"We might as well go get our stuff," Richie spat bitterly. He'd been wanting to off Kenny for quite some time now, especially since he'd gotten his new and improved "I'm-Not-A-Kid-Anymore" season 5 attitude.

The three Immortals slipped back inside and headed back toward the gate where Richie and Methos had dropped their bags.

"So what do we do now?" Methos asked as they walked.

"We have to find him," Duncan stated simply.

"Can we at least wait until after we've had dinner?"

"You're hungry?"

"Not really," Methos said as they rounded a corner. "Thirsty."

Duncan pulled up, and Richie, who'd been walking behind him, ran into him and promptly fell backward. He landed with a dull thud.

"You OK?" Duncan asked, reaching down to help Richie to his feet.

"Yeah, but I'm starting to see a trend here," Richie said, straightening his shirt. "This is the second time I've walked into something today. First it was a wall, now you...what's next? A moving vehicle?"

Duncan winced. "Rich, I wouldn't tempt the fanfic writer with that idea. She'll probably go off into one of her hurt/comfort stories, and then we'll never catch Kenny."

Richie nodded in agreement.

"Which brings us back to you," Duncan said, turning to address Methos. "If you're thinking about getting a beer, forget it. I need you sober for when we find Kenny."

Methos arched an eyebrow at him. "Really, MacLeod, I don't see why I should have to worry about this little brat. I wasn't in either of the episodes he was in. Why should I have to help?"

"Get over your bitterness at being an underused character, Methos," Richie told him. "There's always hope that one day you'll have your own show. From what I've heard, your fans are lobbying for some sort of 'Methos Chronicles' TV series after 'Highlander' ends."

"Do you think I'll get to have sex?" Methos asked wistfully.

"Probably."

They had reached the gate they had disembarked from and found their bags still sitting on the floor. This in and of itself was good news. The bad news was who stood five feet away from the bags.

"Nice to see you again," Mulder said, smirking.

"We left our things," Richie explained. He and Methos snatched up their bags and turned to leave.

"I think you gentleman should stay here," Scully suggested.

Richie and Methos turned back around. Duncan's gaze flitted from Mulder to Scully and back.

"Why should we stay?" Methos asked in a calm, polite tone.

"We have a few questions for you, starting with why did you chase that boy?" Scully asked.

Richie looked at Methos. Methos looked at Richie. Richie looked at Duncan. Duncan looked at Methos. Methos looked at Duncan. Duncan looked at Richie. They mentally added up who had looked at who during this exchange, figured it was enough to shoot plenty of reaction shots, and as one looked at Mulder and Scully.

"He was all alone, and I was just going to ask him if he was lost," Duncan began slowly. Scully's face showed her skepticism. "And before I could ask, he took off running. I didn't know what was going on, but I thought maybe he needed help."

"Interesting story," Mulder said, popping a sunflower seed into his mouth. "So what happened when you found him?"

"He got away."

"Ah," Mulder said, spitting out the shell. It landed on Scully's shoe. She frowned and shook it off.

"So what's up with the dead guy?" Richie asked, hoping to steer their attention away from their involvement with Kenny.

"Well, he's very dead and very headless. He was found inside a locked bathroom stall by a man who thought something smelled funny."

"So then this is one of the cases like what you came here to investigate?"

"Definitely," Scully said. "I have to do an autopsy to make sure, but I think he's been dead since last night. My guess at a time of death is 3:30 a.m. Airport personnel say there were no flights arriving or departing at that time, so there were no witnesses to see any strange lightning phenomena. However, one of the janitors said every piece of glass in there was shattered when he arrived, and there was some flooding."

"Flooding? As in water from the faucets?" Methos asked.

"And the toilets," Mulder said. "Urine and feces everywhere." He extended his hand toward Methos. "Sunflower seed?"

"No, thanks. But do you by chance have any beer on you?"

"If there's nothing else," Duncan interrupted before Mulder could reply. "I think we'd like to get something to eat before our connecting flight gets here."

Mulder and Scully exchanged glances. "Nothing else from us," Scully said, then looked at Mulder. "C'mon, Mulder. We'd better meet with the local authorities."

"There's a stimulating prospect," the FBI agent replied. "This is always my favorite part of these investigations, Scully. The warm receptions we get make everything worthwhile."

Scully smiled and the agents walked away, leaving three relieved Immortals standing in the middle of a thinning crowd.

"I'm glad that's over," Richie said. "For a minute there, I thought they'd figured out Kenny had killed that guy."

"This doesn't make sense," Duncan said. "If Kenny killed this man -- and surely he did -- then why did he stick around?"

"Maybe he was trying to trick another Immortal into taking him in."

"By waiting around an airport for one to show up?" Duncan shook his head. "That could take forever."

"Maybe," Methos suggested, "he left something here that he had to come back for."

"Now that makes sense," Duncan said. "But what would it be?"

"His sword?" Richie asked.

"How could he have lost his sword? He won the fight."

"Maybe he had to make a hasty exit and had to hide it somewhere."

"His sword is so small, I'd think he could hide it just about anywhere," Methos said, scanning the immediate vicinity for a bar.

"Maybe his sword is bigger than you think," Richie said, running a hand through his short blonde/red/reddish-blonde or whatever-color-you-prefer hair. "Besides, it's not the size of the sword that matters, it's -- "

"Hold it," Duncan said, raising a silencing hand. "This conversation is degenerating into sexual innuendo. Can we get back on track?"

Richie and Methos shrugged.

"So the question is what do we do now?" Duncan asked.

Richie checked his watch. "Our flight leaves in about two hours. If we look for Kenny, we might miss it."

"So we miss it," Methos said. "All that means is that we have to start working right away when we get to Paris instead of goofing off."

"You're awfully eager to stay," Richie said, narrowing his eyes. "What happened to the 'Why should I have to help with Kenny' attitude? You're not thinking of sticking around just to get a cheap Quickening, are you?"

"Well, why not?"

"Because," Richie said, stepping forward until he stood inches away from Methos' nose, "if anyone gets to have Kenny's Quickening, it's me. He tried to kill me."

"Let's not fight about this," Duncan interjected. "First we find Kenny. Then we figure out who gets to kill him."

Richie and Methos continued to stare, each determined to not be the first one to look away. Duncan finally wedged himself between the two and gently pushed them back.

"I said we'll deal with who fights him once we find him. Maybe we can draw straws or something."

"Fine," Richie said, adjusting his grip on his bag.

"Whatever you say, MacLeod," Methos said. "Just remember who it was who saved you from the Dark Quickening."

"That's not fair!" Richie said heatedly, face tight with anger. "I would have saved him except TPTB sent me off headhunting instead."

<<I would have let you save him, Richie.>>

Richie raised his hands upward as he looked at the ceiling. "Thank you. It's nice to know somebody understands that my actions were totally out of character."

<<Anytime, babe.>>

"So does the warm fuzzy I'm feeling mean you'll let me have sex now? I mean, I'm all grown up. I'm not really Duncan's student anymore, so I should have more independence and more women, right?"

<< >>

"Right?" Richie asked hopefully.

<< >>

"Women," he muttered, stalking off with Methos and Duncan trailing behind him, amused grins on their faces.