"Why the hell didn't you tell us he was Methos, instead of giving us that
cock and bull story about someone named Adam?"  Giles yelled at his long
time friend.  While Ritchie and Methos had returned to the room they had
been in before, the others had gathered around to try and find out why they
hadn't of been told about Adam's immortality, although only a few people
truly grasped who Methos truly was.  One of these was Giles.  "Bloody hell,
Joe, I thought he was only a myth.  Why don't the Watcher's know about him
and for that fact, why does he have a Watcher's tattoo?"
Joe ran his hand through his hair, sighing as Giles continued to bombard
him with questions about Methos.  Joe had told the Immortal that it would
probably be extremely difficult to keep his identity a secret for long.
Rupert Giles was one of the best researchers that he had ever met and when
he had first started with the Council, before dealing with Slayers, he had
concentrated on the Methos project.  In fact, Giles was the reason there was
so much information on the oldest Immortal known to live.  The contacts he
had made during his Ripper days, invaluable to obtaining hard to locate
documents.
"Anyone who wants to hear this, might as well sit down."  Not surprisingly,
everyone took a seat, including those that already knew about the
Adam/Methos connection.  "First off, yes Adam is Methos.  I didn't know that
when I first met him, though, so don't think that was exactly prepared for
the discovery myself.  And the reason I didn't introduce him that way is
because he had asked me not too.  He want his true identity known because of
what could happen."
"What could happen?"  Wilow inquired.  "What would be so bad about knowing
about him?"
"Because Methos is a myth," Giles answered.  "He's supposed to be the
oldest Immortal alive.  If it was known that he was fact, and not a myth,
Immortals would probably be lining up to try and take his head because of
how much power he has in him."
"How old is he exactly?"  This time the question came from Cordelia.
"Somewhere over five thousand years old, although he admits that he has
lost track of time," Joe took over the explanation again.  He watched as the
others took in that information.
"Five thousand years old," Anya stated.  "And here I thought I was old.
I'm only eleven hundred."
But you don't look a day over five hundred, luv," Spike joked, earning
himself a playful hack from the former vengeance demon.
"Anyway, you can see why he tried to keep the number of people who know his
true identity a secret," Joe continued.  "In fact, other than the people in
this room, there are only two of three others and they have all been sworn
to secrecy."
"And how is he connected to the Watchers?"  Giles wondered aloud.  Joe
actually smiled at him. He knew it was wrong, but he still loved the irony.
"Believe it or not, he's researching the Methos Project."  Giles stared at
Joe as if the other man had lost his head.  And in fact, that was exactly
what the Brit was thinking.  "That's right, Rupert.  Methos is looking for
himself for those that would love to know that the myth is truly alive.  Its
almost like he is putting together his own biography."
Giles couldn't believe it.  His work, his original passion was now in the
hands of the person on whom he had been studying.  The irony wasn't lost on
him.  "So how much of what I had discovered was actually true?"
"Surprisingly quite a lot," Joe answered.  "Adam was quite impressed by
what you found out about him.  Hell, he said you reminded him of stuff he
had completely forgotten about, including ten of his wives.  He could have
sworn that he had only been married fifty-seven times, but you had found out
about a few that he didn't remember."
"So you're saying that he was married sixty seven times," Doyle repeated.
"Damn, that's what I call a ladies man.  He puts Liz Taylor to shame."
"He is over five thousand," Joe reminded them all.  "And, considering that
he only married mortals, sixty seven really isn't a whole lot.  A little
over one a century."
"I have a question," LaCroix said, drawing attention to himself.  He had
heard stories about the fabled Methos, although he didn't know that he was
an Immortal.  He was fascinated by the fact that he had finally met the
legend that had inspired him quite often, even if the man didn't know about
it.  But, the knowledge that Methos was still alive, made him curious about
some others.  "What about the others?"
"What others?"  Angel questioned.  The souled vampire was beginning to get
confused.  He had always known that demon and vampires were around,
considering he was one himself.  Now, though, he had to accept Immortals.
People who were human in every way except for one.  He didn't think he could
deal with all that much more.
"I've heard stories about Methos," LaCroix clarified.  "Before I had been
turned, I was a general in the Roman army.  And a particularly brutal one at
that.  I had often heard stories about Methos and his three compatriots.
That was when he was also known as Death.  He and his three friends were
known as the Four Horsemen."
"As in of the Apocalypse?"  Nick inquired of his sire, remembering his
upbringing and the teachings of his church.  Those teachings had included
lessons on the Four Horsemen.  'Great, just what I don't need.  As if this
situation wasn't weird enough, things only get worse.'
"The others are dead," Duncan informed everyone.  The tone in his voice
telling them that he was speaking as someone who this from first person
fact.  "They have been for a little over three years and the world is well
rid of them."
"Mac's right," Joe confirmed.  "He and Methos took care of the other
Horsemen after they had tried to regroup.  I think that was when we had
finally all decided that we could trust Methos.  When he had turned his back
on the people that he had ridden with for so long because they had been
still hell bent on causing death and destruction while he had grown past
that."  Everyone sat in stunned silence.  What had originally been planned
as a simple rescue, albeit against the military, had turned into one shock
after another.  Each person's personal beliefs had been turned upside down
and they all just hoped that nothing else would be happening between now and
the time they had to leave for Sunnydale.

Initiative Headquarters  UC Sunnydale

"I can't believe Giles just took off like that to help them," Buffy
complained for what had to have been the twentieth time that day.  A search
of Sunnydale and Los Angeles had yet to turn up the missing Watcher or the
escaped hostiles.  Even Cordelia and Doyle had disappeared, making the
Slayer one pissed off blonde.  A check of Giles' phone records had turned up
the fact that he had called Angel Investigations shortly after the
Initiative had paid him a visit.  It had been assumed that the Watcher had
defected, in Buffy's words, to the other side.  Xander, on the other hand,
wondered if that was a sign that something more than what he had been told
was actually going on and he was doing his damnedest to get to the truth.
What he was finding, so far, hadn't made him happy.  He had come across
records that stated exactly what the Initiative was up to with the
experiments on the demons and vampires.  And he had also found the tapes of
Willow and Anya's imprisonment.  It had hurt him to hear the former
vengeance demon talk about how disappointed in him she was because of his
seeming indifference to Willow's heartbreak and how Spike had instantly
volunteered to help her search for the red head.  Xander hoped he would have
a chance to make it up to both girls.
Everyone in the Initiative had accepted that Xander was helping them.  In
fact, Riley's friend Forrest had even volunteered to train Xander on the
different weapons that the Initiative used to capture and destroy hostiles.
And Xander played the part of follower well, all the while thinking of ways
to take down the Initiative from the inside.  He had seen some of their
prisoners.  Actually managed to talk to one of them and knew that they had
done nothing to held for and Xander wanted to make sure that they and any
other innocents, didn't have anything to fear again.
"Xander, are you listening to me?"  Buffy questioned, looking at her
friend.  The one person she was positive wouldn't turn his back on her.
"Yeah Buffy." Xander replied.  "You can't believe that Giles just left like
that but I don't know why you seem so surprised by it.  He things of Willow
as his daughter.  He was probably worried about her."
Worried about her?"  Buffy repeated.  "Why should  he be worried about that
little slut after what she did to me?  That tramp seduced Angel.  She knew
how much I cared for him and she couldn't' wait to get him for herself.
Don't tell me that your going to fall for her little miss innocent act too?"
"I'm not falling for anything, Buffy,"  Xander said patiently.  'And that
especially means the crap that you're spouting.'  "I'm just trying to think
of why Giles did what he did.  IT isn't exactly like him to just take off.
Maybe he thought that he could Angel and Willow into turning themselves in
before something happened to them."
Buffy seemed to think about that.  It would make sense that Giles would try
and help Willow and Angel, but the blonde didn't like to think that her
Watcher had turned against her.  It made more sense that he had gone off on
his own to try and convince the others to turn themselves in.  And, if that
was the case, then she figured that it was only a matter of time before they
all returned to Sunnydale.
"Buffy, Xander come on," Riley called the pair.  "We've got a couple of
hostiles loose up on campus."  Buffy rushed out after her new boyfriend,
looking forward to kicking the crap out of a something.  Xander just hoped
it wasn't an innocent demon.  'And I can't believe I actually think that
there are innocent demons now' Xander knew that he had to keep playing the
part that he was so used to, because, like Buffy, he was sure the others
would be coming back to Sunnydale.  He knew though that it wouldn't be to
turn themselves in.  More likely, it would be to destroy the Initiative and
Xander wanted to be prepared to offer them whatever help he could.
 

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