Chapter Text
Chapter two - Adam Pierson Gets a Field Assignment
Adam Pierson always felt uncomfortable about being called to appear at the Watchers Central European Headquarters outside of Paris. Adam had made a lot of visits here last spring when he was questioned about the CD database he and Don Salzer had created. Sam Wilson, who was the temporary Director after Jacques Vemas death, and had come to Adam's defense about the CD incident, but did officially give Adam, a long lecture and a slap on the wrist. Then as soon as the dust had settled the CD Pierson and Salzer created was immediately put in to use through out the watcher world wide system as a tool for all central and regional directors. Sam had always admired Adam and had said the reprimands more for the other watchers benefit. He never denied Adam's requests for access to anything in the watchers Library. Today Sam's voice had a strange tone in it and Adam knew Sam wanted something new from him.
"Hello Adam, have a seat, I'm so glad you could come in today” Sam Wilson said as they shook hands.
“Well it’s difficult to ignore a summons to HQ.” Adam said in a bit of a sarcastic tone.
“I am sorry about all that, and all the trouble I gave you last March. You are doing a wonderful job on spinning together all those old chronicles to find some manifestation of Methos in them. But now, we need your special talents for a field job that just came up."
"Sam, I'm a researcher! I'd be lost in a field job! I've spent the past ten years studying ancient text. I am sure you have lots of other people who have field experience and could fill this assignment,” Adam protested.
“No Adam, You are the only one who has the background to fill this post. Carol Wright and I have a strong hunch that the immortal she is watching could possibly be Gwenaversha of Brittany. That would make this immortal over four thousand years old. If we can validate this finding she would the oldest living immortals we can confirm. Most of the references we have on Gwenaversha are mainly written in the ancient chronicles many of which also mention Methos. If we find out that this immortal is the long lost Gwenaversha she might lead us straight to Methos himself. Finding Methos has been your long time assignment and this could be the break that we've been waiting for." Sam was smiling just like a man who just won the lottery. Since Sam was only a temporary Director, and soon will be replaced by Nathan Stern. Sam was looking to see that he made some real progress during his time on the job and he was hoping that the discovery of two of the oldest immortals was happen during his tenure.
"Sam this whole idea is impossible! Yes of course I have studied her when her thread came in contact with Methos’s. Anyway, Methos and Darius, and a few other Immortals used several names for this woman immortal including, Gwenaversha, Gwenanosa, Gwenannoveseaa, and several others even longer. It was sort of a rule back in BC days the longer and more difficult to pronounce your name was it indicated that you had a great position in society or may even have god like tendencies. History tells us people were unsophisticated back then and more easily impressed by someone’s name. It was sort of like the reverse of today, we are using one name in our culture for stars like Oprah, Madonna, or Prince. There was of course the name she used most when linked with Methos and that was Gwennie. As far as the research department can tell this was a nickname Methos must have given her. It has been confirmed for years that, that immortal had died over 2,000 years ago. There can be no doubt about it, according my studies of many of the ancient Chronicles, Methos and her seemed to have an on again off again relationship and Methos was absolutely sure Gwennie had died I guess sometime around 20BC – 1AD. I even found in an obscure Chronicle of Darius, where in Darius includes a very long and boring epitaph that he said Methos had written for her.” Adam stood up and said “Sam, this is all quite ludicrous, there is no way Carol can be right about this immortal being Methos' long lost lover Gwennie. OK I agree the two immortals were on again off again companions but after 1AD there is no mention of her in any of the threads of any of the Chronicles, anywhere, period. She disappears completely. Carol Wright is wrong her immortal has got to be a copycat.” Adam said nervously.
This was the most unsettling news Methos had heard in a long time. Just the thought of Gwennie’s name made his heart pound. It had been fifteen or sixteen centuries since he had even dared to remember her. Adam thought to himself (*this can't be happening*.) He thought he would die when he lost her. At least some of the passion in Methos’s soul had died. For several centuries he had became less involved with other immortals and he turned to his writings and studies for comfort. (*No, this couldn't be happening, I would have known if she was still alive. I would have somehow felt her quickening*.) Methos thought to himself.
"Now Adam, sit back down, don't get on your high horse, you are not the only one that has studied Chronicles related to Methos, but you are the best." Sam said.
Adam sat back in his seat "Sam, Carol has definitely made a mistake on this project. Whatever could she have read in the chronicles, which would lead her to believe that this immortal is Gwennie, well she's got it all wrong." Adam replied in a sarcastic tone.
"Well, Carol has gathered some real evidence that looks very persuasive" Sam went on.
"OK, what is this great evidence Carol has found?" Adam stated, as if in a huff over his word being questioned.
"Remember when Horton was hunting and killing immortals, well a little over eight years ago he killed one called John Montone, that day he was in the company of a women named Gwen MacQueen. Monton's watcher noted that his quickening went into MacQueen. She escaped the hunters but not our notice. So we put together some stats on her and after looking at different Chronicles we found she turned up in the company of several other prominent Male immortals. We had suspected she might be an Immortal, but had no proof until that day. So as soon as possible we assignment Carol Wright as MacQueen's watcher. Carol thinks, after a lot of research that MacQueen fits the description of Gwenaversha and has the same MO, Motives and Operating style. Carol concluded that Gwenaversha, or Gwenanosa, or Gwenannoveseaa, or Gwennie what ever name we want to call her was entombed instead of beheaded on or around 20BC to 1AD. If she was in a tomb, she would have been stuck in there until someone opened the tomb. This would explain why Methos thought she was dead” Sam went on.
"That a lot of ifs, might have‘s, and could have been’s, not real evidence Sam. What else do you have?" Adam replied.
"Oh don't worry Adam, there's more." Sam continued.
"Yea, there had better be more. A lot of what you have said so far is pretty flimsy evidence. How did Carol come to the conclusion that this MacQueen was the same person as Gwennie” Adam demanded?
"Well as I said we examined the chronicles of other immortals that where in Europe in 1915 to the present and a women named Gwen, who fits the MO for her to a tee. Gwen MacQueen started showing up in them. The first immortal we found her with was Darius at his church in 1915. Carol thinks that Germany’s bombings must have opened the tomb. Darius was one of the few immortals that could speak her ancient language, and according to the Darius chronicles mention that they already knew each other in the biblical sense.” Sam snickered. “After she left Darius she was seen with a succession of many strong male immortals. Just to list the most prominent ones. Connor McLeod, Mako, Brion Cullon, John Montone, Quentin Smith, Grayson, Sean Burns, Paul Karros, Gabriel Piton, Marcus Constantine Matthew McCormick, Byron, and Hugh Fitzcain. She had also been seen in the company of Rebecca and Cassandra who are rumored to have been possibly her former students. From studying her pattern in the Chronicles that mention her they implied that almost every man who got within two feet of Gwennie fell under her spell. This was one of Gwennie’s strongest MO's. She always was surrounded by strong male Immortals. Adam we listed 13 strong male immortals, Gwen MacQueen has been known to have romantic encounters with, 13! No I am wrong, 14 with Daruis. Ms MacQueen had 14 immortal lovers that we can establish with almost 100% accuracy, in 80 years, and we don’t know how many others we missed?" Sam said. Did you know she even got Darius off holy ground during World War I? He was taking her to see Connor McLeod. There is a note in the Darius chronicles that they had quite the adventure. One very unlike the good father usually had, you really should read it sometime.”
Adam interrupted him. "The many threads of ancient chronicle mentioning that Gwennie as Methos called her all state she was often in the middle of some crazy adventure. So I doubt it, I would be surprised if this Immortal proves to be who you say she is. Anyone who has read the ancient chronicles could see Gwennie was all too well known for her wild passions and unquenchable lusts.” Adam chuckled to himself. “I found a thread in an obscure chronicle where Methos called Gwennie the original good time girl, a nick name she did not like but seemed applicable. But just because this immortal seems to mimic the same sexual habits doesn’t’t prove anything, I can hand you a list of immortals that have done the same thing.”
“But were they women? Anyway Adam even though Gwennie seemed to have a problem with promiscuity you still have to agree Methos and Gwennie were almost inseparable for almost two thousand years, that kind of relationship I have never seen between any other couple of immortals in all the chronicles. In modern terms they seem much like Duncan McLeod and Amanda." Sam continued.
"I don’t know if I would go that far,” Adam paused, trying to digest what Sam was saying to him. “I studied their love affair at some length through many different threads in many different chronicles; Methos and Gwennie were far from inseparable. They would spend some time together, maybe anytime from a couple of months to a couple of years and have an argument. Then separate sometimes for up to a century only to find one anther again and start all over again. Most of the occasions they would act as if time had not passed for them, they were again lovers. But soon they’d separate again. I think in going through the threads in the chronicles I have found that the longest time I ever could find them together was at the most 20 or 25 years. If one added up all the time they really spent together it might be 400 to 500 years not 2000,” Adam trying to sound unemotional.
“But Adam it’s the fact they always returned to one another, defended each other, took care of each other, it is one of the chronicles great love stories. I guess it was Gwennie’s mystic powers but according to one watcher, somehow these two Immortals could feel where the other one was and if one of them was in trouble. According to several watchers accounts that one or the other of them would drop everything to come find the other,” Sam said softly like he wished he had someone in his life that mirrored the kind of emotions he had studied between these two immortals.
"Well Gwennie did have some strange mystic powers, but I don’t know if they went that far Sam. I don’t remember about any immortal being able to feel individual quickening of another immortal, that’s the stuff of fairy tales,” Adam said quickly to cover up the story Sam had just told. But yes it was true, he and Gwennie could always feel each other’s quickening, and it was part of the special bond that they shared. It had been brought about in someway he never understood but knew it was all part of Gwennie’s mystic powers. “But I still don't see the connection between this Gwen MacQueen and Methos' Gwennie, or Gwenaversha; there is even some evidence to suggest that Gwennie and Gwenaversha of Brittany could have been two different immortals. It is suggested that Methos’s Gweenie was from either Minoan or Mycenaean stock, and had a checkered past of him possibly rescuing her some ancient Brothel, why Gwenaversha of Brittany was a Anglo Celtic warrior who came from the time of Stonehenge. So the immortal Carol thinks she is watching could have nothing to do with Methos” Adam continued.
“Pay attention to me Adam I just want you to check things out, this MacQueen women is president and CEO of MacQueen Associates INC. one of America’s largest and most successful security firms. They handle the security of the tours and concerts of the best known country, Blues, Jazz and Rock musicians in the world. It would be just like Gwennie, if she stayed close to the rich and famous."
"Well there are threads in many ancient chronicles always suggested she always preferred to live in the fast lane, she had been known to be at Alexander the Greats Court, with Caesar and Cleopatra she claims to have been there when Stonehenge was built, but I doubt that. She claims to have known both King David and his son King Solomon of Israel, also Confucius she and Methos also say they went to the first Olympic Games together.” Adam replied “I doubt a corporate executive of a security firm fits this type of MO.”
"Adam, Gwen MacQueen also bankrolled her fortune with the sale of a large amount of art that was traced to artifacts often found circa about the last century BC. She's very careful and does not seem to act like young immortals usually do. She is too smart and savvy to only be about 110 years old. One more thing MacQueen seems to have the same type of mystic powers that Gwennie possessed. Hell, Adam they even use part of the same first name, Gwen! Even you got to admit this all looks very persuasive. Adam, you're the only one who knows enough about the original Gwennie to be able to tell if this is really her." Sam spoke enthusiastically.
"Sam, I'm not the average field type, I haven't been out of the library in weeks. My people skills are not very good and I have no idea how to track an immortal. The only people I ever talk to are usually on the other end of my modem. Oh Hell Sam, I'm a perpetual bookworm and not the typical field sort of guy." Adam protested.
"I know this looks like a demotion, but its' a good chance to get back in the good graces of the watchers you alienated with that unauthorized CD incident last spring. This assignment might even help you find Methos. You do know that finding Methos is your first priority.” Sam stood up from behind his desk and said very passionately, “Come on Adam, I have know you since your first year in the academy, your one of the best watchers I ever met, your passionate about your work, please take the assignment. We need an expert to find out if she is really Gwenaversha, Gwennie or just a copy cat Immortal. HQ will accept your report as expert, it’s not a long term assignment unless you want it to be so just this one time step up to the plate and do this favor for me. "
"All right Sam, if you insist." Adam spoke calmly “Where am I going?"
"See Adam you’re getting into the sprit! You’re off to Seacouver tomorrow! Joe Dawson has agreed to mentor you; since you're so convinced you do not know how to do this. I know you and Joe are old friend so he will be there to help you. Carol Wright has asked to leave this case because she is marrying McQueen’s long time friend and VP Barney Miller. Carol feels she will be too involved in the immortal's life to be a good watcher. Please meet her as soon as possible; you can contact her through Dawson." Sam said proudly. He felt he had pulled a real coup getting Adam to take a field post. "Here is the current file, some of our speculations and some current photos of Gwen MacQueen. Good luck Adam, and happy watching."
Adam waited to open the envelope until he arrived at his home. Sitting on his bed he took the photos out. The young woman in the photos stood only about 5 feet 2 inches tall with a voluptuous figure and large dark brown eyes that seemed that they could look right in to a man’s soul. Her hair was long and auburn and seemed to almost glow in the sunlit photo. It had been so long ago since he’d last seen her. Was this that face he had spent so many nights staring back at over 2000 years ago or just a copycat? It had been so long ago Methos was not sure, if this woman was his Gwennie. The photos started to waken memories of Gwennie that Methos had long thought were forgotten, he breathed deeply and tried to think, but his mind just got more clouded, could this immortal really be her?
"What have I got myself into" he lamented "Why have you come back to haunt me. This can't be happening. I finally had forgotten about you and I don't want to remember that chapter of ancient history again. I'm just a regular guy now; you always wanted expected me to be some kind of superman. If this is you Gwennie, you are going to turn my life upside down." Methos tossed the photos on the floor and lay on his bed; he closed his eyes and began to think of another time and another place.
End chapter Two
Next chapter three - Life and Love in the Good Old Days
I love feedback; I love to hear your comments!