The concept of 'Immortals' and 'The Game' belongs to Panzer/Davis of Highlander. So it stands to reason that the character of Adam Pierson and any other Highlander characters that are likely to pop up are the creation and property of Panzer/Davis. No copyright infringement is intended or implied. Several upcoming characters will belong to their creators on the RPG list and I will point those out as they appear. In this story, Erin does not belong to me. Erin belongs to Carrie. hey girl!!! Landon belongs to herself and to Rain (me).
Thank you to all my beta readers: Lorenzo, Kim, and my mother as always . . .
Landon's Diary
Like I've mentioned before, my Landon series comes from my RPG list. I'm writing back and forth
with another character now, named Erin, a 25 year old Irishwoman. November 2000 Part 3 (after
Erin's part which goes, VERY abbreviatedly: Erin looks at photo of Adam, freaks and spews her
mouthful of coffee, flight attendant fusses, Landon and Erin would rather be left alone to their
situation and tell the attendant the coffee was too hot, they discuss and meanwhile Landon tries
to figure out why Erin reacted that way, Landon happens to glance at Erin's wrist and sees
clearly a strange blue tattoo. She recognizes the mark as one a Watcher would have. So Erin is
a Watcher, knows about Immortals and knows Adam Pierson. Erin thinks to herself, this girl
cannot be this man's girlfriend. She must just have a crush on Adam who might be her uncle
or cousin. Erin tells Landon she used to work with Adam. Landon reveals she knows about the
University the work would have been at and about Watchers. Erin is shocked Landon knows about
Watchers, but Landon rolls her eyes saying, "Pul-ease! I've lived with the man for years." Both women agree the plane ride will be interesting and a chess game commences.)
Paying just enough attention to the passengers around her, Landon saw the man seated in front of her in coach leave to wander the cabin. Almost of their own accord, Landon's slender legs swung up against the back of his seat. She wore heavy white Sketchers sneakers. Size 3. Light brown cargo pants covered her legs, and despite the cold temperatures of the season, a white cotton
tank top encased her torso. The fit of the shirt was tight and enhanced the fact that Landon's chest was that of a girl. She had given up wishing for cleavage long ago. Landon would never have a woman's breasts, never be the so-called perfect woman to any man, no matter how well he thinks he knows her, or loves her as the thirty-three year old Immortal she was.
It was too hot in the plane's cabin for Landon to wear her large mauve coat. The coat had seen thousands of miles of wear, bullet holes, knife and sword tears. A faded blood stain that the drycleaner had eyed before he realized he would never receive an explanation. The coat had been tailored to fit a young man. On Landon it hung as a huge trench coat reaching past her knees
when she stood. It was due to the soul who had given her this coat, that Landon would rather die than lose it. Landon had been told the gift-giver was dead. He had sacrificed himself to the sun one winter morning in New York City nearly four years ago. His name had been Armand. He was a vampire.
Landon slid her pawn safely across the chessboard. She was playing the game against Erin O'Dell, a young Irishwoman in her twenties with long curly red hair. Their verbal stand off was now replaced by a tense chess tournament while both women contemplated their next tactical conversation move. Erin needed to know where her University colleague had been keeping himself
for the past four years. Landon needed to know if this clumsy madwoman who bore the wrist tattoo of a Watcher had ever slept with her boyfriend. The colleague and the boyfriend being the one man, Adam Pierson, who at this moment, unbeknownst to even Landon, was on a mission all his own that would soon put him through an adventure on the same North American continent.
It was Landon's move again. She captured Erin's bishop, re-enforcing her already advantaged position on the board.
"Erin?" Landon began, her voice soft but determined to remain firm.
"Yes, Amy?" Erin O'Dell replied, equally soft and determined.
"Erin, how long did you work with Adam?"
The red-haired woman back peddled her knight and then looked up at Landon. Her green eyes softened slightly and she answered, "Oh…just two years I suppose, in Paris. Until the summer of '96 when he just disappeared. He cleaned out his flat and was gone. I didn't know where he'd
gone. No one did. He didn't notify anyone at all. He didn't leave a forwarding address. But, I guess…You know where he was, or did you talk to him back then? Well, he probably told you about it now anyway."
Landon sensed Erin was waiting for Landon to say something. But Landon said nothing. She did not even change her calm expression. So Erin continued, more to herself now than to Amy. "I mean the assignment has been around for thousands of years, but for me to suddenly be left alone with it, having hardly any real experience… Maybe that was my fault. I spent so much time on my
other studies, for the University, I mean, not the Chronicle. I never believed Adam would let that happen to me. He'd always been so helpful and patient and considerate with me. Up until that night. But really, now that I think about it, he kept most of the Chronicle to himself. I didn't even lay my eyes on half of what he'd gathered till I was STUCK with it."
"Did you ever sleep with Adam?"
Erin shut up. Then she laughed out loud. "Ha! Sleep with Adam Pierson? Me? Ha! Oh sweetheart, I don't even think so. Oh, don't get me wrong, he's a dish, but, well, he was also frigid toward anything resembling social interaction. He was quite content surrounded by his dusty and mildewed volumes and the translations he diligently filled tablet after tablet with. The man was born for research." Erin grinned, but Landon stared at her. "Oh, and of course I
didn't want to risk cocking up our professional relationship. Nevermind my family has a history of romance in the field, it was utterly hopeless with Adam outside of a few odd beers at the pub now and then." Clearly, reminiscing was not what Amy wanted to hear, so Erin stopped. The girl's question was answered, Erin prayed her answer was believed.
Landon stared at the chessboard, suddenly incapable of remembering her strategy both in the game and in the conversation. Again she had asked for trouble by starting discussions and demanding observations which only reminded the Immortal of how little and far-between her working knowledge of Adam actually ran. Then Erin spoke again. She said something both women would soon regret
hearing. "And then of course, who can forget that the man fell in love. Tragic, really from the very get go. But he didn't care." Erin pulled her curls back from her face nonchalantly. "He made Alexa his whole life for those 5 months. I thought he'd never get over her death, but…here you are.
Check, and Mate.
Erin had intended to tease her. Maybe force the girl beside her to finally admit she was only Adam's little cousin or niece, and not his girlfriend. Amy was only thirteen for God's sake, no
matter how old she tried to act! And once that truth came out, Erin could move on to prying Adam's current whereabouts out of Amy.
But the girl's feet fell off the airplane seat in front of her. She pulled her knees up to her chest and folded her arms around them. She looked like she would cry. Her lip trembled as she whispered, "Alexa?"
"You really didn't know about Alexa?" Erin asked, puzzled, and searched her pockets for a Kleenex to hand the poor girl. Landon shook her head no, once. "Oh, bloody hell, I've gone and done it
again, haven't I? I'm so, so sorry, Amy. To hear this from someone you've just met even." Erin found a Kleenex, finally. Landon took it absently. She dabbed at her wet eyes, the heavy black mascara melting off her eyelashes.
Then suddenly, Landon dropped her feet to the floor. The chessboard and all the pieces spilled off the fold-down tray. Erin flinched but put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "At least you'll
be with your family soon and away from batty-old me, huh? The flight is almost over. Is someone meeting you at the airport?"
"No! No one is meeting me at the airport!" Landon snapped. "I don't have any family in Toronto, or in Canada, or anywhere. Get off your goddamned trip of me being related to Adam somehow! There is no relation. None but the most intimate. I do see why you wouldn't want to believe me
at first. I'm just a kid to you. But Adam knows me, the real me. He has for eighteen years. So-"
"Eighteen years?" Erin broke in, snatching her hand off Landon's shoulder. "But you could only be…at the most you're--. Wait a minute! Wait one bloody minute. I didn't see it before, but yes. I do now. I know you! You're," she dropped her voice to do a whisper, "an Immortal, and your name is not Amy."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Landon told her. "First you break my heart and then you start accusing me of lying about who I am?" Landon's brown eyes searched frantically for a
flight attendant, even that bubbly blonde one would do. Weren't the two of them making enough of a ruckus? A while ago the flight attendants had swarmed immediately.
"Yeah, apparently I do," Erin said. "Look, I'm a Watcher. I've seen your file: Landon Wilson, born: St. Louis April 1967, died first death: Paris April 1982…"
"Hey, hey! What are you doing, lady?" Landon covered Erin's mouth with her palm and hissed, "Alright, alright. You're right. My name's not Amy. It's Landon. Now stop quoting my Chronicle or whatever it is you people call them." Landon cursed herself for speaking so carelessly. So what if she had been upset? That didn't give her the license to unlock her life
to Erin, whom she'd not once forgotten was a Watcher. Perhaps Landon had depended too much on Erin's being a researcher and not in the field with an active assignment. Would that really affect how well the Irishwoman processed the details Landon had fed her during the flight?
Apparently not. A Watcher is a Watcher and an Immortal shouldn't trust one. Nevermind that the Immortal Adam Pierson had been a Watcher for thirteen years. That was a different situation. That was pure genius.
Landon had tried so hard to put that infuriating man behind her today. But she loved him, and she would always love him. She had to know.
"Tell me about Alexa."
Erin had just finished retrieving her spilled chess set. "I'm in enough trouble now as it is; talking to you at all. I'll probably be reported and sent home to Dublin."
"Erin, please? I mean, if you're already gonna get reamed, you could tell me."
"No, no that's not how it works," Erin replied. "And besides, I think I'm not the person to say anything more about her. You should be asking Adam."
Landon thought to herself. Yeah, I can really see him talking about a dead girlfriend when he's never thought to mention her before. God, how could I have been so blind? Adam is in love with someone else. That's why he hasn't kissed me like he means it or given in to me in London at
all. No matter what I've tried to do or say. How can he love me when he still loves her?
Now the airplane pilot had come over the speaker and announced they were approaching Toronto. Landon slowly fastened her seatbelt. Erin did not, and instead said, "This does make more sense now. Eighteen years ago Adam would have been--," Erin paused while mentally figuring it, "Eighteen or nineteen years old? And you were fifteen when, well, you know. That's not so bad
then, the age differences, I mean. But that certainly does not explain why he would ever continue to see you once he swore the Watcher oath, or why he told you about the Organization."
Landon was still trying not to snicker at the thought of Adam at age eighteen. She'd never had that pleasure. In fact she had no idea how old Adam Pierson was. He'd never told her. "I'm not sorry," Landon told Erin.
"I never expected you to be sorry," Erin said quickly, still looking a bit nervous about continuing this dialogue between herself and an Immortal. "But the fact remains. A Watcher and an Immortal romantically involved? It's forbidden, and it's dangerous for everyone involved. It could break apart everything." Erin lowered her head and picked up one half of her seatbelt. "I believed Adam smarter than that. But maybe I never really knew him. Maybe he's changed since
he's abandoned me and the Watchers." Erin was not surprised by Landon's continued non-reactions. She sensed she'd now made an enemy rather than a friend. But then a light bulb lit up inside Erin's head, and she remembered the question she had to ask before the plane landed and she lost
perhaps her only opportunity. "Is Adam here in Toronto? Is that why you're here?"
Landon held her folded coat in her lap and squeezed her carry-on tighter between her sneakers. "I told you an hour ago. He's not here."
"Ah, yes, that's right. I remember. Do you remember how I told you Adam and I used to work together? I haven't spoken to him in four years. And I could use his help on some projects," the red-haired woman implored, acting oblivious to the fact that Landon only LOOKED like a naïve kid.
"I'm not telling you where he is. If he wanted you to know that, he would have contacted you by now."
The pilot announced he would be landing promptly. The plane was already decreasing sharply in altitude.
Landon stared straight ahead but glanced at Erin out of the corner of her eye. "I can't help you," she said, "unless you help me. WILL you tell me all you know about Alexa?"
Erin appeared to be thinking the proposition over. Landon felt the plane set down on the runway. She also felt Toronto could be good for her Immortal soul. It would feel good to see a hockey
game or two, take in the Bon Jovi concert next week, and in December, her favorite band the Tea Party would make an appearance. Landon had nowhere to stay, but she had Adam Pierson's VISA. If Erin O'Dell would not agree to the terms set down, Landon would surely be able to instead occupy
herself forgetting all about that man. Until, like always, she finally forgot all the hurt she was supposed to be forgetting.
FIN
© 2000 Rain Pierson
Airplane over Canada
November 2000
first penned November 2000
revised through January 2001
