Characters Name: Amanda Darieux

Played By: Rachel

Aliases: Amanda Devrot, Amanda Dupres, Amanda Markham, Amanda Montrose, Amanda LeFauve, The Amazing Amanda, Black Widow, The Raven

True age: 1151

Appears: 30

Status: Immortal

Knows about Watchers: Aye, and counts Joe Dawson as 'a friend of sorts'.. well, as much as you can trust a bunch who delight in tracking her every move in a creepy way.

Occupation/Skills: Over her long lifetime, Amanda has held down many occupations, and espoused many professions. These have included an appraiser of fine and rare jewelry, teacher, dealer of antiquitites (useful for fencing), security analyst (useful for finding targets)

In addition, she spent time as a harem dancer in 1753, was a cabaret lounge singer in 1936 and even ran a casino as owner in 1888. She spent some time as a circus performer with Duncan in 1921 before her hands got caught in the proverbial cookie jar & they had to run. Although, later on in the 1990's, she went back to it for a bit.

Others have wildly called her a crooked cheap thief, of which she will exclaim that she was never cheap! She also considers their comments boring.

Amanda knows how to drive cars, motorcycles and trucks, and knows how to fly planes as well.

Hair Color: Originally, was brown. But over her life, she has dyed it at times, including black and light blonde. It has ranged from long to short, and she currently has it in a short blonde style.

Eye Color: Brown

Height: 5'7", but often wears heels.

Distinguishing features: Over the centuries, Amanda has changed what she looks like many times. However, she is naturally beautiful, charismatic and sensual. She has developed expensive tastes as well, but easily supports it with what she does. However, she always wears a crystal, given her by her first teacher, Rebecca, on a chain around her neck. Her clothing used to have a tendency towards flamboyance, though she has begun tempering taht for awhile. She does her best to fit in with the times.

She has a French cruciform sword of the type known as longswords, used during the late medieval period from 1350 to 1550. It is made of Damascus steel. In addition, she carries a small pistol for when it is more expedient to disable another Immortal so she can run..

Nationality: Currently unknown, though her first records are from France in the Normandy region

Languages: French, English, Latin, Turkish, Ancient Greek

Personality: Amanda is normally quite friendly, and quite charismatic. She has a very quirky sense of humor. She can be best described as a beautiful, funny,

international grand thief kind of character, who's crazy mad about Duncan MacLeod, but also crazy mad about her own freedom. And when Amanda comes into his life, if he's free, they have a moment. And she generally slips off into the night.

Amanda manipulates friend and foe alike; she does whatever it takes to achieve her goals no matter the obstacle. She lived for centuries without looking back, without allowing herself to be distracted by the consequences of her actions. She tends to be a schemer, and always looking for the easy way. These schemes normally have a tendency to get others in trouble, as Duncan Macleod knows all too well.

Yet she rarely steals from moral, ethical people, electing instead chosing to pilfer from nasty people, banks, museums, private collectors and corporations. Lacking in neither confidence or ambition, Duncan once compared her to a shark, a term he also used to describe the equally manipulative Methos.

Amanda gives as good as she gets, though, as can be seen in her snappy comeback after being provoked by novelist Carolyn Marsh, "She called me a cheap whore and a thief - I was never cheap!" She has developed expensive tastes as well, but easily supports it with what she does. Because she survived as a mortal by stealing, she can’t seem to give up the habit, although her friends often believe she never really tried to give it up.

With no real interest in winning The Game, Amanda instead focuses on staying alive. While Amanda is quite a good swordswoman, she has minimized the number of duels she participates in. When faced with another Immortal, she typically runs or cons her way out of battle, or has to be rescued by a friend like Duncan MacLeod. Her tendency to use others to fight for her is evident in the number of Immortal friends and partners-in-crime that she accumulated. On occasions where she seeks out a battle, she almost always meets with disaster. Because of this, despite her long life, it can be assumed she absorbed a relatively low number of Quickenings - about 13. Her sword-fighting skills receive a considerable upgrade after she met Nick Wolfe and decided to redeem her life. Although, once he left her, she went back to her old ways fast.

Special Skills: Expert thief, normally by the means of cat-burglar or con-woman. She knows how to appraise items and is really good at figuring out what nice shiny things are best to grab first.

Major Relationships in her life:

Duncan Macleod
Amanda's relationship with Duncan is as erratic as it is interesting; more often than not she just appears out of the blue, usually due to some new favor to ask of Duncan. Their relationship has been ongoing for centuries and continues in the present. They have often gone decades without seeing one another, but have been known to spend a year or more together before amicably going their own way. Sometimes the time they spend together is no more than a month or a week. Amanda unabashedly exploits him and although he seems to be aware of this, rather than deny her, he merely plays along, more amused by her antics than annoyed, knowing that regardless of her mechanisms to manipulate the situation in her favor, she usually means well. However, despite her beguiling shenanigans, she is steadfastly loyal to Duncan, and he to her. The two never express love for each other in the plain and simple sense, but rather show it in their loyalty and devotion to each other's causes. Both become involved in other relationships throughout their lives, but eventually always make their way back to each other. Eventually, Duncan admits his love to Amanda and tells her that she has always "made his heart glad." She just shrugged it off as a joke, not wanting to be caged.

Methos
She also develops an ally in, and a complex relationship with, Methos, the only person that can match her tit for tat. While Duncan endures her wily schemes, Methos admires her cunning, survivalistic nature. Like squabbling siblings, they share a fondness and respect for each other that stems from having such similar life views and pragmatic characteristics, though neither would verbally admit such a thing. This friendship is strained in at one point when masked thugs try to kill Amanda to steal the Methuselah's Stone shard from her, given to her centuries before by Rebecca when Amanda first left the Abbey. She and Duncan play with the idea of Methos being the mastermind behind the plot since it's no secret Methos needed the crystal shard to cure Alexa, his cancer afflicted lover. Upon realizing Methos isn't after her head, she helps Methos try to steal the stone in the Watcher's vault, but Methos gets caught by a renegade Watcher. Amanda negotiates an exchange, her piece of the crystal for Methos' life, but the crystal is broken and plummets into the river, destroying any hope Methos had of using it to cure Alexa.

Kenny
800 years ago, Amanda found a 10-year-old Immortal boy named Kenny and taught him about The Game and how to survive it. Being killed so young, he will forever live as a child, thus learns fast that his main weapon is his innocence. After Amanda is captured by the soldiers that have killed him and his family, he runs away. Amanda survives, but isn't able to find him. In 1995, she once again meets him. Kenny, however, is no longer the boy she had met. He betrays her and Duncan to Terence Kincaid who has a grudge against Duncan. Amanda is heartbroken with the idea that Kenny is not a boy, but more a man in a child's body. She always considered him as a son that she could not have, forgetting that he is an Immortal who has grown up and only wants to win The Game.

Derrick Markham
Just like Duncan MacLeod, who had been married only once (as far as we know) in the past, Amanda apparently also married an Immortal named Derrick Markham. They were separated and estranged for 132 years. Amanda betrayed him to the authorities because he was a brutal criminal. In 1999, Amanda defeats him in a battle, because he wants to kill Amanda and her friends.

Joe Dawson
How to describe her relationship with Joe? 'Friend of a sort' is probably what could fit.. She honestly finds it creepy & disturbing in all senses of the word about the whole Watcher ideals, and wishes they would go bother others & leave her alone. But, she knows Duncan trusts them, and often, they have been useful. So she keeps in contact and was surprised when Joe came calling to warn Amanda about Andre Korda, whom the Watchers were looking for.

History:
Born in circa 820 AD in the Abbey of St. Anne in Normandy, France, Amanda never knew who her parents since her mother died in childbirth and her father had not been around. Running away from the abbey eventually, she began trying to survive on the streets. Despite being poor and uneducated like most people of that time, she was intelligent enough to realize she would have to steal if she wanted to eat. However, her skills as a thief were rudimentary at best.

In 850AD, she was caught stealing bread from a plague-ridden house and was quicky dispatched by being savagely beaten in the head, sustaining fatal wounds. Since she had allegedly consumed contaminated food, her body was to be cast into a cleansing fire in an attempt to keep from spreading the plague further. However, the Immortal Rebecca Horne saved her from that fate just as Amanda breathed her last.

When she awoke from death back in the Abbey, she was scared at first but Rebecca convinced her that she was immortal. Rebecca began as Amanda's mentor, but they would eventually became good friends. She taught Amanda about more than just The Game, but also about life and personal growth. She also made sure that Amanda was well trained with a sword.

Amanda, however, was unable to let go of her past and one day tried to steal the Methuselah's Stone that belonged to Rebecca. She was caught in the act, and humbled by Rebecca's forgiveness of her betrayal. Amanda was so moved by Rebecca's kindness and generosity she resolved to repent and commited herself to becoming a proper lady, living a normal life free of crime.

She appeared to be somewhat successful for three years at least, after which Amanda left Rebecca's abbey in 853, detemined to live her life on her own terms. As a departure gift, Rebecca gave Amanda a piece of her crystal The Methuselah Stone, something she had done before with some of her other pupils. It was rumored that whoever possessed all the pieces of the stone would become invincible. Breaking up the stone proved to be an effective means of keeping this ability from falling into the wrong hands, though it would put Amanda's life at risk in the years to come.

During her travels later that same year after having left the Abbey, Amanda unfortuitously met up with the Immortal Hengist the Saxon who challenged her for her head. Fearing for her life, she ran back to Rebecca's abbey instead, knowing the Immortal wouldn't be able to fight her on Holy Ground. Rather than coddling her, however, Rebecca advised her ward to consider facing her demons, pointing out that she wouldn't be able to run forever. Gathering her courage Amanda not only faced the Immortal Saxon, she won and received her first Quickening. It was following this experience that she left the abbey a final time to face an uncertain future.

Unable to predict what the future would hold for her, Amanda returned to the one thing she knew best - thievery. With Rebecca's wisdom beneath her belt, in combination with her own street smarts and cunning, Amanda was able to parlay her abilities into a lucrative career choice over the next century. She became one of the most successful, if not notorious, thieves in Europe and North America.

Around the year 1182, Amanda was in England, happening across a farm whose inhabitants have been slaughtered by the Normans. She then finds Kenneth, a ten year old Saxon boy who has revived and become Immortal. Becoming his teacher, she assures him that although he is not big enough or strong enough to wield a sword, he can learn to adapt the to The Game using his innocence and youth to his advantage. Together the two become thieves wanted throughout the country. However, the following year Amanda was captured by Norman soldiers while Kenneth hid in some bushes nearby. To prevent the soldiers from raping her, she struck out at the men, forcing them to hang her. Not believing that she would come back to life, Kenneth ran away. Later reviving, Amanda searched for him for 3 years to no avail.

In 1297, while traveling in Monaco, she met Immortal Phillippe Canella, who, with a group of men disguised as monks, were assisting Francisco Grimaldi to wrest control of the principality from Ghbellines, convincing her to leave Monaco that very night. In later years, Amanda has run-ins with other Immortals like Vladimir Rankov, Liam Riely, and Jeremy Dexter, whom she became lovers with, and robbed Queen Mary’s treasure, to mention but a few.

In 1610, Amanda was in the Netherlands, teaching Even Peyton about his Immortality and how to survive. However, in spite of Amanda’s teaching of moving on from his old life, he wanted his inheritance, so he poisoned his adopted brother in order to inherit his family's estate. leaving Amanda no choice but to expose Even, who fled.

Later, Amanda turned up in Florence, Italy, visiting Rebecca. While walking in town, the two women sense an Immortal close by, who turns out to be none other than Duncan MacLeod. MacLeod, clearly flustered at their male dressing and confident demeanor, has his purse stolen by Amanda, but later tracks them down, suggesting the three of them have a drink. This began a long friendship that grew between the three. In Germany's famed Black Forest around 1643, Amanda crossed paths with Dr. Julian Heller, who sentenced her to burn at the stake as a witch along with another woman. Although managing to escape, it came at a price, with Amanda killing the other woman to prevent her suffering. After Heller slipped past her, Amanda swore to kill him one day.

In 1720, Amanda decided to travel to the New World, voyaging to Haiti where she became involved with a slave family during the uprising. Promising the family that she will preserve their heritage, she and the family fled the country on board a ship called the Maria Rose. Unfortunately, en route to its destination the ship sank, drowning Amanda and the family, and the locket containing the papers of the family's birthright was lost.

Heading to the Far East in 1753, Amanda landed in Turkey, where she learned to become a harem dancer as a cover to steal the sultan’s treasure. Unsuccessful, she was caught and sentenced to have her hands cut off. However, Duncan, who happened to be visiting the Sultan as a military consultant, intervened and got shot in the ass by an arrowhead for his trouble.

Returning to the New World around this time, Amanda settled in the United States. In 1776, she was working behind the lines as a camp healer during the American War for Independence. It was at that time that she met Liam Riley again, who by this time was a soldier in the British army. After he accidentally shot a woman trying to protect her pre-Immortal son Sean, Liam became guilt-ridden. Having a religious upbringing himself, Liam vowed to leave the military behind and become a holy man if the woman survives. Caring for the woman, Amanda manages to save her, although later she dies of her wounds. Feeling that his transformation into a holy man is for the best, and knowing that the truth would shatter him, Amanda decides not to tell Liam the truth.

Coming back to France in the middle of the Revolution a few years later, Amanda was arrested on suspicion of being a rebel, and sentenced to be guillotined. However, she was saved by the Immortal Talia Bauer, to whom she promises to return the favor.

1804 found Amanda living with Duncan in Bavaria. While leading Duncan to thinking that she had finally decided to change her ways, it was not to be as Amanda stole the Baron Holstien’s treasure, leaving Duncan to face the wrath of Baron and his men. She then escaped with a new partner, an Immortal named Zachary Blaine. Between the year 1819 or 1820, Amanda also stole the Star of India from the Duke of Wellington.

Falling in love again, in 1867 she wed Immortal Derek Markham in Manchester England. Their marriage ended when Amanda reported him to the police after he killed a person he kidnapped.

In 1888, Amanda is in San Francisco pretending to be a wealthy French woman at the Double Eagle, a saloon owned by Immortal Kit O’Brady. Winning the saloon from him at a poker game, she renames it the Queen of Spades. At the same time, she renews he relationship with Duncan. However, a year later, the saloon mysteriously burns down to the ground. Assuming that Kit was the culprit, she swears revenge against him despite Duncan telling her not to. Unknown to Amanda, Kit was in Alaska at the time. Later relocating to New York, she fell in love with the adopted son of Immortal silversmith Morgan Kenworthy. After the young man was murdered in a labor dispute, during which Morgan had his First Death, the elder Kenworthy vowed to kill the descendants of his son’s killer. Amanda was also on board the Titanic when it sank in 1912. In 1917 during the First World War, Amanda dressed as a peasent girl and robbed a dispatcher. This leads to a message that would have saved an American army unit from death. Among the soldiers killed is John Ray Fielding.

In 1921, Amanda returns to America and meets Duncan again. Together, the two begin to tour the American Southwest as part of a circus act where she went by ‘The Amazing Amanda’, later leaving over a pay dispute. That same year, the two meet fellow Immortal Cory Raines, a charming bank robber and self-styled Robin Hood. Amanda takes a liking to him and decides to join Cory in a Bonnie & Clyde styled series of robberies, with Duncan along to dig them up whenever they are shot down in a hail of bullets. Initially successful, this does leave Amanda stepping on Duncan’s nerves.

Heading back to Europe in 1936, Amanda is in Berlin, Germany posing as a cabaret singer while she attempts to steal a set of perfectly forged U.S currency plates. She manages to get the plates, but when the Gestapo become involved, she approaches Duncan about getting him to help her. At first, Duncan refuses as he is smuggling a scientist out of the country, but Amanda won't take no for an answer and ends up stealing the plane with the scientist, flying him and the plates out of Germany and leaving Duncan to hold off the German Army. A few years later, Amanda meets up with Duncan again in Scotland, where they meet up with Hugh Fitzcairn for a golf match.

When the two discover that Fitz cheated during a previous match that involved whether to steal the Stone of Scone or blow up the King's armory in 1720, Duncan insists that they go after the stone again. Amanda misunderstands, thinking that the stone is a diamond. She approaches Immortal Lord Bernad Crimmons to bankroll their attempt, promising him a share of the loot. Alas she discovers that the stone is actually a stone. Duncan escapes with it, but when she is caught she implicates Fitz. Duncan then arranges for release of his friends, and for the return of the stone with a reasonable cover story using his World War 2 contacts. After this, the trio return to play another golf game in Scotland.

In the early 90s, she spent time on and off with Mac, both in Seacouver and France. She first met up with him in 1992 in France when a former partner of hers, Zachary Blaine, escaped and finds her. However, she manages to prevent her death at his hands by telling him about a book at a museum in France that she can steal which is worth at least $ 10,000,000 as well as Duncan Macleod’s head. After a few incidents, Zachary and Duncan end up fighting.

When the fight is interrupted and Zachary flees, Duncan tells Amanda not to worry since the circus workers will watch out for him. Later Tessa finds some evidence that sheds light about Amanda and Zach’s relationship having been partners in the circus before and that there is a possibility that they are playing him. Duncan is not convinced until Richie follows follows Amanda and sees her meeting Zach. Amanda is confronted by Duncan who demands answers. Amanda has no choice but to tell Duncan the truth about her and Zachary being partners for centuries, how he became dangerous and greedy to the point that she faked her death and framed him for her murder. She also tells him about the plan to steal the book in the museum and she asks to go with her, but he’ll have none of it.

To prevent him interfering, Amanda has Duncan overpowered by the carnies, who are to hold him until the morning. She and Zachary are in the museum about to steal the Book when Duncan who has escaped is their and sets off the alarms. Zachary assumes that Amanada tricked him and tries to shot her only for Duncan to save her. When Duncan defeats him, Amanda seizes the opportunity to behead her former partner taking his head and quickening. After the fury subsides, Amanda makes one last attempt to get Duncan to leave with her but he is committed to Tessa. Amanda makes to leave, but is heartened when Duncan calls her back. But it's only to leave the book that she stole.

In Seacouver, in 1993, she tried to find an engraver to change dates on some counterfeit money plates after saying she’d ‘retired’ from stealing. But a corrupt FBI agent framed her and demanded the plates. Mac and Amanda faked their deaths on tape to help catch him. Later, Amanda was reunited with Kenny, but he tricked her and almost took her head. While in France in later 1993, she was again reunited with Rebecca, but Rebecca was killed by the Immortal Luther, who was searching for the crystals Rebecca had given her students, including Amanda. Duncan saves her before Luthor kills her, and confronts Luthor himself. Defeating Luther, Duncan then gives the crystal to Amanda, as a reminder of her mentor.

In 1994 she and Mac helped stop Kalas, an Immortal who threatened to reveal Immortals to the world if Mac didn’t surrender his head. Kalas tried to kidnap her as bait, but she escaped and she and Mac danced on the Eiffel Tower before Mac took Kalas’ head. In 1995, thugs tried to take her crystal and she discovered that it was part of the Methuselah Stone, rumored to bring immortality to its possessor. Unfortunately, the stone, except for the one piece Amanda still has, was lost before anything could be proven. She again stayed with Mac in France for a time during the late 90s.

In 1997, an Immortal named O’Rourke, bent on revenge for an incident in which Mac got him arrested, kidnapped her to bait Mac into surrendering his head. Mac agreed to do it at first, but then he is convinced to come up with a plan, with some help from Methos. Amanda was successfully rescued.

She stayed with Mac for a time, then moved back to the states, to Chicago, where she met a cop named Nick Wolfe. Nick was discovered to be a pre-immortal, and eventually became Immortal. His whereabouts since the plague are unknown.

When the plague hit, she was in Salt Lake City, Utah. She knows that humanity will survive, sinc she lived through the Black Death in Europe, and knows it bounced back. She can see that the number of immortals on the move is greater, and that he has to be more careful. However, she didn't know where Duncan was currently located, and before she culd ring, the phone systems crashed.

She was initially heading to Las Vegas with a number of mortals, but when she got word that Methos might be in Colorado when she was in Sulphurdale, she ditched them and headed off on her own. At Richfield Municipal Airport, she managed to find a serviceable small plane, a Cessna 182T Skylane, that got her far enough to Boulder, Colorado before landing.

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