Another Life(HLDR,XO,CC,Mature)COMPLETE 8/11/09

[thumper1942]

Well here it is. The ending of the first part of Another Life. Do not know when I will start part 2. Hope you have enjoyed it. Thanks again to LizzyBug for doing the beta. As I said earlier, any suggestions or comments are welcome.


Another Life Epilogue

Duncan hugged Liz and stepped back. Liz smiled at him a little mistily.

“Saying thank you just does not seem enough. Without you, I would be dead or on the run, probably soon dead anyway to a headhunter. These last 5 months have been bizarre in so many ways, but you have been a constant. I hope to be good enough one day that you will send any female newbies to me to train. I want to be that good, and I want to help them as you helped me. Let me take a page from one of my favorite shows: Live Long and Prosper, Duncan McLeod.”

Duncan smiled at her, and then got into his car and drove away. Liz watched until he was out of sight. Cynthia was standing next to her. Joe had left a week ago to go back to Seacouver and start running his bar again. Methos had left a month ago, telling Liz that he for one hoped to see her soon outside of Roswell. She had smiled at him, and said she was leaving only when she had to. She looked over at Cynthia and decided to bring up something she had been thinking about.

“It has occurred to me that Joe and the rest of the friends of Duncan McLeod just do not quite fit. There were too many of them in Albuquerque, and so many of them relocated to Roswell on a week’s notice. As fine a man as Duncan is, that just does not track. I have been thinking about this for quite a while, and it has occurred to me that just maybe someone else knows about Immortals and has been keeping track of them for a long time. Cleaning after them by getting rid of the bodies—as many as there are out there, this would have been commented on before now. Add to that, I got some memories and impressions from Felicia. All in all, it seems to me that no matter where I go, I have a hunch I will be seeing you around. Right?”

Cynthia was stumped. How was she going to answer that? Liz was way too smart and sharp to miss much, and it was known that some immortals learned more than others from quickening. She decided to just play along. She would call up Joe and let him know that Liz suspected her and was putting the pieces together way too well to not figure it out in the end.

So she just smiled at Liz and said. “I will be around.” Then walked away.

Liz was a little frustrated but understood that Cynthia was probably just following orders. Liz thought that someone was keeping track of Immortals, and Cynthia was probably the one that was to keep an eye on her. It was an interesting question—but then she had lots of time to figure it out.


The 2 months since her fight had gone by very quickly. Duncan had continued to train her, polishing her and getting her to refine her movements and tactics. He also was there to help her come to terms with the quickening she had gotten from Felicia Rising. She still occasionally had dreams that she knew were not hers. Felicia had been one twisted female, and Liz really did not want some of the memories and impressions she had gotten, but it was all part of the package. Duncan now considered her ready to stand on her own two feet, but made it clear that she was supposed to call him anytime she had a question, or if another immortal challenged her, she was to call him right away. Liz smiled to herself—Duncan was a bit of a mother hen, but she would not have it any other way.

Other changes had come gradually as well. She and Max were getting closer all the time. Having shared secrets seemed to help. What was very interesting was that Maria and Michael seemed on the verge of couplehood—and at the least made things very entertaining. Mt. St. Maria had erupted on several occasions due to Michael, who seemed unfazed by the smoke, fire, and ash. What was even more interesting was that Alex and Isabel seemed to be starting something as well, though Alex was keeping very tightlipped about it. They had both been brought in on the secret as well, and neither seemed all that surprised. Alex had always thought SOMETHING had happened, and Maria figured that Michael certainly qualified as something alien anyway. Liz and Isabel had started a cautious friendship, Isabel trying to overcome a lifetime of aloofness and staying away from people. For some reason Liz and Michael were completely comfortable in each other’s company, which was a mystery to all. They just seemed to understand each other, and that was fine as it was.

Joe put down the phone, and sat back and thought. Cynthia’s phone call was not exactly a surprise. Liz was indeed way too smart and sharp and observant to believe the cover story about all those people being friends of Duncan or beholden to him one way or another. Her comment about cleaning up after immortals was particularly sharp. He sighed. Then he picked up the phone to call Duncan. He decided at the time to keep things as quiet as he could—and had told Cynthia to just string Liz along as best she could. Things were still settling down in the Watcher world. Both watchers of Felicia Rising had been found guilty of interference and becoming part of the game, and had been quietly executed. Only the council and Joe and a few others knew what had happened. The cover story was a car accident. But the repercussions would be a long time going. Even now a special investigative group was going over the last 20 years of immortal battles looking for trends and patterns. So far nothing serious had shown up, but they were probably a least a year away from getting it done. Joe really hoped nothing else came up—it was bad enough as it was.


Duncan walked into his Dojo and saw Richie lounging next to the office and Charlie right next to him. Duncan raised an eyebrow as he walked in. Richie grinned at him. Charlie did as well. Duncan began to get suspicious. “OK, what have the two of you been up to.” At that moment the phone rang. Since neither of them seemed to be interested in answering it, Duncan did. “Hello, Desalvo Gym, Duncan McLeod speaking.”

“Oh, I am glad to get a hold of you, Mr. McLeod. We, here at St. Mary’s Home for the homeless and disadvantaged,wanted to thank you for your participation in our auction on Tuesday, even though you were unable to be there. Your associates were very clear that you would be happy to be part of it, but I wanted to confirm it with you.” The older sounding female voice put forth.

Duncan looked hard at Richie and Charlie who were now openly grinning widely. Duncan then went back to the phone. “I have a vague idea, but what were the exact requirements?”

“Well really just that one date, Mr. McLeod. As the single most valuable donation during the auction, Mrs. Masters was very firm about that.”

“Mrs. Masters?”

“Yes. Ever since her husband died, she had been very much alone, and when she heard about our auctioning off of handsome eligible bachelors, she just had to take part in it. Said that was the most fun she had since skinny dipping in college 50 years ago.”