DISCLAIMER: Kenny, Connor MacLeod, Amanda, and Methos/Adam Pierson all belong to Rysher.  Derek, Rachel, Nick, Alex, Phillip, and Kat all belong to the SciFi Channel.  Victoria, Kane, Elizabet, Justin, and all other unknowns belong to me.  The persona of Jonathan Boyle is shared by the SciFi Channel and me, I guess, though without their permission.  They created him and killed him off, while I made the character Immortal and gave him a life.

This is rated PG-13 for violence and language.  Enjoy!

Part 1
Northern Wales
July 15, 2001

Victoria DiThon Kestral shook her friend Kenneth awake, a tad roughly.  Kenny immediately jerked awake and grabbed his sword. Within seconds, it was at Victoria's throat. He blinked in the dim light.

"Would you kindly remove your sword from my neck?" Victoria asked dryly. Being Immortal, that type of thing made her slightly nervous, even if Kenny was a trusted friend. She may have looked like a teenager, but she was actually two hundred and seventeen and preferred to keep counting the years.

Kenny was eight hundred and twenty, but anyone would mistake him for a kid in his early teens. "Sorry," he said, putting down his sword. "You scared me."

Victoria stood up. The ceiling of the cavern nearly brushed her head. "Well, we've got trouble," she said. Kenny immediately got up with out question.

"Give me a minute to get dressed," he said. Victoria left the small cave that she, Kenny, and their friend Kane Nalamas used for a bedroom. Crossing the bridge over the hot spring that warmed the series of caves, she entered the common room. This was their living room, dining area, and practice hall. Off to one side was the entrance to another cave used for food storage. The entire place, hidden under a large hill, had been dubbed Camelot.

"Victoria!" sounded a call from outside. She ran out of the caves, followed closely by Kenny, and brushed past the willow branches that hid the entrance. Kane Nalamas stood there waiting for them.

"Will somebody please tell me what's going on?" Kenny asked, as he pulled on his shirt.

Victoria 's face was pale. "A bunch of people are here, and they're messing around with the ruins." The ruins were the remains of a circle of standing stones. They had all but been destroyed in the same incident that had resulted in Victoria's early Immortality.

"Who are they?" Kenny asked. Victoria looked at Kane, who had been keeping an eye on them.

"I don't know. There are four people looking at the ruins, and two older ones walking around in the woods. I came back here when I sensed another Immortal," Kane answered.

Victoria cursed under her breath. "Then whoever it is knows we're here." At that moment, all three of them felt the buzz that signified the presence of another Immortal. Victoria immediately unsheathed her broadsword from her waist. Kane pulled his scimitar out of the scabbard on his back, and Kenny was already holding his short sword. Kane moved next to Victoria and slightly behind. He may have been the most intimidating one in the group, but in reality, he was only twenty-one. Victoria was his teacher, and he was still learning.

Out of the trees came a teenage girl who looked about Victoria's age. Her long, pale blonde hair hung loosely about her shoulders, and she pushed it out of her face as she headed towards them. Held casually at her side was a cutlass. She smiled at them. "Hey, guys."

Victoria rolled her eyes. "Elizabet, what are you doing here?" It was Elizabet Aspen. She was two hundred and four, and had known Victoria and Kenny for over a century and a half.

"Playing messenger," she answered. "Justin called me and asked me to tell you guys something."

"Is Jus' okay?" Victoria immediately asked. Justin Le Faye was also an Immortal, and he was her closest friend in the entire world. They had known each other since before they had become Immortal. The last time Elizabet had appeared with news of Justin, it had been to give Victoria the false report of his death.

"Yeah, he's fine," Elizabet answered. "He just wanted us to know that he's headed for either Europe or Japan.  He was leaning towards Japan, though."

Victoria gave a sigh of relief. "At least he's not here. If he saw those people messing around with the ruins, there might have been another explosion.  But from him this time, not gunpowder."

"What people?" Elizabet asked. "I went by the cabin first, but I didn't see anyone. I felt a buzz and figured it was one of you."

Kane laughed. "You must be who I felt then. That's a relief." He quickly described the six people to her.

Elizabet stared at the three in amazement. "And you're just going to let them poke around? They're probably grave robbers, or something!"

"What can we do?" Kane asked.

"Well, they are no different from the campers I'm always scaring off," Victoria said. "Let's go. This should be fun."

The four young looking Immortals started walking towards the ruins. Each had out their sword. If one of the strangers did turn out to be an Immortal, they were safe. The woods from Camelot to the ruins and all the way to a cabin they lived in during the summer was Holy Ground, blessed by Druids who had lived in the area thousands of years ago.  While the stonehenge had been destroyed, the land was still consecrated.  But the swords would be adequate protection against the mysterious mortals who did not abide by the rules of the Game. The group stopped about a hundred yards away from the ruins. Victoria scouted ahead, then reported that all six strangers were talking in the center of the clearing.

"Everyone spread out," Victoria said. "I'll get to the rowan tree at the north side. Elizabet, you've got the aspen on the east, and Kane, take the maple on the west. Kenny, stay here at the south oak."

The two boys nodded, but Elizabet spoke up. "If one of the strangers leaves in your direction, signal the rest of us." Each of them agreed on their traditional birdcalls, then separated. Within a couple minutes, all were seated comfortably in their respective trees and watching the six intruders intently.

Suddenly, Victoria saw the oldest member of the group walk towards the woods in a northeastern direction. Sensing the opportunity for some information, she let out her signal, the caw of a raven. Elizabet figured out what Victoria thought and responded with her robin whistle. Both girls left their trees and started towards the man. They joined up and trailed about twenty feet behind him. When the man emerged onto the road, Elizabet ran ahead, hoping to get to his vehicle before he did. Victoria kept following at his pace.

After a bend in the road, the man's van came into sight, and Victoria felt Elizabet's presence as she came back into range. When the man was only a few feet away from his vehicle, Elizabet stepped out from behind, brandishing her cutlass. The stranger stopped short and glanced behind him. He immediately decided against running when he saw Victoria and her broadsword. Both Immortals walked towards him.

"Who are you?" the man asked in accented Welsh, courageously holding his ground. Elizabet glanced quickly at Victoria, not understanding what he had said.

Victoria, however, was fluent in Welsh and answered with, "Do you speak English?" The man nodded, and Victoria continued in English, "I think you'd better tell us who you are first, seeing as we're the ones with the weapons."

"I'm Stephen Loricsen. I'm with the Celtic Preservation Society," he answered. After a pause, he added, "The people back in the woods are my colleagues."

Victoria looked at Loricsen thoughtfully. "I am Atlantis and this is Titania," she said, gesturing towards Elizabet. Her use of the code names alerted the other girl to be careful about what she said. "What are you doing here?"

"We're searching for an artifact," Loricsen answered guardedly. At Victoria's raised eyebrow, he haltingly continued, "The, ah, sword of the Druid Girl."

Victoria started in surprise, but quickly regained her composer. "One moment while my friend and I confer." Elizabet walked closer to her and they started talking softly, keeping their eyes on Loricsen. "I know what sword he's talking about," Victoria said quickly in German. She watched closely, but Loricsen gave no indication of understanding.

Elizabet glanced at Victoria's sword, then up at her face. Victoria nodded. "Yours?" Elizabet said in surprise, also in German. Then she laughed in disbelief. "You're called the Druid Girl?"

"I know the people in the village think I'm a ghost, but I didn't know I was this famous," Victoria said seriously.

Elizabet’s smile suddenly disappeared. "Wait a minute. Remember that group in Paris called the Legacy?" she said.

"Yeah," Victoria slowly responded. "You said they fought ghosts and demons and stuff."

"Well, I did some more checking around after I went back to RoseBlade HQ," Elizabet said, referring to two summers ago. "Apparently, they're all over the world.  That group that your friends got involved in last summer..."

"Yeah, they were the Celtic Preservation Society, too.  Think we should tell Loricsen we know who they really are?" Victoria asked. Elizabet nodded. The slightly older Immortal turned back to Loricsen. Switching back to English, she said, "We know who you're really working for."

Loricsen feigned confusion. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're part of the Legacy," Elizabet said. "And you're most likely looking for the Druid Girl herself."

"What do you know about the Legacy?" Loricsen demanded.

Victoria and Elizabet glanced at each other. Loricsen had just proved them right. Victoria decided to gamble. "What if I told you I was the Druid Girl?"

"I would ask if you had proof," said Loricsen. Victoria shrugged and handed him her sword, confident Elizabet would cover her if he attacked. He examined it closely, concentrating especially on the hilt. He looked up in surprise. "This is the sword we're looking for, but how could you be the Druid Girl? She supposedly died over two hundred years ago, in the ruins back there."

Turning to Elizabet, Victoria said in German, "I think we need to go back to the ruins. The four of us need to talk with these Legacy people. I don't think they're going to leave without my sword." Elizabet nodded. "Okay, Stephen Loricsen," Victoria said in English, taking back her sword. "We're going back to the ruins and you're coming with us. We want to meet your colleagues."

Loricsen nodded, albeit reluctantly, and the three arrived back at the ruins a few minutes later. When they emerged from the woods, Victoria and Elizabet on either side of Loricsen, swords still in hand, two of the younger members of the group drew guns at the sight of them. Victoria and Elizabet gave each other amused glances.

"It's all right," Loricsen said. "They have what we're looking for."

The older woman stifled a laugh. "They have the sword?"

Victoria stepped forward and held it up. "Yes," she said. "I do."

The young man with the gun leveled it at Victoria's chest. "Give it to us," he said. "You don't know what you're dealing with."

Victoria cocked her eyebrow at him. "Really," she said. "As far as I've ever been able to tell, it's just a regular sword."

He was about to retort when Loricsen stepped between them. "Enough," he said. "They know about the Legacy. She claims to be the Druid Girl."

Elizabet stepped next to Victoria. "Hold on a sec," she said. Raising her voice, she called, "Come on out, guys!" From two different directions, there came a crashing in the underbrush as Kenny and Kane jumped out of their respective trees. The two armed members immediately trained their weapons on the two as they came into view. The boys hurried back across the clearing to stand with Victoria and Elizabet.

"Hey," suddenly said a woman who had been standing slightly behind the rest of the group. "I know you." When the four Immortals each gave her a confused glance, she held up her arm. On her wrist was a blue tattoo, the symbol of the Watchers. "The Legacy knows about Immortals, and we're not Hunters," she said vehemently. "Is it okay if I use your real names to tell them who you are?" Victoria glanced at the others. When she saw no opposition, she shrugged at the Watcher. "Okay," the woman said. "You're obviously Victoria DiThon Kestral, if you've got that sword." Pointing to each of them in turn, she continued. "By the jacket, I’d say that you're Elizabet Aspen. Kenneth, you're unmistakable. And you're Kestral’s student, but I can't remember your name."

"Kane Nalamas," he introduced himself. "Nice to be noticed," he added under his breath. Elizabet absentmindedly adjusted the jacket that identified her as a RoseBlade. It was a gang made up entirely of teenagers scattered through Europe, of which Elizabet was a long time member.

"My name is Jessika Loren," the woman said. "And I'm not a Watcher anymore, by the way. I quit about three years ago when I joined the Legacy."

"So I was right," Elizabet stated. "You guys are the Legacy."

Loricsen spoke up again. "Excuse me, but my colleagues and I need to have a short meeting." The six adults walked a bit further away. The four apparent kids looked at each other.

"What do we do now?" Kane asked. He was amazed. Another secret society besides the Watchers and X-Men? This one had virtually nothing to do with Immortals now, but what if the Legacy decided they were evil down the road? Elizabet had said that they fought "the forces of dark," and that could describe the X-Men, too.  He had personally met an Immortal that might be considered that way, and even though Victoria had taken his head, there were many more out there.

Victoria thought for a moment. "First of all, we can't let any of them out of our sight. It's okay if they know about the ruins, but they must not find out about Camelot or the cabin." Elizabet and the boys nodded in agreement.

"What about your sword, Victoria?" Kenny asked.

"I don't know," she answered with a sigh. "The older woman and the man with the gun looked pretty determined to get it." She paused.

"But…" Kane prompted.

"I'm willing to go with them so they can study it, or whatever, but I am definitely not giving it up," she said.  "This sword is all I have from my mother."

The six Legacy members approached them, and the four Immortals turned. Loricsen was the first to speak. "We've come to the conclusion, with Ms. Loren’s input, that you are not going to give up your sword, Ms. Kestral."

"You got that right," Victoria said. "And?"

Stephen looked at the other Legacy members, apparently waiting for a last minute argument. "There has been a proposal at works in the Legacy for quite some time about Immortals.  A list with a number of names was drawn up about who we might approach about the propasal.  Kestral, your name was on it.  We want to know if you're interested in joining the Legacy?"

Part 2
London Legacy House
July 19, 2001

Three young Immortals sat in William Sloan’s office. The Precept of the Legacy’s Head House was noticeably late. They had been sitting there for just under twenty minutes. Finally, the door slid open, and in walked a balding man with the aura of authority. He sat at the desk without a word. Victoria, Elizabet, and Kane stared back at him.

"So," Sloan said. "You want to join the Legacy. I know you're Immortal, but how old are you, exactly?" He looked at Elizabet.

"I'm two hundred and four," she announced.

Kane was next. "Twenty-one," he said.

"Two seventeen," Victoria stated.  Sloan stared at them, then shook his head.

"Well, to get down to business," the Precept said. "I've decided not to split you up into different Houses. But we have no House small enough to take all of you." He paused to figure out how to word his next statement. "So I had to do something that hasn't been done in over a hundred and fifty years."

"And what's that?" Elizabet asked when Sloan paused again.

"Create another Legacy House," he said. "But not in the usual way. Technically, you'll be a reserve team. Other houses can call you in if they need help."

"What city do we get?" Kane asked excitedly.

"None," Sloan said. "You'll be staying near the San Francisco House. They have a place you can live." All three nodded at that.

"A building full of kids who showed up whenever something strange happened might be slightly suspicious," Victoria realized.

"Are there any other Immortals in the Legacy?" Elizabet asked suddenly.

Sloan gave a small smile. "I had a feeling you would ask that, so I prepared a list.  Some of them have joined just recently, like you three.  A few others have been members for many, many years." He picked up a piece of paper from his desk and began to read. "Ricardo Lascur is at the Mexico City House. Gary Keefer is at the Dallas House. Daniyol van Derwe and Kaselkia Gongat are at the Johannesburg House in South Africa. Peter du Tuit is at the Washington DC House. Matt Waterhouse is at the Miami  House. Kevin Strunk is at New York City and Jason Longworth is at Chicago. Jeawoo Chang and Yoon Kung are at the Seoul House. Melanie Yaschab and Michael Kauf are at the Berlin House. Lukas Ferkl is in the Czech Republic. Jamie Fishfer is at the Portland House, and Earth Borne is-." He was interrupted when all three Immortals looked around suspiciously.

Through the door burst the last name Sloan had said. Borne had his sword out and stopped in surprise when he saw the three. "But, you're-," he stumbled.

"What are we?" Elizabet said with a smirk, just daring him to say "kids."

"Okay," Borne said slowly, glancing at Sloan, who was trying to hide a small smile. "Which of you has the attraction with long, sharp objects?"

Kane glanced at the others. "All of us."

The adult looking Immortal stared at them. "Jessika said I’d be surprised about the three new members, but this takes the cake. Who are you?" They quickly introduced themselves.

"I'm Earth Borne. I'm a reserve officer like you guys will be," Borne said. "It's a good thing you joined. I've been stretched pretty thin the last couple of years." He added with a grin, "and I'm still trying to get Sloan to retire and make me Head Precept. Considering I've been with the Legacy for three hundred years, I think I've got the experience." Everyone laughed. "So," Borne said. "What are your Talents?"

"What do you mean by that?" Victoria asked innocently. She and the others were reluctant to share their skills with people they did not trust.

"You're Immortals who died very young. I know that you have abilities that few mortals even have," Borne said. "Don't worry. A lot of people in the Legacy have the Sight, among other things."

Victoria glanced at the others. Elizabet rolled her eyes. Kane gave a small shrug, willing to let his teacher decided. "Okay, fine," she said, only a hint of sarcasm creeping in to her voice. "You win. Do you want us to prove what we can do?"

Sloan nodded. "That would help."

Victoria grinned. "Okay." She stared out the window behind Sloan.

A few seconds later, when nothing appeared to be happening, Sloan asked, "What are you doing?" Not wanting Victoria to lose concentration, Kane pointed out the window. Sloan and Borne turned around. "Oh my god," the Head Precept said. "Please put it down."

Victoria shrugged and slowly the powered down helicopter lowered the few feet to the ground. "I can see auras, too."

Borne raised his eyebrows. "Really? What’s mine?"

Victoria lightly laid her hand on Elizabet's, to block out the natural protections her own Quickening placed on her, and announced, "A deep violet, kind of like the purple version of blood." Sloan glanced at Borne, and the Immortal nodded.

They were interrupted by a knock at the door.  Sloan called out a greeting, and the lady from Wales entered the room.  Turning to Sloan, she added, "I just came by to drop off some papers." She handed them to the Head Precept, then left, tossing a glare towards Victoria.

Victoria raised her eyebrows. "What’s with her?"

Sloan sighed. "Mrs. Wells does not approve of you being a part of the Legacy. She believes we should have taken your sword by force."

"Ha," Victoria laughed. "Like you would have gotten it."

Borne grinned in understanding.  "And you?" he asked, looking expectantly at Kane.

Kane looked around the room. "Hmmm. You don't have any candles." He leaned over Sloan’s desk and picked up a blank piece of paper. "Victoria, hold that." Victoria held the corner of the paper in front of her between two fingers and then released it. Instead of falling to the floor, it merely hung in mid-air. Suddenly, it burst into flame and quickly shriveled up. Not even any ashes dropped to the ground, the burning was so complete. "I can burn or melt anything," Kane said proudly, "even glass and metals, thanks to a lot of training I've recieved this past year."  Kane was reluctant to bring up the X-Men, in which he was known as FireBlade, but letting them know he was in control of his highly destructive power was a good thing.

Sloan and Borne nodded appreciatively. "Good," the Head Precept said. He looked at Elizabet. "And what can you do?"

Elizabet thought for a moment. "My power is a bit harder to demonstrate. Um, how about both of you think of something you have really strong emotions about." The two men nodded. Elizabet closed her eyes for a few seconds, then looked at Sloan. "You're very concerned about something, and Borne is really, really angry."

"Wow," Borne said. "I was thinking about the Immortal who killed my first wife."

"And I was thinking about the Legacy’s known enemies, and how they might effect it," Sloan said. "That's very impressive, Elizabet. True empaths are even rarer that telepaths." He looked at all of them. "You're all very impressive."

The three gave embarrassed smiles. "Gee, thanks," Elizabet said, rolling her eyes.

Borne hid a grin as Sloan frowned. "You should be able to leave for San Francisco by the end of the week. Meanwhile, you can stay here. Mr. Borne, can you show them to their rooms?"

The older looking Immortal nodded and left the room, the others following him. Borne led them into a hallway and pointed to two of the doors. "There are only three guest rooms, since the London House is so large. I've got one, and Mrs. Wells has the other. She's from the Dublin House, by the way. I hope you guys don't mind sharing the other two." The four teens shrugged simultaneously and then all four laughed. "I can see you guys have known each other for a while," Borne continued. "Also, I didn't want to mention this in front of Sloan, but I'm assuming that since you seem to have been friends for awhile, you're not inclined to want to kill each other?  You have a pact of sorts?"

"Yeah, I guess you could call it that.  We've just been friends for too long to want to kill each other," Victoria said. "Why?"

"Well, the Immortals in the Legacy have a truce similar. We won't take each other's heads, even if we have fight. But if a House with an Immortal turns to the Dark, you have an obligation to challenge them. Do you agree to this?"

"Sure," Victoria said. The others nodded.

"Great," Borne said. "If you need anything during the week, I'll be around, so just ask. And Victoria, believe it or not, I've heard of you. Want to get together for a sparring session sometime this week?"

Victoria cocked a grin. "Why not?"

"And which of you is going to be Precept?" Borne asked. He dug a gold ring out of his pocket and handed it to Victoria, who was closest. "You don't have to decide right now, but think about it." Then he turned around and walked away down the hall.

The three friends stood in the hall and stared after him for a few seconds. "Well," was all Elizabet could think of too say.

"Here comes another adventure!" Kane said.

Part 3
San Francisco, California
July 24, 2001

Nick Boyle, former Navy SEAL and current member of the San Francisco Legacy House, hurried through the airport. Having been caught in two massive traffic jams, he was already forty five minutes late to pick up the new Legacy members. As he impatiently waited in line at the metal detectors, he mentally reviewed the list of how he would be able to identify them. Earth Borne had emailed it to him that morning.

"Two teenage girls, one wearing a black trench coat, and the other with a black leather jacket. A teenage boy with shoulder length brown hair and a long trench coat," he recited softly. Finally, Nick made it through and walked to gate B-6. No one was there but the airport personnel getting ready for the next flight, the three kids he was supposed to pick up, and an unknown man also wearing a brown trench coat.

"What is this, a trenchcoat convention?" he muttered to himself. As he approached the group, they all turned to face him. "Hi, I'm Nick Boyle, from the Luna Foundation," he said, using the San Francisco's cover business to introduce himself, just in case the unknown man did not know of the Legacy.

The girl in the trench smiled. "Great, you must be our ride. My name is Victoria DiThon Kestral. These are Elizabet Aspen and Kane Nalamas."  She pointed them each out in turn.

"Yeah," Nick said. "Nice to meet you." He was unwilling to say anything in front of the stranger.

"It's okay," the man said in a faint Scottish accent. "I've know about the Legacy for awhile, and I told them when I caught a glimpse of Victoria's ring. My name is Connor MacLeod." Nick gave his a short nod, and Connor smiled in understanding. "I guess I'll be going. Take care, Elizabet."  He and the girl shared a close hug.  "And it was nice to see you again Victoria. Let's not wait another fifty years until we meet again."

"And not in the middle of a war, too," Victoria added with a grin.

Connor laughed. "That was quite a blast, wasn't it?" He gave Elizabet a peck on the cheek and picked up a small traveling bag and an oblong case, preparing to leave.

"Oh, yes," Victoria said with a sarcastic smile. "Literally. Complements of the Ger-." She caught herself, remembering that Nick did not know of Immortals. According to Borne, none of the members of the San Francisco Legacy House did. It wouldn't do to say that she had been alive and fighting during World War Two just yet. "Anyway, it was interesting."

MacLeod smiled at her near slip. "But you're always welcome to stay with me next time you're in New York. And I need to go catch my plane to LAX. Maybe I'll stop by on my way back."

"Sure," Elizabet said with a grin to her old friend. "That'd be great." Everyone exchanged goodbyes, and the elder MacLeod started towards the other end of the terminal.

"Fifty years?" Nick asked skeptically.

"Long story," Kane said. "Part of a running joke."

Nick stared at them. "Oh," he said. "We'd better get back to Angel Island. They were expecting us back fifteen minutes ago." He turned around and started heading for baggage claim. The three Immortals trailed after him.

Victoria smiled at Kane. "Smooth recovery. Thanks."

"No problem, little sister," Kane replied with a sly grin, raising his voice to be sure Nick heard.

"Excuse me?  Respect your elders, kid," Victoria said, poking him in the ribs.

Elizabet laughed.  "C'mon, don't tease him, Victoria. It's not as if you're that old yourself."

"Hey, I'm older than you and Kane," Victoria replied to her.

"Only by thirteen years," Elizabet instantly countered.

Nick listened to their banter with a growing confusion. Elizabet was the youngest of the group according to the files sent to the San Francisco House by Sloan. Victoria certainly didn't look older than Kane, but there was absolutely no way she was older than Elizabet by thirteen years. He put it out of his mind to discuss with his House members later, when they reached the baggage claim. He gallantly offered to carry Victoria and Elizabet's bags and was surprised at the weight. "What do you have in here, steel weights?" Nick complained as they headed for the Range Rover. He looked at them curiously when they cracked up laughing. He was holding the bags that contained the other weapons the two girls owned.

Half an hour later, after going through San Francisco and riding the ferry to Angel Island, Nick pulled up in front of a huge mansion. "Don't get too attached," he told them as they piled out of the car and stared at the large house. "You guys aren't staying here." He led them around the side of the garage and to a covered path that led them down a hill. The path curved around a cliff and ended at a small house over looking its own private beach. "This is the Island House," Nick said. "Newest House in the Legacy." He gestured towards a plaque next to the door, with the name 'Island House' written under a stylized 'L', and led them inside.

The house was in reality a beach cottage. The bottom floor was a single room with columns creating two different areas. The side they entered on was a living area with two couches and an armchair gathered around a fireplace. A bar with stools separated a small kitchenette from it. The other half of the room was a workout area with mats and a punching bag. In between the two sections was a pool table.

"There are four bedrooms upstairs, one for each of you and a guestroom, plus two bathrooms. There's a computer in each of your bedrooms, and if you need anything else, you can use our Control Room," Nick explained. "You guys are having dinner with the rest of us tonight. Why don't we head up there?"

"Sure," Elizabet said. "We can unpack later."

The four walked back up to the main house. Nick led them into the dining room. The five people already present stood up when they entered. "Welcome to San Francisco," an older man said. "My name is Derek Rayne. I'm Precept of this House."

The three Immortals had, after some discussion decided to be a "democratic" House. Victoria was named Precept for tradition's sake. She was used to taking charge anyway, so she made the introductions.

After she was finished, Derek said, "These are the members of my House." He pointed to them in turn. "Dr. Rachel Corrigan and her daughter Kat Corrigan." A woman with long blond hair and a girl about Elizabet's apparent age nodded at them. "Alex Moreau, our researcher." A young black woman smiled at them in welcome. "Father Phillip Calaghan, and you've already met Nick Boyle," Derek finished. A man distinctly Irish nodded at them and Nick merely gave a quick smile.

They sat down to eat and were soon discussing some of the adventures the San Francisco House members had had in the last few years. After dinner, Kat took the Immortals on a tour of the House, explaining that she had been invited to officially join the Legacy because of her Sight. The other apparent kids mentioned their powers to her, but did not say anything about their Immortality. Before they had left England, Borne had told them to keep it a secret for as long as possible.

When the tour was finished, the three went back to the Island House to unpack and settle in. The four bedrooms, besides a computer on it's own table, each had a double bed, another empty desk, and a large dresser.  Two bathrooms were quickly dived between one for the girls and the other for Kane. The collection of weapons the Immortals had were hung on hooks in the practice area downstairs. Their swords went on their desks, but other weapons included more swords, various daggers and throwing knives, and two quarter staffs Elizabet had had shipped from England earlier in the week. The only gun the group currently had was Victoria's Browning 9mm, which was hidden in her desk.  Elizabet's small arsenal was on it's way from RoseBlade headquarters in Paris, as were the rest of Victoria's weapons from her ranch in Australia.

"Goodnights" rang through the house as the three Immortals settled into their new lives.

Part 4
San Francisco, California
July 30, 2001

Alex walked into Derek's office and waited for him to speak. "Alex," the Precept said. "I know you don't like keeping secrets from the other members of this House, but I need you to do something for me."

The young woman was instantly curious. "What is it?" she asked.

"I need you to check into the background of the members of the Island House," Derek said. "I tried to ask Victoria about some of her past, but she was extremely secretive. Some things that Nick told me added to my concerns."

"Okay," Alex said, nodding. "One question, though. Why do you want this to be a secret?"

"I don't want Rachel to get on my case for not trusting them," Derek replied with a grin. "You know how she can be." Alex laughed and walked out of the office.

The next day, Alex entered the library and sat at her usual spot at the conference table. After her findings about the three apparent children, she had called an emergency meeting. A few minutes later, the rest of the San Francisco Legacy House trailed in and joined her. Derek was the last to be seated and immediately called the meeting to order.

He quickly outlined what he had asked Alex to do. "And before you say anything, Rachel," he said, holding up his hand when she started to interrupt, "the results of Alex's search are very - odd. I'll let her explain."

"Okay," Alex began. "I started with a background search on Kane, since he's the oldest. But the birth record I found is dated at 1980 -- twenty one years ago, not sixteen. He was found at the steps of a church and later adopted by a family in Massachusetts. But the strangest thing is that I found a death record, too, in 1995, when he *would* have been fifteen. A few months later, there is a school record in Seacouver, Washington, at a junior high. But it's under the name Brandon Nolamar, who also has a death record, even though his body was never found." Alex opened her first folder and took out two school photos printed off the computer. Underneath one was written Kane Nalamas, and under the second was Brandon Nolamar.

"It's the same person!" Kat exclaimed. "But then Kane should be in his twenties."

"That's not it, it gets weirder," Alex said. "I did Victoria next. I found a ship's passenger record from Baltimore to London for a baby named Victoria Kestral in 1784. That same year, her name was changed to Victoria DiThon Kestral when a widow named Guinevere DiThon adopted her. There's also a death record for her in 1797 in Wales." Alex placed a computer printout on the table next to the pictures of Kane. It was a sketch of Victoria before she had 'died.' "The next record I found was on the first class passenger records for, get this, the Titanic. But there's no record of her survival. Then there's a Victor DiStrall listed in an English fighter plane squadron during World War I." Another picture was pulled out of  figures standing in front of a fighter plane. The picture was slightly blurred, but a Victoria with short hair kneeling in the front row was easy to make out. "Next there were numerous arrest records back in the eighties and early nineties for a Toria DiStrall, who was part of a large drug ring in the US." The mug shot identified the teenage girl as Victoria with a cocky grin, even through the heavy makeup, Celtic knot tattoo on her cheek, and short black hair. "And finally I found a school record in Seacouver, Washington, a few years ago. She was involved in a hostage situation at the school, which is where Brandon Nolamar was supposedly killed." The researcher took out another school photo that showed Victoria's smiling face.

"This is strange," Rachel said. "It can't be the same girl."

"But this is too much of a coincidence," Nick added. "I mean, she'd have to be immortal or something."

"It's pretty much the same for Elizabet. The earliest record of her I found was a death record in 1810. Actually, it was an execution order by the English government. She was part of a pirate ship's crew and a thief. She also has many connections over the last two hundred years to a group called the RoseBlades, which is made up entirely of teenagers."

"I've heard of them," Derek put in. "They've been involved in some Legacy cases in Europe."

"And that would explain her jacket," Nick said. "It's got roses and a sword on it. In fact, it looks like one of those swords you always see in pirate movies."

"A cutlass," Derek said. Nick nodded.

"The most recent record is from 1998. Guess where," Alex said.

"Seacouver, Washington?" Phillip asked. Alex nodded, and the priest went on. "Does she have a death record from the hostage situation?"

"No, but it was reported that she threatened about thirty armed men without any disregard for her own life," Alex said. She pulled out yet another school picture. It was Elizabet Aspen.

"Wow," Kat said. The room was silent for a couple seconds.

"Nobody tells them what we found," Derek said. "I'll figure out a way to confront them with it."

Nick gave a short laugh. "And here was me, after all we've seen, still thinking that there was no such thing as immortality."

One week later...

Victoria headed down the path to the beach, intending to work on her kata. It was a series of moves to help her with her swordwork that her teacher had devised for her. She grinned at the thought. "Methos," she whispered. She had found him again in Seacouver, Washington, after almost two hundred years. The ancient Immortal had been going under the name Arthur Jenkins when he taught her about Immortality, and Adam Pierson when they had met again.

She rounded the bottom of the cliff and heard the sounds of clashing swords. The sight that greeted her was Kane and Elizabet sparring. Victoria headed towards them. Kane faltered and glanced up when he felt her presence, but Elizabet kept at it. Victoria decided to start giving advice to her student and the slightly younger Immortal.

"Don't take your eyes off her for a second, Kane, or any other enemy! And Beta - your back's to me. What if it hadn't been me?" she shouted.

"You wouldn't have started yelling bad advice at us!" the blonde Immortal shouted back. "And I'm sure Kane is smart enough to know whether it was an enemy or not. He can still see you!"

Kane laughed and the two kept sparring. Victoria would never say it aloud, but she was proud of her student. She knew it wouldn't be long before she had taught him all she knew and he would have to leave, and she dreaded the day. As far as she knew, Kane was the youngest Immortal alive. He would need a lot of luck and even more skill to survive. But, right now Victoria pushed that thought out of her mind. She continued to give advice to the two combatants.

Nick approached the Island House and knocked on the door. No one answered, so he gently pushed it open. "Whoa," he said, glancing at the weapons hanging on the wall by the training room mats. "What do they need those for?" Nick looked around, but did not see anyone.

He walked towards the weapons on the wall and inspected them. He didn't know much about ancient weapons, but these looked extremely lethal. He left the house and started towards the beach.  He heard the sound of clanging metal, which stopped suddenly, then laughter. He looked around the cliff, keeping out of sight, and saw Victoria and Elizabet laughing at Kane, who was sitting in the sand.

"Kane, I'm sorry," Elizabet said, gasping for air through her laughter.

"You nearly impaled me!" he said harshly.

"It's a good thing you jumped back," Victoria put in, getting over her own laughter. "Remind me, and we'll work on a way you can do that without getting overly excited and throwing your sword down the beach." Kane nodded and retrieved his scimitar from where he had flung it a few feet away.

"Okay, so I said I was sorry. The reason you couldn't block was because when you switched you sword into your other hand, your grip was off, and you're not used to holding the blade in that angle," Elizabet said. Kane frowned and switched hands. He nodded.

"Yeah, you're right," Kane acknowledged. "I'll work on that tonight, too."

Victoria raised her eyebrow at Elizabet. "Shall we?" she asked, holding up her sword in salute.

"No stops?" Elizabet asked, dropping into a fighting stance.

Victoria nodded. "As usual, just short of first death." She lunged forward, and Elizabet hastily blocked. Soon, the two girls were a blur of flashing metal, with kicks and punches thrown in for good measure.

Nick immediately knew that he was watching experts.  He stepped quietly onto the beach -- Kane saw him and walked over.  He was laughing to himself.  He knew that no matter what was said before hand, one of the girls would end up mortally wounded. They were good friends, but hated loosing to each other.

"What the hell are they doing?" Nick asked him as Elizabet quickly blocked a blow that could have seriously injured her leg.

Kane sighed. "What they do best," he said. "Beat the shit out of each other  Training, really."  They watched in silence for a few moments as the fight moved further down the beach.

"Training for what?" Nick replied frinally.  He and Kane walked down the beach towards them.

Victoria, literally fighting for her life, had the upper hand when she felt Kane's Immortal presence come back into range. Oh, crap, she thought, and tried to break off the fight.

Elizabet, however, had not told the members of the Legacy one important thing about herself. She suffered from a multiple personality disorder. Besides her own, she had at least four others. The only one that manifested itself regularly was named Omega. It had a tendency to appear whenever Elizabet was surprised, extremely angry, or when she was fighting an enemy. Omega also arose when she felt another Immortal presence while fighting a match as hard as the one she was fighting with Victoria now. Elizabet’s eyes turned black, and she started fighting with incredible fury.

"Kane, help!" Victoria shouted as she tried to back down. Elizabet would not let her, though. Kane ran to Victoria's side and tried to distract the blonde girl. Instantly, all her attention was focused on him, and she swung her sword in a wild arc. Kane managed to block in time, but her sword slid off his and cut deeply into his side, slipping between his ribs. This startled Elizabet back to herself and her eyes became light icy gray again.

"Oh no," she moaned. She knelt beside Kane and looked across at Victoria, who had also dropped beside her student. "I'm so sorry, Toria," she said. Victoria nodded her acceptance.

"What the hell happened?" Nick asked. He had began running towards them when Kane was injured. He took out his cell phone when he saw Kane's injury. "I'm calling 911."

For Kane was still alive. The sword had pierced his lung, but he was still breathing. Victoria placed her hand on the phone. "Don't," she said. "It's time you guys all knew."

"What are you doing?" Nick shouted. "He's dying!"

"Trust me," Elizabet said. "He won't die. He's too stubborn, for one thing." She was holding one of his hands and Victoria was sitting with his head in her lap.

Suddenly realization dawned upon Nick. "Holy shit, it's true, you're Immortal. You all are."

Victoria nodded. "We will explain everything, I promise.  Let him just heal first."

That evening, after Kane had gotten some rest and regained some of his energy, both Houses had a meeting.

"So let me get this straight. All four of you are Immortal. You can only be killed by having your heads chopped off. And you carry around swords to fight other Immortals in something called the Game or the Gathering for a Prize no one knows anything about," Nick said.

"All the references over the years to you guys I found are real," Alex said. "It was you, just using different names and moving around a lot."

Victoria nodded. "I'm really two hundred and seventeen. Kane is my student and only twenty-one."

"And I'm two hundred and four," Elizabet said.

Derek looked thoughtful. "I called Sloan, and he told me to believe you. After what Nick saw happen to Kane, I think we have to. I also talked to Earth Borne, and he told me exactly what you just did, about the Gathering." He looked at each of the Immortals individually. "You are welcome to stay here, and now that we know what you are, I think you will be a lot more help."

"So I guess that's settled," Nick said. He gave a slight grin. "Again, welcome to the Legacy."

Part 5
San Francisco, California
July 24, 2002

The three Immortals had been part of the Legacy for a year. They had helped the San Francisco House, and others, solve many cases, from ghosts to demons to other Immortals. That evening, they were having dinner at the San Francisco House, to celebrate the anniversary of their arrival.

"And remember that time when Kane, Nick, and I went to Paris?" Victoria asked. "And it turned out not to be a ghost, but some guys practicing special effects for their amateur movie?"

Everyone laughed. Dinner had ended, but all were exchanging funny stories about the last year.

"That one had us much more stumped than it should have," Nick agreed. "But those effects were pretty high tech, for an amateur movie."

"The wonders of modern technology," Victoria said with a grin, being the oldest present.

"Hey," Kat said. "As the youngest one here, I would just like to say that you old fogies definitely need to get with the times."

The group's laughter was interupted when the butler walked in and handed Derek the phone. "Hello? This is Derek Rayne," he said. After a few seconds he said, "What are you-? Hello?" He looked around at everyone. "Whoever it was hung up," he explained.

"Did they say anything?" Alex asked, leaning forward and putting down her coffee.

Derek looked confused. "One sentence: 'Beware the death by which all stops.'"

All the blood drained out of Victoria's face. "Oh, no," she whispered.

"What’s wrong?" Rachel asked.

Victoria shook her head slightly. "A few years ago when the three of us were in Seacouver, Washington, my adopted cousin from my mortal life started stalking me."

"By your mortal life, I'm assuming that he's also an Immortal," Derek said.

Victoria nodded, and continued, "He sent me a bunch of cryptic notes, and one of them said ‘Beware the death by which all stops’."

"So maybe he's back," Nick said. Kane and Elizabet tried to hide grins. "What?"

"Believe me, it's not him. It can't be," Victoria said with a small shudder.

"Why not?" Kat asked innocently.

Victoria gave her a sad look. "Because he's dead. I had to kill him."

Derek checked his watch. "It's getting late," he said. "Why don't you and Alex try to trace the call tomorrow," he told Victoria. "And in the meantime, try to figure out who else might be after any of you and would know that line."

Victoria met Alex in the control room the next morning. "I think I know who it was," the young looking Immortal said. She looked incredibly tired and very worried. "Like I said last night, I was shot by my adopted uncle trying to protect the stone circle in Wales. That was my mortal death, when all my growing and aging stopped."

Alex nodded. "I get it. Your cousin became Immortal, your uncle might have too, or even already been one."

"Yeah," Victoria said quietly. "I'm not exactly sure, but it might be him. And that scares the hell out of me."

Alex patted her on the shoulder and sat down at a computer. "So now let's try and trace that call. Maybe that'll give us some more clues."

That night, an antique sword and weapons exhibit was being opened at the Charles Rayne Hall of Antiquities, hosted by the Luna Foundation, the San Francisco House's cover business. The castle was a bustle of activity as everyone got dressed and ready to go. As usual, the men all wore tuxedos, but Alex and Rachel wore evening gowns, and Victoria, Elizabet, and Kat wore long skirts, silk blouses, and velvet vests, picked up the last time the three girls had gone on a shopping spree in the city together. Finally, all nine met in the foyer. Elizabet and Victoria were the last to arrive and made stunning entrances down the staircase. Where Kat’s outfit was a mixture of solid colors, the other two girls had brilliant designs in silver embroidery. Victoria had Celtic, of course, and Elizabet had designs in Norse, the culture her teacher Runa Stanton had passed on to her.

Nick wolf-whistled, and the group laughed. Everyone admired each other's outfits until Derek held up his hand for silence. "Since this is a weapons show, the curator of the Hall suggested that we, the hosts, should all wear antique weapons of some sort. Many of the other guests were also invited to do so." He reached into a long box and pulled out a belt and scabbard with a sword. He buckled it around his waist. It was easily recognizable as his father's sword, the one that usually hung in the library. Derek handed Alex an elegant rapier, and Nick received an Irish short sword. Rachel was given a small saber, and Kat even got a matching dagger.

"Um, we'd kinda like to wear our own swords," Elizabet said. Derek smiled and pulled another out of the box. It was her cutlass. "Cool," she said, as she buckled it on.

"I had the scabbards made especially for your swords. I thought you would want your own," Derek said. The tow other Immortals were each given their weapons, broadsword and scimitar. Victoria and Elizabet helped everyone adjust the belts and scabbards, and coats were handed out. Everyone piled into the cars and headed for the ferry.

The three young looking Immortals gathered in a corner about halfway though the reception for the exhibit. "Okay, so this is definitely boring," Kane said. "It's just feels odd for me to wear my sword openly in public. And I'm getting sick of telling over and over what type of sword it is."

Victoria put her hand sympathetically on his shoulder. "So am I. Consider this part of your training. I've rather been neglecting the cultural aspects of it."

Elizabet laughed. "Yeah, like how to survive something like this. Much more important than sword fighting. Count yourself as lucky - Toria and I never got to do anything like this. Barbarians, the both of us. At least I learned diplomacy, unlike a certain someone I know." She gave Victoria a pointed look and grin.

"That's because you're always around to get me out of trouble," Victoria retorted. Kane just laughed.

Kat and Nick walked up. "You guys look as bored as we are," Nick said. "Why don't we go outside and get some fresh air?" One at a time so as not to attract any attention, especially from Derek, they left out a side door and gathered by the cars.

"So are we going somewhere or just hanging out?" Kat asked.

Nick leaned against Derek's Range Rover. "Just hanging out. I hate these receptions, but Derek'll kill us if we all skip out," he said. "Someone asked me if he could see my sword better, and I couldn't even get it out of the scabbard."

The Immortals grinned and each smoothly drew their swords, and assumed fighting stances in the blink of an eye. Kat laughed, and Nick just rolled his eyes and muttered, "Show offs." Kane re-sheathed his sword, but the girls continued the act and pretended to attack each other using Matrix-style slowness.

Suddenly, all three Immortals got faraway looks in their eyes. Nick and Kat had seen this look enough times to know exactly what it meant.

"Aura?" Elizabet asked Victoria as all five looked around. Victoria tried to remember if the dull reddish color was familiar, but shook her head.

A man wearing a long black coat stepped into the pool of light created by a nearby street lamp. "Well, well, well," the man said. "Not only do I find the witch, but all her friends, too." The man gave a leering smile. "Don't worry, witch. I'll be back." He gave a bow and disappeared into the night.

Victoria's face was pale. "Who was that?" Nick asked. He face was also troubled. "He seemed familiar, somehow."

The young looking girl stared at him. "You share the same last name, Nick, but you do not know him." She looked at Kat. "Go tell Derek and the others that we're going home, and then stay inside. Say that we've found the Immortal who called last night, and we'll tell them the details when they get home."

The other two Immortals suspected who the mysterious man was, but did not say anything when Nick pressed for information. This was Victoria's story to tell.

A few hours later after the others had come home and changed, the two Legacy Houses moved into the library and gathered around the conference table. "So, Victoria," Derek said. "Do you know who that man is?"

She nodded. "Everyone knows that my adopted uncle shot and killed me, making me Immortal. And that when the four of us were in Seacouver, Washington, my cousin found us, still believing me a witch. I eventually had to take his head." She took a deep breath. "This morning, Alex and I came up with the theory that if my cousin had become an Immortal, why couldn't my uncle? He never liked me, and in those times, he could have easily thrown me out to become a street rat on the streets of London when my adopted mother died. Maybe the only reason he kept me around was because he knew I was going to become an Immortal." Victoria turned and looked at Nick with sad eyes. "The reason he seemed familiar to you is because he raised you, Nick. I don't know what his name is now, but when I knew him and you did, he was Jonathan Boyle."

All of the blood drained out of Nick's face. "You mean … my father?" Alex placed her hand on Nick's under the table to comfort him and he gripped it tightly.

Victoria gave a small half smile. "Don't worry, Nick. You have no blood relation to that man. Immortals can't have children."

"That doesn't excuse what he did to me," Nick said in a low voice. He could still recall the abuse, both physical and mental, that his ‘father’ had given him.

Victoria also knew about that abuse. She had suffered it herself when she lived with the family in Wales. But she had been a tough little brat, even then. "Think of it this way," Victoria said softly. "At least he didn't kill you." Nick did not looked assured.

The group was silent for a few seconds. The older members of the Legacy who had know Jonathan Boyle years ago, and the other Immortals who had only heard of him thought about what this might cause. Victoria and Nick were lost in their memories.

The butler walked into the library and handed Victoria the cordless phone. "A call for you, Ms. Victoria." Victoria took it from him with a nod of thanks and placed it on the table. She hit the speaker button, then took the caller off hold.

"This is Victoria DiThon Kestral."

"Well, witch. By now you've told your companions who I am," Jonathan Boyle said. "You and the demon killed my son, and prevented us from ridding the earth of your presence."

"Did you really expect me to kneel under his sword?" Victoria asked. "Sorry, ‘uncle’," she spat out, "but you're as delusional as he was."

Boyle laughed. "I would have expected nothing less, witch. I have a proposition for you. You killed one of my sons. Give me the other, Nicholas, and I will let you live."

"Can't do that," she replied. "I don't believe in a life for a life. I have a little more honor than you."

"You shall have two weeks, witch. This has become a war. Either turn my son over before that time, or you shall die. Along with the other Immortals you are living with, and the San Francisco Legacy House," Boyle said harshly. "If you have not done that in two weeks time, I shall lead the attack."

This time Victoria laughed. "And do exactly like your son, William? He sent hired assassins after us, then had to take over a school. He was too much of a coward to fight using the rules of Immortality, our rules. And don't give me any bull about those rules not applying to witches. William tried that, too." But she was talking to a dial tone. Victoria looked around. "Don't worry, as I said, I have honor. I would never betray my friends. You aren't going anywhere, Nick. If it's a war he wants, he'll get one."

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