THE ELIZABETH SERIES

CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE

IN HIGH GEAR

by JoLayne

RATING: PG

CHARACTERS: Methos, Duncan, Amanda, Amy, OC's Elizabeth, Claire, Megan Willis, Nick Hartford, Mike, Lyle, Dr. Simon Bradford, Guy, Joey, Katie Rose, a couple of Immortals

SUMMARY: The Crusaders' plans move right along as Elizabeth goes to a psychiatrist and Amanda takes Claire shopping.

DISCLAIMER: All characters and concepts you recognize from Highlander: The Series are owned by Panzer/Davis, and maybe Greg Widen. Just using them for fun, no profit is expected or pursued.

~~~~~

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013
NEW YORK CITY

With her suitcase, her new keycard, a bag from the gift shop, and Guy and his kids, Elizabeth went up to her new suite which was on the eighth floor. She was excited that it was situated right between Methos and Claire's and Amanda's. Now she could calm Duncan's qualms at the possibility that their spouses were stepping over to visit each other during the night. If she didn't feel any Immortal presences and no one knocked on her door, she'd be able to judge what was happening. She was sure it wasn't, but then again, you never know until you find out.

Elizabeth was overwhelmed by the difference between her small, no-frills room with one double bed and the spacious, opulently furnished two bedroom suite, complete with jacuzzi in the bathroom. For a moment, she remembered the suite she and Methos had the night of Amy and Kevin's wedding, this suite was just as lavish, and she guessed that the bathroom would look much the same. She was so lost in the memory of Methos turning down her proposal that they continue their one night stand, followed by her leaving him flat in suite 1120, making him come after her, which he did, that she didn't realize that Guy had settled the kids down and was talking to her.

"Hm?" she asked absently when she saw him staring at her.

"Can I turn on the TV?" Joey said in a bit of an annoyed manner, probably because he had already asked and she hadn't answered him. Well, she was thinking back to the good old days with Methos, what did he expect?

"I don't know, can you?" she teased, only to get a groan and roll of his eyes. "Yes, of course you may, Joseph."

Guy pulled her by the arm into the bedroom, for which Elizabeth was a bit taken aback, and closed the door behind him. He whispered in a somewhat panicked voice, "Can you call some Immortals to see if they know the whereabouts of my wife? She's been gone too long for me to take it calmly."

"Of course, but I'm not at all sure she's seen any of them."

She picked up the room phone and called Methos' suite and let it ring. "When was the last time you saw her?" she asked Guy.

"We had lunch here in the hotel on Friday, she was going to go shopping." Guy was covering the entire expanse of the room with his pacing, his hands alternately in his pockets or clenched in fists at his sides. "This isn't like her, not like her at all."

"You're quite right. That doesn't....." when Claire answered the phone, Elizabeth had to smile just hearing her voice. "Hey, honey. Is your dad around?"

"Sure. But, don't you want to talk to me?"

"Of course, and I have a surprise for you."

"OH!!?"

Claire, as well as most kids, loved surprises, and Elizabeth hoped seeing Joey and Katie was enough for her. "Why don't you come over to my new suite to see some old friends, room 858."

"Woo hoo!" Claire trumpeted, and Elizabeth could hear her tell her dad, "Mom wants me to come and see her new room, just down the hall. Can I?"

For a moment, Elizabeth was jarred that Claire had to get permission from her father in order to walk ten paces down the hall for a minute, but then she remembered why. If she hadn't almost taken his head, things would be a lot different. She had the sinking feeling that things were never going to be as they once were, ever.

"We'll be right over, thanks, Mom. No more school for today!"

Claire hung up before Elizabeth could tell her that her schooling took precedence, but since it sounded as if Methos was coming too, it must be all right. As she hung up, she hated that she had to walk such a fine line around Methos. Get used to it. Nothing's going to change in the foreseeable future...

Elizabeth saw that Guy was trying to wear out the carpet in the bedroom, so she said, "Hey, it can't be anything awful. There's enough trauma going on around here. Amy's fine, I just know it."

"How?" His answer was like a sonic boom, which scared them both. Guy wet his lips and chewed them, looking out the window. "I've been going insane, but have to hide it from the kids."

"Are you and Amy doing all right? She didn't, maybe, just go to Paris to see her dad, did she?"

Guy stared at her as if her suggestion was too far out in left field to even ponder. "Sorry," she said with a shrug. "It's odd, I'll give you that. Did you call into the office or whatever you do? She is a Watcher, wouldn't the Watchers need to know she's not been seen for a couple of days?"

"Of course I got the Watchers involved. They asked if our marriage is working out too. It's not me! It's not the kids! Something happened."

Thoughts of Kevin's death. The simple act of going to the grocery to pick up a head of lettuce ended in his being beheaded by the Decapitating Stranger, who was playing a sick, homicidal game with Methos. He couldn't have another lost-long enemy that recently came out of the woodwork to wreck havoc, could he?

She felt an Immortal buzz just before the bell rang. Joey must have answered the door as she heard Claire and him talking. Elizabeth walked into the living room in time to see Methos enter, his hands casually in his pockets, looking the place over. "Nice. Better than mine. I should call the proper authorities." The smile on his face indicated that she could probably answer without his biting her head off, which was still a very real possibility for her since their terrible encounters in Paris.

Claire rushed to Katie sitting on a blanket in the middle of the floor with her Legos and gave her a great big hug and kiss on the cheek. "You're so cute!" Claire started playing with her immediately, and asked Joey to join them. He went back to the couch and in seconds, he was again immersed in some show on TV.

When Methos noticed Guy come out of the bedroom, that she knew Methos had just seen her vacate, Methos' eyes were quite wide. "What's going on? Old home week?"

"Guy's a bit nervous about where Amy is," Elizabeth said before realizing Amy's children were within hearing range.

"Mama!" Katie called out and looked to her father.

Guy smiled and said, "She's coming home soon, Peanut. Just hold on." Guy asked Methos to come into the bedroom, "so we can talk."

When the adults were back in the bedroom with the door closed, Guy told him, "Amy's not been seen since Friday afternoon. Do you have any idea where she is?"

"She's my Watcher, not the other way around." Methos shrugged. "I have no idea, but that's troublesome."

"Troublesome?" Guy bristled. "Yes, it's quite troublesome, you ass."

"Ass?" Methos grew in stature to confront Guy. Standing toe to toe, Elizabeth stepped between them.

"Um," Elizabeth interjected. "This isn't getting us anywhere."

Guy shoved her away and charged at Methos, "You're just a guy who lives his own life and doesn't care about anyone else, right? Just tell me where she is!"

"What the hell are you babbling about? I just found out a couple of seconds ago that your wife is missing, and all of a sudden it's my fault? First I heard of it, Barstow!" Methos gave Guy a good shove, which made him fall back on the bed. They stared at each other for a second before Methos seemingly brushed off the unpleasantness and said, "Now, let's talk about this rationally, shall we? Amy's missing? For how long?"

Elizabeth picked herself up off the floor and instantly hurried to get between Guy, who bolted up off the bed, and Methos. She told him, "Since Friday," then turned to Guy, "What is your problem?"

"My wife is missing!"

"Yes, we heard. It's not good news, but why attack him, or me?"

Guy sighed as if he was exhausted and muttered, "Got to do something."

"What about Joe? Does he know?" Methos asked worriedly, as if the news of Joe's missing daughter had suddenly set in. She knew he cared deeply for Amy, and it must have been just the machismo acts of Guy's that had made him delay his worry.

"I haven't called him," Guy admitted. "I didn't want to worry him if she was just with a friend or something and her cell phone was dead."

"Well, cell phone dead or not, she'd still call in if she could," Elizabeth surmised.

"Like you did?" Methos asked her critically.

She had a dead cell phone for weeks and she didn't call Claire, but Amy certainly wasn't going through heavy guilt, depression, and what she now knew, thanks to Dr. Stone, was Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Or was she? Elizabeth had to admit that she hadn't really seen much of Amy of late, and God only knew all she must have been going through. She cared for Amy; at one time, they were closer than sisters. She should be feeling overwhelmed and sad and want to tear the world apart to find her. But, she didn't. Maybe she was just numb, or put out by Guy's behavior as well as her own.

Elizabeth searched her soul for a reaction to Amy's disappearance, and couldn't scrounge up any emotion. A harsh word from Methos, caused her to break down and almost hyperventilate. With a tender touch from Duncan she would feel completely at ease. Sitting in Dr. Stone's waiting room had made her fidget and feel the tickle of nerves taking her over. Hearing Pyrius in her head had made her take a sword to her husband. Why couldn't she feel anything about Amy being in danger?

Methos told Guy, "Call Joe, just to make sure he hasn't heard from her. That should have been the first thing you did before charging over here like an overheated pit bull."

Knowing that she wasn't going to be any use to the men trying to one up each other, she walked back to the living room to see to Amy's kids. It was the least she could do for her old friend. The tower that Claire and Katie were building was about as tall as Claire, with Katie excitedly bouncing up and down as Claire added each piece. Joey was transfixed by some music video on TV.

Elizabeth opened the bag she got from the gift shop, she wanted to see how it looked. They worked quick, she had given them her soul-catcher to frame just before they closed yesterday. She brought it out, and thought it looked excellent. The plain wooden frame and simple beige matting went perfectly with the well-worn, hand painted piece of leather that she had clutched on many occasions of deep stress. She would usually hold it, rub it, feel it, and think about what her spiritual teacher would hum to himself to cleanse his soul when life became too much. How she would have loved having it during the last two months. Nevertheless, she had it now, and was a bit concerned about how worn it had gotten. Only because she had been away from it for so long did she look at it with unaccustomed eyes. She didn't want to take it for granted anymore, and was glad it wasn't with her in Kent, or it would have been burned to a crisp like everything else. Including herself, Amanda, and Duncan. The memory of it made Elizabeth feel it was difficult to breathe. Damn it, now I feel something! What about Amy?? She put her lack of emotion at Amy's disappearance down to just too unbelievable. Nothing could happen to her again, could it?

Claire walked to her to see what was in the frame, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, sweetie," Elizabeth told her, mentally telling herself to shape up. "Where should I hang this up to personalize my new home?"

"Did you frame the locket I gave you?"

"Oh, heavens no," Elizabeth said.

Claire looked a bit let down by that, so Elizabeth pulled the chain out from under her shirt to show her. "I'd look pretty funny up on the wall, wouldn't I? This isn't leaving my body. Ever."

Claire smiled and wrapped her arms around Elizabeth's waist, and Elizabeth let the soul-catcher fall to the couch to hold her in return. She had prayed many days and nights for this to happen and wanted to savor each and every time her daughter reached out for her.

She saw Methos' expression as she held their daughter, and it didn't seem like he was annoyed by it. In fact, there was a pleasant smile on his face. She hadn't even realized he had came back in from the bedroom. He must have tired of arguing with Guy. Why they started arguing was beyond her, but she assumed it was a guy thing. She smiled. Guy Barstow in the midst of a guy thing. His mother named him right; maybe she had a premonition about how he would turn out, or maybe he was like his father. Genetics might carry the macho gene, whatever that was. Since she was Immortal, Elizabeth hadn't really thought about inheriting disease and traits. All she had hoped was that Claire would turn out all right after all the trauma she had endured during her early childhood. Going by Methos' reaction to their embrace, she hoped that things would run more smoothly in Claire's life now. It had to be hard to have fighting parents, who had recently lived on different continents for seemingly no reason and it all came about so abruptly. She had told Claire the reason for the breakup was because she had attacked her father, but never went into specifics. She wondered if she should, but how could she? She'd have to learn about Immortality for it to make any sense to her.

The wash of an Immortal's presence came over her, then a sharp knock on the door. Since she had a door bell, she wondered why it wasn't used. It was Methos who leapt to the door to peer out the peephole, then stepped back and opened the door.

Duncan walked in, looking as frustrated and angry as ever. Amanda was two steps behind him, yelling, "So shoot me if I want to sleep with my gorgeous husband!"

"Can I?" Methos teased, then chuckled.

"Which one?" Duncan challenged him with.

Elizabeth sighed. She'd had enough male machismo for one day.

"The shooting part, Mac," Methos said easily. "Borrow a sense of humor from someone if you can't find yours."

"I lost it the minute you two...," Duncan started to say, but stopped when he saw children around.

Elizabeth was pleased the situation stopped before it started, and saw that Amanda was looking quite pink in the face, probably from having spouted what she did before realizing that she had witnesses.

There was silence as each of the three Immortals took different places in the room. Elizabeth continued to hold Claire as they sat on the couch. The quite was only broken by Guy coming out of the bedroom to announce to his kids, "Hey, grandpa's on his way."

Katie clapped her hands, and Joey only turned away from the TV long enough to utter, "Cool."

Duncan asked, "Why is Joe coming? I thought he was on a major European tour."

"He is, or was," Guy said, "but Amy's gone, and he wants to be here."

"Gone? Gone where?"

"That's what I came here to ask you."

"No one seems to know," Methos said from his place leaning casually against the window frame, his arms tucked neatly together in front of him.

Joey turned around from the TV to ask, "Yeah. Where is she?"

Guy walked to him sadly and ruffled his hair. "We don't know, kiddo. But, we'll find her."

For the first time, Joey's face fell and slowly grew red. "But you said it was all right. You lied. She's... where's Mom?"

"I didn't lie, Joe," Guy told him, acting like he didn't like being turned on by his own son. "I just said it would be all right, and she'll come home soon. I wasn't lying about that. It will happen."

"When?"

"I don't know yet, but your grandpa..."

"I want Mom!"

Claire left their side of the couch to sit by Joey and put her hand on his. She looked confused and worried as she looked at the adults talking.

Guy said, "Grandpa Joe is bringing Benji with him. That should be fun, huh? You asked him in Paris if he'd show you how to play guitar. Maybe he'll show you."

"I don't care about that!" Joey stood up, and looked ready to cry. "You lied! Everyone lies! Mom said I wouldn't have to sit in hotels much longer. She lied too!"

Before anyone knew it, he ran out. Guy swooped Katie into his arms and ran to the door. "I'll keep in touch," he called out to them. "You do the same?"

"Of course," Amanda said at the door. She shut it when he left. "Amy's gone? Where?"

"That's the $64,000 Question," Methos muttered.

Elizabeth could tell that he was more worried then she was, and wondered if his bond with Amy was stronger than hers. She had been like a sister to her for almost five years, while he had saved her life and had been best friends with her father for years. She was brought back from thinking about it all by the ringing of her cell phone. The only people who had the number were in the room, as well as everyone she sent resumes to and Dr. Stone's office. She hurried to her purse to answer it.

~~~~~

TRENTON, NEW JERSEY

"I can't believe it. You gotta be shitting me, right?" Mike said for about the eightieth time since he found out about Immortality and Watchers.

Megan thought that if he said that one more time, she was going to take out the gun from her backpack and shoot him right between the eyes. He still didn't seem to have all the facts straight as he asked Amy three times to cut herself so he could watch her heal. After Amy told him almost ad nauseam that she wasn't Immortal, Mike still hadn't seem to get it.

She looked at Lyle, who was in the back of the rented van with her, after Nick threw Mike out, Megan supposed, so he could beat some sense into him. There wasn't any expression on Lyle's face, so she looked at her watch. Amy had been in Headquarters for too long for everything to have gone smoothly. Maybe she had ditched them. Over the past two days, Amy had grumbled that she didn't know why she couldn't at least call her husband to tell him she was all right. Lyle had made it plain, after explaining the Crusaders' plans to them, that no one could know what they were up to, not even Guy Barstow. He was one of people on the list, and was to be kidnapped and killed, so if Amy didn't want him dead, she'd better keep this completely quiet. "There's eyes and ears everywhere," Lyle had warned them. "I'm surprised they didn't know you were taken, Ms. Barstow."

It was jarring that Lyle used salutations while speaking to her and Amy. Amy was always Ms. Barstow, while Megan was always referred to as Ms. Willis. Megan couldn't take just sitting there anymore, and also, she had to go to the bathroom. She saw Nick and Mike outside and a Texaco station about a block away. She told Lyle, "I gotta stretch my legs. I'll be right back."

He held her arm. "Don't be too long. Ms. Barstow should be back soon."

"If she is, I'll be at that gas station over there," she said, pointing to the Texaco sign.

"Oh, could you get me a cup of coffee?" Lyle reached into his back pocket to get money, she assumed.

Megan stopped him and said, "Yeah, don't sweat it." She stepped out of the van into the cold air thinking she could buy and sell anything Lyle Giavini, and probably his entire family wanted. She almost laughed when she walked to Nick and Mike because she heard Nick tell him, "You ask stupid questions one more time, I'll have to rethink letting you in on this, and I'll have to shoot you if I leave you. You're an obstacle more than a help."

"Nickie," Mike said astonished. "How can you talk to me like that? After all I've done. Not even in jest should you say such a thing."

"Guys," Megan called out. "I'm going to that gas station. Be right back."

Nick told her, "Amy should be back any minute."

"I was told. I'll believe it when I see it. Just pick me up there if she does," she called over her shoulder as she started walking to it.

~~~~~

NEW YORK CITY

Elizabeth hung up nervously. When she saw four sets of eyes on her, she didn't know what to tell them, but she did know they heard her say she could make it at 3:00. "Where are you going, Mom?" Claire asked. She still looked shaken up from the news of Amy's disappearance and probably wanted to spend the afternoon with her.

Duncan and Methos already knew that she had seen a therapist, so probably it had been mentioned to Amanda. The only one she was somewhat certain didn't know was Claire, and she didn't know if she wanted her to for the moment. It might scare her more than she probably was just under the surface anyway.

"I have an appointment," Elizabeth told them, satisfied with that.

Duncan asked, "For a job interview?" excitedly.

"Ah, no, but that would be good. I hope to hear something soon." Elizabeth looked at Claire and hesitated, then found herself saying, "I have another appointment I can't miss. I really should go. It might not work, but I'll try anything to make things right."

"No idea what you're talking about," Methos said, "but I was going to ask you if you could watch Claire this afternoon. There's a friend in the Village I called last night, and we made plans to grab a beer."

She didn't know what kind of friend, male or female, and it wasn't really her business, was it? Damn, it was hard to know anymore. "Can you meet later? Tonight?" Elizabeth asked. It wasn't every day she went to a psychiatrist. The woman said it would take an hour and a half...surely he could change his plans for an hour and a half...

"No, he's got a plane to catch, so we were going this afternoon."

Amanda piped up, "Well, I was thinking of doing some heavy-duty shopping." She looked to Duncan when she said, "I always do when I'm sad."

Since she got no response, she said to Claire, "I'd love to have company. After your mom's appointment, we could meet for an early dinner somewhere?"

Claire seemed happy about that, then looked at Elizabeth. "Can we, Mom? I'm really hungry for Carmine's."

"Sounds like a plan." Elizabeth was somewhat relieved that Claire would be taken care of and seemed okay with it. "About six? Would that be all right?"

Amanda nodded, obviously trying not to even look at Duncan, but losing the battle. She finally asked, "Want to join us, Mac?"

"I could do that."

"Not me," Methos said as he walked to the door. "I should be back by seven, so can you have her back by then?"

"Sure." Elizabeth was miffed that he so ready to go to a secret rendevous and he was gone so quickly. She thought he was adamant about his overseeing Claire and wasn't happy when Elizabeth was alone with her. Then she realized that if Amanda and Duncan were with Claire too, it was all right. She now had something else to talk to the shrink about when she got there, she thought sourly.

~~~~~

TRENTON, NEW JERSEY

Amy stretched her back and rubbed her neck after being at the terminal for so long. Since Lyle Giavini had told them of the Crusaders' plans to kidnap and kill all who Duncan MacLeod cared about, to say she was a bit tense was an understatement. It killed her not to see or talk to her family, but she knew that if there were communications between them, the Crusaders would get wise. Lyle had also told her that Guy and the Immortals had to act as if nothing was up so as not to raise red flags. If she did talk to Guy, she knew that she'd tell him everything, and he'd fly off the handle. She just had to trust that Lyle was right. After all, he had worked with the Crusaders, she hadn't.

The scope of their underground movement was still a mystery, even after two hours of searching on an open terminal. They had come to Trenton to be far enough away from the thick of things in New York City so she could try to get on line with the Network to glean anymore information about what might have happened today. One of the things she had searched was the whereabouts of Terry Payson. What Megan told her about the aftermath at their house in Mesa was enough to convince Amy that this was dead serious and she didn't want anyone she knew to end up with a bullet to the forehead like Jan did. Good thing that young woman was Immortal. It would have been a terrible, senseless death if she wasn't. Lyle had told her that it was a female Watcher named Cindy Bledsoe who was assigned to watch the Paysons for the Crusaders.

Amy chuckled. Jeez, for a low-profile Immortal painter, he had three Watchers on him and probably didn't even know it, including his wife, Megan, and this mysterious Crusader.

There was nothing new in Payson's chronicle, and next to nothing gleaned about Bledsoe, not even a photograph. She had to be careful not to widen her search for classified information so it wouldn't raise red flags to anyone who was supposed to keep tabs on such searches. Lyle said he was the only one he knew of to do that, but then again, you never knew. There could be backup systems upon backup systems and he could very well have had someone looking over his shoulder. After finding only tidbits, she finally logged out and took the few printouts she had made during her hours of research and thanked the man who showed her which terminal she could use. She was using the pretext of having to make a quick entry into the Chronicle of her assignment and didn't have her laptop, she rattled on about her assignment going after another Immortal, and that Watcher had better be notified so she could witness the battle to the death.

Amy smiled at the guy hunched over at his desk, looking like he was ready to drift off to sleep, when she stuck the folded printouts in her purse. She walked into the hallway and wondered how many Watchers worked out of the building. It was really low tech, actually, and wasn't decorated very well. Besides the man at the reception desk and the man in the research room, she hadn't seen anyone else at work. That was strange for a Monday. Usually there was a lot of activity as everyone was filing reports, enhancing Chronicles, or consulting with superiors after the events of a weekend.

She got into the elevator and pushed the down button. Just before the doors closed, a woman slipped in. "Great, I don't have to use the stairs," she said breathlessly as she smiled at Amy. After the doors closed, the woman pushed the stop button. It was odd that the siren didn't ring, but Amy didn't have long to ponder it before the woman turned to her and stuck a long syringe into her neck.

~~~~~

With a squeeze of her hand, Duncan sent good luck to Elizabeth as they paused in front of the building where the Uptown Resource Center was located. "I wish I could have told Claire where I was going. At least one parent would be truthful to her."

"Still thinking about where Methos went?"

"Of course."

He smiled and shook his head. "You got it bad, Liz."

"I never indicated otherwise, did I?"

"You tried. At least you're in a better mood now."

"Making doctor appointments makes me think I'm accomplishing something. I really don't like just sitting around feeling guilty and sorry for myself."

"I prefer it when you don't do that, too." Duncan chucked her cheek lightly with his fist when they stopped in front of the building.

"What do you make of Amy's disappearance? Joe leaving his tour in the middle of it? I can't believe I can't feel anything about it. It's like it's all too distant, or I'm dealing with enough now, and I can't take on more? Isn't that the sign of apathy? I should be affected, damn it!"

"You are, just by wondering about your reaction. I feel angry. It's gotta have something to do with the Watchers. You can't trust them as far as you can throw them."

"Or she's the victim of a mugging... or raped... or God knows what." Elizabeth was instantly happy that she felt a bit of anger and dread on Amy's behalf, then reprimanded herself for being happy she was sad.

"Stop it," Duncan said. "I told Guy I'd go to the airport to get Joe, so I probably won't make it to Carmine's."

"Sure, leave me with the news for Amanda."

"Better you than me."

"She's trying, Duncan. What happened anyway? She made moves, and it riled you up?"

"In more ways than one."

"Just give into her, for God's sake. One of us should be happy."

"I'm happy. I want to be around Amanda, I just don't want to be in bed with her. I know what I'll do. I'll forget all..." He shook his head with a sigh and surprised Elizabeth by bringing her in for a hug. "I'm not going around in circles about it again. I'm not."

"Thank you, Duncan. I have to thank you for so much." Sinking herself against him felt so good. He was so strong and always made her feel she could tackle the world with him behind her. She just wished he was getting better himself. "Maybe you could talk to a doctor, too."

"Nah," he shook his head. "I just need to watch Amanda longer to see whether or not I can get past the trouble she causes."

"Leave her alone. You love her the way she is."

"I know. That's the trouble."

Duncan gave her one last squeeze, and said, "Have fun."

"Yeah, right. I'm sure I'll have a blast. I still don't think it will work. Using medication."

"Why not?"

"I'm Immortal?"

"You get drunk, don't you? James used a serum to brainwash you."

"Don't remind me."

"If it doesn't kill you, anything can affect you."

He put his hands on her cheeks and smiled. "Just be as open as you can be with this doctor, and take what he prescribes, if anything, and you'll do great." He kissed her softly, quickly, and then pulled away.

She felt better, she had to admit. God she hoped she wouldn't ever lose Duncan's friendship it was like a lighthouse during a thunderstorm. She told him, "Will do. You try to have a fun day. Joe won't be in for hours. Why don't you find Amanda and Claire and," she said before Duncan cut her off.

"Don't play matchmaker, Liz. It will happen if it happens. Besides," he said as he turned to go down the sidewalk. "Shop with Amanda? I wouldn't want to be hurt if I get between her and the perfect pair of shoes."

~~~~~

George Marlow, was no longer watching Warren Cochrane for the Crusaders', he was now assigned full time to Elizabeth Gordon. He wondered how she was going to feel when she was the last one before MacLeod, the chap she was kissing, to be taken; used merely as a fuel to ignite the most massive quickening to ever hit the world. It seemed like each new day brought another Immortal or Watcher into the fold of captives, and he was excited to know that the time was so close at hand. Al Cartwright was an amazing man to put this together. What had to be done, to signify to the Immortal race that it was only a matter of time before the Watchers stood up and took care of wiping them all from the face of the earth. This was a massive step in that direction, and the Immortal world would no doubt hear about it. Hell, they were going to be heroes, talked about with reverence for all eternity for wiping out the scum who thought they were princes of the universe. He was also pleasantly amazed at his ability to turn an empty building into a holding pen for the gathered Immortals so quickly. George had imagined what the quickening was going to be like, and had seen the room that would hold them all, strapped to metal chairs, a blade at the ready to take their heads one by one with just the flip of a switch. It will be a beautiful thing, and he couldn't wait.

When MacLeod and Gordon separated, she going into some office building, and him walking down the street, he saw MacLeod's Watcher follow him after a beat. He imagined he'd have to settle in for a while, having no idea what she was doing there. He could take the time to find out about all the offices in the building; he certainly had enough time.

His cell phone rang, and he answered it on the second ring. "Marlow."

"Hey, they picked up Jardine this morning. Keep your head up for the announcement to start taking those closest to MacLeod," Penelope Crisco announced.

"Everyone's been taken already?" he excitedly asked, wondering if taking Elizabeth Gordon was what she was calling about.

"Not everyone, but it's happening, according to the memo this morning. Didn't you read it?"

"I guess not."

"They even have Watcher-turncoats. You should 'watch' your assignment, not marry them, certainly not be intimate with the scum. The thought of Terry Payson's corruption made him squeamish. How could you sink so low? Bledsoe even picked up Barstow just a little while ago."

"Bledsoe was able to handle Barstow alone? Hell, she can't even move a couch by herself."

"The Mrs., not the Mr."

"Oh, I thought it would take a couple guys to wrangle that guy. I thought the plan was to take the Mister first."

"Things change hourly. You gotta keep up."

"Well, keep me posted. You love the computers more than I do."

He shut his phone and walked with a light step to the lobby of the building. The first business sign he noticed was an accountant's. "Damn Immortals have too much money," he muttered as he walked to a chair and took a seat. He made himself comfortable as he grabbed a two year old People magazine.

~~~~~

Megan was washing her hands in the bathroom when she felt a vibration and heard a distant boom. She ran out of the bathroom to see the few people in the station gathering at the window. In the parking lot of Watcher Headquarters, she saw a pillar of black smoke rising. One woman gasped, "A car bomb? Here? What's the world coming to?" as she ran to her car and took off.

Megan stumbled outside and to the street. The smoke was coming from the area where the van had been parked. The van... how the hell... what...? she mumbled to herself, trying to accept what had happened. "They know!" she cried out in a panic as she started running to it.

When she got to the line of trees surrounding the parking lot, her feet fumbled in a pile of snow and she almost fell down. She would have if she wasn't pulled upright, and made to run, by Nick. He was black from soot and was making them run away from the parking lot and the station, through another tree line, behind a grocery store, to the left down the street... they had to have been seemingly a mile away from the explosion site when he finally slowed down. Megan felt she was going to cough up a lung if her legs didn't break off first. When they stopped, she fell against the wall of a video store and gasped for breath, hunched over as it was impossible to stand up straight. If Nick wanted to take off again, she would have to tell him to go it alone.

"They found us!" he grunted out as he was doing his own gasping for breath. "They're both dead!"

"Why? The Crusaders?"

"Who else?" he asked as if she was the stupidest thing to paddle down the river. She had to get this all straight. It was so massive, and she had only known about it for a day and a half. What a jerk to make fun of her. She would have belted him on his bad arm if she had the strength. All she could do was collapse onto a box near her, and hope it was solid enough to carry her weight.

"Both... Mike and Lyle?"

"Yeah."

The grief for the loss of his friend was substantial, but she had to think about the events, not that Mike was dead. "What about Amy?"

"She never came back. I'm not going back there to find out where she is. She's on her own."

"She might have been taken already. She was on the list. Lyle said she was one of the Watchers to be taken."

"I know!" Nick barked as he straightened up and took in air. "It's happening. It's really happening. We have no way to keep track of it. They killed one of their own!"

"Lyle, who was helping us..."

"I thought I heard something in the back of the van, but forgot about it because Mike was asking stupid questions. God! Why did he distract me! I could have found the bomb. They had to have placed it..."

"Someone planted a bomb in the van? When?"

"While we were warming up in the van. I just know it."

"They took for granted that you'd stay in the van?"

"It was only about five minutes before the van blew up. If I'd just investigated what that sound was two minutes earlier, Mike would have gotten out..."

"So, you were out of the van when it blew up..."

"No, I'm an Immortal, didn't you know?" he said snidely.

She looked at him, wondering if it were true, but only for a second. His arm would have healed much faster if he was, or maybe since it didn't kill him, he might have had to endure mortal healing processes.

"I'm joking! Of course I was out of the van. I'd be in a million pieces if... Goddamnit! They killed Mike!"

"And shot Jan in the head and turned her... They're taking no prisoners."

Nick looked at her, and she expected another snide remark, but he only looked scared. She wanted to get on the next plane to Timbuktu, and thought for a moment that he might join her to get away from all this. But then he said, "Come on. We gotta do something."

"What?"

"Stay alive. They might know about us."

He grabbed her hand started walking fast. "Where are we going?"

"We need a car and to get to New York. That's where the action is."

"To do what?"

"Find Duncan MacLeod. He's the big Cohuna in this, we have to at least save him."

Amy described Elizabeth Gordon, Daniel Gordon, Amanda Montrose, and Duncan MacLeod to them, but they didn't have any features that seemed to stick out expect for Daniel's 'substantial' nose. Megan remembered seeing Elizabeth a couple of times, but mostly when she was a blond under the disguise of one "Angel Bancroft." When she had seen her in London, with long, dark hair, the event that brought Megan into the Watcher system, she couldn't remember any particular feature that stood out, but hoped she might remember her if/when she saw her. Maybe she cut her hair, or it was red now. Megan was worried she wouldn't be able to spot her in a crowded city. Daniel Gordon, on the other hand, she knew what he looked like. Even dead. She still remembered how he looked with a wrought iron fence rail sticking out through his chest. They also had another thing going for them. Amy had mentioned that they were all staying at the St. Regis, so that's where they were going.

~~~~~

As soon as Elizabeth stepped out on the tenth floor for the clinic, she felt an Immortal presence. She didn't put it past Duncan to follow her, to make sure she kept the appointment, or maybe, hopefully, he'd want to see someone as well to talk over the situation with Amanda. Elizabeth so wanted someone to be happy. She hadn't realized how tense she was until she tightened even more when the Immortal sensation washed over her. She hadn't brought her sword, so she was all alone and had to find the quickest exits in case she needed to make a clean, quick getaway.

Not only did she have her own marital situation, the bond with her daughter, and her friends' happiness to worry about, she could now also add Amy to the list of her many worries. Never did she think anything awful could happen to Amy again. After she was kidnapped by James, Elizabeth thought she would avoid sticky situations. Although she was a Watcher, and they seemed to have their own agendas, Amy always said she had that nailed. Hoping she wasn't dead in an alley after someone stole her purse, Elizabeth looked cautiously down each hallway before finding the stairwell to see if Duncan or any other Immortal was hidden there.

The sensation was starting to ebb, you tend to get used to the feeling of proximity of another Immortal, Elizabeth wondered if maybe an Immortal worked in one of the offices on that floor and he or she wasn't at work when Elizabeth saw Dr. Stone last week. Looking at her watch, it was five minutes to three, she should get inside to check in if she was going to make the appointment with the psychiatrist.

She opened the door to the clinic, and the receptionist immediately smiled in greeting. It was a tranquil, welcoming environment at the Uptown Resource Center, and Liz hoped that with a bit of medication and talking things through some more, she would start to take the edge off. It seemed that with each and every moment of her life, she was on her toes alert to anything she might say or do to make someone angry at her. For a moment, she wondered if she had done something to make Amy disappear. Or worse, Methos. The thought that an old enemy had returned and Amy was caught in the middle wouldn't subside.

"Thank you for coming to fill that empty slot, Ms. Gordon," Elizabeth heard the receptionist call to her since she still stood by the door. There was only a child in the waiting room playing with some blocks at the table in the corner, so she couldn't pin point where the Immortal was.

"No problem," Elizabeth replied and walked to the desk. "An appointment is that hard to come by with a shrink, huh?

"Oh yes. I'm actually surprised you leaped ahead of others on the waiting list, but it must be because you pay in cash."

"Is a credit card fine?"

The receptionist shuffled some papers on her desk, then entered something into the computer. "Of course. That will be $750."

"Wow. Dr. Stone's only $350 an hour. How long will the appointment be?"

"Dr. Bradford is a psychiatrist," she said, emphasizing his profession. "and your appointment will be for an hour and a half.

"All of the session will be that long?" She had no idea what the hell they'd talk about for an hour and a half, but then again, she'd never even seen a gynecologist and this was all new to her.

"No, just the first one. He does an Eval with all his new patients."

"Okay."

After her credit card had been swiped and handed back, she was given a long, narrow slip with the number 110 at the top. "You may just have a seat, and Dr. Bradford will be right with you. Help yourself to some juice, coffee, tea, water..."

"Thanks." Elizabeth decided to just watch the little boy build blocks instead. He was a bit older than Katie Rose, and Elizabeth once again got a sinking feeling of sadness about how Katie might have to make it through life without her mother if Amy isn't found. Why the child was in the clinic, she couldn't guess and couldn't ask. Would the child even know himself?

The same young man who had startled her when calling out a number last week came into the waiting room once again and called out, "110!"

Elizabeth jumped and smiled at him. "Do you have to be so loud? It's only the two of us here."

"Sorry," he said, clearing his throat. "I get into a rhythm and it's hard to stop. Sometimes I really need to yell if there's a lot of people out here. Can get quite noisy. Follow me."

Elizabeth walked after him through the door to a narrow hallway and walked past Dr. Stone's closed office door. "Why don't you just say names anyway?"

"Patient's privacy. Some don't like to have their names announced, not even their first, and because of regulations, we decided to go the number route."

He brought her to the corner office asked her to have a seat and get comfortable. She did as he left, shutting the door behind him. If she thought Stone's office was well decorated, this one looked like it would rival the Oval Office. There was a large teak desk in the middle of the room, one wall of built in bookcases with gold accents, plush carpeting that she would love to kick off her shoes and sink her feet into, and those very well could be original Monets on the walls and Faberge glass on the shelves. Dr. Simon Bradford's degrees were framed in gold frames on the walls from Columbia, Harvard, and Berkeley. From the look of it, he was a lawyer as well as a shrink. She chuckled, sounded like Methos. He had always said he had a degree for everything, even Indian chief.

The vibe from an Immortal crept up her neck once more as the door opened. She turned around to face the door swiftly as she came to the conclusion that the doctor she was about to see was in fact the Immortal. Not only was he Immortal, but she wondered if she had ever seen such an attractive man before in her life. That was a high compliment considering her husband's and best friend's looks. He was tall, wavy dark hair, a straight nose that perfectly complimented his subtly tanned oval face that was graced with stubble. His smile was definitely winning when he reached out his hand to her. "Welcome, Elizabeth. Simon Bradford. Nice to meet you, as well as sense you."

She could only smile and nod in return, she didn't want to sound like an idiot because she couldn't form a coherent word. Not only was he disarmingly gorgeous, but he was Immortal! This was so perfect. She could tell him anything, and since he was a doctor, he could really give her some good advice. Thrilled, she wondered if she could see him from now on instead of Stone. She liked Stone and she had given her some really good advice, but this Bradford fella would really understand everything she was going through.

Bradford didn't go to his desk, but instead took the easy chair next to hers that was facing it. He folded one long leg over the other as he placed her file on top of them. His long fingers traced the edge until he found a tab and opened it. She wondered if he'd let her see all that was in there. "I had the feeling you were Immortal, even before you walked in today, and I felt you. You were right on time, by the way. I like that."

"Why didn't I feel you last week?"

"I was in Borneo." His voice was easy, laid-back, and seemed to have a hint of an English accent.

"Oh, old stomping grounds?"

"No, had never been." He shook his head lightly as he opened her file. "It was beautiful. You really should go."

"Could I switch to you as my therapist, too? I wouldn't have to edit myself like I do with Dr. Stone."

"Having to edit yourself with a mortal is always a good refresher course for life in the midst of them, Ms. Gordon. Mustn't let the secret out, now should we?"

Of course not, I'm not an idiot...

"Besides, I'd be very expensive to see for therapy."

"I can afford it," she said with a little too much bluster for her taste, but couldn't take it back now. She probably could. Methos could for sure, if she had access to all his wealth.

His smile was huge when he gazed at her with his vivid blue eyes that one could get lost in. "I suggest you continue with Dr. Stone, she's great."

"I can pay. I can't believe you'd ask if I had money. I probably have more than you."

"That was pretty condescending."

"Sorry," she said when he had lost his smile. "Medications probably wouldn't have any effect on me, so are we going to just go through the motions anyway? I already had some evaluation done with Stone."

"Why wouldn't medications work on you? Are you special in some way?"

"I'm Immortal."

"They don't kill you," he said with a laugh. He was really starting to grate on her. "They just make you feel better until you can feel better on your own."

"Ok."

"Granted, being Immortal, you have to take almost double the normally prescribed dose, but they do work. Trust me."

Elizabeth wondered how old he truly was. He looked about thirty, had the robust look about his face that signaled youth, but when he said 'trust me,' there was a look well beyond the years he wore on his face. His eyes seemed to flash wisdom and experience.

"Do you have many Immortal clients?"

"Oh yeah," he chuckled. "Immortals are a breakdown just waiting to happen. I've traveled the world forty times with the money they throw at me."

"For $500 an hour, I'm sure."

"I don't give therapy to people like us. For one, I don't have the time. I have too many mortal patients. I refer them out to people I trust will help them, like Julia. For another, I'm just trying to survive the Game like everyone else."

He read through some three page document that she saw had her name, date of birth that she had given Stone, and the date she had seen her at the top. "Yep," he said nodding. "As soon as I read this, I knew you were Immortal. You'll have to be careful while talking to Julia, see that you don't get into specifics, especially years. She's tricky and likes to test people, but you can do it."

"Is this just going to be an hour and a half of telling me how to talk to my other shrink?"

"No, I'm going to go through your symptoms to figure out how I can best help you."

"Oh, you do want to help me."

"Of course, that's what I'm here for."

"Ok."

He got up off the chair and walked around his desk to open one of the drawers. "Julia mentioned that she'd like to do some testing on you, and I would as well."

He pulled out a small white and black cardboard box that looked like it contained a deck of playing cards, it was the exact size. She saw "Rorschach" written on the top of it when he opened it, and she giggled. "You're going to ask me what I see in ink blots?"

"Exactly. You've had one before?"

"No. In movies, I guess."

"This will tell me how your thought processes work. I may have you go to Dr. Stone for therapy, where you have to fudge the truth, but will you do me a favor?"

"Sure."

"Tell me the complete and honest truth in this office."

"Is this the way you figure out Immortals, and if you're in danger?"

"No, this is a way for me to figure out if your symptoms truly are as you've told Dr. Stone. If I felt any kind of danger from you, I wouldn't be standing here. Besides, you don't seem to have a sword, but I have two of them hidden in this office that are just a few seconds away from being in my hand. You don't want to test me, do you?"

"Not at all."

"Dr. Stone has diagnosed you with PTSD. Since Immortals carry a lot of stress just by living through a day, and I'm sure you're feeling stress just by sitting in that chair, I'd like to narrow it down to see if you truly meet the criteria. I believe from the symptoms listed in your Diagnostic that-"

"Can I see that?" "My diagnostic."

"No. From the symptoms listed in your Diagnostic Assessment, that rule out a depressive-"

"Why not? It is mine, after all."

"No, it's property of our clinic."

"But they're my symptoms."

Bradford tossed her file on his desk and folded his arms in front of him as he took a seat in his massive, imposing chair. "Ms. Gordon, do you want to make this easy or difficult? It's your choice."

"Easy, of course."

"Then don't ask for things you can't have. You can't have me as your main therapist, and you cannot see your chart. Are you ready to deal with that so we can move on?"

"I guess," Elizabeth mumbled, a little defeated.

"Good, good," he mused as he sat forward and took the contents out of the box.

He was obviously going to start that test. Now she had an idea of how Claire felt when Methos was ready to start teaching her. She told herself not to make waves; the man was, after all, 'only there to help her.' It would be easier though if he didn't sound as if he was talking down to her. "How I interpret an ink blot is going to tell you if I have that stress deal?"

"Yep."

"You're kidding."

"Kind of. Your answers may not diagnose you, but then again, they may. Certainly, I'll know how you see the world, which can only help me help you."

She inwardly groaned, getting a bit tired of hearing that from him; Dr. Stone had also told her that a lot. She didn't want talk, she wanted action; after all, she was paying big bucks for Dr. Bradford's input on her case.

"Let's start, shall we?" he asked lightly as he held up a white card with an ink blot on it that was shaped like the state of Minnesota.

When she gave him that response, he muttered, "Hm," with a slight nod and one upturned eyebrow and wrote it down on the legal pad.

~~~~~

Shopping with her Aunt Mandy was always a pleasure for Claire. She would forget what it was like to truly shop, as she had only done so with her father the last few months. He would only go in, take what he needed, finding the best price, and then leave. Her mother would go into a store, look for what she needed and what was in the prettiest container, and then leave. Amanda seemed to go into every store, look through everything, try things on, including perfume, and try to decide which ones to buy. Luckily for Claire, when she put something on the pile that she liked, Amanda would just buy it. She wouldn't ask if she really needed it, if Claire would clean her room when she got home, or look at the cost. Amanda would just tell the clerk to ring it up. Ah, to shop with Amanda again! Claire happily carried the large Bloomingdale bags because there was stuff for her in them too.

Amanda was loaded down with shopping bags too, and Claire wondered if she was going to find yet another store to 'take a peek in,' before they could get back to the hotel. After they dropped the stuff off, it would be fine with Claire to keep shopping, as long as they didn't miss their dinner appointment with her mom and Maconi.

When she and Amanda turned onto 53^rd Street on their way back to the St. Regis, Amanda seemed to get a funny look on her face. Claire laughed and looked at her high heels. "Are your feet sore, Aunt Mandy? Dad always tells me to wear proper shoes."

"It's nothing, honey. Just keep walking," Amanda said, as she looked around. Claire looked around as well, but didn't see anything more than just people walking around.

When Amanda nudged her shoulder, Claire said, "I'm walking. What's wrong?"

The look on her face was like the one her parents would get just before the doorbell rang or someone would be staring at them. She didn't know why they would do that; maybe they had a special gift, were psychic or something.

Amanda dropped the bags in her right hand and grabbed Claire's shoulder. Soon, they were rushing down an alleyway, and Claire was getting scared. "What's going on?" she asked to seemingly deaf ears as they kept running.

"Drop the bags and just run," Amanda told her, having lost not only her other bags, but her purse as well.

Claire didn't want to just drop her bags. She had new clothes and some toe rings in one of them. "Mandy, I'm scared," Claire wailed as she kept running, carrying the bags that seemed to get heavier with each passing minute. It seemed to Claire that they were running in circles and didn't know where in the world they were heading, or why. They had reached the street, but Amanda had them run into the next alley. All the while they were running, she was looking behind them, her eyes wide. Thoughts of what could have happened to Joey's mom came to mind. Were they going to disappear too?!

Amanda suddenly fell down and Claire looked back at her to see her sprawled on the concrete, her left shoe's heel broken in half. She motioned for Claire. "Just keep running, honey. Don't stop until you get to the synagogue on the next street. Go!"

"Why?"

"Don't ask questions, just go!"

A woman's voice came from behind Claire. "Yes, Little Premmie. Run!"

"She doesn't know what she is! Shut up!" Amanda cried out as she tried to get up. Her ankle must hurt bad because she grimaced.

The woman barked, "She's dead!"

Claire whipped around to see a short, skinny woman with short, spiky red hair and a scar on her cheek, who was carrying a long sword in her hand. A fencer? Not in the backyard or a dojo to practice? Even though she was mostly used to having swords around as her parents were fencers, the woman holding her long silver one scared Claire down to her toes. It actually seemed that she was going to use it. She didn't understand the 'Premmie' and 'doesn't know what she is' remarks, and for now, didn't care. Claire dropped the bags and started to run away in the direction they had come from, but she was grabbed from behind.

"I didn't mean you should, I meant," the woman hissed in her ear. "That you could only try..."

"Take your hands off her, you bitch! This is between you and me!" Amanda rose from the ground and looked a bit scary. Her voice was low and serious, she spoke in a tone Claire had never heard before.

Before Claire knew it, she was shoved by the female and hit her head against the concrete wall. As she slipped to the ground, her head was pounding, and things seemed to be spinning in front of her eyes. She saw Amanda charge the woman with the sword. Claire cried out that she didn't want Amanda to get hurt, but her head pounded hard, she couldn't focus her eyes, and soon, everything turned silent and black.

~~~~~

Amanda growled with frustration because she had not taken her sword with her shopping, she was wearing killer shoes (that were now broken, she might add), Claire was passed out and could be dead for all she knew, but also because the bitch wasn't letting up. She really wanted a challenge right there in the alley in the middle of New York City in the middle of the Goddamn day!

She averted another swing of the Immortal's claymore and rushed in to try to grab the hilt. In the process, her hand slid across the blade's well-sharpened edge. Amanda was proud that she had only flinched a bit, but the flinch made her lose the opportunity to get the upper hand in the battle.

"Come on," she groaned. "It's not a fair fight. Do you really want to win by cheating, you cheater!"

"After I take your head, I'll make sure that one," she said pointing toward Claire, "doesn't see the light of another day again."

"Well, you have quite an attitude now, don't you? How do you know you'll win?"

The Immortal laughed as she swayed her sword before her in a playing motion. The woman was past the point of getting on her nerves, and if she was alone, Amanda would have been back at the hotel by now. She looked to Claire and saw blood on the back of her head from where she had hit the wall. God! She can't be dead! Please, don't have her be dead, please! I know I ask for a lot and don't give much in return, but please, for Claire's sake, please don't let her die!

When Amanda looked back at the Immortal, she saw her feel in her large overcoat pocket. "I think I'll just make this quick. Even though you're unarmed, you have given me a bit of a workout."

Amanda stood stunned, gasping for breath after worrying about Claire and going back and forth with that woman on a newly healed but at one time broken ankle. She knew she was going to reach for a dagger or gun and running wouldn't help in the least. She'd only get it in the back. "No... you can't... She's not mine. I'm taking care of her. You can't. Take my head, but don't touch her, please, don't touch her."

Amanda cried out when she saw the woman bring a pistol fitted with a silencer out of her pocket, and started toward her to try and get it away from her, but she stopped with complete dread when she felt the approach of another Immortal. The Goddam broad was using a partner! "What the hell is your problem?" Amanda moaned just as she was shot in the stomach.

A man stepped over her, sporting a shock of red hair. Amanda tried to pull his leg to stop whatever he was going to do, but she couldn't move from the pain that was ripping through her body from the bullet. Amanda prayed to God or whoever would listen to her that Claire would survive in some way before her eyes closed and her body became limp.

~~~~~

They seemed to have only gone through a bit of the Rorschach test before he put it aside, sat on the Chippendale couch, and started to ask her questions about things Elizabeth had already touched on with Dr. Stone. He had her file open on his lap as he made notes on a yellow legal pad he had situated on the cushion beside him. She wished she was sitting closer to see what he was writing, but with how he had reacted to her questions about knowing before, she decided she'd only get the same treatment from him.

"So, you've been married how many times?"

"Eight, nine if you count our remarriage." After she said that, since he was now easy to talk to and she didn't have to fudge with chronology, she wondered if she should talk so much about her husband. He was, after all, the oldest living Immortal and still had to protect his head. If Bradford knew that her current husband, the not very old Daniel Gordon, was also David Sommers, who she married and the Watchers had found out was Methos... Elizabeth's head began hurting, and she put it in her hand as she leaned on the arm of the chair.

"You married the same Immortal twice? Didn't you learn the first time?"

"Huh?"

"Just a joke, sorry. Things were getting too serious."

"This is serious. Very serious. I almost took my husband's head, and he's never going to forgive me, although he has been nicer lately, which he doesn't need to be, and I can't imagine why or what he has up his sleeve. My daughter is probably going to need to see you for many reasons over the years, but mostly because her mother almost took her father's head and she can't for a minute know the real reason why. My best friends are split up. A woman who was like a sister to me is missing and probably dead somewhere. Her father is coming from Paris, leaving his tour he's been dreaming about for years."

"Whoa, whoa. Slow down.

She wanted to, but she couldn't. Elizabeth just sat and panted, she couldn't get any air and started to cry hard, making it worse. Her heart was pounding louder than her head as she put her head down, then sunk it almost below her knees hoping to stop it. She felt a hand on her back and jerked up in fright, only to see it was Dr. Bradford standing beside her.

"It's all right. Relax. Calm down."

"Don't say that!" she snapped at him.

"What?"

"Don't tell me to calm down! That's what Pyrius always told me. Don't you think I want to calm down! Of course I want to calm down, I just can't..." she couldn't talk anymore from lack of air, and could feel herself start to convulse.

Bradford appeared next to her with a small paper bag and held it in front of her face. She swatted it away as she gasped for breaths not understanding what he was doing and she didn't want to be hurt. She was doing a good enough job with that herself.

"It's to help stop the hyperventilation. Place it over your nose and breath deeply."

He shoved it to her face as she gasped again and again, her throat burning, her head pounding, her heart racing, and her body starting to feel weak.

~~~~~

Amanda revived with a start and took a second to take in her environment. She was in an alley, on the cold concrete, and a figure was standing above her with his arms outstretched. She blinked three times before the shape came into focus and her stomach healed from its wound. She had been shot! She could have lost her head while dead! What happened?

She heard the ebb of a quickening, and saw that the figure was the one who had just taken it, not the bitch who attacked them. "Who are you?" she demanded as she tried to sit up.

The man, weakened from the quickening, slowly turned in her direction, and she just about fainted when she saw that the man was an Immortal she hadn't seen in many years. "Keane?"

He only nodded as he took a moment to recover from the quickening. There was broken glass all around them from the building's windows, and there were shouts of 'what the hell was that' reverberating around them.

Stephen Keane shook off his discomfort and went immediately to Claire, who Amanda was horrified to see was still in the same position she had last seen her. Keane picked her up and moved quickly down the alley. Amanda picked herself up and ran after him. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?"

"Getting the hell out of here," was all he would say, and Amanda ran along with him away from the scene of the beheading as there were many people starting down the other side of the alley. She ran as best she could before she stopped and took the other high heel shoe off and ran in her nylons after him, slipping a bit, but he wasn't slowing down and she wasn't going to lose sight of him while he had Claire.

Amanda hoped Claire wasn't dead, she was flapping limply in Keane's arms. She put her hand to Claire's forehead for only a moment during the momentum of running and Claire's head bouncing, but Amanda knew one thing. Claire was cold. She couldn't determine, because of Keane's immortal sensation, if she still had her pre-immortal hum or not. "She can't be dead, can she? No! She can't be dead... They'll kill me for sure."

They were blocks away from the alley when Keane started to slow down. They dodged into a building, which Amanda determined was an apartment building, and Keane laid Claire down on the sofa in the lobby. The doorman, inside because of the chill of the outside air more than likely, or was just too lazy to stand at his post, started toward them. Amanda fell to her knees next to Claire and really felt her. She laid her head on her chest, and was relieved to pick up her hum. Or it could be a newly immortal sensation. Damn it, she couldn't tell. All she knew was that Claire was alive, mortal or immortal, she was alive.

"Did she die?" Amanda asked Keane since he was the only one who was coherent throughout the whole ordeal.

"I don't think so. From the look of that lump on her head, she probably just passed out." Keane turned his head to the doorman standing over them looking at the lifeless Claire. "Call 911."

Amanda gasped with the seriousness of it all and sat back on her ankles. "An ambulance? Can we?"

"She's got a head injury, what do you suggest we do?"

"She didn't though, did she?"

Keane put his head closer to Claire and shut his eyes. Soon, he shook his head and said, "I don't think so. It didn't kill her, but she is hurt, and could still die. Are you all right?"

"Me? Yes, I'm peachy, can't you tell? She's going to be all right, isn't she?"

"I'm not a doctor."

"But you're a savior. What were you doing there. When I felt you, I thought you were with her and I was as good as beheaded."

"Sh," Keane indicated the doorman not far away talking to the 911 operator on the phone. "I'd been following her most of the day. Her name was Coldwater."

"Ew."

"She took my friend. Shot him first, then took his head while he was dead. I was going to challenge her when I caught up to her."

"But she found me first. And Claire." Amanda brushed Claire's hair back and kissed her cheek. "Oh, God." Sobs crashed through her as she realized what happened. That girl Methos and Elizabeth put in her care was almost murdered, and now was unconscious at best. "What if she has brain damage? My God, I shouldn't have worn those stupid shoes!"

"Who is this?" Keane asked about Claire.

"My... she's my niece... how can I tell them what happened, how sorry I am... Oh God." Amanda's head fell against Keane's shoulder as she cried for what was ahead of her.

~~~~~

"Do you still hear voices?" Bradford asked Elizabeth after she had settled down and they had continued to talk.

"Him, you mean?"

"You tell me."

"Only in nightmares, not too much anymore."

"Did you hear him just now?"

"No."

"The voices you did hear, were they from inside or outside your head?"

"I only heard one voice, Pyrius'. I think. I saw Logan and Richie and others, but I heard Pyrius." She wondered how crazy she sounded to him, if he believed in ghosts at all, and how she could have told him that secret that she couldn't tell Dr. Stone.

"How do you know the voice you heard was this Pyrius fellow?"

"By his accent."

"Could you have just been putting his voice on your words?"

"I don't know."

"Good answer," he said with a smile. "I really do think those medications I mentioned will help calm you down. That was quite the attack you had. Have you had many, and have they all been as severe?"

"No. Not for a long time."

He reached into the top drawer of his desk and pulled out a small square pad of blue paper and started writing on the top sheet. "We talked about how Paxil will help with your stress level and should make panic attacks less severe if you do have them again. Also, Chlordiazepoxide does wonders for panic disorders."

"Clora-what?"

"Librium. I'll give you some side effect sheets for all the meds I'm prescribing, and I want you to understand them before taking any of them. Librium is extremely habit-forming, so you only take what I prescribe, all right?"

"Yeah. What if I feel I need more?"

"You call me first and tell me why. I'll decide if you need more. I repeat, don't take anymore than I prescribe."

"Okay. I don't want drug addiction on top of everything else."

"Also, don't stop taking it cold if you do start. The withdrawal after it's in your system can be a bit difficult. Tapering off is the only way to do it."

"Sounds scary."

"It's not. If you take everything into consideration. It will help you if you don't abuse it. Take what's prescribed, no more, no less. All right?"

"Yes, sir."

He ripped the slip off and handed it to her. "Never skip a dose, but if you do, just take the next prescribed dose. Never double up on it. Understand?"

"But, what if I get the withdrawals." The way she felt while coming off the serum that James had injected her with came to mind, and she wondered if she wanted to get that hooked on anything again, if this was a good decision to make. He wasn't a quack, was he?

He read from a white sheet he pulled from his drawer: "You could experience confusion, constipation, drowsiness, fainting, increased or decreased sex drive, liver problems, lack of muscle coordination, minor menstrual irregularities, nausea, skin rash or eruptions, swelling due to fluid retention, yellow eyes and skin."

"Sounds like a party." She weakly smiled, then added, "A couple of those I don't have to worry about."

"Irregular menstration?"

"My sex drive."

He chuckled and handed her the sheet that was labeled, "Librium Side Effects and Benefits." on it, she saw, "Side effects due to rapid decrease or abrupt withdrawal from Librium include: Abdominal and muscle cramps, convulsions, exaggerated feeling of depression, sleeplessness, sweating, tremors, vomiting. Patients who are severely depressed or have suffered from severe depression should consult with their doctor before taking this medication."

"Um, didn't you say that I have some sort of depression?"

"Caused by past trauma and guilt. Yes."

"Says here I shouldn't take this."

"If that was your major diagnosis, yes. There are some times when you function well, right?"

"When things are going my way..."

"Don't worry, Elizabeth. I know what I'm doing. I'm glad you read that though. Pay attention to everything and ask questions about anything you're confused about."

"Okay."

"I'd like you to start with 25 mg, three times a day, and we can tweak it after a week to see how it's doing. It's a larger dose than I'd start mortals out with, so if you hear anyone tell you that doesn't sound right, don't listen to them, unless they know you're immortal. After a week, if this doesn't seem to be helping, there are other medications we can try."

He wrote again on another small sheet, she now assumed was prescription sheets. "This will be for your Paxil. It might take about a week, maybe even a month, before you sense any improvement. Just keep taking it, unless you have bad side effects, and even if you feel perfectly fine, keep taking it as prescribed. This is a liquid, so make sure you shake it up well before dispensing. Also, if you miss a dose, don't double up, just take the next prescribed dose."

He handed her the slip and also another side effect sheet. Can't wait to find out what this one could do to me, she thought ironically.

"Again, you could have withdrawal symptoms such as dizziness or tingling if you stop taking it without tapering off. I'd like you to start with 45 mg every morning."

"Is there something I can take when I feel an attack coming on?"

"You won't have them if you take this medication, or at least they won't be as severe as your last one."

"You mean I'll be too doped up to feel anything?"

"No, what we're trying to do is even out your serotine level. When it dips, you experience the attacks, whether small or large."

"You think this is going to work?"

"I know it does. Take the medications as I've prescribed, and we'll see the benefits. These may not be the correct dosages right away, but in a couple of months we should have them figured out for what's best for your system. Just don't drink alcohol and follow the instructions the pharmacist will give you."

"Pharmacist?"

"Yes," he smiled again. She was starting to like his smile again. In fact, she was starting to like him again and felt she could trust him. He seemed very concerned by her attack, and wasn't condescending like he had been in the beginning after Elizabeth had adjusted to his amazing appearance. He sat back and said, "How problematic is your insomnia?"

"It would be nice to have a good night's sleep."

"People really shouldn't take Ambien with Paxil, but I've found in some Immortals that they sleep like a baby on it."

"That would be heaven."

"How many hours a night do you usually get?"

"Some nights, a few minutes. Last night, I think I slept for almost ten hours, but felt tired when I got up."

"Zigzagging like that isn't beneficial; I'm sure I don't have to tell you that. I'll give you some Ambien too. Only take it right before bedtime, and I'm only giving you a small dose. If you feel tired and think you're going to sleep anyway, don't bother taking it."

"You mean I can get a good night's sleep tonight?"

"Yep," he said confidently. "Paxil usually makes people drowsy, but this will give you a little more of a kick. As I said, if you don't think you need it, you don't, so don't take it."

He ripped the slip off and gave it to her. She asked, "Not another sheet telling me my nipples might turn green if I take it?"

Bradford laughed loud and long at that one, and she was embarrassed having been loose enough around him to say it. "No. It's just a sleeping pill. Don't operate heavy machinery after taking it before a good night's sleep."

He put the pad of slips down and leaned forward in his chair. "That's about it for now. There's a pharmacy just down the street where you can fill those, although you can go to anyone you'd like. I wonder, did Dr. Stone explain the symptoms of PTSD to you so you know what you're dealing with and not think you're unusual or what you may be experiencing is uncommon?"

"Kind of, but..."

"Post Traumatic Stress makes the sufferer re-experience their trauma in flashback episodes, nightmares, or frightening thoughts, especially when they're reminded of it. Anniversaries of the event is a big one, so make sure you're not alone when those days roll around. I see by the DA that you've been experiencing insomnia, depression, anxiety, outbursts, irritability, for more than an month. That's classic PTSD if I ever heard it. Do you also feel a numbness at times? Like you should feel something, but can't?"

It was as if he had read her thoughts from earlier with the news of Amy's disappearance. She hadn't noticed it before, but she could have. She was feeling better just knowing that she wasn't the first one to go through this, and she now had pills at her disposal that might have worked for others, immortals included.

"Also, there's major guilt, even if you didn't do anything wrong. Sufferers of rape, for instance, come to think that they shouldn't have done something and it wouldn't have happened. I know you went after your husband's head and have to feel guilt for that. Don't let it get you down. You were in a bad state at the time. Getting better is your number one priority, not examining all the details of what you did wrong. All right?"

"Okay."

"Also, try to avoid reminders of what you went through."

"Easier said than done when I see him every day."

"I'm not just talking about your husband. Though you claim your relationship is better, that can only help. I'm talking about exhibiting behaviors or performing activities you did during the time you lived in that house, or eating foods you hadn't since then. I know you might by accident, and may have an ordeal, but if you're aware of everything you're doing while you're doing it, you'll have a head start in conquering this. Stay on your toes and pay attention to everything. All right?"

"All right." She felt more confident now than she had in a long time and was quite happy she had given this doctor a chance. It would be better if she could see him exclusively, but then again, she liked Dr. Stone and she had given her good advice.

"Make an appointment for next week and we'll see how the medications are doing for you. It was nice meeting you, Elizabeth. Good luck."

"Thank you, Simon. I'll see you next week, and I'll see Dr. Stone in a couple of days."

"Very good. Remember, if you have any difficulties, or questions, just call the clinic, day or night."

"Thanks."

Dr. Bradford walked her to the reception area and asked Cindy to set her up for next week. He smiled again to her in farewell, and then was gone. She looked down at the slips he had given her, and Lord help her if she could decipher any word of what he wrote. How could the pharmacist? She was going to ask Cindy to buzz the doctor to ask him if she'd have a problem getting her medications filled, but Cindy smiled and said, "Doctors and their handwriting, huh? It's a code only a medical professional can understand."

"Ah. Okay. I shouldn't have a problem getting these?"

"Not at all. How's next Monday at 10:00 am?"

"Sounds fine."

"And Dr. Stone will see you Wednesday as usual?"

"Yes. Thanks."

Elizabeth walked out of the building and took in the chilly air with a new outlook that things were going to turn out fine after all. She immediately saw the pharmacy Dr. Bradford had mentioned, and headed straight for it. Having never been in a drug store before, except once she remembered when she ran out of mascara and ran into a Walgreen's many years before, she looked at all the signs, ads, and products they had for sale. She had no idea there were so many brands of aspirin, for instance. She had seen ads for them on TV, but to see them all lined up on a shelf was quite impressive.

The pharmacist called for her and she paid for the little white bag he handed her, and she walked outside again, anxious to get home to start taking the meds. She opened the bag a block away as she wanted to see what they all looked like. They were expensive enough, but there were only two little orange plastic bottles with a label with writing on them and a bottle of liquid, which was labeled Paxil and a syringe. She'd have to read the direction for how to use it. She was under the impression that she would drink it, not inject it. She was a bit turned off by it until she realized it didn't have a needle. She saw indicated on the slip of instructions that the syringe was used to take her daily dosage from the bottle. She would have to do a lot of reading when she got back to the hotel to get all this straight.

Elizabeth put everything back into the bag and walked down the sidewalk, letting all sorts of vacant cabs go past without flagging one down. It was such a nice day, she wanted to walk. Then her cell phone rang. She dug into her bag and answered it. To her surprise, it was Duncan, but the most surprising thing was the darkness in the tone of his voice and that he said, "Get to St. Luke's Roosevelt Emergency Room 58th St and Ninth Ave right away. It's Claire."

Continued