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Part
7
The look on Gregor's face as
the dojo door opened to admit one of their number just made Richie
laugh. It was a sort of stunned, awed expression that was actually
very understandable, considering the fact that it was Methos who
had just wandered in. To most Immortals he was just another presence,
to those of the Dividing his age and considerable power were obvious.
The feeling he inspired in his brethren could be a little daunting
the first time you felt it. As with most of his unscheduled visits
to MacLeod's place, Adam had come dressed as a patron, hooded
T-shirt and all. At other times, certain circumstances could be
arranged so that he didn't have to hide, but normally, pertinence
demanded that he take precautions.
"Greetings," the man
in question said as he breezed into the office, "and how's
our latest convert?"
"Fine thanks," the
ex-photographer returned, recovering quickly. "You have quite
an impact."
"Why, thank you," the
ancient Immortal responded lightly, "but have you been in
the vicinity when Richie and Chris decide to sync, at all? It'll
blow your mind."
The subject of the conversation
looked surprised by that revelation, Greg just smiled at him,
impressed.
"What are you talking about?"
the youngest of the three finally asked as Adam stood their grinning.
Methos was one up again, and
he was fond of playing the advantage. He waited a while under
his young friend's scrutiny and finally gave in.
"I wasn't aware you didn't
know," he said calmly, enjoying himself all the time. "I'm
surprised that MacLeod hasn't mentioned it. You and Chris have
quite a powerful presence when you ... how to put it ... meld."
"Meld?" Richie wasn't
quite sure what he meant. "You don't mean when we talk to
each other?"
Now the ancient Immortal laughed.
"Good god, no," he
said lightly, "none of us would be able to think if that
was the case. I have no idea what the pair of you are doing, but
every now and then the rest of us get a succinct reminder that
you're a little unusual."
The look on Richie's face said
he didn't have a clue what Adam was talking about. This was not
something of which he had been aware, and he didn't know exactly
what could be causing these episodes. It struck him that these
points in time could be when the experiences and information passed
between them without their biding. It wasn't something that they
ever noticed, they just knew it happened because of the results.
It was entertaining to watch
the thoughts track across his young compatriot's face, but that
wasn't the real reason Methos had wandered over.
"Well I can tell that Duncan
isn't in," were his next words, "any details on his
current or future whereabouts would be most appreciated."
"No can do I'm afraid, Oh
wise one," Richie returned, throwing the new idea to the
back of his mind with all the others he had to sort out, "the
Lord and Master didn't mention where he was going or when he'd
be back."
The younger Immortal had such
a colourful way of referring to his friends. Being called wise
one made Methos raise his eyebrows and grin broadly. It was just
that, the older he became, the more he realised he didn't know,
and he didn't consider himself particularly wise. In fact he'd
come to see the Highlander quite simply because he was thinking
something over and he trusted the Scotsman's judgement.
"Not to worry," he
decided after a few second's thought, "I'll just go and fade
back into the scenery for now, it can wait."
He pushed himself away from the
comfortable leaning position he had taken up on the door frame
and grinned at his associates.
"See you around, kiddies,"
he chortled jovially, and turned to go, "don't forget to
tell daddy I called."
The ink stamp that Richie sent
sailing after him barely missed his left ear. He and Adam played
strictly word games, but it was always good to resort to childish
violence every now and then.
"Ah ah," the ancient
Immortal said as he wandered out the door, "resorting to
your baser instincts will just end in tears."
The base ball Richie had taken
to using as a paper weight bounced off the wall next to the door.
The only reply was cheerful laughter.
Sweats and hood lost, jeans and
shirt back in place, Adam Pierson wandered into Joe's bar to `liaise'
with his boss. The local Watcher community were beginning to notice
that the researcher was in town quite a lot, but Joe had dug up
lots of reasons for him to be there. Just now the silver haired
owner was the only person in his establishment, and he polished
the bar as his friend sat down. The usual smile lit up his features,
but just a hint about the way he looked at Methos made the Immortal
realise something wasn't quite right.
"Everything okay, Joe?"
he asked calmly and picked up the coffee mug that his companion
produced from nowhere.
"Oh, fine," the older
looking man returned amiably, "just musing on things, that's
all."
On any other day that would probably
have been enough to turn Adam onto subjects new, but he was in
a contemplative mood and he'd bitten the hook. There was a moment
when he just sat, gazing at his friend and the time gave Joe the
opportunity to stare back. There was definitely something bothering
the senior Watcher, and he wasn't very good at hiding it. The
expression on the Immortal's face said talk to me, and finally
the other man gave in.
"You'd tell me if there
was anything I should know?" he said slowly. "If there
was something that might be important to me or someone close to
me, you'd let me know, right?"
The words sent a worrying thought
through Methos' head, he knew exactly what Joe was talking about.
It was crunch time, but this Immortal didn't know if he had the
right to let the truth go. This man was too perceptive for his
own good, and seeing that his friends were hiding a secret about
Karina, was playing on his mind. They both knew the Watcher was
right, they both knew the truth about his `niece', but they both
understood that it would not be voiced.
"Some things we don't tell
anybody, Joe," he said finally. "There are some facts
we can't speak about because it changes lives. You think you know
something, and you're probably right, but I can't tell you any
more. Don't ask, please, just let whatever's going to, happen."
He had all but confirmed the
Watcher's suspicions, but as they sat there silently, they knew
the conversation was over. He'd come in for a chat and a relaxing
cup of coffee, but Methos knew that was lost for today. He also
realised it was his own fault, he'd pushed the matter when Joe
had tried to drop it. The Immortal stood up slowly, this would
be forgotten by tomorrow. It would be as if it had never happened,
but for now, he had to leave.
"I'll see you around,"
he said quietly, and headed for the door.
It was amazing how many ways
there were to sneak away from someone and make it look like an
accident. If the Watcher who followed Madi around ever noticed,
she never mentioned anything to Joe or put it in her chronicle.
This time the Immortal had used the walk into crowded lift routine,
and come back down to the same floor, leaving her shadow to wander
around the rest of the building looking for her. She was enfolded
in a strong embrace the moment she walked into the hotel room,
she and Methos had acquired on a semi permanent basis.
"Oh, it's so nice to fall
into the arms of a man," she said theatrically as her lover
planted a kiss on the nape of her neck.
"Any man, or just me?"
Adam asked lightly and received a side swipe for his trouble.
Madi had noticed that the five
thousand year old Immortal found her interesting in more than
just a platonic way very shortly after he had joined the group.
He hadn't tried to hide his attentions, but he hadn't made a move
either for over three weeks. It seemed that even men with millennia
of experience had to pluck up the courage to ask out the women
of their choice. When he'd finally managed to make a decision
about what he was going to do, Madi had found it was a request
that was impossible to refuse. There had been flowers in many
shapes and forms, delivered by the hour on the hour, then a single
red rose with a ribbon tied around it and then Methos on her door
step requesting the pleasure of her company at one of the biggest
restaurants in town. It had just snowballed form there, they'd
had the room in the Hilton for four months now. Some times Adam
appeared in the states as a Watcher, when he had two places of
residence, one for the lowly researcher, the other the room, and
alternatively he came as Methos and spent his entire time sneaking
around and living it up. Five thousand years was a long time to
acquire wealth, and Adam wasn't even sure how much he had, but
for once he was enjoying spending it.
"So what are we doing tonight?"
Madi enquired cheerfully and wriggled out of his grip so she could
take off her coat.
"Before or after dinner?"
was the innocent reply.
"Oh, you're in one of those
moods," she said amiably and winked at him coyly.
He just gazed back with big,
open hazel eyes.
"Moi?" he responded
with the most honest face she'd ever seen. "Well it's your
fault," he continued, breaking the charade, "I miss
you and I can't go near you during the day so I have to save up
all my little urges."
She laughed at that. Methos and
his `little urges' could be most entertaining.
"No really," she said
with a smile, "what do you have planned for this evening,
and if you just say sex, I'll throw something at you. A lady needs
to be wined and dined as well you know."
A huge grin spread across his
face at that comment, but he resisted the reply that jumped into
his mind.
"I have the best table in
the restaurant down stairs booked for the two of us," he
said cheerfully. "I sent some very expensive French brandy
in the direction of the chef the other day and he's now very fond
of me."
Mostly Methos enjoyed beer, but
he was also a connoisseur of most good alcohol, although he would
admit to being so only in selected company.
"Bribery will get you every
where most of the time," Madi agreed with a mischievous smile.
Living longer than what one would
term a normal life span usually made Immortals very pragmatic.
"We have half an hour before
we need to go down," Adam said, cocking his head on one side
very boyishly.
"Oh no," his companion
said quickly, "do you know how long it takes to fix my hair?
After last night, there's no way you're that desperate, so you'll
just have to wait."
The ancient Immortal did a very
good impression of a crest fallen teenager, but when he advanced
on her, Madi locked herself in the bathroom and refused to come
out until he promised to behave. They eventually made it to their
table an hour late, Methos had had his fingers crossed throughout
the entire conversation.
"I've been thinking,"
Methos said suddenly just after their desert arrived, "maybe
it's time for Adam Pierson to die."
His companion's spoon halted
halfway between her plate and her mouth, and she just stared at
him in shock. It took a few moments for the information to sink
in, and then she had to ask the obvious question.
"Why?" she enquired
slowly.
He took a swig from the desert
wine in his glass and then continued.
"For a start," he said
calmly, "we can't carry on like this forever. Sooner or later
we'll be found out, and then all hell will break loose."
"But even if Adam dies,"
Madi pointed out, "there are too many people around here
who know your face. It wouldn't get any easier, and if the Watchers
noticed you there's no bounds what would happen."
At that her lover smiled.
"Very shortly someone would
notice I haven't aged anyway," he told her evenly. "Adam's
usefulness only has a couple of years left at best. The Watchers
might not be too happy if they thought an Immortal had been in
their midst for years, but what if one of them just happened to
turn out to be a future subject?"
Now Madelaine saw the beginnings
of his plan and she had to nod her agreement. The way his thoughts
were going actually might have a chance of working.
"Say Adam was to be killed
by a mugger or something," Methos continued carefully, "and
then voila he wakes up in the morgue. The Watchers have a non
interference policy, they'd ostracise me, but they couldn't blame
me for an accident of nature. After a few days of moping around
and feeling sorry for myself I could be approached by the infamous
Duncan MacLeod or one of his friends. Pretend to bring me in and
there you have it, the perfect set up. I'd have to clang around
with a sword for a while, making like I know nothing about it,
but that shouldn't be too difficult. Give it a week or two and
we could get cosy, and all's well. Adam Pierson is a new Immortal,
not worth anyone's attention and I get you in with the bargain."
He smiled at her broadly.
"You really have been thinking
about this, haven't you?" she said softly.
"Well maybe I'm sick of
hiding," he told her cheerfully, "and I'm madly in love
with you. Besides which, I'd really rather like to actually attend
Richie and Beren's wedding, rather than just watching the videos."
There wasn't really much to say
to that. Methos had worked it all out and he seemed to be set
on the idea. Madi only had one more thing to ask.
"So, have you decided on
a modus operandi?" she enquired lightly.
End of Part 7
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