Disclaimer: The whole Immortality thing and all show characters belong to Panzer/Davis.  Hawaii, Victoria, and Kestra belong to me.  Illinois and Whitney belong to the Maverick. Indiana Jones belongs to George Lucas (can’t wait for the next one…).

This is the Challenge Lyric Wheel, and I had the (dubious) pleasure of being challenged by Rowan (love ya, sis!).  The second part of her challenge was to not use my normal original characters (Victoria, Justin, etc.).  But I won’t reveal the first part until the end of the story; I don’t want to ruin the surprise!

Lyrics are “Galileo” by the Indigo Girls’ Rites of Passage.  Thanks, Ysanne!

July, 1995

Professor Eva “Hawaii” Davids, anthropologist, University of Hawaii, sat in the newly decorated office and surveyed her domain.  Her thesis concerning the behavioral similarities of the Polynesians of the Pacific Islands and the Celts of the British Isles had been widely acclaimed and earned her a tenure at the University of Hawaii to boot.  Her cousin, William “Illinois” Smith, had left the islands after his visit the day before to head to his new job – as a professor of paleontology at the University of Illinois.  Their great-uncle, Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones Jr., had given them the new nicknames when he heard the good news about their professorships.  He thought it fitting that his favorite niece and nephew should be named after where (he thought) the *real* adventures of their lives would surely begin.

She had received a call from an old and dear friend right after “Illy,” as she now called her cousin, had left for the airport.  He was heading for Australia, and would she mind if he visited for a few days?  He would meet her at her office, and then they could take off for lunch.

Hawaii heard a knock at the door, and her heart fluttered.  She hadn’t seen him, her on and off lover, for a few months, and was slightly nervous.  After calling for the visitor to enter, she stood up and took a deep breath.  In walked the man she had known since she was in college herself, and had loved for even longer than that, it sometimes seemed.  She crossed to the front of her desk, and he immediately wrapped her in his strong arms, bending his head to meet her lips.  As usual, it deepened into something far more than a mere kiss.

When they finally came up for air, Hawaii rested her head on his chest and breathed in the scent of him.  She always fancied she could smell steel and the wind beneath his elegant cologne.  “I’ve missed you so much,” she said softly.  Looking up at him, she smiled sweetly.  “So, where have you been lately?  Anywhere interesting?”

Kronos, four thousand-year-old Immortal and former Horseman, kissed her on the forehead and smiled back.  “Some investments I made a few years ago finally paid off, so I’ve been traveling around Europe to check on some projects I’m funding.”  He squeezed her to him closely.  “And I’ve missed you, too, sweet.  I’m so proud of you.”  He released her and spread his arms wide.  “Your own office and everything!”

Hawaii laughed, and studied him closely.  His hair was a bit shorter than she last remembered it, but the scruffy pirate look he enjoyed remained the same.  And there was the scar by his eye which, unlike virtually any other injury he could suffer, would always remain.  As far as she knew, Hawaii was one of the few people in the world who knew exactly who Kronos was – which said a lot for how much he really trusted her.

A mutual friend had introduced her to Kronos during Hawaii’s last semester at Oxford, around ten years ago.  They had met again by chance a few months later in New York City and fell in love.  Since then they had spent at least one month out of the year together, usually wherever Hawaii was at the moment.  Both were well aware that the other dated other people when they were apart, but while together, it didn’t matter.  They loved each other.

Reaching out for his hand and giving it a squeeze, Hawaii said, “As I recall, you told me you haven’t been to the islands for almost a century.  I’ve been here nearly two months already, so I’ll give you the grand tour after lunch.”

“Lead on, sweet,” Kronos replied.  “I can’t wait.”  It’s so good to be back with my sweet Eva, he thought fondly as she led him to the parking lot.  She’s so innocent, but cynical at the same time.  And she accepted me for who I am, past included.  With her I don’t have to be anybody – just me.

Just Kronos.

June, 1999

Hawaii sat on her sleeping bag with Methos’ arm comfortably around her shoulder.  Her cousin Illinois sat on her other side, while Victoria and Whitney talked quietly with each other across the flickering fire.  They had been searching for Sam Zhen, and with him, the stolen sword Caliburn, through the rocky hills of Wales and England for almost two weeks now.  Going by horseback was not easy, but it was the only way their guide, the spirit Kestra, could accompany them.  A van or other vehicle made of steel would interfere with her ability to lead them directly to the mythical sword.

“Hey,” Illinois said to Hawaii.  “I just thought of something.  Whatever happened to that guy you used to go out with?  The one with the Greek name?  You were together off and on for…what was it, almost ten years?”

His cousin felt Methos stiffen, but she reached patted his leg gently.  “Don’t worry, Adam.  There’s no need to be jealous – he’s dead.  Well, I think he is.  He was an Immortal, too, actually.”

“Really,” Methos said quietly.  “So what was his name?  Maybe I’ve heard of him.”

She shifted uncomfortably.  “Well, you probably wouldn’t know him by his real name – he was pretty old.  And he used a bunch of aliases at any one time.”

“So describe him to me,” he asked.  For some reason, Methos was extremely curious about any Immortal who was entranced enough by this woman to be with her for ten years.  Well, actually, he could not really blame him.

“Hmmm, he had really dark brown hair and brown eyes.  He was forever forgetting to shave, so he always looked kind of scruffy.”  Hawaii thought for a minute.  “He was a complete megalomaniac, but he pulled it off so that it didn’t come across as annoying.  It was actually rather cute.  Oh, yeah!  And he had this scar that went above and below his right eye.”

Methos drew a quick breath in surprise.  “Kronos?” he gasped out before he could stop himself.  “You dated *Kronos*?!”

Hawaii’s eyebrows rose at that.  “You’ve heard of him?  Do you know what happened to him?”

“Yes,” Methos replied slowly.  “He got into a bit of trouble a few years ago in Bordeaux, France.  You’re right, though, he is dead.  I…I’m sorry, Hawaii.”

She gave a short nod.  “Thanks, Adam, but that’s okay.  I still miss him, but I’m over it about as much as I can be.  The way he lived, I really shouldn’t have been surprised that I would outlive him.”

Methos stared at the woman who had managed to steal a bit of his heart in such a very short time.  He could easily imagine Kronos with her; they complimented each other perfectly.  His raging temper countered with her dry wit; her compassionate heart tempered by his steel mind.  He could definitely see that.

The five thousand-year-old Immortal and former Horseman raised an imaginary drink to his departed “brother.”  You always did need someone who loved you to control you, Kronos, he thought wryly.  Silas, Caspian, and I lasted for as long as we could, but you kept straining against your bonds until even I – your teacher - couldn’t stop you.  He sighed, and Hawaii leaned closer to him, placing her head on his shoulder.  Then something else occurred to him.

Kronos?  With a girlfriend?  And the way Hawaii talks, he was truly in love with her!  How can any human reach that kind of light…least of all Kronos!

~Finis~

Okay, so you got me: the first part of the challenge was to do a story with Kronos in it.  I hope you all enjoyed!

Galileo
(From “Rites of Passage”, Indigo Girls)

Galileo’s head was on the block, the crime was looking up the truth.
As the bombshells of my daily fears explode I try to trace them to my youth.
Then you had to bring up reincarnation over a couple of beers the other night,
Now I’m serving time for mistakes made by another in another lifetime.

--Chorus:
How long till my soul gets it right?
Can any human being ever reach that kind of light?
I call on the resting soul of Galileo,
King of night vision, king of insight.

I think about my fear of motion which I never could explain –
Some other fool across the ocean years ago must have crashed his little airplane.

--Chorus

I’m not making a joke, you know me,
I take everything so seriously.
If we wait for the time all souls get it right
Then at least I know there’ll be no nuclear annihilation
In my lifetime.  I’m still not right.

I offer thanks to those before me, that’s all I’ve got to say.
Maybe you squandered big bucks in your lifetime, now I’ve got to pay.
But then again it feels like some sort of inspiration to let the next life off the hook.
Or she’ll say look what I had to overcome from my last life.  I think I’ll write a book.

--Chorus

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This page was last updated: 6.18.4 ~jlg~