THE ELIZABETH SERIES

CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO

MONEY FOR NOTHING

By Jo
Enyajo@aol.com

RATING: PG

CHARACTERS: Duncan, Amy, Warren, Elizabeth, Guy, Claire, Brynn, Tina Fallon, Al Cartwright, George Marlow

SUMMARY: Elizabeth tries to deal with the recent past. Meanwhile, things are going to get dangerous for the immortal circle of friends.

~~~~~

DECEMBER 31, 2012
KENT

Elizabeth and Duncan had been Amy's guests since Christmas, and the women had been using the time to reestablish the close friendship they shared that had developed in New York City. At that time, Elizabeth had been Amy's history teacher, and then they became across the hall neighbors who had helped each other through the worst of relationships. Amy had been trying her best to soothe the pain of Methos' and Claire's absence, and Elizabeth appreciated it.

The last twelve New Year's Eves of Elizabeth's life had included Methos, the one exception being the time after she had taken Pyrius' head and Methos had headed for the hills. Even after she had left Methos during their first few months together, he had called her from Sintra. Once again, it had been Pyrius who had split them apart, both times after he was dead. Elizabeth wondered if he was happy that after death he did more to make her miserable than he had when he was alive. And Methos categorically denied her the opportunity to explain why she had almost done the worst thing she could ever do.

The new year, a clean slate, was something Elizabeth looked forward to, 2012 hadn't been anything to write home about. During the past year she had taken a head in order to save her Watcher's life, experienced the paranormal, almost taken Methos' head, and given away her daughter. A banner year indeed. She was still feeling shaky about it all, but being with Amy, her family, and Duncan this last week had made her a little more comfortable living in her own skin.

It hadn't taken long for Elizabeth to look outside of herself for someone to blame, and she easily found a scapegoat in Methos. If he hadn't annihilated Pyrius' village, killed his father, and raped and left his mother to die, none of the events in Bethany Stone Manor would have happened. The less she thought of him the better. Piss on him. Piss on his memory. He was an A-one jerk, and she was better off without him. Damn him!

One day she would be sane and fit enough to raise her daughter. She was relieved to have the respite time, not wanting to do or say anything to harm Claire, but there were also moments when she wanted her child more than life itself. At night when she didn't want to fall asleep for fear of the nightmares she'd pretend that Claire was sleeping in the next room. One night she even thought she had heard Claire's music coming from her room. Elizabeth was only able to live with missing Claire by knowing that she was safe with Methos. She hoped her life would one day include her daughter, but didn't know how soon that could happen. Claire called every day and was confused about what had happened to the family. Elizabeth never said anything more specific than she had done something bad, and Claire said that her dad told her it was a "disagreement." Not knowing what else to say, or what Methos had been telling her, Elizabeth chose not to talk about the past, concentrating on Claire's present, missing her and asking Claire what she had been up to that day.

Everything was so much easier for her with Duncan around. Elizabeth had been sleeping on the living room couch, while Duncan was on a cot in the next room. Whenever she had nightmares, she would awake in Duncan's comforting arms. Didn't he ever sleep himself? It felt good to have the Highlander's arms around her when her insides felt as if they were going through a wringer and her mind was abuzz with Pyrius' voice. She had asked Duncan if he also dreamed, but he always said no. The abruptness of his responses told her not to pry. Maybe he wasn't having trouble with what they had been through, maybe he was. Maybe he couldn't sleep because he missed Amanda. Regardless, he didn't want to talk about it, so she never pried.

Amy had called for the kids when it was close to midnight, and it didn't take long for Joey to bound into the living room and plunk himself on the floor in front of the television. Katie Rose, still sleepy, curled up in her father's lap. Duncan opened the bottle of champagne that had been cooling in the fridge and poured it into flutes that Elizabeth passed out. When Joey asked for some, Elizabeth put a little splash in a glass for him as well after Amy shrugged and said, "A sip won't hurt."

When the host of the televised program was counting down from ten, the Barstows, Elizabeth, and Duncan all joined in. When they all screamed, "One! Midnight! Happy New Year!" everyone started giving each other kisses. Elizabeth took hold of Joey's protesting face and planted a good one on his cheek, which blushing, he immediately wiped off with the sleeve of his pajamas. She turned around to see Duncan smiling at her with his arms open wide. Elizabeth whispered, "Happy New Year," as she gathered Duncan into her arms and then kissed him It was the first time they kissed since she had gotten drunk after Methos left her in Greece and Duncan settled her into his bed at his loft in Seacouver following their night of partying at a charity masquerade ball. Feeling Duncan's arms around her, feeling his soft lips against hers, brought the tingling of lust out of hibernation as he pressed her closer to him.

Just as she began to want more than a kiss, Duncan pulled away and said, "Happy New Year, Liz."

That's the way it had been with Duncan since all hell broke loose at Christmas. Elizabeth had been looking at him as not only a good friend, but as an extremely handsome, desirable man. Whenever she hinted that she might want more than a hug, peck on the cheek, or hand holding, Duncan hadn't gone there. The loss of Amanda had to have be harder on him than losing Methos apparently was on her. She understood that he either needed time, or he wasn't interested in her as more than a friend. The last thing she wanted to do was lose Duncan's friendship, it was very important to her, she needed to keep all the friends she had. So, she always shook off the fleeing thoughts of more with Duncan MacLeod. Wasn't going to happen.

A bit dejected, not knowing what to do with her hands, she stuck them into her jeans pockets. She was glad when Amy hugged her and then Katie Rose was suddenly in her arms. She savored feeling a little girl against her chest again. Claire had grown up so fast, and now was probably lost to her. At least she didn't know when she'd ever see her again.

~~~~~

JANUARY 3, 2013
KENT

Stir crazy, Elizabeth borrowed Amy's car and drove out to the school, wondering if Claire was actually at Mount of Olives School and not in South America, maybe it was all a ruse. Methos had used that trick before, leaving Claire in the one place Elizabeth wouldn't look for her. Elizabeth slammed her hand against the steering wheel and berated herself for being so far gone in the head that she hadn't figured that out. She needed to find out for her own sake of mind. The dean was adamant that Claire Gordon was not in his school. "In fact," he told her, "your daughter is no longer welcome at this school!"

"Why on earth not? She was a great student."

"Her father is a bastard. He sicced the barristers on us after you had taken her."

"That's all cleared up, I'm sure. His bark is worse than his bite," Elizabeth said and abruptly left, hoping she was right.

Elizabeth hated Kent. She didn't have anywhere to go, no money to go anywhere if she wanted to, and she knew that the Barstows weren't growing money on trees either. They would have their expenses paid by the Watchers if they had to relocate, and Elizabeth had mentioned that maybe it was time to go someplace they all want to be. She thought that Amy could fudge the expenses and have the Watchers pay for her relocation also, or she could ask Duncan for money, but she was getting more and more pissed when she thought about all the riches she had with Methos. She had money during their marriage, starting with the cache from the sale of James' coins that she and Amanda had stolen. If she couldn't have her daughter, she should get something out her marriage! It wouldn't be had by selling her wedding band, either. She looked at it, it was only a lump of gold that was fashioned into a band. No diamond. It wasn't even a thick band. It was only wide enough to have ME etched inside. "ME forever. What a joke!" She probably couldn't get a hundred bucks for it. That made her mad, but what made her even more irritated was that she couldn't find it in herself to take it off, either.

She drove to the bank where they had their accounts since moving to Kent, and Elizabeth's blood was boiling, she presumed that Methos had left her no way to take care of herself. Considering all she had gone through and all the changes her life had taken since they were kicked off the 'dream ship' was all his fault! The least he could have done was send a few bucks her way. Look at how well she had taken care of him during their marriage! She was entitled to half of all accounts Methos had ! She parked at the bank and stalked inside mentally demanding from the fates that there still be money in there she could use to get a life, any life would do. If Methos had cleared out the accounts, she would go straight to a barrister.

She was ushered into the office of a pleasant woman at the bank in order to talk about her situation. Elizabeth just knew she was going to give her a lecture about what a terrible person she was. Elizabeth anticipated those kind of lectures everywhere she turned, still not comfortable in her own body after the torment of living under the vocal control of Pyrius for so long. To Elizabeth's surprise, the woman didn't berate her for handing her daughter over to a man who will probably never allow visits between them. Instead, the woman said, "We have been waiting for you, Mrs. Gordon." She checked off boxes on a long form and then turned it over to Elizabeth. She pointed to the signature box at the bottom and said, "Please sign there." She lifted the top page clipped to a board, and said, "And there."

"What is this?"

"The signature card and ownership record of your Certificate of Deposit, as well as a credit account that your husband set up."

Elizabeth was thrilled. Methos had actually taken pains to make sure she had some money. It couldn't have been that easy, could it? Did he really care about her welfare? Was there a chance that he would allow her explanation and they could work it out? "When did he do that?"

"Last week. When a man gifts a woman with millions, it's big news here. We've been waiting for you to come to set up your accounts in your own name, but we didn't have any way to get a hold of you."

"It's a good thing I came in today," Elizabeth said, stupefied. "How much are we talking about here?"

"Ten million pounds."

"Pounds?" That's more than dollars! How many dollars is that? She tried to calculate through the fog in her brain, this visit had turned out so much better than she had expected. "Ten?"

"Yes, ma'am. Quite a tidy sum," the old woman said as she smiled professionally. She was probably expecting Elizabeth to set up accounts, to keep that money right where it was, in their hands.

"Yes. Quite tidy indeed." As Elizabeth was signing the cards, she suddenly felt as though she had just received a penance. A magic number to make sure she didn't cause waves later. Ten million pounds was a lot to her at the moment, but she knew it was a drop in the bucket to Methos. Why did he choose ten million pounds? One for each year they were married? They were married in 2001, so that's eleven years... but then again, Methos thought she was dead for a year. A million pounds for each of their married years? Could he be that callous?! She wasn't with him for money, damn it! Yes, money had been important to her. It was necessary in order to live in the modern world. She had shot her nest egg buying her half of Casa Segura. She had loved being a history professor, but never made much money at it. Before Methos, Elizabeth had been happy with her finances, modest as they were. She had committed burglary with Amanda because she needed money after meeting him and throwing her life away. The nerve of him to reduce their marriage to a pound amount!

"Very tidy," Elizabeth stated with anger, and said, "Gimme a cashier's check for everything that's in the CD and account."

The woman looked up at her in surprise when she was looking over Elizabeth's signature. "The credit account is for another million pounds. It is not yours yet."

"But it's available to me, right?"

"Yes, Mr. Gordon set it up so that he would pay the bill."

"If he wants to reduce our marriage to money, a cashier's check for eleven million pounds would suffice. He can pay me for the year I was with James."

"James?"

"Hurry please, I'd like to blow this hell hole as soon as possible."

~~~~~

When Elizabeth arrived back at Amy's, she found them all sitting at the table for dinner except for Guy. "I should have just had Guy ride with me so he could enjoy this. Smells good. What is it?"

Amy glanced at her as she sat the pot of chili on the center of the dining table. "He'll be home soon."

After Elizabeth ignored her smile, Amy said, "I thought that wasn't a problem."

Elizabeth shrugged and sat between Duncan and Katie Rose in her bumper seat. "I guess it's not. I'd rather Guy watch me than someone I don't know."

Duncan cast her a look as he spooned some chili into his bowl and then plucked a slice of homemade bread from the plate, and she said, "It's like you mentioned how it was with you and Joe."

Duncan handed her the bread plate saying, "I also mentioned our being on two different sides strained our friendship."

Elizabeth and Duncan both looked to Amy. She was getting bowls filled for Joey and Katie as she stated, "Liz and I are going to remain friends. We've worked it out so far, why should things change?"

Elizabeth suddenly realized that Amy was in fact there, not God knows where watching Methos and Claire. "Whoa, it didn't dawn on me. Amy?" she asked excitedly. "Did you quit your job?"

"No, what gave you that idea?"

"You're not with you know who."

"Nope. I'm taking a vacation to be with my kids, husband, and friends."

"So, who's on him?"

Duncan asked, "Why do you want to know?"

Elizabeth stood to fill her chili bowl and shrugged. She had never really been one to care about Watchers, it was Methos who thought they were so damned important. Elizabeth hadn't even heard of them until Methos and Duncan, along with Amanda, had come into her and Amy's fold. "I guess I was just hoping my friend would have a job where she doesn't have to be away from her kids. So sue me."

"I'm only on vacation, Liz," Amy said, helping Katie Rose eat.

"And when you go back, you won't tell me where my daughter actually is, will you?"

"I'll keep you informed about how she's doing, what I see, other than that... we'd get into the area of interfering."

Joey piped up, "What are you all talking about?"

The two immortals and the watcher concentrated solely on their food to let the moment pass. Elizabeth decided that the silent was overwhelming, so she asked Joey, "Do you like it here, Joseph?"

Joey only shrugged in return.

Elizabeth nodded, not having expected anything more from a preteen boy. "I've been doing a lot of thinking this week, and came to a decision. A couple, actually. I want out of here. I've never liked it here."

Amy's face looked like it was instantly lit from inside as she displayed pure happiness. "Thank God! I've never been so bored as I am here. Where are you thinking? New York?"

"Just because I go doesn't mean you have to, but I'm leaving soon," Elizabeth told them.

Amy asked Joey, "How would you feel about moving back to the States?"

"Where? I've got friends here."

"You liked living in New York, didn't you?"

"We lived in New York?" Joey asked.

"Well, you were young, but yes. You don't remember? Don't you remember the clouds on the walls of your room, playing in Central Park. More importantly, don't you remember your father?"

"Kind of. I think of Dad as Dad. Where is he? He was going to take me on in Ghoul Blast tonight."

Elizabeth was pained by Amy's reaction to Joey, and it was- No, she had to tell herself that it wasn't Methos' fault that Kevin was killed. Her first reaction was to blame Methos for everything, and sometimes it was so damned easy. Thinking about Kevin, and seeing Amy's disappointment that his son didn't remember him, made Elizabeth sad. Then she remembered Amy and Methos' little tryst. After Joey asked to be excused to get his computer ready for Guy's return, Amy's eyes filled up with tears, and Elizabeth felt guilty about remembering the worst thing that happened in their friendship, rather than Amy's sadness about losing Kevin.

Duncan, probably seeing two women who needed to talk, wiped his mouth with his napkin and set it on the table. "I think I should check out this blasting ghouls game," and made a hasty exit with his bowl of chili and a fresh slice of bread.

Elizabeth caught his look when he realized what he said. They had spent a long night in the presence of ghouls. If only it had been as easy as a computer game to finish them off. She knew that he was having a hard time dealing with the whole matter, and didn't understand why he wasn't willing to talk to her about it. He was always ready and willing to talk about how she was dealing with it all, but whenever she'd ask him how he was feeling, he'd clam up or change the subject.

"More bread, mama," Katie Rose demanded, and Elizabeth handed her a slice after taking off the crust.

Then Elizabeth took Joey's chair and pulled Amy to her shoulder. "He doesn't remember Kevin," Amy said with great pain. "I've always told him about Kevin. Why doesn't he remember?"

"I'm sure he does, as much as he can." Elizabeth remembered how Claire had forgotten her after James kidnaped her. "Also, Joey has a father, a good father, so maybe..."

"It's not right. Joseph should always remember Kevin."

"Don't make him do what he can't, Amy. Not because you want it or you think Kevin would have wanted him to remember everything about him. I think Kevin would be happy that Joey's living well. He's got a great mother, father, sister, and let's not forget about his wonderful godmother who makes mistakes, but loves him very much."

Amy sat up and rubbed her eyes dry. She sniffed and shook off the blues. "Kevin would be proud of Joseph."

"Of course, he would. He's a great kid."

The phone rang, and Amy determinedly went to answer it, probably glad to put her mind on something else. Elizabeth started taking things from the dining table to the kitchen counter as Amy talked on the phone. Judging by how official and abrupt Amy was on the phone, she wondered if Methos had called. Maybe he was working with Amy, keeping in touch with her to make sure his precious Chronicle was exactly as he wanted it?

After she hung up, Elizabeth asked, "Was that Daniel?" being careful as Katie Rose was in the room and she had the nasty habit of repeating any words she heard.

"No, why would he call me?"

"You tell me, you're watching him."

"Not at the moment. Actually, that was the backup watcher I placed on Daniel so I could come home."

"Oh."

"Do you want to talk to him? I can probably arrange it."

"I don't want to talk to him," Elizabeth said abruptly. "But I haven't talked to Claire yet today. I think I'll give her a call after we're done cleaning up here."

"Go, I'll do this."

~~~~~

RIO DE JANEIRO

Tina Fallon hung up the phone after giving Daniel Gordon's main watcher, Amy Barstow, the report of the day. There wasn't much to tell. She had followed the immortal who had turned just over five years ago, and some girl she had never read about in his Chronicle, from the hostel to a café, to a string of stores in the marketplace where the kid seemed to enjoy watching and mimicking the dancers in the parade, then back to their hostel. From the way the lights inside one of their rooms flickered after the sun had set, Tina knew it was the television, and they were watching the DVD's she saw him rent in one of the long line of stores they visited. Based on her own experience with a daughter, she knew the girl must be around ten and had a bedtime. Since it was now eleven pm, and the light in the next room shined through the window, Tina took for granted that they were planted for the night.

She had hoped she would have better news to report to Cartwright, something more than Daniel was isolated from all his immortal friends. From what she could tell, he hadn't even called his wife. They had his cell phone tapped, and the only call he'd made in the last two days was to a bank in Cancun. Boring! When she had gotten this assignment from Ms. Barstow, she had hoped that she could be the one to make her mentor's plan come to fruition. That it would be her tip-off that would lead his quest to succeed. Cartwright had promised Tina that if he could kill Duncan MacLeod and all the immortals surrounding him, she would be very nicely compensated. She had seen the wealth the higher-ups in the Watcher organization, such as Al Cartwright, flaunted, and couldn't wait until she eschewed her lowly field Watcher status and became one of the big boys.

After receiving the call to temporarily watch one of MacLeod's immortal friends, Cartwright had promised her that she would be in on the ground floor of his grand plan to rid the planet of one of the nastiest, and formidable, immortals out there. He had told her that since he had glimpsed MacLeod's Chronicle while researching another immortal, he knew that Duncan MacLeod was one immortal any mortal should take very seriously. He had taken many heads, and seemed to have a good relationship with other immortals at the same time. Not only was Duncan MacLeod a master manipulator, but he was also a curse to peace-loving mortals.

Al Cartwright had told her many times that immortals were, at their core, just plain wrong. There was something devilish that happened upon an immortal's first death that made them walking evil. And there were so many of them! The devil had made them and they needed to be stopped. In order to stop the evil, mortals had to band together to get rid of what that demon loved the most: one of its own creation. One who was so friendly, so versatile, so manipulative as to make even his natural born enemies (other immortals) think he was one of the crowd. At the same time, Duncan was gathering friends, immortal and mortal. He was also taking out many immortals who were weaker. Survival of the fittest was happening right before the Watchers' eyes, and Cartwright had been horribly disappointed that no one but he could see it. To his mind, the only one who had the guts to buck the system and do what was right was a man named James Horton, who had been taken out by the very evil that needed to be destroyed.

Not only did Duncan MacLeod need to be destroyed, according to Al Cartwright, so did all those he had gathered as friends. If Al's gang were able to take out Duncan MacLeod-making sure that his quickening was lost so it couldn't infect the rest of the immortals that might be worth saving -Horton's righteous mission might once again be on the front burner in some Watchers' hearts, where it should be. Of course, MacLeod's immortal friends might riot against the Watchers. How could mere mortals fend off immortals with a mission, no matter how obtuse it was? Duncan MacLeod, along with Warren Cochrane and the late David Sommers (A.K.A. Methos), annihilated Cameron James' compound! Cameron James was by no means someone to save; the Watchers wanted him dead as well, but it was so slick how Duncan MacLeod got a few Watchers to help him on his mission to kill another immortal who was heavily fortified. There was no telling the lengths Duncan MacLeod would go to in his quest to be "the only one."

Tina knew she was just a small cog in a big wheel of her boss' plan to resurrect the Hunters, only the new faction was deemed, "The Crusaders." She was excited to be involved. She looked up to the hostel rooms that Daniel Gordon (who had only taken two heads since turning and who hadn't seen Duncan MacLeod in over a year) occupied, and realized that she might be farther away from the action than she'd like. But, she would do what she needed to in order to keep in good graces with her mentor. One day, she would be able to fly on private jets, drive a Lexus, live in a villa on Lake Como, and give her own daughter everything she ever wanted, the way Al did with his kids.

Tina called Al to give him her assignment's routine for the day, and Al was quite pleased with her progress, and thoroughness. "Just keep watch on him. I'll try to prevent Barstow from returning to her job anytime soon. Gordon is a friend to MacLeod, as well as the husband of Elizabeth, who MacLeod is with as we speak." She heard something slam in the background, and had come to know it was Al's fist slamming on his desk when he said, "I can't believe the organization that I've given my life to allows two watchers to be so friendly with immortals! It's enough to make me sick."

After a pause, Tina knew was Al collecting himself, he said, "Well, we'll just have to use that friendship to our advantage, now, won't we?"

"Sure. Whatever you say. By the way, when will I see you again?"

"Be patient, my pet. My daughter's getting married next weekend, and then I plan a nice getaway with you, while we watch Gordon together."

Tina felt a flush of excitement creep through her and sighed. "It won't be too soon for me, love. But I don't see why watching this deadbeat is worth anything. MacLeod has other friends."

"Yes, he's young and new at the immortal game, but the way Gordon took Cole Roberts' head, I wouldn't put anything past him. If we kill MacLeod and he finds out... well, we just need to keep an eye on him. We need to closely monitor all of Duncan MacLeod's friends, as well as his enemies. We need to sit back and see what happens. Eventually, all his friends will gather around him, and then we'll get them all."

"I don't know why we didn't take them when MacLeod married that tramp."

"There weren't enough immortal friends there. There will be a time and place when there will be a gathering, but not the type of Gathering that they've been so looking forward to."

"When is the Gathering supposed to take place? I thought this was the time of the Gathering."

"Tina, I've told you. The Gathering is the end of immortality. How long it takes... no mortal can know."

"I don't think immortals do, either."

"There's been an abundance of be-headings in the last fifty years. I do believe the Game is winding down and the Gathering is coming to a head."

"How long could that take? Another fifty?"

"Well, if it takes too long," Al said chuckling. "we'll just have to do something about it."

~~~~~

KENT

After Guy had returned home, he was mum about where he had been. Elizabeth figured that if he was following her all day, he should have not only been bored but home just after she arrived. After lapping up a bowl of chili and playing a bit with Katie Rose, he went to see Joey about that Ghoul Blast tournament they were going to have. They ended up bringing Duncan into it, since he really didn't want to leave the game when Guy arrived.

As Elizabeth and Amy stood at the doorway to Joey's bedroom, she saw that Duncan was having the best time he had since well before the events of Christmas followed by telling Amanda that their marriage was over. She saw his bright smile, something she hadn't even realized she missed as he was high-fiving Joey about annihilating some level filled with demons, monster, phantoms, and spooks. When their eyes met, she could see Duncan's eyes lose a bit of their glow. The change was probably due to his remembering the horror of Bethany Stone Manor just by looking at her. That saddened Elizabeth more than she cared to admit. He hadn't wanted to talk about what happened, and his expression indicated that she was a constant bad reminder.

She wondered why Duncan hadn't just left since she was such a bad reminder, then seeing him with Amy's family, she understood. Duncan needed to be with people, just not necessarily her.

Elizabeth, who now had a cashier's check in her possession, was struck by wanderlust once again. She would have to figure out what to do with her life eventually, might as well be sooner rather than later. Not having her family around was hard, and she knew she had to forge a life for herself without them eventually. Not one to let what needs to be done to languish, Elizabeth made a decision. She wasn't going to wait until Amy and family were ready to move with her. Elizabeth wanted to take that first step to establishing new roots so that when Methos was willing to allow Claire to visit her-or maybe consider joint custody-she would be ready; hopefully that would be sooner rather than later. She hated being forced to allow Methos to make all the rules, but guilt over almost taking his head and the fear that she could harm Claire without realizing it, made her do just that. Elizabeth was finally convinced that she would soon leave the nightmares behind. She couldn't be positive, but she didn't think she was hearing Pyrius in her head anymore, but one could never be too sure. He was still a part of her, his quickening anyway.

She went to the study to fill her suitcase. She was able to be inconspicuous, while walking past the hubbub of Joey's room with all the adults and Katie Rose applauding every demon kill, on her way to the bathroom to get her toiletries. It wasn't until she was zipping her suitcase closed back in the study that Amy found her and asked what she was doing.

Since each and every action she had taken after leaving the ship to move to Kent had felt outside of her control, there was a small part of Elizabeth that hoped that she could pack up and leave without having to explain anything. Another part of her wondered if Amy would beg her to stay. "You'll be glad to know that there will be one less mouth to feed," she said with a smile.

Amy grimaced and shook her head, not understanding. "You're leaving? Why now?"

"I need to go. I have money burning a hole in my wallet, and need time to think."

"Liz, that's all you've been doing while you were here. You need friends, get yourself back on your feet, take time before going back out there again."

"I can't get back on my feet if I'm sleeping on your sofa. I have to find my place in the world."

Amy stopped Elizabeth from taking the suitcase off the sofa. "At least wait until I can throw some things together. I'll go with you."

"But, you're Methos' watcher, not mine."

Amy sighed, "Not as a watcher. As a friend. I don't think you should be alone."

Elizabeth kissed Amy on the cheek and held her in order to gather strength. "I'll let Joe know where I am. Meanwhile, you and Guy can move your family out of this place," she said with a chuckle, believing that everyone should think of the community they had lived in for the past year as a hell hole.

"Where we go depends on you."

Elizabeth cringed hearing that, she wanted Amy to be with her only as a friend, not because she was the wife of her assignment. Or separated wife. Ex-wife? She looked down at her wedding band that was still on her finger, and twisted it nervously. If Methos had only once talked civilly to her since it all happened, she would feel so much better. She might just as well take it off; their marriage was nothing more than the cold gold on her finger. It wouldn't give her comfort, it couldn't understand the anguish she was going through with the loss of her family.

"Just wait at least until morning," Amy suggested. "You'll think clearer then."

"I am thinking clearly. Just because what I want and what you want me to do are two different things doesn't mean I'm not thinking clearly! I'm not staying here, there's too many memories. Too many of my failures. Starting with not talking to my then loving husband about what was happening in that damn house, to giving my child away! I can't stand it here."

Amy held Elizabeth as she cried out all her frustrations, and murmured, "Okay. I understand. Do what you need to do. That makes sense to keep in touch with Dad." Amy pulled away and made sure Elizabeth was looking at her when she said, "Just make sure you keep in touch with him."

"I will." Elizabeth said, "I can let you know where I end up and you can do what you need to do then. I'm not going to get into any trouble, I'm just going to... sort things out."

"Okay. No problem."

Amy's smile made Elizabeth wonder if she was in fact going to follow her, or at least have Guy do the dirty work. It had been so easy to make Amy cave, something she usually didn't do without a fight. Whatever the Barstows decided to do, Elizabeth didn't want to think about it right now. That would entail keeping their profession in the forefront of her mind. She wanted to think of Amy only as a friend, and as someone who might tell her where Methos had whisked Claire away to, and let her know if anything awful happened to her daughter.

"Thank you," Elizabeth said as she took the suitcase and walked to the door.

"You aren't even going to say goodbye to everyone?"

"I don't want a scene." What she really didn't want to do was see Duncan. He had been so important to regaining whatever sanity she had left, and she knew that he would ask her to stay or offer to go with her. That was his nature. He had done nothing since leaving Bethany Stone Manor but make sure she was all right. That made her feel good and she did feel stronger, more willing to take on the task of moving forward in her life. She knew that Duncan probably needed a break from her in order to come to terms in his own mind about what happened, and maybe think about what he had lost when breaking things off with Amanda.

She could hear them still loud around Joey's computer in his bedroom and shook her head to Amy. "They're having fun. I'll be in touch with you all. Thank you for everything." Elizabeth had to hug Amy one more time, just for an extra burst of strength, knowing there was at least one person in the world besides Claire who cared about her. The thought that Methos might have clouded Claire's mind about Elizabeth's love and devotion to her crept in, but Elizabeth squashed it quickly. She needed to think about her sanity and future, she couldn't think about all the horrible things Methos could be doing, or have in the planning stages which would make her life even more miserable. If she was ever going to have a chance to prove herself to Methos and regain custody of their daughter, she had to be strong, confident, and settle someplace where she and Claire could be their happiest.

~~~~~

JANUARY 30, 2013
NEW YORK CITY

Elizabeth hadn't feel like she fit in anywhere, so the first place she had gone was New York City where she had spent two decades completely happy except for the messy Eliot marriage and divorce. Methos had to have one hell of a cell phone bill. Except for the past five days, Elizabeth was happy that she had been able to talk with Claire every day on the cell phone that was left with her. But today, Elizabeth hadn't heard from Claire again and had been worried. She called Joe to get Amy's new number to ask her where they were. Of course when they spoke the watcher in Amy came out first, "I can't tell you that. Just know they're all right."

Elizabeth replied, "Will you quit that job already? I hate that you know more about my child than I do."

"If I did, then you wouldn't even know she's safe, would you," Amy replied snippily.

Elizabeth had hung up before finding out anything, like where Amy was, if she had settled someplace, if she was watching Methos full time again, if she and Guy were separated as Elizabeth and Methos were. She desperately wanted her friend back, but her profession made that difficult. "She could at least tell me something, not just say it's watcher business, for Christ's sake!" Elizabeth muttered after the call. Then she wanted to call Amy back to apologize and talk about something else, anything else, but couldn't find it in her heart to do it. Elizabeth didn't want to be disappointed again and she'd started to wonder if she was, in fact, still friends with Amy or Duncan. She hadn't heard a word from him since she had left Amy's in the middle of the night. She didn't even know if Duncan and Amanda were back together. When she had gotten Amy's number from Joe, Elizabeth had asked him about Duncan. Joe had replied sadly that he didn't know anything new.

Elizabeth had called the dojo and the barge, but neither place had an answering service taking messages. Maybe he just wanted to be alone as she had. She felt she had made headway putting things into perspective. The fact that she hadn't hurt anyone was a big plus. The nightmares still came at night, but they were slowly getting less distinct over the span of many nights. She was staying in a suite at the Regis Hotel. She had been hesitant about staying there because there were too many memories of Methos, but she decided that the hotel was the only place she should stay if she was to get past the fact that her marriage was over. If she could come to terms with the memory of Amy's wedding dance and her first time with Methos, as well as the night Methos had to leave her after finding out that the Watchers knew who Methos was, she would only be stronger in the long run. The only hiccup had been when the people next door banged on her wall her first night there when she had a vivid nightmare. Slowly but surely, the dreams had become more and more bearable over the past month.

The credit cards she had from her marriage came in handy for plane and train tickets, hotels, food, and supplies. They kept getting accepted, so she continued to use them. When she decided that she would stay in New York, she finally brought in that cashier's check and opened new accounts. When she eventually heard from Claire and found out where she could send a check to cover all the charges she'd do that before cutting up the cards. She didn't want to owe him anything.

Just then, the cell phone that she had always made sure was charged chirped from her pocket. "Claire?" Elizabeth asked excitedly as soon as she pushed the button and brought the phone to her ear.

"Hey, Mom. Sorry I haven't called. I lost my phone."

"That's no excuse, you could have used your dad's."

"I told him that, but he said to wait until we were settled. He got me a new phone, and I have your number listed on my phone list."

"Ok," Elizabeth sighed with relief. She didn't want to berate Claire over something she didn't have any power over. If Methos didn't want Claire to do something, chances were great that the girl wouldn't be able to do it. Just be comforted that you're talking to her again. That's all that matters, she told herself. "So, are you settled?"

"We're in Paris."

Elizabeth cringed. "You're going to live in Paris?"

"We're living in Paris. Dad and I talked about where to go, and I wanted to come here. Dad said he always loved it here, and I agree with him. It's so awesome, Mom."

Leave it to Methos to make Claire think it was her decision to move to the one city she hated more than any other on the planet. He was so smooth. "Why did you want to move there?" Elizabeth asked, wanting to get to the bottom of it.

"Well, they have the Américaine de Danse à Paris," Claire said accenting the words in perfect French. "But as soon as we got here, I found an artist's studio down the street. Jacques Roullet, have you heard of him?"

"No."

"He's like Picasso, Mom. There was a Picasso exhibit in Sydney, and he's so cool. Jacques is really nice, and he teaches classes too, Mom!" Claire said so excitedly that Elizabeth couldn't help but be happy for her. "I'm going to take three classes a week from him."

"So, no dance?"

"Not for now. I got a bunch of art supplies and Dad's helping me figure out how to use some of the brushes and stuff he bought me. I want to be ready for my first class tonight. I don't want to look like an idiot."

"You would never look like an idiot, honey," Elizabeth said, thinking that was her job. She wondered if since Claire hadn't done any dancing since she left Mount of Olives school if she in fact loved dancing as much as Elizabeth thought she had. "You did like dancing, didn't you?"

"Sure. I'm good, too. It's just that the company isn't taking auditions until next spring, so I'll learn painting until then."

Elizabeth had kept walking as she talked to her daughter across the ocean, and had to avert people on the sidewalk from time to time. She thought she should have reached Cassandra's herbal shop, but there was a comic book and baseball cards store in its place. She had wanted to see Cassandra, if for no other reason then to bad mouth Methos with someone else who hated him, and felt a bit let down that she no longer had her business.

Claire had been talking, and Elizabeth was sorry she hadn't been drinking in each and every word she said. She paid attention when Claire said, "Since I'm not going to school, I can really concentrate on my art."

"Your dad is home-schooling you?"

"Yeah. I said that already."

"Oh, sorry, honey. The call faded for a bit there and I didn't get that part," Elizabeth said, hoping Claire wouldn't know she was fibbing. She pulled a pen out of her purse and asked, "Do you have a regular phone number, Claire? Maybe I can call you from my hotel later, and we won't have that problem of cell phones."

To Elizabeth's surprise, Claire not only gave her their phone number, but also their address. Not having a piece of paper to write on, she wrote it all out on her hand, and half way up her arm after pulling up her coat sleeve. "Thank you, honey. I'll not tell you father that you told me."

"Why?"

"He doesn't mind that we're talking, and that I now know where you live?"

"Why would he?"

"Well, you never know."

To say that Methos surprised her was usually an understatement. Now that she had Claire's location, there wasn't anything to stop her from charging in and taking her. Giddy from happiness, the first happiness she'd felt in a long time, Elizabeth said, "You know what? You're fading again. I'll call you later, honey, now that I have your number. What time is it there?"

"Almost bedtime. I still can't understand why dad makes me go to bed at ten. I'm not a kid."

Elizabeth chuckled, missing her so, and said, "You need your sleep. You sleep well, and I'll call you in the morning. Okay? Since you don't have school, you can take a phone call, right?"

"Well, I have school, just not 'structured,' as Dad says."

"Sounds great," Elizabeth said, not really paying attention. She wanted to get to the airport fast in order to see Claire when she woke up, or at least by breakfast. She stuck her hand out to flag down a cab, and said, "I'll talk to you in the morning, honey. Sleep well. I love you so much." She had the back door of the cab open and waited only for Claire to say she loved her as well before getting inside.

To Elizabeth's delight, Claire did. "Thanks for the call, honey. So good to hear your voice again. I'll talk to you tomorrow morning." And see you as well, finally! It would be a great surprise for both of them.

"Okay, bye," was what Elizabeth heard before she shut off the phone, got into the cab, and said, "St. Regis Hotel," which was across town. She hoped that there wouldn't be a traffic jam, she needed to get her things and to the airport quickly. She leaned forward to ask the cabbie, "You wouldn't mind waiting for me while I pack up a few things, then take me to the airport?"

"I can't take you to the airport," he replied in some thick accent. It was only then that she remembered that cabs had routes they had to stay within and it was almost impossible to get them to go outside that line. They could take the 'scenic route' for those who don't know their way around the city to get a bigger fare, but to ride out to the airport was out of the question? She wondered if flashing cash would help, but then just sat back and decided to call a car company to drive her. Hopefully it would be at the hotel by the time she was ready to go, which wouldn't be long.

It didn't take her long to pack up essentials and luckily the car company had a car waiting at the curb when she ran out of the hotel with her suitcase. The drive to La Guardia was always a long trip from Manhattan, but this time it was almost excruciating. Then there would be the long flight to Orly, then try to find their address. Then she would see Claire. That was the bright spot of the overwhelming hours in front of her. The bright spot at the end of the long tunnel would be her daughter's face.

The process of getting in line at the ticket counter, going through security, and rushing to the gate was more involved than she had at first realized. Hurrying up and now waiting gave her time to think about what she was doing, and Elizabeth started to feel anxious. The most important thing in the world to her was being able to see Claire now that she knew where she was. The worst thing Elizabeth could do was hurt her and prove Methos right. The nightmares had calmed a bit, but she wondered if they had because she hadn't seen Methos for a while. There was still a bit of a rowdy Pyrius inside her, what would happen if she did see the one man Pyrius hated above all else again? Claire could get caught in the crossfire, just as Joe had gotten caught between Elizabeth and Logan.

Elizabeth didn't know why she was running to the gate where her flight would depart. She had a good three hours until the plane would even start boarding. But, she had to do something. She spotted a bar near the gate and wondered if a few whiskey cokes would calm her down. As she approached it she felt the tickling sensation of an immortal.

That's the last thing I need right now! she grumbled and looked around. She didn't have her sword as airports were unofficial holy ground for immortals. The nutcase wouldn't actually want to have a go with her, would he? Oh, you're just being paranoid, she told herself as she studied all the faces around her, noone was paying any attention to her at all.

She walked into the bar and saw the reason she had felt an immortal, because she saw two sitting at a round corner table. Elizabeth stopped short when she saw Warren and Brynn Cochrane having what looked like a wine cooler and a beer. They didn't smile in greeting right away, making Elizabeth think they were still upset about her part in Sofia and Antonio's deaths. Before she could completely fall apart with grief and guilt, Warren stood up and waved her over. "It's been a while, Liz. Didn't recognize you," he said. "Come and have a beer."

"No, thank you," she said quickly, but then seeing his face fall, she explained, "No beer for me. I'd love a whiskey coke though."

Brynn smiled and pulled a chair to their table. "What a nice surprise. How are you?"

"Oh, I'm fine. How about you? Where have you been?" Elizabeth asked as she settled herself into the chair and took a deep breath to soothe her nerves having noticed her fingers were shaking.

Warren had gone to the bar to get Elizabeth her drink. He was still roguishly handsome, his brown hair was a bit long and wavy, while Brynn was breathtakingly beautiful with her long blond silky hair and bright blue eyes. It was odd to be friends with immortals, there wasn't any change after not seeing them for five years. Warren brought her drink and Elizabeth took a grateful gulp of it. She didn't know if she'd ever stop shaking. She was nervous about the impromptu flight, the thought of what Claire and Methos' reactions would be to her surprise visit, and seeing the Cochranes again after the last time they had been together, an episode that included gruesome deaths which Warren had blamed her for.

The whiskey coke did much to warm her up, and she savored it. Brynn's accounting of what they'd been doing went right by her as she wasn't paying attention. That startled her. She couldn't even have a simple conversation? Since when did she ask a question and not listen to the answer? Elizabeth started to sweat and felt her heart constrict.

When Brynn asked if she was all right, Elizabeth said, "Yes. I just need to sit for a bit. I'm sorry."

Warren commented, "Airports nowadays are a bit taxing on one's spirit."

Elizabeth thought she had heard Brynn mention Hawaii, so she took a slab at pretending she was paying attention. "Where did you stay in Hawaii?"

"At a beautiful townhouse on the edge of a cliff in Maui. Beautiful scenery, not much rain, so peaceful."

"Sounds like heaven."

"We're on our way to Paris as well. We must be on the same flight." Warren took his ticket out of his pocket. "We're in row 4, how about you?"

"I don't even know," Elizabeth said and pulled her ticket out to check. "Bought the ticket spur of the moment." She read off, "Row 38."

"Coach?" Warren laughed. "It's been years since I've rode coach."

"Since the separation," Brynn said, "You're tightening your purse strings?"

"You know about that?"

"Duncan told us. We saw him yesterday."

"Yesterday? Where? Here in the city?" Elizabeth asked surprised. She hadn't known where Duncan had gotten to, thinking he was going back to Paris after leaving Kent when she did.

"Yeah, he said he was staying at the Plaza."

"Is Amanda with him?"

"No," Warren said sadly. "They broke up, didn't you know?"

"I did, but hoped they would have worked things out. I didn't know he was here."

"Well, he's acting very strange."

"Duncan's probably taking the breakup harder than he let on to me."

"No, besides that," Warren interrupted. "He talked freely about leaving Amanda, she's up to her old tricks, and he doesn't like it. It's more than that. Something else is bothering him, and he wouldn't tell me what it was."

"Scottish men can be so stubborn," Brynn observed, taking Warren's hand with a smile. "He wouldn't tell us what was bothering him, but he did say that he spent the holidays with you, though."

"Yeah, we were at Amy and Guy's in Kent."

"How is she?" Warren asked to Elizabeth's relief. She didn't want to get into anything that happened during those last days of 2012 anymore than Duncan apparently had.

"Amy's great. I'm sure she relished the time with her family, but I haven't talked to her for a few weeks. She might be in Paris whereas Guy is probable around the airport somewhere."

Brynn shook her head, "Being a Watcher must be the worst job in the world."

"I'll drink to that," Elizabeth said with a chuckle. "I'm sure I'm not the most interesting one of us to follow, watch, and record."

The three clicked their glasses together and laughed. Warren said, "Whoever is watching us must have had a relaxing time on our honeymoon."

"Honeymoon?" Elizabeth asked before wondering if Brynn mentioned 'honeymoon' along with 'Hawaii' when she wasn't listening.

Brynn said, "Yeah, he calls it that."

"A married couple should have as many honeymoons as possible," Warren said, leaning over to kiss his bride.

~~~~~

George Marlow was excited that the plans Cartwright had put into motion might just be coming to a head, finally. He had been loitering at a newsstand across the hall from the bar where his assignment, Warren Cochrane, and his wife were having a drink with another of the marked immortals, Elizabeth Gordon. Cartwright had always cautioned them all that it would take a long time for the situation to be right to take out Duncan MacLeod and all his immortal friends. He insisted that they just had to wait until they were all together so that they could all be taken at once so that all their quickenings would be lost. It looked like it was about to happen in Paris.

He looked over to Guy Barstow, Gordon's watcher and a casual acquaintance at Watcher Conventions, who could drink anyone under the table, to see him on his cell phone sitting on a chair at a gate. Maybe he could get more of a handle on what was going on with the immortals if he could overhear whatever conversation he was having. He walked over, careful not to make noise or call attention to himself, something all Watchers were adept at doing, and took a seat in the row behind him.

"I'll call you later after she's gotten on the plane. You might want to watch for her on your end, and I'll take another flight out tonight," Barstow said. After a pause, he said, "I can't wait to see you too, baby. Life was so much easier when they were all on a boat."

George walked away fast as he had gleaned what he needed, that Elizabeth was going to Paris where her immortal husband and Duncan MacLeod's wife were. He placed a call on his own phone on his way past he glanced into the bar at the immortals still sitting at the corner table . Immortals, they were like rats. Too many of them and if you don't control the population, they'll take over. He took a mental tally and deduced that Warren and Brynn Cochrane, Daniel and Elizabeth Gordon, and Amanda would all be in Paris together. He didn't know what plans the big guy, Duncan MacLeod, had but he would more than likely show up in Paris soon. That only left four more immortals, Robert and Gina DeValicourt and Cassandra and Ian Helm.

Cartwright answered his private line and George told him, "Five in Paris, boss."

"I got word from Thompson that MacLeod is staying in New York."

"His wife and his new girlfriend are either going to or are in Paris, so he'll go to Paris soon, I'm sure of it."

Cartwright scoffed. "Don't put the cart before the horse. This could be the time of our little secret Gathering, or it might not. Just watch to see what happens. Don't make things happen."

"I will," George said not liking to be ordered around and talked to like he was a stupid kid. "Where's the other four? Have they been found yet?"

"The DeValicourts are in Buenos Aires and the Helms are in England."

"Why can't we do it with the others and do them later?"

"Just imagine ten quickenings floating in the air trying to find a place to settle, and not finding one. I can't wait to see the light show," Cartwright said with awe.

George wondered if Cartwright had actually done some research and ten was a magic number for something to happen that would make him stronger or something. He knew there were scientists working for the Watchers performing all sorts of tests on immortal DNA. There was usually a lot of blood at beheading scenes, plenty to experiment with. George just wondered how long it would take for the scientists to start demanding live immortal lab rats.

"Just keep watch and tell me all that happens," Cartwright ordered him.

George hung up after the perfunctory 'for sure,' and then darted out of the way as the immortals were leaving the bar.

Brynn Cochrane and Elizabeth Gordon walked to the ladies' room as Warren Cochrane walked to the gate. George noticed Guy Barstow still sitting at that gate down the hall, watching the immortals.

~~~~~

Elizabeth splashed some water on her face while Brynn was in one of the stalls. She hoped that the pounding of her heart, that had started after Warren mentioned that it would soon be time to board would cease. She desperately wanted another whiskey coke to calm herself and she hated the shakiness that came with just knowing that soon she would be on a plane to see her daughter. "What's wrong with me?!" she lamented aloud. She was sure that she was going to through up when she should be happy that all she needed to do was get on the plane then she would see her daughter. The splash of water had done nothing to alleviate the beads of sweat that reappeared on her forehead, and she could feel them trickling down her nape.

After a toilet had been flushed, Brynn stepped out of the stall and said, "What's wrong with you?"

Gasping for breath, Elizabeth felt she was going to pass out, she didn't know what to say. She had been heard. She fumbled with her purse and then thought of a way out of the conversation instead of telling Brynn she was scared to see her daughter. "You know what I did? I forgot my Goddamn passport."

"Well, didn't you go through customs already?"

"Yeah, it... I must have left it there. I just checked my purse and didn't see it. I should hurry back to get it."

Elizabeth tore out of the bathroom, and headed down the hall, not wanting to have to explain anything to Warren as she was sure she looked like quite the picture. She kept running until she was out of the airport and the crisp January air hit her with full force. It felt good to finally be able to breathe and she lapped up many full breaths before leaning against the windows of the airport to relax. "Okay, I won't go to Paris."

She pulled her coat around her, and realized that she did have her purse, but her luggage and sword had already been checked. She ran back into the airport hoping to get her luggage off the plane before it took off, only to be told by a ticket agent that it was impossible.

"Oh, great!" Elizabeth slammed her hand on the desk, startling the agent, and stomped away. She may have to go to Paris after all, a thought which didn't make her feel easy. She didn't like it at all. "What the hell is wrong with me?" she asked, getting pissed. She should be happy to see Claire, not fearful. Looking at her watch, she realized it was too late to catch the plane now. She turned back to the agent to see if there was a chance she could get a refund on her ticket, but no dice.

Sure, she was sitting pretty in the way of funds, but to throw away $2,000 on a lark wasn't going to make her nest egg last long. Now she'd have to buy new clothes and essentials, as well as a sword. Or, she could go to Paris and claim her suitcase and package.

It was too much to deal with right now. All she wanted to do was collapse into a hot bubbly tub and drink some wine while listening to some soothing music. At least she hadn't taken the time to check out of the St. Regis. Maybe she had subconsciously known she wouldn't be able to go through with going to see Claire? Or, she wondered, was the reason she didn't get on the plane because she knew she'd have to see Methos? Yes, it was so easy to blame everything on Methos so that's what she went with as she walked outside to get in the taxi line.

~~~~~

All the while she was laying in the tub at the hotel, Elizabeth tried to focus on her reactions to everything since receiving Claire's phone call. It seemed that she needed liquor to cope, and that was the last thing she wanted to happen to her. She didn't know if immortals could be alcoholics, but she didn't want to find out, she had enough to worry about right now. The glass of Chardonnay she had half drained went down the toilet, and she reached over to dump the rest of the bottle out as well.

Leaning back and slipping into the water with only her nose to top of her head sticking out of the bubbly water, she reviewed the conversation with Warren and Brynn, or her lack of participation in it. Embarrassed to have showed such a poor display to old friends, she cringed wondering what they thought of her. Since they were going to Paris, what if they ran into Methos? What would they say about her? She suddenly remembered she had told Claire she would call her in the morning. What time was it in Paris? A six hour time difference, and it was 9:15, that would make it... 3:15 am there. She assumed that Claire probably woke up around 7, so she had a few hours to kill. At one or two am New York time, she would make the call and try to make herself sound as if she had it together and that a good morning phone call was all she had prepared for her daughter.

Elizabeth didn't feel together at all. The ping, ping of water leaking from the faucet into the tub reverberated, making her feel even more tense instead of relaxed. If only she could talk to someone who would understand. Elizabeth got out of the tub and wrapped up in the gratis white terry robe with St. Regis emblem on the breast, then went to the phone to call Amy to see what she was up to. She didn't even know where she was, but it was more than likely Paris because that's where Methos lived. Joey answered her phone, and told Elizabeth that they were indeed living in Paris, if only for a short time, and Amy was working. "Then why didn't she answer her cell phone?"

"I guess she forgot it."

"Okay, tell your mom I called." She didn't want to just hang up, there was a person at the other end of the line and maybe she could have a conversation with him. He was, after all, her godson. "So, how are you doing?"

"Fine," was all he said, then there was a long pause. She hoped it was just because he was a preteen. She had heard of the phases that kids go through while researching children when Amanda had given Claire to her and Methos.

When he didn't elaborate, she said, "Great. Take care of yourself, and I'll talk to your mom later."

After hanging up, she held the phone thinking about the one person who just might know what she was going through, if only he would talk to her. Warren and Brynn had said Duncan was at the Plaza, so she took the chance that he was still there. She dried her hair and threw on some clothes, needing to talk to him and find out exactly what happened during their night together at the Manor that he couldn't talk about. Maybe she'd get some insight on helping herself and calming her nightmares if she were to focus on Duncan and his trouble handling it. It would be grand if they could help each other heal.

As soon as Elizabeth walked into the Plaza's lobby, she called Duncan on his cell phone to get his room number, and he sounded pleasantly surprised to hear from her. He immediately told her which room he was in, and she went happily to the elevators.

When he answered the door, she told him, "Hey, stranger. Why didn't you tell me you were in town?"

"I could say the same for you. Come in, come in," He said, stepping aside so she could enter his fabulously luxurious suite, with take out cartons, old newspapers, and a few empty wine bottles in the living area. The condition of the room wasn't at all as she knew Duncan to be. If anyone was almost anal in their housecleaning duties, it was Duncan MacLeod.

He said, "Shame on you for leaving Amy's without telling me," as he gathered her into a hug.

His hug was warm and welcoming, exactly what she hoped she would get when she came. She needed friendship, and had a lot of love to shower on another person since her marriage was seemingly over, her child was an ocean away, and she hadn't seen anyone for any meaningful length of time.

"How about I buy you some dinner?"

"I don't really feel like going out, being around people."

"You picked the wrong city to come to then, Duncan. There's nothing but people here."

"I think I did."

"Hey, tell me what's going on."

"Not much. I'm just biding my time until I figure out what I want to do."

"I meant in your head." Elizabeth sat him down on the couch and asked him tenderly, "Are you having as much difficulty with everything as I am?"

He was silent, his eyes focused on anything but her. She saw the gold band on his ring finger. "Have you at least talked to Amanda?"

Duncan shook his head and pierced his lips.

She asked, "Have you also had the pleasure of dealing with nightmares, a failed marriage, and the quickenings we saw that night?"

He leaned back and nodded with his eyebrows raised, meaning 'bingo.' He still didn't say anything though. His reaction made her feel sadder. She could understand why she was having trouble with everything; she had almost taken her husband's head, but for Duncan to be so unlike himself after the night in Bethany Stone Manor nothing was right with the world. If there was one person she thought could take any heat and still stand, it was Duncan. "Want to talk about it?"

"Not really. I'm fine. I'll... I'll be fine. We both will. We just need some time. Make some decisions. I think I've got a buyer for the dojo."

"Why are you selling the dojo?"

"It's about time. I've owned it for over twenty years...," his voice trailed off, then he said more confidently, "It's time."

"Have you been back to Seacouver recently?"

"No. A guy left a message on my voice mail at the office, and said he was interested in buying it. It's not running now. Hasn't since I..."

"Married Amanda?"

He nodded. She asked, "Too many memories of Amanda there?"

"And Richie."

While in the Manor, two men who Duncan had said were friends were introduced to her. Richie and a Sean. She remembered wishing she could have known them, they looked so friendly, and looked upon Duncan with such warmth. Even though Duncan had taken their heads, she was sure she was remembering it correctly that both of their forms has said they had forgiven him for taking their heads.

Duncan looked as if he was going to break down, so Elizabeth rubbed his shoulder. The first time she had really met Duncan was at his loft, and she had pointed out an interesting sword on his wall, which he had sadly said had belonged to Richie, his student. "Tell me about him."

Duncan shook his head and stood up. He paced a bit, then stopped in front of the window and was looking down on the city. She walked to stand beside him and saw that the city was still truly beautiful. It had always given her a bit of comfort, which was why she had come here herself. She wondered why Duncan had. "I happened to meet Warren and Brynn at the airport. They were off to Paris."

"What were you at the airport for?"

"I was going to see Claire."

"Why aren't you in the air then?"

"I got... I don't really know. Scared?" She shyly smiled. But, it wasn't her troubles she was here for, it was his. "They mentioned you were here, so I looked you up. Why are you here?"

"I was thinking this was where you had gone."

"You came here to see me?"

He only nodded. "Then why didn't you call me?"

"I didn't know what to say. Though it is nice to see you again." He smiled encouragingly at her.

She took his hand. "Warren and Brynn also said they could tell something was bothering you, that it was more than losing Amanda."

"I didn't lose Amanda, she made me kick her out."

His brusqueness surprised her, and said soothingly, "Ok."

"What else did Warren tell you?" he asked with an almost accusing tone. Before she could remember what had been said, he said, "Did he tell you that I took the head of my student, just like he did?"

"He didn't take Antonio's head, it was Chuck."

"Andrew!" His sudden rage jarred her, and she stepped away as he was suddenly so foreign to her. "Warren took his student's head, just like I did!" He slammed his fist into the wall. Elizabeth rushed to see if he broke it, but he kept her at bay. "I wanted to talk to him about it, but not with Brynn there. You can't get Warren alone since he married her." He shook his hand while groaning with anger. "Damn it!"

His knuckles were gnarled when she got a look at them. "Duncan, sit down. Relax."

"I can't take what I've done, Liz. I can't take it."

"It was so long ago."

He slumped back on the couch holding his injured hand in the other. Grimacing as it healed. "It doesn't go away. I thought I had it under control, but I saw his face again. It's all so new."

"Why didn't you talk about it while we were at Amy's?"

"I didn't know what the problem was then. I was worried about you."

"Now it's my turn to be worried, and listen to you. Tell me about Richie."

Duncan glared at her, working out his now healed hand. "He was a great kid. I always thought that if he would have just listened to me and learn from not only his mistakes but mine as well, he would have been an even greater man. I saw his body grow from scrawny to brawny. I saw his progress with a sword. You know what? Toward the end, I saw him start to learn from mistakes. He was a smart kid, and it was finally sinking in. Even after all I did to him, Richie never lost his loyalty to me, and I gave him plenty of reason to."

"Because you almost took his head?"

Duncan was surprised. "How did you know about that? Did Methos tell you? Did he enjoy telling you about that?!"

"No, you did." Elizabeth was glad that Duncan was talking, but he was acting so paranoid. She needed him to know that she was his friend. She wouldn't judge him, wouldn't hurt him. She would just listen. "After I took Pyrius, you told me about your dark quickening, and that you almost took Richie's head."

"I gave Richie a lot of reason to hate me, but he didn't. Well, he might have at one time, but at the end... before I took his... he went to help me against Ahriman. After I had almost taken his head, after I belittled his decisions..." Duncan's eyes welled up. "Richie went to the racetrack to save me. And I took his head for it."

"I don't want to push you more, but can you tell me about it? About this Ahriman? If you talk about it, it might help."

Elizabeth was glad that he didn't shut her out after her suggestion. As the tears slid down his face, she pulled him to her shoulder, and laid her head on his. "You can tell me anything, Duncan, you do know that, don't you?"

"I do." Duncan moved to put his head on her chest and hold her. "I thank you for that."

They spent the night crying and talking about Richie's last days and Duncan's inability to deal with his actions to the fullest extent. "I went to holy ground for a year, meditated, tried to make peace, but I never did," he said. Elizabeth felt horrible for him, but she also felt him getting a little stronger as time passed. She really did wish she had met Richie and known the quartet that also included Joe and Methos, before that trauma that seemed to separate them for a while.

Duncan had asked again if Methos had ever talked about Richie or anything that had happened with the Ahriman demon. She had to admit he hadn't, which was another reason she should rightly be angry at her 'loving' husband. There was so much Methos hadn't told her. Just when she thought she knew everything about Methos, she found out something else that she should have known, that he should have told her, even just a mention in passing. She cringed when she thought about what else he was still hiding from her. He had to be. Then she wondered if it was even her business what was in his life and what he had gone through. In the end, it didn't matter. All that mattered was getting Claire back into her life and that he was a good father until that time and kept their daughter safe. As God was her witness, she was going to make her daughter proud and start a life without that old man.

Duncan moaned, "I'll never forget Richie's face as I took his head. He was sneering, egging me on, then all of a sudden, just before his head fell, I saw nothing but shock on his face... I'll never forget it."

Elizabeth wondered what her own face looked like when she almost took Methos' head. Try as she might, she couldn't remember his. She didn't know how to soothe Duncan's torment, so she just kept holding him.

Continued