Disclaimer:
Highlander the Series, Highlander the Raven, and their respective characters belong to Rysher Entertainment and whoever else owns the series. I own nothing, save any original characters you may see, my car, and my cats. Please don't sue me; my cats aren't worth that much.
Author's notes:
This story takes place maybe a few months after the end of Highlander the Raven. I would appreciate any helpful and constructive reviews of this piece of writing. Any and all mistakes, pertaining to the characters, timeline, historical accuracy, etc. are mine. Any that you may find I chalk up to artistic license and/or creating an AU.
A Lesson in Living
Chapter Three
Nick had taken the time to clean out his garage to set up a suitable studio. It amazed him how much stuff he had accumulated over the years. Worn out bike and truck parts seemed to dominate the trash pile. It took him and Adam Pierson, as he introduced himself to Nick, three days to clear out the clutter and create an area that would allow them to practice away from prying eyes.
Methos handed Nick a sword, a Barbarian, he felt Nick would be able to wield effectively and efficiently. Once Nick had his weapon, they began his daily practice sessions in earnest.
Nick had been in good shape before he died for the first time. He ran regularly, had been into boxing for a while, and had wrestled in high school. However, none of that had truly prepared him for learning how to wield a sword effectively. It was nothing like in the movies. His arms and legs hurt from the constant exertion. His Immortality helped by increasing his stamina, but he was still exhausted from Adam's workouts.
Also, coupled with his sword lessons, Adam taught him how to survive in an ever-changing modern world. He taught him how to set up false identities, fake necessary records, and set up anonymous bank accounts. The cop part of him rebelled against the idea of creating such falsehoods, but as Adam pointed out, he would need to move on eventually and start an new life when people noticed him not aging.
He was also learning how to control his anger, especially in a fight. Methos immediately saw this as something being very necessary for his student. When they had first met, he could easily see how angry Nick had become. He also knew that someone would be able to use that against him, causing his defeat with little effort.
"Anger leads to fear, fear leads to hate, hate leads to the dark side," Adam solemnly intoned while watching his student work his way though a series of katas.
"Huh?" Nick said, confused.
"I thought all Americans cut their teeth on Star Wars," Adam said.
"Oh. So that makes you my Obi Wan now?" Nick replied.
"No," Adam said exasperated and disgusted at Nick's lack of knowledge about Star Wars. "That was Yoda, not Obi Wan. Obi Wan sacrificed himself, while Yoda believed in self-preservation. I am definitely not into self-sacrifice."
"Okay, and what is the point?"
"My point was that your anger is going to be your downfall. It causes you to lose focus and over commit. It affects your overall form."
"If you were me, you'd be angry too," Nick said tiredly.
"Nick," Adam said, trying to patent, "in case you haven't realized it yet, I'm Immortal too. Except for the years of experience that I have over you, I am just like you. I know what it's like."
"Yeah, but you didn't have it forced on you like what Amanda did."
"One, I did not ask for this life. Second, she did not force it on you. Even if she hadn't shot you, you would have still probably still would have come back. Being poisoned is not a natural death, but it wouldn't have been violent, so your odds of coming back were fifty-fifty."
But," Nick began but Adam cut him off.
"But nothing. Believe me, I know what I am talking about. It's not like you are the first new Immortal I've seen."
"So she didn't have to shoot me?' Nick said bewildered. "Then why did she," he then trailed off, confused.
"With Amanda, who knows? But most likely, she did not want to take the chance of you not coming back. Probably because she didn't want to risk losing you. Amanda is close to only a few people, and from the way she talked about you on the phone, she cares a lot about you."
Nick is now confused. There were many odd and jumbled feelings vying for attention in his head. He knew that he would need time to sort everything out. In the meantime, Adam ordered him back to work while he leafed through a yellowed copy of Popular Mechanics. It was the only thing available to read. Methos swore he would bring something better next time.