Chapter 4 – Lessons – December, 2004

After months of touring America, Nathan decided to stop in a small city called Seacouver. It was not quite the most dull-looking place on their trip, but Diana saw nothing worthwhile at a glance. Especially since they were so far north in early winter. There was only one reason she could of for their stay: Nathan's Teacher. Her hunch soon proved correct.

Nathan took her to one bar after another, where he asked for a man of specific description. Diana served as his living lie detector. Her enhanced vampiric senses came in handy, even if she was no longer one of the undead. When Diana lost track of the bars they had visited, she finally asked him what he hoped to accomplish.

"I'm not really sure," Nathan admitted. "The idea right now is to let him know we are looking. Anyone who survives more than a millennium has to have an information network. There are exceptions, but I doubt my Teacher is one of them."

Diana started at his answer. Up until that point, she had assumed he was following the Methos rumor. She knew that Nathan was over a thousand, yet this was his first mention of informants. "Then how did Laurette surprise you?"

He smiled sadly. "She didn't follow the usual pattern for a headhunter." A worried tone had seeped into his voice, unbidden. "It takes an awful lot of noise to show up on my radar."

"Does that bother you?" she felt obliged to ask. He still had so many secrets after so much time together.

"No, I just thought you would be upset. You seem ... different." He did not mean to say those words, but they had echoed in his mind in the months since her "resurrection." In some ways, she was almost paranoid, and in others optimistic to the point of naiveté. The change was remarkably similar to his own world view. From the explanation she had related from Cyrus, Nathan had to wonder if his Quickening affected Diana's personality.

"I am better at hiding it than I used to be." She said the words as if they were an observation, but even so relief washed through Nathan. His reaction confused her. For all she knew, the consolation was a lie. Why did it mean so much to him that she worry? Insecurity was not an apt descriptor of Nathan, especially in regards to her. Not for centuries. "Do you think anyone we run into will actually know your Teacher?"

Nathan chose not to answer. He purposefully squashed all expectations that threatened to rise. Better to be wary.

Next stop was a decent bar called Joe's. It was out-of-the-way enough for tourists to miss, not unlike countless other bars in Seacouver. When Nathan started towards the bartender, Diana whispered, "He is nervous."

Nathan almost stopped at her observation. Could the bartender have recognized him? "Could you find someone for me?" he asked the barkeep.

The bartender stared at him evenly. "Paying customers only, pal. Do you want a drink, or will I have to ask you to leave?"

Nathan ordered rum, an action that set Diana on edge. He only drank rum in particular circumstances, particularly after a Quickening. She downed his drink before he could grab the glass. He glanced at her, both amused and mock-hurt. "You know what I am?"

The bartender shrugged. "An underwear model?"

Diana answered for him. "This man is afraid of us. He knows."

He tried to make a denial, but the surprise in his voice prevented Nathan from believing it. Nathan was not a happy man. Either the bartender could sense Immortals, or he had another way of keeping tabs. Both possibilities meant lots of resources behind a simple bar.

"I don't want any trouble," Nathan said cautiously. The bartender almost certainly had a gun behind the counter. "I'm just looking for my friend." The bartender had no intention of helping and said as much. "Then take a message. My friend is roughly my height, darker hair, and never lies. Tell him that Nathan ben Isaac is ready for another lesson."

Xxxxx

"Someone was in here looking for you."

Duncan tried not to look disappointed as Joe poured him a drink. Why did headhunters always choose the Highlander as a target? "What did he want?"

"I can take a guess," Joe said with the slightest frown. "He is one of you, and not exactly a friend. Nathan ben Isaac," he added, before Duncan could ask.

Nathan ben Isaac was a bitter enemy. They had gotten caught up in a religious debate during their one meeting, when Duncan had attempted to use his knowledge to impress a certain young woman. "I'm surprised he is still alive. Nathan never struck me as a violent man."

Joe tried to put as much warning in his words as he could muster. So far as he was concerned, Nathan was dangerous, and Duncan needed to understand. "We both know how deceiving Immortals can be."

The Buzz brought Duncan's attention to the door, and Joe's line of sight quickly followed. The man who entered moved with the very essence of his persona, a perpetual grad student. "Hey, Joe. MacLeod."

Joe automatically filled a pint from the tap. He was well-trained. "Anyway, it's not him you have to worry about. So far as we can tell, the woman he travels with is a vampire."

Duncan rolled his eyes. He had already encountered an Immortal who posed as a vampire. Another pretender was almost a joke.

As if he had anticipated the response, Joe explained, "The Watchers had a sister organization that kept track of the supernatural. I only found out about them when branch was completely destroyed." He paused, but jumped in before Duncan could ask questions. "They would have been a big help against Ahriman. I wish I had known about them before last year."

"Not to interrupt," Adam Pierson began, "but what brought this on? Who is supposedly working with vampires?" He seemed a bit more curious than usual, something that Duncan did not take much note of.

"Nathan ben Isaacs," Duncan replied.

"Are you sure?" Adam already knew what the answer would be, but he found it difficult to believe. It did not sound right to his ears.

"He was in here looking for an Immortal who never lies," Joe said as confirmation to MacLeod's claim. "He brought the vampire in here with him."

It was Adam's turn to roll his eyes. "Youths never respect their elders. Where can I find him?" He purposefully ignored the expressions and outbursts of shock.

Xxxxx

Nathan received a phone call the following day from a payphone, according to the Caller ID. "This is Adam Pierson," said the voice on the other end. "You have a lot of explaining to do, Nathaniel."

Diana's ears perked from nearby. "It's him, isn't it?"

Nathan had never heard his Teacher's recorded voice, so there was no way to know for sure. To the phone, he answered, "I will tell you what I can. Is there a place we can meet?"

The person on the other end either sensed his misgivings or had a few of his own. "There is a synagogue on Maple. Meet me in the lobby after morning services." The line went dead.

"Why a synagogue?" Diana immediately wanted to know. Her vampiric hearing had allowed her to eave's drop on the entire conversation, brief as it was. "The people who work there are bound to ask questions."

"Maybe he knows how I feel about churches," Nathan tried. His Teacher had not seen him after the rise of the Catholic Church, but he did know Nathan well enough to make such a conclusion.

"Why not a cemetery?" Diana's question was pointed, though Nathan apparently missed it.

"Immortals are more afraid of dying than mortals are. We have a lot more to lose." Diana did not need a reminder; it was more speculation.

"A cemetery is not neutral ground for vampires," she reminded him. This time Nathan understood her reservations. Adam Pierson expected Nathan to show up with a vampire. At least in a synagogue, the place Nathan was likely to respect most, Adam would be safe. Did that presumption extend to Diana as well?

"We'll be careful," he promised.

Xxxxx

Nathan and Diana told the receptionist that they considering a new congregation. It was a large synagogue – the biggest in Washington State, apparently. After some convincing, the couple was finally left alone.

"Is 'Adam' here yet?" Nathan stiffened. "Yes."

Nathan started to look around the room, wary. "I still have to see him to know."

The sound of someone approaching turned them both to the lobby entrance. They saw a thin man with a guarded expression and a warrior's stance. "I taught you better than to work with her kind." He stared at Diana, thoughts racing behind his hazel eyes. "What happened to her?"

"She's alive," Nathan answered. All three of them remained rooted in place, ready to bolt if need be. This conversation turned out to be more awkward than any of them had anticipated.

"I can bloody well see that," Adam snapped with a decidedly British accent. "That isn't possible." His demeanor softened with those words, almost imperceptibly. For an elder Immortal and Diana's senses, the change seemed dramatic. "Why are you here?"

Nathan decided to answer like a Rabbi. He stepped forward. "Why am I here? Am I ready for that answer yet?"

A grunt. Adam looked pointedly at Diana. "This is your fault, woman! Some secrets should stay buried." Then he turned back to Nathan. "Meet me at Joe's tonight. I only want to tell this story once, and more people need to hear it." Adam spun on his heal and walked out of the synagogue.

"That could have gone much worse," Diana was sure to say as soon as he was gone.

Xxxxx

Duncan MacLeod openly stared at Diana. She ignored him, like the threat he was not. No one in the room was a match for her and Nathan, except perhaps Adam. Apparently Adam actually was Nathan's teacher.

"What is this about, Adam?" MacLeod wanted to know. "After everything Joe told me about vampires, why would you invite one here?"

The three eldest were amused that Diana was perceived as the greatest threat. After a shared, silent chuckle, Adam started his lecture. "It's time you learned the origins of Immortals. This is a story I prefer had remained forgotten, but the actions of Nathaniel have made it too dangerous to keep secret." His speech sounded similar to Cyrus', but with a few twists.

"Darkness is the absence of light. Cold is the absence of heat. Hate is the absence of love." He paused to make sure the others were following him so far. It was important that they stay on the same page throughout the telling. "Humans have something in them that gives life. Religion calls it a soul, but I prefer the term Spark. Demons are animals that can live without a spark.

"There are two diametrically opposed groups involved in a Cold War for control of Earth: True Demons and the Powers that Be. The Powers try to represent humanity's best interests, and the True Demons only care about themselves. Neither group is one you want to take interest in your lives. Where one looks, the other follows.

"True Demons created demonkind, evil monsters that hide on Earth and other Planes of Existence. Demons ruled the world with their power, so the Higher Powers decided to create a balance. For every new type of demon, they made a human infant. If the child dies a violent death, the human will gain access to the Quickening – an abundance of the Spark that is connected to all life and Creation."

Adam held up his hand to stop from being interrupted. Everyone in the room had a thousand-and-one comments or questions, but there was more he had to say before he stopped. "Vampires are incomplete demons. When a human is Turned, a new demon is spawned from her blood. The vampire involved only acts as a catalyst. That is why vampires have so many weaknesses ... each vampire is not just a demon, but she is an entirely new kind. After the Turning of a certain number of vampires, another Immortal is born."

This time he could do nothing to prevent the discussion that broke out. The one question that popped up repeatedly was, "What about the Game?"

Hours passed before Adam was able to continue his tale. "The last part of the story will not make you think more of me. There is no excuse for what happened, and I will understand if any of you never want to see me again." The introduction sparked the attention of all those present, along with a bit of vindictiveness on the part of Duncan MacLeod.

"Early on, Immortals were organized into an army to fight demonkind. Eventually we created the Order of Watchers, a group of mortals, to help with the logistics. That was my task." He paused, as if the next part was too much for him. Even with his considerable skill at hiding emotions, it was obvious to all those present how painful this was for him. Tears were not in his eyes, but the loss was there for all to see.

"A thousand or so years later, the world was a very different place. The Horsemen of Apocalypse were a band of rapists and pillagers, but I became Death with a very different purpose in mind. Kronos, Silas, Caspian, and I were the Four Horsemen, and we sought the end of the world. Not just conquest, but a return of True Demons. I was with them for a millennium, and I did not leave because I was disgusted with our purpose. I left out of boredom." The words were said with a cruelty and disgust that could only paint him in a negative light in the eyes of Adam's friends. "Never confuse me with a good man."

While everyone displayed various levels of shock, he added, "We were delayed, but no one was every powerful enough to stop us forever. No one could outthink my plans. That was why they created the Game." Adam got up and left before anyone could recover from his words.

Diana was the first to regain motor control. She was nearly out of the bar by the time Nathan caught up. "Is he the kind of person you want teaching us?" Diana asked bitterly. "He was ... pure evil."

Nathan nearly flinched at her judgment, but she was too caught up in her emotions to catch the response. Nathan shook his head. "Everyone with a long life has a few dark stains on his record. It is not my place to judge." He cut off her question. "There are two reasons I can say this. First, he told us the truth about himself, no matter how hard it was. Second, I know that even demons can change."

Diana weighed his reasoning. She knew that she could not in good conscience disagree, especially since she was the demon Nathan referred to. She let out a painful sigh. "I know this was my idea. I just wish we could have found Methos instead of ... Death."

The statement surprised Nathan. After all the hints she had dropped, he found it difficult to believe that she had not actually put one and one together. "You mean you didn't know? Adam is Methos."

If Nathan had been surprised, Diana was in shock. "One of the most feared names in demon legend was also Death?" She did not know what to make of the information. Methos was nothing like she expected. He was nearly powerful enough to decide the outcome of the War single-handed, yet he sat back and did nothing for three millennia. Did Methos even know what side he was on? Did Diana?

Her husband feigned blind loyalty to his Teacher. There was more to the story than Diana might ever learn. Why did Nathan keep his own past secret? What "dark stains" could even compare? "I need time to think this over," she told him. The energy seemed to waft out of Nathan. The weight of the conversation had taken so much out of him, even if Diana was not sure of the reasons. "I am going back to the hotel. Are you coming?"

Nathan shook his head. "I still have more questions for my Teacher."

She closed her eyes, almost as if she had expected that answer. After so many centuries, having a measure of insight into Nathan's mind should not have surprised her. Or was it something else? "Then I will meet you there." Diana kissed her husband, the weight of the day's revelations heavy on her mind.

Xxxxx

Hours passed before Nathan finally found Methos. He had no complaints about the time. It would have taken much longer if Methos were actually hiding, plus Nathan had been given the opportunity to think things through. He knocked on the apartment door that was the source of the Buzz.

Methos answered with a scowl on his face. "Come to gloat at your former Teacher?" He noticed the conspicuous absence. "Where is Diana?"

Nathan noted the dark night sky through a hallway window. "Probably keeping down the local vampire population. Can we talk?"

Methos stepped aside, his false anger suddenly gone. "Beer?"

"Sure."

After they were both seated, Methos in more of a sprawl than a normal sitting position, the eldest Immortal asked, "What's on your mind?"

Nathan fingered the beer bottle. He was relieved that Methos thought better of him than to accuse Nathan of being judgmental. The only judge that matter for most people was oneself, something that Nathan had come to believe sometime after Diana entered his life. He answered Methos with honesty. "Genghis Khan. If the he had been involved with demons, the world would still be his."

"Who says he wasn't?" Methos asked in a knowing tone. The question would have gotten a rise out of MacLeod, but Nathan just laughed.

"I do. I made weapons for his army, I would have noticed."

"Are you sure?" His tone seemed to suggest that there was more to the world than Nathan's observations, but he left it at that. "I wasn't there," the eldest Immortal admitted. "You joined Genghis Khan's army? I thought you had moved to China." Nathan's weak gaze told him all he needed to know. Men had been forced from lands throughout all of history. "I see where this is going. You think I started the Horsemen for vengeance." The Old Man smirked. "You should know the truth by now. Any student of mine who survived this long has to be smart enough."

"Nothing can be summed up in one word," Nathan answered automatically.

Methos nodded his praise. "Good and evil haven't concerned me in a long time. When I became Methos five thousand years ago, I left such trivial notions behind." His eyes belied the off-handed tone. "You can thank Duncan MacLeod for bringing back my conscience."

The two Immortals finished their beers. Another question nagged at Nathan, one that had to be answered before he asked Methos for help. The empty beer bottle gave him the courage to ask. "Is it wrong to bring Immortals back into the fight against demonkind?"

Methos shrugged. "You have been a priest and a rabbi. If one person in this room should be able to answer that question..."

Nathan smirked. "You still have spies everywhere, don't you? How much do you know?"

"I know Cyrus Tegyr sent an Immortal named Laurette in your direction. I know Diana is the only vampire in history with a transmuted soul."

A certain word caught Nathan's attention more than the explanation about Laurette. "Transmuted?"

Methos nodded. He had figured out the mystery that plagued Nathan, Diana, and Cyrus. "Diana's demon – her vampiric essence – was changed. It takes centuries before a vampire can access her true abilities. A combination of her age and yours apparently tapped your abilities subconsciously. It could only have worked if you felt very strongly about one another." As the amazement started to clear off Nathan's face, Methos explained, "I've been researching since I heard about your wife. This is mostly theory, but it seems to fit. That was what you wanted to learn from me."

Nathan smirked. For once, he knew something his Teacher did not, and it felt good. "Not exactly. Diana and I can do a lot of things we know nothing about. We need training, and you were the only candidate I could come up with."

Amusement lit Methos' face. It had been a long time since he acted in the capacity of Teacher, but Nathaniel ben Yitzhak was not exactly a new student. They were old friends, in the truest sense of the word "old." He agreed under the condition that Nathan pay for all of Methos' beer for a month.

Xxxxx

Nathan made it back to the hotel shortly before daylight. Diana was awake from worry, and she greeted him with a hug that cracked his spine. It was more painful than therapeutic. "Thank ... thank you for being safe." There had been hesitation, as if she was trying to figure out just who was responsible for his wellbeing. Perhaps a reexamination of Faith was in order.

"Always," he promised. He was promising a lot, lately. Nathan hoped that there would not come a time where his promises could not be kept. Immortality meant that the breaking a promise was inevitable, but he was prepared to do everything in his power for Diana's sake. "Methos agreed to teach both of us, if we'll have him. If the answer is no, we can leave Seacouver right now."

Diana sucked in a breath at the decision her husband dropped on her lap. Part of her was surprised that she could inhale so deeply. The rest of her concentrated on coming up with a final word. "Alright. If you trust him, I will, too." She kissed his cheek. "I can't shake the feeling that we stepped into a much larger world."

Nathan wrapped his arms around her in comfort. "We have." The words did not do much for her sense of danger on the horizon. His arms reminded her that she was not alone, and Diana clung to that thought for all she was worth.

Xxxxx

Two Weeks Later...

With a renowned Immortal like the Highlander in town, Nathan could not help but spar with him. Duncan was an excellent fighter, decidedly more talented than Nathan. If one Immortal had a chance at winning the Prize, it was Duncan MacLeod. Too bad "the Prize" was a chance to challenge Methos for his head. "I haven't had a conversation about religion since we last met. You taught me an important lesson in tolerance, Duncan."

"But not humility, I see," Duncan quipped.

Nathan shrugged and raised his saber. "I am here to teach and learn. So should you be."

In seven matches, Nathan won only two.

"That's enough humiliation, I think." Nathan winced before he spoke again. "I hate to say it, but there are a few combat styles I know that would plug some holes in your defense. I know one from Mongolia that could have stopped my last win. Are you interested?"

Duncan, who constantly expanded his combat repertoire, accepted the offer. "It's strange to think of Immortals as allies instead of potential threats."

"Very strange," Nathan agreed. Even though he had forewarning in the form of Cyrus, Methos' story confirmed it. Immortals were allies. He had to repeat the words to himself in his mind to keep the knowledge real. "I only have a fortnight before I have to return to Buffalo. We'll see how much you can learn in that time." It amazed Nathan that Duncan was so talented, and it scared him that the younger Immortal was nowhere near his peak. In another four hundred years, Duncan might be the most powerful Immortal in history.

"What are you here to learn, Nathan?"

He almost did not answer. He had lied to Methos as well as himself earlier; Nathan had come to learn about the source of Diana's heartbeat. Now his stay in Seacouver was nothing but an excuse to stay away from home, as opposed to a source of knowledge about his Immortal abilities. Nathan's children were too frightening to face. "I don't know yet. That is why I am here." Not exactly a lie, but Nathan felt guilty about the secret he buried.

Xxxxx

January, 2005

Diana felt relieved to finally leave Seacouver. Methos had given her a starting point in discovering her power, and the month spent was enough to get a glimpse at her potential. It was a little disturbing to think that she could read thoughts. For now she had to lock gazes with her target, but there was a reason to think that the limitation was temporary: she could enter Nathan's thoughts almost at will. Which was another thing that bothered her. Diana had unconsciously tapped Nathan's mind for months since her resurrection to the point that it had affected her personality. At least now she would be herself once more.

Nathan asked her to drive the Lotus home, an unusual request. Several hours out of Seacouver, she finally asked about it. "We were both a bit preoccupied in Seacouver. When was the last time we talked?"

He was slow to answer. "I did not know we still needed to talk. Six hundred years is a long time to get to know someone."

Diana gently bit her tongue with a fang to keep back an angry retort. "I'm not good enough at mind-reading to figure out what is bothering you."

He glared at his wife before Nathan gave up and turned back to the window. "I'm starting to think that it was a mistake to bring the others into out home."

"Starting to?" It was only then that she realized her earlier doubts about Lau, Tabitha, and Eve were echoes of Nathan's fears. She had never thought twice about their loyalty to the family. No, "doubts" was too weak a word. Nathan had serious fears about them that remained after lifetimes of living together. "What do you mean?"

This was not a conversation Nathan ever wanted to have, but now he was locked into it. "We took them in because we wanted to be closer, to have something of our own that will last." He licked his lips. The last reason was always the most painful to admit. "And because we can't have children."

"You were very lonely," Diana was quick to point out. "And I could hardly Sire a vampire for us to raise. I remember thinking how wrong that would be, though I never questioned why. My demon may have ... transmuted by then." Diana looked away from the road to check her husband's expression. "What are you worried about, exactly?"

He answered immediately, as if the words came from his subconscious and bypassed the active thought processes. "I am worried that we expect them to be something they are not. Demons are evil by nature. None of the others sought out family life; they clung to us because we are stronger than they are. It took a lot of devotion for you to stick with me for six hundred years. That is a very rare thing. How can I possibly believe that Lau, Tabi, and Eve are the same?"

She did not look convinced by his reasoning. Nathan let his eyes fall across the scenery for an answer that would reach her. "Lau and Eve worry me most. Promise me you will be careful. I twill be centuries before any of them has the power to transmute. Until then, the vampires we call our children are still motivated by the same things as any other vampire."

Diana did not respond to Nathan's request. The topic did not come up again until the reached the Buffalo city limits. "Does falling in love really make so much a difference?"

Nathan took her hand. "You heard my Teacher. 'Every vampire is unique.' Not all of them are capable of that kind of devotion."

As much as she hated to admit it, Nathan was right. How many of their children were pretenders?