03-Jan-2000 
 
 

This has an original female character.  If you can't handle that, don't
read it.  It also has a touch of mysticism.

Disclaimer: I don’t own the GW guys. This story is for entertainment
only. I have no money. Really. The characters and events in this
story were inspired, and are based on, the wonderful story "Who Wants to
Live Forever" by Shirin. Please read that fantastic fic. This
is an Alternate Universe fic so some things are going to be different. I
don’t mind questions and comments, but flames will be made
fun of and I will mock your lack of intelligence. If you can’t say
anything nice, then shut up. There are M/M relationships in this fic, so

you have been warned. (I.E. guys like guys.) Nothing lemon yet. Maybe a
little lime. Maybe. If you aren’t 18, come back when you are.
Anyway, please enjoy the fic.



Gundam Wing Forever by Phoenix







Prologue.

Aria Dawson was watching. That was her job. So why did she feel like
such a peeping tom? Watchers weren’t supposed to feel like
this. The girl sighed. It had been about fifteen minutes since Adam had
returned to the cabin that Macleod and he shared. Adam had
brought the young new immortal to the only safe place he knew of. Not
that Macleod cared. From the cuss words coming from the
cabin, he was really pissed off. Aria still couldn’t believe the way
things had turned out.

Adam had come out of the alley carrying a too small body. The battle had
gone wrong and the boy had taken a blow meant for Adam.
Or maybe that damn Russian just wanted to hurt Adam worse than any
physical wound. It didn’t matter; the child had died and it fell
to the surviving immortal to clean up the mess. She never found out what
he was planning to do with the child’s corpse because a
familiar power suddenly sang along her skin and the body began to move.
The kid was an immortal!?

Adam had looked just as shocked as Aria felt. He reacted faster though.
A strong, sure hand wrapped around the slender throat,
cutting off blood flow to the brain. In seconds, the boy was still and
unconscious. Aria had watched Adam load the young man into
his car with surprising gentleness and then he went back and got the
other immortal’s body. Three miles from the cabin, Adam had
dumped the body. Not even trying to hide it. After all, who would find
it in the middle of nowhere? The animals would take care of it
soon, anyway.

When Adam had reached the cabin, Aria had taken up her usual watching
position, in a tree not more than fifty feet from the cabin,
and waited to see how Duncan would react to the new addition. In the six
years, ever since she was thirteen, Aria had watched these
two, not once had MacLeod used words like he was using now. Not that she
watched them all the time. It was too embarrassing to
hang around when the couple got amorous. Yet she was the only Watcher
who had ever been able to track Adam.

It was supposed to be a joke assignment. One that would convince her to
quit the Watchers. Instead, she had found Adam inside six
months and even followed him to the missing Duncan MacLeod. That little
secret remained hers, though. Duncan had disappeared
over two hundred years ago. He had his reasons and Aria was supposed to
keep track of Adam. The Watcher code was very strict
about watching only one immortal. It just so happened that Adam stayed
with MacLeod. Her conscience didn’t bother her one little bit
over omitting the Highlander from her reports. Besides, they made such a
cute couple.

Inside the cabin, Duncan was looking anything but cute. Duo thought he
looked like he was about to kill the Adam guy. When Duo
had woken up, surprised to be alive considering he remembered dying,
both men had been in the middle of an argument. Survival
instinct intact, the young man immediately sought out a corner and was
now watching the events unfold from there. His hands
absently checked for the stomach wound he knew had to be there, but they
met with only smooth, unblemished skin. So where had the
wound gone and why was he covered in his own blood if there was no
injury? Whatever was going on, it was way beyond Duo’s
ability to understand.

"How the hell could you bring him here? Do you have any idea what you’ve
done?" The one Adam called Duncan was yelling.

"What was I supposed to do with him then?" Adam reasoned. "This happened
because he saved my head."

"And what the hell were you doing fighting him anyway? You know you’re
match for him."

"I thought I was protecting you. It’s not like I had a lot of choice. He
wasn’t going to let me just walk away."

Adam watched his lover pace the room. He knew Duncan was going to be
angry, but had never expected him to be this mad. Why was
he so upset? They both knew the dangers of being an immortal. It wasn’t
like no one had ever gone after Adam’s head before. This
wasn’t about the boy. So what was it?

"Maybe you would be happier if he’d taken my head. Then you wouldn’t
have to put up with my mistakes." Adam had just barely
gotten the statement out when MacLeod threw him against the wall. Duo
watched in shock as the bigger man pinned Adam to the wall
by the throat. The anger in his eyes was frightening to see, yet the
smaller man made no move to defend himself or escape. Duo
decided that now would be a good time to make a run for it.

The young man was out the door before either immortal could react. Years
of running and hiding came in handy. It only took a second
for Duo to realize he was in a forest and most likely far from help. The
young pilot was only momentarily phased by that fact. The
sound of pursuit sent him running even faster. He didn’t care about
anything except getting out of this crazy situation and back to
reality. He didn’t understand this, didn’t want any part of it, and he
should never have taken this damn mission! For all his skill
though, Duncan and Adam had many more years of experience. More than Duo
could ever have imagined. They also had longer legs
and more stamina. Duo had gotten about thirty feet when Duncan tackled
him from behind.

"Where do you think you’re going?" Duncan’s voice grated in Duo’s ear.
The older immortal was not happy. "Calm down," he
ordered. Duo was struggling fiercely until his right arm was twisted
painfully behind his back.

"Itai! OK! I give up." Duo relaxed. However, when Duncan eased his grip,
Duo lashed out with a kick to the older man’s stomach, only
to find Duncan ready for it. Duo’s legs were caught in an iron grip.

"Damn it boy. Try that again and I will break both your legs." The tone
left no doubt that he was deadly serious.

"Duncan," Adam began, but was silenced by the look his partner gave him.
Oh well. Together they dragged Duo back to the cabin.
Someone had taught the child to fight, Adam mused. Perhaps he should
stop thinking of Duo as a child. Maybe not. After all, he was
over five thousand years old.

Aria watched the whole thing. One second she had been listening to a
deadly silence that had fallen over the cabin and the next, the
boy, still dressed in blood soaked clothes, was running through the
forest. Duncan and Adam barreled out of the house. The chase
was short. They were faster, taller, and knew the forest. Duncan tackled
the kid, got him to surrender, and then both men dragged him
back to the house. As quickly as it had begun, it was over. Those two
made a great team.

Aria felt a little sorry for the new immortal. He probably had no idea
what was going on or why he wasn’t dead. All he had probably
seen was Duncan’s temper and his own blood covering his clothes. Not
really reassuring things. So what would they do now? Aria
was distracted from the thought by a slight humming in her mind. The
humming usually meant that an immortal had just entered her
range. Then it faded. Which made no sense. What immortal would come
here? The cabin was located on holy ground, and the land for
at least ten miles was holy ground. No immortal could fight or kill on
this land. So why come? Due to their ability to sense each other, it
was very hard for immortals to spy on each other. Most would send a
human ally. So who...her thoughts were interrupted again by the
sound of a slamming door.

"It is not my fault he needs clothes, Duncan."

"I know, Adam," Duncan sighed. He really needed to get a hold of his
temper. "It’s just...nevermind. We’ll discuss it later." The
subject was closed. They got into Adam’s car. Neither looked back as
they drove away.

Aria thought about following them, but the lure of the person they had
left in the house held her still. She so wanted to meet him. As
the car disappeared from sight, her curiosity paid off. For both her and
Duo. A movement at the corner of her left eye caught her
attention. A man slowly walked out of the forest. His path was
deliberate; he was heading for the cabin. Aria stared at the new
immortal. There was something familiar about him. A man with long,
black, greasy hair, pale complexion, looked like he was wearing
black leather...Aria felt her blood run cold. She’d read about this guy.
Kellos. A one hundred year old immortal. He was one of the
worst monsters that Aria knew of. Indeed, he was the main reason she
felt Watchers should sometimes interfere. The creature was a
murderer, abuser, and his tastes ran towards young men. Very pretty,
very young men. He didn’t care if they were willing or not. From
what she’d read, Kellos actually seemed to prefer unwilling. Damn. The
kid in the cabin probably fit all three categories.

Aria quickly searched for his Watcher. He was just coming into view when
Kellos entered the cabin. If Aria did anything, she was sure
to be caught. The penalty for interfering was death. No recall, no
second chances. But if she did nothing...that poor kid. Kellos was
sure to...Aria shuddered. What should she do?

The matter was decided for her when the other Watcher fell into one of
Duncan’s pit traps. It wasn’t fatal, but he sure would have a
hell of a time getting out of that hole. He would never see her enter
the house. If she was quick, she could save the kid and get back to
her post before he managed to climb out. A definite gamble, but the
alternative was worse. By the time Aria had finished reasoning her
way through the problem, she was at the cabin’s back door and sneaking
in.

The cabin was a comfortable building. At least that was her first
impression. It was filled with beautiful, and probably very old,
objects.
The furnishings were not ornate, but rather homey, like the place was
meant to be inviting. A haven maybe. Then Aria sensed
something else about the building. There was a feeling of warmth and
love; it seemed to radiate from everything. The sounds in the
house did not match the feeling, however. Muffled sobs were drifting
down from the second floor. Whoever was making them was in
pain. Aria could sense it. Was she too late? Damn.

Aria quickly, but quietly, rushed up the stairs. Her heart was racing as
she removed a gun from her shoulder holster. It was the only
weapon she had; good for stopping an immortal long enough to get away.

The sounds got louder as she reached the second floor. A long hallway
revealed only one door. It was slightly ajar. Stepping gently,
the young Watcher approached it and peeked in. Aria could see at least
half the room. She saw far more than she ever wanted. At the
same time her blood froze and boiled at the sight before her.

Apparently, Duncan had wanted to make sure that the young immortal did
not escape. He had cuffed the kid’s hands to the headboard
and his ankles together. A strong rope was tied to the chain that
connected the ankle cuffs together. The rope was tied to the
baseboard at the end of the bed. Overall the poor guy was stretched out.
That wasn’t what made him cry though. Kellos was... The
bastard had taken advantage of the situation. Not that Aria was
surprised.

Kellos sat on the side of the bed with his back to Aria. His mouth
covered the pinned immortal’s and his hand was down the guy’s
pants. The young immortal’s eyes were open and filled with shame, pain,
and fear. His hips suddenly bucked. Tears began to stream
from his eyes and an another sob escaped the union of Kellos’ and his
lips. Kellos laughed softly.

"Your body will always betray you," he rasped into Duo’s mouth. He was
considering what he should do next when a shout distracted
him.

"Kellos!" Aria yelled. She had seen enough. Pointing the gun at the
dangerous immortal, Aria prepared to shoot someone for the first
time in her life. Kellos laughed at the mortal who dared to challenge
him. A gun was no danger to him. He would deal with this foolish
mortal and then continue getting to know this delicious morsel. Perhaps
he would even keep the child alive for a while. With the grace
of a hunting animal, Kellos left the bed.

Aria had never been a great shot. The gun was just a precaution, not a
necessity. Despite that, she could use it. The first bullet
shattered whatever Kellos used for a heart, and the second hit him
squarely between the eyes. He was dead before he even got two
feet from the bed. Aria stared and started breathing again. She didn’t
have time to marvel over the luck of the shots. There wasn’t
much time period. Kellos would regenerate soon.

"W-Who are you," Duo whispered. He’d been in hell and then this girl
appeared. Duo couldn’t help but stare. This day was turning
out to be too much and his mind was beginning to focus on the small
details in an attempt to make sense of the events. His rescuer
had short, strawberry blond hair, ice blue eyes, and a slender figure.
There was something about her face though, fierce and
determined, that told Duo he was safe. She was his angel.

"I’m here to help. My name’s Aria." Aria explained while looking for the
handcuff keys. They were no where to be found. Maybe
Duncan had taken them. Aria began to get frantic. There was no time
left. Already she could feel a slight build up of power that
signaled the beginning of regeneration in an immortal. At best, there
were two minutes to find the keys. What about the Watcher
outside? This was taking too long!

Duo watched as the young woman tore the room apart. He knew what she was
looking for and wished he could help her. The fact that
she was in such a hurry worried Duo. After seeing both Adam and the guy
who had...killed?...him get up, the pilot could guess the
reason for her panic. There was also the fact that Duo had sensed the
man on the floor. He had known the bastard was coming. Even
now, he could feel the other growing stronger.

"Please hurry," he begged. No way he wanted to be around when that
monster came to.

Suddenly the girl turned and headed for the door.

"Don’t leave me," Duo screamed. Terror was evident in his voice.

Aria, however, had no intentions of leaving. ‘Gone this far, may as well
go all the way,’ she thought. Over the door was a beautiful,
ornate, and sharp looking sword. Aria ripped it out of its casing. No
time to be nice or polite. Even as she reached Kellos, the man
began to twitch slightly. Only a few seconds to go.

"This is gonna hurt," she told Duo while raising the sword over Kellos.
Concern etched her face. Duo was the only immortal anywhere
near here so he would take the quickening. The first time was always
painful. At least, that was what the Watchers said.

"Do it!" Duo commanded. He didn’t know what she was talking about and
didn’t care. Anything was worth it if that bastard died. Aria
nodded.

The last thing Kellos saw was a flash of light reflected off the sword
that severed his head. For a few seconds time seemed to divide
into several distinct events. The sword dug into the wood underneath
Kellos, the head flew away from the body, and Aria and Duo
froze, not daring to believe it was over. Then the lightning came. It
moved through the room like a living thing. Maybe it was.

Duo’s mouth opened in a silent scream as it reached him, caressed him,
and traveled through him. It ran up the walls and along the
floor. Dancing its joy at escaping the confinements of Kellos’ body. The
force of it shattered the cuffs holding Duo, the windows in
the room, and burnt marks in the ceiling. And then there was silence. It
was gone; absorbed by the young immortal.

Aria slowly came back to herself. Never, not once, in all the years she
had been a Watcher, had she ever been that close to a
quickening. Right in the middle of it. Breathtaking. Literally. The
sound of quiet sobs brought reality smashing back and she saw the
huddled form in the middle of the bed.

"It’s going to be alright," she whispered to Duo, wrapping him in a warm
and comforting embrace. The young man turned and clung to
her. Broken sobs wracked his body. "You’re an immortal now," she
explained, rocking him gently. "This is how you survive. No death
unless you lose your head. But then most people are going to be after
it. Hey, you never did tell me your name"

"Duo, Duo Maxwell," the young man whispered against her shoulder. He was
so afraid. Why was this happening to him? What was
going on? Aria continued to gently rock him, using her voice to soothe
his nerves. For some reason, deep down inside, Duo knew he
could trust her. Knew that she would never hurt him. It was nice to have
someone he could trust with everything. The gentle moment
was broken by a new, harsh voice.

"Well isn’t this a touching scene."

Aria reacted by pushing Duo behind her and going for her gun only to
find it missing. A bullet hissed past her ear. A warning not to
try anything foolish again. The two young people looked defiantly at
this new threat.

It was a man. Most likely in his late thirties, dressed in hiking
clothes; he had short brown hair, brown eyes, and a completely average
face. Aria knew him as Kellos’ Watcher. His gun was standard Watcher
issue with at least five more shots. She pushed Duo further
behind her and off the bed.

"He’s not a part of this," she started to say.

The man cut her off. "It doesn’t matter. You might have told him
something, so he has to die with you."

He shifted position to cover Aria and see around the bed. Duo, however,
was no where to be seen.

"Come out boy. Don’t make this any harder than it has to be." Still no
Duo.

"Looks like I win this round," Aria smiled. The smile faded when she
found the barrel of the gun less than an inch from her face. She
swallowed hard. At least Duo got away.

"Tell me that after you get to hell. That child won’t be hard to find."
A single shot echoed through the cabin. The bed shook with the
force of a body falling on it. Red blood was sprayed across the sheets
and walls. Aria sat staring at a shaking Duo. He had her
smoking gun in his hands. Her bullet in the Watcher’s chest.

"Never underestimate me because of my age you asshole," he whispered
into the sudden silence and then his bones turned to water.
Or at least that’s what it felt like to Duo. There was nothing to
support him and he was falling. The room was spinning. Then strong
arms held him and he surrendered to the warm darkness that beckoned.

Aria caught Duo as he fell. Poor guy. It was all just too much for him.
Hell, she didn’t know anyone who could handle all these shocks
in such a short time. Yet the kid had held it together until they were
both safe and hadn’t abandoned her. What a guy.

She spent the next ten minutes finding her gun, which Duo had dropped
when he passed out, trying (and failing) to find clothes to fit
Duo, and then loading him into her car. They had to get away from here.
Sooner or later, Duncan and Adam would come back. There
was no way to tell how they would react; then, of course, there was the
matter of the Watchers. Aria was now under a death sentence.
If they ever knew about Duo, they would come after him as well. She had
to get Duo to safety and then leave him. It was the only way
to truly protect the sleeping youth.

As Aria started her car, the world spun around her. It took a major
effort to make the spinning stop.

"Later," she promised herself. "When Duo is safe, I’ll fall apart. But
not now."

Aria spared a glance for the unconscious youth in her passenger seat.
That was what she was protecting. He looked so innocent and
helpless. An angel waiting to be awoken. He was so much like....better
to not go there. It hurt too much. The blood soaked clothes
made him appear so small. She would have to get him some new ones.

It just wasn’t fair. Someone that young shouldn’t have to live his life
fighting. Dealing in death, killing, being hunted, dying. No one
should have to live that way. ‘Please,’ she prayed silently, ‘let there
be a place for him to find safety. Let him find shelter. Whatever
you want from me, I’ll give. Just please watch over this child.’

Far away, something was listening.

"What happens now is up to you, children of my heart. Choose carefully.
Not all is as it seems."

Aria drove on, not hearing the words. A journey was begun and its ending
was far away and wrapped in shadows.