THE ELIZABETH SERIES
CHAPTER FIFTY
SAINT VALENTINE
By JoLayne
EnyaJo@aol.com
RATING: PG
CHARACTERS: M, DM, Amy, A, Elizabeth, Chuck, Guy, others
SUMMARY: Elizabeth is protective of Chuck as they wait for Duncan to
come and relieve them of Chuck. Then there's the matter of Valentine's
Day and Methos is worried that he can't find Amanda.
~~~~~
TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2008
Elizabeth had spent her time with Chuck, and tried to keep Methos from
even looking at him for fear that he would 'bring him outside and take his
head... problem solved'. The carpenters were there to finish up in Claire's
new bedroom and the kitchen pantry, so after giving the final instructions
to them, she went with Chuck up the trails to tell him that Duncan
MacLeod, his new teacher, was arriving that day to take him back to
Seacouver.
When she had spoken on the phone with Duncan the day after Chuck
turned he was hesitant; he and Amanda were going through something
that he didn't want to get into over the phone, but he finally agreed to take
on a new student. He just needed a couple of days to get things taken care
of with the dojo and to find a place for Chuck to live. Methos was happy
to get the kid off their hands, and had told Chuck, "Mac is a good teacher.
He takes in strays and gives them milk and a rub behind the ears. Just
listen to him and you'll be fine." Comments aside, Elizabeth could tell that
her husband was still itching to take Chuck's head.
If it wasn't for Chuck, Elizabeth would be sans head right now, and she
couldn't forget that, ever. She owed him everything. She had thought of
training him, she and Methos could train him together. But, that would be
going overboard. Since she had never trained before, it might be touchy if
she were to suddenly take on two students, since the watchers were under
the impression that she was also teaching her newly turned immortal
husband.
It was a warm day and only their light coats were needed. She could feel
her sword strapped to the saddle under her leg. It was uncomfortable to
have it in a case instead of a scabbard, but she and Chuck couldn't show
their swords to the other horse owners. Methos had insisted that if she was
to be alone with him that she came prepared to defend herself, and not
hesitate to take Chuck's head if there was a need. She promised that she
would if it came to that, but didn't think that it would. Claire was back in
school after her bout with chicken pox, so Chuck was riding Santo, while
Elizabeth was astride her mare, Callie. Since they had moved to Tabard
Pines, she hadn't ridden her horse as often as she had envisioned and the
relaxing day to her was perfect.
Just as they entered the clearing at the top of the hill, Callie reared back on
her hind legs and whinnied. Elizabeth held on and tried to calm her, but
Santo suddenly did the same. She tried to look for what was spooking the
horses, but she suddenly landed on the ground, her leg taking the brunt of
the fall. She screamed when she heard and felt her bone snap. Elizabeth
rolled to protect herself from Callie's hooves as she galloped past her back
onto the trails.
Elizabeth held her leg, doubled over in pain she knew the leg was broken
in half. The pain sent shivers through her stomach and up her back, and
made her eyes well up with tears. She looked up to see Chuck, with a
sword in his hand, ominously stalking towards her. She cowered back and
was about to roll away from him, thinking that his determination meant he
was going to take her head while she wasn't in a position to fight back,
something Methos had been certain would happen. As Chuck moved
closer and closer, Elizabeth yelled out, "You were right!"
Chuck yelled, "Don't move!" and walked over her as she laid on the
ground.
There was a snarl from an animal she still had yet to see behind her. She
jerked around to see a wolf jump out of the woods onto Chuck with his
fangs showing, wanting blood. Chuck rolled with it to the ground, the wolf
scratching and snapping at him. Even though Chuck was taking a
pounding by the wolf, he quickly jumped up with athletic agility and thrust
down on his sword, taking the wolf's head off. Elizabeth fell back on the
ground with relief and then held her leg again, still in massive pain.
Chuck ran back to her. "Ms. Gordon? Are you all right?"
"My leg," was all Elizabeth could manage to say.
"What can I do for you?" he asked as he knelt beside her, looking her over.
"Try..." the pain was so bad, she could hardly breathe, but mumbled,
"Straighten?"
Elizabeth had a vision of Logan's leg as Carlton leaned over it, ready to
take it off, putting into motion the rest of her life, and Carlton's death.
Chuck flattened her out and took hold of her leg, she cried out as he
straightened it. While it healed, Chuck held it, and she almost passed out
from the pain. Then she fell back and took a deep breath as the pain
subsided and she could once again move her leg.
Chuck's face was lit up as he had watched the proceedings, and when it
was over, he yelled, "That is cool!"
Elizabeth sat up and rubbed the leg. "I guess it's better than wearing a cast
for months."
"Are you okay?"
She looked at the dead wolf and said, "Yeah. Thanks." She chuckled and
said, "You stay here any longer, and I'm going to have to start giving you
my blood or something. You keep saving me. That wolf could have ripped
us apart."
"I'm glad I was here, Ms. Gordon," Chuck said, helping her to her feet.
Then he held onto her, hugged her. "I am so glad I am here for you,
Elizabeth."
His hug was a little too tight for her comfort and she patted his back as a
signal for him to let her go. Then she took matters into her own hands and
pulled his arms down from her waist and stepped back. "I am too, Chuck,"
she said, without emotion. "Let's find the horses and head back, okay?"
"Can you walk?"
"Sure. I'm as good as new." Elizabeth sidestepped the dead wolf onto the
trail and yelled out, "Callie!" She saw out of the corner of her eye, Chuck
pick up his sword and look at the wolf's blood on it. He was going to wipe
it off on his pant leg, then his hand, but then only stared at it. Elizabeth
took it from his hands and rubbed both sides of the blade on the dead
wolf's fur, then handed it back to him. "You use what you have at your
disposal."
Chuck slightly grinned. "Was that lesson number one?"
Elizabeth laughed. "Something like that."
He looked at the blade, that still had blood on it, and said, "It will be weird
to see human blood on this blade."
"It is. And you know what? It never goes away. It's still weird."
"Are you a good fighter?" Chuck asked as he put his sword back in it's
case on Santo, who had come trotting back from the other side of the
clearing when she had called for Callie.
"I can hold my own. I haven't lost my head yet, if that's any indication."
She then realized that she hadn't had a real, honest to goodness fight in a
long time. When was the last head I took in a challenge? Pyrius, Logan..
They couldn't be considered 'challenges'...
Before she could really think back, Chuck asked, "Why can't you train me,
Ms. Gordon?"
"Because Duncan is on his way, and he gets testy if he travels for
nothing," she said with a smile, and started walking to the trail. "Callie!"
"I don't want to go with him. I don't know this Duncan MacLeod."
"Of the clan MacLeod, Chuck. He's a great guy and a wonderful teacher.
You're going to like him a lot and you can trust him. He'll never steer you
wrong."
Chuck held Santo's reins and walked alongside Elizabeth on the trail, she
kept calling out for Callie. She said, "Seacouver is a fun city. You can
work in the dojo that Duncan runs. It's going to great for you. You can
transfer to Seacouver U, and we haven't told you yet, but Daniel and I are
paying your tuition."
"But I want to stay here. You're the closest thing I have to a family, Ms.
Gordon," Chuck said. "Don't send me away, please. I want to be with you.
I trust you."
~~~~~
Methos was in the stables when he heard a car, then felt a buzz. He walked
to the tack room window and saw Duncan get out of a rented Volvo.
"Hey," Methos lightly said as he walked outside to greet him. "Long time,
no see."
"If you'd invite me more often... and you know where I live." Duncan
smiled as he looked around the property and at the carpenter's truck
parked by the house. "You really like it here, huh?"
"Yeah. It's peaceful," Methos said, his hands in his jean pockets. "Once
we get a certain rookie out of here."
"Who you're pawning off on me."
Methos laughed. "I would have taken his head and gotten it over with, but
Elizabeth likes him. Kind of like a pet."
Then they heard a horse neigh. Methos looked toward the pen and saw
Callie gallop down the trail, riderless. "Gods!" Methos yelled and took off
running. "Liz!"
Duncan ran after him, only catching up to him when Methos mounted
Callie and was going to take off up the trail. "What's going on?"
"Liz is alone with that freak!"
Duncan watched Methos take off on horseback leaving him at the
property. He heard all the horses in the stables, but he was alone. And he
didn't know what to do. He leaned against the fence of the corral, to wait.
~~~~~
Methos charged up the trail yelling for Elizabeth. If that little prick did
something to her... killing Chuck slowly, after burning him countless times
between healings, wouldn't be good enough. He could feel Elizabeth's
sword on the saddle under his leg and wondered how she could be so
stupid, not keeping it close at all times around that new precarious
immortal. Then he heard laughter up ahead. He was never as glad to see
Elizabeth as when he saw her at the fork in the trail. He jumped off Callie
and ran to her, pulling her into his arms and swinging her around. She
whooped with glee at his actions, but he stared Chuck down as he allowed
Elizabeth's feet to return to the earth. "How did you lose your sword?"
"What?"
"Your sword. Callie came back to the stables alone."
Elizabeth said, "She ran off. It's a long story. I'll fill you in later, but once
again, Chuck saved me."
"How so?" Methos scrutinized the young man who was once again
terrified being in his presence.
"We were spooked by a wolf and Chuck took care of it. He's a good kid,
Daniel. Let's go order takeout, Duncan will be here soon."
"Mac is here," Methos said, then he regarded Chuck--who shook with
fright--and noted the healing cuts, bites and dried blood on his body.
Methos shook his head, confused. He may have been too quick to
stereotype the young man. "Thank you, Chuck," he said, using all the
respect he could muster and shook his hand.
Setting aside that display, Methos mounted Callie and pulled Elizabeth up
to sit behind him and returned home, leaving Chuck behind. They still had
to be on their guard around him.
~~~~~
As they were gathered in the stables taking care of Santos and Callie, it
didn't take long for Duncan to convince Chuck that life in Seacouver
could be exciting for a young, good looking, college guy, and that he
would take care of him. Chuck had listened to everything that Duncan said
he and Seacouver had to offer and fell silent, looking at Elizabeth. He
finally asked, "If I hate it, can I come back here?"
Elizabeth said, "Duncan is one of the best. Show him some moves."
"What?" Duncan was taken by surprise.
Elizabeth said, "Really. He's good. Show him some of your moves,
Duncan," and then handed him her sword that she had taken off of Callie's
saddle.
Methos said, "This is a thrill I can miss," and then to Chuck, "You have a
good trip now. Don't bother to send postcards," as he went to the house.
He called behind him, "I'll see what trouble Claire has gotten into and
chase the carpenters out of the house."
Elizabeth overturned a bucket and patted it for Chuck to sit on and then
leaned against Nugget's stall with her arms folded, waiting. Duncan coyly
laughed, and then said, "I don't work alone."
Elizabeth smiled and took out the sawed off broom sticks that she and
'Daniel' had been using during their 'training sessions' as tokens for
Guy's benefit and tossed one to him. "I know I can't keep up with you, but
I will certainly try."
"I know you can't keep up with me, either, Liz," Duncan said,
immediately lunging with the stick as soon as he had a grip on it. Chuck
was overwhelmed by the display they put on. It was like poetry in motion
as they clicked the sticks together, lunged, parried, spun, danced their fight
through the stables and out into the corral. He had climbed up and taken a
seat on the top rail of the fence and watched in stunned silence. When
Elizabeth got to the point where she couldn't even lift the stick any longer,
she stumbled and fell to her knees. Duncan immediately whipped the stick,
bringing it to a stop at her neck.
Chuck yelled, "NO!" and jumped off the fence towards them.
Duncan laughed as he looked at Elizabeth's surprised face and said,
"There can be only one."
Then Chuck pulled the wooden sword away from Elizabeth's neck and
asked, "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine, Chuck," Elizabeth said, taking his offered hand to stand up.
"I'm stiff and tired, but I'm fine. We're friends."
Chuck gathered his composure and chuckled. He looked at Duncan and
asked, "Can I be as good as you?"
"If you listen to every word I say," Duncan replied, popping Chuck on the
shoulder.
As they walked back to the house, Elizabeth asked, "Where's Amanda?"
"I don't know," Duncan darkly said.
Elizabeth hesitated, then asked, "Does that mean you don't know and are
worried, or you don't know and you're fine with it?"
"I'm not fine with it, but she's been gone a while and I haven't heard from
her in days. She's up to something..." Duncan mused. "I just can't figure
out what it is."
~~~~~
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2008
For Valentine's Day, Methos had arranged for Claire to spend the night
with Karen, Faye's sister, someone that Methos had come to know and
trust enough to leave his daughter with. He had plans for his wife, and for
himself also. He had been making phone calls all over the planet in search
of Amanda, but to no avail. Duncan had said that they were 'going through
stuff' and he wasn't kidding. Methos had actually come to wonder if the
little minx had finally lost her head, although that thought was ridiculous.
They had both gotten dressed up for their evening, but Elizabeth had no
idea what was up Methos' sleeve. When he got back from dropping Claire
off at Karen's, she confronted him. "So, where are you taking me, what are
you giving me for a present, and why the big secret? Must be good."
Methos smiled as she straightened the collar of his navy silk shirt, and put
her hands into the back pockets of his black pants and waited. He kissed
her nose and said, "Good things come to those who wait. I still wonder
what you're getting me."
"Me, of course."
"Yes, that is a gift to keep unwrapping with pleasure each and every year.
Come on, I like gifts too."
"Well, it's the thought that counts, right?"
"Oh boy. You didn't get me anything. Again. I knew it." He took her
hands out of his pockets after she squeezed his tush. "Women..."
"Don't get all hot and bothered," Elizabeth said. "Do you want your
present now?"
"Yes. Right this minute."
"It's not the most romantic thing in the world, but I couldn't think of
anything to get you. Besides this," she said, quickly flashing him by
yanking up the hem of her dress to reveal a lavender garter belt and straps
holding up her hose.
Methos grinned. "I like romance, but would prefer my gifts to be
functional also." He moved closer to her, taking hold of the hem of her
dress and hiking it up. "Is what's hiding in there easy to slip off?"
"With your fingers? Extremely. But, that has to wait. Come with me." She
took his hand and walked him into the kitchen. She pointed at an open,
upside down cardboard box and said, "That's it. Sorry about the wrapping,
but it was installed too late for me to get to it."
"Wrapping doesn't matter, what's inside does."
He walked to the box and rubbed his hands together, smiling, wondering
what it was. He lifted the box to find taps. Like the ones behind a bar in a
tavern. Elizabeth bent down, giving him a flash of her legs. He said, "If
you're going to show me what else is lavender under that dress, we're not
going anywhere."
She opened the cabinet door, which was actually a keg cooler. He figured
it out. He had his own beer tap! He looked at the rich, wooden handle and
didn't see a brand. "What kind of beer?"
"I suppose that you haven't noticed that one entire length of shelving in
my new pantry holds kegs of beers from all over the world."
Methos opened his mouth in astonishment. "No....."
She opened the cupboard door above the taps revealing a little built-in
fridge, filled with chilling beer glasses. Methos smiled as he sat up on the
counter and watched her pour a glass from the tap and hand it to him.
"What kind is it?"
"Pabst Blue Ribbon."
His face fell.
She laughed and said, "I'm not sure. I'll look. I asked Dallas to put it in
while you and I were out riding this afternoon. Did I ever properly thank
you for Callie?"
Methos pondered... "Um...."
She bent over to read the label of the keg, but soon, Methos' arms were
around her and she was brought up to stand in front of him. He kissed her
neck, running his tongue against the scar there, then he said, "You know
me so well. That's the best gift I ever got. Except for that time Joe said
he'd give me a free bar tab for a year, then reneged a month later."
"Well, I'm sure you were drinking him into the poor house."
Methos noted the time when he saw his watch and said, "Oops, we have to
go. The beer will have to wait."
"Where are we going? Dinner? A movie? The theater?" He had been
secretive about their plans for the evening.
"I have to show you something." He walked her into the bedroom as she
giggled.
"I've seen it, Methos."
He looked at her in surprise. She said, "It's nice, but I've seen it."
"Get your mind out the gutter right now, young lady," Methos said with a
smile on his face, as he knelt down on his side of the bed and reached
under it. When he pulled a long box out from under it, she was excited
about the possibilities in there and took it from him, but he snatched it
back. "This is mine. I told you that your gift comes later."
He set the box on the bed and told her as he slowly opened it, "This just
came in the mail this morning, so we can proceed with my plan."
As soon as she saw what was inside the box, her eyes widened and she
gasped. Methos' Ivanhoe! She stared at him. "How in the hell did you get
that back?" She studied it as Methos held it in his hand, one hand open
with the shiny blade flat against it, the other hand caressing the leather
bound golden hilt. She rushed to turn the overhead light on and walked
back to look at it closely.
Methos asked, "Do you think it will fool them?"
"Fool who?"
"The Watchers. I had this made so I have something to replace my blade
with when I retrieve it."
"Are you kidding me? You can't take..." She stared at the sword, at the
perfect leather strapping, at the jewels on the hilt. "You mean, this isn't
it?"
"No. It's a good likeness though, isn't it? I'm really pleased. I thought it
would all be for naught, but it looks authentic. I will really have to keep
that web site in mind."
"You ordered this from a web site?"
"No, I found a web site that takes special orders and I had this one forged.
It's non-combative, just for show, but the watchers shouldn't know the
difference if it's under glass. I'm going to sharpen it a bit more before I
make the trade."
"When is this going to happen?"
"Soon. You have to be on your toes this evening."
"You're going to make the exchange tonight?"
"No." Methos giggled as he told her, "The plan starts rolling this evening.
You have to do to something for me."
"Anything."
"I like hearing that from you." Methos grinned as he started repacking the
sword. "You have to see Amy."
"No problem."
"And you're going meet your watcher, and make sure you keep him busy
for a while."
"Why?"
"Antonio will be giving me a call on my cell at 8:10, so we have to get
going. I'll explain on the way." Pretty soon, Elizabeth was wearing her
coat and they were out in the Saturn.
~~~~~
When Elizabeth and Methos walked into The Watering Hole, for the first
time, they were both nervous. Not only would Elizabeth come face to face
with Guy Barstow, her watcher, but Methos needed to make sure
everything was set in motion. There were a few people on the dance floor
and sitting at the booths and tables, but Methos headed for the corner
booth in the back and waited for Elizabeth to sit before sliding into it.
Corky came to them, wearing a pink dress with her hair tied up in pigtails
with pink ribbons. "What will you have?" Then she realized who they
were and said, "Oh!" When they stared back at her, she collected herself,
so they wouldn't know that she knew exactly who they were, being
Antonio's watcher and all. "Sorry," she said, thinking she was covering.
Methos and Elizabeth knew exactly who she was, and knew that she
climbed onto their property through the gap in the electrical fence, which
Methos had provided for them to use. If he was going through the charade
of not being Methos, there had better be someone there to take the notes.
Corky repeated, "What will you have?"
"I'll have a whiskey coke," Elizabeth said sweetly.
"Whatever's on tap," Methos said, looking behind her at Amy sitting at the
bar.
Corky left fast, and they saw Amy smile and come to their table."Hi! How
are you both doing? This is a major surprise."
"We're good," Elizabeth quickly said, looking a tall man by the cash
register. He had to be Guy Barstow, the man she had heard so much about,
but had never seen in the flesh.
Amy said, "It's great you're here. When I dropped Joey off with Karen,
she didn't say that you planned to come here. Why didn't you tell me you
were coming?"
"It was a surprise to me, too." Elizabeth looked at Methos as she said, "We
just came in for a drink."
Elizabeth sat back as Corky came with their drinks, and also Amy's that
she had left at the bar. "Anything else?"
"No thanks," Methos said, taking out his wallet.
"No, Daniel, it's on the house." Corky walked away when she realized that
she may have said more than she meant to.
Elizabeth and Methos looked at each other, shaking their heads and
smiling at how green she must be. Methos lightly kicked Elizabeth's leg
and she leaned toward Amy and asked, "Would you like to introduce us to
Guy?"
Amy was surprised, but smiled. "Really?"
"You're serious about him, aren't you?" Elizabeth asked.
"Yes! I'll be right back," Amy said, standing up and moving to the bar like
she was shot out of a cannon.
Elizabeth whispered to Methos, "Now, remember, you are a new
immortal, don't stare him down like you've got thousands of years under
your belt."
"I don't do that."
"Yes, you do," Elizabeth forcefully said, laughing.
"Only when they deserve it." Methos watched Amy talk to Guy and point
in their direction. He asked Elizabeth, "Are you nervous about this?" and
held her hand.
She squeezed his hand in return, always nervous about meeting a watcher,
especially her own. "I was actually hoping they'd have broken up by now,
but... doesn't look like that's going to happen anytime soon."
"Here they come," Methos whispered as they both displayed welcoming
smiles. Methos wanted to make as good a first impression as he could, as a
new immortal who was married to Guy's assignment. He wondered how
much Guy Barstow had seen and couldn't wait to find out what was
chronicled. He stood when Guy and Amy approached the booth, and shook
his hand. "Hello. Daniel Gordon."
"Hello, Daniel," Guy said, making sure his handshake was firm. He looked
toward his assignment and was amazed by how different she looked up
close. Her brown eyes were vivid and Elizabeth's skin was like porcelain.
He offered his hand to her and said, "Elizabeth...," knowing full well that
Elizabeth knew exactly who he was. "Or may I call you Liz?"
"I'm not sure yet," Elizabeth said, smiling as she shook his hand. The only
time she had been close to one of her own watchers was when she berated
Daryl in the streets of New York and of course Diane, while getting a ride
with her in Portugal, and again when Elizabeth punched her out to make
sure she could leave New York without a tail. There was also Brett
Maxwell, a man who had a direct impact on getting Elizabeth back to her
own life and mind, away from the life of Angel Bancroft. As she looked
up at Guy Barstow, still standing at the table, still shaking her hand,
Elizabeth knew that he wouldn't be so easy to lose. Although on their
drive from Las Vegas to Duncan in Seacouver, when they found their
dream home, they had lost him many times in the process. Guy looked
strong and smart, but it was hard to read him. One thing for sure, he was
no push over.
They finally broke off their handshake as Amy slipped into the booth and
Guy sat on the end. The four of them stared at each other for a minute,
then Amy started to laugh. "Well, of all the ways I had envisioned you
three meeting, this wasn't one of them."
"It is nice to meet you, Guy," Elizabeth said. "Amy is my best friend and
she's very happy, I'm sure that it's mostly due to you."
"But there's a little bit of confusion about how we're supposed to regard
each other," Guy said. "Right?"
"Bingo."
Amy said, "Let's make this easy for everyone. We don't talk about
watchers or immortals, there are other topics of conversation."
They sat in silence again as they sipped their drinks. Of course there were
topics of conversation, but Guy's occupation laid heavily on them all.
Methos cleared his throat and asked Guy, "What are your plans?"
"For what?"
"For Amy?"
"I'm going to make love to her every night for the rest of my life."
Amy gasped and hit his arm while Elizabeth and Methos laughed, a little
tight, but from surprise. Guy asked Amy, "You don't want me to?" He
looked at the three of them laughing, and said, "Well, it worked. They're
now thinking of me with you, not doing my job."
Methos said, "You're keeping them separate?"
"Because she wants us to," Guy said. "Only because she wants us to. I
have wanted to meet you both for a long while. Only because you're
friends of Amy." Then he looked at Elizabeth again, for the first time,
straight on. "I know all I need to know about your past. I was just
wondering if we can be friends in the future."
Elizabeth held up her whiskey coke to toast them. "To new friendships.
May we all have many."
Amy asked, as she clicked her wine cooler against Elizabeth's glass, "You
wouldn't mind us all being friends?"
"Why would I? Can he keep a secret?"
Guy laughed hardily, letting his head fall back. "I have so far."
Methos' cell phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket. "Hello?" He
paused for a minute, with eyes wide to indicate a problem, and listened to
dead silence on the phone because Antonio was just supposed to call, not
say anything. Then Methos said, "I'll be right there, Antonio," and hung
up.
He looked at Elizabeth, who feigned surprise. "Right where? It's
Valentine's Day."
"Antonio was closing up the stables and Champion doesn't want to go in
for the night. I have to go home to get the horse stalled."
"Oh, okay," Elizabeth said, grabbing for her coat.
Methos stopped her and said, "No. I'll be back in a half hour or so. You
three get acquainted." He kissed Elizabeth and smiled to Amy and Guy.
"I'll be back in a flash."
They watched Methos walk out the door fast, so Elizabeth sat back and
said, "So. Guy. You know all about me. Where are you from?"
Guy was pleased that she seemed interested and started to tell her of his
life, from the time he was born in Tulare, California, through school--
Harvard--and ending up at the Mayo Clinic.
While working as an anesthesiologist, he witnessed his first immortal
revival first hand. Then that was the last of his telling about his job.
Elizabeth asked him about Tulare, and they went from there.
~~~~~
Outside the bar, Methos walked around to the back, knowing exactly
where Guy's apartment was located. Watchers weren't used to being
watched themselves, and for the last week, Methos had been studying
Guy's schedule and habits. He crept to the back door and tested the knob;
it wasn't locked, so he slipped inside. Once back in the building, he could
hear the music and people in the bar, and there were a few people in the
kitchen, but the rock station was on loud and all were busy. Methos crept
along the wall to the stairs, and after a quick peek up, he gracefully leaped
up them to the top. There were three doors at the top of the stairs, and
Methos saw that only two had locks, so he tried one, which opened. He
quickly looked inside to see that it was a store room. He went to the other
door, which was locked, and he kept an eye down the stairs as he picked it.
Methos' coat pockets were heavy with all the implements he had brought.
One never knew what one would need, so bring it all.
Methos slipped inside Guy's dark apartment and slowly shut the door
behind him, making sure to lock it again. He saw that there were light
curtains over the windows, so he shouldn't turn on any lights. He pulled a
flashlight of out his pocket and kept the beam trained on the floor so it
wouldn't be too obvious from the outside that someone was in the
apartment. It was a small apartment, and there wasn't much furniture.
From what Methos could gather, Guy was still living out of boxes. He
didn't plan to spend much time there, or hadn't had the time? He walked
through what Methos guessed was the living room to the kitchen, in search
of a computer or lap top. He found the bathroom, and then the bedroom. In
the corner was the computer station. Viola! He slowly walked over to it
while he snapped latex gloves on his hands.
Methos shined the flashlight on the monitor to find the dimmer knob.
When he found it, he turned it slowly down, remembering where it had
been before touching it. Then he had to find a way to turn it on. There was
a power surge strip on the floor, close to where a foot would be to flip the
switch, so he sat on the chair and stepped on it. An overhead light turned
on along with the computer, monitor and printer. Methos hurriedly figured
out which plug was the light and pulled it out of the strip. He went to the
window as the computer warmed up to see if anyone may have noticed the
light, but didn't see anyone. He sat down in front of the dim monitor
screen and keyboard and waited for Windows to load and then for the
hourglass 'wait' cursor to disappear. He didn't want to do anything that
would leave an indication that anyone had been on his computer. When
Methos looked at the desktop after everything loaded, he saw the familiar
watchers' symbol on an icon and shook his head. So blatant, he thought to
himself. It's a wonder they're still a secret society.
Methos clicked the icon and then sat back and cracked his knuckles,
hoping that the back door he created in Paris still worked. It had when he
broke into watcher bureaus before... they couldn't have found it and
plugged it up, could they? It had been three years....
What was most important for him to find could wait for just a moment, as
he scanned the Elizabeth Chronicle. What caught his eye was how Guy
had written the Roberts incident, titled, 'Cole Roberts - January 7, 2008'.
He had been nervous about how Daniel Gordon's taking of Roberts head
had been viewed. To Methos' surprise, immense surprise, Guy had taken a
lot of the blame for not being there to witness him entering her property.
Guy had written:
"Because I put my own wants and needs ahead of
Elizabeth Bennett Gordon, I was not present the
evening of January 7, 2008, when Cole Roberts
attacked my assignment. I was taking care of
business at the bar. I should have been there. I
knew what Cole Roberts looked like from his file.
I know all of the outstanding threats to her
health and well being that have been cataloged in
the Watcher database. I should have been more on
top of where those threats were at any given time,
so I could warn her so she would be able to
benefit from a fair fight. I would not have
interfered in that fight, but she would not have
been taken by surprise, as I have heard that she
was. Cole Roberts, I have learned by hearsay after
the fact from Roberts' watcher, Tony Capriotti,
had broken into Elizabeth Gordon's home to wait
for her. Roberts had to have known that
Elizabeth's husband, Daniel Gordon, was not on the
premises, and had chosen that time to strike.
Roberts attacked her, intending to rape her. After
hearing Elizabeth Gordon's screams, Capriotti was
going to enter the house to interfere when another
young man came into the house from the back door
with a crowbar in his hand. Tony retreated to the
background, as she had help. Capriotti reported
that he heard two gunshots, and was again going to
approach the house to see what was happening, but
then saw Elizabeth and the young man, who I assume
is Chuck Montgomery, stable hand at Canterbury
Stables, drag a tied up Cole Roberts out of the
house and put him into the back seat of his black
jaguar, then retreat back into the house.
Capriotti went to take a look at Roberts in the
back seat, and knew that he was dead, for the
moment. Capriotti had to retreat once again when
Daniel Gordon and Antonio Santos returned with a
horse trailer."
Methos couldn't read anymore. He skipped down to scan what was said of
his role in Roberts' death and only found a short mention at the bottom of
a long paragraph:
"It was Elizabeth's husband, newly turned
immortal, Daniel Gordon, who took Roberts' head.
Who can blame him? I'm sure he wanted to kill the
man again and again. If I had the power to make
that happen, I would have enjoyed watching it."
Methos decided he had to rethink Guy Barstow. Not the watchers, there
were too many nameless faceless watchers to trust them all as a whole, but
Guy Barstow seemed from his reports to be candidly honest. Enough of
that though, he needed information.
Methos figured that if he really wanted to know, he could ask Amy about
what had been chronicled on Daniels', but assumed that it was much the
same. He did a search for Ivanhoe and came up with nine pages. He
retyped the search to read Methos Ivanhoe and came up with one. Amy
had told Elizabeth that she had seen the Ivanhoe at a watcher convention
in Detroit, Michigan, so really, the sword could be anywhere. The page
that the search pulled up was titled, "The Methos Ivanhoe Sword". The
damn thing was on a world tour! There was a listing of all the places it had
been exhibited, and where it was still to go. Methos was touched as he
read about how the watchers revered it so, the only thing left of the oldest
living immortal. No other immortal had ever lived so long. Methos had at
least 300 years on any other person in the entire history of the Watchers'
chronicles. He saw a picture of his sword under glass, with special
lighting, nestled on a soft and fluffy velvet bed. He should have been
gratified to know that it was taken care of... but Methos wasn't. All seeing
that picture did was make him want his sword back even more. It didn't
belong under glass! It belonged in his hand.
~~~~~
When Methos went in through the front door of The Watering Hole once
again, pretending to have broken the speed limits to make it back before
Elizabeth could pretend irritation, he saw that his wife was in the arms of
her watcher on the dance floor. Amy was in the game room talking with
her son, and Corky walked up to him. "Daniel, where did you go?"
"Around...," he said confused. "Why? Do I know you?"
Corky whispered to him, "I am Antonio's watcher, I thought you knew
that. I heard there was something wrong with him."
Methos wondered what academy she graduated from when she could walk
up to an immortal and relay that information. "Antonio's fine," he said as
he walked toward Elizabeth and Guy. He tapped Guy on the shoulder and
cleared his throat. Guy turned and was eye to eye with the oldest immortal,
a little cranky by what he was seeing. "You can take your hands off my
wife now."
Guy stepped back, his hands in the air, and said, "Liz, thank you for the
dance. Have a wonderful evening," as he walked away, keeping his eyes
locked on Daniel.
Methos put his arms around Elizabeth's waist and continued the dance,
glaring at Guy just stepping behind the bar with a cocky grin on his face.
"What was that all about?"
"We just danced," Elizabeth said, laying her head on Methos' shoulder,
glad he was back. "Did you get the information?"
"First thing's first," Methos said, lifting her head to look into her eyes.
"Why were you dancing with him?"
Elizabeth slowly gasped as she smiled. "Is that my Valentine's present? I
do love to see you jealous, but you used to cut in on a dance with so much
more flair. Remember Amy's wedding?"
"How could I forget, and this isn't an act. Why were you dancing with
him? How much whiskey have you put away?" he evenly asked.
"What? I don't care for whatever game you're playing. You don't have to
keep going. Let's sit down and start over again, okay?"
"He's your watcher, a very good one, I might add. What were you telling
him? When you're liquored up, you do have a habit of talking."
Elizabeth stepped back out of his arms and planted her hands on her hips
and said, "Hm. This is an interesting turn of events." His face was set in
his dead serious mode, and she knew that he wasn't just jealous, he
thought she had spilled her guts to Guy. About what, she couldn't imagine,
and she didn't like it. Speechless, she just went to collect her coat and
stalked outside.
Elizabeth was in the Saturn and had started the engine before Methos came
into the parking lot. She seriously thought about driving off without him,
but had to figure out what the hell went wrong to make him act so strange.
She flipped the unlock button and he slipped into the passenger seat and
quietly fastened his seat belt. She was about to berate him but he said,
"What did you tell him about us and our plans?"
She laid her foot on the accelerator, revving the engine, simmering. "I told
him nothing! I'm not an idiot! Get out."
"Are you sure?" Methos asked, slightly shifting in his seat, glaring at her.
"Yes, I'm positive. Get the hell out of my car!"
"Liz," Methos said, calmly, which didn't go over well with her.
"Do you actually believe that I told him... what? What the hell do you
think I told my watcher? Huh? Oh, I know. 'Methos didn't'... Oh right,
you're under the impression that he doesn't know that you're Methos...
well, he does now because I can't keep my trap shut! I really did tell him,
'My husband, who is in fact Methos, didn't really go home to stable a
stubborn horse, right now he's upstairs in your apartment hacking into
watcher database to find out where his fucking sword is!'"
"Calm down," Methos lightly said.
"Screw you!"
"That's no fun," he said, then grabbed her face and kissed her deeply.
She settled into the kiss, his soft lips igniting her entire body. Damn him!
She wanted to stay angry! She was angry and confused. When he released
her lips and laid his head against her forehead, his eyes closed, she said,
"Don't think that's going to work," breathing heavily, from anger or
passion, she couldn't tell. "I asked him to dance because we talked about
everything we could think of without mentioning occupations and he said
he needed to get some paperwork done before giving Amy his undivided
attention tonight. Therefore, I figured he was going to find you." She
glared at him, then sat straight in the seat. "Not that you deserve me saving
your butt, again, but there it is."
"Sorry. I'm just nervous about this. I already have to trust a certain cat
thief we both know and love, I don't want anything to go wrong."
"So, I'll be the one to screw it up, right?"
"No. Just..." He sighed. "I'm nervous, okay?"
"Fine." She put the car into gear and turned up the radio. She decided to
play with Methos a little and said, "You know Guy has the same love of
music that I do. Beatles, Stones, the Who."
"The English invasion."
"And his eyes. Did you notice his eyes? They're so blue..."
Methos leaned over to her and rubbed his chin against her shoulder,
moving her coat and dress back from her neck. "You only have eyes for
me. Remember that," he said in a low, but soft purr. He kissed the
lavender strap, then took hold of it between his teeth.
She lightly pushed him away and pulled her coat back up. "It's going take
a lot of jewelry to smooth that faux pa over, I hope you know."
Methos smiled. "Then it is a good thing that I am prepared."
"Really? What did you get me?"
Methos stretched and sprawled down in his seat, his hands locked together
behind his head. "I'm thirsty. I can't wait to have a beer from my own
keg."
She playfully hit in him the stomach and said, "What did you get from the
database?"
Methos excitedly reached into his pocket to pull out some papers, then
turned on the map light on the ceiling. He opened one and showed it to
her. "Isn't that the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?"
Elizabeth smiled as she looked at the printout of Methos' Ivanhoe sword.
He added, "Inanimate objects exclusively, of course," smiling at her. "You
are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen."
She batted her eyes at him and said, "You're covering all your bases now.
That's a good boy."
Methos opened the other two sheets of paper, a list of cities with dates
alongside them. "My sword is on tour. Brussels, The Hague, Rome... I
know exactly where it's going to be at all times. We just have to get a hold
of Amanda and pick a date."
"Has anyone heard from her? I talked to Duncan this morning and he
hasn't. Should we be worried?"
"Why? They separate all the time."
"But she's been gone for almost a month."
"He gets a little anxious. Nervous. He's such a kid at times."
Elizabeth laughed, bitterly. "Thank you very much. He's more than twice
as old as I am."
Methos looked at her, not having meant to once again slam her at all. She
turned into their driveway as she continued, "But, I've packed a lot of
crime in my time, in my short years on planet Earth, is that what you
meant?"
"Um. No. That never even crossed my mind. What is your problem?
You're getting a present, don't worry. We're going to be making love.
That's the agenda."
"Oh! Great!" She turned the car off and said, "You have a check list. How
marvelous. I hope I can fit into your plans just perfectly." Elizabeth got out
and slammed the door behind her.
Methos sat back and calmly folded the printouts and stuffed them into the
inside pocket of his coat, as he whistled. "Whoa!"
He went inside to find Elizabeth in the TV room with her feet on the
coffee table, flipping through the channels, still wearing her coat. She only
flipped if she was pissed, and Methos tried to figure out just how that
happened. He sat beside her and she pushed at him and pulled her coat
over her leg. "Yes. It is chilly in here," he pointedly said.
"So go warm yourself up, away from me."
Methos chuckled. Even after 5000 years on the planet, he will never
understand the fairer sex... but then he thought that if he had uttered that
line, she would pick out the term, the 'fairer' sex. "I think I will start a
fire..." He stood up and looked down at her. "In the bedroom."
"Knock yourself out."
"Okay. I will." He walked to the great room and called back behind him,
"And I'll be sure to cross a couple of things off my list."
Elizabeth sat and stewed. About what in particular, she couldn't put her
finger on, but ever since that dance with Guy, and Methos' reaction, she
hadn't felt right at all. Maybe it was because she was in such close
proximity to her watcher, and that she was taken by surprise about how
good looking he was. Nah, that wasn't it. She was around good looking
men all the time, it had to be because he was her watcher. And Methos'
thinking that she would have actually told him anything. That must have
been it, but why? Methos was always calling her Young One, as opposed
to Little One that they called Claire. It hadn't ever bothered her too much
before... Why did I snap at him? Tonight of all nights?
She heard him in the kitchen, pouring himself a beer from his tap and
looked over her shoulder, across the great room, to see that he was using a
frosted glass from the cabinet. Without taking a glance toward her, he
walked into their bedroom with it. There was nothing on TV that caught
her attention, as her mind was on the man in the other room, so she tossed
the remote onto the table.
Methos had indeed started a fire, and only the light from the flames and a
lamp on his side of the room were on as she walked in the doorway of the
bedroom. He was sitting on the bed, shirtless, back to her, wearing his
navy silk Calvin Klein boxers, talking on the phone. "Thank you," he said
into the receiver. "Make sure she gets the message if she checks in to call
Daniel and Elizabeth Gordon, she knows the number."
As he hung up, Elizabeth laid across the bed and ran her finger up his
spine. His torso lifted and he looked at her, tossing his address book on the
floor. She asked, "Can't find Amanda?"
"No. She's not anywhere she should be."
"You sound worried."
"Aren't you? She's quick and covert, but she's also predictable. Amanda
couldn't have... you know... lost a body part, could she?"
Elizabeth convulsed and said, "God, I hope not." Then she turned over and
laid on her back.
Methos scanned her from her head to her knees, her lower legs were over
the side of the bed. Her coat was spread open and he saw the top of the
hose on her left leg. "So, what's your problem?"
"How come you and I can't do this job ourselves? Why do you need
Amanda?"
Methos smiled and stood up, then laid down beside her, his finger lightly
gliding up and down her stomach. Even through the black cotton sheath,
she could feel her body coming completely to attention with his touch.
"Amanda has all the tools..." His finger went up her chest and neck. "She
has done this before." His finger lightly traced her lips. "And you have to
be with Claire."
"It's not because you don't trust me?"
"No. It's because I love you and I want my family to be safe."
His hand went down to her hem and slowly pulled up her dress, to reveal
and lavender thong. She lowered her dress, and noted his smile, to say, "If
we didn't have Claire, would you ask me to do this thing?"
"If it wasn't for Claire, I might still be Methos and might still have my
sword. Fatherhood changed me. I overreacted. Now I need to tidy things
up, and I want you both to be safe. In fact, why don't you both stay here?"
"No way. Where you go, we follow," Elizabeth forcefully said, pulling
Methos down on top of her, wrapping her arms and legs around him. "If I
had Amanda's tools, would you have counted on me to help you get your
sword back?"
"I always count--." Just then, the phone rang. Methos grumbled and said,
"Let the machine pick it up."
Elizabeth rolled them over and sat up to grab it. "It could be about Claire,"
she told Methos, and then asked, "Hello?" into the receiver.
Amanda hollered, "It's about time I got a friendly voice. You have to get
me out of here, Liz."
"Amanda?"
Methos jumped up, suddenly interested in the phone call. "Amanda?
Where is she?"
Methos and Elizabeth both listened to the receiver as Amanda said, "I
didn't think I'd ever hear a human voice again! It's been awful and my cell
phone battery is low. I've been in here for... well just, forever! You have to
get me out."
"Where are you?"
"In a wine cellar," Amanda said, full of life. "And let me tell you, even
though they have extremely expensive taste, I'm finally sick of wine.
There's no food in here. I'm starving!"
"Who's wine cellar?" Methos asked, irritated. Amanda always digressed.
"Robert and Gina's, in their chateau just outside of Paris," Amanda
informed them. "Get me help! I didn't want to call Mac, he'd just laugh."
When she heard Methos laughing, she said, "Liz, please help me."
"Calvary's on the way," Methos said to Amanda on the phone, and then
hung up and took Elizabeth into his arms and laid back.
"Methos! What about Amanda?"
Methos turned them over and planted light kisses down Elizabeth's neck
and chest. "We know where she is, she can wait... You have a Valentine's
Day present coming to you."
"Ooo," Elizabeth purred. "What would that be? You?"
"Paper. Remember, Saint Valentine?"
"A love note?"
"Depends on how much you love jewelry."
Elizabeth excitedly sat up and prompted him to give it to her. He went into
his duffle bag in the closet and pulled out a light blue envelop, an envelop
that clearly came from Tiffany's in New York City. She opened it to see a
gift certificate for $100,000. Her eyes popped out, and she looked at him.
Methos said, "Because of this evening, maybe you want to double the
amount."
"You know, gift certificates are primarily from people who didn't want to
take the time to shop."
"I could have bought you some stationary down at the Five and Dime. You
need to get and receive paper on Valentine's Day."
"Oh, I guess I'll take the beer tap and fridges back."
"Not on your life," Methos burred as he laid her back down on the bed.
CONTINUED...
(
geocities.com/enyajo)