THE ELIZABETH SERIES
CHAPTER NINETY-NINE
DECISIONS MADE

by JoLayne

RATING: PG-13

CHARACTERS: M, A, D, Amy, J, W, OC's Liz, Claire, etc.

SUMMARY: Another night in a hospital waiting room. Something's gotta change soon!

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 11, 2013
PHOENIX

Methos and Duncan stalked across the parking lot, bickering over how Methos should have driven Duncan's rental car. "You know," Duncan sputtered, "you're like a dog with a bone. It's a half hour since we left the hotel. I drove. Get over it."

"Never teach an old dog new tricks. I'm used to driving, and haven't had a chance to do so for quite a while."

"You're just used to being in charge." By the orange and blue light of the Super 8 sign in the parking lot, Methos' face looking up at the hotel building was eerily somber. There were only a few cars in the parking lot. Since it was only 8 pm, the hotel should have been busier with fatigued travelers on their way to other grand horizons if anything else. Because the hotel was so quiet, Duncan was sure that they shouldn't have a tough time find out if Guy had checked into this hotel before getting shot. He still couldn't conceive of being shot in the chest in what he assumed was a mugging, having major, extensive surgery, and waking up immortal. When Guy would awaken from his coma was anyone's guess, as no one was sure what he had been injected with, or what all was done to him, but the concept of making a mortal man immortal was both awe-inspiring and downright wrong.

"What was it we hoped to find here?" Duncan asked.

Methos hadn't said another word as he scrutinized the entire building from top to bottom and side to side. "Watcher database, of course."

"You've had a lot of practice hacking into it?"

"It helps when I had a hand in a lot of security they're still using."

"How do you know it's still in use?"

Methos just looked at him as if it was the stupidest question ever uttered. As soon as Duncan saw Methos' look, he realized it probably was. Methos told him, "There's only one clerk on duty."

Duncan followed his eyes to the brightly lit lobby and reception desk through the double glass doors. "No one in back?"

"I hope not. Keep her busy. Pretend she's an old friend or something."

"Ask her out?"

"MacLeod, you're a married man."

Duncan rolled his eyes. "And what are you going to do?"

"Find out Barstow's room number, if he's registered."

"That easily?" Duncan asked, not believing it.

"Want to make a wager?"

Duncan smiled. "Fifty bucks, you get caught."

"A hundred, and don't make it difficult for me. Perfect that pearly white smile, MacLeod, and we're golden."

"But, I don't want you to succeed."

"But you want to find out if Guys' registered and his database is inside that hotel." Methos chuckled. "Life's a quandary, isn't it?" As he walked to the door, he told him, "It's all in your hands, Mac. A hundred bucks or information on Greene. Tough choice."

"Life sometimes sucks," Duncan moaned as he followed the old man into the hotel.

~~~~~

Anna, a night nurse, came running into the family waiting room. She shouted excitedly, "Mrs. Barstow! Amy! Come quickly."

Amy was out of her chair before Anna could even finish her command, and Elizabeth and Amanda had both done spit takes from the unexpected end of the silence of the hospital.

"Guy's awake?" Amy almost plead with the young nurse.

Anna, with a red faced blush of excitement, nodded, seemingly fit to burst. "Come with me," she said with a huge smile and took Amy's hand.

Amy turned to the women and said, "Come on, let's see him."

"We can wait here," Elizabeth offered.

Amy almost whined, as if pleading because she needed help with how to talk to her own husband, who was now different. "You'll know what to say."

"About what?"

Amy motioned her head to the nurse. "You know. It's bound to come up. Come on."

Elizabeth and Amanda looked at each other and set down their coffee cups, then they followed Anna and Amy to the sensation of the immortal down the hall.

~~~~~

Methos smiled as he pocketed the hundred Duncan grudgingly handed him as they climbed the beige carpeted steps to the second floor, where room 212 was registered to Guy Barstow. "Your wallet wouldn't be lighter if you did have a way with the ladies, Highlander."

"Just remind me to never make a bet with you again."

"Why would I do that? I know you better than you do."

It hadn't taken three minutes for Duncan to pretend that the young woman with a Kathy name badge was an acquaintance from a college class last quarter. Kathy, obviously needing something to do or completely under Duncan's spell couldn't resist his leaning toward her against the counter, his dazzling smile, or focused eyes. Methos probably could have conducted a three piece band and she wouldn't have been the wiser that anyone but Duncan was in the world. Methos had snuck behind the counter three terminals down from them and performed exactly fourteen keystrokes to find out that Guy Barstow was registered. It had taken the other two minutes to make a new keycard for the room. There was a do not disturb sign on the door of room 212. Methos and Duncan looked at each other a moment before Methos slipped the keycard into the reader, then opened the door at the arrival of the green light.

The room was small, dark, and had an unpleasant under odor. As Methos turned on the light, he wondered if he'd find a dead body or something. Duncan walked further into the room and pointed at a half eaten sub sandwich on the bed. He bent down, but stood upright quickly from the smell. "Roast beef and mayo. Whew!"

Methos, on the other hand, made a beeline for the laptop, that was sitting on the table in the corner. It was already plugged in, so Methos flipped on the floor lamp behind the chair and turned it on as he took a seat. He hoped that Guy hadn't changed his password, Katie, since the last time he had taken a peek at the goings on in the immortal world while they were sailing the seven seas on the Claire Elizabeth.

Thankfully, he hadn't. Methos could hear Duncan throwing the sub in the wastebasket in the bathroom, and by the time he came back, Methos was entering KATIE into the password screen. Because it worked, Methos decided that he would change his password for email and important websites from Claire to something else as soon as he had the chance.

The Watcher database had been updated since he last took a ride on it, but the changes were just cosmetic. The bones of the program was still the same. Doing a search on Sinead Greene gave him basic background information, and there was no printer or disks around the room. He'd just take the laptop with him for the information, but for now, he just wanted to know as much as he could in case time was of the essence.

Duncan was looking over his shoulder at the information. "She's from Dublin? She didn't have an accent."

"She's got a knack of blending in." Methos sighed. "That will make it harder to find her. Anything jump out at you?"

Reading to himself, Duncan finally shook his head. "Not married, no kids, researcher. I don't see anything."

"Brought into the Watcher system when a surgical patient pronounced dead revived and healed in front of her and her surgical team." Methos wondered, "Maybe the rest were brought into the fold."

"I would imagine," Duncan said, but then added, "Or they were killed."

"Ah, look at there." Methos pointed at the screen. "Marcus Wamre was part of the team. Pissant, jumpy little thing. Why do you suppose he killed himself?"

"Not a lot to look forward to?" Duncan said, "Well, we have her address. I guess that's where we go now."

"If that's where she went, she'll be there tomorrow. I can't believe there's nothing here."

Duncan chuckled. "You think she'd have chronicled her work? In fact, do all Watchers have a lot of information in here?"

"You've never looked?"

"No. I'm immortal."

"I'm part of that club, too, Mac."

"Sometimes you don't act like it."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Duncan shook his head and stepped back. "I just don't like being this close to them."

Methos turned his full attention on him. "Now, what's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm not comfortable around them."

"You're beginning to sound like me. How about Joe? Ring any bells? One of your best friends is a Watcher. Amy and Guy are Watchers."

"When Joe acts like a Watcher, I don't like being around him. I never said I was comfortable around Guy and Amy. They're your friends, really."

"Okay." Methos didn't know that getting into whatever was eating at Duncan all of a sudden wasn't for now. He turned back to the laptop. "I can't believe that cell phone numbers, home phone numbers, Blackberry, email addresses, any kind of communication information isn't in here for that broad."

"I have a better idea." Duncan took out his cell phone and touched a button, obviously someone on speed dial, while Methos shut down the laptop. After a moment, Duncan said into the phone, "Joe, it's me, have you heard the news?"

Duncan switched his phone to speaker, of which Methos was glad, and heard Joe say, "... fantastic. I've been on the road forever to get there. How's Amy? Is Guy awake yet?"

"She's holding it together as best she can, and no. I mean about Guy. Has someone told you... about Guy?"

"That he's awake? Yeah, of course."

"We have to talk, and you have to..." Methos realized that Duncan didn't know how to talk to a Watcher about Watcher business over a public line. Anyone could be listening to cell phone calls, and after Methos had something implanted on him, and something injected into his hand, of which there was still a remnant, he was glad Duncan was being careful. "You people need to find one of yours," Duncan finally finished the sentence.

'You people,' were the words Duncan used. Methos lost track of the conversation as that sunk into his psyche. Maybe Duncan hadn't gotten over the Galati mess after all. But then again, could he really blame him? Duncan had been able to reforge his friendship with him and Joe, but it was now obvious that it was still on his mind.

When Methos rejoined the conversation, Duncan was telling Joe, "Get here as soon as you can and let me know when she's found. It's truly important Greene's found, Joe."

"Don't see why you can't tell me why she bolted, but yeah," Joe said. "I'm with ya. I'll put out feelers right now, and should be in Phoenix in an hour or so, if all goes according to plan."

"We're at the Biltmore. Get in touch as soon as you can." Duncan flipped off his phone and went to the door. "You ready?"

Methos unplugged the laptop from the wall, turned off the lamp, and joined him at the door. "Where you go, I'll follow."

"Well, there's a first," Duncan scoffed and stalked out. Methos tossed the keycard on the floor, flipped off the light, and shut the door to hurry after Duncan, who was already going down the stairs.

In the car, Methos wondered what was wrong with the Highlander. He hadn't spoken a word since they left the Super 8. Duncan hadn't even given Methos grief about driving again. Methos found a satellite radio program dissecting the reign of Alexander the Great. Because Duncan hated it when Methos heckled movies or seminars, Methos had a retort for just about every sentence that was beamed from a studio in Manchester, through the atmosphere, bouncing off a satellite in space, back to the rental car, stuck in traffic on 101, in the Valley of the Sun. Nothing. Duncan hadn't even appeared to be alive at one point. When Methos asked him a direct question, all he did was grunt, roll his eyes and look out the passenger side window. Methos searched the stations and found a "visitation" of Bach. Thinking that would be more MacLeod's speed, Methos kept the station. Still nothing. Methos felt like wringing the Highlander's neck out of sheer boredom.

~~~~~

Elizabeth stretched and yawned while she and Amanda were in the waiting room with magazines while Amy was in with Guy. Because she hadn't come out with news, excited that Guy was awake, or because a nurse had put a stop to visiting, Elizabeth was wondering if she should go and check on her. The slight grumble in her stomach told her that it had to be mealtime, or maybe past it. Amanda flipped a page of her Vogue, and the diamond the size of a walnut on steroids shimmered in the sunlight. Elizabeth took a good look at Amanda's wedding ring and a thought came to her that this one was even bigger and more impressive than the rock that was her engagement ring. She twisted her simple gold band on her finger that she had received from Methos, and then chuckled. The size of the ring didn't matter, it was the depth of the love. Knowing that her ring was engraved with ME inside gave her a flutter of warmth, knowing that she was loved by the love of her life.

"What's funny?" Amanda asked, just before looking up from her magazine.

"Hm?"

"You laughed."

"I did? Oh, nothing's funny. Life's good," Elizabeth said, looking again at Amanda's ring. "How come you didn't invite anyone to your wedding? We were all there on the Claire Elizabeth when Duncan finally proposed. You said you were going to invite us all, have a big blast."

Amanda crooked a shoulder. "Why didn't you and the Old Grouch invite anyone to your first wedding?"

"I didn't even know we were getting married when we got married the first time. I still really think he married me because I was going to die."

It was Amanda's turn to chuckle. She shook her head and said, "I can see that might have been when you two actually got married, that might have been his intention. Make the gal an honest woman before she bites it, but Liz, you should have seen him. He was a mess when we thought you were taken. We almost had to scrape him off the park grass for heaven's sake."

"That was a sight I'm glad I missed. I wasn't anywhere near there."

"Thank God," Amanda smiled and held Elizabeth's wrist in heartfelt friendship.

Elizabeth suddenly had the urge to hug Amanda. A sense of deep friendship washed over her. "What's that all about?" Amanda asked, hugging Elizabeth back, trying to stay balanced on her chair, but letting the magazine fall from her lap to the floor.

"Have I told you how much I love you? You've been a great friend and I don't think I've told you that often enough, or even ever. I really appreciate having you in my life."

"Geez," Amanda said. "You're acting like your going to die or something."

"Ah, hell no. I've just been thinking about a things. There's been a lot of time in waiting rooms to do nothing but think. First Claire, then Katie. Now Guy. If I never see the inside of another hospital it will be too damn soon. I love my life. I love my family. I love my friends. I can't wait for our lives to get going again. So, I was thinking about your wedding that I wasn't fortunate enough to see. We never threw you a party, Miss Party Girl."

"After Methos' birthday party, you can certainly do that."

"Which reminds me. What do you have planned?"

"You'll see."

The Cheshire cat smile on Amanda's face made Elizabeth think it was going to be a doozy. "Any hints? Can I help plan it?"

"It's all planned. Just waiting for this limbo to end, wait for April 14, and then we're off to Methos' celebration."

"Daniel," Elizabeth corrected her, to which Amanda just sighed. "Off to the celebration? Any hints as to where? What I have to pack?"

"Just yourselves. I'll give you the plane tickets three hours before take off."

"What about Claire? Joey?"

"I've taken care of it all. Trust me," Amanda said with a Cheshire cat smile.

Elizabeth was excited about it, the thought of just taking off and leaving for someplace that had to be great with Amanda planning it, and taking such pride in it. The party could only be good relaxing, decadent. But then, she had a nagging thought. If the last year had taught her anything, she knew that things didn't turn out as planned. "He says he doesn't want a big blowout."

"Oh poo," Amanda waved her off. "He'll love it."

"I repeat. Any hints?"

"No, because you will too. And I'll love it, and Mac will be in his glory."

"This is some party. Just the four of us."

"No, last count, it was 47."

"Really? Who?"

"If I say, I'd give it away now won't I?"

Amy walked into the waiting room and sunk into a chair. She closed her eyes and then looked at Elizabeth. "He sure wasn't awake long. For an immortal, Guy sure doesn't have much life in him."

"Still asleep?"

"Like a baby."

Amanda said, "Maybe his body is going through... I don't know... transformation... or... something."

"What does the nurse say?"

"She's still trying to get a hold of Dr. Greene. I haven't let on that she's probably not coming back. I'll think about it tomorrow." Just then, her cell phone went off. Amy rushed to shut it off, since she was in the hospital. She must have seen who the call was from, because she said, "I gotta go outside and call Dad back. Want to come with?"

Elizabeth and Amanda both said, "Yes!" and hurried with Amy to the elevator.

~~~~~

Traffic was a nightmare in the Valley of the Sun when you had to be someplace, and even if you didn't. After thinking the jam was due to a three car pileup or something, Methos was surprised when all of a sudden the highway was clear and he could actually go the speed limit. He chuckled and realized he and Duncan had been part of the modern conundrum. He never understood drivers nowadays. Didn't they know that every time someone changes lanes it slows the traffic by five miles an hour and enough people do that you soon have a bottleneck? True to form, they had been in a serious one. One of the modern mysteries is how you can be at a snail's pace for 10 miles and then all of a sudden you're going 60 miles an hour. The ten miles took them a little over an hour, but after getting out of the jam, they were in the hospital in twenty minutes. When Methos and Duncan arrived and met up with Amy, Elizabeth, and Amanda in Amy's room across from Guy's, they had formed a major plan. Methos and Duncan didn't have to tell them about their finding nothing on the database, that Joe was going to be there soon, and it was up to him to find the nefarious Dr. Greene. Even though it was now close to 11 pm, Amy had already talked to, not only Joe about his call with Duncan, but she had called her friend at New York Headquarters to start a trace for any expenses and travel arrangements made by Sinead Greene. In fact, as soon as Amy heard that Greene had fooled with her husband, she had started the ball rolling. Methos thought if she had just said something, he wouldn't have had to endure the last three hours. Women...

Amy obviously had another plan all arranged. The Watchers had arranged a flight for her return to New York to check Katie out the hospital, pack up Claire and Joey, relieve Nick and Megan from babysitting duties, and return to Arizona until Guy would wake up and be released from the hospital. With things all going according to plan, even though it wasn't his own, Methos was ready to collect his wife and return to paradise that went by the name of The Arizona Biltmore. There had been mention about a massage for him earlier, and he wanted to take her up on it.

Amy checked her watch and said, "Dad still isn't here. Damn it. I'm going to have to miss him. Tell him to call me when he gets here, I have to go. My flight leaves in two hours."

"It's a private plane," Methos said, but then again didn't worry about her having to go as he wanted to go to the hotel ASAP.

"That plane needs to be in London," Amy said. "I'm hitching a ride and will get off when they refuel at LaGuardia."

"Of course we'll take care of Joe when he gets here," Elizabeth said, taking Amy into a hug. Amanda wrapped her arms around the two woman. Methos and Duncan looked at each other, feeling like training wheels that were no longer needed and ready should be taken off the bike.

"Don't tell Guy... you know," Amy said to her friends. "That's he's... changed. Just tell him I love him when he wakes up, and I'm sorry I'm not there, and-"

"He'll understand," Amanda said. "You have to scoot and get that gorgeous baby back in her mommy's arms. Everything's taken care of here. Guy couldn't be in better hands. At least one of us will be here round the clock."

Methos looked at Elizabeth, who to his great relief was looking at Amanda like this came as a surprise. The fleeting thought of going on a little vacation alone with her to get away from this messiness might be welcomed. He offered, "Why don't we just check him out ourselves?"

Duncan stated, a bit forcefully that was needed, "What do you think the hospital staff will think if a guy who just had massive surgery after a massive chest wound gets up and walks out of the hospital? He should stay right where he is."

Amy nodded. "I agree. Danny, please promise us you won't, like, arrange a stretcher and medical team from... Timbuktu, as a ruse to get him to 'another hospital.'"

"Fine. Was just a suggestion. That way he could have gone to New York with you, us. We can get out of here." There were ways to take Guy out of the hospital that wouldn't entail suspicion. Because of their lackluster response to his suggestion, Methos was just ready to get that massage, some sex, and some sleep. It seemed as though there was nothing he could do about the situation, and it also seemed that the wheels were in motion and he didn't want to get run over.

"Arrangements have already been made."

"Okay." Methos decided to step back from the conversation, that didn't last long after Amy rechecked her watch and said she really had to go and the car had to be there by now. With a last hug to them all, she was out the door.

"Well, I don't mind following her lead." He hooked his arm around Elizabeth's shoulders. "Come my dear, let's partake of the wonders the Biltmore has to offer us."

"You don't have to call me dear, love," Duncan said with a smile. He hooked his arm around Amanda and said, "That sounds like a fabulous idea. Why don't we see what pleasures we can have thrust upon us."

Amanda cooed and kissed Duncan on the nose. "I love it when you say thrust."

"Hey," Methos said, a bit annoyed. "We were going, not you."

"Why do we have to stay?" Duncan asked, but not looking at Methos.

Methos pointed at Amanda and said, "She told Amy everything would be taken care of, which means she's going to take care of it. And you don't want him to leave here, so you-."

"I have nothing to do with this," Duncan replied.

"This?" Elizabeth asked. "What the hell does that mean? You mean Guy?"

"Artificial immortality... it's a bit messy to me."

"You think?" Methos smirked.

"I don't want another blade to anyone's neck, especially not mine or Amanda's, or yours for that matter."

"If you're just going to leave, why did you tell Amy we've got everything covered?" Elizabeth asked, and Methos was glad she was on his side. He could feel her breath against him and it only made him want to leave faster.

"I didn't," Duncan said. "She did." He looked at Amanda.

"Well," she intoned. "Not by myself."

"I say we wrap him up and send him back to New York on the next plane." With those words, Elizabeth had all of their attention. "Why not? My husband is more than familiar with sticky situations and getting things out of places. We should do it."

"No," Duncan said a bit too forcefully.

"Then you babysit. In fact," Methos offered, "He's not even aware of anything. We'll just take off and someone, namely you," he said to Amanda, "can check on him tomorrow."

Elizabeth suddenly turned up her eyebrow. Not a good sign. She moaned and said, "Amy's my best friend. We promised to take care of Guy here until she comes back. We have to, or she'll never trust me again if something happens to him."

"I guess," Amanda acknowledged.

"Great. You take the first shift."

Methos was about to move to the door of the waiting room when Duncan countered, "Not so fast. Liz is Amy's best friend, she should stay."

Elizabeth agreed. "I can."

"No," Methos argued. "You've been here and you didn't promise."

"Friendship means you don't have to say it. It's understood. Thank you for reminding me of that Amanda. Damn, suddenly I feel like shit. Amy deserves our taking care of Guy."

Amanda told Methos, "How would you feel if we were supposed to take care of Claire and-"

"Something happened to her," Methos said pointedly at Amanda, "like something did when she was in your care?"

"Don't start anything," Elizabeth said, and Methos had to admit he shouldn't have gone there and Amanda almost wilted at the needling. "You two go and have a great time."

"You let them off the hook so easily? What about me?" Methos asked.

"You can go. I'll stay here until Joe comes. He's on his way, right?"

Duncan nodded. "He said he'd be about an hour, about three hours ago. What's going on?" He asked Amanda, "Should we wait for him?"

"Are you kidding?" Amanda humphed. "Not when I got you in thrust mode."

"Yeah. This isn't my business," Duncan said, making Amanda say, "Toodles," and follow him down the hall.

"Since when is something not MacLeod's business?" Methos wondered aloud. "He's acting strange, isn't he?"

"I don't know. All I could see was you. Sorry for volunteering for this, but it's important, and you don't have to stay. In fact," Elizabeth mumbled, melting herself against Methos to fill every cranny of his body. She whispered in his ear, "Why don't you go and warm up the bed for us or call down for room service, that sandwich at the cafeteria didn't cut it for me. You could have a masseuse ready, a hot bubble bath, anything you want. Anything." To add to the mood, she nibbled his ear.

"Stop that, young lady,"Methos mockingly admonished. "Or I'll just have to take you right here."

"Really, you go. You decide what pleasures await us tonight, and I'll be at the Biltmore as soon as Joe walks through that door."

"Don't doddle. Don't even ask how he is. Just get in the car and drive."

"Do I have a car?"

"I have the keys to my rental. Did MacLeod and Hopalong take yours, or did they call a cab?"

"Amanda has the keys. She drove."

"Oh, Amy was picked up. I'll take Amy's rental." Elizabeth scanned the room, and picked up a car keys on a ring that was on the dresser. "She forgot it. Good. I'm set."

"What kind of car is she driving?"

"Blue Nissan."

"Do you have your sword?"

"I'm in a hospital. Do you?"

"Of course."

"Get out of here."

"You have to start wearing your sword again."

"I will, when I'm not shackled to hospitals, love."

"And what a blessed day that will be..." Methos tilted back and head and sighed. For an immortal to spend so much time in hospital waiting rooms the last couple of months, it just wasn't right. Suddenly Elizabeth pulled his head down and kissed him deeply, reminding him of his mission. "See you later. Love you."

"Right back at ya," Elizabeth said, as she squeezed his buns and then swatted him to get him to move. After Methos left, Elizabeth looked at her watch and wondered how long it would take for Joe to arrive. If he said it would only take an hour ages ago, he should have been here by now.

As she sauntered back to Guy's room, she felt his immortal presence. His eyes were closed and looked at be sleeping, in a deep sleep. She lifted his arm and it flopped back onto the bed like a rag doll. "To have all that living inside of you..." she bent down close to his head, his graying temples at her nose and she screamed, "Wake up!" He didn't flinch, blink, or move. If it wasn't for his ever present immortal buzz, she would have sworn he was dead.

~~~~~

Close to midnight, Joe was moving as fast as his canes would carry him down the hallway to Guy's room. Amy had called Joe every hour on her flight to New York, and the hospital was aware that Joe was Guy's father-in-law and was welcome to stay. He was pleased to find out that Amy had a room next to Guy and that there had to be a comfortable bed waiting for him. Hell, any bed would do. Joe's muscles had never been tighter and his back was almost starting to give out with all the driving he'd had to do the past two days. Joe would rather be at the hospital with Guy than anywhere else, especially following a maniac, so he had called for backup on Warren. When the replacement arrived, Joe was hesitant to let the loose cannon that was Warren be under the watchful eye of a newly trained Field Watcher, but his family and rest was more important for the moment. What could Warren do this late anyway? Joe had done a search in the database about any friends, associates, or enemies of Warren's in Arizona, and there were none he could pick out. Warren might actually have a quiet night as well. In the morning, Joe will find a more trained Watcher put on Warren, but for now he was taking what he could get.

On the way to Guy's room, he caught sight of Elizabeth half asleep in a waiting room to the right. He walked to her and, when she didn't register his presence, he cleared his throat and said, "Hey, Liz. How's Guy doing?"

"Oh, Joe," Elizabeth mumbled, and rubbed her eyes. "I must have fallen asleep. Did you get just get here?"

"Yeah."

After giving her a careful hug as to not alter his center of balance on his canes, Elizabeth announced, "He's still sleeping." She looked at her watch. "I was just in there about ten minutes ago. I went to get a cup of coffee, but that chair looked comfortable."

Joe smiled and told her. "I'm here now. Thanks for everything, Liz, but why don't you go back to the hotel. I'm going to catch a few winks here myself."

"You know where Guy's room is?"

"Lady downstairs told me. It's late, you look like hell."

"Thanks bunches."

Joe kissed her on the cheek and said, "Beauty sleep will make you gorgeous as usual."

"We'll call in the morning. At least one of us will be back to-"

Joe cut her off. "No you won't. I'm here now. You've all gone above and beyond. I'll call you if and when anything changes, otherwise don't worry about him."

Elizabeth cast him an knowing look. "You're not going to 'check him out' or anything, are you?"

"All I'm thinking about now is a shower, something to eat, and a bed to lay on for about eight hours. I'll think about it tomorrow."

Elizabeth giggled. "That's what Amy said. You're so her father."

"That's the best thing anyone's said to me in a long time."

Her eyes scrunched as she looked into his eyes. "You look worn out. Where have you been and what have you been doing?"

"Work. I'm getting too old for this. It's going to change though. I never thought I'd say this, but I like it better behind a desk."

"How about behind a guitar? That's where I prefer you."

Joe knew that there was still deep water where Warren was concerned, and he wanted to see that case through. For good or horrible, Warren was going to get better or be dealt with before Joe could ever think of retiring from the Watchers. The pull of a full time blues career once again seemed like an unattainable dream for the moment. He hoped it would seem more practical in the morning. Joe told Elizabeth, "Good night."

Elizabeth didn't seem to have to be told twice. She smiled and rubbed his arm and told him, "We need to catch up in the morning. Maybe we can have breakfast? We'll call you."

Joe watched her go to the elevator and step on when it arrived. He stretched and yawned and then moved down the hall to see his son-in-law, wondering what food might be left in the establishment.

~~~~~

Because Duncan and Amanda were too loud to share a suite with, Methos snooped around the Biltmore. It had been decades since he was last checked in and it had undergone quite a change. He was there now under much better circumstances, as the last time there was the ungodly threat of an immortal. Methos hadn't known who it was or why he-or if it was in fact a he at all-was there, because he only felt the presence of another like him once before sweeping the lady in his life out the door and off in their Packard. He had already called to check in on Claire, who had been at Coney Island all day, decided what to order from room service but would wait to actually order until Elizabeth got there so it wouldn't be cold when they got down to eating it, checked out the possibility of a massage, which was a go whenever they wanted them, and had a beer with MacLeod before Amanda took him off to their bedroom for the evening.

Having his coat on, Methos was going to take the car back to the hospital to either convince Elizabeth that a comatose patient wasn't going anywhere, wait with her, or be pleased that Joe had arrived to relinquish their 'responsibility' of Guy Barstow. He was certainly hoping it would be the latter. To his delight, his cell phone rang in his pocket, and he saw that the call was from Elizabeth.

"Have the bed warm for me? A hot bath drawn perhaps?" she asked with what he knew to be a relieved chuckle of not having any responsibilities for the rest of the evening.

"Just waiting for you, love. Where are you?"

"Joe hath cometh. I'll be pulling into the parking lot in two shakes." There was a beep on the phone, and she said, "Damn, my phone is going dead."

It didn't take long for Methos to saunter to the other side of the building and stood at the long window pane on the second floor to see a set of headlights through the trees making its way to the parking area. "I see you."

"You do? Where are you?"

"Looking out the window."

"Why? You're not having a beer? Lounging? Getting a back rub?"

"I'm a good husband and waiting for you." It was only then that Methos realized that her phone had gone out. He flipped his phone shut and slipped it into the pocket of his black leather duster. His finger felt the hard blade of his Ivanhoe in his coat. He hadn't realized it was still there, but then again, he didn't remember taking it out. It was second nature to just keep it in his coat when he wouldn't have to go through any sort of metal detention devices. As he watched Elizabeth park the car, turn it off, and get out of it, he wished that she had a sword she felt as comfortable with and would keep it on her at all times.

Elizabeth looked up at the Biltmore and must have spotted him at the window, because she smiled and waved. After she blew him a kiss, Methos was about to turn away to go down and meet her at the elevator, and maybe take her right there. She was breathtaking in the moonlight. He saw her move to the entrance below him, but then she tensed up and looked around, from side to side, and then behind her. Methos turned fully back to the window and knew she had felt an immortal. It couldn't be him, as she wouldn't have reacted as if from a new approach. He then felt the same immortal buzz that had tensed her. He looked around himself, from what he could see with all the trees. He saw Elizabeth relaxes and look to the right of the hotel. There was a tree in the way, so he can't see who or what she had spotted. Elizabeth opened her arms, smiled, and walked toward the approaching stranger that Methos could now see. A bald man. When they were enveloped into a hug, Methos thought it was time for him to join them. He had no idea who the immortal could be.

~~~~~

Elizabeth felt her heart in her chest as she looked around the parking lot for the source of the immortal. She hadn't felt Methos yet, but knew that buzz wasn't coming from him. She ignored her senses to run into the hotel to safety of her husband, but she hoped she was feeling Duncan and Amanda coming back from dinner or something. To her right, she saw a bald man staring at her in the radius of what she knew her sensing could trace. For an instant, her heart constricted even more because she didn't recognize him. Then, when he moved closer to a parking lot light, she was relieved to see it was Warren Cochrane. Bald, but the smiling immortal she knew and was grateful for going to Delphi with her and Duncan to get Methos away from Pyrius, being involved in taking out Cameron James, and teaching Antonio, as well as being strapped to a chair with a blade at the neck in Shiloh with the rest of them. The thought of his losing Brynn made her feel sad for him. He did look as if he had been through some sort of mill. When they reached each other, she gave him a hug and he hugged her back, almost too tightly. She felt his nose at her throat and could sense him breathing her in.

"Hey, Warren," she said, pulling back. "How're you doing? New look for you," she said as she brushed her hand across his skin top.

Warren rubbed his hand over his bald head and said, "Needed a change. Much easier to take care of. Just run a razor over it every morning. Hey, I want to show you something. It's just over here."

Elizabeth said, "You can show me tomorrow, I'm supposed to meet Methos. He's waiting-" She looked up to where he had just been, but he wasn't at the window. Before Elizabeth knew it, she was being escorted by Warren through the trees, onto the grass and some rocks, and down toward the canal. "Where are we going?"

"Oh, it's really great. I just want to show you. Then we can get Methos to join us. It's truly beautiful."

Much about the hotel and grounds were, but Elizabeth tried to pull her hand from Warren and again suggest they go back to the hotel. She couldn't wait to be in her husband's arms, getting a hot bath, a massage, food, drink...

When she got her hand free and was about to speak, Warren roughly grabbed her arm and pulled her along with him. "You really need to see this, Elizabeth."

"See what? It's dark. I can't see anything. I really think whatever it is will still be there in the morning."

"Maybe," Warren said, as he pushed her toward the canal. She lost her footing and fell down a course of rocks.

Elizabeth got to her feet, her knees in pain from being scratched on the rocks. "What the hell is wrong with you?" she almost screamed. "There's nothing to see here."

"You. I wanted to see you. You may not be here in the morning."

"What are you talking about?"

In one swift movement, Warren pulled his sword out of his coat and swiped it at her, too close for comfort. "Hey!" she shrieked. "Are you drunk?" When she backed up from him and his long, silver cutlass in his hand, she fell back on the rocks again. She didn't have a sword. She was just at the hospital with Guy, she didn't think she'd be in a challenge.

"This is going to be so sweet, and easy," Warren said, pacing around her like an animal circling his prey.

"What did I do? What got into you?"

Before Elizabeth could get to her feet again, Warren slashed his sword at her. It sliced across her chest. She fell back and rolled down the rocks, almost into the canal, then got unsteadily to her feet. She felt a trickle of blood seep down her chest.

"My wife got into your husband." Warren stalked closer to her as he shook his head. "That wasn't fair. She should have gone to me. So, I'm going to take you so he'll know what it feels like. Then I'll take him so Brynn will be with me forever, where she should be now!" Warren sliced his sword through the air again, but Elizabeth was able to steer clear of it. He twirled around and she wasn't able to deflect his lunge. When she realized what had happened, she looked down to see his sword embedded in her stomach.

Elizabeth couldn't hear what Warren was saying as she fell to her knees, feeling the flow of blood down her stomach and onto her legs. There was a buzzing in her head and all she could see was Claire's and Methos' faces and all she could feel was incredible love for both and unbearable sadness that she wouldn't be able to tell them she loved them more than life itself. As she was finding it hard to breathe and choking on blood, she thought she felt a new approach of an immortal. She tried to snap out of her daze and turn away from a death blow when she heard Warren say, "My dear, Elizabeth. There can be only-"

"One! You son of a bitch!" she heard a hoarse voice bellow, a voice that made her heart melt for gratefulness of it arriving when she needed it most.

A detached arm gripping a cutlass sword fell to the ground in front of her. Then a bald head spun at her knees. Elizabeth fell to the ground, holding her slashed stomach looked up in fear, hoping that hearing the voice wasn't just a fabrication of her mind, desperate for hope.

It wasn't.

Methos stood tall with his bloody Ivanhoe in his hand. She tried to gulp in air to stay alive to watch him take the quickening, with the most elation she ever recall feeling. Methos told her tenderly, "It's okay. You can die." Methos suddenly tightened with the pain of the quickening as she lost her strength and fell back on the ground and closed her eyes.

~~~~~

Brynn Thayer Cochrane and Duncan MacLeod were presented as a radiant, almost angelic, blond and brooding Scot in Warren's quickening's visions, accompanied by feelings of rage and pain and thoughts of revenge. Methos wondered for what Warren Cochrane could have had to revenge so badly, but then his mind was full of images of a long haired blond woman, one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. Brynn was capsulized so fully before and inside of him, as if her quickening he had taken without want in Shiloh had bubbled to meet her husband. He then understood. If he had lost Elizabeth he would have wanted to place the blame on anyone or anything. When he thought he had lost Elizabeth the past, he had given Claire to Sophia and Antonio because he couldn't both avenge Elizabeth's taking and raise a little girl. The only reason he had given up the ghost was because he couldn't have both women in his life torn away from him. If he hadn't have had Claire after Elizabeth had been taken away from him by Cameron James, Methos shuddered at what he might have done. It may have put the monster he became after Pyrius infiltrated his life to shame.

When Warren's quickening subsided, Methos saw the last flickers of power lap at Elizabeth, dead at his feet, but jerking with electrical charges from the quickening. Feeling a pump of adrenaline, Methos sheathed his bloody Ivanhoe and fell to his knees. When he pulled Elizabeth's lifeless form into his arms, he could have stayed there forever quite content, feeling her, smelling her, knowing that in a few minutes she would return to him. It was only the chatter of approaching rubberneckers that Methos knew he had to get the hell out of there. Lithely lifting Elizabeth's body in his arms, it only took a second for them to disappear into the darkness of the trees. When he knew he was safely enclosed by trees and darkness, Methos turned to see people running and walking from all directions to gasping and pointing at Warren Cochrane's beheaded body alongside the calm water of the canal.

Seeing the parking lot, Methos hurried to the nearest parked car and leaned Elizabeth against it. He was going to check her over, trying to gauge just how painful her healing would be when she revived, but he noticed a man stalking toward them from a dark area of the parking lot. To his mind, the man was looking suspiciously at him and Elizabeth. To cover the fact that they were involved in the 'homicide' that took place at the canal, Methos pulled Elizabeth into a hug and held her head up. As he noticed the man's silhouette enter the light and continue walking toward them, Methos kissed Elizabeth, as if they were in the middle of a make out session rather than just having been at the scene of the "crime." He moved her hand into his coat to make her look not as stiff to anyone watching them. Kissing her stone cold face was a bit gruesome, but looking out the corner of his eye, the silhouette had turned into a fully formed man, who slowed in his walk to watch them.

When Elizabeth revived, Methos softly shushed her so she wouldn't scream with pain that he knew would accompany the healing of her stomach. He pushed himself against her so that none of the blood she lost in the battle would be visible to the snoop who had stopped just feet from them. Methos kissed Elizabeth again, and was pleased that she was kissing him back, pulling her arms around him under his coat, but softly moaning. The moans were probably from the pain, but to an untrained ear it might have carried a tone of ecstacy to it. The thought thrilled him. Only for a moment. He had heard the moans of great pain that he had deduced were cries of ecstacy many years and many facades ago, when he rode with the other three horsemen. He felt himself get hard as he continued to kiss Elizabeth for all she was worth while she moaned and grunted from the healing of her wounds.

Methos saw that the guy standing watching them was the only one to have stopped to watch them, not either entering the hotel or rushing to the canal to what all the hubbub was about. Elizabeth cut off the kiss and slammed her face against Methos' and hugged him harder under his coat. "Methos... Oh God...," she whispered, "Oh God..."

Methos saw the man shake his head just before he said, "Get a room for Christ sake," and then walked away.

"Don't mind if we do," Methos said amused and peered down at Elizabeth, now probably fully healed and looking a little worse for wear. To him, she was now the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He couldn't hold back from kissing her again, and then asked, "Are you all right?"

"I'm alive," she replied hoarsely with a wide smile. "How could I be anything but all right?"

Elizabeth wrapped her arms tighter around Methos' waist and muttered constantly, "Thank you, thank you, thank..."

"Don't mention it," he said offhandedly, "but we have to get out of the public eye."

"So I can show you just how thankful I am in private?" she asked then kissed him softly yet deeply.

"There's an idea I can work with," he chuckled, getting even harder, and found his feet and pulled her toward the side door that would take them to their suite. On the way though, he couldn't help himself but look toward the canal and saw a congregation of people around and heard the distant sirens announcing the impending arrival of the police. To make himself and Elizabeth seem like regular onlookers like everyone else, he asked a guy charging by, "What happened?"

"Murder man, plain and simple, ugly murder," the man grunted as he ran to the hotel front entrance.

~~~~~

While Elizabeth was in the shower and before beginning his task, Methos stalked to the fridge and took out a bottle of Kirin, popped the cap and guzzled almost half of it. As he wiped his mouth, he realized life could very well be a funny thing. He had thought his life had been boring with all the hospital visits and absolutely nothing going on, but then bam! His life could have changed dramatically just twenty minutes ago. The drop of a hat could wipe out twenty years of progress toward making a perfect life. He had to get Elizabeth and Claire away from hotels, hospitals, and friends too. They had to go back to living on their own. Then, that thought scared him. While they lived alone in Kent things went horribly wrong. He was thinking more of their time in Reading, but then realized that Chuck Montgomery made that situation impossible to keep. When they lived at Norton Place in Seacouver, now there was the life. Then he remembered that he had the threat of losing Elizabeth by that dream hanging over his head. He took another swallow of his beer and tried to remember a blissful time where the three of them lived so he could recreate it. On board the Claire Elizabeth? No. Joe's wife drowned and they all tired of having sea legs. Sintra? No he and Elizabeth had the argument over his real name. He thought that wouldn't happen again, because she knew just about all there was to know about him-all one woman could actually digest in twelve years-and they could try it again there. Then he remembered his face was all over the newspapers having been killed in a car accident a few years ago. That was out too. Thinking about Elizabeth's life, he wondered if they could give it a go in her hometown of Gettysburg. No, he remembered when he 'returned from the dead' and she had said that returning there hadn't been at all the same. She loved New York City, but he didn't and didn't want to make that their settlement. He could both try to forge a life in his homeland of Finland, but they both hated the cold. He smiled as he noticed the almost empty beer and wondered how many places they really couldn't go to as a family in just a dozen years together. Then he saw his bloody Ivanhoe on the table and knew he must get to the task at hand.

Taking his sword cleaning kit out of his bag in the bedroom, he thought back to when he needed to do a thorough cleaning of it that wasn't just maintenance and the last head he had taken. He never really cared for Warren, but he didn't think he'd be the one to take him out. The last Quickening he had received was his ex-lover, ex-cohort in theft, Brynn Thayer Cochrane, but not by his own choice. There was a certain amount of pride, but also confusion, over being the one immortal in that entire room of immortals who received Brynn's essence after she was brutally taken by Crusaders. It was only now in quiet reflection preparing to clean Warren's blood off his Ivanhoe that he understood how Warren could have gone crazy over the whole ordeal. That wasn't enough for Methos to feel the least bit sorry for the loony Scot, but he could understand where he was coming from. He just wished he and Elizabeth hadn't been in the crossfire. Setting rice paper, a powder ball, a lint free cloth, a glass of cold water, and a tin of oil on the table, he noticed that one of the jewels on his Ivanhoe's hilt was missing. "Damn," he muttered. He thought back now to how the hilt hadn't fit correctly in his hand when he made the killing blow to Warren's head, but at the time Methos hadn't been thinking about anything but protecting his wife. Now he saw that it was the missing jewel that fit perfectly in his palm that was the cause of the unconscious discomfort. There was a rubbing of blood on the hilt where the jewel was missing, most likely his own. He looked at his palm, but it was healed. If it had been his blood, he had never once thought about his injured hand.

As tender as a caring mother or skilled surgeon, Methos used the water and hotel towel to clean off the blood from the hilt and both sides of the long blade. He then used a sheet of rice paper to remove impurities. The process needed steady, careful hands but he had been doing this for thousands of years and could almost do it in his sleep. He tossed the bloody towel and used rice paper on the table and lightly tapped the powder ball lightly against the blade every other inch along the length of the blade on both sides and then used another sheet of rice paper to rub the powder in to polish the blade. Applying drops of oil along one side of the blade, he used the soft cloth to spread it evenly and then did the other side. Methos carefully laid his sword back on the table and was ready for another beer, gauging that since the shower water was still running, Elizabeth would be a while.

Methos hadn't realized that he was still wound up from the beheading until he felt the approach of an immortal that wasn't Elizabeth. He bounded to the door and looked through the peephole, relieved to see Duncan and Amanda getting off the elevator. They were wet and in bathing suits, playing slap and tickle, as they made their way to the suite door. Methos grabbed a beer from the fridge and sprawled on the couch as they entered the suite.

Duncan immediately looked at Methos' shimmering, spanking clean Ivanhoe on the table and lost his smile. "Looks nice. Maintenance?"

"Not really."

Duncan lost his smile and told Methos, "You look shell shocked. What's up?" when he noticed him.

"My life almost ended tonight, MacLeod," Methos said gloomily.

Those words even stopped Amanda in her tracks. "Huh? You were in a challenge?"

"No, Lizzie was. Didn't you see the hoopla outside?"

"Outside where?" Duncan asked. "We were in the pool in the courtyard. We haven't seen anyone or anything."

"Thanks a lot," Amanda teased, popping him on the shoulder. "You've seen all of me."

"I meant something unusual, my love." Duncan smoothed her cheek making her visibly shiver. "What was the hoopla about?"

Methos said, "Well, you're going to find out anyway, might as well just say it. Warren Cochrane was beheaded this evening."

Duncan's head slowly left Amanda's side as his face was stoic and slowly faced Methos with that announcement. After a stony silence and a couple of disbelieving blinks of his eyes, Duncan finally asked, "What did you say?"

Methos let his words simmer in the air as he let a long sip of Kirin slide down his throat. He then roughly made a slitting motion at his neck with accompanying gruesome sound effect. Duncan's eyes flared. "Where? When? How did you find out? Here? That's the hoopla?"

"Yes, here. Outside. I know your next question will be 'by whom?'" Methos took another healthy drink and pointed to himself and stated, "That would be me. Hence, the ceremonial cleaning of the sword."

Both Amanda and Duncan were speechless. Methos could clearly hear the water running in the shower. It shut off by the time Duncan finally asked, "What? You? Why?"

"Had you talked to the lunatic lately?"

"Lunatic?"

Methos shrugged. "Loopy, anyway. He pulled Liz into a challenge and-"

"Bullshit," Duncan cut him off. "Liz?"

Methos stood up and stared Duncan down eye to eye. He knew the Highlander wouldn't take the death of his life-long comrade well, but there was something testy about his tone Methos didn't like at all. He stated solemnly, "I don't bullshit about almost losing my wife, MacLeod. This is very serious. Your friend came after Elizabeth, who wasn't armed and never accepted his challenge."

"Challenge? What are you talking about? Is this April Fools or something?" Duncan asked, backing down from Methos.

"No joke! He came after Liz. I saw it, thank the Gods I have fast legs because he was taking her toward the canal."

"I'm finding this very hard to believe myself," Amanda said, but then stopped, looking at the pulled curtains.

Methos looked behind him to see faint red flashing lights, more than likely from the police cars and ambulance that was near the lake. "See for yourself. He's still out there in all his glory. Both pieces of him. In fact, check my coat. I'd offer a blood sample from my Ivanhoe, but I already cleaned it."

Amanda rushed to the window and pulled back the curtain. "Honey, there's a ton of cops out there." She immediately rushed into the bedroom she shared with Duncan.

Duncan shook his head slowly for a moment, and then muttered, "Warren..." He seemed to gather strength after letting it all sink in and faced Methos again. "You?! He was with us in Delphi, he was a friend, he saved your life, from LIZ! You should have helped him, not take him!"

"He wasn't in a mood for conversation, MacLeod! Elizabeth's guts were falling out of her body and his sword was at her neck! Don't you dare for one minute second guess my decisions, especially when the love of your life isn't involved! He had my wife in his hands. I had to do it. She's alive only because I destroyed him!"

Duncan argued, "Liz would be alive if I was there, too. They've both be alive!"

"But you weren't. I made the decision, the right one."

"I can't believe Warren would do this, I can't! You should have just killed him. I could have reasoned with him."

"There was no reasoning with him."

"There had to be a better way!"

Methos collected himself and knew MacLeod had reason for his loss of his friend, and tried a different tactic before either said anything they'd be sorry for. Before long, Duncan said, almost in an accusatory tone, "He was lost, Methos. He probably just wanted some sort of justice for Brynn."

"And he got it. They're living together in peace now, MacLeod."

"You should have-"

Methos boomed, "Shoulda, coulda, woulda. I had no choice!" Enough trying to feel sorry for Duncan about this, he just wasn't seeing the big picture. "Liz was unprotected. She didn't have her sword, which I'll be talking to her about in great length later, but she didn't have a chance!"

"It's the truth," Elizabeth said, just now entering the living room.

"You didn't have to kill him!" Duncan affirmed, blatantly refusing to believe otherwise.

Not being able to take anymore, and since words hadn't worked, Methos shoved Duncan out of pure frustration that the Highlander couldn't see the forest for the trees. "Get the hell out of my face or I'll have to kill you too! How dare you second guess me."

"Maybe I do because I've seen some of your decisions." Almost nose to nose, Duncan trumpeted, "Only what's in it for you. What's best for you. No thought about what anyone else thinks, it's all about you!"

Methos shoved Duncan again and said, "Damn right!"

When Duncan shoved back and Methos threw a punch at Duncan that connected, Elizabeth shouted, "Stop! Don't-" She made the mistake of getting in between them. Duncan shook off the punch from Methos and wound up and threw a punch in return at the same moment, and Elizabeth got the full force of the right hook on the cheek and fell straight down, holding her cheek. "...fight..."

"God, Liz," Duncan told Liz with sudden great care and bent down to help her. "I'm sorry."

Methos thrust him back and boomed, "Get the hell out of our lives, you bleeding heart asshole!"

Elizabeth's hand was clamped to her cheek and tried to mutter something to Duncan, but tears started to flow instead. Methos got her off the floor and helped her to the couch.

Amanda appeared with two suitcases and said at the top of her voice but with force, "Before one more person makes one more move or says one more ghastly thing, we're going." When Duncan looked at her, she gave him a face that dared him to counter her and said, "Now."

"Best idea you've had in years," Methos told her.

Amanda immediately held up her hand in a stop gesture. "We're friends here." She must have seen Duncan's gloomy face, because she added, "True, we lost one, and another went through hell tonight. We'll figure it out later. Tension is so thick in here, I can't even see myself in the mirror over there. Liz, honey, I'm over the moon you're still here and I hope your cheek heals fast. We'll talk later. Darling," she said to Duncan and tenderly took his arm, "Time to go."

Duncan looked at her wearing her bikini and sheer coverup and himself in his swimming trunks. She said, "We can duck into a bathroom in the lobby. Let's just leave. Now."

Duncan stalked out of the suite, and Amanda looked back at Methos and Elizabeth and said, "I hate it when we fight. Think about this from his side, and we'll compare hurts at a later time. Good night."

In the silence that greeted Duncan and Amanda's leaving, Methos saw that Elizabeth's cheek must have healed or still in the process because her hand unclasped itself from her face and was working her jaw up and down and to the sides. He knelt at her knees and took her hand. He intoned, "Nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands..." He touched her cheek. "Still hurt?"

Elizabeth continued working out her jaw and then suddenly bellowed, "I'm alive! To feel pain is a good sign. I could be feeling nothing. And it's okay now." She wrapped her arms around Methos and intoned, "Methos, my Methos. I don't know how I can ever repay you for everything you've done for me and given me. I love you so much." She added, "Thank you!" with a kiss to his cheek.

Methos smiled and felt warm. He confessed, "I had no alternative. You make my heart glad."

"I feel bad for Duncan."

"Don't be," Methos said, suddenly feeling as if he was given a cold shower after warming up to what the grisly night could turn out to be if he got Elizabeth into the bedroom. "It's hard for him to accept that he makes friends with bad people, and the one guy he thinks is still bad is actually good." Methos chuckled, not having expected to put that into words that were out there for anyone to hear. He was pleased to see Elizabeth agree with him by squeezing him a little tighter. "Warren... Ingrid... crackpots."

"Warren wasn't bad, he lost his wife."

"He did, I give him that, but what did you think about him when you were bleeding with your guts hanging out on your knees in front of him while he was raising his sword and actually said the words, "There can be only... to which I finished with One?"

Elizabeth nuzzled her head against the crook of his neck and said, "Thank God. My hero. If you hadn't come..."

Methos ignored that line of thinking and continued. "Warren was almost taken by MacLeod in the past. Yeah, people deserve second chances, and I feel bad for him losing Brynn, but..." He didn't want to think about all the second chances he had to have before he was able to leave the Horsemen and all he did when he was with them behind him for good. He was happy that he was with people who knew and had accepted that it was in the past. Duncan still seemed to have it bubble to the surface now and then, but Elizabeth was his wife and mother of his child and she hadn't thrown it in his face. Her opinion was more important, and he liked her opinion of him, as her savior. He could get into that. He did, however, hope that Duncan would come around one day. He always seemed to, but then something would happen that would seem to make Duncan think twice about being his friend, let alone trust him. As Elizabeth let Methos go and stand before him with a look indicating a need to get to the bedroom, Methos wondered if Duncan would ever truly put the Horsemen past behind him. As Methos caught hold of the tie of Elizabeth's robe and it opened, Methos then put Duncan firmly in the back of his mind.

CONTINUED