In the mid nineteen-twenties, before the stock market crashed, Richard and Jonathan had pooled their money together to buy marble headstones for Rebecca and her mother. The headstone for Rebecca's headstone was white and in the shape of a cross while Rebecca's was in the shape of a Celtic cross. Twice a year, Jonathan and Richard would make the journey back to Philadelphia to place flowers on their graves and walk the same dirt road that Jonathan had found Richard on. Jonathan bought the whole land surrounding his farm to keep it preserved, and made sure that the house and barn stayed in good shape. He even replaced the fence's even though there hadn't been any livestock on that old farm for decades.
Now, the journey had been completely different. Richard made the journey this time with Jonathan, but to lay him to rest with his family. Jonathan had left a will and had given the old land and farm to Richard, knowing he would keep it safe and preserved. Richard wasn't alone on his journey though. As Richard knelt down on the freshly covered grave, he felt the hand of the woman he loved on his shoulder. There was a bouquet of yellow roses on each grave, and Richard slowly set the last on Jonathan's grave that was in the shape of a normal headstone, but it had the engraved pictures of an old 1776 musket crossed over a picture of Jonathan's sword.
Jonathan "John" Miles
BORN: March 4th, 1745 DIED: February 20th, 2005
John let out a deep sigh as he remembered everything he and John had ever done or been through in their days together. It would be different without him around now, but he would always be remembered.
"You really miss him, don't you?" Kim asked him.
"Yeah, I really do." Richard said as he stood and looked at the old house.
"So this was your first home in America?" Kim asked him.
"You bet it was. And I loved being whenever I could. To this day, I still some nights in that old hay loft. And I remember her." Richard said.
"I think she would have wanted you to be happy." Kim said as they walked to a pond that was still there and walked under an old oak tree that had been a sapling when he and Rebecca had planted it.
"I know she would." Richard said as he sat under the tree, and Kim sitting in front of him and propped herself against Richard.
Richard held her hands in his as they saw the open land in all its beauty. Every piece of it looked just as magical and radiant as the day Richard had first seen it.
"Tell me about the prize. What's it like?" Kim asked him.
"It's strange to describe. It's like a whirlwind in my head. I can hear everyone's thoughts. Politicians, scientists, even ordinary people." Richard said.
"What am I thinking?" Kim asked him as she nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck.
"I don't even have to read your mind to know what you're thinking." He said as he kissed the top of her head.
"So what are you going to do now?" she asked him.
"Honestly, I don't have a clue. Everything is so new and open to me now. I can live and grow old if I want, or continue to be an immortal at any time. I can even have children now. Nothing prepared me for this, Kim." He said.
"Just have patience, Richard. You are at one with all living things now. Their thoughts are yours to know, so use your new gifts wisely and be happy. You deserve it. You've done well for yourself, Richard; and I'm proud of you." Jonathan's voice said inside his head and caused him to relax and smile.
"You know, I think I'll take a break from police work. I've done it for so many years, maybe it's time to use my vacation time." Richard said.
"How long is that?" Kim asked him.
"I think it's about half a century." Richard said.
"Sounds perfect." Kim sighed as she and Richard drifted off to sleep in each other's embrace.
"At least she's happy." The young man said as he looked at the couple from the open hayloft.
"Are you going to let anyone else know that you're alive and well?" the slightly older woman asked the young blonde.
"Not right now. For now, just having KP know I'm alive is just fine." Ron said as Rufus hugged the neck of his resurrected master.
"Let me ask you something. Ho come you didn't kill that guy and claim the prize. You could be normal right now." The woman said.
"Like Richard said, it was his fight." Ron told her.
"Since you went all noble and choose to be like the rest of us head hunters, that means we've got to create a whole new life for you kid. And thankfully, I'm an expert at that." The woman said as she brushed her raved black hair to the side.
"That reminds me, when the hell were you going to tell me you were an immortal, Shego?" Ron asked her.
"Kid, as many times as I've been fried, drowned, zapped, and in those stupid layers when they blew up? Not to mention that electric tower Princess kicked me into? That should have been obvious." She told the kid and gave him a light slap upside his head.
"So what happens next?" he asked his new found friend.
"Training. If you're going to be an immortal, then you're going to have to know your way around a sword. Don't worry, I had a good teacher." Shego said as she glanced out to the man who was sleeping under the tree by the pond.
"You and him, huh? Never saw that coming." Ron said.
"If you're thinking what I think thinking," Shego threatened.
"Huh? NO! No! I just meant I never imagined someone like him teaching someone like you. Hell, you take care of yourself." Ron said.
"Got that right. Not to mention, the last forty immortals who went up against me weren't expecting green plasma as a weapon." She said with a cat like grin.
"So where to, boss?" Ron asked her as they turned and headed for the ladder.
"Scotland." Shego said.
"Scotland?" Ron asked her.
"Yeah, I got a friend there. You'd really like him." She said.
"Really?" Ron asked her.
"Yeah. He's a blacksmith, and he might make you a sword." Shego said.
"I'll decline on that. If you haven't noticed this thing strapped to my back, I've already got one." Ron said to her.
"Oh yeah, the magic sword. Still, we're going to Scotland." Shego said.
"That's cool, as long as I don't have to eat hagus." Ron said and followed her down the ladder. Shego just laughed at his remark. "So what's your friend's name?" Ron asked.
"His name's Conner." Shego said.
As they left the barn, both stopped and looked at the open landscape. Ron took a deep breath that was a little shaky and glanced at his sleeping best friend.
"How are you feeling?" she asked him.
"To tell you the truth, I'm a little nervous." Ron said.
"Don't worry, Stoppable. You've got all eternity to get over it. Not to mention something else to look forward to." Shego said.
"Oh yeah? What's that?" Ron asked her.
"Kim's also got all eternity to look forward to. If things don't work out between her and Richard, you might have a chance again." Shego said.
JOHN: From the dawn of time we came, moving silently down through the centuries. Living many secret lives.
KIM: Struggling to reach the time of the Gathering; when the few who remain will battle to the last.
RON: No one has ever known we were among you, until now.
RICHARD: In the end, there can be only one.
HIGHLANDER
STRIKE OF A BLADE