Disclaimer: All Characters from the Highlander Universe are the sole property of the Powers that be at Panzer/Davis, Rysher, and everyone else involved with them. I'm just borrowing them for a bit to liven up my life, and I AM NOT receiving any money from them. Zada, Lise, and Gasparri, though, are all mine! Thank you.
I.
Alan had called her from the Motherhouse at 1:30 AM with the news. Zada was hers now. Her first Immortal. And, by looking at the file she had called up, her only Immortal. If she could find her.
Apparent Age: 20 - early to mid
Actual Age: Unknown - Approx. 2000
Height: 5'7" Weight: 135
Race: Eastern Indian/Romani
Last known Whereabouts: West Virginia, USA 1976
The fax machine sitting across from her sputtered to life, breaking her thoughts as it spit out a paper. On it was a listing of other Immortals and their Watchers whom Zada had dealings with in the last century. A hand-written note at the bottom from Alan caught her attention.
"Happy hunting, Lise. Til death do you part. Love, Alan"
She smiled slightly at the ironic message. She gave her vows from the bottom of her heart, to a person who would not know she existed. All she had to do was find her.
II. She raised her sword high, sweat drenching every part of her clothing as she beat upon the padded pell used to simulate her opponent. She was so intent on her target, she did not notice the gate to the yard open and close. With a lightning-quick motion, she brought her sword from high to low, slipping around her imaginary opponent's guard, then moved around to hit him in the ribs. "Hold!" came a shout from behind her. She spun around, poised to attack with her rattan sword.
"'Allegra, you're going to break your new sword if you don't cool down." the young man said as he walked up to her with a towel as she lowered her sword.
"What got you so riled?"
"Oh, nothing in particular. Just releasing excess frustration." she dropped the wooden sword, and wiped her face with the offered towel, then the back of her neck. "Wanna pad up, Rob?"
"Nah. I have to go and meet up with Chris before he kills me. I'm already a half an hour late. I just came by to bring back your car and make sure everything's on for tonight." He threw her keys up in the air and she caught them with hardly a glance.
"Yes, everything's a go for tonight. You and Chris come by with the materials and we'll have a go."
"Okay, we'll see you later then." He kissed her lightly on the cheek. "By the way, take a shower. You smell like a stick-jock." he said before he walked out the gate.
"No brain, no pain!" she yelled as he closed the gate.
She braced herself for the cold air of the air conditioning unit, then stepped inside through the French doors. She grabbed a cigarette when she entered and walked towards the bathroom thinking to herself what she needed to pick up before the boys came over tonight.
She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror as she ran the water for her shower, and stopped.
"As beautiful as the sight of the Sun in the morning." A warm voice from far too long ago said in her mind. She touched the reflection of her face, running her fingers along the jawline, then to outline the eyes. Another memory took the first's place, sending a chill through her.
"I should like to keep her eyes when we are done. They are so dark."
They did terrible things to her. Ravaged her body, ripping apart her will bit by bit. Using her body until it was spent, they left her to die near the edge of the water.
And die she did.
Awaking not to the Paradise, but to herself, lying near the edge of the water where they had left her. Cast out from her village as something they did not understand, she wandered for thirty years without knowing what she was.
Enlightenment came with her teacher's words.
"We are Immortal, beçu. We cannot die by normal means. You are part of the Game now."
Her head swum in these thoughts as she showered, washing away the sweat, trying to wash away the memories along with the grime.
She slipped out of the shower, dismissing the memories for a bit as she towelled herself dry and put her hair up with another. Throwing on a tee-shirt and shorts, she walked into the living room and grabbed another cigarette. She mentally ran down the list of things she needed to get for tonight as she took her hair out of the towel and braided it.
"Let's see," she said to herself, "Sewing machine needles, box of straight pins, some beer..." She grabbed her purse and car keys and headed out the door.
Getting into her car, she looked at the dashboard and swore to herself. "Damn, I need to get gas before I go anywhere. Damn Rob for borrowing my car and not filling it up."
She pulled out of her driveway and decided to chance the drive out to the interstate where the gas was cheaper. If she ran out of gas before then, well, she hadn't been for a good walk in ages.
She literally glided into the gas station and to a pump, making a silent prayer to the gods that she had gotten this far when a chill ran down her spine and her stomach twisted up into knots. An Immortal, it told her. She cursed to herself when she realised that her sword was back at the house. Not that she had seen another Immortal in almost forty years, she thought to herself as she stepped out of the car. At least this place is too public to fight in. Of course, she couldn't really tell at first who the other Immortal was, there were so many people milling about the station and convenience store. Then her eye caught a striking dark haired man scanning the crowd the same as she was, his body posture on the defensive. It took her a moment to recognise him, then she smiled to herself as she approached him.
"Duncan MacLeod," she said as the recognition hit him. "It's been awhile." She held her arms up. "Take any good heads lately?"
"My god," He looked her over. "Zada?"
"It's Allegra now." she laughed as he hugged her. "What in the god's names are you doing in Savannah?"
"I'm just travelling through. What about you?"
"I live here, have been for a few years now." They walked over to her car and talked while she pumped her gas. "Where are you headed for?"
"There's an exhibit of Medieval weaponry that one of my friends put together going on down in Miami that I promised I would see. I was thinking of checking out how much Savannah had changed, especially with all the hoopla about that book going on down here."
"The Book. You've got to enunciate the capital around here. It's looked on as the new Bible in these parts anymore. Especially since the news got out that they are making a movie from it. It's horrible sometimes. They're turning my sleepy little town into a tourist trap." She finished pumping. "Listen, I've got to run a few errands around town, but if you're planning on sticking around for a few days, let's get together and run through our ancient history. What do you say?" She grabbed the receipt the machine spit out at her and wrote her number on it.
"That sounds good. I'll call you tonight if it's alright."
"Sure, I'll be home in an hour or so. Then we'll palaver." She got in her car and started the engine. "A beintot."
"A beintot, Allegra."
III. Sitting next to each other on the couch that evening, Duncan and she were sipping tea and discussing everything under the sun.
"...And then Amanda decided that she could do it all on her own, so of course when she got herself in a world of trouble, I had to turn around and worry about the police finding the papers on me." he said, recounting a story.
"What did you do?"
"I returned the papers to their rightful owners."
"You are such a damn boy scout, MacLeod."
"God, you sound like Methos."
Layers of memory unfolded, bringing her back to where her training had begun. Carthage. Hours upon hours of learning how to wield a sword, to be able to survive the Game. Her teacher laughing at her folly, making her body obey his will. He told her when he first met her that he would either kill her or train her to be the best at their Game, no matter what the cost. After all, he said, what's the point of living forever if you can't be good at something?
"Methos. You've seen him?" she said.
"I've met him, and now I can't seem to get rid of him." Duncan responded jokingly.
"Where!?"
"In Paris."
"What in the hell is he doing now?"
Duncan looked uncomfortable for a moment, then spoke. "He's working for a group known as the 'Watchers'."
She laughed loudly. "My Gods, what an idea! An Immortal working for the ones who watch! Only Methos would have thought of it."
"You know of them?" He looked taken aback. She laughed at his reaction. "It's hard to live as long as I have without knowing someone's watching." "You do realise that you haven't been seen by them for a long time, don't you?" "Of course. I planned it that way. I never did like the idea of someone 'watching' me like that. So, when the last one died, I disappeared."
"Was it really that easy?"
"You'd be amazed at how easy it was." she laughed.
They talked on for hours, until the doorbell resounded through out the house.
"Who on earth?" Zada mumbled as she walked to the door.
At the door stood Rob and another young man, their arms loaded down with bags of food and fabric.
"Are we late?" Rob asked as he walked past her into the house. "I thought we'd get here earlier, but Chris decided to get some food since we've been mooching off you lately."
She took the bags from Chris's strong, wiry arms and walked into the kitchen.
"Oh gods, I forgot we were supposed to work on garb tonight. Rob, Chris, this is an old friend of mine, Duncan. Duncan, these are two of my closest friends here, Rob and Chris."
"Glad to meet ya, Duncan. Any friend of Allegra's ..." Rob said, taking Duncan's hand as he stood.
"Exactly." Duncan finished for him and smiled. Chris was next for the handshake.
"Nice to meet you, man. Are you Scadian?"
"Am I what?"
"Oh, he's just asking if you're in the medieval reenactment group we're in." she replied, tossing Rob and Chris each a beer.
"Oh, no." Duncan said as she handed him a beer. "I'm not that old." he said with a wry smile.
"What are you doing now? Running an antiques shop or something? You strike me that you've started to settle down finally." she asked, opening her own beer, and steering away the curious glances at Duncan's words.
"Not anymore, I gave that up. Now I'm running a dojo. It's doing pretty good."
"That's cool." Chris said, laying out a few yards of fabric on the floor.
"Not like that, Chris! What're you trying to make? A T-tunic or a blanket?" she dropped down to the floor and helped him lay out the fabric. Rob came over and sat beside Duncan, looking at her and Chris on the floor.
"Allegra's sort-of our big sister in the reenactment group. You know, she takes care of us, making sure we eat, making sure we've got garb that looks decent..." Rob said as he drank his beer.
"The only reason I make sure you have nice looking garb is because everyone knows I know you. It wouldn't look good if I was seen with someone in ugly garb." she replied sarcastically. "Especially with the event coming up in April I will not have you coming up with nappy garb."
A muffled ring began from Duncan's coat, and he pulled out his cell phone to answer it.
"Excuse me a moment." he said to them, then to the phone, "MacLeod. ... What? When did she get picked up? ... Yes, I understand ... Yes, I know exactly what she's going to do. Thanks, Joe. I'll leave directly in the morning. She won't do anything until I get back. ... What? ... Tell him to stay out of it, he'll only cause more problems. ... And Joe, Tell him to stay out of my house." Duncan hung up his phone and looked around for his overcoat.
"I have to apologise, but I'm going to have to go now. Amanda has gotten herself in a situation, and I have to go back to Seacouver to help resolve it."
"What has she done now? Tried to rob the Museum?" Zada said, handing him his overcoat.
"Close. One of their shipments of rare jewels."
She started laughing as she imagined the incident. "She'll never change."
"She'll change if I don't kill her. She was using my car!"
Zada couldn't stop laughing as she walked him out to his car. "Hey, I just got an idea, let me float it past you. I've got too much free time and not much to do for the next week or so. What do you think about me going to visit lovely Seacouver for the sights. And also to provide moral support so you don't strangle Amanda the moment you see her?"
"If you don't think it would be a problem, I'd like that. Also, you'll get to see an old friend of yours."
"Who? Other than Amanda?"
"Methos." Duncan said with a grimace. "He's taken over my house and Joe said he was starting to redecorate. If he's still there, I'll take his head myself."
"Let me go arrange things and I'll meet you at the hotel tomorrow." she said quickly, walking to her house as Duncan drove off. Methos, she thought, after all these years. To see the Bavol-engro, the old ghost again. It would be interesting.
IV. Lise rummaged through the numerous papers covering her desk, looking for the write-up on Duncan MacLeod. She had exhausted all the other Immortals on the list but him. He had the last friendly contact with Zada in the early 1960's, so Lise figured she could call Joe Dawson, MacLeod's Watcher, and see if there was anything in his files on MacLeod to give her an idea of where her Immortal was. She was quickly running out of options to find her, and was losing her patience. She found the paper she was looking for just as the phone rang.
"Alicia Whitestone." she said brusquely as she knocked an overflowing file from her desk.
"Hey, Lise. It's Adam. Did I catch you at a bad time?" he said, noticing the agitation in her voice.
"Oh, no, Pierson." she said as she picked up the file. "Just being my normal klutzy self. What do you need?"
"Oh, I just wanted to congratulate you on getting out of your cave and out into the real world with your new assignment. I just heard about it."
"Yeah, if I can find her."
"You having problems? Anything I can do? I do still owe you."
"Not unless you can find out in your Methos files where the hell his student Zada would go that she hasn't been seen by one of us in twenty years. I mean, she didn't just fall off the face of the earth!"
"You've got Zada?" he mumbled something to himself that Lise couldn't understand. "I didn't realise..." He recovered and brightened his tone. "I'll search through the files and see if I can find anything that the others have overlooked, if you want me to. There was some bad blood the last time they saw each other, but I'll see."
"Thank you so much, Adam. I'm about to lose my mind with this thing." She sighed and found her pack of gum that she had lost two days ago in the middle of a manila folder and smiled. "Just before you called I was about to ring up Joe Dawson. He was looking like my last hope."
"Why Joe?"
"His boy MacLeod was the last Immortal to hang out with Zada back in the 60's, so I was hoping he might have some ideas."
"MacLeod knew her?" he replied, slight shock in his voice. "That's interesting, especially since I'm calling from Seacouver."
"Why are you there? I thought your cave was in Paris."
"It is usually. But I decided to come here and visit with Joe some. Enjoy the scenery and such. The wet, dreary scenery, but scenery as it is." He said, making her laugh so she wouldn't notice how she shocked him with her information on Zada. "But if you want me to, I'll ask Joe to do some digging on her also. I'm going over to his bar tonight, in fact."
"That could be wonderful. And if he digs up some good dirt, I just might have to requisition a trip out to Seacouver so I can finally physically meet you, Adam."
"That's right, we've never actually met before. We've been talking for so long now I almost forgot. I'll take you out to dinner if you come to Seacouver. Is that a date?"
"Definitely. It's a date." she looked at the clock and sighed. "But right now I have to go and meet with Alan for an update on how I'm doing. I'll talk to you later."
"Alright. Have fun and don't pay attention to anything Alan says. He hasn't had anything fun to do for the last twenty years or so, and he takes it out sometimes on people who don't need the aggravation. Bye." and he hung up.
Things are finally looking up for the first time since I got this stupid file, Lise thought to herself as she walked out of her office to meet with her superior. Maybe she might just get to go to Seacouver if Dawson had anything anywhere remotely close to Zada's whereabouts. It would be a good excuse to meet the elusive Adam Pierson once and for all.
V. Methos, also in Watcher Society known as Adam Pierson, was not in as good of a mood as his friend, Lise. He was remembering the last time Zada and he had been together in 1816. They did not part well, and he had regretted the things he had said to her that night on Lake Geneva.
LAKE GENEVA -1816
Standing on their small dock on Lake Geneva, Zada looked up at the night sky, clear as she had ever seen it, even in the desert. Thinking on what Byron had said earlier that night, causing such a tumult, she held her arms tightly against her, more from anger than the chill. Was he right? She didn't think so, but everyone else seemed to agree with him by their inaction. His uproar that women were inferior and put on earth for his, thereby, all men's, use caused Zada to lose her temper finally at him and knee him in the crotch. It was bad enough that he already didn't like her since she had turned him down, but to wound him in his most "powerful" place in front of everyone was something she knew Methos couldn't smooth over between the two of them.
In the middle of her musings on this, she felt the presence of another Immortal.
She didn't bother turning to see who it was but addressed the person. "What do you need, Methos?"
"I just came to see if you had cooled down yet." He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her.
She kept staring at the sky, trying her best to ignore his embrace. "I know my temper is a testy thing at best, but he is a loudmouthed bastard who should know when to shut up! How could you just sit there and let him go on like that?"
"The same way I'm standing here right now listening to you rant on about one of my closest friends, love." he said calmly, lightly brushing his lips against her neck. "I adore you both, and I knew better than to get involved in the conversation."
"You agree with me then?" she said brusquely.
"Yes. To a point." He applied a bit of pressure to her neck with his lips, and tightened his grasp on her. "I believe that women are equal in thought and actions, but I do not believe that women should be thrust into the same situations that constitute 'being a man' in this day and age. And that no one should be bent over in pain because he spoke out in an opium daze and offended a lady who was quicker than he was." He turned her to face him, his arms still wrapped around her, not letting her get away from him or his words.
"Sticking up for the Brotherhood, then? I thought better of you, Methos." she put her hands on his chest. "But, no, Methos must be the person to stick up for the drug addict everyone considers a genius!" She pushed him away from her, her temper flaring. "You are such an idiot! You're following along in a distorted form of hero worship that I thought only possible of the boy, Shelley!"
Methos tried to hold onto her as best he could, but lost hold of her as he lost his temper. "Hero worship? I don't idolise the man, he's my friend. And he is a genius, when he's not smoking opium. I just wish you could get past your petty theories that just because he propositioned you that he's an jackass. No, he's not your beloved Gian. No one is, dammit!" He regretted the words the moment he spoke them, knowing that uttering Zada's last, and most significant lover's name had set off a spark.
"You blighted bastard!" she almost screamed. "You dare compare that piece of misogynist drug-addled trash to Gian!" She turned away from him, shaking with frustration and fury.
"You know as well as I do that the words Byron said tonight Gian said himself two hundred years ago!" Methos opened the floodgates on all that he never could say to her then. "You begged off to Gian like a good little girl. I remember myself him saying one night that women should only be in one position of power and that is on their back! I laughed with him, but so did you!"
"How dare you?" she pivoted quickly around and slapped him squarely in the jaw.
Her eyes spilled over tears and she ran up the dock to the house.
Methos stood there for a long time, looking out at the lake, regretting every word he spoke to her already. He rubbed his jaw where she had struck him, then turned and walked up to the house. When he returned, she had already packed up her things and left that night without another word spoken between them.
If he could help Lise find her, he would if for no other reason than he wanted to apologise to Zada. Over the two millennia that he had known her, there was never any lasting hate between the two of them, and if he had this chance at a kind of redemption, he would take it where he could.
Damn Macleod for helping me develop a conscience again, he thought to himself as he picked up his trenchcoat to leave. And damn him for not telling him that he knew Zada. While he was at it, damn MacLeod for not stocking any good beer in his frig. Methos had to buy himself beer when he got into Seacouver a few nights ago, after letting himself into Duncan's apartment. And then Amanda had called, from jail, telling him that she had gotten picked up in Macleod's car. Beautiful. He proceeded to call Joe, who in turn, called Macleod. Who was coming back, to bail out Amanda and probably kick Methos out.
"And probably take my beer." Methos mumbled as he walked out of the apartment, remembering to lock the door. He walked down the street towards Joe's, wondering if Zada was alright, or at least, still alive.
VI. Zada was alive and well, but Duncan seemed to look the worse for wear as they got off their plane at Seacouver Airport. He had abruptly come to the conclusion that Methos had not just trained her in the Rules of the Game, but also how to be the most annoying person to be sitting next to for a cross-country flight.
"What's the matter, beçu?" she asked him as they walked through the airport.
"I can tell Methos and you were close." he said, glaring at her.
"What do you mean?" she replied innocently.
"Could you have been a bit more aggravating to the stewardesses? I mean, she only had to bring you every single beer on the plane!"
"I can't help it if the airline that you chose had the worst service in the world. And I only wanted something that tasted less like warmed over piss."
"Well, you didn't have to blast that damnable noise through your earphones where everyone could hear it in the compartment!"
"It wasn't noise, it was Kraftwerk, a German Industrial band. I think they are very good."
Duncan was about to respond when an older man with a cane walked up to them smiling.
"Hey there Mac," the man said, looking confused at the fact Duncan had acquired a companion. "How was your trip?"
"Exhausting, Joe." Duncan turned to Zada as she stepped behind Joe and stuck her tongue out at him.
"Joe Dawson, this is Zada Orlenda." he pointed to her and Joe looked shocked for a moment.
"Zada? The Zada? As in Methos' student?" Joe questioned.
"The one and only who could put up with him for any amount of time." Zada said as she bowed dramatically. "You must be Duncan's Watcher. Glad to meet you, Joe."
"Wonderful to meet you, Zada. I thought you were as much of a myth as Methos." he said, taking her hand.
"It's good to be a myth."
"You are so much like him!" Joe laughed.
"That's why my trip was exhausting." Duncan mumbled to Joe.
"I heard that Highlander." Zada said through her clenched teeth while she smiled at Joe.
"I know." Duncan said the same way. He picked up their bags and walked out to the car with Joe and Zada following behind, talking.
"So, what brought you to come here with Mac?" Joe said, taking up an intense liking to her.
"Oh, I met up with him where I'm living now and heard about his plight du jour with Amanda. I decided to see if I could help." she said, taking Joe's arm as they were walking. "He also told me I might see my wayward teacher up here."
"Actually, if you two want to, " Joe said to both of them, "We could drive down to the bar to meet up with Methos, that's where he most likely is, then just take you to your place later."
"Your call, Duncan. This is your town." she said as she looked around. "Grey and dreary as it is." she said with a hint of a smile.
Duncan decided to ignore that last part and replied, "That sounds good to me. I know I could use a drink."
"Let's go then." Joe said as the last of their things were put into his Chevy Blazer. "Let's see how much of a tab Methos has run up at my bar."
"If he's anything like he used to be, you're going to be in a huge debt." she laughed. "Think 'National Deficit'."
VII. Zada sighed to herself as they drove up to what looked to be a warehouse district. The buildings matched the grey tone of the sky a bit too perfectly for her taste. Then she spied a pink neon sign proclaiming the simple name "Joe's" like a beacon in the drabness of the surroundings.
"Nice and understated, Joe." she said quietly. "I like you even more."
"You've not seen the actual bar yet. Keep your opinion high for me, because I love it." he responded as they got out of the car. "It's not much, but it's home."
"As long as you have decent beer and interesting music, I'll be compatible to almost anything else." she laughed.
"Not a problem." he grinned at her.
In the process of lighting a cigarette, the Feeling came over her. Immortal. She looked to Duncan, and saw his eyes dart back and forth over the area.
"I hope that's Methos. I really don't feel like having to explain to some young one 'I'm sorry, can you let me unpack my sword, it's just that I haven't fought someone since most likely before you were born.'" she joked as she stomped out the freshly lit cigarette, trying to quell her nervousness at the thought of facing a Challenge after fifty years.
"It probably is." Duncan said, but Zada noticed that he had assumed his defensive posture.
Stepping into the darkness of the bar, she caught herself singing along with the strains of Billy Holiday as she scanned the scattered people.
"Good morning, Heartache, you're the one who knew me when..." she sang to herself, then she saw him and froze. Sitting at the bar, his lanky figure melding with ease to the atmosphere of the bar, an uncanny ability he had for thousands of years. He looked up from the book he was reading after a moment, expecting to greet Duncan and Joe with a toast of his beer. He stopped in mid-motion of drinking suddenly, staring in shock at Zada.
Zada wasn't any more sure than Methos was as to how to greet one another at first. She stood off to the side as Joe and Duncan said their hellos, all the time her eyes latched to his. The others noticed this, and each of them were shocked to see both Methos and Zada speechless for a moment.
"Beçu. Have I done well today?" she whispered as she held her hands out to him in their old, familiar ritual of greeting.
"As beautiful as the Sun in the morning, as always, Tchen." He responded solemnly, using her birthname as he took her hands in his.
Duncan watched this exchange with interest. He had been wondering about what would happen when they saw each other again, and this was not what he expected.
Joe watched, as he was trained to do, and also felt endearment to both of them. Curiosity tinged his thoughts as to what their thoughts were. After all, they had both in their own ways, seen the creation of civilisation. What had they seen with those eyes that no one else knew?
They stood there for a moment longer, holding hands and staring at one another like one of them would disappear if they moved.
"Glad to know you don't hate me anymore." Methos said, breaking the spell somewhat.
"Who said I still didn't?" she replied with a smile, but not breaking eye contact with him.
"You're a bad liar. Always have been." He let go of her hands and sat down at the bar again, pulling another stool towards him. "Wanna beer?"
"I am not a bad liar." she said as she lit up a cigarette. "I've always been a better liar than you, and you know it." She motioned to the bartender to bring her whatever he was drinking.
Duncan sat down after Zada and looked at Joe, who had moved behind the counter. Joe smiled at Methos and her. "Leave 'em be, Mac. Be grateful that his witty repartee isn't being directed at us." he said, still smiling.
"True. Or hers at me." Duncan laughed with him as Joe poured him a scotch. "Anyway, while they're catching up, what's going on with Amanda?"
"They're going through arraignment tomorrow. She's got some hotshot attorney who's going to try to get the case thrown out tomorrow, but this kid's still wet behind the ears. I figure she'll be disappearing as soon as possible."
"She's a complete and utter misfit! But I'll help her in any way possible." Duncan said, finishing off his scotch in one swallow. He handed his empty glass to Joe. "Don't let me have another, I don't need it. Just give me a beer."
"Not a problem, Mac." Joe said, pouring him a beer. "What do you think is going on with her?" he said quietly, motioning with his head towards Zada and Methos. The two of them had moved to the end of the bar.
"I'm not sure. It's always been hard to understand her, and I really didn't know what to think when I saw her again."
"Has she changed that much?"
"Yes and no. Zada's always been one to embrace the time she's in, so I can't really see how that's changed. She just seemed like she was missing something."
"Maybe she's lost someone."
"That may be it, Joe." Duncan said, looking over at her and Methos. Joe followed his gaze and smiled again.
"Well, it looks as if she's content now," Joe mused, "Methos seems more demure than usual. It's almost like when he met Alexa." Joe looked a little wistful.
"You know, I think you're right." Duncan said, looking at the two of them in a new light. "I knew that they had a past together, but I didn't realise to what depth it went."
"I remember reading in her Chronicles once that they spent a couple hundred years together once. Could you imagine living with Methos for that long? I mean, I love the guy, don't get me wrong, but it would be hard to live with him for that long. It would take an amazing person." Joe said, wiping down glasses. "And someone who loved him very much."
VIII. Zada didn't notice that Duncan and Joe were watching her, all of her energy was devoted to seeing if Methos had changed. From what she could see, he had but he hadn't, the way Immortals always do. No words were exchanged between the two of them, they just sat and stared at one another for a time.
Methos broke the almost comforting silence, asking her in language they had first spoken to each other, ancient Sumerian. "Have I still angered you?"
"No, beçu. Hate is not a lasting thing between us." She changed back to English. "I missed you."
"As I you." he said simply. "I just... I just thought, with the way you left and all... at the Lake..."
"You said your piece. You know, even if I didn't agree with you, that at least, given time, I respected your opinion." Zada grinned. "Most times, at least."
Methos shared a laugh with her. She does still adore me, and I her. At least that hasn't changed.
"Mu Ashta Za E." Methos said, taking her hand again. "My heart is yours, Tchen, as always."
I know, and mine yours." Zada got the bartender's attention for another round. "But, you really shouldn't call me Tchen anymore. No one has ever called me that but you." She looked around the bar some. "Of course, Zada would draw attention around here as well, with all of the Watchers that float around here. Call me Allegra, Allegra Mitchell. That's what my passport and drivers licence say right now, anyway."
"Lovely to meet you, Allegra. My name's Adam Pierson, mild-mannered researcher for the aforementioned group, the Watchers." He rose from the barstool and bowed elegantly. He noticed that her eyes still did sparkle so beautifully when she laughed. "What do you think? Is it me?"
"Well," Zada began, "it suits you better than that time you decided to join the priesthood of Apollo."
"Hey, that wasn't a bad gig! All the wine and women I wanted!"
"Until they asked you to leave because the offerings were disappearing!" Zada laughed. "Anyway, it didn't suit you, being all proper and such."
"You call the priesthood of Apollo proper? Well, maybe you're right. Those snakes annoyed the hell out of me most days." Methos picked up his beer and drained it. "So, what interesting lifestyle have you adopted? Don't tell me, a dysfunctional Gen-Xer."
"Actually, I do freelance writing for magazines and papers worldwide. Of course, keeping a low profile the whole time by writing under multiple psuedonyms. Can't have some person in your little organization finding out that I'm still around."
"Thinking of that, I found out today who your new Watcher is. That is, if you want her. She really is dying to find you."
"Why can't they leave me alone? I never did anything to them. Not on purpose, anyway."
"For the same reason they have an open file on me. You and I, along with a couple of others, have reached 'legend' status." Methos sighed. "Your new one is quite intelligent. I like her."
"I'm glad you do. Someone has to." she said, finishing her own beer.
"Her name's Alicia Whitestone."
"Good for her. Nice proper British name." she said sarcastically.
"And she'll be getting ahold of Joe tonight, asking for any information in Duncan's file that would help her find you." he said sheepishly.
"What?"
"Oh, my, did I stutter?"
"Methos, you bastard."
"Hey, I haven't anything to do with this. You're the one who decided to show up in Seacouver just as you've been assigned to a new Watcher." He ordered another round.
"Where's Joe?" Zada said, searching for the Watcher frantically.
"He just walked into the backroom. Something about a phone call." Methos said, trying to find a nice corner to hide.
Zada ran to the backroom, leaving Methos behind at the bar. Duncan noticed the haste in which she was going to the backroom, and followed.
"...Joe Dawson... Oh, hello, Lise. How have you been? .... You know, that's interesting because ..."
Joe paused as he heard the silken rattling of a butterfly knife being opened by someone who obviously knew what she was doing. "You tell her I'm here, let alone that I'm real, and I'll slit your throat as sure as I breathe." she said in a low brittle whisper.
"Zada!" Duncan hissed as he entered the room. "What are you doing?!"
"Keeping my life where it should be. In the history books."
"Lise?" Joe said much more calmly than he felt, "Could you hold on for a sec? Thanks." he said, placing the line on hold. "Zada, could you please put that thing back from wherever you got it?"
"Zada." Duncan walked up to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "Leave him alone." He put his hand on the hand that held the knife.
"Tchen." Methos said, walking into the room. "Please, listen to them." He walked past Duncan and wrapped his arms around her. "Joe, could you please cover for her? She appreciates anonymity to a fault." He pulled her away from the others. "She'll let herself be known given enough time."
Joe composed himself, after a moment and picked up the phone. "Lise? Yeah, there was some trouble at the bar.... No, it's alright now. What was it that you needed?.... Hmm, well I'll look through the records and email you if I find anything. Alright? ... Oh, I was just going to say that Adam and I were talking about it earlier.... Well, I better get back to the bar.... Yeah, I'll talk to you later. Good Luck....Bye." He wiped his brow with a shaky hand, hanging up the phone.
"Zada?" Joe looked around to her. She was sitting in a chair, Methos' arms wrapped around her. "Listen, I didn't ..."
"No, I'm sorry, Joe, it's my fault. I forgotten how quick she reacts when she feels cornered." Methos said, holding her like a child.
"Joe?" She whispered, almost in tears. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to... I just don't want the Game anymore."
"We don't have a part in it, Zada." Joe said as he grabbed a chair and sat next to her. "We just watch."
"Your people are like a red cape to the bull. Haven't you realised that?" Zada shook away Methos' arms. "I've seen some of your people even hunt us, Joe. It's bad enough to lose a fight, but never to be given the chance to fight? That's blasphemous. No, your people bring the Game along on their coattails."
"Not all of us are bad, Zada."
"I know that. It's just like us. Not all of us are Grayson, not all of us are Darius. Most of us are somewhere in between. But you see, I don't want any of you following me, even if she's Saint Terese reborn!"
"I am sorry, and I know that you will think of me as less of a person because of my actions."
"Zada, none of us..." Duncan began, but she cut him off.
"That's not true, Duncan. Joe won't trust me now. I understand and accept that. I am most sorry for that."
"You underestimate me." Joe said, taking her hand, "I know I trust you more now than I did ten minutes ago, for nothing but the fact that I'm still around. I know you could have, would have killed me. But you didn't."
"Thank you, Joe." she said simply, leaning on him. "I'm glad to know that."
"Well," Methos said, rising. "Now that this little trauma is over, I think we need a beer."
"Or two." said Joe.
"Or twelve." Zada said, ushering them all to the bar.
Sitting at the bar, Duncan raised his glass in a toast. "Here's to Life."
Zada tilted her head to him, "And not losing your head."
IX. Several hours, and several drinks, later, the three Immortals and stumbled out of the bar, far past closing time. Joe had called a cab for himself about an hour earlier, throwing the keys to Duncan and bidding them a good night's walk home.
"Dammit." Zada said, stumbling into Methos as he was putting on his overcoat. "Why is it that whenever I'm around you, I always end up drinking way too much?"
"Oh, no," Methos slurred, "You're not pinning this on me, the Highlander started that round of ouzo."
"Which round? I thought there were about four rounds of ouzo." Duncan said, trying to walk without stumbling.
"We started on the ouzo after we ran through...." Zada started to say, then lost her train of thought. "Oh, I don't know." She looked around. "Where are we going again?"
"Back to the loft." Duncan helped her light her cigarette, singeing his thumb in the process.
"I want breakfast." she said, watching the eastern sky begin to glow with the false dawn.
"I'll make it, like I always do when we get together." Methos said, putting his arm around her waist.
"Always?" Duncan asked. "I've seen you cook, Methos."
"It's better than her doing the cooking." Methos said, then lowered his voice. "She's burned water before. I'm not quite sure how she did it, but she did."
"Hey!" Zada objected. "I can cook!"
"I'm not saying you can't, I'm just saying that you can't cook well." Methos tried to make it sound better, failing miserably. "Anyway, you've got some bacon and a few eggs and the loft, so I'll make breakfast."
"Methos," Duncan gave him a look. "How do you know what's in my cupboards?"
"Because I bought them."
"And why are they at my place?"
"Come off it, Highlander." Methos did one of his famous shrugs. "I know Joe told you I was staying at the loft. You left no food, and more importantly, no beer. So I bought some."
"Don't tell me, Duncan," Zada started, "He said something to the effect of my house is your house when you two met."
"Mi casa es sou casa, to be exact."
"That's where you made the mistake." she laughed, taking Duncan's hand while Methos had his arm around her waist.
They entered the dojo and felt the sensation of another Immortal in the building.
"Expecting company, Macleod?" Zada said, wishing she had her sword.
"It's probably Richie." Duncan said, pulling his sword out just in case.
"It better be him. I'm too drunk to deal with anyone else." Methos said, holding onto Zada, letting Duncan lead the way.
"Who's Richie?" she whispered as they got into the elevator.
"Macleod's newest student. He's an interesting kid." Methos whispered back, laying his head on her shoulder. "I missed you." he mumbled in Phoenician, kissing her lightly on the neck, closing his eyes.
The elevator stopped and Duncan lifted the gate with one hand, katana ready in the other.
"Mac?" A young man's voice came from the kitchen area. Zada saw Duncan's newest student walk up to them, pint of Ben and Jerry's in his hand.
"Hey Rich." Duncan lowered his katana. He looked around for a moment, trying to remember what he was going to say. "What're you doing here?" he said, dropping back into his Scottish accent.
"I just stopped by on my way out of town to say bye and," Richie began, then noticed Methos and Zada leaning on each other. "You're all drunk." he laughed.
"I am not drunk." Duncan said, dropping onto the couch clumsily. "They are."
"Hey, old man." Richie put down his ice cream and put out his hand to Zada. "Hello, I'm Rich Ryan."
Zada tried to greet him in Arabic, then realized who she was talking to. "Glad to meet you, Richie. I'm Tekla Tchen Olande Zada Orlenda. Call me Allegra."
"That's a mouthful. Meth- Adam, where did you find her?"
"Somewhere outside of the city of Carthage."
"Carthage? Hasn't that like been destroyed, for like forever and a day ago?"
"Only about two thousand years ago, thank you very much." Zada said, affronted. "I'm not That Old."
"She's one of my students, brat." Methos slurred, walking past them and picking up the pint of ice cream. "And this is My ice cream!"
"I thought it was Mac's." Richie said, looking apologetic to Zada. "You were actually trained by the old man? That must have been interesting. The only thing I thought he could teach would be 'Drinking 101'."
"That was something I've never had trouble with. But yes, he trained me." Zada said, trying to find a place to sit down to make the world stop spinning quite so rapidly. "Excuse me, but is that the only couch?"
"Yep. Macleod lives quite spartanly. The bed's over there, beçu, if you have to lay down." Methos said, eating ice cream.
"I thought I broke him of that 'eternal bachelor pad' look back in the 60's."
"You knew Mac back in the 60's?" Richie looked surprised.
"I've been around some." Zada walked over to the bed and laid down, then looked at Methos. "Gimme."
Methos walked over and sat down next to her on the bed, feeding her some ice cream spoon by spoon.
"Well, it's just on dawn, I need to get going." Richie said, noticing that Duncan was snoring on the couch. "Tell Mac I'll see him in a week or so."
"Alright, brat." Methos said without looking away from Zada. "Where're you going?" he said as an afterthought.
"I'm going down to LA to visit some friends. One of them is getting married, so I figured I go and watch them get hitched." Richie picked up his bag and got into the elevator. "Nice meeting you, Zada. Hope you're here when I get back."
"Now where were we?" Methos said, putting the container of ice cream on the floor and laying down next to Zada.
"We were eating ice cream."
"Did you want anymore?"
"Not really." She listened to the rhythm of Duncan's breathing for a moment. "Methos..."
"Hmm?" he responded, half asleep.
"I was just thinking."
"That's dangerous." he mumbled.
"No, really." She sat up, trying to get his attention by laying on his chest. "What ever happened to Byron?"
"Macleod killed him. Not that long ago. He had lost the ability to truly live." He looked into her eyes in the dim light.
"He burned out, like a star."
"Yes." he said with a sigh. "Why do you ask?"
"I was thinking of the last time we were together." She laid her head on his chest. "That night when we fought."
"Don't think about it. It's past."
"I know." she snuggled closer to him. "I just didn't want you to think that I was still upset about it."
He kissed the top of her head, noticing the scent of her hair. "I know. I tried locating you for years, but you were always a step or so ahead. I wanted to apologise."
She tilted her head up and kissed him passionately. He returned the kiss, two thousand years slipping away in a moment, flinging them back to the first time they had ever kissed.
It is always like this, Zada thought. Whenever we are around each other, we always end up like this. Ever since their first romantic encounter.
CARTHAGE-276 B.C.
It had been a good day in Zada's opinion. She had bested her teacher in combat three times in a row, and as a present for that, she had spent the day in Carthage, shopping with the full purse he had given her. Now she returned to their campsite outside the city, dusk falling on her and her basketful of goods she had bought.
"Methos?" she yelled as she came to the campsite's boundary and felt his presence. "I've got some beautiful cloth!"
She stood frozen in place when she felt the presence of another Immortal and heard the sound of sword on sword. Dropping her basket in the dust, she ran to the other side of the large tent, where the noise was coming from.
As she advanced on the two locked in challenge, the grabbed her own sword, planning that if this stranger took her teacher's head, he would not survive to see the next day. She watched the two combatants avidly, noting the Roman armour the stranger was wearing, swearing to herself about the Roman pig.
Her teacher fell and the Roman punched him in the face as he fell, knocking him unconscious. Zada screamed and ran into the fight, her sword raised to strike.
She caught the Roman off guard, knocking his own sword out of his hand and next to the prone body of her teacher.
"This isn't allowed!" the Roman screamed at her as she moved to take his head.
"Damn the Rules." she responded, then swung, taking his head in the movement. "You tried to kill him."
The Roman's quickening assaulted her, her body rigid with rage and fright as she was lifted up off the ground. She fell to the ground when it dissipated, her teacher, conscious, a few feet away.
He got up from his place and helped her up. "Tchen," he began, his temper up, "Why in the gods' thoughts did you step in on a challenge like that? You know it's forbidden!"
She stopped short and began crying. "I thought..." she sobbed, letting go of his hand. "I thought that he was going to kill you! And I couldn't let that happen!"
Methos stood there for a moment, then walked to her and embraced her tightly. "It's alright. Hush, now." He placed his hands around her face, making her tear-streaked face meet his. "I didn't think how you would react, seeing me in a challenge. But, you knew that you interfering broke the Rules."
"I did it so you would survive! I don't know what I'd do without you!" she said, staring at his face for his reaction. It was not what she expected.
His eyes had the flint-like look to them she had come to expect, then they softened dramatically, taking on a green cast. He looked at her for what seemed like the first time, and leaned down, kissing her passionately.
She pushed away from him at first, fighting the close contact of a man. Then she stopped fighting, realising this was what she wanted. To be with him, not just as his student. They both realised in that moment that they had fallen in love with each other. And that there was nothing they could do to stop it.
She pushed away from him after a moment, looking at her former teacher seriously in the dim light of Macleod's loft.
"Methos," she said, breaking the spell of the moment, "I'll not fall for you again. Nothing good ever comes out of this."
"What do you mean?" Methos said brusquely, frustrated that they seemed to have this conversation every few hundred years.
"I mean that all we usually end up doing is getting together, then trying desperately to then get out of the relationship."
"It doesn't happen like that."
"Yes it does. Remember Persia?"
"That was just a bad time. I was upset with Todros, and you were trying to goad me into fighting him."
"I was trying to get you to stop seeing the harlot next door by sleeping with Todros. And that was an easy time!"
"You were sleeping with Todros?" Methos looked shocked. "I thought you said that you weren't."
"That's when I thought you were actually going to kill him. I lied, Methos. I do that occasionally for us to both keep our heads." She realised that Methos really didn't know. "I'm sorry, beçu, I thought you knew."
"No, I didn't. I believed you when you said that you...." He stopped for a moment, then shrugged. "Well, that's in the past. Ancient history, as it were." He paused. "You actually slept with him?"
"Repeatedly. He was trainable."
"Zada!"
"What?" she got up and found her cigarettes in her coat, then lit one. "You're telling me that you didn't sleep with Asiya?"
"Well, that was...." Methos stuttered.
"That was the same thing, Methos." she sat down next to him. "It's always the same. I fall for you, and you for me, then we try to hurt each other when we begin to feel trapped." She put her hand on his. "I know that you do, underneath all of it, love me, and I love you."
"Tchen," he said, sitting up to look at her as the dawn came through the windows. "I told Duncan once that I would never marry one of us. That it was too much of a commitment. But we did have it good for a few centuries here and there, didn't we?"
"Yes. We did."
"So," he got up and retrieved an ashtray for her. "Let's see if we can get it right this time. Give me two weeks, and if you hate me, I'll give up." He looked at her with his best smile, his hazel eyes taking on a green cast.
"You know what you're asking for, don't you?" She smiled as he did. "How about this, I'll sleep on it. I'll give you your answer in the morning."
"It is morning." he said with a grin, pointing at the windows.
"It's not the next day til I sleep. You remember my rules."
"Oh, yes." Methos pulled down the covers of the bed. "Let us sleep then."
"I better not wake up to you putting your patented 'moves' on me, Methos." she said, getting into bed next to him after putting out her cigarette.
"Never." Methos said in his best angelic voice.
They drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.
X. Lise woke to the sound of her computer talking to her.
"Incoming files." It droned in its mechanically-produced voice."Incoming files."
She threw a stuffed toy at it, then realised it wouldn't shut up until she brought up the files. She got up out of bed, trying not to wake the man that was sleeping next to her.
"Please don't wake up." she whispered to her on again off again lover as she walked into the adjoining room where her computer was.
Sitting down at her desk, she flipped on the lamp and stared at the computer screen, looking to see who sent her such a big file. When she realised that Joe Dawson was the one who sent it, she almost screamed like a little girl, covering her mouth at the last moment so as not to wake the man in the next room.
"Yesyesyes..." she grinned at the computer as it brought up the files she had requested. "I'll find her..."
She spent most of the morning going through the files Joe Dawson had sent her, only getting up for some coffee. After about two hours, she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"What're you doing up this early?" the man said, his hair dishevelled, wrapped up in one of her sheets. He looked over shoulder at the computer screen and began to read one of the files. She turned off the monitor quickly and turned to him.
"Just some stuff I had one of the guys in the company send me, Michael. Some old history texts." she said quickly. He didn't know about her working for the Watchers, and she liked it that way. No impropriety on breaking her Watcher's Oath, especially since she didn't really know him that well despite the two years they had been dating. At least that's what she called when he would show up in the middle of the night at her flat and they would have sex.
"Your coworker must be an early riser. It's not even eight o'clock yet." he said, yawning.
"Oh, actually, he's probably just now going to bed. He's over on the West Coast of America." she noticed that Michael wanted coffee by the way he was eyeing her cup. "Do you want some?"
"If you would, Lise." he said, putting on a winning smile.
"I'll have to make some more, but I won't be a minute." She got up and went into the kitchen. He took the opportunity to turn on the monitor of her computer and scan the file she had been looking at.
He scrolled down the file and saw that it was about someone he knew from another lifetime.
"Zada." he whispered to himself. "You're still around?" He smiled an evil smile. "That can be fixed."
"What was that?" Lise called from the kitchen.
"Nothing. Just talking to myself." He read through the document and read the note attached from this other Watcher. He just didn't seem to be telling the whole truth in this letter. He scrolled down the document until he saw the address that it came from. "Seacouver it is, then." Zada owed him, at least enough to die by his hand. He had waited more than long enough, more than eighty years in fact, to get his revenge on her.
Being attached to a Watcher had certain perks, he thought. Even if she didn't know she was being used. He turned off the monitor as he heard the Watcher coming back.
"Here's your coffee then." Lise said, returning from the kitchen. "I know you like it black. Don't you?"
"Thank you, Lise." he brightened his smile. "You know, I was just thinking that we need a holiday."
"Me and you?" Lise said, shocked. "You mean us, going as a couple, somewhere, right?"
"Yes." he chuckled. "Your friend in America made me think of it, actually. I've got a bit of business to do in Seacouver, but I was thinking of doing some sightseeing also. Would you like to go?"
"That would be wonderful, Michael." Lise was still unconvinced for a moment that Michael Gasparri would want to go on holiday with her, but a phrase her mother used to say popped in her head, never look a gift horse in the mouth.
"When would we leave? I mean, I'd have to arrange for the time off and everything, not to mention packing."
"Could you call and take a leave of absence today? I'll arrange everything else. We could leave tomorrow if you like."
"Tomorrow?" Lise thought about it for a moment. "I could do it. I do have some holiday time coming. Let me call Alan and fix it."
"I've got to go to my office and set everything up also." Michael walked into the bedroom and began putting on his clothes. "I'll meet you back here tonight around sixish, if that's alright with you."
"That sounds lovely."
"Good. Then it's settled." Michael flashed his winning smile at her again. "Holiday in Seacouver."
XI. Zada awoke to the smell of bacon and eggs cooking. She opened her eyes to the noon day sun, looking past Metho's gangly form sprawled over her towards the kitchen. Duncan was dressed and cooking, looking tired but better than she thought she did.
"Morning." she said, removing herself out from under Methos and walking to the kitchen.
"Afternoon, actually." he grinned at her. "Hope you slept well. I know I slept like a rock."
"A noisy rock, but a rock." She picked at the bacon. "I had forgotten that you snored."
"So did I." Duncan pointed with his spatula towards the prone form of Methos. "I didn't hear him, though. That's a shock."
"He never snores when sleeping next to a lady." Zada laughed. "That's what he says anyway. You were probably just too drunk."
"Well, Joe came and got me for Amanda's arraignment this morning." He laid the eggs one by one on a plate.
"How bad is it?"
"The judge wouldn't set bail. Said that she was a flight risk."
"She is."
"So, I'm going to go and see her this afternoon." Duncan brought the plates to the coffee table with Zada following.
"Do you want some company?"
"Thanks, but no. I'm going to try to be on my best behaviour with her, but it's still not going to be pretty."
"Did someone make breakfast?" Methos called from the bed. "I'm famished."
"Over here, beçu." She said, leaning over the back of the couch. "Duncan cooked for us."
Methos swore in Etruscan, trying to get out of bed.
"What did he just say?" Duncan said between bites.
"You don't want to know." Zada mumbled. "He can get quite colourful in some of the old languages."
"He's quite colourful enough in English, thank you."
Methos looked as if he had been wrung through the wash, his hair in need of being washed, and his clothes in need of an iron.
"You're a lovely sight to wake up to." Duncan laughed as he saw him.
"Not all of us can look like we popped off of a romance novel cover, Highlander." he mumbled, sitting on the couch next to Zada. He started picking off of her plate as she was eating, not seeming to bother her.
"Is he always like this?" Duncan looked at Zada, ignoring his last comment.
"I'm sure he wasn't as a child, but you get used to it." she said as he grabbed a piece of bacon from her plate. "You have a plate on the table. If you take another thing off of my plate, I'll stab you with my fork." she said calmly to Methos.
"Anyway," she returned to her conversation with Duncan, "When are you going to visit with her?"
"Who?" Methos butted in. "The jailbird, Amanda?"
"About one thirty." Duncan replied, ignoring Methos.
"It is one thirty, Macleod." Methos said, looking at his watch.
"Damn!" Duncan jumped up from the chair and grabbed his overcoat in one move. "Joe said he'd be by later. Make yourself comfortable, Zada." and left by way of the side door. Methos looked at her with a smile, saying nothing but moving closer to her.
"Do you want some toast?" she dangled a piece of toast in front of his nose, a crafty grin on her face. He bit at it, grabbing just a tiny piece, Zada pulling the toast back at the last minute. This game continued until they started to run out of food, their faces just a breath apart. Methos' grin disappeared and was replaced by a look of longing.
They kissed deeply, but broke away from one another when the sound of the elevator coming up the well startled them back to reality.
"This better be important." Methos mumbled, moving away from Zada just a touch.
"Methos?" a familiar voice called up to them.
"Hey, Joe." Methos yelled back. "We're up here."
"Hey, Zada." Joe said, lifting the gate to the elevator as it stopped. "Thought you would have gone with Mac."
She shrugged and began picking up the dishes from breakfast, walking to the kitchen. "He decided it would be better for him to go alone. He's obstinate like that." she said, watching Methos pick up his own overcoat out of the corner of her eye.
"Hate to break this up, but I must go and find a place to live." Methos looked over the loft. "This place is getting too small, and I'd rather not wear out my welcome too much." He walked over to Zada and kissed her on the cheek chastely. "I'll be back soon, beçu."
"Why is everyone leaving me?" Zada said after Methos left. "You'd think I was a plague victim or something."
"I won't leave, Zada." Joe said dramatically. "They just don't understand the beauty they've left behind."
"Story of my life, Joe." she laughed. "So, what brings you by?" She finished putting the dishes in the washer, and wandered back over to the couch, Joe following.
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you." he said, placing himself in a chair opposite her. "I had to satisfy my curiosity about how you disappeared from our records twenty years ago. That is, if you will tell me."
She looked uncomfortable for a moment, then shrugged and said, "It's pretty simple, Joe. My Watcher, Jonathon Wilde, met with a horrible car accident on a back road in West Virginia." Joe gave her a look. "I did not cause it, nor did I have anything remotely to do with it. I liked him immensely, actually." Glancing down at her hands for a moment, she recalled the last time she had seen her last Watcher alive.
"He had gone into town to get some groceries, knowing I wouldn't be going anywhere that day because I was trying halfheartedly to finish my twenty-odd attempt at the Great American Novel.
"So, as Jon was driving back, he saw what looked to be a Quickening from the edge of my property and his property, lost control of the vehicle somehow, and died a few hours later at the county hospital."
"Was it?"
"Was it what?"
"A Quickening?" Joe said impatiently.
"I don't know." she sighed. "It wasn't me, and I felt no other Immortals near. Of course, Jon kept on ranting about it as a Quickening, up until his last breath." She was quiet for a moment, then looked up at Joe.
"You were there when he died?"
"Yes, and I held his hand as he died. We were close." Her eyes lost focus for a moment, then returned to her eternally guarded look. "We were friends. I knew what and who he was, and it was his job to know who I was. We shared confidences, not unlike Duncan and you."
"Why did you take off like you did?" Joe looked confused. "The reports stated that you disappeared a few minutes after he died."
"Because he told me something important." She lit a cigarette, taking a moment to inhale. "Jon told me that your organization would be sending an enclave because of his death. He made me aware of the fact that it would probably be the only time I could escape, truly, from the Game. To get away from all that even knew of Immortals' sheer existence."
"He told you that?"
"Yes," she saw his confusion. "He knew that was my greatest wish. To disappear, at least for some time." She laughed weakly. "I know that it is inevitable to have to come back to the damnable Game, but I wanted to come back to it on my own terms. Not someone else's."
They were both silent for a moment, Joe understanding Zada much better. "That's why you reacted like that when I was on the phone last night. It wasn't on your terms."
"Yes," she smiled, "and no. A lot of my actions last night were based solely on fear. If you couldn't tell, I hate feeling not in control of my surroundings." She stood, walking over to the armoire where Duncan's stereo was.
"I never thought of you as a control freak." Joe laughed quietly. "At least, not from your Chronicles. You always seemed the first to take a chance, to put your life into Fate's hands."
She found nothing in Duncan's collection of discs and albums that interested her. Looking around the loft, she saw her bag and put in a few discs into the cd changer. "Fate's hands are quite rough and calloused, I fear." she said, selecting some tracks to play. "I found that out after a few centuries."
Joe was shocked into quiet when the music she picked began. He needed to stop thinking of her as an ancient wonder to study, and begin thinking of her as a real person, especially since through her he was receiving his introduction to Gothic and Industrial music.
"What's this?" Joe said, watching Zada sway unconsciously to the music coming from the sound system.
"Bauhaus. A Gothic band from the 70's. Not the art movement." she said, not paying much attention to anything but the music. "You've never heard this?" she looked at Joe, awed.
"I'm more of a blues man, really."
"Gothic is just an extension of blues from earlier in this century. Think about the lyrics. Most of them are about loss and survival, though their content has changed slightly."
"I never realised you were this involved in music." Joe said, yet again reassessing his opinion of her.
"I come from a culture that depends on music for survival. The Romani's culture is only found closest to its original form in its music, any longer." she sighed. "That seems to be the only thing to survive from what began, unfortunately. I saw on the news that they are trying to form some sort of council for 'natural' Rom. It will destroy what little culture is left in them, organising like that." she looked at Joe, who she seemed to have lost with her views on her distant family. "But music, music is the closest thing to the Gods, my mother said. I've always embraced the new views on it. Of course, she also said it would find me a good husband."
Zada and Joe sat in the loft for the next few hours, talking about music. She was happily surprised to find someone who was as interested in music as she, even though Joe didn't understand most of the things she would play for him out of her collection. It didn't matter to her. All that mattered was that he sat and listened, then they would talk about what he had just heard. Discussion about anything, with someone who understood what she was, now that was a much-missed experience.
In the middle of talking about how she thought of a modern singer Joe had never heard of before used the same style and posturing of Billie Holiday, she felt the presence of another Immortal. Stiffening and reaching for her duffel bag where her sword was, the elevator rose to show a very wet and bedraggled Methos.
"What happened, beçu?" she said, getting up and grabbing a small dishtowel for him. He looked at the towel deploringly, taking his sodden overcoat off and draping it on a dining chair.
"You didn't notice the skies opening up, looking like the Great Flood revised?" he said, grabbing the towel and rubbing his head.
"No, actually. Joe and I were too involved in our conversation to notice the rain, I guess." she hid a smile from him. "You look horrible."
Methos glared at her. "Not a bloody word, Zada." He began taking off articles of clothing, wandering towards the bathroom. "Not a bloody word." he said right before slamming the door to the bathroom.
"How did you live with him for so long?" Joe said, finally breaking into laughter.
Zada laughed with him. "I learned to ignore him when he gets like this. Once one of his sulking moods hit him, and he was like that for three years."
Joe laughed and Zada looked serious. "I'm not joking. I thought I was going to have to take his head, just to put him out of my misery."
"I heard that." Methos popped his head out of the bathroom to harass them.
"Hush, beçu." she said, not even turning around. "Or I'll turn on the kitchen faucet."
Zada resumed her place on the couch, glancing once at the bathroom door.
"You love him still, don't you?" Joe said.
"I've always believed that once you love someone truly, you cannot ever not love them." she sighed. "Even if you hate them, some part of you is still in love with some trivial thing that they would do to make you laugh."
"What did Methos do to make you hate him once?"
"He told me the truth." She grabbed another cigarette. "Many times, and many truths. I've always hated that he was right, in most cases."
"You are one of the most interesting people I have ever met, Zada." Joe grinned at her.
"Aw, I bet you say that to all the Immortal gals out there." she gushed dramatically.
"Not all." Joe rose from his chair slowly. "But I must be going now. I've got to break in a new bartender tonight, and I better be prepared for the worst."
She walked him to the elevator, impulsively giving him a hug at the last moment. "Thank you, Joe."
"For what?"
"Being you." she smiled. "And not turning me in to your little group."
"Lise won't be an easy person to dissuade."
"Give me time, and I'll present myself like a proper debutante to your society." Zada stood with perfect posture. "I'll knock their socks off."
"Alright." Joe laughed, envisioning her in a debutante's dress. "I'll lead her away for now. As long as you don't stop talking to me."
"Of course. It's a deal." she said, shaking his hand. "I'll see you later." she said as the elevator began its descent.
Methos stepped out form his shower not long after that, looking like he was in a much better mood than before, He stood by the armoire in nothing but a towel, a smile playing across his face.
Zada smiled in return, walking over to her former teacher. "Do you feel better?"
"I'll feel better even more if you rub my back."
"Lay down, beçu." She followed him over to the bed, straddling his back after he laid down. She began rubbing his sore muscles, remembering exactly how much pressure to use on the oldest immortal's back.
"So, did you find an apartment?" she asked, kneading her hands into his shoulders.
"Yeah," Methos said in between moans. "It's a decent place. Nice view. Got it for a steal, which works in Adam Pierson's financial point of view." Moaning again, telling Zada she was doing a good job.
"That's good." she placed her palms flat on his back and pushed on his vertebrae. "How's that?"
"Hmm." he moaned in pleasure until she stopped. "Thank you, I needed that." He turned himself around with her still straddling his waist, a sly grin on his face. "Have you thought on what I said last night?"
"Yes," she said, moving off and lying next to him. "I've thought on it."
"And?"
"I'll give it a chance. Again. If things start souring, I'm out of here." Zada pulled a cigarette from her pack.
"I solemnly promise not to do anything to make you go away." He rolled over to where he was almost on top of her, their faces inches away from each other. "We've got some time to make up."
"Methos," she began, but was stopped by his mouth on hers. She gave up on any more talk for now, knowing that it was useless.
They made love there in the loft, exploring each other's bodies, rediscovering all the delicate places, long forgotten to both of them, but as close to them as this moment.
Their bodies glistened with the sheen of sweat when they ended, grasping on to one another like one of them would break the spell of this moment, not caring what happened outside of their embrace.
"I had forgotten..." Methos said quietly in Phoenician, laying his hand on her cheek.
She replied in Phoenician, "My heart is yours. It always has been, and it always will be."
They both felt the presence of another Immortal at the same moment, looking at each other in horror.
"Macleod!" Methos said as they both jumped up out of bed and rushed into their clothes like teenagers seeing their parents' headlights through a window. The dreaded sound of the elevator made them move even faster, Zada fully dressed and Methos running to the bathroom where the rest of his clothes were.
The elevator stopped and Duncan removed himself from it, Wondering why Zada looked so suspicious, standing there smiling at him vacantly. He noticed her glance at the bathroom out of the corner of her eye, and his eyes wandered there also as he heard a loud bang and Methos swearing.
"Zada," Duncan said as he laid his coat on the back of a chair, "What's going on?"
She gave him an innocent look. "Not much." she walked to him, quickly, leading him away from the bathroom and into the kitchen. "How was your visit with Amanda?"
"She's still alive, if that's what you mean." Duncan glanced back at the bathroom door, a concerned look on his face. "What's Methos doing?"
"Just getting dressed." Zada said, amending that quickly, "From his shower."
"Why are you acting so strangely?"
"What do you mean?" she said, looking angelic.
"Something's going on. You never look like that unless you're up to something."
"How is Amanda?" Methos said, breaking into her grilling session.
"What is going on, Methos?" Duncan said, hoping that the two ancient Immortals would 'fess up.
"What're you talking about?" Methos shrugged innocently, falling into his Adam Pierson persona.
"Hmph. You two are insufferable." the Highlander huffed, sitting down on the couch in defeat.
"Macleod," Methos said, "I don't know what you're talking about, but you'll be happy to hear that I've found myself a place to live."
"Not here, correct?"
"Not here. I'll be out of here tonight, in fact." he said, pulling his things together in his bags as he spoke, glancing at Zada earnestly.
"Why don't I help you?" she said, putting things into his bags. She grinned at Methos as they both placed things in his bags, thinking about their encounter a few minutes ago.
"Are we planning on going to Joe's tonight?" she looked at Methos, then Duncan.
"I was going to grab a bite to eat, but after that of course." Methos said, placing the last of his things in his bags. "Wanna go?"
"Sounds good. What're you feeling like?" she replied, walking with him towards the elevator.
"What about me?" Duncan yelled to them as they got into the elevator.
"Oh, we'll see you later, Duncan." she said as the elevator lowered.
"Yeah, see you at Joe's Macleod." Methos yelled up. He turned to her and put his arm around her. "You want to go to my place for a bit and finish what we began in the loft?" he said slyly, nibbling on her neck.
"That sounds like fun." she mumbled right before they kissed.
That's all for now! Check back soon for the completion of this story!