Disclaimer: See previous chapters.
Revision Posted: 18-Jul-2009

Chapter Title: Death and the Boyscout

It was a damp evening in Seacover, just past early summer. Joe was puttering around on the small stage, playing softly to himself, his attention more on the two immortals drinking quietly in the corner than the rest of the bar's patrons. It had looked like they wouldn't get much business with this weather, just the regulars he could handle himself, so he'd sent his staff home early.

Just as he was about to put down his guitar and join his friends the door opened and a blast of damp air blew in, followed by a tall slim figure wearing a dark, heavy leather jacket and a motorcycle helmet.

Seeing Mac stiffen Joe quickly looked at Adam, relaxing slightly when the older immortal remained calm. He'd gotten fairly adept over the years at detecting when his friends sensed the appearance of another immortal. From Adam's non-reaction this was obviously not one. Looking back at the figure as they turned and closed the door, Joe came to the conclusion that Mac must have reacted to the way this person was dressed. He sighed and wondered if Mac would ever really get over Richie's death.

Apparently oblivious that they were the center of attention, the person unzipped their jacket and taking off the helmet, shook their head, revealing the person to be a young woman with long raven hair, most of it in an intricate french braid. The other patrons tried to watch without seeming to stare as she sauntered over to the bar and perched herself on one of the stools. There was something about the way she moved that made it hard for them to avoid looking at her.

Joe gently put down his guitar and walked over behind the bar, stopping when he reached the woman. Looking at her closer he revised his estimate of her age. From a distance she looked like she was in her mid twenties but up close he could see that, unless she was an immortal, she was almost certainly too young to be in his bar by herself. "Can I help you?"

"Something hot would be nice," she told him in a silky, musical voice.

"Coffee, tea, or cocoa?" Joe asked. At her quirked eyebrow he added gruffly, "Anything stronger kid and you'll have to show me some id."

"Tea will be fine, if you have something without caffeine," she said, without directly confirming his suspicions about her age.

"Coming right up." He turned away and, going to the corner where he kept such things, grabbed a large mug, filling it with hot water. He placed it and a selection of herbal tea packets in front of her on the bar. "Was there anything else you needed?" he asked as he watched her go through the tea bags before selecting one.

"No, I'm all set. I'm just waiting for a friend," She gave him a small warm smile. "Thanks."

Joe left her absorbed in her tea and headed over to the table where Mac and Adam were sitting.

"Joe, not your normal kind of customer?" Mac asked him. Adam just snorted under his breath. "Isn't she a bit young to come in here?"

"Possibly," he admitted. "She says she's waiting for someone."

"Really?" Adam muttered. "I wonder who the unlucky person is."

"Certainly not you, Old Man," Mac responded giving him a look at the 'unlucky' comment. "She looks too innocent to even know you."

"I think she can take care of herself, MacLeod," Adam retorted. "I don't think she needs you to defend her."

Joe looked at him in amazement. "How can you tell that? She's just a kid."

"There's something about her. I'm sure I've seen someone like her before." Adam shook his head. "She may look young but she's dangerous. Whatever she is, she doesn't need anyone's help." After that pronouncement he turned back to his drink and refused to speculate any further.

Sitting at the bar, Fann managed to keep her amusement from appearing on her face while sipping her tea. With her enhanced hearing she'd overheard the conversation that the bartender, Joe, had been having with the other two men. From what she'd heard them say, she assumed that this Joe was Amanda's acquaintance Joe Dawson and the other two men were Duncan Macleod and Adam Pierson.

Although she was curious about the things the one she assumed was Adam had said about her, she was in no hurry to introduce herself to them. That would ruin her chances for completing the tasks Amanda had set for her in Seacover. It made more sense to wait for her arrival in Seacover in another week. She'd just been very curious about the place and thought she'd check it out before heading to her hotel, instead of waiting for the next day like she'd originally discussed with Amanda.

Taking one last sip from her mug, Fann reached into a pocket for change, and dropping it on the bar left just enough of a tip that she wouldn't draw attention to herself, as Amanda had drilled into her over and over again. There were times and places to draw attention to oneself but this wasn't one of them. Picking up her helmet and jacket, she took one last look around before heading towards the door and her hotel.

She'd been hanging out at Joe's in the evenings for a week, taking careful note of everyone and everything as unobtrusively as possible, her only notes the ones she kept in her head. Fann noticed that after the third night she'd begun to blend in with the locals. Just like Amanda had claimed would happen. Sitting at the bar with a mug of steaming tea no one seemed to pay any attention to her presence.

During the day she'd been exploring Seacover on foot, getting a feel for where everything was located and comparing the image she was building in her mind with the map Amanda had given her. Amanda had been drilling her for weeks on how to remember the smallest detail about places she visited. Not possessing the immortal's almost photographic memory, Fann had initially found the process to be a challenge but she'd finally mastered the technique.

Now she just had to complete the tasks Amanda had set for her in Seacover. In retrospect, the tests Amanda had set for her in Chicago earlier in the month had been interesting, but too easy. Seacover required a more refined touch given the personalities she was expected to navigate around. Ready to show Amanda that she'd mastered more than just the basics of her new profession, Fann was looking forward to learning the much more complex things she would need to know to help her with her next big job. But she wouldn't have a chance to do that if she couldn't prove to Amanda that she was ready for it.

The night she expected Amanda to appear she'd picked a spot at the bar that gave her a good view of the door and the rest of the bar without appearing to be too obvious about it. It was the perfect spot for people watching, one of the things Amanda was teaching her that Fann found to be very fascinating. There was just something about it that had brought out a voyeuristic tendency she hadn't known she had. Amanda had laughed at her when she'd found it out; calling her something in French that with her limited knowledge she hadn't understood. With enough practice she'd begun to pick up subtle clues that told her a lot about the other patrons of Joe's bar.

It was during that part of the evening when the number of patrons had dwindled down to just a few regulars that Fann noticed Duncan and Adam momentarily stiffening in their seats and attempt to surreptitiously look towards the door; only relaxing once Amanda finally made her appearance in Seacover. Her only acknowledgment of Fann's presence in the bar was a subtle nod of her head before heading over to the corner table where the other two immortals were seated. With a faint shrug and smug smile, Fann went back to sipping her third mug of tea while keeping her attention on the table where Amanda now sat.

Noticing her sitting down with Adam and Duncan as he returned to the front of the bar from his office, Joe smiled and headed towards the table where the three immortals were now seated. "Amanda! What brings you to Seacover?" he asked her.

"I need a reason to visit old friends?" Amanda asked him with a twinkle in her eye.

"You?" Adam laughed quietly before taking a gulp from his glass. "The only time you show up is when you want something from Mac."

"That's not true." She protested looking at the three men with a pout, before leaning back in her chair with an exaggerated motion.

MacLeod raised his hands in surrender while Adam just laughed at her again. Joe shook his head at their antics.

"What's new?" Amanda asked in an obvious attempt to distract them from herself.

"Nothing," Adam muttered, having once more settled into his seat, focused solely on his beer.

"She is," MacLeod announced, motioning towards the young woman who'd seemed to have taken up residence in the bar in the last week.

"Isn't she a bit young for you Mac?" Amanda asked with a knowing grin, shaking her head at her friend. "Or have you decided she needs to be rescued from something?"

MacLeod shrugged helplessly. His friends were well aware of his tendency to take in strays and teased him about it whenever they could. "No. But why is she here? She comes here every day but she isn't old enough to drink."

At Amanda's raised eyebrow Joe jumped in. "We don't actually know that for sure Mac. She hasn't ordered anything alcoholic so I haven't had a reason to ask to see her id yet."

"Did anyone think of asking her why she's here?" Amanda asked. "Or are you all afraid of her?" At their blank looks at the taunt she shook her head. "Why don't we take care of this right now?" She turned in her seat and motioned to the young woman at the bar in an obvious summoning gesture.

"What are you doing!" Adam protested.

"Getting you answers to your questions so the poor girl doesn't have to deal with you staring at her." Amanda grinned at him playfully. "What do you think I'm doing?"

Before they could respond to her comments, the slim young woman had approached their table. Giving Amanda a hug, she slid gracefully into the remaining empty seat at their table, Joe taking her actions in stride in his usual manner while the other two immortals stared at both her and Amanda in shock. She grinned and winked at them before turning to Amanda and telling her with a smirk "Amanda, that was mean! You could have given one of them a heart attack."

"You know her?" MacLeod asked in surprise while Joe nodded as if something suddenly made sense. Adam merely frowned in concentration for a moment before once more relaxing and staring at her thoughtfully.

Amanda ignored the question and spoke to the young woman. "Fann, these gentlemen are Duncan MacLeod, Joe Dawson, and on the days he feels younger than normal - Adam Pierson."

Fann nodded at each of them as they were introduced, giving Adam a wink when Amanda introduced him.

"I see they were wrong when they said you'd taken on a new student," Joe said quietly so that only the others at the table could hear him.

"No, they weren't wrong," Amanda denied. "Well, mostly anyway. Fann's my new apprentice." she told them.

"Apprentice?" Macleod gave Fann a concerned look. "Isn't she a bit young to be involved in one of your schemes?"

"Is there anyone who's old enough?" Adam grimaced before subsiding and taking another gulp.

Fann shook her head at them. "I know what I'm getting into. We understand each other perfectly." She grinned at Macleod who was rubbing his head as if he was fighting off a headache. "Besides, it's fun!"

"Not another one!" Adam muttered under his breath, though everyone heard him.

"She's a natural," Amanda told them. "And it isn't like it is going to hurt her."

Joe looked intrigued while Macleod just groaned. "How long are you in town for?"

"Fann?" Amanda directed his question to her apprentice. "How much longer do you think you'll need?"

"Whenever you're ready." Fann told her confidently. "It was an interesting exercise though easier than I expected." She leaned forward and placed several objects in front of both MacLeod and Adam. "Neither of them seem too concerned about protecting their possessions."

"What is this?" MacLeod asked, fingering the objects in front of him, looking from Amanda to Fann with a confused expression on his face.

"A picture of the safe in your dojo," Fann told him. "And a list of everything that was in it." Ignoring the unspoken question she could see on his face, she turned to Adam, responding to his startled breath.

"How did you find this?" He held up a small dull metal disc.

She shrugged and grinned cheekily at him. "I tried to think like the world's oldest man. After that it was easy."

Joe coughed, trying to hide his amusement.

Sensing an immanent explosion from Adam, Amanda hurriedly continued. "Okay, let's take care of that other business we talked about and then you can go."

"Are you sure about that?" Fann asked her, waving her hand in the direction of MacLeod.

"He can't help himself," she answered, giving MacLeod a dazzling smile. Adam laughed under his breath, forgetting about the invasion of his privacy in anticipation of whatever Amanda had planned for Macleod, who dropped the photo and sat up nervously.

"What do you need Amanda?" He asked her defensively. "I don't have time for one of your schemes."

"You'll have plenty of time for this," she said, grinning at him. "Fann needs to learn everything you can teach her about self-defense."

"She's not..." he said, reluctant to say more.

"No, I'm not." Fann answered, surprising everyone except Amanda. "And I think I can take care of myself." Amanda shook her head at the younger woman. "But Amanda and Cassandra don't agree with me." She childishly pouted at her.

"You're good, for someone who hasn't had any training," Amanda admitted. "But you need to be better, especially if Cassandra is correct about your future."

"She's seen Cassandra?" Joe asked curiously.

"She read my future. Sort of," Fann told him with a shrug, her fingers playing with the ends of her hair. "She was curious."

"What did she say?" MacLeod asked looking at the younger woman, obviously intrigued in spite of Amanda's request.

"It was about her destiny and none of your business, Mac," Amanda scolded him. "The only thing you need to know is that she needs to spend as much time in Seacover as possible, learning everything you can teach her about defending herself."

"I don't just take on random students," he protested.

"If I'm here with you I won't be out on jobs with Amanda," Fann told him, surreptitiously winking at Amanda when she said it. "Just think of it as your good deed for the year." She smiled, giving him the wide-eyed innocent look she'd practiced with Amanda.

"I won't promise anything," Macleod grumbled. "Come by the dojo tomorrow and we'll see what happens."

"Thanks!" Fann jumped up excitedly and gave the embarrassed immortal a hug. Turning to Amanda she said "All set?"

"Why don't you head back to the hotel?" Amanda suggested. "I'll be in later."

"Okay." Fann smirked at Amanda who just grinned back. "Later." She turned to MacLeod and asked "When tomorrow?"

"After nine." He told her.

"Thanks!" She flashed him a big smile, waved at the others and grabbed her helmet and coat from the bar on her way out the door.

As soon as Fann was gone MacLeod looked across the table at Amanda. Shaking his head he asked her "What's really going on here? Since when do you take on a non-immortal student?"

"Or any student," Adam added with a smirk.

"I take on the occasional student!" Amanda protested.

"Not if you can avoid it," MacLeod reminded her. "You've always claimed that having a student gets in your way."

"Well..." Amanda looked at Joe for help but he just shook his head and got up from the table to serve one of the other patrons at the bar. "I felt bad. I accidentally ran into her in New Orleans." MacLeod raised an eyebrow. "Literally. With my car. And she just got up like nothing had happened."

"So?" Adam asked, obviously skeptical

"She was knocked into another car hard enough to dent it. She should have ended up in a hospital." Amanda looked at them. "There was something different about her. I just had to help. She reminds me of someone who'd rescued me from a rather painful death several centuries ago."

"She's not immortal," Adam reminded them. "And she's not ever going to be."

"No," Amanda agreed. "But if Cassandra's reading is accurate she needs to learn how to protect herself."

"Why us?" Duncan asked. "Doesn't she have any family?"

"I can't really tell you why. It was a feeling I had. And Cassandra agreed with me." Amanda grabbed MacLeod's arm and played her last card, intent on cementing MacLeod's help. "She's an orphan, Mac. If I hadn't taken her in who knows what would have happened to her."

"What did Cassandra have to say about her?" Adam asked curiously.

She frowned. "It's better if no one knows. It has nothing to do with the Game." She told them when he tried to protest.

"She won't break. She's much stronger and faster than she looks. But she has no idea how to defend herself against someone who knows how to fight." She gave MacLeod a pleading look, although she knew she'd already hooked him. "She learns quickly. Just give her a chance this summer. That's all she should need."

MacLeod looked at her for several minutes before nodding. "Okay. I'll give her a month and then we'll see."

"Thanks." She gave him a bright smile. "You won't regret it."

"I just hope the rest of us won't," Adam muttered under his breath, earning him a disapproving look from the others. Ignoring them he took a long sip from his beer and continued muttering to himself in a language none of the others were familiar with.

Notes:

* Does Amanda explain/tell them about Fann's past/future? Not really. It's really none of their business.