THE ELIZABETH SERIES
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
VARICELLA
By JoLayne
EnyaJo@aol.com
RATING: PG
CHARACTERS: M Amy Elizabeth Claire Chuck
SUMMARY: Elizabeth and Claire suffer a childhood disease as Chuck's
not a premmie for much longer.
~~~~~
TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2008
Because Elizabeth had gone through a night that consisted mostly of
tossing and turning, Methos was pleasantly surprised when he awoke to
find that she was sleeping peacefully on her stomach. It was a little after 5
am--too early for the alarm--so he turned it off and carefully got out of bed
so as not to wake her. He went out to the stables after quickly dressing to
see what needed to be done that day. He knew that they had to try and get
back as much normalcy as possible. Joey's horse was stalled in the
quarantine section of the stables, and would remain there for another week
to make sure that the horse, that seemed healthy and vibrant on the surface,
wasn't carrying any contagious disease and was checked out fully by the
vet.
In the quiet morning, just before sun-up, Methos looked over the horses
and stables. Ten years ago, safely tucked away in the Watchers' system as
Adam Pierson, he had absolutely no idea that
he would now be a stable owner. A father. A husband. A newbie! Methos
chuckled as he started to fill each horse's feedbag and turn on the water to
fill their troughs. As he looked over the set-up of the stables, Methos was
overwhelmed still. Everything was clean, modern, convenient, filled with
content horses who belonged to satisfied owners. If only he'd had such
conveniences when he had horses only as a mean of transportation. Until
Elizabeth had given Methos Black as a birthday present, he hadn't even
named his horses. Now he looked down the line of stalls on each side of
the wide aisle at all the nameplates that he himself had carved with his
own wood working tools.
Methos hadn't known that he would ever work with wood again, even
when he picked his new name and trade. He had chosen the name of
Daniel because it was another biblical name. He had chosen the profession
of woodworker because that was Christ's trade. He chuckled again. I
suppose I do think of myself as a God. If not me, then who? Who else has
lived so long?
But he was dead. Methos was dead. Dead and buried. And the Watchers
had his sword. Ivanhoe... Methos intoned the brand of his sword, which he
had carried for over 1000 years. Even though it was only steel and leather
and capped off with a jewel that he had stolen from the house of Charles
III, more commonly known as Charles the Simple. He was a French king,
who's father excluded him from his rightful place in the line of succession.
When Charles finally did make it to the throne, he had sent messengers to
find Methos, who was in Germany to be his brains. It was Methos who
formulated Charles' plan to put an end to the Norse raids with the Treaty
of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte, ceding to the Norse leader, Rollo, part of the
territory later known as Normandy. In so doing and because of Methos'
ingenuity, Charles had not only kept hold of Normandy, but had also
acquired Lorraine.
Methos was a little more than pissed that after five years of waiting, he
was never paid for his services. When barons started to revolt in 922, and
had their own king all lined up to take over, Charles came to Methos for
advice. Methos had him exactly where he wanted that twit. When Charles
still refused payment for prior services, claiming all wealth had to be used
to battle, Methos had been ready to walk away. But instead of following
his heart, he thought about the possibilities... he decided to make sure that
the king didn't pay him with gold, but with his own blood.
Methos had urged him to call his army to a battle at Soissons, to rid
himself of the threat of Robert, the barons' choice for king, knowing
perfectly well that the well-healed barons had a much more formidable
army to conquer. After Charles went off to battle, with all the pomp and
ceremony that Charles claimed he couldn't afford, Methos waved his
goodbye with an ironic smile on his face, knowing that the king was
walking to his doom. Methos had remained behind, still angry about not
getting compensated, and waited for low tide. The castle where Charles'
possessions were held was Mont St. Michael Castle, just off the north
coast of France. At high tide, Methos would need a steady boat, possibly
having to hire seasoned seaman to steer it over the choppy waves.
At low tide, the walk from France to the castle was muddy and arduous,
but it could be done. Under the cover of night, Methos trekked out to the
castle and easily diverted attention from the old and lame guards who were
left behind to guard the castle. All men of good, or even adequate, health
were off to battle. Deep in the bowels of the castle was Charles ceremonial
crown encrusted with an impressive array of rubies and emeralds. They
would be more than enough compensation, and Methos was confident that
Charles wouldn't ever live to see it. Methos had been right. Charles wasn't
killed in the battle, but he did lose his reign and was imprisoned for the
rest of his life. While Charles rotted in prison, Methos had taken some of
the stones to a sword maker and had them set into the hilt of a sword that
he had designed himself.
As he stood in the stables, surrounded only by horses, Methos could
clearly see his beloved sword in his mind's eye. The light leather strap that
had been replaced in the 1500s. The stones of emerald and ruby that had
been embedded into the hilt. At first they were faceted and bit into his
hand when he used it. His immortal hand would always heal after a fight;
the jewels had allowed his grip to be more confident on the hilt. Before
long, the stones had smoothed out. Methos' Ivanhoe sword was perfect for
his hand, with over 1000 years of use.
Methos became alert to the fact that he was holding a broom upside down
and had traced out his Ivanhoe on the dirt of the stable floor. He looked up
to see his horse Charlie looking at him as he chewed his oats. Methos
kicked the drawing away to nothing and wondered if there was a way to
get that sword back. He could live with the Watchers and other immortals
thinking that Methos was dead, but he knew at that moment that he needed
his sword back.
~~~~~
Claire was lying on her side in bed when Methos walked in and leaned
down to kiss her cheek. "Wake up, Little One."
She stretched in her sleep and slightly turned her head toward him.
"Papa?"
Methos smiled when he heard her call him that in her sleepy daze. She
would always be his baby, no matter how much she wanted to think she
was a big girl. "Time to get up for school. What do you want for
breakfast?"
Claire sat up and wiped her eyes. It took her a moment to figure out where
she was, then she remembered she had to sleep in the spare bedroom. She
looked at Methos. "Where's mama?"
"She's sleeping in today, so let's be really quiet, all right?"
"Can I sleep in?"
"No. You have to go to school."
He helped her out of bed and she stood, a little wobbly, then walked
toward the bathroom. Methos called after her, "What do you want for
breakfast?"
"Captain Crunch," she said as she went into the bathroom and shut the
door.
Methos stood in the spare room, having already started to straighten the
bedding, and wondered aloud, "Captain Crunch? What's that?"
He stepped into Claire's bedroom and the creepy feeling that washed over
him when he imagined the events that must have unfolded the night before
returned. He quickly gathered clothes for Claire to wear that day and
opened the bathroom door. She had been in the midst of brushing her
teeth, but was still mad at the interruption. "DAD!"
"Sorry," he said, laying the dress, tights and shoes on the counter top and
closing the door. He walked into the kitchen to figure out what Captain
Crunch was and was a little uneasy when he found out. The box that the
cereal came in looked as if it was full of sugar and had no nutritional value
whatsoever. When he opened the top and looked at it, he recognized the
cereal that Claire ate often at breakfast while he was having a piece of
toast, oatmeal, or fruit. He popped one into his mouth and thought it was
good... for a dessert. That was too much sugar to eat in the morning. He
tossed the box in the garbage and put some bagels in the toaster and cut up
some grapefruit.
~~~~~
Elizabeth woke up from the sun shining in her face and the sound of
Chuck's mustang driving past the house to park at the stables. She saw
that she was alone in bed and about fell out of it when she saw that it was
8:15. She ran down the hallway to Claire's room to get her up, and then
stopped. The room was without a door and Claire wasn't in it. She then
remembered that Claire had been put to bed in the spare room and she
walked down the stone hallway toward it. She was surprised when Claire
wasn't in there either, and the bed had been made. She called out, "Claire?
Daniel?"
Only Tinker walked to her, flapping her tail, wanting her morning petting.
"Good morning, Tinker. Where's Claire? Huh?" Tinker got excited and
wagged her tail more and jumped up on Elizabeth, who rubbed her behind
the ears. She walked to the courtyard doors to look out at the stables.
Antonio, Dallas and Chuck all had to be at work because their three
vehicles were parked.
She went to the kitchen and saw the note that Methos had left. Elizabeth
rubbed her eyes and leaned on the counter as she tried to decipher Methos'
unique handwriting. Handwriting that doctors surly emulated while
writing out prescriptions. Who would think that a man who 'wrote before
writing began' would have such lousy penmanship. "Brought Claire to
school," was all she could make out. She remembered teasing him in the
past about his handwriting and that he had told her that he was used to
using a sort of code, in case his writing was ever discovered. Elizabeth
shook her head and smiled. Yes, Methos, she thought. That was a top
secret document, all right.
She heard a vehicle in the drive and leaned over to look out the courtyard
doors to see if he had returned, but the car came to a stop in the front.
After Roberts' appearance last night, she was a little more than nervous
not knowing who was outside. The doorbell rang out, startling Elizabeth,
and she was ready to run out to the stables where the three men would be
able to protect her. If they could... the doorbell rang again, and she realized
she was being silly. Anyone with thoughts of attacking wouldn't ring the
damn doorbell. She berated herself for being so on edge as she walked to
the door.
Amy's face was grim when Elizabeth opened the door. The two friends
looked at each other with sadness and questions. Without a word, Amy
walked into the house and hugged Elizabeth. "I was hoping you'd be
home. I'm so sorry," she said. "I heard what happened."
It felt good to be held by Amy, and Elizabeth started to tear up, but didn't
want to. She had to get over this, and crying like a baby wouldn't help
anything at all. "Thanks. How did you hear?"
Amy let Elizabeth go but studied the way she moved while closing the
door, peeking outside to make she there wasn't anyone out there, and
walking in a tired manner to the kitchen. As Elizabeth started to make
coffee, Amy sat on one of the stools by the counter and said, "It's all over
the Watcher network."
"Good news travels fast, I guess," Elizabeth said.
"Good news?"
"Something happened." Elizabeth looked at Amy. They hadn't really
talked about Amy's work or the real reason why she had moved to
California, but now maybe it was time they had a real talk. "It's been kind
of boring around here for Guy, hasn't it?"
"Nobody was happy that happened, Liz," Amy replied. "Roberts'
beheading was news, yes, and it did travel fast."
She was about to ask more, Elizabeth could tell, but she needed answers.
Elizabeth flipped the switch on the coffee pot and leaned across the
counter from Amy and asked, "Did you see him walk in here?"
"No."
"Where were you?"
Amy looked at her fingernails, and started to clean under one with her
thumbnail, when Elizabeth grabbed her hands. "Amy? What do you do?"
"I'm a Watcher."
"In what capacity?"
Amy stared at her, wondering if she would finally tell her the marvelous
news, but wondered how Elizabeth would take it. She decided to go for it.
"I was on the road following Daniel and Antonio as they brought my son's
horse home. That's where I was."
Elizabeth chewed her lower lip as that information sank into her. "You
were following them on a professional basis?"
"Yes."
"You're a field watcher?"
"Yes."
"Antonio's watcher?"
"No."
"AMY!"
"What?!"
"NO! You're not!"
"YES! I AM!" Amy yelled back, finally relieved to tell Elizabeth. "Isn't
that great?"
"What's so great about it? You could get into deep shit over this!"
"How? The watchers know that we're friends, and they agreed to it."
"Yeah, right. I heard about how Joe got into trouble when the watchers
found out he was friends with Duncan and he ended up with a gun to his
head! He was shot!"
"Dad was shot by an immortal in an ambush, the watchers didn't--."
"Amy! Fine. This Jacob immortal shot them, but if he hadn't Joe would
have been executed BY THE WATCHERS! Are you insane? You have a
child."
"They were renegades, Liz. That's not the watchers as a whole. Yes, Dad
almost died, but that was ten years ago. There's been ten years of progress
made in the Watchers and I'm proud to be one of them, as I'm proud to be
your friend."
"Why would they allow you to watch Daniel?"
"I can give inside information on his training."
Elizabeth's eyes widened. "WHAT?! You're spying on us and giving that
information to the Watchers?!"
"No. No. I wouldn't do that," Amy said, trying to calm her. "I tell them
only what I think they should know."
"Like what?"
"Like Daniel turned in Paris and you're his teacher. You have practice
sessions after the stable hands leave at night. I actually just took over the
Daniel Gordon Chronicle. I'm not going to tell them anything about
Methos, or anything about your private relationship. I'm only chronicling
his immortality."
Elizabeth knew that Methos had taken Roberts last night, and guessed that
the challenge wasn't a fair one. Daniel Gordon's first head was taken in a
way that would put him at the top of any Hunter list, if they existed. "What
did you chronicle last night?"
Amy was torn. She had her laptop in the car and could easily show
Elizabeth, but she had promised herself that she wouldn't betray the
watchers to her friend. "You can read it if you want," Amy slowly said.
"No. I don't want to read it. What was the overall? Does Daniel have
anyone after him for what he did?"
"Not even Roberts' watcher chronicled anything that would indicate that
Cole Roberts didn't deserved what he got."
"What did happen?" Elizabeth softly asked, almost afraid of the answer.
Methos hadn't told her the facts, and she hadn't really asked him, being
too upset that he had removed the option of taking Roberts' head herself
away from her.
"Daniel drove Roberts' car, with Roberts tied up in the back seat, to an
isolated area. He hit him over the head and dragged him into the woods
and took his head just as Roberts came to."
"Roberts didn't suffer." Elizabeth closed her eyes and laid her head in her
arms, folded on the counter.
Amy touched Elizabeth's hair and said, "No. I don't think he did. I didn't
actually see that, I was parked down as ways. That's what Roberts'
watcher saw. He didn't know that you lived in this house. When he found
out, he just wanted the Roberts Chronicle closed without making anyone
need to answer for anything that anyone did."
"What about him?" Elizabeth angrily asked as her head snapped up. "What
about him? What happens to him? He just let Roberts walk into
someone's house by surprise? He just stood around and watched?"
"In all fairness to him, he didn't know what Roberts was up to. He could
have been visiting a friend for all he knew. It was only when he..." Amy
had been talking so fast, she almost said something that would make
Elizabeth angrier, and probably at her also.
"He what?"
Amy clammed up and sat back on the stool.
"He what?" Elizabeth asked again with a snotty smile. "He heard me
screaming? Is that what you were going to say? He heard me screaming
and he still did nothing?"
Amy felt tears coming on just thinking about the trauma that was enacted
in this house the previous night. She took Elizabeth's hand and said,
"Liz..."
Elizabeth snapped her hand back and moved back to the other side of the
kitchen. She completely shut Amy out feeling about ready to scream.
"They watch like vultures, but when we need them, they just stand there!"
She angrily pointed her finger at Amy and said, "And you're one of them!"
Amy shook her head and said, "Liz. That's wrong. If I was there, if Guy
was there, if Tony knew, we would have come. You know that."
"How do I know that? My only experience with Watchers was Darryl and
Diane! What a pair!"
"Tony told me that he heard screaming and was at the front door when he
saw someone, I assume Chuck Montgomery, coming in the back with a
crowbar. He stood back because he knew that Chuck would help you."
Elizabeth stood numb as she remembered Chuck walking toward them, as
Roberts was on top of her pawing at her body and ripping her clothes.
Amy said, "He would have helped." Since Elizabeth was silent, staring at
the coffee mug, Amy asked, "Lizzie? Did he rape you?"
Elizabeth slightly shook her head no, but couldn't look at Amy. "I was
going to come over as soon as Daniel had taken Roberts' head and
returned home, but didn't know if I should."
"Why not? We're friends, aren't we?" Elizabeth finally looked at her. "Or
is it because you're a watcher first and a friend second?"
"There was a lie between us that I didn't want to have to explain while you
were probably still in shock. I knew that Methos was here for you."
Elizabeth reacted to Amy's use of Methos' real name for the first time. He
had been there for Amy, too, after Kevin's death. That smoothie. Before
she could convince herself in her mind that everything that was said and
done between her and Methos was fake, she came to her senses and said,
"The lie was that you were my husband's watcher?"
"Yes. That is the only lie between us. It no longer exists, so..."
"So everything's hunky-dorey, huh?" Elizabeth bitterly asked. "Wait. You
mentioned Guy. Guy Barstow? My watcher?"
"Yes." The slight smile that curled on Amy's mouth was a dead giveaway.
Elizabeth said, "You're friends with my watcher?"
"No," Amy said. Then she slightly blushed as she said, "I'm totally, deeply
in love with your watcher."
"Guy Barstow?"
"Yes."
"This is more than odd."
"He's a good man, Elizabeth. If you hadn't been, in your own words, so
boring, he would have been watching you more closely. He might have
been here when--."
"So again, it's my fault!"
"What?"
"It's my fault that I had to deal with Roberts alone?"
"No! Don't be silly. I'm saying that Guy is a good man and a caring man
and he would never have let that man in this house. He knew who Cole
Roberts was, because he had looked at all the information on everyone that
had ever touched your life."
"Everyone?"
"He's thorough," Amy said, a little too full of pride for her man.
"So, he knows what Methos looks like."
"Only grainy photographs where Methos looks nothing like Daniel
Gordon." Amy gauged Elizabeth's reaction and asked, "Would you like to
meet him?"
"Have you both over for dinner? No. Amy, I'm sorry, but I don't want that
man in my house."
"You can come to my house. He's a great guy and Joey loves him."
"That's great, but no," Elizabeth said, quickly. She poured coffee and half-
heartedly asked Amy if she wanted any.
They heard a pickup and Elizabeth looked out the kitchen window. "You'd
better get into work mode, Amy. You're assignment's coming."
"Liz," Amy said, let down. "I'm a friend first. I didn't have to tell you who
my assignment is, and call me crazy, but I thought you'd be pleased to
know that Daniel Gordon is in good hands."
Methos opened the door and peeked his head around it. When he saw
Amy, he sighed with relief. "Oh, it's you. Hi." He walked to Elizabeth and
kissed her. "You were supposed to sleep in."
"I did. Thanks for bringing Claire to school, but do you think she should
have gone?"
"Why not?"
That there could be people out there wanting revenge for Roberts' death
popped into her mind, and Methos seemed to know it. He held her and
said, "He's the past, Elizabeth. We're only looking at the future.
Remember that."
Amy took this as a cue to leave. She told her, "Elizabeth, I'm glad you're
doing okay. If you want to talk, any time, call me, okay?"
Elizabeth nodded, and then asked, "Will this be chronicled?"
Amy stopped, in shock, by the door, staring at Elizabeth, and also at
Methos, who was confused. Amy shook her head and chuckled. "I can't
believe you even asked that," she said as she left.
"What was that all about?" Methos asked after Amy left.
Elizabeth just held him. Being in his arms gave her a comfort that nothing
else could. "I found out who your watcher is."
"Great. Who?"
Elizabeth looked up at him. Her face hasn't changed or given any
indication of anything, yet he asked, "Amy?"
"Bingo."
Methos' head fell back as he laughed. "That's great."
"How so?"
"We can trust her. She's going to protect my identity."
Elizabeth put her head on his shoulder again and breathed deeply. "Okay.
If you say so."
"Why wouldn't she?"
"It's just weird," Elizabeth said, pulling away. "I don't like my friend
being caught in the middle. I just... I don't... I can't stand watchers and
she's one of them now. The watchers are the reason you left us, and they
made a blunder and I thought you were dead! I hate them all!"
Methos grabbed hold of her from behind, anchoring her hands in his after
she threw her mug in the sink, breaking it. "We have to exist with them in
our lives. That's unavoidable."
Elizabeth's head fell back against his shoulder she said, "But they get
everyone wrong and they don't do anything but gather information that's
only helpful to some nameless, faceless... assholes!"
He laid his head on her shoulder and lightly laughed. "You like that word."
"Yes, I do. That's my favorite word. Assholes!"
Methos' chuckled in her ear, holding her head. Soon she was laughing
along with him. "Stop it! I'm mad."
He laughed again. "I know." He turned her around and put his arms around
her, holding her close as his laughter subsided. "What are you going to do
today?"
Elizabeth took a deep breath to relax and wipe away any remnant of
unpleasantness and said, "I'm going to start spending your 640 million
dollars."
"Our 640 million dollars."
"Even better." She smiled and kissed his nose. "Claire needs a new
bedroom and I need a new kitchen pantry."
"So, we're staying?"
She looked at the house that she truly loved and said, "Yeah. For a time.
To see how it goes. With a face lift. I never liked those seat cushions under
the windows either."
Methos smiled and kissed her forehead, holding her against him. "Okay.
Spend away. I have horses to exercise."
~~~~~
FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 2008
Elizabeth hadn't wasted time kicking into high gear to renovate Claire's
old bedroom into a walk in, state of the art pantry and food storage system,
and the spare bedroom into not only Claire's bedroom, but her sanctuary.
Mrs. McAftry had been more than happy to have the work, especially after
Elizabeth had told her that money was no object. She immediately drew up
plans. Claire was at first confused about having to move into a new room,
but then realized that it was bigger and that the sky was the limit; she
could have anything in her room that she wanted.
Her walls were going to be painted blue with clouds in the reading area
with dark blue beads--a gift from Norma--as its door. A new, made from
scratch canopy bed would be in one corner of the room, jutting out toward
the center, and would have mosquito netting around it in various pastel
colors for privacy when Claire had friends over. Mrs. McAftry was going
to take pictures of Claire and her friends and mod podge them on the wall
of another nook that she would create with a half wall built around another
corner of the room that would be a 'talk about your parents and no parents
allowed' place with upholstered footstools as chairs. Claire would also
have a walk in closet with a full length mirror and lighted vanity table to
make herself up, even though both Methos and Elizabeth had told her that
she was not to leave the house with makeup on her face or she'll be
sleeping in the laundry room.
That morning, Elizabeth had gone into Redding to pick up some fabric
swatches that Mrs. McAftry had suggested for Claire's upholstered
footstools and reading lounge chair, as well as different patterns for all the
window seats in the house. She thought they were classic and lovely, in an
oriental pattern, and decided to go to Faye and Sofia's to see what they
thought of them. When she rang the buzzer, there was no answer.
Elizabeth decided to try one more time; she knew that they were both
heavy sleepers and it was only a little after nine. This time the door was
buzzed open and Elizabeth hurried through it.
Faye, in her bathrobe, was holding the door open when Elizabeth arrived
on their floor. "Hey, good morning," Elizabeth brightly said. "I'm not
interrupting anything, am I?" She looked into the apartment behind Faye to
see if she would once again be walking into something she'd rather she
didn't.
Faye motioned for her to come in and seemed a little draggy, moody.
"Come in. Want some coffee?"
"Sure. If it's no trouble."
"No. No trouble," Faye said, as she heavily walked into the kitchen area of
the small apartment.
Elizabeth asked, "Can I help?" as she set the bag of swatches down on the
sofa. "Where's Sofia?" She peeked into the bedroom, but it was empty.
Faye said, "Sofia moved out."
"She did? Where did she go?"
"She didn't fill me in," Faye said, leaning back against the counter, folding
her arms like armor in front of her. "But I assume she went back to her
man.
"Antonio?"
"Does she have another one? They've been seeing each other once in a
while. On dates, going to movies. She's been up-front with me about it,
but I didn't think it was serious." Faye simply watched the coffee drip.
Elizabeth lightly said, "I'm sorry, Faye."
Faye intoned, "She's so great in bed."
Too much information, Elizabeth thought. She realized that she had missed
a lot since she was focused on renovating the house. Faye seemed closed
off, but Elizabeth suggested, "Do you want to do something? Take your
mind off things? I'll buy you some chocolate."
"Nah," Faye said. "I want to watch Oprah in an hour."
After a cop of coffee, Elizabeth showed the samples to Faye, who really
couldn't care less. Her mind was obviously elsewhere but when prodded to
talk about things, didn't want to. Elizabeth bid her goodbye asking if she
wanted to come to dinner, but Faye said, "I'm going to check out the bars
tonight. Maybe I'll meet someone new."
"Well, be careful, Faye."
"Gotta meet them somewhere."
~~~~~
When Elizabeth got back into the minivan and started it up, she wondered
if Faye would get over her funk. They hadn't been together that long, but
she knew that the breakup had to be hard on her. On both of them. She
decided to go to Antonio's to see how Sofia was taking it all. Because she
was leery of maybe walking into a reunion moment, when she rang the
doorbell of the condo, she turned her head to make sure she wouldn't be
surprised by a half dressed Antonio or something. She heard Sofia say,
"Liz. What a surprise."
"Is this a bad time?"
"No, not at all. Come in."
Elizabeth turned around, thankful that Sofia was fully dressed in a sweater
and khaki pants, as well as shoes. Very good sign. Elizabeth walked in to
see Sofia's suitcases on the living room floor. They were opened and
things had been taken out of them. "I moved back home."
"I know. That's great," Elizabeth said, looking around. "Where's
Antonio?"
"Oh, I'm sure he's at work."
"You came home and he went to work?"
"He does not know that I am here. Do not tell him today. I am going to
make his favorite meal and surprise him." Then Sofia said, "You are not
surprised to see me here."
"No. I came to see how you are, actually. I was just as Faye's."
Sofia nodded, and kept mum, her eyes darting to her suitcase. "She was an
experiment, Elizabeth. I have had a hard time here and she helped me feel
more secure. I was happy with Faye, but I love Antonio."
"Do you need some help? What's Antonio's favorite meal?"
"Beef brisket."
"I think we should go grocery shopping."
Sofia smiled. "And clothes shopping. I want to look nice for him." She
saw Elizabeth's bag and asked, "What is that?"
"Upholstery and curtain swatches. While we're cooking for Antonio, I'll
show them to you. But first, I think Rina's Boutique is the place to go."
Sofia gasped. "Oh, no. That is so expensive."
"Sofia," Elizabeth said, smiling. "A dress, hose, shoes, jewelry, it is my
treat. If you spring for lunch, I think we could even find a nice bit of
lingerie too."
Sofia giggled and hugged Elizabeth. "You are such a good friend. I have
missed you. Faye and I did not shut you out, did we? Neither of us have
seen very much of you."
"Well, you were busy, I've been busy." Elizabeth grabbed her purse and
keys. "Come on. I think we should go to the hair salon, too. Think I should
cut my hair?"
"Your hair is so long and pretty."
"Daniel might complain..." Elizabeth said in thought. "But I can try a
different color."
"Pink?" Sofia asked, laughing.
"Yes. Claire would be mortified when I go pick her up from school, but
pink would be fabulous, wouldn't it?"
They both laughed as they went back to Elizabeth's minivan. With the
return of their easy comradery, Elizabeth realized how much she missed
Sofia since their days in Sintra.
~~~~~
Elizabeth had made sure that Sofia had everything taken care of by way of
primping and bathing, and setting out her dress and neglige. The beef
brisket would be ready precisely at eight when Antonio arrived home, and
she had written out exact instructions for finishing it and the rest of the
meal. With all of that done, and wishing Sofia the best, Elizabeth went to
pick up Claire. On the way home, Claire looked at the swatches and
decided that she liked the window seat fabric and pattern more than the
fabric for the lounge chair in her reading nook. They decided to talk to
Mrs. McAftry in the morning to give her their decision.
As soon as Elizabeth drove into the drive, Claire jumped out of the
minivan and ran to the stables to ride Santo. Elizabeth went into the house
with the swatches, and soon Methos escorted Claire back inside to change
out of her dress and into her riding habit. While Claire was changing,
Elizabeth asked Methos, "Did you know that Antonio and Sofia have been
dating?"
"They are?" Methos asked, truly caring, and surprised.
"Yes, I just spent the day with her to make sure their night would be oo-la-
la. Has Antonio mentioned it?"
He shrugged.
"What does that mean?"
"I don't know."
"You spent at least six hours in a pickup with him to get Joey's horse?
How could you not know?"
"He mentioned that he saw a funny movie, but I don't know. We don't talk
about women, as much as women like to think we do."
"Men are weird," Elizabeth murmured, shaking her head. She went in to
see if Claire could find her riding outfit in the boxes that they had used to
pack up her room. She saw Claire lifting her dress off and Elizabeth saw a
bunch of red spots all over her back. "What happened?"
"MOM! I'm changing."
Elizabeth felt the bumps. "Were you playing outside and got bug bites?"
"No. They itch."
Elizabeth turned her around and saw that there were more spots all over
her front also. Then realized that she had spots on her face. "Claire! What
happened? Are you allergic to something?"
Claire got worried by Elizabeth's frantic expression. "Get dressed. I'm
taking you to a doctor." She went out to have Methos look at her, but he
had gone back outside. She went to a phone book and opened the yellow
pages to find a doctor. They'd never had need for one. Claire was still
'mortal' and could be sick! She could die! Elizabeth could only see
blurring letters, she was so upset. She shut the phonebook and called for
Claire, while trying to remember where she left her keys, "Come on,
Claire! I'll take you to the emergency room."
Claire stood in the hallway, crying. "Mama. It itches."
"Come on, sweetheart." She ended up carrying Claire out to the van, trying
to calm down, wanting to take the time to show Methos, but she needed to
get to a doctor.
~~~~~
Methos was in the kitchen defrosting a mystery meal from the freezer, the
package wasn't marked but through the plastic he thought he spied
mushrooms. He had just gotten a beer out of the fridge when he heard the
van park outside. He met Elizabeth and Claire on the porch. "I got chicken
pox, Dad," Claire excitedly said.
"Chicken pox?" Methos asked, looking at Elizabeth. "Is that... that's
not..."
"Not life threatening," Elizabeth said. "She'll be itchy for a while, but
she'll be fine. I found spots on her back and was too worried to find you
because I needed to get her to a doctor."
"I was wondering where you were. I started dinner."
"Great. I'll get Claire into a bath. I have Aveeno and Epsom salt and
salves. I got the whole nine yards." She saw Claire picking at a spot on her
face. "Don't do that. The doctor said it could leave a scar. Come inside,
I'll get you settled."
As Elizabeth steered Claire by the kitchen to the bathroom, she smelled
teriyaki. "What are you making?"
"What was in a bag in the freezer. It wasn't marked, but it has mushrooms.
I like mushrooms."
"Wasn't marked? I mark everything." Elizabeth went by the stove and saw
the plastic bag in a pot of boiling water. "Daniel, that's marinade. It's for
pork roast. Do we have a pork roast?"
"I don't know, do we? That sounds good."
"Not unless we want to eat at midnight..." She looked at her watch, it was
after eight. "I'm sorry. I was going to make something, but--."
"That's all right. I'll take care of it." Methos went to the phone and pushed
speed dial number four. "Pea pods, vegetable lo mein, pork fried rice and
three eggrolls, please."
~~~~~
With Claire finally in bed and sleeping, she was no longer scratching,
Elizabeth walked into her bedroom to see Methos already in bed. "The
chicken pox... I never even thought of childhood diseases., I'm such a
lousy mother," she said as she started scratching her side.
Methos turned over and said, "You're a good mother. She got her shots.
How were we supposed to know? What are chicken pox anyway? She
hasn't been around chickens."
"Varicella, it's called. That's what the doctor said."
"Ah." Methos said, recognizing the Latin terms. "She must have gotten it
from another kid in school. Those schools are a hot bed of disease."
Elizabeth chuckled. "It's not the Dark Ages, Methos. It's the chicken pox.
She may get the mumps, or measles. I'm surprised she hasn't gotten them
before now."
Elizabeth had taken off her shirt to slip on her hockey jersey and Methos
said, "What's that?"
"What?" Elizabeth asked, turning her head behind her.
"You're all full of... red spots on your back."
"What?"
He pulled her hands closer to him to inspect them. "Hm... have you been
around chickens, my dear?"
"What?" She turned her head so she could look at her back and was having
a tough time of it. She was going to go to the mirror in the bathroom, but
Methos held her arms.
Through Methos' laughter, he pointed at her back and said, "Look at that.
It's like a show, quite entertaining."
"What?!"
"The spots are coming to the surface, then disappearing and then another
one takes its place." He sat up on his knees and studied her back. "This is
amazing. I've never seen anything like this before. All I need is a bowl of
popcorn and a beer to sit back and enjoy the show."
She took off to the bathroom and leaned against the doorframe to rub her
back. "God! It itches." Then Elizabeth looked at her face and bared chest
in the mirror, horrified. "God! What's going on?"
Methos walked into the bathroom, still giggling. "You're an immortal with
a childhood disease. I take it you've never had Varicella."
"No! Except for that brainwashing, I've never been sick a day in my life,
even before I turned."
She looked at Methos, chuckling as he watched the spots appearing and
disappearing on her skin. Elizabeth slapped his shoulder and rubbed her
back against the doorjamb again, and scratched her chest. "It's not funny!"
Methos stifled his laughter and said, "If you say so..."
~~~~~
SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2008
Methos wanted a day to himself, so he packed a lunch and woke Elizabeth
up in the early morning hours with soft kisses on her no longer chicken
pox affected cheek. "You seemed to have healed, Lizzie."
Elizabeth opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling, then smiled. "Ah.
Do you know what a relief if it not to be itchy? Poor Claire. Have you
checked on her?"
"She's sleeping."
Elizabeth realized that it was still dark outside and that Methos was
dressed. "I didn't sleep all day, did I?"
"No. I'm taking Charlie up to the mountain top."
"Why?"
"To think. I'll be back around dinner time." Methos kissed Elizabeth and
said, "Have a good day."
Elizabeth turned over and fell back to sleep, to let Claire sleep in also. She
opened her eyes after seemingly just sleeping for a bit, to see the bright
sunshine out the window. Since her property was full of immortals, the
buzz Elizabeth felt didn't take her completely by surprise, but she
wondered who was coming into the house. She waited for whoever it was
to call out, but then she heard the front doorbell.
She was only wearing her hockey jersey that she wore to bed, so she
slipped into some underwear and pants and walked out of the bedroom and
toward the front door. She stretched up to look out the stained glass and
saw the top of Chuck's head. She looked at her watch, wondering why he
was at her front door, and not in the stables working since it was only 9:30
in the morning. Then she realized that she felt a buzz! It wasn't Antonio or
Methos. She opened the door and saw that Chuck had tears streaming
down his cheeks and was audibly crying. "Chuck?"
"It happened, Mrs. Gordon. Last night."
He walked in and laid his head on her shoulder, taking her momentarily by
surprise, but she gently held him, knowing how his mind must be going in
all directions about now. She asked, "How?"
"I was mugged last night," Chuck said, then started to audibly cry.
"Oh, Chuck," Elizabeth said, motioning to a kitchen stool. He sat down on
one as she walked around the counter and tested the heat of the coffee that
Methos had to have made. She decided to dump it and start over. "Tell me
exactly what happened, Chuck."
Chuck pointed to the middle of his chest. "He shot me right there. When I
woke up, my Mustang was gone. My wallet... I just cashed my paycheck at
the grocery store. Why didn't I just put it in the bank?!"
Elizabeth said, "Don't worry about that. We can write out another check.
You're still wanting to go to college, right?" His sudden thrust into the
world of immortals didn't make him want to let go of everything in his
life, did it? She certainly changed her life after thinking she was crazy,
having no explanation for what had happened to her until years later when
she found Hotohke.
He nodded. "I really do." Elizabeth was glad to hear it. He still wanted a
normal life. Even though his life would never be normal again.
Elizabeth's though, was, as Claire cried out for her mother because she
was itchy. Elizabeth told Chuck to sit and relax while she took care of her
daughter.
~~~~~
Elizabeth had spent a pretty quiet day with Chuck in the house. She had
expected him to ask all sorts of questions about immortality and reviving
and swords and fights. When she broached the subject, he wouldn't take
the bait. Claire had come and curled up alongside her, so she stopped
asking, even though Claire had slept most of the time. Elizabeth had
wanted to call Sofia to get the scoop about how it went with Antonio the
night before. She had taken it as a good indication that for the first time
since Antonio had worked at Canterbury Stables, he called to say he
wasn't coming in. Elizabeth had told him to just enjoy his time. What she
got in return was his laughter and Sofia's giggles from his end of the
phone. She had walked out to check that Dallas had everything under
control, and of course, he did. The horse owners who came out to ride that
day usually took care of their own details so it wasn't a problem. Chuck
hadn't wanted to go into the stables, and she didn't want to leave Claire
alone, so they spent the day watching TV.
Since Methos had packed a lunch for himself, and Dallas didn't usually
come into the house, she and Chuck had been left alone. They ate lunch
quietly. She studied him and realized that his facial expression of
numbness must have been much the same as what she had probably looked
like. It was an amazing thing that happened.
She fed Claire some soup and put her in the bathtub for another Aveeno
bath soak, then put her to bed. When she saw Dallas leave for the day, but
Methos was still in the stables, Elizabeth finally turned off the TV and
said, "Come on, Chuck."
Chuck stood, and followed her, but when she opened the courtyard doors,
he stopped and asked, "Where to?"
"Let's talk to Daniel."
He adamantly said, "I'm not going anywhere near him."
"It's all right, Chuck," she softly said. "We'll both help you through this."
He hesitantly followed. Elizabeth put her arm around the young man to
convey that there wasn't anything to be scared of and walked him out to
the stables. Methos was brushing down Callie when they walked in and
walked out from behind the horse to stare at the both of them. He knew.
He could feel the young immortal buzz emanating from Chuck. Elizabeth
was ready to run interference, when Methos asked, "What happened, kid?"
Chuck teared up again at being asked a pointed question from him. At
least he didn't have a sword in his hand. Elizabeth said, "He was shot last
night."
Methos stopped her, saying, "Let him tell it. By who?"
"I don't know," Chuck stammered. "It all happened so fast."
"Where were you shot?"
"In the chest." Chuck cried, turning away from them both.
Methos grabbed his neck and pulled him close to stare him down. That
wasn't just a sympathy cry, there was much more to the young man's
reaction. Methos sensed it also and asked, "Why are you scared?"
"I don't want you to hurt me," Chuck quickly said, pulling away from him.
"Why would I do that?"
Chuck's eyes flashed, didn't he remember his warning? Chuck certainly
did. He said, "This is all new for me. You threatened me before. I haven't
told anyone, I swear, just leave me alone."
Methos told him, "The horses need to get inside."
Chuck just stared at him with trepidation. Methos said, "Go to work."
"Yes, sir." Chuck walked through the stables to the corral.
When he was gone, Methos asked Elizabeth, "What did he tell you?"
"That he was mugged and lost his car and his paycheck."
"Print him another one."
Elizabeth smiled. Methos' offer came so fast and she didn't have to egg
him into it. He was a wonderful, giving man and she was damn lucky to be
with him. But his history with Chuck came back to her, "Don't be hard on
him."
Methos put his arms up in wonder. "Me?" He kissed her and said, "Is
dinner ready? I'm starving."
"In about an hour. Grilled Chicken Parmesan. I just have to boil the
fettuccine."
Methos eyed Chuck as he went about his business for any indication of
anything out of the ordinary after Elizabeth went back to the house. What
he saw was that Chuck was dejected, quiet, sullen. After all of the horses
were stalled and fed, Methos told him, "So, kid. Let the questions begin."
Chuck didn't know if he could trust him not to hurt him if he did. He'd
been holding his tongue all day, even to Elizabeth. "I don't know what to
ask."
Methos looked at him to see if he was still in the area, he was so quiet.
"Fire away." When Chuck was still a premmie, the constant questions
grated on Methos so much, he'd had to teach him a lesson.
Chuck had thought about it so much since seeing the attack from Roberts,
he had replayed his line over and over. He didn't really have any questions
about what he was, just what he didn't know yet. How could you ask for
answers if you don't even know what the questions are?
Methos spoke up. "You're in the game now, kid. You'll live forever, if
you're trained right and are extremely lucky."
"Train?"
Methos should have asked what Elizabeth told him. "There's the game.
Immortals challenge each other to be the only one. You'll have to learn to
use a sword. Learn to protect your head." Chuck nodded, picking dirt out
of Santo's name plaque. Methos told him, "It's okay, kid. Sit down. I'll
tell you all about it."
They talked for over an hour. Elizabeth came out to say that supper was
getting cold. Methos asked her, "Are there any of those swords of yours
you'd like to give our little friend, here?"
"Wow..." Chuck said in wonder. "My own sword?" Then he darkened,
"But I don't know if I could ever do that. Take a head..."
Methos said evenly, "Sure you will, or you'll die. Come on. I'm hungry."
As they were walking into the house, Methos was getting more
comfortable with the young man who was a good worker and had handled
everything from Roberts, to that afternoon with logic and caring, he asked,
"So, didn't I tell you it hurts to die?"
"Oh, it didn't hurt," Chuck said, now fully relaxed since he was one of the
gang he had so wanted to be a part of. "I shot myself in the head. It is
quick and painless."
Methos and Elizabeth came to a dead stop. Chuck, realizing what he said
when his guard was let down, rooted himself to the spot and shook. He
about pissed his pants he was suddenly so scared. Methos grabbed his
head, inspected it for a wound. There was a little remnant of one above his
right ear. Methos suddenly punched Chuck in the face, knocking him out
cold. He screamed at Elizabeth, "I told you this would happen! He wanted
to be one of us early!"
"I had to tell him! What was I supposed to say? That Roberts and I were
practicing a play? He saw it all! Then I was scared he'd tell people about
us. You didn't see his face. He was ready to tell everyone he ever met! I
had to make it personal for him to keep it a secret!"
"Damn it! You know what this means, don't you?"
Elizabeth paused and could only shake her head. "Not really."
"Every head he takes from now on will be dark," Methos gravely said.
"Chuck will go through what you did with... you remember." Methos still
couldn't say Pyrius' name without rumblings in his stomach for how he
had affected his life. "Maybe worse. He may try to take all the heads he
can get! Starting with ours!"
"What?"
"Suicides are dark!" Methos said, clearly, so she would understand each
word. "Suicide wounds on the first death never heal. They're a mark that
lives on with them. You have to stay the hell away from anyone who has
one!"
Elizabeth hadn't known that and thought about the possibilities. It didn't
make that much sense to her, Marvin Delancy had committed suicide
during the depression. He wasn't dark. He was just an idiot. But then
again, Marvin Delancy probably had no idea that he was pre-immortal.
Elizabeth wondered if what Methos was saying was true, but she had been
with Chuck all day, and he had only been timid and quiet.
Methos screamed, "Damn it! I believed him!" Methos looked at the
unconscious, immortal teenager and seethed, "Oh, he's good," while he
shook his head. "I should just take his head right now, get it over with."
"You can't do that!" Elizabeth screamed, stopping him. Methos looked at
her like she was speaking a language he had not already mastered. She
continued, holding his arm, "He's a kid. He deserves a chance. He saved
my life!"
"He put himself into the game!"
"Maybe he won't take heads. Maybe he just wanted to be part of the club.
Our club. Our family. We can't just execute him."
Methos stalked back into the stables and took the sword he had hidden in
the medicine room out and walked back to Chuck's body, fulling
expecting to take his head. Elizabeth stood in the way, and they argued,
nothing would stop Methos from accomplishing what he knew he had to
do. Except one thing.
Claire had came out of the house wondering what all the fighting was
about and saw Chuck on the ground, her dad with a sword in his hand, and
her mother frantic. She finally spoke, "Daddy?"
Methos stared at his daughter, frozen. Chuck awoke and rubbed his jaw.
Then he realized where he was and the precarious situation he was in with
the two immortals standing over him, one of them with a sword and a bad
attitude. Methos stared down at him and said, "Get outta here."
Elizabeth said, "If he's such a threat, we can't just let him go out there
alone. He has to be trained. Watched."
"Please, Mr. Gordon. I didn't mean anything by it. I just..." Chuck couldn't
go on, he cried.
"Mom? What's going on?" Claire asked as she walked closer to them.
Elizabeth went to her to hold her back, but couldn't bring herself to leave
Methos alone with Chuck. Chuck shouldn't lose his head over this, and
Claire can't witness a quickening, no matter how small it would be.
Methos shook his head at how Chuck was still putting on his perfect act.
Methos could almost believe he was sincerely sorry for what he did.
Chuck blubbered, "I couldn't think of anything else. I've lost friends
because it's all I think about and I don't have anything in common with
them since I found out what my destiny is. Everyday crap, movies, music,
cars, chicks, they don't matter."
"Yes, they do, kid. All of those things matter a hell of a lot," Methos said
with tugging emotion that he hadn't wanted to show the boy.
"I'm sorry. I'm just so confused, I couldn't talk to anybody. You scared
the hell out of me. I don't want you to kill me. I need your help. Please?"
Methos told Elizabeth, "Would you take Claire into the house?"
"What are you going to do?"
Methos just stared off in the distance, knowing that to take Chuck's head
was the only logical option. He had a wife and daughter to protect, hell, he
had himself to protect! What if that little shit came after him while he
slept?
Suddenly, Elizabeth left Claire's side and walked to Methos, pushing him
back for more privacy away from their daughter's ears, and spoke quietly
but strongly. "I will not allow either one of us to be a murderer. What kind
of a quickening would we get from that?"
"Nothing that kid would give me would make me even hiccup. He'll get a
hell of a lot stronger after taking a couple of hundred heads. Then we'll
have to face him down the line--."
"Nip it in the bud, huh? Like how we've been worried about someone
coming after Claire? Is that your solution? Well, it stinks! You're the
newbie here, remember? There could be eyes watching us right now. I
think we should all calm down and think this through and not do anything
rash. You take Claire into the house. I will talk to Chuck. I will be inside
in a few minutes."
Chuck was a little relieved when Methos did what she suggested, handing
her his sword, but only because there could indeed be watchers at work.
Chuck finally got up from the ground. When Methos and Claire were
inside, she raised Methos' sword and laid it on Chuck's neck. "Let me not
be misunderstood. I will have no qualms in taking you if you do not
behave."
Chuck plead to her with his soft, wet eyes. "I didn't do anything wrong,
Ms. Gordon. I didn't. Really. I only wanted to be like you and Mr. Gordon.
I've never belonged anywhere in my life. I was adopted and knew it from a
young age. My sister has teased me about it all my life. She never let me
forget that I wasn't one of them. And who really wanted to be? My parents
beat the shit out of me all the time. I don't have real, true friends... they're
just superficial. I knew I'd fit in somewhere, I just didn't know where.
Until I found you and Mr. Gordon. That's all I wanted. That's all I still
want. You know, Ms. Gordon, last night when I held that gun to my head,
I still didn't know if what you had told me was the truth, that I would
survive. But I pulled the trigger anyway. If I didn't wake up again, that
would have been okay."
"No," Elizabeth said. "It wouldn't have."
"It seemed my only way out. Why do you think I'm here all the time or
work so hard? I feel at home here! I always have. I want to be a part of
your family."
"But, you have to train, Chuck."
"Can you train me?"
Elizabeth chuckled. She was already 'training' her husband for the benefit
of the watchers, and she had never done it before. She could ask Antonio,
but he was just getting back with Sofia, and may not be comfortable with
it. "I can't. I have Claire to raise with some semblance of normality. I do
know someone, and really good friend, who has trained before. How do
you feel about Seacouver?"
"What?"
"Come inside. I'm going to make a phone call."
"I'm not going in there," Chuck said.
"Daniel won't bite you, Chuck," Elizabeth promised with a smile. "Well,
not hard."
She brought Chuck inside as Methos and Claire were eating in the dining
room. Methos and Chuck stared each other down, with Methos winning
instantly. Elizabeth went into the bedroom to call Duncan, but only after
making sure that Methos would behave with Claire in the room.
Continued...
(
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