but can you send it to {[email protected]}
Thanks. Suzy.
PART 8
"So, what was it you wanted to see me about?" David asked, after Harry had deposited two cups of coffee on the table.
Kavik sighed. "I may as well come right to the point. I've just joined the X-Men."
"You've *what*?"
"David, I've got these powers, I may as well use them for something. The point is, if any of this goes into my Chronicle and something happens, then it could be used against these people."
"Kavik, I can't just leave this out. I mean, this is a major development in your life. If your Chronicle is to be anywhere near the truth, something this big can't be missed."
"You've missed things out of the Chronicle before."
"Nothing like this. Sure, I've *altered* events that involved Methos in order to keep his secret, but that's different."
"I know it is," admitted Kavik. "So, I've come up with an idea that I think might work, if you'll agree to it."
"Go on."
"I want you to start a second Chronicle. One which will contain everything I do with the X-Men, but will only be given to the Watchers after the X-Men are gone."
David thought about this. The Watchers would still get the information, they'd just be getting it slightly later than it actually occurred. "Okay, but how would I get the information? It's not like I can just up and follow you when you jet off into space or wherever."
"I've thought about that. What I thought was we could meet up every so often and I tell you what's happened."
"All right, you're on. I'll start a second Chronicle. One which the Watchers will only receive when it's safe for them to have it."
Kavik smiled. "Thanks, David. There's something else, though. One of the X-Men's an Immortal."
"The kid from last night?" David guessed.
Kavik nodded. "His name's Sam Guthrie, Cannonball."
"I know which one you're talking about. Is he a newbie?"
Kavik smiled at the nicknamed which had been coined for Immortals who had just experienced their first death. "Not really, he actually had his first death a couple of years back, but he thought he was something called an External."
"An External?"
"They're a race of immortal mutants, nothing to do with the Game. For this to work, whoever's assigned to Sam will have to be in on it."
"Don't worry about it, I was speaking to Joe Dawson this morning."
"How is he?"
"He's fine," answered David. "The reason I rang him was because of what happened last night. I assume that you're going to take this Sam on as a student."
Kavik nodded. "I hadn't planned on taking on a student, but I can't exactly just leave him to fend for himself."
"And circumstances mean that you can't really send him to someone else to be taught."
"Exactly," agreed Kavik.
"However, it does mean that you'll both be in the same place, so, for the foreseeable future, I'm the kid's Watcher as well as yours."
"Does it usually work like that?"
"No, teacher and student usually have different Watchers, But, because of the Jacob Galati incident, the number of field agents is lower than it's been in years. And, contrary to what you said last night, it's not as if we can just put an advert in the paper." Jacob was an Immortal who had gone on a rampage after the Hunters had killed his wife. After her death he had killed every Watcher he could find, blaming them for the death of Elena.
"That's going to make things easier," admitted Kavik.
"I'll have a second Chronicle for him as well. Are you going to tell him about the Watchers?
"No, he's got enough to deal with at the moment, without adding you lot to the mix."
"That's an understatement," David smiled. "It means that you'll have to give me any information I need for his Chronicle as well."
"Fine," nodded Kavik. "So now we've sorted out what I wanted to see you about, why did *you* want to see *me*?"
David stared at the table for a while before he finally spoke. "I was wondering if you've seen Adam recently?"
The question immediately put Kavik on guard. "Why?"
"Joe told me what happened in Bordeaux with him and Duncan," David said by way of an explanation. "How is he?"
"David, his entire life has just come crashing down around him. How do you think he is?" Kavik's mind went back to the night about three months ago when Methos had turned up on her doorstep, looking lost and bedragled.
Kavik's blood had run cold when she heard the three words of explanation:
"Kronos came back." During the Bronze Age, Kronos had been one of four Immortals who had riden under the name of The Four Horsemen. An old friend of Duncan's, Cassandra, had been tracking the Horsemen for centuries, and she had finally pinned Kronos down in Seacouver. Duncan vowed to help her track down the men who had killed her people and kept her as a slave, and then he discovered that Methos was one of the men she was looking to kill.
When Duncan had confronted him, Methos admitted that Kronos had been his friend, brother and more, and that he had been Death. Kronos and Methos, the heart and head of The Four Horsemen; and Duncan MacLeod's illusions about his friend were shattered beyond redemption.
"Did you know?" David asked. "About the Horsemen?"
Kavik nodded. "I've always known." Just as she knew that after Kronos found him, Methos set into motion a plan would bring about the downfall of the Horsemen once and for all. That for the love of a man who turned away from him, Methos effectively engineered the deaths of three men he had called 'brother'. The Horsemen had disbanded almost two thousand years before he was born, and yet Duncan couldn't see that the Methos he called a friend and the Methos who had been Death were two different people. "So, the Watchers now know that their researcher, Adam Pierson is actually Methos, the oldest living Immortal," sighed Kavik. "Great."
"Actually no," David contradicted. "The abandoned submarine base that Kronos chose as their base must have had at least one entrance that we didn't know about. None of the Watchers assigned to Kronos, Cassandra, Caspian and Silas reported seeing Methos. He's safe."
"Are you sure?"
"They may suspect that Methos exists, and even that he was the forth Horseman. but as for a link between Methos and Adam Pierson? There isn't one."
Kavik's sigh of relief was audible.
"Do you know where he is?" David asked.
"Kind of." Kavik remembered her and Methos talking for hours and then crawling into bed when the exhaustion became to much for him to fight. She held him tightly to ward away his demons, finally succumbing to sleep. When she awoke, the Presence of another Immortal was gone and all that was indicative of Methos' arrival in the night was a note telling her that he was going to visit 'the old hunting grounds' and try to put some ghosts to rest.
"Tell him that not everyone shares the same opinion as Duncan. What happened was a long time ago. Joe and I aren't Immortal, we don't have time to hold grudges against a friend for a past that he isn't proud of.� Everyone's done things that they wish they could change. Duncan's no innocent, none of us are. Tell him to get in touch, Joe and I would like to know that he's okay."
Kavik smiled. "David, you and Joe are both very special people. I don't think we tell you that enough."
"Well, you'd better tell me again,"
he joked, "just to be on the safe side."
Scott and Jean walked down the road arm in arm.
"What are you thinking, husband mine?" Jean asked.
Scott looked at his wife. "Isn't that a bit of a strange question for a telepath to be asking?" He laughed.
"I suppose," smiled Jean. "But that's not an answer."
"I'm thinking that I'm walking next to the most beautiful woman in the world, and that we should escape together more often."
"We're only going to 'Harry's Hideaway', Scott."
"But we're going there together, alone." Scott held the door open as Jean walked into 'Harry's'.
"You spoke too soon," said Jean, looking over into one of the corners of the room.
"What do you mean?" When Jean didn't answer, Scott followed her gaze and saw Kavik sitting in one of the booths. She was with a man who appeared to be about the same age as Scott. "I wonder who that is?"
"He's very good looking, whoever he is." Jean loook over the man Kavik was with. The light from the candle burning on the table bounced off his hair, making it looked like burninshed gold.
"We should go over and say hello," Jean said, thinking about the gossip she could get for the mansion rumour mill.
"Maybe they don't want to be disturbed," Scott said to his wife, who was already moving towards Kavik.
Kavik looked up at the person casting a shadow across the table and came face to face with Jean. "Jean, hi."
Jean smiled. "Scott and I just came out to escape the madness for a while, do you mind if we join you?"
"Of course not," replied Kavik.
David watched as Kavik moved to sit on his side of the booth, allowing the two newcomers to sit together. Kavik had told him which of the X-Men knew that she was an Immortal and neither of these two were among that short list. When everyone was settled back down, Kavik began the introductions.
"David, this is Jean Grey-Summers and her husband, Scott. Jean, Scott, this is David Mitchell, a friend of mine."
"Pleased to meet you," said David.
"Likewise," replied Jean as Harry brought over another round of coffee.
"So, ho long have you two known each other?"
"Four years," answered Kavik, thinking about the first time she had met her Watcher, just as David replied "nine years," thinking about the first time he started watching Kavik.
Scott looked suspiciously at Kavik and David, who just started laughing.
"I met Kavik through a friend. He often talked about her, so that by the time I actually met her I felt like I knew her. We met face to face four years ago, but I feel like I've known her for the nine years I've known Adam." Although it wasn't the truth, it wasn't exactly a lie either.
"Adam?" Jean questioned.
"Adam was the mutual friend we met through," supplied Kavik. Kind of.
"So, what do you do, David?" Scott asked.
"I'm an anthropologist," David
replied. That much, at least, was the truth. David had majored in anthropology
at university. David didn't want to get involved in a discusion about what
he did. Apart from recognising the redhead from Kavik's descriptions as
the telepathic X-Man Phoenix, it was always difficult trying to keep up
a conversation with people who knew nothing about Immortals and Watchers.
So much of David's life was based around the Watchers, that telling people
about himself without mentioning the organisation became a complex web
of half truths. David thought it best to excuse himself from the conversation.
"Actually, David, I'll come with you, there's some things I need to do in the city." Kavik stood next to him and turned to Scott and Jean. "I'm sorry to run out on you, but I have things that need to be taken care of. I'll see you back at the mansion later."
"Okay," said Jean. "David, it was nice meeting you."
"Likewise," David replied, before he and Kavik walked out of the bar.
"I wonder if they're seeing each other," Jean mused, as she watched the retreating figures.
"How should I know," shrugged Scott, "you're the one who's good at reading people."
"No," Jean answered her own question,
"if they were seeing each other, then why would she sleep with Gambit?
Unless it's a very relaxed relationship." Jean smiled as all the fodder
for the rumour mill worked it's way around her mind.
Sam Guthrie knocked on the door to Kavik's room and walked in. "Logan said that ya wanted ta see me."
"Yes, I did. Have a seat." Kavik motioned to the bed. "What?" She asked when she saw Sam's smile.
"Ya were right, Ah am gettin' used ta that buzzin' feelin'. It's not so nearly as bad as it was when it first happened."
"I told you it would settle down."
"So what did ya want ta see me about?"
"I've got some things for you." Kavik placed her sword case on the bed and opened it. She took out the sword Michael Roberts had threatened her with, and handed it to him.
"What's this?"
"You need a sword. That one will do for the time being."
"Why not Tharrus'?"
Kavik smiled. "I realise that Tharrus' sword would probably be more *appropriate*, but you don't really have the build to carry off a broadsword with the kind of efficiency levels we're talking about. Trust me on this one."
"Okay," acquiesced Sam.
"And now for the paperwork."
Sam opened the document folder Kavik handed him and looked at the contents. "What are these for?"
"That is the documentation officially listing you as an employee of 'Germain Acquisitions'."
"'Germain Acquisitions'?"
"It's the name of an antique dealership I own."
"Why do ah need this?"
"How else do you think you're going to be able to carry swords across international borders without being stopped?"
Sam looked confused.
"The legal certficate in with the ID identifies you as being able to travel in and out of the country with certain items which would normally be restricted."
"Such as swords?" Sam grinned.
"Bright boy." Kavik looked at her watch. "Okay, I need you to go and pack a gym bag. Bring the sword and a couple of old T-shirts."
"Why?"
"I've hired a dojo in the city from 6 'til 9. I figure it'll be easier than practising around here where someone could walk in and want to know what we're doing sparing with swords."
"Will we fight with the swords straight away?"
"No. The dojo has wooden swords among their equipment. We'll use those to get you used to the feel of a sword before we start using the real things."
"Then why do ah have ta take the real one?"
"Because you're an Immortal, and like it or not, circumstances dictate that that sword goes everywhere with you. And I do mean, *everywhere*. So I would also suggest that you find a nice coat to go with your uniform, or some other item of clothing that is equally capable of concealing a sword."
"This is really for real, isn't it?" Sam's voice carried a timbre of surrendered acceptance of the situation.
"Yes." Kavik sat next to Sam and placed her hand over his. "Real, and deadly. But you have my word, that I will teach you to the best of my ability.
"Everything you know?"
"Well, maybe not *everything*, but the vast majority." Kavik stood up.
"Don't worry, Sam. I can guarentee that you'll learn at least one thing from all of this."
"An' what's that?"
"How to get blood out of almost every material that's been discovered."
Kavik could still hear Sam's laughter as he walked to his room.
Ten minutes later, the two Immortals were heading to the dojo to begin
Sam's training in what he would need to know to survive the Gathering.
The End....? not hardly!
(Actually, it's a Voyager/X-Files x-over, (it works - honestly!). And by the way, Suzy, the Real Old Guy is still mine!
Thank you and goodnight!)
Gee, some people are so greedy...
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...thus, though we cannot make our sun stand still, yet we will make him run. 'to his coy mistress', marvell
Always running before the sun
Suzy {No e-mail address (sob!), i'm inbetween homes at the moment}