HIGHLANDER - SON OF LIBERTY
PART THREE - OUTLAW JUSTICE

By Erik
Skippy_efa@mindspring.com

DISCLAIMER: See part one

~~~~~

New York
Tuesday
February 2nd, 2000

Angela opened the door to her apartment, which squeaked just as it had for the last eight years. She had long since given up hope that the land lord would find time out of his day to get it fixed. She just accepted it and got on with her life.

She sighed as she removed her winter coat. The dress she wore underneath was sheer red and hugged every curve of her body. Her job as an aerobics instructor had its high points. It kept her body fit, and even though she was now pushing thirty, it didn't show.

She sat down on her couch and removed her high heel shoes. Diner with Michel had started out wonderful. He wasn't like her last boyfriend at all. He accepted the fact that, sometimes, there where personal matters to take care of. She had hoped that dinner would make up for her running out on New Year's Eve. But, she had come home alone. Michel had made it clear that the running off thing had to stop, or they would. He couldn't understand that this was something she couldn't just stop.

Angela took a deep breath as she slowly peeled off the right long glove. She paused slightly as she finished removing the left. There where times that she hated the tattoo on her left wrist, and the job that came with it. All because she happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Being a Watcher wasn't as fun as that guy had promised her. Since joining the organization ten years ago, she had been assigned to three immortals. Her first two where serious assholes. During that time, she wanted so much to let their opponents know what was coming. But, she didn't have to. Both of them had been picked off fairly early in their careers.

For the last five years, she had been the Watcher to a rather young looking immortal, Thomas Davidson. She had to admit, he was a big improvement over the first two she had been assigned to. He hadn't had the easiest of times, she knew that. He seemed to be a good person at heart. Well, as good as someone could be in his world.

Angela closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. When she felt as if she was being watched, she slowly opened them again. There was an outline in the shadows of the hall. Something that wasn't there before. Something that should not be there. She quickly reached over to her table and grabbed at the gun she kept taped under the coffee table. The shadow moved faster then she did, and grabbed her wrist away from the weapon.

"Like that would have done you any good," came a voice from the still shadow shrouded man.

Angela looked up in fright as she was thrown forcefully back into her chair. She could make out more of her attacker as her eyes adjusted to the shadows. He was taller then Michel by some degree. He was wearing a long coat, rust red, from what she could tell. He had a toothy smile and a head of long red hair. What scared the living shit out of her were his eyes. They looked more horrifying then any movie monster she had ever seen. They seemed to stare right through her.

The attacker looked down at her and smiled. Somehow, it made him look more horrifying. "You don't need to worry, young lady. I just need you to do me a favor."

Angela backed farther into the chair. "What...Help you with what?"

The man kneeled down and clamped her mouth shut as the other reached down her dress. "Well, for starters...don't scream."

~~~~~

New York
Sunday
February 13th, 2000

Tom did his best to rub the last of last of the sleep out of his eyes as he walked down the hall. He gave a long sigh as he continued to the meeting room. He had been working for this Meyers guy for a month now, and so far he had been pretty much a secretary. Not exactly what Amanda had described to him. Myers probably thought he was just too young for field work in his security agency. The joke, of course, was that Myers was at least 200 years younger then he was. Not that anyone around here knew about that.

Tom finally reached the meeting room and greeted Meyers with a hello and a nod. The other three people in the room looked about his age, in appearance only, and were also to pretend to be college students.

Meyers motioned for everyone to take a seat near his desk. "Alright, I know you guys don't know each other, but you all have been thinking the same thing. You signed on for security work, but you've been doing nothing but paper work. That officially changes today." Meyers opened a folder and placed it on the desk. "You four will be watching this girl, Alicia Walters, as she attends classes at the University. She has asked for a low presence, which is why where using you guys instead of the other..."

"Older?" one of the others asked with a grin.

"Other people I have right now," Meyers said while giving the evil eye. "You are to protect her from kidnapping and anything else that might come up. Any questions?"

After five seconds of silence, Meyers nodded. "Alright, then. You start Monday."

After the other four stepped out of his office, Tom scanned the file. This girl had given up attending high level private schools to go to a public university. Tom could understand that. One of the joys of school was always meeting new people and making friends.

"She's pretty good looking, isn't she?" asked a voice behind him.

Tom turned to see Ryan, one of the others Meyers had put on the assignment, coming around a corner. He was in his very early twenties, looking a little older then Tom himself. He had a smirk on his face, going along with his brown hair. "I won't mind watching her for extended periods of time," he said with a smile.

"I guess," Tom said as he closed the folder and placed it in his friends hand. "If you go for that honey blond, super model look."

Ryan sighed a laugh as he took the folder. "Are you sure you're a guy? I mean, look at her."

Tom stepped into the elevator and turned around. "I'll see her later. I have an errand to run."

The doors closed, leaving Ryan with a confused look. "What's wrong with him? Doesn't he like girls?" Ryan asked Meyers as he walked by.

Meyers gave a confused look. "You don't know, do you?"

~~~~~

The elevator doors opened with a chime to reveal the underground garage. Tom wrapped his long overcoat over his body to resist the cold winter that had permeated through the stone walls. He let a smile cross his face as he saw his car, a midnight black and chrome Shelby GT 500 Cobra. Tom had spent six years and thousands of dollars to restore the car from the wreak he had found.

He had put the key into the lock when a shout from the stairway brought his attention to Ryan. He had apparently run all the way from the third floor to the underground garage, as was evident from his panting. "Tom, Meyers just told me. About your girlfriend."

Tom lowered his head and sighed.

"I didn't know, man."

"Of course you didn't know," Tom said as he opened the car door. "I didn't tell you. It's a very personal matter."

Ryan leaned on the car as he looked to Tom. "We're kind of friends now. I'm here if you need to talk."

Tom nodded his head. "Yeah. I'm sorry if I seemed a little curt. This is something I have to take care of alone."

Ryan patted Tom on the shoulder as he turned and walked back. Tom got into the Cobra and started the engine. He sighed as he felt the power through the frame and seat. Thinking of something else, he rolled down the window. "Hey, Ryan."

Ryan turned back to Tom in the car.

"Take the elevator, man. It's a lot easier," Tom said with a smile as he revved up the engine and backed out and powered away.

He wasn't around to see Ryan give him the finger.

~~~~~

Tom sat in silence, looking out upon the New York skyline. He watched as it changed from blue, to yellow, to orange to deep purple. The lights of the city came on as the light from the sky disappeared. New York certainly was a beautiful town. It had been for a long, long time.

Tom sighed as he got up and paced around the room again. His old apartment had been picked over and was now barren of anything of remote value or use. Not that Tom cared about this place anymore. Anything of value to him he had removed right after the New Year began. The people could have what they wanted. He was sitting here for entirely different reasons. It seemed that his reasons for being here was once again absent.

Tom ran an open palm along the frame of the large window that highlighted the old apartment. Mariko had not returned to him. It was gnawing away at him. The records showed that her body had been cremated and returned to her home in Okayama, Japan. There was no other information on the whereabouts of her body. Thomas had known for a long time that she was a 'sleeper', an unawakened immortal. He had felt that the violent death here, by the bomb in his apartment set off by Arcturus, would be enough.

Now he was scared to death that he had made a mistake. That she might not have been a 'sleeper'. That it was just his wishful thinking. That thought produced a cold, hard lump in his chest. With one last look Around, Thomas picked himself up and stepped out of the burned walls.

~~~~~

New Jersey
Monday
February 14th 2000

Johnus looked down at his meal, fast food cheeseburger and fries. This was something he loved. Fast and good. Not that is was good for you. Not that he had to worry about his cholesterol levels. He would just have to sweat this off later. He grinned as he ran a hand over his shaved head. If he let it grow out again, it would be a dark black.

He sighed as he heard the knock on his door. He got up from his bed and came to the door of his hotel room. Tyler was standing on the other side. "You had better be bringing me good news," Johnus said, the tone in his voice letting know in no uncertain terms what no would mean.

Tyler was lucky. "We checked out who the guys where that drove out with the girl this morning. One of the guys matched up."

Johnus smiled. "Then, our trip here wasn't a complete waist. I'll take care of this myself. You and jimmy make sure that the car is ready."

Tyler nodded and headed down the hall.

Johnus stepped back into his hotel room and sat back down at his meal. The anonymous e-mail he got last week said Tom would be here and it had been right. He smiled as he took a large bite of the cheeseburger. He was going to enjoy this.

~~~~~

New York
Monday
February 14th 2000

Ryan took a deep sigh as he opened the doors to the lecture hall. Students were already at their seats or lingering around the room talking, a complete cross section of the student body. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, just a typical class room. After looking over the room one last time, Ryan looked at his watch, then nonchalantly pushed the call button. Less then a minute later, Tom walked in their escort, Alicia Walters.

"You guys are standing kind of close, aren't you?" she asked in a low whisper as she walked down the steps to take a front row seat.

"It's what we where hired to do," said Ryan as he took the seat next to her.

"I just don't want you to freak out people," she said to Ryan in a low whisper. "I came to a public collage to make friends. I just don't want them put off."

"Don't worry, I'll behave myself," Ryan said in a whisper. The two went to whispering to each other.

Tom grinned down at the pair as he made an inconspicuous walk around the room. Ryan and Alicia seemed to make a connection right from the moment they meet last night. Not that Tom was jealous. Well, maybe a little jealous.

Alicia shook her head as she opened her textbook. "I should have taken Ancient Egypt instead of Civil War Studies. I figured that the war was only four years long. How hard could it be as opposed to a thousands of years of pharaohs? Professor Bennett needs a life, she's too tough on us. Can you guys do anything about my grades?"

"That is really petty," said Tom as he began to walk up the steps to the higher rows. He stopped his climb as his skin crinkled and his stomach turned in knots. "Besides, grades are the least of my worries right now."

~~~~~

Professor Elizabeth Bennett, knowing that she was late, ran down the hall to her classroom with her books, notes and a rolled up map of Gettysburg in her arms, her purse strap falling down. Her knees about gave out when she felt the tell-tale immortal buzz flowing through her. Her breath tightened as she spun around, looking in each way down the by now empty hall as students and professors were in their assigned classrooms. She trepidatiously walked to her door and looked through the slit of glass to the students filling the auditorium, laughing, throwing papers, giggling, waiting for class to begin.

She hadn't felt any immortals in her area of NYU. Even thought she had always felt safe there, the thought that Joshua Logan could be on her tail again made her debate taking off. She decided to buck up and go inside, knowing that if worse came to worse, she did have a sword hidden in the closet in the corner, and the room was full of witnesses.

Elizabeth opened the door and walked in, straight to the desk to lay her things, and to the podium. "Good morning," she said brightly not only to show a relaxed face to her students, but to calm herself also. "I'm sorry I'm late... I was detained grading the pop quiz I sprung on you last week because I didn't think you were paying attention to me. Again."

There was a myriad of boos to which Elizabeth laughed, as she looked around the room. She still couldn't pick out where that immortal sensation was coming from, that was still strong. A new student in the front row soon got her full attention. When she stared at him, he didn't respond in the way that immortals do. Only one person in the classroom returned her look that indicated a knowledge everyone else was immune to, a young man in the back row, who stood. He was definitely an immortal. She thought that he looked familiar. She stared him down to show that she wasn't afraid, even though her knees were knocking.

~~~~~

"I'll be damned," Tom said with a whisper and a smile. "Florence Nightingale."

He could see the teacher looking at him with a nervous tremble in her eye. None of the other students seemed to notice, as they where quickly looking over notes and booing the teacher. They were actually booing the teacher! Tom smiled as he didn't know that Elizabeth to receive such a reaction from people. But then again, Tom had never had her for a teacher.

~~~~~

Cherbourg, France
December 22nd, 1943

Most of the city was burned, bombed and flattened. There was once a massive factory for ball barring in this city, but now there where barely any buildings left as far as the eye could see. The steps to the former embassy were a hub of activity. The commandant of the town was standing with a few officials and military officers, all having cigars. They didn't know they where being watched.

Three figures laid down, faces painted. One was holding to a piece of string, running to another part of the burned out building. A second was looking at the embassy through a pair of binoculars. The third, looked through the scope of an older sniping rifle. He took short, controlled breaths as he looked down at the crowd. The team had been in this building for five hours now, just waiting for the right combination of people in the right position. They wanted as many high ranking officers as possible, and far enough from the building that once the shooting started they wouldn't be able to get to cover.

Through the black face paint, Tom watched his targets carefully on the other side of his scope. He had been itching for a chance to do some damage to the Nazi's, and this was one chance he was not going to pass up. His spotter lifted a finger and Tom readied himself.

"'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house. Not a creature was stirring, except those ugly krauts," Tom silently sung. His spotter covered his mouth to hide a snicker. He adjusted his scope and aimed at the target closest to the door. A rather fat captain was facing away from him, looking into the embassy. Tom aimed at the base of the man's skull and squeezed the trigger.

The neck of the captain exploded, and he dropped to the ground like a rag doll. A woman screamed when she saw the body drop, and screamed again when a bang signaled the fall of the Nazi official right next to her. The crowd began a panicked run back to the embassy as three soldiers came out and looked at the courtyard. They looked in all directions and where horrified when the team leader fell to a bullet.

Tom looked up to the third man in the building. The third guy nodded as he pulled the string slowly. The two surviving soldiers saw a hat raise in one of the buildings. They had their target and fired like mad at it. The hat dropped down, full of holes. The two guards looked out and sighed. Then, with another bang, there was one. That one guard panicked and began to run inside when a shot to the back of his head ended him.

Tom held the now empty rifle as the group began a careful walk away from the hollowed out building. The spotter looked back out to the courtyard and saw a fourth solider, this time with an anti-tank rocket launcher on his shoulder. Tom saw the rocket appear from the tube and fly in his direction. He barely had time to run and push before the entire wall exploded. Stone and glass filled the air as Tom fell down two flights of stairs. Smoke and rubble clouded his vision as he got back up and stumbled away.

~~~~~

Tom slid against the wall as he walked down the dark tunnel. France had miles worth of tunnel under the cites from as far back as Rome. Now, the tunnels provided the resistance with a silent means of moving around, as well as more then a few hiding places. Tom approached the entrance to the hideout.

He gave the signals and knock and the door slowly opened. Inside was cold and damp. Not the best place to spend Christmas. He leaned against a wall as he made his way to a bed. He would heal in time, he just needed to rest. But, just his luck, one of the nurses spotted him. His back had been peppered with rock and glass shards and was bleeding heavily.

~~~~~

An immortal nurse, Elizabeth Richardson, knew that the soldier's back would be fine but didn't want any of the other mortals to witness it's healing. She hurried to the immortal, and told the nurse tending him that she would be better used assisting the doctor.

The man had lifted his shirt and sat on a bed, his back toward her. He was an immortal and he turned his back on her! He had to know that she was one of them, and he wasn't as leery of her as she was of him? She pulled at the glass shards and shielded his back to any witnesses as the healing started. To complete the ruse, she applied antiseptic, to which the soldier winced.

He turned his head to her and said, "There's no need for that."

She smiled, at ease with him, and put the cotton and antiseptic bottle down. Then she got some gauze and tape to apply, as if he still had his injuries. As she cleaned off the dried and still dripping blood on his back, he turned again to say, "I'm Thomas," and offered his hand.

"Elizabeth," she said, turning him around again. She wondered how old he was, truly. He looked like a kid. From the extent of the healing that had taken place on his body though, she knew that he had put himself in the line of fire, and came through unscathed, only because he was immortal. She hadn't run into a lot of immortals, but she knew at that moment that Thomas was an immortal that she could trust. He wasn't a Joshua Logan or a John Dieterle. No, not at all.

~~~~~

New York
February 14th 2000

Tom sat in silence as Professor Bennett, who he had met as Nurse Richardson, continued with the lesson. The students seemed surprised by how much the teacher was going into detail. Tom wasn't surprised and he wasn't having any trouble keeping up. American history was something he was intimately familiar with. He realized he was the only one distracted by the teacher shaking like a leaf. She couldn't be that afraid of him, could she? If she was, why? He began to wonder if she recognized him. Tom had worn his hair long back then, and it had been forty years since they last saw each other.

~~~~~

Tom watched as the class ended and the students began to file out. Elizabeth still seemed a little on edge. Most of the students had left as Ryan, with Alicia right behind, came up to his row. "You ready to go?" asked Ryan.

"Go start the car," Tom said as he turned to look at the teacher. "I have to go talk to our educator."

"Are you really going to try to raise my grade?" asked Alicia with a grin.

"You wish," Tom said with a smirk as he walked down the steps.

Ryan laughed a little. "I know why you're talking to her," he said as he started to sing. "And here's to you, Mrs. Robinson..."

"You. Shut up right now," Tom said, pointing to Ryan.

The two walked out of the hall as Tom approached Elizabeth; she still seemed unnerved. Her eyes darted from him to a closet nearby. "You were actually scared of me." Tom said. "I'm touched. Teaching really seems to sit well with you, too."

Elizabeth seemed to breathe for the first time since class started. She then took a long look at his face before her face relaxed. "Thomas? Is it you?" she asked.

Tom smiled as he closed the distance. "Well, I'm not the boogie man."

Elizabeth let a smile cross her face as the two hugged. "It's good to see you."

"And you as well," Tom said as he stepped back and sat on her desk. "This job really suits you. Thou the kids seem to think you're a cruel taskmaster."

"You don't go into these jobs to win popularity," Elizabeth shot back. "Not that I don't like seeing you here, but I don't think you need to be taking history classes. Why are you sitting in on my class?"

"What happened?" Tom asked with a grin as he crossed his arms. "Is it a crime now to want to be near a beautiful woman? In that case, I'm going to prison for life. And you know what that means for people like us."

Elizabeth chuckled as she gathered the notes and map on the desk. "What's going on, Tom? Be honest."

Tom sighed. "My friend and I are security for that one student in the front row. She's the daughter of a corporate president."

"One of the new students in the front row. The one who was just short of necking the guy next to her," Elizabeth smirked.

Tom widened his eyes and sighed. "Yes, that would be Ryan with her. He's my partner in this guarding thing, so to speak. Both he and Alicia seem to have hit it off quite nicely."

"Jealous?" Elizabeth asked as she closed up her notes.

Tom gave a sigh. "There is a long story attached to that. I'm sure some things must have happened in the time between."

"A few things," Elizabeth said as she placed her purse over her shoulder. The two started to step out of the class to the hall.

"You know, I still make that corn chowder among other things," Tom said as they walked. "Ryan and I have to bring Ms. Walters to meet with her dad's private security. After that, I'm pretty much free. If you want, I can save you from take out. Give us a chance to catch up."

"You remember I don't cook," Elizabeth said as she smiled. "That sounds good. When will you be able to make it?"

"Barring any serious delays, I think about seven."

"I look forward to it," Elizabeth said as she stepped into her office.

Tom watched her disappear and smiled as he walked back down the hall. "Well, this is turning out to be a good day."

~~~~~

Ryan and Tom watched the dull gray scenery pass through the tinted car windows and sunglasses. February in New York was dull, to say the least. The countryside was beautiful, but the streets where just drab. They where both more then happy when the car stopped at the transfer point. The security from Alicia's father was already there. They would take her the rest of the way home, in a limousine instead of the car that Tom and Ryan drove with.

Tom sighed as he stepped out, hugging his long coat over his body to protect him from the cold. Ryan did the same, watching his breath mist as Alicia came out of the passenger side of the car.

"Have a nice day," Ryan said with a grin. Alicia turned around and gave a playful smile right back. Ryan turned back to Tom, with his eyebrows over the sunglasses.

"You just might have a date for Valentine's Day," Tom said with a grin.

~~~~~

Right on time. These guys certainly knew how to keep a schedule. On a rooftop, Johnus took a long swig of his soda before leveling his Winchester below him. He looked down the barrel and saw the two groups: the black suits from the corporate security force, and the two guys in long coats who where talking to the girl.

Johnus knew that his target wouldn't be with the suits, so he studied the other two. The first one had brown hair, and seemed to be the wrong body shape. This guy looked more like a wrestler. His target had a shape more like a runner. That body shape filled his sights when he trailed on the second one. Even through the sunglasses, he could see who it was.

Johnus lined up the shot. The Winchester was old, but he had been using it for over a hundred years. Time to let Tom know he was being hunted.

~~~~~

"You want to get some take out pizza? We can split it," offered Ryan and he walked back over to the car.

"You think one pizza is going to take care of the two of us?" asked Tom as he reached for the handle of the door.

A loud bang filled the air, and the window on Tom's door exploded. Everyone moved like crazy. The corporate security threw Alicia into the limo and sped off. Meanwhile, Tom and Ryan drew their weapons and began to fire at the roof where the shots had come from. After a few rounds of fire without a return, the two of them looked to the roof again. "I think we got him," said Ryan as he replaced the clip in his weapon.

"Maybe," Tom said. "I'm going up to check. You cover me."

Ryan nodded as Tom climbed the steps of the fire escape to the roof. Tom climbed the final flight and then the ladder to emerge on the frost-covered roof. He drew his weapon as he started to look. He had only taken two steps before he felt the cold electric lump in his chest.

"Aw, shit," muttered Tom as he felt the Buzz.

He looked from one end of the building to the other. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement. He turned and saw a man running along the roof to the ledge. Tom put his gun away, knowing how useless it was, and grabbed the handle to the sword in his coat.

Tom didn't get the chance to use it. The man leapt from the roof and, with out a scream or shout, fell thirteen stories to land with a sickening crunch. Tom looked down from the ledge to see the man roll along the street. As he did so, a car pulled up to his form and two guys emerged. They helped him into the car and drove away fast.

Tom took a deep breath before slamming a fist on the ledge. "And just when this was turning out to be a good day."

~~~~~

"How is our girl?" Tom asked as he and Ryan stepped into the main hall of the Meyers Security Agency building.

"If you mean Alicia Walters? She is shook up but in perfect health," Meyers said as he read a file. "You two want to tell me what happened?"

"We where handing her off to the palace guards when we got bushwhacked from the roof across the street," Ryan said as he put his coat on a nearby desk. "Tom chased the guy to the roof."

"And?" Meyer turned to Tom, eyebrows all the way up.

"The guy had something set up. Scaled down to a waiting car. Didn't get a look at his face or anything else that could identify him," Tom said with a sigh as he walked to the elevator.

"Where do you think your going?" asked Ryan.

"Up to my room, and to put everything in writing before I forget details," Tom said as the doors closed.

"That's a good idea. You should probably take notes too," Meyer said to Ryan as he closed the file and put it on the desk. "I'm having the lab boys look at the bullet casings they found on the roof. Maybe that will give this guy away."

Ryan watched as Meyers walked out. He rubbed his face as he waited for the elevator to come back down.

~~~~~

Tom unlocked the door to his room and dropped his coat on the bed. Of course, it weighted more with the sword and pouch sewn in, but it was a necessity. A gentle purr and meow brought Tom out of his contemplation and he smiled as the gray and white kitten emerged from behind his bed.

"Kathy. What have you been up too all day?" asked Tom as he picked up the kitten and held her close as he sat on the bed. The small creature gave a constant happy purr as Tom lightly scratched her neck. "I wish I could as easily be content," Tom thought aloud as he went over the events of the afternoon. The attacker was an immortal, there was no question about that. But, who was it?

~~~~~

New York
Monday
February 14th, 2000

Elizabeth sat at her coffee table, looking over a large set of notes and papers. The kids hadn't done well on the quiz. Not at all. She got up to get another glass of water when her stomach turned. The Buzz. She reached for the sword she kept handy for just such an occasion, as the feeling got stronger and stronger. She reacted strongly when the knocking came to the door. Her walk to the door was slow and cautious. "Who is it?"

"I represent the Ginsu Company. I would like to tell you about our fine selection of knives."

Elizabeth gave a sigh and laugh as she opened the door. Tom stood on the other side, with a large bag of groceries. "I see you come bearing gifts," she said, pointing to the bundle in his hands.

"I figured that, since you only know how to make beef stroganoff, you wouldn't have the ingredients," Tom said as he put the bag on the counter. "You do have a cutting board, right?"

~~~~~

Elizabeth continued to look over the lesson plans as the smell of roasted garlic and peppers filled the room. "I don't remember that being in the soup last time."

"Well, I didn't have everything in that little hole in the wall," Tom called from the kitchen. "Besides, I've had quiet a bit of time to work on the recipe."

Elizabeth thought back. The hide out in France was, literally, a hole in the wall. But, she did remember what that Christmas was like.

~~~~~

Cherbourg, France
December 25th, 1943

The sound of steel on steel echoed down the empty tunnels. In a large hallway, two forms were locked in battle. Both swung large swords that sparked as they connected. Tom stepped back and admired his opponent. Elizabeth was much better then he thought she was going to be. She might not have seen a great deal of fighting, but she was well trained.

"Very good, Liz," Tom complimented as he lowered his blade. "You learn a lot faster then most people I know."

"One has to catch on fast," she said with a smile.

Tom nodded as he stepped forward again. The two brought the blades to ready and continued their practice. He watched her move, blocking one blow after another. He admired the grace with which she moved. It belied the power behind her movement. The grace enhanced her beauty as well, so much so that Tom lost himself as Elizabeth knocked his sword from his hand.

Tom smiled as Elizabeth laid her blade on his shoulder. "I win," she said with a wide grin.

"Have you?" Tom asked.

Elizabeth looked puzzled for a second before there was a flash of movement. Tom arched forward and spun, grabbing Elizabeth's wrist. The two spun for a second and when they stopped, Tom was behind Elizabeth with her sword pointed at her neck.

"You got me," she grinned as she turned around.

Tom spun the blade around and presented the handle back to her, which she took. "Just remember, victory and defeat are illusion until the head comes off."

"Are you going to teach me that trick?" asked Elizabeth.

"If I have time," Tom answered as he picked up his own blade from the ground. "Tomorrow morning the resistance fighters are heading out again. We were lucky to delay it long enough so we could be at the party tonight."

Elizabeth sighed as the two readied again. The clanging began anew as Tom talked her through his moves.

~~~~~

In the resistance hideout, joy could be found. All those there could feel the tide of war turning. They knew that the struggle wasn't over, but at least now they had something that they had not had for a long time, hope. Laughter and song filled the chamber as whatever food could be spared was brought together for a feast. The children of resistance members played games as the resistance soldiers themselves laughed and sang.

Outside of it all, a young man was resting against a wall. He wore a shirt over bandages, even though the wounds had long since disappeared. He needed to keep up the illusion that he was still recovering. He took a deep sigh as the tingling in his back spread out to his stomach. He slowly turned with a smile to see his nurse walk up. "Well, it's good to see that you're having a good time."

Elizabeth smiled back to Tom. "They're running out. They'll need more soup soon."

Tom pulled himself off the wall and walked with Elizabeth back to the cookers. "That is the last time I make chowder for a crowd."

"You could just tell them how to make it themselves," offered Elizabeth.

Tom gasped. "But then the recipe won't be secret anymore." He smiled as he stepped back into the kitchen.

After a few moments, he stepped back out. "Did you tell them how?" asked Elizabeth as she met him half way.

"I relented to one of them, yes," Tom said, sighing. "It's not the whole recipe, though. That I will die to protect."

Tom and Elizabeth began a walk to the halls and tunnels just outside the hideout. Quiet. "I was wondering," Tom said as the two of them stopped to lean against the wall. "You seemed really scared of me when we first meet. Was there something wrong?"

"Just bad memories," sighed Elizabeth. "I don't have a good track record when it comes to immortals."

Tom grinned. "Well, you have an immortal friend now. Don't think I teach those sword moves to just anyone I meet."

Elizabeth smiled back. "I think it'll be safe to take off those bandages soon. It was all for show anyway."

"I think I'd feel better if my trusted nurse was the one administering my treatment," Tom said, finishing his glass. The two of them could hear the music in the hideout slow to a softer tune. Tom set his glass to the floor and held out his hand to Elizabeth. "Would the lady care to dance?"

"I would be delighted," she said with a smile and taking the offered hand. The two stepped back into hideout and danced, moving slowly and smoothly along the floor.

~~~~~

The party was long since over, with most everyone heading to sleep. Rest was something everyone needed for what was coming up. Tom and Elizabeth where sitting in the small room that Liz shared with another nurse. But she had the room all to herself tonight, as her roommate was now off elsewhere in the hideout. The two of them were finishing a bottle of wine as they finished the evening.

"You have got to be kidding me," Elizabeth smirked as her glass was refilled with the red wine.

"Honest to god. Brings new meaning to 'fact stranger then fiction', huh?" Tom asked as he refilled his glass as well.

"So your telling me that the first shot of the Revolution, 'The Shot Heard Around the World'? That was from you?"

Tom sighed as he sipped his glass. "Me and my friends where running to Lexington to join the fight. We where close when I tripped on a tree root and fell on my face, and my rifle went off. I'm just glad no one found out it was me."

Elizabeth gave a small laugh. "I could imagine. You'd never live it down."

Tom nodded as he looked out to the room. "Of course, only an immortal friend would get the joke. Not exactly something you could tell a mortal." He turned back to Elizabeth. She nodded as she looked down at the table. "If you give me a chance, I'll introduce you to some of my friends."

"Maybe," Elizabeth said as she looked into the bottle. Only enough left for one glass. Tom was already reaching for the bottle. "Hey, there's only enough left for one."

"Why do you think I'm reaching for it?" Tom said as he leaned over. Elizabeth kept it just out of his reach. "Don't make me go after this."

"Hey, I managed to knock you down a few times in practice," She said with a smile as she kept the bottle away.

"That is only because I was distracted by your beauty," Tom said as he reached further to the bottle.

Elizabeth arched her eyebrows. "Is that the wine talking?"

"Not yet. You still have the wine," Tom said as he made a lunge at the bottle. He managed to grab the bottle in her hand, but his momentum carried him forward. He fell onto Elizabeth and the two of them crashed onto the floor. Tom looked up from his place and saw the wine bottle on its side, the wine spilling on the floor. "Great job," Tom said with a laugh as he moved a hand to the wine on the floor. "That was vintage."

"Older then you?" she asked with a smile from under him.

"Only by a mater of months," Tom said as he looked down to her. His smile didn't go away as he placed a hand on her cheek. "I was telling the truth. This face did distract me in the fights."

"Keep talking like that, your going to get into trouble," Elizabeth smiled back.

Tom held her face in place and smiled. "Don't you remember? I'm the rebel. Trouble is my occupation." He lowered his face to hers and kissed her, softly at first. But as it lingered, the urgency of it grew. His hands wondered from her face down across her shoulders and to her arms. Tom could fell Elizabeth moving under him, even as she carried the kiss forward. Tom wasn't the lightest person in the world, and his arms where currently roaming across her body.

Tom felt her pushing on his chest. Realizing he was probably making her uncomfortable in their current state, he rolled the two of them over. Now, Elizabeth laid on top of him, restarting their kiss. He felt her tongue move past his lips, and felt her moan into his throat. He couldn't help but moan back, felling the vibrations between the two of them.

He was a little disappointed when Elizabeth lifted herself away from him, breaking the kiss. But that feeling disappeared as he watched Liz remove her shirt. Tom leaned forward, placing a hand on her belly. With his palm flat, he moved up over her abdomen and between her breasts, finally stopping his journey on her cheek. She looked down with a smile as she took the hand and gave it a gentle kiss.

She moved her hands across Tom's chest, slowly lifting his shirt. Tom felt the bandages on his back being carried away with the shirt, raising his arms as it finally came off. After that garment was out of the way, he leaned forward further, taking one of Elizabeth's breasts into his hand. He held it, softly, in his hand before leaning forward and taking the hard nipple into his mouth.

Elizabeth took deep breaths, holding Toms head right where it was. She smiled as she looked down to him, his eyes looking up and flashing a smile to her before jumping to the other breast. Elizabeth looked down and him and moaned out before something caught her eye.

There was an odd scar on the base of his neck on the right side. It wasn't a normal scar, as what happened when one was cut. This was almost carved into him. Roman numerals. 'XXXIX'

"Tom," Elizabeth asked in a quiet voice. "What's this?" she asked, running a hand along his scar.

Toms hand left her body and took the hand. His eyes lowered until he looked back up to her with a small smile. "It's nothing. Nothing at all." He moved again, Leaning up and locking there lips again, holding her as his hands moved along her back before resting on her butt.

Elizabeth jumped slightly, feeling the warm hands on her body. Toms slowly pulled the skirt she wore up from behind before his hand finally touched bare skin. Elizabeth could feel him under her through the slacks. She picked herself up ever so slightly, reaching down and freeing him from his confinement.

Tom felt a chill as he was exposed completely to the winter night air, but that exposure didn't last long at all. He watched and felt as Elizabeth moved over him and took in a deep breath as she lowered herself onto him. Tom didn't want to ruin this so he held the two of them as still as he could, hopping to gain so control.

After gaining a bit of the control he sought after, he moved his hands along her back again. He found the one spot at the small of her back and touched her gently there. She jumped a little at the contact, and Tom used that movement as their starter. The moves here slow at first but, after a short time, they established their rhythm.

Tom watched as Elizabeth moved over him, in complete control of him. He felt the sweat on his forehead, despite the cold in the air, and concentrated on breathing. God knew, if he concentrated on the movements and sounds from the goddess over him, he would be finished before it had even started.

He jumped up from laying on the cold floor and now had Elizabeth sitting in his lap. He felt her body tight against his, the sweat from the two of them mixing against each other. He breathed through his nose as the two locked lips, still moving against and inside each other. Tom knew he would be able to hold for much longer. He just hopped it would be long enough.

Luck was with him. Through the kiss, he could begin to feel Elizabeth begin to shack as every muscle in her body began to tighten. She broke the kiss as she let out a low moan that Tom could feel all the way down to his toes. That was all he could take, as he thrust up with what was left of his strength. He released, the fluid mixing with hers inside, warming them both.

The two laid back down onto the ground. Tom turned to her and stoked her cheek. "Thank you."

Elizabeth gave a smile back. "Don't mention it," she said, curling up against him.

~~~~~

New York
February 14th, 2000

Tom put heaping scoops of the chowder into two bowls and walked them over to Elizabeth, still working on her lesson plan. "This is the good stuff I promised," Tom said with a smile as he sat down next to her on the couch. Tom noticed she didn't start to eat right away. "I promise you, it's a lot better then it looks."

"I was just thinking about the last time you made this," she said as she took a spoonful and blew on it to cool it. "And about that night."

Tom sighed as he took another spoonful himself. "Anything in particular?"

She turned and looked to him. "Any regrets?"

"Maybe that nothing came from it," Tom spoke softly as he put the bowl down. "But, it wasn't meant to be. Besides, what chance did I have once you met Victor?"

Elizabeth gave a smile, remembering her late husband. "On that note, how is your love life?"

Tom paused in his eating. The image of fire, and of the woman he loved filled his vision. He took a long sigh before putting his spoon back into his bowl. "My...My girlfriend was murdered."

Elizabeth stopped eating at those words. "What?"

"My old teacher, Arcturus. He put a bomb in my apartment and set it off while Mariko and I where there." The image of that night played in his mind again. He had just taken on a dark Quickening when they had gone back to his home. Then, in the next second, he found himself surrounded by fire, and holding the one loved dead in his arms. If ever there was a vision of what hell was, it was what he saw and lived through that night.

Elizabeth listened as he went over the events of that night. About his battle with Arcturus, and the Quickening that had knocked him cold for three days. About the hate he could feel from Mariko's parents. Of how cold and empty he had felt, even after fulfilling his vendetta.

"It should be ok," Tom said with tears. "She was a 'sleeper'. She should wake up soon. But, it's been two months now and I haven't heard anything. I'm..I'm scared that I might have been wrong."

Elizabeth found a few stray tears in her eyes as well. The pain of loss was not something she didn't know. All through her immortal life she had watched friends and loved ones ripped apart. It almost always happened like clockwork.

Tom looked to her and then down at his soup again. "I think I know how much losing Paulie must have hurt, now. I still don't see how you could forgive me."

Elizabeth looked to him and forced his eyes back up to face her. "You made a mistake about who to trust. You didn't know what Logan had become."

Tom nodded. "I wish there was some way to make it up to you, but now I know that there is nothing."

He looked up to Elizabeth, tears still in his eyes. It was quiet as the soup cooled and the two old friends let the pains of the last few years wash from their eyes. "You know, I think the wine's finished chilling," Tom said as he got up to the fridge.

"Aren't you a little young to be drinking?" asked Elizabeth with a smile.

"Sorry, mom." Tom pulled out the cork with a tired sigh. "I might look twenty, but I'm a century your senior."

Tom sat the bottle on the coffee table and handed Elizabeth her glass. The smell and taste of the wine was wonderful. She had placed her glass back down and looked at the label. The label read 'Davidson/Demaria 1877'. "Tom, did you make this?"

Tom nodded as he sat looked through the CD's, wine glass in hand. "Yeah. It's an inside joke, the age of the wine. I'll tell you some time."

Elizabeth nodded as the two talked about life. About love. All the things that had happened since they last saw each other in 1960. Tom talked of his trip to Japan, and of the new friend he had met, a samurai. About his short stint as an international teacher. About his short time with a hard rock band. About helping to build the Japanese Embassy. And he talked about Mariko.

Elizabeth talked about living in Australia, and about faking her death. About being attacked by Logan again in 1980. About her job at NYU. About her divorce to Eliot.

Tom smiled. "This Eliot guy needs major therapy. Sleeping around behind your back like that."

Elizabeth poured another short glass. Tom looked down to his watch. "God, it's almost midnight already."

Elizabeth was surprised that is was that late already. "I still have a lot of the lesson plan to finish."

"Oh, please," sighed Tom as he gathered his coat. "You need a guide to teach Gettysburg like I need one for Lexington. Just go from the heart."

Elizabeth sighed as she gathered her things and put them in her purse for tomorrow. Tom finished putting on his long coat and stopped when he felt an obstruction in the inside pocket. He smiled when he remembered. "Liz."

"Yeah, Tom?"

Tom reached past the sword and took out a paper pouch. He unwrapped the paper to reveal a red rose. "It's still February 14th for a few more minutes. Happy Valentine's Day," he said with a smile, handing the rose to her.

Liz smiled and smelled the rose. Fresh, it still smelled of the morning dew. "Thanks, Tom."

Tom smiled back and handed her a card. "That has my cell phone number on it. Call me, or just come over to the building."

Elizabeth nodded and gave Tom a peck on the cheek. "I'll see you then."

~~~~~

New York
Tuesday
February 15th, 2000

The limo came to a stop in the dust filled parking lot, right next to a waiting black sedan. The doors to the limo opened, to reveal three men in black suits. A fourth person to step out was Alicia Walters, wearing her long coat to fight against the cold. She turned to see the sedan nearby. She waved to the two men who where standing next to it.

"I was hoping Ryan would be here to be my white knight for the day," she said with an exaggerated pout.

"We have to rotate," said the man near the drivers' seat of the sedan. "We have the same people all the time, they figure how to beat us."

"We don't need all that much time."

The two at the car and Alicia turned around back to the limo. The driver had just fallen dead as the two guards in black suits aimed silenced pistols. Both of the guards at the car fell down. Alicia looked from side to side and screamed. She tried to move, but was paralyzed. It all seemed to be happening in slow motion as the two trader guards walked to her.

Another car drove up. It wasn't flashy in the least, but a rusty old car that had seen much better days. The car came to a stop and, from the driver's seat, came a menacing man. He had a shaved head and a piercing look in his eye. A look that bore down on Alicia. "I take it that the...baggage wasn't a problem," said the man to the two black suits.

"Not in the least, boss," said one. "They never saw it coming."

The bald man looked down to Alicia, cowering on the ground. He grabbed her by the hair and pulled her up. He grinned as he looked at her fearful face. "You know, I was originally going to kill you. Unfortunately for you, I can get more use from you alive," he said as he leaned in closer. His hot breath flowed along her ear as he whispered. "You are going to make excellent bait, my dear..."

~~~~~

"You did, didn't you?"

Tom looked up from the newspaper comics to see Ryan looking at him from across the counter. He had a wide grin as he looked to Tom. "Did what?" asked Tom as he took a drink of water.

"You went home with that teacher last night. The one from Civil War Studies."

Tom just shook his head and went back to the comics. Ryan pushed the paper down, smiling. "Come on, man. You went home with her, didn't you?"

"I spent some time at her apartment, yes," Tom relented in a tired voice.

Ryan laughed. "Man, she is way out of your frame. She's, what, ten years older then you?"

Tom had to put a glass to his lips to avoid having Ryan see him laugh. People comparing ages like that was something he found funny. "You'd be surprised," he said while taking a drink.

Ryan sat down. "Look, if you're that desperate, talk to me. We can hit the night scene."

Tom leaned to his friend. "Let me ask you? What did you do on Valentine's Day?"

Ryan backed up and smiled. "I was having a VERY interesting dinner with Alicia."

"Our client?" Tom asked, almost afraid.

Ryan nodded, seeming very proud of himself. "She certainly has a wild side."

"You know what? This conversation is ending right now," Tom said, pointing a finger at Ryan.

"That's good. I hope you guys don't plan on talking all day." Tom and Ryan turned to the elevator that had just dropped Meyers onto the floor. He sat at the counter with the two of them.

"What happened now?" asked Tom, putting the comics down.

"The lab boys finished their look over the evidence we found on the roof. No finger prints, no marks, and no hair. Nothing." To emphasize the point, Meyers threw the file he was carrying onto the counter. "Nothing that can help us track this guy. What they did find was that the bullets were fired from a Winchester Rifle."

"Winchester?" asked Ryan as Tom picked up the file folder. "You mean like 'Wild West' Winchester rifle?"

Tom sighed as he flipped through the pages in the file. There was nothing but reports that they had found nothing. Until the photos at the end. Tom stopped when he saw the picture of the bullet casings they had found. A vulture was carved into them.

~~~~~

Arizona
September 8th, 1887

The bullet casing was covered with red dirt, but the early evening sun reflected the light right into Sandro's eyes. The US Marshal picked up the casing from the middle of the street and walked along looking for anything else that might catch his eye. After finding nothing, he began the walk back to the tavern. That was where his team was.

When he felt the Buzz, he knew that everyone else had come back too. He opened the swinging doors and saw the other four Marshals around a table. All five of the Marshals where immortals, which made their job a lot easier. People usually don't go after heads when they travel in packs.

Sandro nodded to Marcus and laid the bullet casing onto the table. He looked to see that there were about ten other shells just like the one he had picked up, all carved with the symbol of a vulture.

"Well, I guess that marks it," said Clancy. "'The Vulture' was the guy that hit this place."

"Do we know what he did, exactly?" asked Marcus.

Tom stepped forward. "From what we can tell, he hit the bank first. Ran off with better then $5,500 dollars. Then, he hit the store to get supplies. When the sheriff came out to stop him, the guy was waiting. Shot him twice, center of the chest. Then, he went to the mayor's house." Tom sighed as he put his notes down. "He kidnapped Jessica Michael."

"Well, that's just great," Sandro said. "Not only is she the niece of the mayor, but she's the daughter of the local judge."

"Which means we have to find her and this 'Vulture', before anything else happens," Marcus said as he picked his hat up from the table. "Do we know which way he went?"

"East," Tom said. "We'll have to hurry. If it starts to rain, we will lose the trail completely."

~~~~~

New York
Tuesday
February 15th, 2000

"Tom?"

Tom snapped his head up from looking at the photo file to see Meyers and Ryan looking at him. "Daydreaming, man?" asked Ryan.

"Uh, yeah. Little more tired then I thought," Tom said as he put the file back on the counter.

"You didn't happen to recognize the bullet carving, did you?" asked Meyers as he took back the folder.

"Nothing come to mind off the top of my head," Tom said. 'At least nothing along the lines you would believe,' Tom thought to himself.

Ryan raised his eye brows. He could see the look on Tom's face. 'That guy knows more then he's letting on.'

Ryan chance to ask was gone in a second when the elevator doors opened. Meyers saw another one of his employees run to him, breathless. "Boss! You're not going to like what just happened!"

~~~~~

The car squealed to a halt, kicking up a thick layer of dust. Meyers, Ryan and Tom were standing outside of the car before the motor had died. They looked to see two burnt cars, a sedan and a limo. Three covered bodies on stretchers were being carted away as police and firemen walked all around the empty lot.

Meyers looked over the area with barely restrained anger. He stopped the stretchers as they came by to flip up the sheet to see the faces of his two men. Tom and Ryan took deep breaths as they looked at the burned vehicles and the blood stains on the ground. "Who ever did this was vicious and brutal," Meyers said as he stepped back to the two.

Ryan was dead quiet at the scene before him. Tom turned and put a hand on his shoulder. "Listen. There's no reason to think she's dead."

Ryan shrugged the hand off and began to walk through the sight. Tom sighed and turned to Meyers. "The two of them started something," he said to Meyers, answering the unasked question.

"Well, let's just hope this doesn't push him to far," Meyers said. "And you're probably right. If she was dead, they would have the left the body. They have her hostage."

Tom nodded as Meyers stepped to find Ryan. Tom rubbed his eyes and looked in every direction, hoping to find something. His eyes found something odd across the street. He couldn't make it out, but it stuck out. Something on the wall of the building.

Tom checked for traffic and jogged the short distance to the building. He got close enough to see what it was, a knife holding a Polaroid to the wall. He closed the final distance to see that the picture was of Alicia Walters. She was being held by a man in a black suit, gagged. A look of pure terror was in her eyes. Tom pulled the knife out of the wall and turned the picture over. It read, "Let's see you save this one, Tom."

"Fuck!" Tom shouted as he tossed the knife to the ground.

~~~~~

Elizabeth kept her coat close as she climbed the front steps of the building. The address matched the card Tom had given her. He had turned off his phone and wasn't answering the messages, so she had decided to see what was wrong. Both he and Alicia Walters weren't in her class that morning, and there was no message or note to explain why.

The doors opened to a main hall, with a front counter and an attendant to great her. "Can I help you?"

Elizabeth smiled in greeting. "Yes. I'm looking for a Thomas Davidson."

"He's upstairs, room 407," the attendant said, pointing to the elevators. "Fourth floor and to the right."

"Thank you," Elizabeth said and walked toward the elevators.

"Before you go," called the attendant, pulling out a small FedEx box. "This just came for Tom. Would you mind bringing it up with you?"

Elizabeth shrugged and smiled. "No, I don't mind," she said as she took the package. After nodding to the attendant, she entered the elevator.

~~~~~

Kathy purred happy on the bed. Whatever she was dreaming, it must have been pleasant. Perhaps having found a tank of ready-to-eat fish. Tom looked to his pet kitten with envy. "When was the last time I got to sleep like that?"

Tom continued to tap away at the computer, trying to follow the directions that the DMV web sites provided. Finally, he made his way to the license plate listings. He looked at the picture as close as he could. Behind Alicia and the man holding her as an old beat up car. He could barely make out the numbers on the cars licensee plate, but it might just be enough.

He stopped his track on the Internet when he felt his chest tighten and his back tingle. The Buzz. Tom slowly reached to the far side of his desk from the door to grab his Claymore sword. He felt the Buzz grow stronger and finally remain steady. At the same moment, a knock came to his door. Tom drew the sword out and closed the distance to his door. He held the sword away from view as he opened the door.

He let a sigh and smile escape when he saw Elizabeth standing on the other side. "Well, I see you found your way here."

Elizabeth watched as Tom slipped the Claymore back behind his computer desk. "Expecting someone?"

"More or less," Tom said as he sat down on his bed, disturbing Kathy. The kitten uncurled and stretched before jumping down to smell the new person. After making sure that they weren't a threat, she rubbed herself on Elizabeth, leaving her scent.

Elizabeth smiled down at the kitten, who meowed happy back to her. "How cute."

"Yeah. Her name is Kathy. I got her when I was buying my new stuff. You know, to replace the stuff that got destroyed in the fire."

Elizabeth nodded as she sat down. Kathy immediately jumped up into her lap and curled up, purring. "You hinted that you might be expecting someone?"

Tom nodded. "I think someone drawing me out for a duel. A guy I knew about a hundred years ago. I think he might have left something for me to follow," Tom said, pointing to the computer screen flashing the word 'Searching'. "This morning, before the change off to our people, he kidnapped Alicia."

"I was wondering why she wasn't in class today," she said quietly. Elizabeth gently scratched Kathy as Tom got up to check on the computer. The weight shift reminded her of the envelope in her coat. She pulled it back out. "Tom. Before I came up, the guy at the front desk gave me this to give to you."

Tom turned to look. The envelope wasn't thick, but it was marked 'Overnight Priority'. Tom flipped it from side to side, but found no return address. "This might be the invitation I was looking for," he said as he pulled the tear string. He poured the contents into his hand. Inside were a note and what looked like a large jewelry box.

Tom opened the note. He looked to Elizabeth, confused, before reading the note. "'The Vulture has escaped justice for now. You shouldn't have taken this off.'"

Tom picked up the box and flipped it open. He took a sudden inhale when he saw what was inside. Elizabeth put Kathy on the bed and got up to look. Inside the case was a polished badge. A star with a ring around. On that ring read the words 'United States Marshal'. Tom turned to Elizabeth, taking a deep breath.

~~~~~

Colorado
June 20th, 1888

The group of five US Marshals rode slowly in the early morning sun. Among them was their quarry, Johnus, 'The Vulture', as the people out here had come to call him. It had taken them almost a year, but they had finally caught the Son of a Bitch. Not one of the Immortal Marshals wore a smile. Johnus still held the daughter of the judge, somewhere. They all knew the judge would let Johnus go to save his daughter unless they could get to her before the trial started.

Marcus rode up front as the team began to cross the bridge over a rather deep canyon. Right past the bridge was the town they would set down for the night. It was going to a long night. Johnus hadn't stopped talking. Of all the things Tom didn't like about the man riding next to him, the thing that topped it was that he wouldn't stop talking. He was bragging about all the things he did in the past year while they had tracked him down like blood hounds.

Tom pulled at the reins of the horse that Johnus was riding, his own hands tied up. The two rode side by side across the bridge. "Hey, kid," Johnus said in his taunting voice. "After I get free, you know what I'm going to do? I'm going to hunt down your mom. I'll tie her up to a tree and do things to her like you wouldn't imagine. I'll bet she'll like it, too." Johnus produced a toothy grin. "I'll bet your mom's a whore."

Tom gave no response.

Johnus just laughed. "Come on, boy. What have you got to say?"

Tom drew his revolver and leveled it at Johnus head. "I have no mother."

With that, Tom fired a single shot. The bullet landed in Johnus head, right above the hairline. His eyes went wide for a moment before his dead body stumbled off the saddle and over the rail of the bridge. He didn't make a sound as he fell all the way down to the bottom of the canyon. His body splashed into the river below.

The other four in the team looked at the scene before them. Tom closed his eyes as he holstered his Colt revolver and lead both of the horses across the bridge. He stopped his horse next to Marcus, looking at him with eyes that showed no remorse or regret.

~~~~~

One week later

Tom sat in the pew of the dusty old church. The midday sun baked the inside as he held his badge in his hands. His eyes opened wide when he felt a cold wind inside of him. He looked over his shoulder to see Marcus step inside. Tom faced forward again. "I take it this isn't good news."

"Not entirely," Marcus said as he walked up and stood next to the pew. "We found the judge's daughter. She's shook up, but I think she'll be ok."

Tom smiled. "That's good to hear."

Marcus nodded. "However, you are another matter. The government believes in due process with criminals whenever possible. 'Innocent until proven guilty.'"

"He would have gotten off, Marcus," Tom shot back. "Don't talk to me about justice and law when a guilty man is about to be released to commit atrocities again."

Marcus sighed as he sat next to Tom. "Now you know how I felt 1600 years ago. Rome was the light. Then suddenly the rules became more important than the meaning behind them. We lost our way and the dream that was Rome fell."

Tom turned to him. "You think history is repeating itself here?"

"I'd like to think that people learn from their mistakes. I've been around long enough to know that very few people do that," said Marcus. "What is happening now is why I came to you."

Tom nodded. "Let me guess. The government has no use for a rogue Federal Marshal."

"You know? You just condensed an hour of bureaucratic bullshit to one sentence."

"It happens," Tom said as he stood up. He looked at the Federal Marshal badge in his hand before handing it to Marcus. "I'd rather you take this from me than a total stranger."

Marcus looked at the badge for a few moments before standing and taking it in his hands. "You'll get this back some day."

"Maybe when it has some meaning for me again," Tom said was he held out his hand. Marcus grabbed it and the two shook hands. "Let the others know, ok?"

"Ok," Marcus said with a nod as Tom slowly walked out of the church, his boots echoing in the empty hall.

~~~~~

New York
Tuesday
February 15th, 2000

Tom looked at the badge before looking back to Elizabeth. "Killing that bastard turned him. There were so many immortals close by, we didn't sense that he was a preemie."

He turned to Elizabeth, who continued to pet the small kitten. "So, he sent you your old badge?"

"No, it wasn't him," Tom said, smiling at the now closed case. "It was Marcus. He must have found out about Johnus."

Kathy uncurled and jumped to her little corner of Tom's apartment as Elizabeth stood up. "So, what are you going to do?"

Tom turned back to Elizabeth with a grin. "I'm going to do exactly what I did a hundred years ago. I'm going to hunt him down."

~~~~~

Ryan looked up from the file report, sipping on his drink. The cops had found nothing at the attack site. It was just like the first attack, when they where shot at from across the street. He put his glass down as he tried reading the report again. He hoped that, somewhere between the lines, there was something he could use. It was his job to protect Alicia. It was the job he was going to do.

He took another drink from his glass as he looked up from the front counter. Tom and that teacher from yesterday, Mrs. Bennett, where walking out to the garage. "Where the hell are they going?" he asked quietly. Both of them were wearing long coats. Ryan saw a long solid object in both of them, about the length of a shotgun. "They're loaded for bear," he said to himself before checking his pockets for keys. "Better follow them."

~~~~~

Tom turned the corner as he and Elizabeth drove on towards New Jersey, the wipers on the wind shield. "So, you found a name for the car in the picture?" Elizabeth asked as she watched the road. Tom knew that high speeds in cars made her nervous. It was killing him to drive as slow as he was, but he didn't want to freak her out. Not that she needed to be here. He told her over and over again that this was his problem. But, she just smiled, saying she was helping a friend in need.

Tom smiled as she held onto the door handle. She was probably repeating that reason in her head right now. "Yeah. The license number on the car pointed me to a name, John Corvious. It was close enough to his name to peek my interest. I followed his social security number to find a hotel room in his name in Jersey."

"So, he's probably hiding there," she said as they drove down the interstate. "Tom, could you slow down a bit?"

Tom bit his lip as he tapped the brakes. He didn't like driving this slow, but understood Liz's fear. Fast cars killed her husband, Victor. Tom knew him well. He loved life, every minute of it. That sense of adventure was what Elizabeth fell in love with. And it was ultimately what got his friend killed.

After crossing, the car went for another ten minutes before stopping in the parking lot of a small Holiday Inn. Tom stepped out from the driver's side, took a deep breath and moved his legs. He patted his long coat where his sword was, a sewn in pocket. "Liz, it you want to you can stay in the," Tom said as he turned around. Elizabeth was out and closing the door. "...car," Tom said, finishing the sentence.

The two stepped into the lobby of the hotel and walked to the front desk. "We're with the Meyers Security Agency. I need to speak to a John Corvious," Tom said.

The attendant at the desk looked at his computer. "I'm afraid I can't give the room number. I can call him for you."

"He can't know that we're coming," Tom said in a whisper. "This is a seriously bad guy. We need to question him and if he knows where coming, he'll run."

Tom read the face of the attendant. Poor kid was stuck between his job and what might be a chance to do some good. "I need proof your who you say you are."

Tom and Elizabeth both went wide eyed when the Buzz washed over them. "Forget it," Elizabeth muttered as the two of them walked to the elevator.

The hotel only had four floors, including the roof. They had finished searching the first two and were on their way to search number three when the Buzz got stronger. "I really hate losing the element of surprise," Tom muttered. "This radar is as much a hindrance as it is a help."

"I find it's a good thing to know who's around," Elizabeth sighed as the doors opened.

Both of them stepped out into the hall of the hotel floor. The rain ran down nearby windows and the occasional thunderclap shock the frames. Elizabeth stepped forward to look around a corner, not seeing anything. Tom cautiously looked down the hall, watching and waiting.

"Hey, Johnus! Since we all know we're here, why don't you step out and we can do this the right way."

A gunshot ran out down the hall. Elizabeth clutched her shoulder in pain and fell into a small hallway that had vending machines in it. Tom threw himself against the opposite wall, drawing his pistol and returning fire.

"What's the matter, Johnus? Afraid of a fair fight?" Tom called out as he strained his neck to look at Elizabeth. She took her hand away from the gunshot wound. It had already stopped bleeding.

"So, it is the venerable Marshal, Tom," came a voice from down the hall. Tom recognized it instantly. "I take it that you're not here to arrest me."

"It wasn't on my agenda," Tom said as he poked his head out to the hall. Johnus wasn't the man shooting at them.

"I see you don't even have the guts to shot me yourself," Tom called out as a hall of lead came and ripped part of the wall apart. Tom saw a second man, this one with a sub machine gun. Tom took the time between reloading and fired back. The one with the sub machine gun fell to the floor, grabbing his knee. His partner turned to look and quickly received a similar wound. Tom stood out from his cover and looked at the two.

"Don't fuck with a Federal Marshal," he said as he holstered his weapon. He looked to Elizabeth, who was now standing up.

"Harsh," she said as the two men moaned in pain on the ground.

"Look me in the eyes and tell me they weren't asking for it," Tom laughed as he took the weapons away from them. "Make sure they don't move," he said, tossing his pistol to her."

Tom stepped through the door that the two had been shooting from, sword drawn. He looked around the room, feeling for a Buzz, but it was fading. Johnus had flown the coop. Tom sheathed his sword and looked toward the bathroom of the hotel room. He slowly opened the door and saw Alicia. She was tied up and passed out in the bathtub. She had a few cuts and bruises, and her cloths where torn up bad.

Tom kneeled down and began untying her. He heard a rustle behind him. He pulled his sword out and slammed the form behind him against a wall, bringing the blade right to the neck. Tom stopped when he saw Ryan's face looking back at him.

"Tom! What the hell are you doing!" shouted Ryan.

Tom stepped back and put the sword away. Ryan looked at him. "What the hell happened here? It looks like a war zone in that hall!"

Tom pointed to the bathroom. Both of them stepped in and started to help Alicia out. Tom then looked up. "How was our teacher?"

"What do you mean?" Asked Ryan as he removed the ties around the feet.

"Elizabeth," Tom said. "She was in the hall."

"I didn't see anyone," said Ryan as Alicia started to stir.

Tom got up and looked down the hall. He didn't see Elizabeth, but he did see the open door to the stairwell.

~~~~~

Elizabeth ran as fast as she could up the stairs. Right after Tom had stepped into the room, she saw a guy run to the stairwell. She was surprised when he didn't head down stairs, but then figured that the shooting would draw attention. She ran at full tilt, trying to keep up. Finally, she pushed open the door to the roof.

The rain had let up, but the sky was still gray, and a little drizzle filled the air. She looked ahead and saw Johnus looking down. He was about to jump when the Buzz caught his attention. "Is that you, Tom?" Johnus asked without turning.

"Wrong!" shouted Elizabeth as she drew her sword.

Johnus turned, surprised by the fact that a woman was facing him. In this whole century, he had never fought a woman. Something about it just seemed off. "This is not a girl's game, you know," he said with a sneer, drawing a rapier sword. "It would be best if you leave."

"And let you keep going like this?" she asked with a sarcastic tone.

"Suit yourself," Johnus said, leaping forward.

The two swung one blow after another. The rain water on the roof splashed with their stomps and runs at each other, the rain itself clouding there eyes and mating there hair and cloths to there body, despite the cold. Elizabeth was using every trick she could think of, slashing low and then bringing her blade up. Johnus was blocking everything she threw at him. The good thing was that no matter what he himself tried, he couldn't get the advantage, either. That wasn't going to last. Johnus faked a stab, but swung around. Elizabeth tried to block it, but her foot slipped on the water. Her grip loosened, and her Claymore sword flew from her hand.

Johnus laughed as he brought his sword to her neck. "Too bad. You're a hot number."

Elizabeth sneered as she changed her footing. She lunged forward and grabbed the rapier from Johnus. She spun the two of them around, keeping her hold on his sword. Johnus spun twice around until stopping with his back to Elizabeth. To his horror, he saw that his sword was gone. He turned just in time to see his own sword swing and connect with his neck.

~~~~~

Tom swung open the door to the roof and saw Elizabeth standing over one headless Johnus. Tom watched the essence of the man flow out and into Elizabeth. She dropped the sword that she had taken from the outlaw and opened her arms as the lightning streaked from the sky. Tom covered his face as everything metal on the roof released pure power into his friend. The lightning arched across the water puddles and made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

Finally, with a flash and bang of thunder, the Quickening ended. Tom stepped over to Elizabeth, on her knees and holding her head. "Are you dealing with it ok?" asked Tom as he kneeled down and put his hands on her shoulders.

Elizabeth looked up and nodded with a smile. "It's just been a while since I took a head. I'll manage."

Tom helped her up and looked over the roof. "Don't have the urge to rob a bank, do you?"

~~~~~

Ryan helped Alicia out of the elevator and into the lobby of the hotel. The staff was there with security, worried about the shoot out upstairs. Ryan held up his hands as best he could with Alicia hanging on one shoulder. "I'm with a private security agency!" he shouted. "I need help with this woman!"

The staff helped carry her to a couch and laid her down. One of the staffers ran to the phone when the hotel began to have a brown out. "What the hell now?" one of them asked to no one.

Almost as soon as it started, it stopped. The staff wrote it off as they tended to the young woman and to the damage upstairs. Ryan heard the elevator doors open and security again had their guns drawn. This time, they where pointed at Thomas and Elizabeth.

"Hold on!" shouted Tom as he and Elizabeth stepped out of the elevator. He stopped when he saw the cop cars and ambulance arrive. He was equally relieved when he saw a black car stop and Meyers step out. "Well," thought Tom as a few of the cops went passed him and up the stairs. "Now he's here. I feel better already."

~~~~~

New York
Thursday
February 17th, 2000

Tom sat down with Elizabeth at the counter of the Meyers building, still in a crummy mood. Alicia had check out of the hospital without serious injuries. Everyone seemed to have healed from the events, but Tom was still tired from the whole thing. Meyers had chewed him out about the shooting and damage done to the hotel. The man's eyes belied the fact that Tom wasn't in any real trouble. He looked up from the counter to see Ryan sit down across from him. He looked tired as he poured a drink for himself.

"Is Alicia holding up alright?" asked Tom.

Ryan sighed. "Well, she jumps at every little sound. She has trouble sleeping but, the doc says she'll be ok with a little time."

"Time heals everything," Tom said as he put his glass away.

"By the way, thanks," Ryan said, looking to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth looked up from her mug. "For what?"

"Killing the bastard," he said. "I would have made him suffer for what he did, but I don't think I could top what you accomplished."

Elizabeth gave a sigh. "Don't mention it. It's not the most pleasant thing to do."

"I can believe that," Ryan said as he picked up his papers. "I'm going to get some sleep, finally. I'll talk to you in the morning, Tom. Goodnight, teach."

Elizabeth waved a hand as Ryan disappeared to the elevators. Tom poured another mug of Chai tea and inhaled the spiced scent.

"He seems like an ok guy," Elizabeth said, watching Tom finish off his mug.

Tom gave a grin. "Yeah. The guy has a spark for life. Something I miss sometimes." He finished off his mug and picked up his coat. "For now, I have to go to my nightly watch. I'm sorry I can't stay and talk longer."

Elizabeth smiled. "Don't worry too much. I can watch myself."

Tom leaned over and gave a quick kiss. "That Elliot guy is definitely nuts." Tom smiled as he walked out of the lobby.

~~~~~

New York
Friday
February 18th, 2000

Angela laid in the dirty bed, naked, and curled in the fetal position. She cried softly, as she didn't have the strength to do anything else. In a chair nearby, a tall man with red hair flipped ideally through a very old looking book. The pages where fragile from age, but one could tell that great pains where taken to make sure that the book would last.

"Oh, little fishy," said the man ideally as he looked at the writings. Thomas had defeated Johnus with help. It wasn't the test he was hoping for, but he had so many friends that could keep Thomas busy.

He grinned at the prone form on the bed. Normally, he would dispose of his toys when he was done but, she still had information that wasn't in this chronicle. Besides, she was good for a few more rounds of fun before she was useless to him.

He dialed the phone and waited for the operator. "Los Angeles," he said, smiling with glee. "I would like the listing for Mikami, Shinji."

End Three