Can There Be Only One?

Chapter 24

We started our search for the bookstore that the Watcher book had come from, once we had gotten back to the states. We were determined to find the owner of the book and the man that killed Darius. I had gone to maybe 10 stores when I found one in particular that I really liked. I entered the store and the man shelving books stared at me. I did a nod and began to look at the books so as not to feel out of place, Duncan following me in. He put his hand on my shoulder and I moved my ear closer to his lips.

"Don't do anything stupid, I will go find the owner. How about you look at the books and buy some if you want," he said and I nodded, seeing one book in particular that was very special. I pulled it down and looked at the back, realizing it was authentic, when the man that stared at me as I walked in came up from behind me.

"It's great, isn't it?" I nodded and opened to the first page, looking back at him and then around the store.

"Some of the books in here are thousands of years old... where he got them from, I have no idea, but he is one Hell of a collector."

"I would say. My name is Maria, I came in here with the other man," I said and he took my hand and kissed it, seeing the tattoo on his wrist. I decided however, that I would play it out.

"So... what is it like running a bookstore?" I asked and he chuckled and looked around and back at me.

"I should probably get back to work, but thank you for coming in," he said and hurried off. I sighed and looked back down at the book, staring at the words that covered the pages, all written in Latin, which Darius taught me. I sat down on the floor and waited for Duncan to come back and read it almost all the way through when he put his hand on my shoulder and walked out of the store. I looked up at him and put the book back, looking back at the two men and I smiled and waved them goodbye where I exited the shop too. Duncan pulled out the book and looked at me, but I noticed a laser on the Watcher symbol.

"Duncan, don't move," I said and he looked back down at the book, noticing it as well. He looked up at the window it was coming from and two men bolted. He put his hand out, making me stay there and I threw my arms up staring at Duncan as he ran around the corner. I put my hands down and felt the book, hitting it. I put my hand in my pocket and pulled the Methos book out, staring at it. I looked back in to see the two men still and I walked in and threw the book on the table staring at them.

"What is this, Watcher?" I asked and they both looked at each other and the older one put his hand on the other's shoulder and the younger man nodded, leaving us alone. I looked up at him and he looked at me, sighing.

"That was stolen, where did you get that?"

"The dead body of one of your damn cult followers." He chuckled, thinking I was lying and when he realized I wasn't he sighed again.

"I am being serious, Asshole, now tell me what the Hell is going on and who the man that killed Darius was."

"I think you made a mistake, we don't-"

"Don't lie to me, me and Duncan both saw him and I painted him for reference. Tell me about the book," I said and he looked around and picked it up, looking at it.

"I don't know what else I can tell you except that it is about the oldest immortal, Methos. I can't give up the information of his Watcher or him." I sighed, nodding.

"Okay... I'm sorry, I just haven't had the best week. Darius is dead and the man that did it is still alive and hiding in your order. I need to know his name and where I can find him, I don't care who he is to you."

"We are just Watchers, we don't kill immortals. Darius was one of our big hopes, we wouldn't have done that to him. How about we go for a walk?" I gripped my sword harder and he noticed so he took out a gun and put it on the table next to him. I sighed and put the sword away and I opened the door for him beginning down an alley. I wiped away the tears and he handed me a handkerchief, which I took it and smiled a little bit.