Disclaimer: Victoria and Justin belong to me. The concept of Immortality as found in the Highlander universe is owned by Panzer and Davis.

Author's Note: There are many different versions of the song "Danny Boy," and this is the one I learned. So please don't email me saying that the lyrics are wrong! *grin*

This is dedicated to my 8th and 9th grade Choir teacher. Thanks Mrs. Ruble! You inspired me to keep on singing! Its rated PG-13 for a little bit of death (nothing permanent, though). Its also another installment of the Forever Sequence story arc, since Victoria keeps talking to me!

Oh Danny Boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling

Justin Merlin Le Faye sat alone at a table in the inn and felt sorry for himself. It was 1806, and he had been Immortal for only a few years. Justin hated it. He looked a mere sixteen. He knew what he was, and how to fight. But Immortals had already started hunting him, just because he looked like a child.

He wanted so desperately to return to Wales and Victoria. But his teacher Laurana Thompson, an Immortal like him who had died when she was fifteen, said it was impossible. By now Victoria was in her twenties. Suddenly, Justin slammed down his drink and stood up. The few other people in the room glanced at him, then looked away. These days, nobody interfered with other people's affairs, literally for fear of their own lives. Justin threw a few coins down for the drink and strode out of the room.

"Too bad, Laurana," he muttered as he walked to his horse. "I'll explain it to Victoria. She'll understand."

From glen to glen, and down the mountainside

For the next few weeks, Justin traveled. He went from town to town, doing odd jobs for money and avoiding another Immortal. Apparently, he had a reputation now. Someone had started spreading stories about the young looking man, calling him "Justice" Le Faye. Justin figured it was because he had the habit of rescuing people who were about to be executed unfairly. It was because of the way he had become Immortal, hung for a crime he didn't commit.

The summer's gone, and all the roses falling

Somewhere along the trip, fall turned into winter. Justin was forced to stay in one town for nearly a month by a massive snowstorm that blocked all roads. Another Immortal, a woman named Lady Rebecca Horne, was trapped in the town at the same time. He found no quarrel with her and she enjoyed talking with him. They sparred a few times, and Justin was able to pick up a few new tricks.  Rebecca even convinced him to teach Victoria how to use her broadsword, even though it was different from his French rapier. But like every Immortal, they both moved on when the roads cleared.

For you must go, must go and I must bide

Victoria DiThon Kestral woke up, like she did every morning, and expected the buzz to ring through her head. She looked across the sleeping cave of Camelot, her winter quarters, and expected to see Arthur - no, Methos - sprawled fast asleep, his hand not far from his sword. But he was not, and like every morning for the past four months, she felt sad and empty.

She could not dwell on this thought though. Today was the spring equinox, and she had to move back to her cottage on the other side of Avalon. Victoria wished that someone, anyone, were here to help her. For some reason, her mind turned to Justin. Even if he did ever come back, she could not even let him see her. He had to be in his twenties, and Victoria still looked thirteen.

But come you back, when summer's in the meadow

Victoria spent most of that summer devising a series of booby traps all around Avalon. Without Methos, it would be harder to ward off strangers. Only one man in the village knew her secret. He had supplied her with the odd thing she needed when she was at the mercy of her adopted uncle's family and kept doing it. He had also never questioned why Victoria did not age. When she asked him once if he thought she was a witch, he had merely smiled and waved his wrist, showing a strange blue tattoo. He had told her recently that the villagers thought her ghost haunted the woods.

Justin spent most of the summer in jail. A traveling tinker had witnessed him freeing some people from the gallows a few months ago. The local judge had believed the tinker, a regular in the rather large town, completely. Justin's sentence had been one year in jail. He was almost sorry that he had not been hung. At least with that, he could walk away a few hours later.

Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow

Finally, Justin was freed and all but ran out of town. He headed immediately for Victoria.

And I'll be here, in sunshine or in shadow

Finally, it was summer again. Victoria had been back in the cabin for only a few days, thanks to an extremely hard winter. Most of the booby traps on this side of the forest were still set, and she was going around tomorrow with the materials needed to fix the rest. She had been alone for nearly a year and a half now, and the loneliness was getting harder to bear. Victoria figured that as the years passed and she became older, it would get easier. But she did not plan on staying in Wales. When, if, Justin came back, she was going with him to travel the world.

Oh Danny boy, oh Danny Boy, I love you so

In mid-September, Victoria climbed an apple tree to "harvest" winter stores. After picking the fruit for about an hour and a half, she climbed out on a branch to rest and eat. She did not notice the crack that ran through the bottom of the branch until it was too late. Victoria crashed through the branches, landing heavily on her back and snapping her neck with the impact. She died instantly.

But come you back, when all the flowers are dying

Justin road into the clearing and dismounted his horse. He glanced around, but did not see Victoria. Oh well, he thought. She must just be in the woods. Justin was hungry, so he went to the nearest apple tree for a piece of fruit. As he approached, he saw the shine of sun off of metal. He cautiously walked forward and realized that it was Victoria's dagger.

You'll come and find the place where I am lying

Then he saw the rest of her, lying still in the grass. "No!" he cried. Justin ran forward and fell to his knees, cradling Victoria's head in his arms. He never noticed that she was the exact same age as the last time he had seen her, over nine years ago.

And kneel and say, an Ave there for me

"Victoria," Justin moaned. He knew that she could not have been dead for very long, a few hours at most. "I'm always too late," he shouted. "First the stone circle, now you!" He gasped out a sob of anguish. "It's not fair!" he shouted into the darkening sky. "I should be dead, not her!" But even as he said it, Justin knew it to be impossible.

And I shall hear, though soft you thread above me

Life came rushing back to Victoria. Her neck ached with more pain than she had ever felt in her life, but the tingling feeling in the rest of her body assured her that she was healing. She had only died a few times before, her mortal death, and occastionally during practice when Methos got a little carried away. Suddenly, she realized that the buzz was also ringing through her mind and soul.

And all my grave will warmer, sweeter be

Justin never noticed when Victoria's body jerked slightly. He did notice the buzz that rang through his mind. He silently cursed whatever Immortal had followed him here and could see him like this. But he knew he was safe on Holy Ground.

And you will kneel, and tell me that you love me

He stood up and prepared for a challenge. Justin knew that he had to win. No one must know of this place, now his refuge. For you, Victoria, I shall win, he thought harshly. But there was no one there. He looked carefully around and saw that he was alone.

And I shall sleep in peace until you come to me

Victoria felt the intense urge to go to sleep. She was, as was usual for her, extremely tired when she came back to life. But if there was another Immortal about, she must not appear helpless. She stood cautiously up and drew her dagger. It would be sufficient protection on Holy Ground. But the only person she saw was a teenage boy facing away from her. He seemed familiar and suddenly it hit her. "Justin," she breathed.

Justin heard the soft sound from behind him and turned. Victoria was standing there, alive and well. He finally realized that she still looked thirteen. "Victoria?"

Then, at the same time, both said in an astonished voice:

"You're Immortal."

~finis~

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This page was last updated: 6.15.4 ~jlg~