STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY. The characters from Highlander: The Series belong to others, I have only borrowed them for the moment. I promise to return them in approximately the same condition (It's not like I make anything from doing this...other than the pleasure of spending some more time with Amanda <g!. As always, comments are welcome and anticipated. Just E-Mail me!


The Lonely Shadows
By TheGreyOwl


//How I love this climate! // thought the sultry brunette as she strolled along the sidewalk. //After all those dreary months in France, this is absolutely delightful! Coming to Hawaii was such an inspired idea. // Her vivaciousness and physical beauty turned heads as she strolled down Ala Moana Boulevard in Waikiki. Both men and women turned to admire her youth and joy. How could they ever imagine that she was over a thousand years old?

Her name was Amanda Darieux - at least that's what most people knew her as these days. She'd had other names in other times. Amanda was an immortal. She, and those like her, had uncanny healing abilities that enabled them to heal from all injuries and stay eternally the age they were when they first died. The only exception was injuries to the neck involving decapitation. When you lost your head, you died. That was the good part of being immortal. The bad part came from other immortals. They hunted one another, seeking to take each other's heads in what they called the Game. There were few rules. Fights could only be one on one. Fights must never be on holy ground. There should never be an audience of mortals because of the Quickening - the transfer of the essence of a dying immortal to another immortal. The electrical discharges associated with the release of that essence were quite dramatic and hard to explain.

Each immortal hid among the mortals using a variety of personas over the years. Her friend Duncan MacLeod had spent years as an antique dealer and as a martial arts instructor. Another had actually hidden himself as a researcher for a group of mortals dedicated to documenting the lives of the immortals. What made that so hilarious was that Methos was reputedly the oldest immortal still living - over 5,000 years old. Being immortal had its advantages, especially when it came to financial investments. Most immortals were really independently wealthy, but hid their wealth to remain outside the public eye.

Unfortunately for Amanda, she had never been any good with money. Oh, she could spend it well enough and did whenever she had some. She just never managed to have any long enough to invest it for the future. It ran through her fingers like the sand on the beautiful Hawaiian beaches. Long ago, Amanda had found she also had a great distaste for honest labor. Working 40 hours a week in a job just sounded so plebeian. Plus, it made your habits predictable; not a good thing when others are hunting you. As a result, Amanda had become a very accomplished thief over the decades. Her natural grace and agility, combined with her devious mind, made her one of the world's most successful cat burglars. Actually, Amanda felt she was the best since the majority of her crimes had never been attributed to her at all.

But right now, Amanda was flush. She'd had a really good season back in France, especially at Cannes during the film festival. Her contacts had disposed of the jewels and bearer bonds efficiently, leaving her with a very tidy sum in her Swiss account. She had come to Hawaii in celebration and in curiosity; it was one of the few places she had never been before nor had anyone she knew. She had arrived last night and checked in to the Sheraton Waikiki. She'd shut off the room's air conditioning, opened her balcony door, and fallen asleep to the gentle susurrus of the waves. The rising sun had awakened her, so she was now strolling along, checking the sites, and enjoying being alive.

Amanda admired the displays of the jewelry shops, but her knowing eye detected the inferior quality of the gems. //Of course, this is all tourist bait. I wonder where the really good stuff can be found. // Since she really wasn't in need a score, she dropped the thought and moved on down the street, her long legs flashing in the morning sun as her short skirt swirled as she walked. Amanda knew how to draw men's eyes; it was ingrained in her after all these years.

***

His eyes followed Amanda's progress along the street, assessing her probable abilities and capabilities. The light sundress she was wearing clung to her lithe figure; there was no place she could have hidden a sword. What was to keep someone from taking her head? What gave her such a sense of safety that she went about obviously unarmed? Charles Wingate still could not believe she was here in Hawaii; sometimes being Amanda's watcher was really crummy duty, skulking about in the night while avoiding getting caught by the police after one of her jobs. This was a very welcome change of pace.

As he followed Amanda down the street, his eyes watched the crowds to see if anyone was paying any undue attention to her. Sorting out the threats from the leers was a challenge; after all, every male with any hormones at all leered at Amanda. She was a magnet for male eyes (and more than a few female eyes, as well.) He'd had to deal with his own attraction to the vivacious immortal. He couldn't help some of the fantasies that had passed through his mind during some of the long hours he'd spent following Amanda...especially during the days and nights she spent with Duncan MacLeod. Unfortunately, there was just no way his fantasies could ever come true (and if they did, he could never explain it to Watcher Headquarters). Frankly, that's all he had for a personal life...fantasies. No one ever mentioned at the Academy the loneliness, the emptiness, and the separation from the rest of mankind. When you lived your life on the whim of another, you ended up without a life - just a shadow existence.

The Watcher groaned inwardly as he saw Amanda enter another dress boutique. He sat down on the sea wall under a shady palm where he had a good view of the store's windows. He could see Amanda inside, picking out the dresses and heading for the dressing room. As Amanda entered the dressing room, he automatically scanned the surrounding area looking for anomalies. //Hey, wait a minute! That woman by the fountain looks like someone from the Watcher Academy class behind mine. Where's her immortal?// His eyes shot back to the store windows; there was no sign of Amanda. He jumped to his feet and moved closer to the store. He saw Amanda in the back of the store, still looking through the dresses.

***

Amanda just couldn't find anything in the store that appealed to her. Everything seemed so... so ... K-Mart. All except the price tags, which looked more like some exclusive boutique on the Rue de Madeleine in Paris. She shook her head in disgust when it hit her, that unmistakable tingle and tightening of her nipples she'd come to associate with the presence of another of her kind. //Great...just what I need to spoil a beautiful day. My damn sword is back in the room.// She looked around to see if she could spot the source of the alarm and met the eyes of an extremely attractive redhead that had just entered the shop. Their eyes remained locked as the redhead approached Amanda, stopping only when she was about seven feet away from her.

"I am Deborah Stuart," she quietly stated in a light Scots brogue. "I'm nae seeking any conflict with you, although I will be glad to accommodate you if you feel otherwise."

Amanda smiled at the sound of the other's voice. "I'm Amanda Darieux, and I wouldn't wish to spoil such a lovely day. Should you feel inclined, perhaps we could share some coffee and talk. I don't often get the chance to meet another woman immortal. Your accent reminds me of a very dear friend from the Highlands."

Deborah laughed as she said, "Not another MacLeod castoff. I swear that man is trying single-handed to work his way through every female on the planet."

"I have no idea what you mean!" Amanda exclaimed. "My Duncan is a perfect gentleman."

"Duncan? I meant Conner!" Deborah replied, as she linked her arm into Amanda's and they exited the boutique. Turning left, they proceeded along the street chatting as if they had been friends for years, oblivious to the two people who began to drift along behind them.

***

Amanda's Watcher could not believe that Amanda had actually joined with the other immortal. As he strolled along behind them, he could not help but admire the two women. The copper red hair of the newcomer gleamed in the morning light, attracting the eye like a magnet. Her cobalt blue sleeveless dress clung to a figure that might actually have been better than Amanda's was (oh, heresy!). It was obvious that neither immortal had a sword.

His attention was so taken by the vision of the two lovely immortals he failed to notice the woman that slipped up behind him. A tap on the shoulder startled him and he spun around, facing the woman he had seen earlier.

"Charles, is that you?"

"Yes, my name is Charles. Have we met?"

"Not formally. I'm Louisa. I saw you at a few functions back at school in Europe, and someone told me your name. I take it that the brunette with Deborah is yours?"

"Amanda. Yes, we just arrived last night from Paris."

"Don't take this wrong, but..." Louisa began. "Is yours aggressive? You see, Deborah is a really sweet person. I've been with her now for three years, and I've never seen her fight another immortal. I don't think she knows how!"

"Well, Amanda is not a real believer in the Game. She could be considered one of the good ones, despite her propensity for stealing things. I don't really think we have much to worry about."

With that, the pair of Watchers resumed their appointed tasks, that of chronicling the lives of their immortals.

***

Amanda and Deborah had found an isolated table and were sipping their coffee. Deborah broke the ice by speaking first. "Amanda, I'm not going to beat about the bush. I'm not a fighter. The idea of cutting off somebody's head just makes me want to throw up. Oh, I have had the training; you can't spend any appreciable time with Conner MacLeod and not get trained. But thus far, I have managed to avoid the need for fighting. Anyway, I want you to know that I'm not going to be coming after you while you are here."

"Deborah, I don't like to fight that much myself, although I have been forced to take my share of heads during the past. Just how long have you been an immortal?"

"Well, I was born in Scotland in 1850. I died in 1873 aboard a ship bound for America. They threw my body overboard. Lord, that was a long swim! I lost track of how many times I died getting to shore. I eventually found my way here in 1905 traveling with Conner, who was on his way to the Orient. I fell in love with the islands, so I stayed. Do you realize that you are only the third immortal I've ever sensed? The first was Conner in New York back in 1874. The second was a very unfriendly man named Klaus Kardoff who challenged Conner in 1898 in San Francisco. Now, you here in Hawaii."

"Wait a minute. Do you mean to say that you have never felt another immortal here in Hawaii in over 90 years?"

"Well, other than Conner whenever he passes through. That's one of the reasons he let me stay here. Few immortals are willing to stay in the islands. The weather is so balmy and temperate there is no way to conceal a sword. As a result, you constantly run the risk of being caught without it. His observation has been proven true, as you are the first I have felt since I moved here." Deborah paused as if trying to make a decision. Amanda could see the inner struggle reflect in her new companion's face. Deborah reached a decision, and then spoke again. "Amanda, have you ever been aware that there are mortals who know about us and who follow us all the time."

"If you mean the Watchers, yes I am aware of them. I'm surprised that you know about them, though, since you live in an area with virtually no immortals. Why?"

"Well, my Watcher is a lovely woman named Louisa. Now, I have never seen her with anyone at any time when she's been trailing me. I guess it's a very solitary profession. Anyway, she's sitting at a table across the way with a man I've never seen before. I was just wondering if he was your Watcher or if Louisa was being replaced."

Amanda causally looked around the room. She immediately spotted Charles, her shadow. "He's mine. That's Charles. Looks like they know each other, too. You know, that gives me an idea. Why don't we stick together and go out to dinner on that dinner cruise. That would throw those two together and break up some of their lonely lives."

"What a wonderful idea. But why stop there? Why don't you stay at my house up in the Ko'olau foothills. That would make the two of them find some way of covering us."

With that, the two immortal women left the coffee bar and went to the Sheraton. Amanda quickly packed her belongings and paid her bill. After throwing her bags into the trunk of Deborah's convertible, the pair drove around to the windward side of the island. A few miles after passing the famous Hanama Bay exit, Deborah turned onto a private drive that wound up the side of the mountains. After driving for several miles amid the verdant foliage, Amanda was not prepared for the villa that suddenly came into view after they rounded the last turn. Obviously originally built around the turn-of-the-century, the building was nestled back among the trees. The grounds were immaculate. "Wow!" Amanda exclaimed.

"Yeah, it is kind of grand, isn't it? It has been my home since I got here. It is owned by a trust foundation that is a front for Conner MacLeod's enterprises. The same is true for the car and the staff...all paid for by the trust. I suppose I should feel like a kept woman, but how can you feel that way when your "keeper" hasn't been by in over 50 years?" She laughed. "There is a small staff which is rotated every 5 years, so none ever notice that the 'haole woman' doesn't seem to age. Come on, let me show you to your room and get you settled."

***

"Where are they going?" Charles was beginning to panic. He'd never really lost Amanda before and the experience was unsettling.

"Don't worry, Charles. They've gone to Deborah's villa; it's the only place on this road. They have evidently decided to move Amanda in there, which means that we will be sharing the Watcher duties. Fortunately, my place is nearby and affords an excellent view of the access road. I have sensors in place in the roadway which gives me a five minute warning of a car coming from the villa." Louisa explained as she turned off into a private drive just down from the villas. They drove up to a modest house.

"Make yourself comfortable. Why don't you call your hotel, and ask them to pack up your stuff. We'll pick up your bags later in the evening when Deborah and Amanda head back into town."

As he called his hotel, he looked around the quiet little house. There was only a small living room, tiny kitchen, and what seemed to be one bedroom and a bath. The furnishings were inexpensive rattan and cushions, and obviously came with the house. There was very little in the room which seemed to belong to Louisa...it seemed more like a motel room than a home.

"Louisa, have you lived here very long?" Charles asked as she came back into the living room.

"About three years now. The house has been used by all of Deborah's watchers since she settled here way back when. I know the place doesn't look like much, but I never spend much time here and it's never been a big issue with me."

Charles knew exactly what she meant. His apartment back in Paris looked like no one lived in it, except for the clothes in the closets and food in the cupboards. He'd never really had a personal life since he'd joined the Watchers. His life had just become a shadow of the immortal's life, serving as a witness without having any of the experiences. The five years he'd spent following Amanda had passed without him really noticing. As he thought over those years, he realized how much he'd missed. He knew other Watchers had families and attempted to live a normal life. He'd never really found anyone that he could share his life with, and had just drifted into an acceptance of the status quo of his life. On reflection, he knew it was Louisa that made him feel this way; here was a mirror of his own lonely life. The fact that he was enjoying her company, the first woman he'd actually been around in a very long time, was another example of how empty and lonely his life had been.

"Heads up!" A pair of men's shorts and a brightly colored "aloha" shirt flew through the air at him. "Try those on. They were left here by Deborah's last watcher." Charles slipped into the bath and changed into the more casual clothes. The shorts were a little loose in the waist, but everything seemed to fit other than that. "Much better," Louisa commented as he came back. "I was beginning to feel very underdressed."

"What if they go some place formal?"

She laughed, which was a delightful sound to Charles. "Silly, formal here is described as 'aloha shirt in' versus 'aloha shirt out'. Look at the tourists anywhere we go and you'll see what I mean. There is no real need to be dressed up here, unless you're going to the Governor's for dinner."

As the two sat and began to relax, a discrete chime sounded. "That's the signal. Away we go." They got back into Louisa's car and prepared to follow the immortals when they reached the highway. Almost immediately Deborah's convertible shot out onto the highway heading back towards Honolulu and the two watchers pulled into the flow of traffic after a few cars had passed. Louisa and Charles resumed their easy conversation as they trailed the immortals. Charles thought he'd never felt so comfortable with a woman; he guessed it was because they shared a common profession...a common life style. She saw his smile out of the corner of her eye.

"Penny for your thoughts."

"Oh, I was just thinking about our life styles."

"What life style? I think you have to have a life before you can have a style," she quipped. "So what about our life style?"

"I was considering the fact that you are the first person I have found who understands what my life is like. That understanding makes being with you very comfortable. I don't have to pretend to be something I am not. There are no expectations about the future because we know our actions are dictated by the whims of those we watch. It's like a tremendous weight has been lifted; the weight of other's expectations."

"I know exactly what you mean. How can you have a personal life when your immortal may decide to move to Rio tomorrow, or be killed the next time you turn around? You can't just turn to your date and say "Excuse me but I need to go watch this sword fight. Mind the lightning!' I'm sure the average date would call for the people in the white coats!"

They closed the distance between them and the immortals as they entered the traffic downtown. The immortals turned and parked at the Aloha Tower. "I wonder where they're going?" Charles asked.

"Well, I think Deborah is showing Amanda all the sites. I'll bet she's planning on taking the dinner cruise tonight."

Sure enough, they followed the two women to the cruise line office. Since Louisa was a "local" she went into the office and booked another pair of reservations. Fortunately, there were a few seats left, and soon the four were boarding the schooner for the scenic trip around the island and moonlight dinner cruise. After assuring themselves there were no other immortals to threaten their subjects, the two watchers relaxed and just enjoyed the cruise.

"This is the first time I have ever done this," Louisa said as the ship slipped along the shore. "Deborah maintains a fairly circumspect lifestyle; at least she has for the last three years. I understand things were a little different when Connor MacLeod was here. Then they used to party all the time, mixing with the plantation owners and royal family."

As they sat and watched the sun set, she continued. "I actually have a really easy assignment. You see, other than the occasional visitor like Amanda, there are no other immortals in Hawaii. According to legend, there was once a man in one of the villages who returned from the dead. The villagers decided the man was a menehune, and immediately sacrificed him to Pele, their goddess of fire that lives in the volcano. As you can imagine, this eventually resulted in the extinction of immortals in the islands. Of course, human sacrifice isn't the reason for today's absence. It's much more practical. Look around at what people wear. How would you hide a sword if you were one of them?" Looking around at the lightly clad women and men, Charles admitted that it did pose a major problem. "The typical immortal lasts about a week here. Wandering around without their weapon unsettles them and soon they rush back to wherever they came from."

"I can see why that would be so. Why doesn't it affect Deborah? She's obviously lived here for a while."

"Actually, the chronicles say she's been here since 1905. Another thing the chronicles say is that she had never taken a head. She's only seen one quickening, and that was when Conner MacLeod killed some idiot that challenged him back before the turn of the century. To be honest, I don't think she could defend herself. Sometimes I see her in my dreams. Some bad ass immortal jumps out with a sword and she faints dead away like a possum." Charles joined her in laughter at the image of a fainting immortal possum.

As the evening progressed, the conversation became even more personal. The two shared their life's story, explaining what made them choose such an isolating career. Dreams and expectations followed as they stood along the rail under the stars as the cruise continued. An offshore breeze came up, and Charles drew Louisa into the protection of his arms as they watched the moonlight dance on the water.

***

Amanda and Deborah touched their wineglasses together in a salute to the couple by the rail. "Looks like we've had some success," Deborah said. "I've never seen her look more radiant than she does right now."

"That's the happiest I have ever seen him look, too. Frankly, I have always worried about Charles. I kept expecting him to get fed up and quit. He deserves a life of his own. I'll never understand the mortals that throw away their own lives to live ours vicariously."

"I know. Louisa has always seemed so sad and vulnerable. I know she hasn't had any kind of life since she took over from the Cretin."

"The what?" Amanda laughed.

"The Cretin. Well, that's what I called him. The man had absolutely no manners and was a brute. I once saw him burst into the ladies room when I'd been in there a while. He caught some poor gal half undressed. He ogled her up and down, said something extremely rude, and then left. I've often wished we immortals could call up and complain to someone about some of these morons."

"Now that I think about it, I once saw Duncan take care of a man that had been following me. I thought the clown was just your average bungling boor, but Duncan took exception to the fellow. He walked up to the man, picked him up and threw him into the Seine, while telling him to stay away from me. It was marvelous, but I'll bet they had to scramble a new Watcher into place."

"Don't look now, but I think we've done better than we thought." Amanda immediately turned her gaze back to the couple in time to see the end of their kiss. "You know," Amanda said, "I think I shall loudly complain about jet lag when we get back to shore, and then we'll head back to the villa. That should give them the night to themselves."

"Great idea. You are a true romantic, Amanda. Tell me, did you happen to live through the so-called Romance period?" Deborah chuckled.

"Live through it? My girl, I started it! Why there I was..."

***

Charles and Louisa watched as the two immortals drove up the access road to Deborah's villa, and then they drove to Louisa's house. They were suddenly very shy and nervous with each other. The deep kiss on the boat had rocked them to their core, but they'd had time to get nervous about this moment. They were truly alone now.

//I'm never going to find someone like her again. If I chicken out now, I'll never forgive myself. // Charles thought as he turned to Louisa.

//You'd better take advantage of this opportunity, you idiot. You don't have time to play coy. // Louisa thought as she turned to Charles.

They looked into each other's eyes, both falling into the other's gaze. Like magnets, they slowly drew together in a gentle embrace that seemed to last an eternity...

***

Six Weeks Later at Deborah's villa.

Amanda and Deborah were having lunch on the lanai when the maid came out to announce they had visitors. "Who in the world..." Deborah started to say and then stopped in shock as both Louisa and Charles walked out onto the lanai.

"Hello, Deborah," Louisa began. "I know you are shocked to see me here, but we need to talk to you both." As she spoke, Charles drew along side her and took her hand. He spoke next.

"Amanda, you know what I am. You probably know exactly how long I've been assigned as your watcher, just as Deborah has known about Louisa. We've all maintained the polite fiction of anonymity as we've moved through our lives. In most cases, that is the only way a watcher can function because, well, the immortal being watched is not exactly a sterling example of humanity. But in your cases, we have come to be very fond of you. You're no saint, Amanda, but you're not like the rest of them. Louisa admires Deborah even more than I admire you, so we knew we could talk to you, to explain. You see, being a watcher is a very lonely career. We spend our lives following you immortals around, documenting your lives, your loves, your battles, and your deaths. Sometimes, you lose and we move on to another immortal; other times, we watch you deal with the Quickening and its effects on you. But we must always be apart from the rest of mankind because we can't let on about your presence among us. Most watchers live and die alone, unloved and unmourned except by other watchers."

"Deborah, what Charles is leading up to is this is no longer true for us. The last six weeks have been like a vacation. You two have almost been tour guides for us as we've followed you through every major vacation spot in these islands, and most of the minor ones, too. This has meant that we have been together constantly." Louisa took Charles hand into her own as she continued. "Thanks to you both, we have fallen in love. We can no longer conceive of a life without each other. So, we are getting married tomorrow. You two are the only people we know here, and well, we wondered if you'd be our witnesses."

The two immortal ladies jumped to their feet and hugged the watchers. First Deborah hugged Louisa and then Charles. Amanda gave Louisa a big hug and whispered "Congratulations" in her ear, and then she turned to Charles. As she hugged him, he thought about all the fantasies he'd entertained over the years. //No, Amanda might be more beautiful but she does not affect me the way Louisa does. Only love does that! // As they pulled apart, Amanda leaned in and kissed Charles lightly on the cheek. "God bless".

"Obviously, if you two are marrying, one of us will need a new watcher. Or is it both of us? Are you both quitting all together?"

"Well," Chuck hesitated, "we'd really like to stay here in Hawaii. After all, once you've found Paradise there's no going back. I have already called the regional Watcher Headquarters and explained the situation. They weren't real pleased; seems they have a tough time keeping Watchers assigned to Amanda. I told them I would continue to keep an eye on you while you were here, and that I'd notify them when you were leaving, along with probable destination. So they promised a new one would be assigned once you got home, with temporary surveillance en route."

***

Amanda noticed how quiet Deborah had been since they'd come back from the wedding. They'd sent the couple off in style, even paying for the honeymoon suite in the Sheraton along with all the champagne and room service they'd ever need. For a civil wedding, it was pleasant enough; the look on the face of the bride and groom expressed so much love the surroundings didn't matter at all. But ever since, Deborah had been silent and withdrawn.

"Okay, out with it. What's bugging you?"

"Amanda, have you ever been that much in love?"

"Not like that. I love Duncan in a very special way, but never quite like that. Why do you ask?"

"I was in love like that once. We'd met down on the beach, walking in the surf during a storm. Oh, he captured my heart and held it fluttering in his hands like a small bird. The days and weeks that followed were magical. The nights were...well, beyond description. We were going to be married in a small chapel nestled up in the mountains, and then honeymoon on Kauai."

"What happened?"

"What else. He was killed when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. He was the Executive Officer of the Arizona. When he died, I just withdrew back up into this house. I actually did not leave the grounds for 25 years. But like all things, grief fades as time passes. But since then, I have not allowed myself to let another get that close to me. Now I find that I envy Louisa her happiness."

"I know exactly what you mean. There's only one cure for this kind of doldrum. Let's go shopping."

End