What Would Be Revealed

windwilowk

Sentinel/Highlander crossover AU

Jim/Blair, Duncan/Methos, Richie/Joe

NC17

WIP

Yes, please archive

What Would Be Revealed
by windwilowk

for if the eyes are windows
should one delve so deep
for what would be revealed amid
the facets and planes of the
secrets the soul doth keep


She was dead. Alex was dead. There had been a fire at the asylum. A number of people were lost including Alex. The news brought Jim, Blair, Simon, and, Megan a sense of relief.

Though it seemed as though it would open old wounds, it actually provided a starting point for healing between the sentinel and his guide. They talked about her death, Blair's death, and how they each felt about those things. They were not completely back tothe way things were before that woman, but they had reached a place where their friendship could grow again.

Blair came home from Ranier and was all excited. He was waving a book in his hand and rambling a mile a minute.

"Jim, man you're not gonna believe it. This book has the most incredible story! It's about this priest named Darius. How he used to be a soldier and then became a priest and was beheaded."

"Chief. Slow down and take a breath. Quite a few people were beheaded in different countries throughout history."

"Yeah, but Jim this guy was beheaded in the last 20 years in France."

"What?" Jim replied looking sharply at Blair.

"And you'll never believe what else!" Blair chattered, bouncing in his seat.

"So tell me." Jim said handing Blair a beer as he sat down next to him.

"This Darius was hundreds if not centuries old." Blair said in a voice tinged with awe.

"Yeah right." Jim said disbelievingly.

Blair continued. "No, listen. It says in here that the person writing it couldn't begin to imagine living through the centuries and the changes time brings as the man he watched did. He says that Darius is part of a race of immortals who fight one another till the death,beheading their opponent, thereby gaining something called a quickening. It says that Darius was killed by a group of renegade humans, whose perverse view of things turned them into hunters of the immortals whose life journals they kept."

"Don't tell me you think that is real?" Jim said as he looked at Blair.

Blair shook his head and smiled, then pressed forward with his argument.

"Like sentinels Jim, or guides? I looked this guy up. There was a priest in Paris who was killed in a church. Nothing was said of how, but the priest's name was Darius. The thing is there is something familiar here. It's just beyond my reach." Blair said as he looked at the book he held in his hands.

Just then Jim pushed the sleeve to his sweater up his arm.

"Do that again Jim." Blair said and Jim could practically see the wheels turning.

"Do what Chief?" Jim asked.

Blair nodded towards Jim's arm. "Push your sleeve up again. Only this time with the inside of your wrist facing me."

"Sandburg, what's going on in that mind of yours?" Jim asked.

"Jim, just humor me and do it and I'll stop pestering you." Blair replied.

Jim gave him a look which said he didn't believe that, but he pulled his sleeve down and then pushed it up again as had been requested.

"Oh my God. That's it!" Blair said as he jumped in place.

"That's what Chief? Care to let me in on things here?" Jim gestured with his hands.

Blair calmed himself a bit. "Oh, Yeah sure Jim. Just remembering. Shortly before I met you, Naomi and I were in Seacouver. We were at a hotel and down in the lounge they were having amateur night. This guy got up and sang. He was a really good blues singer. He played the guitar. Naomi had hooked up with an old friend and left. I got to talking to the guy. If I could only remember his name."

"Uh, Chief, what does this have to do with wanting me to push up my sleeve?"

Blair answered. "Um, well, when I was talking to him he did the same and I noticed a tattoo on his wrist. I'm pretty sure it matches the design here on this book."

"Well it sounds like this guy could be John Doe or Joe Smith or any one in between."

"That's it!" Blair said excitedly.

"What's what?" Jim asked.

Blair looked at Jim. "Joe. His first name was Joe. Now all I have to do is find out his last name and maybe I could contact him and see where it leads."

"Knowing you it'll probably lead to trouble." Jim said shaking his head.

Blair glared at Jim. "Says the pot Jim. Says the pot. Why don't we check out the game?" With that Jim grabbed the remote and turned the TV on.

Half way through the game came enough commercials to have allowed a person to run out and get a fast food meal. Blair put some stuff in his room. As he was coming out he saw the commercial for that show a lot of his students liked to watch. Bingo! Joe Dawson. That was his name. Blair opened his laptop and looked for him in Seacouver. He found a listing for Joe's Place, which happened to be a blues bar. Jim came over and looked over his shoulder at the information on the screen. Then he saw Blair look up travel routes.

"Going somewhere Darwin?" Jim asked looking over Blair's shoulder.

"Yep. Thinking of going to Seacouver this week. You have to go to that conference. You head out Monday. I figure I'll go on Tuesday. Things shouldn't be as busy during the week as the weekend at the bar. Maybe Joe will be able to give me more information about this book and Darius."

"Just be careful." Jim cautioned.

"Yes Mom." Blair said with a roll of his eyes.

With that they settled to watch the rest of the game and then called it a night.

What Would Be Revealed 2

Monday came and Jim got off at the airport ok. He and Jim had actually hugged goodbye. It had been a long time since they had exchanged that friendly gesture. Jim called when he got settled
to let Sandburg know he had made it in ok.

He was glad Simon didn't need him in at the station this week. Their paperwork was caught up and things were actually slow. He decided to head out after lunch.

He'd booked a room in a nearby motel for a night with the option of keeping it for one more if he wished. He figured he'd check in and get a feel for the area before heading to Joe's tonight.

He'd heard through a friend that there was a book store called The Reader's Alcove. He figured he'd check it out. Maybe someone there could help him find the meaning of the image on the book.

The road trip was nice. Blair opened his windows and enjoyed the fresh air, as there was actually sunshine and not rain which was blessing the day. Blair arrived at the motel. He was in room 222.
He vaguely thought there had been a tv show with that name once upon a time. He called and left a message for Jim so he would know that he'd made it in ok.

After he got settled, he made his way to the diner across the street. He got a piece of peanut butter cream pie, and a soda. Blair talked some with the waitress. She told him the best ways
to get to the book store and Joe's. He finished up his pie and headed out.

Five minutes or so later he found himself at The Reading Alcove, proprietor, one Adam Pierson. Like most stores which carried old books, this one had the familiar aroma of musty paper. Books
lined the walls and shelves. As he made his way through the stacks he noticed little sitting areas here and there, some open, and some tucked away so a person could read in a solitude of sorts. A voice called out from further back.

"Just putting a book up. I'll be right with you." Blair met the young woman in the aisle between the stacks.

"Hi, I'm Stacy. Is there something I can help you with today?" Stacy said offering her hand.

Blair extended his in turn. "I' m Blair Sandburg. Nice to meet you. I have this book with an unusual insignia on it and I was hoping to find out some information on it."

Stacy offered an apologetic smile.

" I'm sorry. I'm a college student just working for some extra money. The store owner, Adam is out of the country. I'm not sure when he'll be back."

"Does he have an email address?" Blair asked.

"Yes. I can give you the one for the business. Here's the card." Stacy replied as she handed a card to Blair.

"Thanks Stacy." Blair said with a smile.

"You're welcome." Stacy replied.

_____

Later that evening, Blair made his way to Joe's Place. He entered, taking in the atmosphere, and found it to his liking. He sat down at the bar and ordered a beer. Mike was tending bar.

"Excuse me, is Joe in tonight? I heard him play a few years ago and was hoping to catch him playing tonight." Blair said nodding towards the stage.

"He's here, just taking a break right now. He should be back in a few." Blair nodded his head and drank some of his beer.

Joe soon returned and played for a while. As he scanned the audience for potential trouble, he noticed a young man he recalled meeting before. He'd talked with him a number of years ago. The young man's mother, had left him to go off with some friends. Joe had been playing that evening and they had gotten to talking later. The other man caught his eye and smiled. Joe gave a small wave of recognition. He played for a while longer. The young man was still there when he finished. Joe made his way to the bar.

"Hi, you remember me?" Blair asked.

"Yeah, though I can't put a name with the face." Joe replied.

"Blair. Blair Sandburg, Mister Dawson." Blair said with a smile.

"Call me Joe, Blair. Why don't we go over to that booth and we can talk, catch up so to speak."

"That would be great Joe." Blair replied as he practically bounced over to where the booth was. They sat down and Mike brought over some fresh beers. After he left, Joe reached for his glass. His shirt sleeve caught on the coaster, giving Blair a glimpse of the inside of his wrist. The tattoo was the same. He was positive.

"So what brings you to Seacouver?" How to play this thought Blair, before answering.

"Well, you see I'm into anthropology. I have an interest in things and that are old, or unique, as well as the peoples who used them."

Joe thought back. "I remember you saying something about that the last time we talked."

Blair nodded. "I came across this old book and a college student said this guy Adam Pierson, might be able to help." Seeing Joe's look of recognition, he inquired. "You know him?"

Joe answered. "Met him. He comes in now and then. So what's so interesting
about the book?"

"Well it's about a priest's life and death. It's got this emblem on it that's really neat." Blair's voice hinted at his excitement.

"Do you have the book with you? Maybe I could take a look at it?" Joe said,his voice betraying his anxiousness.

Blair found himself feeling sort of wary as the conversation went on. He didn't think he'd be showing Joe the book. But maybe, he had and additional copy of the emblem Stacy drew earlier. He could see if that brought a reaction and some answers. He pulled it carefully from it's place inside another book in his backpack.

"This is what the emblem looks like." Blair said pushing the paper towards Joe so he could see it. Definite reaction as he caught Joe's hands shaking just the tiniest bit as he looked at the paper he was holding in his hands.

"Think I saw it somewhere, though I can't say just where." `Gee, Joe wonder why', thought Blair. "If you can tell me where I can get in touch with you, I'll let you know if I think of
anything."

Blair could tell this conversation was soon coming to an end.

"I'm an observer with the Cascade Police Department. You can get in touch with me if you ask for Major Crimes." The reaction to this news was well covered, but not to one whose Sentinel
depended on him being able to clue into slight changes in those around him as well as in his Sentinel. Where he could be reached was not a welcome bit of news. Blair gathered the picture back up and put it away. Time to go.

"Good night Joe. It was good seeing you again." Blair said as he turned to leave.

"You too Blair." Joe turned so that Blair could see Joe in the mirror across the room. There was just one more thing to ferret out then. Joe was sitting so that his face was visible in the mirror.

Blair met his eyes in the mirror. "Guess, I might not find out anything more. I mean it's a pretty fantastic story." Joe decided he needed a bit more to drink and reached for his glass. " I mean surely it would have made the news if a priest in Paris died in the past twenty years, from decapitation of his head, you know."

Joe started coughing and Blair attempted to help him.

"You ok man?"

Joe managed enough air to get out. "Yeah, just down the wrong pipe, you know."

`Must've been something I said.' Thought Blair.

"Um, Blair, just out of curiosity, what was the priest's name?"

Blair answered. "Darius." `Oh yeah, reactions abound.' "Night Joe."

"Night." Joe said absently, his mind racing with the implications of what he suspected was true.

Blair left. He'd get a good night's sleep and head out first thing for home. Heading back to the motel, he thought of Jim's reaction when he heard all this. Best not to tell him till they were both home.

If this was giving Blair exciting, but weird vibes, there was no telling what Jim's reaction would be, possibly Sentinel overprotection drive. It was bad enough on people nearby when the Guide was within reach. It wouldn't do to risk setting Jim's alarms off like that when Blair knew Jim couldn't get to his Guide unless there was what Simon considered to be a true emergency. Bad vibes just didn't fall into that category with him.
______

Meanwhile back at the bar Richie arrived and took note of the look on his lover's face. He sat down next to Joe and took his hand.

"Joe, hey love, what's got you looking like a ghost?"

Joe looked up. "Gotta call Methos." The waitresses and Mike had left for the evening.

Joe was acting weird and Richie needed to figure out why. "Oookay. Why do we have to call the old man?"

Joe told him. He told Richie about meeting Blair a few years ago. He told him about Blair coming by tonight, the book, the watcher logo, and the book's subject. They called Methos.

What Would Be Revealed 3

Methos grabbed a beer and sat down at his computer to check on his mail. He had two messages. One was from Stacy. The other was from a Blair Sandburg.

Couldn't say he knew anyone by that name. He opened the email from Blair first. He indicated he had a book with a unique symbol on it and was hoping for some information. Well, Methos knowledge of symbols was exhaustive to say the least. Blair said he'd been in touch with Stacy so perhaps Methos could look into it.

He opened the email from Stacy. She indicated all was well. She mentioned seeing Blair and the symbol on the book that he was interested in finding out about. She said it was easy to sketch and she had scanned the sketch she made and it was in an attachment to the email.

Methos opened the attachment and up came the sketch. `Oh shit.' Methos could only think of only one kind of book which carried that symbol. If this Blair had been curious enough to enquire about the book at his bookstore, chances were that he had also read the contents. Methos wondered just whose life was chronicled in that book.

He'd have to look into this Blair and see if he was the kind who would possibly believe the reality of what he read, or would simply be dismissive of it. He had a feeling it was the former.

What steps to take next? Perhaps a call to Joe was in order. Just as he was reaching for the phone, it rang. The caller ID indicated it was Joe on the line. Wondering what had his friend up so late that he was calling so early, Methos picked up the line.

"Adam Pierson at your service." Methos answered dryly.

"Service, my ass Adam." Came Joe's sarcastic reply.

"I do believe that's someone else's job at the moment." Methos' voice contained a bit of laughter.

Joe responded. "Ha, ha . Very funny. Now if you'd shut your trap, I had a visitor today who came by a book which he took by your store to have checked out. It seems it had an interesting logo on
the outside. Care to guess?"

Methos sighed. "No. Actually Stacy sent me a copy of the symbol that was on the outside of the book. It's someone's chronicle. The question is whose."

Joe's voice carried his concern. "No Adam. It was someone's chronicle. Darius' to be specific."

"You saw the book?" Adam asked.

Joe answered. "No, Blair showed me a copy of the symbol that Stacy drew."

"What's your impression of him?" Methos knew Joe was a fair judge at these things.

Joe replied. "He's an intelligent hyper man. His Mom, if I remember from the time we met, is a fee spirit. The first time I met him, he was with his Mom, but she spotted some old friends and took off. I was singing and he stayed and we talked. He was interested in anthropology, and was excited about something to do with the senses, if I recall. He told me I could reach him at the Major Crimes Department in Cascade."

"Since he knows who the book was about, it's safe to say he's at least looked at it. Do you think he believes what's inside the book?" Methos queried.

"Yeah, I do." Joe said with resignation.

"Do you think his stopping by to see you was coincidental?" Methos said looking up something on his computer.

Joe answered. "No, I think he was fishing, like I said he's intelligent. I think he also has an insatiable curiosity.

Well, it looked like things were definitely interesting. `I might actually have some fun with this.' Adam thought as he stretched.

"Does he know your connection with the symbol?" Methos asked.

Remembering the coaster, Joe said.

"He knows I have a tattoo, but I don't think he fully understands the connection."

"Looks like I am headed for Cascade." Methos said.

"What, you're a policeman now?" Joe asked.

"Not this time around. I was thinking of a Professor. Perhaps history and ancient languages." Came Methos' reply.

"And how is this going to get you to Blair?"

"It turns out Blair also teaches some courses at Ranier." Came Methos smooth voice.

"So you'll be stateside sometime tomorrow?"

"Yep. Tell Richie hello. Bye Joe." Methos said.

"I will, Bye." Joe said as he set the receiver in the cradle.

Methos hung up with Joe and then phoned for reservations.

Having a little time, he decided to see what Blair might be studying. He looked up senses in connection with anthropology and came up with Burton, but not the actor. Ah, guardians and
guides. He'd heard about such pairings. Smiling to himself, he shut down the computer, and got ready for his flight.

Meanwhile

Richie tilted his head. "So, I gather from your side of the conversation that Methos is coming our way."

Joe shook his head no. "Not ours exactly. More like he's coming Blair's way in Cascade. It seems Blair also spends some time teaching there."

Reaching out to hold Joe's hand Richie said. "I don't know about you, but I'm tired. What do you say we head upstairs?"

"Sounds good, but I hope you're not too tired." Joe said as he caressed the hand in his.

"Have something in mind, did you?" Richie asked, his voice warm and a bit husky.

"Only one way to find out." Joe said waggling his brows.

"Right behind you." Richie said in all innocence.

Joe looked over his shoulder, smiling wickedly. "Possibly, and then again..."

END PART 3