Basic disclaimer: I don't own Methos or Cassandra. I just like to put them through hell once in a while. Miriam and Keepler our mine. (Yes, Farscape fans, that's who he's named after). I don't get any money for writing this. I do enjoy feedback and cyber hugs.

Thanks to Robin for the great lyrics: "Her Brand New Skin" by Everclear. Lyrics follow the story.

Now without further ado:




The Musings of Death


Methos woke with a start. The cold sweat dripped into his eyes and he tried to calm the racing of his heart. His momentary disorientation passed. Then he remembered…

“Methos! Methos! Help me!”

Her voice haunted him. “How can I hear her calling my name?” he wondered. She couldn’t use the Voice on him. Not anymore. Or could she?

Knowing that going back to sleep was a lost cause, he left his bedroom, turned on his laptop and began to record. After all he’d already done the observing.

June 17, 2006
Subject: Cassandra’s Death

I witnessed her final fight. (“I wasn’t even supposed to be there.” He thought.) I can’t believe that she’s dead after all of these millennia. Even more surprising, I didn’t do it. I always thought that someday she would forget her promise to MacLeod and challenge me, but she never did.

Instead, she was defeated by some new, punk Immortal who couldn’t have been more than 100 years old at the most. Barely weaned from his foster mother’s breast. He defeated her in the most dastardly way possible, he had help.

I was walking down by Notre Dame, reminiscing about the old days, when MacLeod and I would bore Richie with our philosophy and conquests. The sight of the river without MacLeod’s barge was too much for me. As I turned away from the filth that is the Seine I heard it, the clash of steel against steel, the grunts of opponents deep in battle. At first I wanted no part of it so I walked away. Before my third step I felt a familiar presence. Curiosity got the best of me and I walked toward the sounds. Turning the final corner I gasped in horror.

There was Cassandra fighting a young male Immortal. The pseudo man was dressed all in black leather. His bare arms were tattooed with the names of his victims. His hair was dyed a plethora of colors and his eyebrow was pierced. He was obviously unable to move beyond the hideous fads of the 1990’s. I found out later his name was Keepler.

Cassandra was actually holding her own against him. In fact, she had made a number of shallow wounds that were slowing her opponent down quite a lot.
Keepler knew this, the scum. That’s when he brought in his secret weapon, his Watcher. I couldn’t believe it when I saw it! An old friend of mine from Academy days was helping this scum! “Miriam!” I shouted. She turned and looked at me. Her expression was so lost, so haunted that I knew she did not do this of her own free will. Somehow Keepler had found out about her and turned her into his accomplice.

“I’m sorry Methos.” she said before taking the pistol and firing it straight at Cassandra’s heart. Cassandra was dead before she hit the ground. Her eternal death happened seconds later. I rushed toward Keepler as he was absorbing Cassandra’s Quickening. It was the most horribly beautiful thing I have seen. The lighting came in waves, the colors of the rainbow coming through in magnificent clarity. The color purple stood out above all others and somehow I knew that this was the color of Cassandra’s pure essence.

As soon as the Quickening ended I took the head off that bastard Keepler.

For one brief second there was nothing but silence and then all the force that was Cassandra entered into me. The pathetic life that was Keepler’s barely even registered. It was the most difficult Quickening I have ever taken. I know that my screams of pain must have been heard for blocks. I know that my very soul torn in half as the last mists of Cassandra’s essence entered my body.

I never wanted it to end like this. I never told her how much I regretted what I had done to her and now it was too late.

I lay there on the ground and watched Miriam pick up Keepler’s sword. For one brief second I hoped that she would use it on me. Instead, she began hacking at his body, damning him to Hell and cursing his soul to eternal agony. Little did she know the power of her words. I believe that having his essence trapped inside me with Cassandra’s would be hell enough.

When she was worn out from her activity, Miriam sat down by me and told me a story both terrifying and familiar. Keepler discovered his Watcher three years ago and slowing began to mold and manipulate her. First he seduced her body. Then he began to belittle her and torture her physically. Then he would buy her gifts and tell her how important she was to him. Before she was even sure how it happened, she was throwing away the Watcher oath and helping him kill his victims.

At the end of her tale she looked at me and said, “I know how important she was to you.” Than she put the gun to her head and ended her own life.

There I was surrounded once again by death. No matter what I do, I am Death. I will continue to be Death. I used to be a devil and I guess in some way I still am.

Now Cassandra, poor Cassandra, she is everywhere I am. I’m sure that she is no more happy about it than I am. Maybe this is the price of my redemption. But what a price. I’m sure MacLeod would appreciate the irony.

FIN


Her Brand New Skin

She is everywhere I am
Yeah when I don't want her to be there
I kinda want to leave in a hurry
She's walking on the city
Heavy in her monster boots

I hear her calling my name
I hide behind the people that I want to be
I hear her calling my name
I can see the future when she tells me how it's going to be

She is perpetual Kathy
All shake and happy in her brand new skin
She is perpetual Kathy
She is always the same

She is everything that I'm not
Strong and happy with the sound of the rhythm inside
I do not want to be a broken record
But I don't want to live in the shadow of a twelve step

I hear her calling my name
Next thing you know
I think I'll want to be a better man
I hear her calling my name
Yeah, I used to be a devil
But they never seemed to give a damn

She is perpetual Kathy
All shake and happy in her brand new skin
She is perpetual Kathy
She is always the same

She is always the same
Main Page