Shennachie (Part 2)

The aftermath of the robbery, and Jimmy's explanation. Remember I said it was a crossover ;)

Ducky stared at his companion as the younger man checked himself over, and then zipped up his jacket to cover his bloodstained shirt. Before the evidence disappeared from view, Ducky noted the round, singed hole in the garment directly over Jimmy's heart, but the skin beneath appeared to be whole. Once the hole and stain were covered, Ducky mused that if he hadn't witnessed his assistant's demise, he wouldn't have known anything had happened to him. Mind still reeling, he continued to watch silently as Jimmy carefully moved around the shop to check on the other victims. He turned to Ducky and shook his head after checking the final body; it seemed they were the only survivors.

No. I was the only survivor…

Before he could approach the subject of Jimmy's resurrection with him again, the local police arrived. Jimmy immediately started to explain what had happened, and provided a somewhat believable explanation for he and Ducky being spared: they had barely managed to avoid the bullets, but had given the impression they had been hit, fooling the gunmen enough that they were left without further injury. As he listened, Ducky found himself admiring the younger man's story-telling skills, but he now wondered if Jimmy's ability to produce a falsehood was a talent he'd had to develop to protect himself.

By the time the detectives arrived, Ducky had recovered enough from his shock to answer their questions, backing up Jimmy's story as best he could, and providing detailed descriptions of the assailants. He agreed to go to the station to help put together a computer sketch, as did Jimmy, and the two of them remained silent as they were transported by one of the officers. Jimmy occasionally sent a glance his way, but Ducky could not determine the nature of the man's thoughts. I was almost as if he had become a stranger.

It was after midnight by the time they had finished both sketches, and Ducky was starting to really feel the effects of his fall. The officer creating the sketches had noticed his discomfort, and had asked him several times if he was OK, but Ducky waved off his questions. In reality, he wasn't OK. He was alive only because Jimmy had stepped in and protected him…and now he was protecting Jimmy.

He lost track of the younger man as they made their way out of the police station, and when he reached the main desk he was surprised to find a familiar form waiting for him.

"You OK, Duck?"

"I'm fine, Jethro, just a little battered from dodging bullets."

"Yeah, I heard. Where's Palmer?"

"He…I'm not sure. He might still be back in the squad room." Ducky turned and waited for Jimmy to emerge but saw no sign of him. "Excuse me," he said to the receptionist. "Have you seen a man come through here: late twenties, brown hair, glasses? Dressed in a dark zip-up jacket?"

"Sorry, not that I noticed."

"Maybe he got lost," Gibbs replied with a slight smirk, which disappeared when he saw Ducky's expression. "What?"

"Nothing, Jethro. I am merely concerned at how this evening's events have affected him."

"Palmer's got more backbone than we give him credit for. He'll be fine." Gibbs tilted his head and studied his old friend. "But that's not what's bothering you."

"Trying to profiler the profiler, Jethro?"

"When it's necessary."

"Well it's not necessary. I do appreciate your concern, but this is something I must work through on my own." He turned to search for Jimmy again and finally he was rewarded with the sight of his errant assistant. Jimmy's smile faltered slightly when he caught sight of Gibbs but he quickly recovered.

"Hey Agent, Gibbs…uh, Dr. Mallard, I called us a cab to take us back to pick up our cars."

"No need, Palmer, I'll drop you off. You OK?"

"Fine, Agent Gibbs. Well, considering… Are you taking over the case?"

"Not our jurisdiction, Palmer. All the victims were civilians."

"Oh, of course."

"Doesn't mean I won't be keeping tabs on it, though. Come on, you probably want to get home."

Jimmy merely nodded and followed Gibbs and Ducky out to Gibbs' car. The three of them made the ride back to the shop in silence, and Jimmy had opened the car door and was out on the street almost as soon as the car had slowed to a stop.

"Thanks for the ride, Agent Gibbs. I'll see you tomorrow, Dr. Mallard," he declared before starting to close the door.

"Palmer!"

He froze before slowly bending down to meet Gibbs' gaze through the car window. "Yes, Agent Gibbs?"

"You OK?" Gibbs asked again, and Ducky saw a strange expression cross Jimmy's face.

"I'm fine, Agent Gibbs. I just…need to go decompress." He glanced at Ducky before continuing. "This whole thing was just so…horrible, and—"

"You're sure you don't need to have someone with you?"

"Uh, no…I need to work it out on my own."

Gibbs stared as Jimmy fidgeted before finally nodding his assent. "OK, Palmer. See you tomorrow."

"Yes, sir, Agent Gibbs. Goodnight, Dr. Mallard."

"Goodnight…Mr. Palmer."

Jimmy fled and Gibbs turned to his passenger. "You want to tell me what that was all about?"

Ducky was silent for a moment while he struggled to put his own discordant thoughts into words. "While we deal with the dead on a daily basis, Jethro, seeing…eight lives taken before our eyes tends to leave us…rather unsettled."

"That's not all that happened, though, is it?"

"It is all I am willing to share at this time."

Gibbs studied him for several moments, but Ducky had plenty of practice in remaining unwavering under that gaze. Finally Gibbs broke his silence. "If you need anything—"

"As Mr. Palmer said, I simply need time to 'decompress'. Thank you for bringing me back here, Jethro. It's late, and I really should be getting home."

"If you need anything, call me."

"I don't imagine I will. Need anything, that is. Goodnight, Jethro." Ducky climbed out of the sedan and walked over to his Morgan, relieved to find it still in one piece. As he pulled away from the curb, he glanced back, unsurprised to see Gibbs follow him. He ignored his shadow and headed for home, driving just under the speed limit, a tactic that he hoped would annoy Gibbs enough to abandon his pursuit. After a few miles, he looked back and smiled when he saw he was finally alone. While he did appreciate the concern, right now he needed to be alone, but not for the reason he had told Gibbs. Jimmy had promised an explanation, and Ducky was certain that he would not be able to rest until the mystery that had presented itself earlier that evening had been resolved. He had already searched his large mental files for something that could explain what he had witnesses but no solution had presented itself. He would have to go directly to the source of the puzzle, his young assistant.

When he arrived at his townhouse, Ducky first went to the medicine cabinet to retrieve a couple of painkillers, then went to his desk in his study and pulled out his address book. He opened the book to the page he wanted, copied an address onto a piece of paper, and returned the book to its proper place before heading back to his car. Just as he passed through the front door, his cell phone rang. He checked the number and sighed.

"What is it, Jethro? I'm at home now, safe and sound."

"Got a call from Metro. The BOLO got a hit, and they've arrested two suspects. They'll need you and Palmer to come down and make an ID."

"Now?"

"No, they said it could wait until tomorrow. I talked to Leon, and he gave the two of you tomorrow off. What time do you want me to pick you up?"

"I am perfectly capable of making the drive myself, Jethro. Thank you for letting me know, and I will inform Mr. Palmer as well."

"You sure?"

"Positive. Goodnight, Jethro."

"'Night, Duck."

Ducky shook his head as he stowed his cell phone and locked the front door before making the trek down the sidewalk to the driveway where his Morgan sat waiting. His friend's famous 'gut' was apparently working overtime, and while that was normally a good thing on a case, Ducky feared that this time it would interfere with his own investigation, and that was simply unacceptable.

He pulled out of the driveway and headed for the address that he had recorded just a few minutes before. I wasn't a bad section of the city, but neither was it as prestigious as the area in which he lived. Slightly run-down apartment buildings and small, older homes lined the nearly deserted streets in the area, and when he reached his destination, he noted that the lights were on in Jimmy's apartment, and he could see a shadow moving behind the thin curtains. Ducky parked at the curb directly in front of the building and climbed out, closing the door carefully behind him. He walked up to the building and, finding the door locked, he pressed the buzzer for Jimmy's apartment. He waited, expecting to hear Jimmy's voice from the call box, but instead he heard a soft chime as the front door unlocked. He opened the door and stepped into the dim hallway, found the stairs, and made the ascent to the second floor. He found Jimmy's apartment without too much trouble and raised his hand to knock when the door opened, revealing the younger man. He had changed into a plain black long-sleeve t-shirt and jeans, and was no longer wearing his glasses. Jimmy gave the M.E. a weak smile when he saw him in the doorway.

"Dr. Mallard. I had a feeling I might be seeing you, sooner rather than later."

Ducky stared at Jimmy in shock. The man's voice was different: slightly lower, with a faint accent, and lacking the man's normal cheerful yet innocent tone. Ducky realized that there was a lot more to this situation than he had expected.

Jimmy chuckled ruefully when he noticed his mentor's expression and spoke again in the same oddly mature-sounding voice. "Agent Gibbs called to inform me that the perpetrators have been caught, and our presence had been requested by Metro Police to confirm the identification."

Ducky's eyes widened as he listened to the cadenced speech of the man he had thought he knew and he finally managed to break his own silence.

"Who are you?"

Jimmy sighed. "That, Dr. Mallard, is a very long story, and not one I would care to repeat in public, even at two in the morning." He stepped out into the hallway and closed the door. "Come with me."

"And where are we going…at two in the morning?" Ducky asked, a trace of sarcasm seeping into his tone.

"Someplace safe." His voice once again returned to the one Ducky had been hearing for the past eight years. "I won't get us lost this time, I promise." He gave the M.E. a reassuring smile and headed for the stairs. After a brief hesitation, Ducky followed.

They left the apartment building and Jimmy turned to Ducky. "You should put your car in my garage space. It's not the best neighborhood in which to leave a classic vehicle out in the open." Jimmy walked to the adjacent building and opened one of the bays, revealing his older model Toyota. After they had swapped the cars in the space, Ducky climbed into the passenger seat of Jimmy's car and they were soon on their way. While Jimmy drove, Ducky studied him, trying to discern what else might be different, but, other than the missing glasses, he looked the same as he always had. Ducky knew he should be more worried. He was traveling to parts unknown with a man who apparently held a great deal of secrets, but he also knew that this man was someone he had trusted for years…and had recently saved his life.

After nearly an hour spent almost entirely in silence, they pulled into a gravel lot in front of a small stone building, obviously quite old. It took only a moment for Ducky to realize what it was and turned to Jimmy in surprise.

"A church?"

"Sanctuary. I know the pastor, he's an old friend, and he won't mind that we're here," Jimmy replied in his normal voice. He headed for the rear of the church and Ducky followed, puzzling over his word choice to describe the building. Jimmy had not struck him as a particularly religious man, but Ducky decided it was just one more item to add to the growing list of things he really didn't know about his protégé.

Jimmy unlocked the cellar door and led Ducky down into the basement of the church. Instead on the cluttered space he had expected, the area was neat and orderly, with bookshelves lining three of the four walls, and old, yet well-cared-for furniture arranged in a sitting area. Jimmy seated himself in one of the chairs, and Ducky carefully lowered himself into one sitting a few feet away from Jimmy. He could see that the younger man was struggling with what he wanted to say, and Ducky decided to get the conversation started himself.

"What happened, Jimmy? How is it that you're still alive?"

Jimmy sighed. "As I said, it's a long story." He looked up at Ducky and chuckled softly. "You know, I've listened to your stories for years, waiting for some hint that you were aware of people like me. I'm rather surprised you've never met one of us before." The voice he had used earlier had returned, but Ducky was more concerned with what he had actually said.

"'One of us'? There are others that...?" Suddenly Ducky realized he had used the wrong word to begin the question he had first asked earlier. "What are you?"

"I'm…I am one of a group of…special people that, if we die a violent death, we return to life, and we cannot be killed again by normal means. We don't get sick, we don't die, and we don't age."

"You're…?"

"We're called Immortals."

"Immortal? But that's…that's impossible!"

"Apparently not," Jimmy said with a cheeky grin that made him look much more like the man Ducky had worked with for years. "No one really knows why, but we've been around for quite a long time."

"How many of you are there?" Ducky managed to ask. With all of the things he had seen, he, too, wondered why he hadn't encountered one of these 'special people' before now.

"I'm not really sure; maybe a couple hundred, worldwide. Not as many as there used to be, but we're still around."

"Why aren't there as many? If you cannot die—"

"We can, just not by normal means."

"And you do not age…" Ducky studied the man in front of him. "How old are you?"

"A lot older than I look. I was only about twenty-five at the time of my first death…and quite a bit of time has passed since then."

"First death? When you…became Immortal?"

"Yes. I was born in a small village about five miles from in a town called Llanandras, now known as Presteigne. It's on the border between—"

"England and Wales. Most famous for the battle that occurred there on June 22, 1402: the Battle of Pilleth."

"Or the Battle of Bryn Glas, as it's also known." Jimmy sighed. "Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time." Ducky sent him a puzzled look and he continued. "I had made the journey to seek advice from the priest at St. Mary's, but when I got there, the church was in flames…and then I got caught in the crossfire."

"Wait just a moment: you're telling me that you were there? At the battle?"

"Unfortunately."

"But that means…you are…"

"Over six hundred years old, yes."

Ducky could only stare at the man in front of him in shock. For years, he had seen him as someone much younger than himself, yet strangely able to relate to his mentor's quirks and ideas. He had chalked it up to a unique personality, but now…

"You lied to me."

"I'm sorry. It couldn't be helped. About the important stuff, like med school, I told you the truth. I'd never been through the program before." He paused, and an almost wistful look crossed his face. "My first teach did suggest I attend Heidelberg with him for medical training, such as it was, but I wasn't thrilled with the dueling that went along with it."

Ducky managed to refrain from asking about that and tried to bring the source of his growing anger up again. "But you did lie. The stories you told me, about your family…none of those were true, were they?" A strong sense of betrayal had been growing ever since Ducky first realized that he had been lied to, and he wanted to make sure this man knew it.

"Well, the stories were true…most of them. They just weren't mine. I just…borrowed them from people I'd known over the years. Obviously I've known some strange people, but—"

"And you expect me to trust you now?"

"I am sorry I had to lie, Dr. Mallard, but…I seriously doubt you would have accepted the truth, had you not seen for yourself. Besides, it's not just you. It is part of who we are. We lie to protect ourselves…and those around us."

"Protect us from what?"

"The knowledge that immortality exists…but not for everyone."

"And the passing of our loved ones is made more difficult, knowing that we might have had longer, had they been one of the 'special ones'," Ducky murmured as he started to understand.

"Yes. Then there's the fact that not all of us are as accepting of mortals knowing about Immortals. There are some who would protect their secret at all costs."

"Their lives would be in danger if those Immortals knew that they knew."

"Exactly."

"That…is quite a burden you carry, Mr. Palmer…I suppose that's not your real name, is it?"

"No. Ieuan ap Trahaearn is the name I had as a child. I definitely prefer my modern name," he admitted with a slight grin.

"I can imagine… What about your real family. How did they react to your resurrection?"

"I, uh, didn't tell them. It was the early 15th century. The would have thought—"

"Witchcraft."

A pained look crossed Jimmy's face as he obviously remembered something. "Yes. Of course, that became an issue later. That winter, many of the people in my village, including my family, grew sick and died, but I was perfectly healthy. The rest of the village didn't take kindly to that, and…it wasn't an experience I'd care to repeat."

"What happened after that?"

"I wandered, heading north into Scotland, since the Welsh weren't all that welcome in England, and from there to Ireland. Eventually I met my first teacher."

"Another Immortal? What did he have to teach you?"

"How to survive. You see, some of the Immortals believe that the last one of us left alive will have some great power, so they spend their time eliminating the competition, as it were. My teacher taught me how to fight back, but also how to avoid other Immortals as much as possible. 'Live, grow stronger, fight another day' was his motto."

"Sounds like a wise man."

"A bit of a wise-ass, too, according to a couple of my friends," Jimmy said with another grin.

Ducky chuckled, feeling a bit of the anxiety he had been carrying start to lift. Jimmy watched him for a few moments before he finally spoke.

"So…am I forgiven, Doctor?"

"Just answer me one question: have you ever used your…status to harm anyone at NCIS, or anywhere else, for that matter?"

"No, Doctor. I've never harmed a mortal, and I've only fought other Immortals defensively." He met Ducky's gaze. "Except for anything I may have said about my personal background before now, my actions and words have been true. I took this job because I wanted to help people…and I've been honored to work with the people I've known at NCIS. I may still have some quirks, but…I'm really not all that different from the man you worked with for the past eight years. I just have a longer shelf life. So the ball is in your court, Dr. Mallard. Can you still work with me? Or is it time for me to move on?"

Ducky considered all he had learned. Yes, Jimmy had lied to him, and to others to get the job he now had, but from what Ducky had seen, no harm had come from it. He had always shown himself to be an upstanding young…well, not young, man. He had offered support to Ducky and others when it was needed, and finally…

"You saved my life. You stepped in front of me and allowed yourself to be killed in my stead…and you knew fully well what would happen afterwards. Yet you still saved me. Why?"

"Because it was the right thing to do, Dr. Mallard. I have lives to spare. You only have one…and it is one well worth saving, no matter what happens now."

Ducky watched Jimmy's expression searching for any sign of mendaciousness, and found none. Finally, he nodded. "I can still work with you, Mr. Palmer, under one condition."

"Yes?"

"I expect to hear some of your real stories."

The grin that appeared lit up Jimmy's face. "It would be my pleasure, Dr. Mallard."

The End

So yes, the crossover universe was Highlander (the series). I've seen several such crossovers, but none of the fics have had Jimmy as the Immortal. I decided we needed one ;)