher for a couple of months. I only had enough time to learn our methods and techniques and the names and faces of known, living immortals. I was going to learn the rest once I got settled at my new position. Any way, how did it happen? He was a priest the last time we saw him."
Marcus and Tony looked at each other. Tony shrugged and sat down in the chair nearest Jessi's bed. Marcus also sat down. "Jessi, it was the Watchers that did it."
"WHAT?!?!?!" She cried quietly so as not to be overheard, quickly becoming hysterical. "No! It can't be!" Tony reached for Jessi's hand and held it tightly while she grieved. A few moments passed and she once again grew calm. "I didn't join the Watchers the first time they asked because I found out about Horton's activities. I just didn't realize that the man who helped save me from Xavier was one of the one's that Horton killed. He was such a wonderful man. He was wise and intelligent. He had so much to share. It's just not fair."
Highlander is owned by Panzer and Davies. This site, its stories and pages are not for profit and are in no way affiliated with Panzer and Davies.