Identity Crisis

It used to be so simple. He was Methos the Immortal, who had found out about the Watchers and decided to hide in plain sight by joining them. Adam Pierson was a persona he created, a part he played, creating misinformation about Methos to keep the Watchers away from him. It was ingenious really, becomig his own Watcher; it ensured that he could keep 'Methos' as an half-mythical Immortal, stopping headhunters from coming for his head. But it was not so simple anymore.

It began with the Immortal Kales. Or with Duncan MacLeod, whichever way you looked at it. The two events were inextricably linked. But his life certainly changed when he got to know the Highlander Duncan MacLeod.

So had his outlook, his attitude. He had lived for over 5,000 years, so long that he couldn't really remember anything prior to taking his first head. Surviving that long had made him practical and pragmatic. Things like a conscience or a sense of honour fell by the wayside when your survival was at stake—you could not let anything distract you when others were after your head. But sticking to his practical and pragmatic outlook became difficult when dealing with Duncan MacLeod. The Highlander had a way of wheedling you into doing things whether you deem it advisable or not.

At first things weren't that bad. They only came to a head when Joe Dawson was arrested by the Watchers on charges of treason, of betraying them to the Immortals. The sentence was death, a bullet in the back of the head. Of course, MacLeod was not going to let that happen; and naturally he was shamed into trying to do something about it. (Though MacLeod had a point—he did owe Dawson; he was the only Watcher who knew his secret, and he hadn't betrayed it).

But the appearance of the Immortal Gypsy Galati, bent on blood vengeance against all Watchers for the murder of his wife (also an Immortal) at the hands of the renegade Watcher James Horton and cronies threw a spanner in the works. The Watchers decided that MacLeod was responsible and started a Watcher witchhunt for MacLeod and Dawson (who had ironically managed to survive the Galati massacre on the morning of his execution); thus putting him in an awkward situation—proecting his own from his own. An impossible situation. Where did his loyalties lie? With the Watchers? With his friends? With himself?

He knew the Watchers were wrong in this case, but he could see why they were so angered; they were losing friends and family left, right, and centre. Even so, he hid Dawson and MacLeod from the Watchers, hoping he wouldn't be caught. And he helped to try and clear MacLeod's name.

Thus leading to his identity crisis. As Watcher Adam Pierson he helped Dawson set up the Gypsy, leading to that Immortal's execution at the hands of the Watchers. He had helped set up a fellow Immortal to be executed. Sure, it was the time of the Gathering, and "There can be only one" as the saying went; but that was part of the Game, the code that Immortals (should) live by. But none of this was part of the Game, and none of it should have happened.

Never, in over 5,000 years, had he been so confused. Adam Pierson was only supposed to be a part he played, a persona to hide in plain sight among the Watchers. It was never supposed to become so much a part of him. When he fell in love with Alexa it was as Adam Pierson, though not the Watcher in that case, and he told her the truth before the end. But the Watcher persona was increasingly becoming part of him, and it had led to the betrayal of one of his own. For the first time he truly realised that the Watcher part was at odds with the Immortal, and the two parts could never be reconciled.