THE ELIZABETH SERIES

CHAPTER NINETY-SEVEN

THE NICKNAME

by JoLayne

RATING: PG-13

CHARACTERS: M, D, A, Amy, W, OC's Elizabeth, Claire, Joey, Nick, Megan

SUMMARY: While Elizabeth comforts Amy, Methos and Duncan fight together and each other.

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.

~~~~~

APRIL 9, 2013
NEW YORK CITY

Elizabeth pulled off her clothes, slipped her hockey jersey over her head and let it fall down her body, then slipped under the sheet on the bed next to Methos. "Man, I thought Claire could throw a tantrum, but Joey's major league."

"Ah, a baseball reference," Methos chuckled. "I was going to help out in there, but you seemed in charge of the situation or...you seemed to have the situation in hand."

"I can't imagine all Amy's gone through, almost all alone, during the past month or so," Elizabeth mused as she began slathering moisturizer over her face, hands, arms, legs, and feet. "But I still can't believe she let the kids out there alone in New York City. I still haven't heard from her. She's not at the hospital, but Katie's sleeping peacefully. Guy and Joe aren't answering their cells either."

Methos just kept reading his book with one foot crooked over the other, tracing his finger over his chest; he seemed to be totally immersed in the book.

"Now Claire and Joey are in revolt stage claiming they're old enough to go to a store. They don't know the dangers, but Amy does. What was she thinking? And just where they hell is she?!"

Still no indication from Methos that he had any thought for this conversation. "Honey?" she asked, to get his attention.

"Yeah..." Methos said almost in a whisper. "I always wanted a son, but maybe not."

Elizabeth knew he must have missed most of what she had said, but was still surprised by that line. "I didn't know that."

Methos crooked his head. "Every male does, I suppose."

"Were you disappointed Claire wasn't a boy?"

For the first time, Methos ripped his gaze from his book. "Never! I didn't want to be a father at all but now, after Claire has been such a joy, with some hiccups granted, a boy might..."

"Should we sign up with that adoption agency?"

Methos glared at her. "It's just talk."

"Ok, just talk. Are you going to listen to me now?"

"Uh hm," was his answer. His eyes kept scanning back and forth across the page of what she looked to see was a biography of Napoleon.

"Another subject for a textbook or something?"

"Who?"

"Bonaparte?"

"Me write about him?" After a bit of a chuckle, Methos said, "Come off it. Why would I want to do that?"

"You're reading so intently. I thought it was research."

Methos shrugged. "A book is like a mountain. I read it because it's there."

"And he's much more interesting than the here and now?"

"Not in his wildest dreams. I picked this up for Claire to read, but it's garbage really. Publishers nowadays should be shot for putting blurbs such as," Methos kept his finger at his page and turned the book to read the back dust cover. "Intensive probe... immensely satisfying... and get this, 'Never before has a biographer delved so deeply into the mind'... rubbish."

Elizabeth curled up beside him and chuckled. Methos shot her a glance, then asked, "Have you ever read a biography of Napoleon?"

"Not recently. Not since I was teaching, I guess."

"No one's ever really tapped the madness that was Bonaparte."

"Maybe you should write the definitive one. From personal experience?"

"Never met him. But met a lot of people affected by him and his policies."

"Then how do you know that book isn't the definitive anything?"

"Did this hack meet Napoleon?"

Elizabeth chuckled. "Not unless he's immortal."

"He's not."

"How do you know? How do you know he wasn't there in Elba, for instance."

Methos smiled and started reading the page where he left off. "I know. He's not in the database."

"You know every immortal in the database, and just how the hell do you have access to a database?"

"Guy and Joe aren't with their databases all the time. In fact, they've been spending a lot of time at the hospital, so..."

"You continue to amaze me, hon."

"You're amazed I've gotten my own keycard for their hotel rooms? My dear. You amaze me."

"No, I should expect that now that you mention it. It's just that... after today... really, after the last three or so months, you have every reason to be a live wire, and you're acting as if there wasn't anything wrong. Jeez, I suppose living so long, it doesn't affect you, but you've been in danger three times in the past two months. That's too much for me."

"What can I do about it now? I've lived long enough to know when to worry and when to relax."

"Speaking of relaxing, I was going to give you a night of special treatment, treat you right, you know, but if you'd rather read about a failed French pipsqueak, you go right ahead. I'll get some shut eye."

Elizabeth turned over and curled her head into the pillow to get comfortable. Soon, Methos' arm came over her arm to hold her hands and his body was snuggled up behind her. "Now that you mention it, it has been a long day."

When she turned, smiling at him Methos' puppy dog eyes melted her instantly. "Need some tender loving care?"

"Oh so tender," he purred, as Elizabeth moved him to lay on his stomach and sat on his backside to start massaging his shoulders.

~~~~~

APRIL 10, 2013
5:30 am

Elizabeth slipped groggily out of bed and stumbled to the master bathroom. After taking care of business, she heard what she thought was the doorbell over the flush. Noting that her husband was dead to the world, she walked gingerly through the bedroom to the living room. "Not an immortal" was the only thing she was sure of. Not room service either, as it seemed that everyone was still asleep. Being so sleepy herself, she practically fell against the door to peek out the peephole to see who it was. Taking in a great yawn, Elizabeth tried to make out the blond man she saw in the hallway outside her door. It wasn't until he turned around and fully faced the door, and a shock of red hair stood next to him that she realized who it was.

Pulling open the door with sudden adrenaline, Elizabeth greeted her visitors, "Hey, Nick, Megan. Long time, no see. How are you?"

"Pregnant," Megan beamed telling her, and then flashed her wedding band on her hand.

Elizabeth hugged Megan warmly and said, "That's great!"

Megan gushed, "I know. I can't wait." Then her expression turned grave as she looked at Nick.

"What brings you to the Big Apple?" Elizabeth hoped upon hope their journey had nothing to do with Crusaders or Shiloh or chairs with blades at the neck of any size, shape, or form.

"Two kids, actually. We're guessing one of them is with you?" Nick squeezed Elizabeth's hand and smiled as he said, "Goes by the name of Joseph Dawson II, a.k.a. Joey."

"Man, are you a Watcher or what?" Elizabeth shut the door and turned to them. "Sleeping in the other room. Joey and Claire brought you to New York?"

"Joey and Katie Rose," Megan said. "We're here on babysitting duty."

There was a pause as Elizabeth absorbed that, not only these two visitors from out of the blue, but the fact that they came to babysit for Amy, who Elizabeth hadn't heard a word from for a very long time. The fact that she had let Joey and Claire loose in New York by themselves was still something that was deeply unsettling. "Why? I'm not doing a good job? Where are Amy and Guy?"

Nick hesitated, then ran his hand from Elizabeth's shoulder to her hand, and led her to the couch to sit down. "What's going on?" Elizabeth asked as she plunked down on the sectional then Megan and Nick sat on either side of her.

Megan said, "Amy went to see Guy, who's.... in a hospital in Phoenix."

"Hospital? Why? What happened?"

"He was shot," Nick told her solemnly. "By... an immortal."

"God, no." Elizabeth clutched her chest at the mortifying news. "Is he okay?"

"We have no idea," Megan said, with her voice cracking a bit, losing the 'everything's fine' veneer she had used since they arrived. "Amy wanted us to come and make sure her children are protected, that you were informed, and to ask you if you'll go to her. She says she needs you."

"Why didn't she call me herself?"

"She didn't want to scare you," Nick said. "Also, she wanted to make sure that we made arrangements for you so you could get to Phoenix as soon as possible. There's a car outside to take you to the airport. There's a Watcher plane ready to take you to Sky Harbor in about an hour."

"Me? Just me?"

"Yeah." Megan smiled ironically. "She didn't think Claire and Joey should spend anymore time in hospitals, so she wanted Daniel to stay with Claire and make sure... how did she say it? 'Life goes on as normally as possible?'"

Nick nodded. "That's what she said."

Elizabeth knew that Claire had bemoaned the fact that her life wasn't normal, and staying at another hotel and hospital was something that might crush Claire's spirit. How Amy could think about Claire's feelings at a time like this... she's simply amazing.

"How serious is it for Guy?"

Nick and Megan looked at each other, then Nick finally said, "It's bad."

Elizabeth nodded and said, "I'll get packed. Right away. Is that an SST you have lined up by any chance?"

"No security check in, flying straight to Phoenix, a pilot who likes to speed," Nick smiled. "You'll be there before you know it."

"Not fast enough."

~~~~~

"What the fuck is going on?!" Methos yelled, trying to move Dr. Sinclair off of him, still not having found his feet. "Get your gun, Barstow! Stop her!"

Elizabeth pulled up her cutlass, but the force of the female doctor's sword lowered it with just a flick of her wrist. With a wide twirl, Dr. Sinclair sliced her sword at Elizabeth's neck as Methos screamed out for it all to stop. Elizabeth went straight down to the floor, out of his view. It was as if he had been slit open and gone numb as Duncan jostled the bed and finally got to the doctor as two shots from two different guns rang out, along with shrieks that had to have come from Amanda.

Methos looked down at where Elizabeth was to see that her head wasn't completely detached. "Lizzie! Heal! Now! Do it! Heal! Lizzie!" There was a thick slab of skin holding her head to her body. "Come on, Lizzie," Methos said determinedly as he untangled himself from the sheet to get off the stretcher. "Heal!"

"Heal, damn you! HEAL!" Methos roared, as suddenly the vivid dream was fading out and he realized he was being shaken by the shoulder.

"What the hell?" Elizabeth asked as she was jostling his shoulder.

When Methos had full rein on his senses, he realized it was the damn dream again. Taking Elizabeth into his arms, he held her as if he wouldn't ever let her go. It was just a dream, he kept telling himself, but he couldn't get rid of the shakes.

"Don't go crazy on me now, honey. I have to go," Elizabeth said from the crook of his neck.

"Go? Go where? Where are you going? Why? You have to stay. You have to stay right here." Methos knew he was babbling, but he couldn't help it. He had to keep the cocoon of his family close to him. "Claire? Where is she?"

Elizabeth pulled away from Methos and told him, "She's still asleep, unless you woke her up. Why are you dreaming it again? You are dreaming it again, right?"

Methos felt cold and alone after she left the comfort of his side. "I don't... I don't know..." All Methos could think about was the horrible vision of that female's sword slicing Elizabeth's head from her body. But there she was in front of him. The surgery was long over. He couldn't think why he was dreaming about it now.

"You are psychic, I'll give you that," Elizabeth said. "Guy's been shot and is in a hospital in Phoenix. That's where Amy went in a hurry yesterday. I don't know why she didn't call and tell me to go then, I'd be there already, but Nick and Megan are here with everything planned out."

"Who's here? What's planned?" Methos asked, feeling as if he hadn't gotten with the conversation at all, all he could see was the golden sword sever Elizabeth's neck.

"Amy is in Phoenix with Guy, who was shot. He's in surgery, I suppose. She asked Nick and Megan to come here and stay with the kids while I go to Phoenix to be with her. I have to go. I'm sorry this is short notice, and you're dreaming that... weirdness again... but I have to go to her. She needs me."

"Why you?" Methos got out of bed and found the pants he wore yesterday on the chair. He started to pull them on when he said, "I'll go."

"There's something between you and Amy I don't know about? I mean more than that one time after Kevin died."

"What?"

"Why you? She wants me to go," Elizabeth said, packing her suitcase quickly. "She wants you to stay here with Claire, and Nick and Megan are going to do hospital vigil for Katie. Amy said Joey and Claire should have normalcy, if there really is such a thing."

Methos stopped. That dream was telling him something. Yes. It might be a good idea to get Elizabeth away from him. He suddenly realized that he was telling himself that he had to go after Dr. Wamre, that rat bastard who put that chip in his side. All of a sudden, the most important thing in Methos' life was the whereabouts of that chip. "Take Claire with you."

"You're missing the point, Methos. Claire should have school and museums, and all the other things you do with her. She shouldn't spend more time in a hospital, which is where I'll be for the foreseeable future. At least I hope it's for a long time. If it's not, that only means Guy died." Elizabeth buckled and shook her head. "He's going to be okay. I'm going to be at the hospital with Amy for a long time." She zipped her suitcase closed and went to kiss Methos, who was searching the room for the chip.

Elizabeth had to hold Methos' face to keep it facing her so she could kiss him goodbye. "I'll call you when I know anything. If you have questions, Nick and Megan are in the other room. I have to go. I'm not even going to wake Claire to tell her, so you tell her where I went and I'll talk to her later, okay?"

Methos only wanted to kiss Elizabeth again. He couldn't shake the feeling that something awful was going to happen and he didn't know if it was better she was going away from him or she should stay with him. This was happening way too fast. Just like the dream. It was all happening fast in his dream, and the surgery sure came to life long before he was ready for it. Methos subconsciously rubbed his side and back where the kidney he gave to Katie had resided for over 5,000 years. He really missed the damn thing now.

Methos reached to kiss Elizabeth again, but she had already taken hold of her suitcase and was walking away from him. "Hold on," he said.

Elizabeth turned around and said, "I have to go. I'm sorry, but I have to go."

It was then that Methos saw Megan and Nick, who smiled at him. "Go where?" he asked her, stifling a yawn and scratching his eye.

"Phoenix," Elizabeth said. "I'll call you when I get there. And Amanda and I were going to have lunch today. You'll have to tell her I'll need a raincheck. Okay?"

"Kiss me," was all Methos could think of saying.

Elizabeth chuckled; her eyes revealing that, even though she was in a hurry, she wanted to do nothing more at the moment, then she did just that. Methos wrapped his arms around her and drew her in, tasting her as if for the last time. It would have to last a long time. He wasn't sure he understood completely why she had to leave and where she was going, but it did feel right to him now that she was leaving. He had to find that doctor. With Megan and Nick there, and Duncan in the building, Claire would be all right.

~~~~~

"Rat bastard!" Amanda kept saying to herself as she walked back to the hotel. Alone, dirty, a ringing headache, and a bad taste in her mouth about Corey not even helping to prevent her from falling all that way to her death, or staying with her while she was dead. He had just left her there on the top of an elevator while he took the stash. "Rat bastard! Last time I do anything for you!" she shouted to the world at large.

A drunk, huddled on his side holding a brown paper bag covered liquor bottle shouted out with a slur, "You tell 'em, sister!"

"Get a job!" Amanda retorted, but then halted in her pace. She felt horrible for yelling at a man with a plight such as his. She looked at him wearing a tattered tweed coat, beat up boots with holes in the soles, and about five year's worth of stubble on his face. She didn't know how he got into that position, or if he could get himself out of it. She softened as she said, "I'm sorry. I know you'd get a job if you could."

The old man flinched as if she was going to rob him or something. She reached into her pocket and pulled out what money she had. She took out a twenty from the stash and put the rest back in her pocket. She held the bill out to the man, but stopped him when his eyes gleamed and he was going to take it. "You have to promise me you'll go down to the Salvation Army and buy yourself a blanket or food or something useful. No liquor. Right?"

"Sure," he said as he snatched it from her. "You don't take none guff from anyone, you hear?"

"I usually don't, but a nice smile and sense of humor makes common sense go right out the window. He always had a power over me. I won't let him anymore. I just won't."

"That's the spirit."

"But, Duncan... he's probably going to be really mad at me." Amanda looked at her watch and cringed when it read 5:58 am. She hadn't spent a night away from him since they had that terrible misunderstanding last Christmas and he left her before he came to his senses. "I don't know how I'm going to explain it."

The man screwed up his face in what Amanda guessed was thought, then said, "The truth always works best."

"Hfft, yeah. Right. That'll work. I can't tell him I pulled a job with Corey Raines. I ended up dying-" Amanda suddenly realized what she said, and added quickly, "of embarrassment... I mean, I didn't mean actually dying. No. How could I do that? I mean I was dying of embarrassment."

The drunk appeared to be bored with the conversation, and Amanda couldn't think of a reason to continue it herself. She smiled at the old man and continued on her way to the hotel and tried to think of anything but the truth as a reason she was out all night. A block before the hotel, she was still fresh out of ideas. "You rat bastard! Look what predicament you put me in. Rat bastard. Leaving me to die. You weren't even gentlemanly enough to stay with me until I revived." Amanda took a deep breath and said, "Last time, Corey Raines. No more. I'm going to be a mother. No more. No more. You rat bastard..."

~~~~~

Methos had listened to Nick and Megan explain, fully, what was going on with Elizabeth, Amy, and Guy, and then opened Claire's bedroom door to check on her. She was still asleep and Joey had sacked out on a cot that Elizabeth must have called down for last night. They were both dead to the world, so he shut the door again and asked, "Will he make it?"

"We don't know," Megan said as she sipped on her tea, sitting at the table with Nick.

"It was pretty bad. He lost a lot of blood." Nick sighed, but then added, "But he made it into surgery. That's a good sign."

Methos felt the prickly sensation of an immortal buzz creep up the back on his neck and wondered if Elizabeth had come back for some reason. He muttered, "That's good," in response to Nick and Megan, who weren't the wiser about the approach of an immortal.

Looking out the peephole, he saw Amanda dressed in black from the stocking cap on her head to the black boots on her feet walking down the hall toward the door. He opened it before she got to it.

"Oh, good. You're awake. You have to cover for me," Amanda said as she walked in. When she saw Nick and Megan, she said bubbly, "Oh. Company. Hi."

The three greeted each other as Methos shut the door and asked, "What now?"

"What?" Amanda asked, fresh from looking at Megan's wedding ring and winking at Nick to indicate that it was a good purchase.

"Why do I have to cover for you and, more importantly, why would I want to?"

"Because you're nice. A good friend. Right?"

Methos shrugged.

"Because you owe me."

Methos chuckled. "For what?"

"Oh, would you just cover for me?" Amanda pulled off the stocking cap and ruffled her hair. "Liz and I were talking too late last night and I fell asleep on the couch."

Methos just smiled at her. He loved to see Amanda in this position, struggling to be upstanding for the Highlander. "What were you doing?"

"None of your business."

"I think it's my business if I'm going to lie for you."

"As if lying's a stretch for you."

Methos mocked surprise. "You wound me. If I'm going to lie, what were you and my dear wife talking about?"

"Your party. I'm still planning it, Methos."

Silence ruled the morning as Megan and Nick looked from Amanda to Methos. Methos felt like he had been punched in the stomach, almost as hard as he had felt the night she had called him Methos in front of Elizabeth for the first time, and his real name had been a surprise to her.

Methos implored her, "Do you ever shut up?"

Amanda didn't even have the wherewithal to act sorry for calling him by his name in front of two strangers. Well, they weren't strangers, but they didn't have to know his true name, after all, they were Watchers, and he had worked hard to make the Watchers think he was dead. Elizabeth and Duncan had even thought he was dead. The arrogance of her!

Amanda held her arms out and hiked her shoulders as if she for once didn't know what to say. "You guys know, don't you?"

"We thought you were the real Methos," Megan said, "But didn't know for sure."

Nick, with a smile, said, "Until this very moment."

"You're not going tell anyone, right?" Amanda asked.

"Now you ask," Methos said, hotly.

"Of course not," Nick said. "It's no one's business."

Methos groused, "Interesting, considering what you do for a living and with whom you work."

"You have a child to raise," Megan said calmly. "We can totally understand why you're covering the fact you're the oldest immortal. We're not going to say anything or chronicle anything."

Nick motioned turning a key at his mouth. "It's in the vault."

"I'm really tired of this habit of yours," Methos almost yelled at Amanda. "If you so much as hint at my name in front of Claire, I'll..." Methos couldn't think of a punishment that would fit that crime, but he assured her, "It won't be pretty."

"So what if she knows?"

Methos about exploded. "What?!"

"Come on, Liz hasn't accidently called you Methos in front of her?"

"No. She's a smart woman who knows how to hold her tongue."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You should beg for more than that. I could rip you limb from limb right now."

Amanda must have gotten the gist that Methos was mad. "All right. I'm sorry. Won't happen again. I promise."

"You've already promised that. Your promises do not hold water."

"Why don't you just tell Claire and get it over with? We can say it's a nickname or something. Claire won't know what it means."

"What if she looks it up on the internet?"

"What would she find?"

"Nothing." Methos acknowledged with a shrug, "I do it every so often and only found some sites with fictional stories, but Claire might find information about me. She's a smart girl."

"If she does find you on the web, we named you after... you," Amanda spouted. "What's the big deal?"

"I am!" Methos paused, and said, "SH! I hear Claire moving around in there!" indicating her bedroom.

"It was probably you who woke her up. You're the one doing all the yelling. I really think it's time, Methos. It's about time she knows you have a nickname. Then we don't have to pussyfoot around you. Tell her it's your nickname. It means... grouchy old man."

The door to Claire's bedroom opened and a disheveled Claire stepped out yawning. "Who's a grouchy old man?"

Methos nearly exploded with anger once again and didn't know how to disarm this time bomb.

Amanda said, "Your father."

Claire looked at him. "You're not old."

Methos took a deep, cleansing breath, and said, "Thanks."

Claire rubbed her eyes and mentioned, almost under her breath, "But you can be quite grouchy at times."

"Thank you again, Little One. Appreciate it. For that, an extra hour of English Literature today."

Claire grumbled as she headed into the bathroom, then slammed the door. "Methos," Amanda smiled. "It means 'old grouch.' It fits."

Methos put up a warning finger toward Amanda. "Watch it."

~~~~~

Duncan woke up to a ringing cell phone. He squinted toward Amanda's side of the bed, it was untouched. He sat up and squinted throughout the bedroom of the suite for his wife, but didn't see or hear any trace of her. He found his cell on the night stand and answered, "Amanda?"

All he heard on the line was static. It must be another cell phone, almost out of range of a tower. "Amanda? Where are you?" Duncan tried again.

A sniffle was clearly heard, and then a soft, "No, it's me, Mac," from a male.

"Who is this?" Duncan said, just before it dawned on him that the voice had a Scottish accent. "Warren?"

"Yeah," Warren's shaky voice replied.

"What's going on? I heard you called Liz the other day."

"Yeah." After a pause, Warren continued in such a soft voice that Duncan had to strain to hear him, "I was trying to get a hold of you."

"You have now. How are things?"

"I've fucked them up," Warren said, then there was a burst of laughter. "Seems nothing's going right lately."

"Where are you?"

"I have no idea," Warren said in a clear voice, but then it grew soft again when he said, "I think I need to see you. I need a friend right now."

Duncan had heard that same strained voice from Warren at a police station in Paris when he had lost his memory. At least right now Warren didn't seem overly upset, like when he had finally realized the truth about Bonnie Prince Charlie or when he had taken his student's head. Regardless, he hadn't seen Warren since Brynn's funeral and felt it was time to catch up with his old Highland friend.

"Sure. Can you come to New York, or if you figure out where you are, I'll go there. Just tell me where you are."

"Probably in the middle of Death Valley, mate. I just rented a car and started to drive. Hey, how about you get rid of the ball and chain and meet me in LA? Remember that time we stayed at the Marquis? Maybe it's still there."

Because Warren began sounding more excited instead of almost hopeless, Duncan felt better and smiled. They did have quite the time in LA long before Duncan had even met Tessa. It had been a while. Even though the invitation was inviting, he didn't think he could 'lose the ball and chain' so easily, and then there was that electrode in Methos, there was a doctor they had to find, along with taking care of the kids. Duncan chuckled to himself. He didn't think there would ever be a time when kids were near the top of his to do list. Maybe Amanda was right and Claire was rubbing off on him; enough that he wanted a child of his own. Maybe he was really ready. He had told Amanda he was and had encouraged her to proceed with an adoption, but it was only at that moment when he really knew it was something he wanted to do. Really do.

"Sorry, Warren. This weekend wouldn't be good. There's things going on here that I really should attend to. How about coming to New York? We'd be glad to have you. We're at the-"

"I know where you're staying, jerk," Warren huffed, then the call ended.

Duncan called out, "Warren?" to make sure he wasn't there, just before he felt the approach of an immortal. Had to be Amanda. Duncan tossed the phone onto the lounge on his side of the bed and leaned back, pretending to be asleep. He couldn't wait to find out her excuse for being gone all night.

~~~~~

Warren wiped his cheek, surprised there were smeared tears on the back of his hand. He grunted annoyance at himself and threw the phone in the back seat of the rental car. He turned the radio up and gripped the steering wheel tight with both hands. "Damn Boy Scout... who is he to make me cry. Babies cry. I can't worry about what the moral cop of the immortal world thinks."

Warren checked the rear view mirror to see there was nothing but vast desert with a strip of black asphalt behind him. "At least I lost the tail. Hope they have car trouble and die out here in the middle of no where."

On the seat beside him was a laptop belonging to his watcher. He was pleased he had been thorough after hitting the watcher over the head and stealing his car keys. Warren wondered if the laptop held the infamous Watcher Database. If so, it might help him get to Duncan without Duncan even knowing it.

Again, Warren felt the constriction in his chest; not knowing from where his thoughts were coming. "He's my friend! The only one I have in the world! Don't be an idiot!"

Catching his reflection in the rear view mirror, the new part of him, the one that blamed it all on Duncan and his friends, a circle that didn't, and never would again, include him, that acrid voice welled up and boomed at him, "Only babies cry!" The internal reaction was so fierce, Warren swerved off the road and crashed into a cactus.

~~~~~

Elizabeth rushed into the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ, and immediately asked where Amy Barstow was waiting for word on her husband, who was in surgery. "I hope he's still in surgery," Elizabeth added quickly, making the customer relations woman eye her closely. "I mean, I hope he's not in surgery, because that means he's okay and in recovery. But I hope he's still in surgery because that means he's not dead. Please tell me he isn't dead. Please."

Elizabeth felt harried, after the long flight and car trip from Sky Harbor Airport. She brushed back her hair and took a deep breath to relax. When she didn't get a reaction from the woman, she asked, "Is he okay?"

"Which patient are you asking about?" The woman said, her eyes on the monitor in front of her.

"Guy Barstow."

The woman shook her head sadly. "Due to HIPAA regulations, I can't give out patient information. In fact, I can't even tell you if a certain person is even a patient here."

"What can you tell me?"

"Not much."

"So, basically the help desk is no help at all. Wonderful. Is there someone who can help me?"

"It's my first day and I'm not sure who could help... but oh! Who is your friend again? If she's not a patient... I might be able to tell you... but then again, just knowing that a spouse or friend or family of a patient of the hospital is enough to put me in the red zone with HIPAA... because then you'd know he's a patient here."

"I know he's a patient here. I just want to know where he is."

"It's my first day, so I don't know what I can or can't say."

"Fine, just tell me where the surgical family waiting room is? How about that?"

"Fourth floor."

"Thank you." Elizabeth grunted and started to walk away.

The woman stood up and said, "But you can't go up there unless you have family..."

"Ma'am," Elizabeth whirled back to yell at her, "I'm about at the end of my rope. I got a call that my best friend, my sister almost, is in trouble because her husband was shot in the line of duty and is on his death bed. Now, either help me or shut the hell up, okay?"

A young, blond candy striper, with a name badge that read "Amber" walked up to them. "May I have your name, please?" she asked Elizabeth.

Elizabeth sighed. "Elizabeth Gordon. I'm looking for Amy-"

"Barstow," Amber and Elizabeth said at the same time.

Elizabeth said, "Yes!" relieved.

"I just brought Ms. Barstow some coffee and she asked me to come down to see if an Elizabeth Gordon had arrived yet."

"Great! You're the best. Where is she?" Elizabeth cast a glare at the help desk non-helper.

"Come with me," Amber said and sauntered to the elevator with Elizabeth on her tail.

~~~~~

"I'm not a grouch," Methos said determinedly after Claire and Joey both groaned. "Joseph? You can thank Ms. Gordon for an extra chapter of The Canterbury Tales for homework. You'll finish the book and start on the report assigned to you."

"That wasn't going to be due until Monday!" Claire argued.

"Next time, don't call me a grouch."

"You're not a grouch, Dad," Claire said softly.

"Thank you."

"You're a bully."

"I can live with that. Start reading."

Methos walked to the window and looked up against the building across the street for a peek at the sky. If he didn't have to reinforce the point that his kid wasn't going to call him names, they could have actually had a good day outside. It didn't seem to be chilly and the sun was bright. Taking a stretch at the window, wondering if he should call Elizabeth to see how things were in Arizona, he noticed one window from the building directly across from the hotel. There had been a rustle of curtain at a third floor window. Methos pretended to continue stretching and looking away from the window, but he used his peripheral vision to take note of the window and what he thought was someone standing there, hiding behind the curtain, and maybe staring at him.

Methos didn't want to believe what he thought he saw, not knowing if it was good or bad. Could it actually be the German bastard quack who had planted a chip in his side? Making sure he was able to focus in for a short amount of time at the blob in the window, Methos slowly turned his head and pretended to just move away from the window. Bloody hell! He wanted to cry out in frustration and anger. The Nazi was standing at the window, across from his hotel! He could see whatever they were up to, the Nazi bastard!

Methos swallowed his emotions and nonchalantly told the kids at the table, noses in their books, that he was going to take a short walk. "I'll be back in a few. You'd better be at least five more pages into it by the time I get back."

Joey asked, "Can you pick up some Coke?"

"Will do."

Methos took his coat and walked out the door. Only then did he run to the end of the hall where Duncan and Amanda were holed up, hoping they were in and not in a compromising position. Methos came to a stop from his run at their door and he rapped on it hard. He felt at least one immortal in their suite.

"Oh for God's sake, Mac!" Methos heard Amanda spout, just before the door was yanked open. "What do you want?"

"MacLeod," Methos said winded, not from running that short distance, but from overpowering hatred, as he forced his coat on. Methos looked past Amanda to see Duncan sitting on the leather sofa, a glass of wine in his hand. "We have an adventure, Mac. Let's go."

"There's been enough adventure for one day." Duncan put down his glass and walked to the door. "Did you happen to have anything to do with Amanda breaking into a room at the Empire State Building with Corey Raines?"

"Why on earth would I want to do that?" Methos asked honestly.

Amanda said, "See? It was just my stupidity and I learned my lesson and boy am I glad I told you. Don't you realize this means I'm growing? That I'm not keeping any secrets from you? That I-"

Methos broke in. "I'm sorry to spoil whatever party this is, but I found Wamre."

Duncan snapped to attention. "Where?"

"Across the bloody street. Are you with me?"

"Damn right!" Duncan grabbed his coat and was down the hall with Methos before Amanda could even ask what was going on.

~~~~~

Elizabeth stood rooted to the spot and asked astonished, "I can't believe he's still in surgery."

Amy's beet red face and watery eyes were tell-tale signs that sitting in the surgical waiting room of the Mayo Clinic all alone hadn't been a pleasant experience. "He's still in surgery. They won't tell me anything."

Amy fell into Elizabeth's arms. Elizabeth held her dear friend and let her weep out all the frustration, fright, and anxiety that had permeated Amy since getting the news that her husband was clinging to life after being shot in the chest by a renegade immortal. Amy was still waiting for word. Elizabeth thought Guy would either be dead or at least out of surgery by now. "What are they doing in there?"

"That's what I've been asking and asking." Amy seemed drained and pulled away from Elizabeth, She wiped her eyes, gave her a slight smile of what could only be gratitude for not having to sit there alone anymore, and collapsed into a chair.

Elizabeth took a seat next to Amy and handed her a Kleenex from the side table. "Why didn't you call me as soon as you knew. I could have flown here with you."

Amy sounded about 105 years old when she said, "I'm sorry. I didn't think. Well, all I could think about was being a widow again. I can't do that. I can't lose him, Lizzie. I can't."

"You haven't heard anything? Nothing at all in how many hours has it been?" Elizabeth looked at her watch and realized that it had been hours since she had heard the news that morning.

"Guy came out of surgery at the other hospital," Amy began.

Elizabeth interrupted, "Other hospital? He hasn't been here all the while?"

"No. The doctor, I don't even know her name, she came out of surgery only to tell me that Guy was still hanging in there, but he needed more surgery and they needed the equipment here to perform it. Then she was gone. They brought him here by helicopter. I had to take a cab. He was in surgery again when I got here."

Elizabeth had just gone where the Watchers had told her to go. She now wished she would have asked more questions of Nick and Megan, not to mention the pilot and driver of the car from the airport. "What could be taking so long, and what kind of equipment did they need?"

"I don't know," Amy said as she wearily shook her head. She seemed as if she couldn't possibly keep her head up any longer from fatigue. "He was shot in the heart, that's all I know. At least he's not dead. Is he? If he were, they would have told me, right?"

Elizabeth took off her coat and put it over Amy after helping her slide down in the chair. "You get some shut eye. I'm going to see what I can find out. You just think about kissing that hunk of a hubbie when he's out of surgery. I'll take care of everything."

Amy didn't seem to have to be told twice. Her eyes were already shut when she squeezed Elizabeth's hand and told her, "I'm so glad you're here."

Elizabeth walked to the nearest nurses' station she could find and addressed the red head sitting in scrubs at a computer monitor. "I know you can't tell me anything, because of some regulations, but his wife really needs to know if he's okay. She doesn't even know the name of his surgeon."

"Who are you talking about?" she asked, obviously tired.

"Guy Barstow is in surgery." Elizabeth pointed back down the hall to where she had left Amy. "His wife, Amy, is crashed in the waiting room. When she wakes up I'd like to give her some sort of information."

"I know, she's been here for a while. Sweet woman."

"Totally. Can you help?"

The woman used the keyboard and then the mouse and scanned the monitor. "Dr. Greene's patient?"

"I guess. Is that Guy's doctor?"

"Yes. They're still in surgery by the looks of it."

"Is that normal? I mean, for surgeries to last... days?"

"He was quite injured ma'am. I'm sure they'll be out and talk to Ms. Barstow as soon the operation is over. Please be patient, and..." the woman looked around. "I really shouldn't have told you that, so... keep it quiet. Tell Ms. Barstow I'm pulling for her, and him."

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

Elizabeth stepped back and then headed to the powder room. At least there were two people in this hospital that cared about the sanity of a patients' family and friends.

~~~~~

"What are we going to do when we get over there?" Duncan asked as they were walking to the hotel across the street, taking a detour by going out the opposite side of their own hotel to the side streets to go two blocks over from Wamre's hotel and then doubling back to the rear entrance.

"Kick ass and take names," Methos said as he continued his steady, determined pace to the hotel and the asshole who had been studying him without his knowledge or consent. Talk about a lapse of the Hippocratic Oath, not to mention morals, ethics, and just good common sense, not making formidable enemies. Methos liked having the Watchers think he was just newly turned, only having taken one head, husband of Elizabeth, the widow of the late, great Methos, Daniel Gordon, but sometimes it just gnawed at him that he was so easily mistaken for being naive.

"Kick ass, are you going to do that or should I?"

"We both can, MacLeod," Methos said with a hint of the smile, looking at him for the first time since leaving the hotel. "But I want to kick first."

"Oh, all right," Duncan said gruffly, but then Methos noticed his smile.

"I know you do like to go in all commando in situations where ex-lovers or misunderstood renegades aren't involved, but this is my fight. You're just along to make sure I don't lose my head."

"Oh, like do you a favor, like Amanda wanted you to do for her?"

"Hm?"

"Last night. She said she asked you to cover for her because she was out all night."

"Oh, that. I didn't give her a yes or no."

"Doesn't matter. Why is she going to you for a cover instead of coming straight to me?"

Methos almost stopped walking to stare at the Highlander. "Um, Mac? Sounds like she did go straight to you."

"After you wouldn't cover for her."

"I didn't say I would or wouldn't. She made her own decision. Leave me out of it. Doesn't have anything to do with me."

"Oh it doesn't?"

Methos finally stopped and thrust his hands in the deep pockets of his trench coat. "What the hell are you talking about? I want your head clear, so you can protect mine in that hotel room."

"You and Amanda," Duncan groused. "It seems like everything Amanda does or says is through you."

"Pardon me?"

"She wants a kid because you have a kid. She's going off on escapades that I've strictly forbidden her to do and goes to you-."

Methos raised his hand to stop Duncan before he could build up too much steam. This was a wasted conversation and if they were to have it, this was the wrong time. "You forbid her? Don't you know that's exactly the wrong way to handle the woman?"

"Oh, so you're telling me how to deal with my wife?"

"Why not? I've known her longer."

Duncan grumbled and turned away. Methos hurriedly said, "And it's you who broached the subject, not me. My subject is kicking in the face of that quack. I don't know what your plan is. Is your head with me or should I go this alone?"

"Why don't you ask Amanda to go with you, like she was the only one who could help you break your sword out of Watcher Headquarters."

Methos laughed and then said, "As much as I'd love this stroll down memory lane, is this really the time? I need brute strength, not illegal entry... although, that could come in handy."

Duncan started out walking again, and Methos reached the door of the hotel first, opened it wide for him and bowed. "Entre, dear sir?"

"Stuff it," Duncan groused as he stalked into the hotel.

On the fourth floor, Duncan and Methos left the elevator and looked up and down the hallway. "From the looks of it, I'd guess number..." he cranked his neck to look down the hall to the left to read the numbers. "4020 should be his room, if my sense of direction, backwards, hasn't taken a vacation."

Duncan shook his head at Methos. "You're a doofus."

"I think I've been insulted." Methos fumbled through his pockets and then handed Duncan a leather fold over wallet. "Here. You might need this."

Duncan looked at it and opened it. It was a police badge. He looked up at Methos in surprise. Methos' eyes twinkled when he said, "Never know when it comes in handy."

Duncan looked at the door with the keycard slot above the knob. He whispered, "Maybe Amanda should have come along. She could get the door open in a flash."

"So can I," Methos said before slamming his foot hard against the keycard slot, busting the door open.

Doors opened immediately up and down the hall, and Methos saw Dr. Wamre jump and spin around in his chair, at a computer desk in the corner. He heard Duncan in the hallway call aloud, "Police matter here. Get back in your rooms in case there's more trouble," before coming into Wamre's room and shutting the door.

"What? What?" was all Wamre squeaked out before Methos marched toward him with his blood pulsing madly in his veins from anger.

Methos grabbed a lamp in his path and yanked it from the wall. Before he really knew what he was doing, he pushed Wamre back into the chair and wrapped the lamp cord around Wamre's neck and yelled, "What do you want? What are you working on, and for whom?"

Wamre's rat eyes flitted around the room, and saw Duncan MacLeod of the clan MacLeod stalking toward him with the fireplace poker as if it was a sword.

"How did you?" Wamre gasped, his hands at the cord around his neck to loosen it. "Know?"

Methos sneered. "How could I not know those pains weren't just phantom from losing a body part? What do you want?!"

Wamre seemed to have come to terms with the state of things, and actually smiled. "You'll never know," he gasped.

Methos saw his hand leave his neck and go to the computer, shutting it off. Duncan slammed the fireplace poker down hard on it, more than likely breaking a few of Wamre's bones. During Wamre's screams of pain, Methos didn't notice that his other hand had obviously gotten a gun from somewhere. Before Methos knew it, Wamre brought a gun to his own head and pulled the trigger. Methos had tasted blood before, but the spray directly in his face couldn't have come at a worse time.

Methos choked, then spitted, as he stepped back from Wamre's lifeless, bloody body. He slowly fell off the chair onto the floor.

There were screams from other rooms on the floor, and Duncan immediately went to the door. "Detective MacLeod to the rescue. You clean up in here."

After Duncan left to calm the hotel guests, Methos felt like kicking the crap out of the doctor, but instead nudged his body hard with his foot to get him out of the way. He would have liked to have gotten information from the creep, but the computer might contain what they needed to find out who all was involved in this 'experiment,' or else what the experiment actually was.

Methos sat at the computer then needed to get a handkerchief to clean the spray of blood off the keyboard and monitor. "Bloody hell, the guy bled like a stuck pig." Methos used the mouse and keyboard to try and find an incriminating file, but the farthest he'd gotten when Duncan came back with word that the real cops were going to be there in minutes and hurry up was a screen that required a password.

"Needs seven letters," Methos moaned to Duncan. "What the hell could it be?"

"Why do you think he killed himself?" Duncan asked, looking at the dead doctor.

Methos looked around the computer desk. The only thing with seven letters he could see was... "It can't be that simple." He typed in 'linksys,' the name of the wireless router sitting next to the CPU.

The screen did a weird jumble and then data started streaming.

"Are you psychic or something?" Duncan asked amazed.

"I've been told as such. At least my dreams are. And, that's a tactic I use. Passwords are always something that's near the computer so you don't forget them."

The rush of information was mind boggling, but not very interpretative. Methos clicked through page after page of unintelligible information that only a scientist could understand. Graphs, pie charts, grids comprised of chemical compounds, and text of explanations that had to have been written by a doctor, considering it was either bad spelling, abbreviations, or code. The only piece of worthwhile information on almost twenty pages Methos clicked through were three words: immortality, Sinead, and Greene.

~~~~~

Dr. Sinead Greene stepped back from the table, letting subdued victory shine from her eyes to her staff. They were all dressed in green scrubs and all had blood on them. As she started to take off her surgical gloves, she thought a speech was in order, since it was the first time they had actually accomplished such a feat. She handed her gloves to her nurse, untied her mask, and said, "Gentlemen, never forget this day. We've done it. A miracle." All twenty of her years as a Watcher surgeon and researcher, combined with persistence, networking under many radars, and having the right specimen to actually try the vaccine on, had finally paid off.

It was lucky happenstance. Being in Phoenix for a medical convention was for her humdrum, and served only for the purpose of retaining her doctor's license. Being a Watcher gave her an added bonus, that of being able to hear about all the surgeries that needed to be done in a rush. Watchers injured on the job weren't taken to regular hospitals if at all possible, for fear that while under anesthesia something would be said that non-Watcher ears should never be privy to. She was one of the three doctors in Phoenix needed at a moment's notice to perform life-saving surgery on Watcher Guy Barstow. She implemented her plan at once. Her staff was also at the convention, so it was an easy task to assemble them. The only downside would be if the patient died before she could get to him. She had ordered the emergency room to shoot him up with a combination of medications that would certainly sedate him, slow down his blood rate, and hopefully incubate his body for what she would entrust it with. The injured Watcher had quite a day. Not only did he not expect to be shot, but now, he was something greater. The first advance in what Dr. Greene and Dr. Wamre had hoped would be a contribution to modern medicine as important as penicillin had been.

Dr. Greene bowed to all gathered around her and the patient, still laid out on the operating table, and said, "Congratulations," before walking, as if on air, out of the room.

~~~~~

As Methos and Duncan walked back to their hotel, they were quiet. Neither had expected Wamre to end up dead, and they were still just as confused about why Methos had been implanted with a chip as they were before. Now the guy was dead. Methos thought the only way to get all the information about it, including what all that medical gibberish meant, was to find out who Dr. Greene was, where she was working, and what on.

Methos opened his cell phone and dialed in 3. Joe Dawson. The only non-injured Watcher he could think of that could do some investigative work. "What's up, Danny?" Joe answered after two rings.

Methos chuckled, then said, "Daniel."

"Whatever."

"How's Guy?"

"I don't know. Amy hasn't called in a while. I figure no news is good news."

"I'm sure he's fine. Listen. I need you to do me a favor."

"So, what else is new?"

"Ever hear of a doctor named Sinead Greene?"

There was a slight pause on Joe's end, before he said, "Might be a common name, but I think that's the surgeon sent to operate on Guy. I think the name is Greene, and she's a woman."

"What's her first name?"

"I don't know."

"Wait a minute. Aren't you with Amy and Guy? Where are you?"

"Hell," Joe said, and his voice seemed much older all of a sudden.

~~~~~

Joe put the phone to his other ear to change hands on the steering wheel. Ever since Guy had been shot by Warren, Joe took it upon himself to take up the trail of the bastard who might have killed his son-in-law. After sitting in waiting rooms all that time for Katie, he figured it would be better to keep busy than wait for news. He was still waiting for news, Amy was sure to call him as soon as she knew anything, but at least he was busy. Kind of. He had been able to pick up Warren's trail when the idiot drove into a cactus in the high desert between Arizona and California. Joe had gotten a helicopter ride to a waiting rental car and was able to meet up with the tow truck just as it had entered Lake Havasu City.

"Hell?" Methos asked. "I know it's rough worrying about Guy."

Joe didn't realize he might have given too much away, considering he was trying to keep the renegade Cochrane out of Duncan MacLeod's way and keep the situation quiet. Although now, Joe enjoyed the thought of Duncan taking Warren's head, but accepted that would probably not happen. Not only was Warren Duncan's friend, but Duncan had a habit of trying to change people. At the time of their last encounter, when Warren was sick in the head, with Duncan as savior, and a clear opportunity of taking his head, Duncan had walked away. Joe wondered if Duncan knew the whole truth this time, if he would walk away again, also if Warren would sit still long enough to actually put his head in a precarious position of being taken in the first place. Warren certainly seemed to have been suffering from wanderlust of late, as well as wanting to take every head he'd ever known. Joe thought Warren's only saving grace was that he hadn't gone after real, current friends. There had to be some spark of sanity left in the man.

"It is," Joe said, then needed to hang up and pay attention to Warren. He had just stopped at a gas station and was walking away from it. "Gotta go. I'll call with any news about Guy," he said and clicked the phone closed. With the London Bridge as a backdrop, Joe tailed Warren as he walked down the street, his head turning from left to right, as if wondering where to go and what to do next. Joe just hoped it wasn't another murder; because if it was, not shooting Warren and taking his head himself would be an awfully hard battle to win.

~~~~~

"Mrs. Barstow?" a strong, yet calming voice called out, making both Elizabeth and Amy open their eyes and take in their surroundings.

A tall, thin, gray haired woman in her fifties was standing in front of them in the waiting room, wearing scrubs and smiling. Elizabeth sat up straight and looked to Amy, who breathed a sigh of relief, then dread of what she would hear. "How is my husband?"

"He's wonderful." The doctor's eyes sparkled when she sat next to Amy and took her hand. "I'm sorry I didn't have time to talk to you earlier in great length, but his condition necessitated me being in there with him right away. Mr. Barstow made it through surgery, and it was so successful that I don't think there will even be a long recovery period."

Elizabeth and Amy both breathed freely and strongly for the first time in many, many hours. They hugged each other and then Amy hugged the doctor too. Elizabeth could tell that it wasn't an every day occurrence for the doctor, because she seemed to flinch a bit.

"When can I see him?" Amy asked, now crying in happiness.

"In a few minutes you should be able to see him for a few minutes. He's still unconscious and does need his rest."

"I won't bother him, I just want to be with him."

"You can be, for a few minutes at a time."

"Unfortunately, I'm used to that," Amy said. Elizabeth knew that Katie could only have visitors for a short while as well. Amy hugged the doctor again and bellowed, "Thank you so much for saving him. I've been so worried! Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"My pleasure, Mrs. Barstow. You take a few minutes and prepare yourself and a nurse will come out to get you when he can be seen. Okay?"

Elizabeth didn't think Amy wanted to let the doctor go, but she finally did. "Thank you, thank you," Amy repeated, which garnered a chuckle from the doctor, just before she left without any further ado.

"I can't believe it!" Amy cried to Elizabeth. "He's really going to be okay?"

"Sounds like it. I suppose time will tell, but this is wonderful!"

~~~~~

Dr. Sinead Greene felt even better after visiting with Amy Barstow. It wasn't every day in her line of work that there was even a family to report how surgeries went to, let alone being able to give them good news. Amy Barstow's gratitude made Sinead feel even more in command of the medical field and more convinced that she was truly God's gift to humanity. Because there was a family for Mr. Barstow, things could be tricky. She had envisioned her first successful specimen to be a loner, with no one who could ruin the secrecy that was essential for her program's growth. A thought came to her as she turned the corner to the doctors' lounge where she could shower, change, and then run tests to see if Barstow was now more than just alive. If she was correct, and she was sure that she was, Barstow was going to heal quite rapidly, faster than any mortal would from a gunshot wound to the chest. She couldn't have a wife talking to everyone she knew about her husband's miraculous recovery, where questions would be raised, and worse yet, correct assumptions would be made. Because Barstow was a Watcher, no one he works with in the organization could know what had been done to him. For the first time, Sinead second-guessed herself. She wondered if it would have been better to tell his wife that he had died and whisk him away to a safe place, a special hospital, to recover and be studied. He could be kept drugged, so even he wouldn't be a problem.

"Oh, my, oh my, oh my," Sinead whispered as she leaned against the wall. "What to do, what to do..." She had acted fast. She was eager to portray herself as a savior, which she was, to the wife. She realized now she shouldn't have done that. She supposed it wouldn't be too tough to go to the wife to tell her she was a widow. She could still do that. Barstow had been seriously injured. A vein burst after surgery, or any number of reasons people die in the recovery room. "Yes. I can do that," she told herself, then walked back to the recovery room. She told Matthew, her trusted anaesthesiologist, "Get him ready for flight. We're taking him to another hospital, stat," and then walked out. The waiting room where she had left Amy Barstow was empty. Sinead turned to a nurse who was passing by. "Do you know what happened to Mrs. Barstow. She was just in here."

The nurse smiled and said happily, "She went to call her father and son with the good news."

Sinead plastered a fake smile on her face and said, "Good. Good." She walked away from the nurse, wondering what to do. A father and a son. That friend who was with her in the waiting room. Yes. Barstow has to die in their eyes. There was no other option.

TO BE CONTINUED