Methos nodded encouragingly to him self, trying not to notice the box in his mind labeled Richie, with a large lock on the front. He thought of squeezing the lid down tighter, wanting an impenetrable seal around it.

But all was lost anyways because he was aware of it's presence, that it existed at all. The name reverberated through out his body, shocking in the depth of the sensation. The knowledge was pushed behind a newly erected wall, and Methos breathed a sigh of relief. Getting in his car to head home.

Resuming the normal routine that had become his life, his life as Adam Pierson, Adam is kept second and front most in his self, it just being yet another of his endless selves, each one taken out when needed, adjusted sometimes to be reused. Usually he started from scratch when he created a new persona, found it almost easier that way, who he became was of no concern of his really, he was apathetic.

At the moment who he was was Adam Pierson, with all of his made up likes and dislikes, his emotions, his made up memories. After all, a man is nothing but the sum of his memories.

He allowed himself a small laugh. Only very few even are aware there is anything else there. That Adam is just a coat thrown on. But its what is underneath that is unknown.

Some leaks out now and then, hinting at the vast depths that make up one as old as he, the shear alienness of his mind.

Adam had all sorts of things he had to do, laundry, and grading massive amounts of term papers from his current classes he was teaching. Slipping into the task at hand time slipped by rapidly.

He looked at the clock across the room, noticing the passage of time, and realed he should probably take a break. Darkness had come earlier, and it was a good time for a drink he thought.

-Mind as well face this head on, putting it off won't solve anything- Methos thought.

So he went to the bar, not feeling anyone else inside he sighed in relief, and walked inside over to where Joe was.

Joe went behind the bar as soon as he saw his friend, pouring a beer automatically for him, sliding it in front of him on a coaster.

'Hey Joe' he said cheerfully.

'Hey your self, so hows everything going? You know Duncan called over here this morning looking for Richie? I guess he didn't show up to run or something.'

Methos remained quiet, drinking his beer.

'So, you gotta know i'm gonna ask man... what was going on here last night. I could see Richie, Duncan couldn't but I could.'

'Well if you saw then what do want me to say?' Methos drank a few sips then said, 'What happened it seems is that Christopher, who Richie took out last night, and I... knew each other... Christopher's even older than your chronicles say, he was about 2500. His quickening was very strong, and it knew me, the feel of me. Same of him to me. Richies quickening, it was the normal pulsing of power but tinged with some distinctly Christopher. Christopher was always a bit aggressive after he'd taken a head, and he was a very very powerful old immortal... and no, just in case your wondering, I don't plan on taking action on Richie for killing him. I don't really care either way. We hadn't exactly been friends ever. Duncan went by Richie's looking for him, and found I was there... still.'

Methos drank some beer in front of him.

Then continued- 'Richie got some of his feelings as well as knowledge. Even with out specifics he now knows lots about me Joe. Quite a a bit more of me than he had, probably more than he ever even wanted to know about me... There are ways, if you are so inclined to learn, to turn quickening healing into pleasure, that will resonate back and forth between people. As your body repairs itself your energy is brought to the front, active if you will, it is drawn out. The healing energy sparks will remain after the wounds repair themselves.'

Methos patiently waited for Joe to understand what it was that he hadn't said. What Duncan hadn't fully grasped earlier. Watching his mind spin around the words, looking for sense.

Joe thought- ...After the wounds have healed... that stuck out in his head. Quickening healing? Healing only comes with hurt, and you'd need to be in pain to have something to heal from... yes... that was what Methos hadn't said. That the pain from the wounds would be with you, it would hurt, so what then? Why get your self to heal? It must be that it turns into something very pleasurable. Then he knew with a definence that was it. That would be for pleasure that you would bother with going through the pain.-

Methos seemed to know exactly when he'd thought that through.

'You need to be pretty continuously healing,' Methos began, 'and strong enough, really strong. Joe, Duncan may be strong, but trust me when I say this, he is nothing compared to me. I'm just stating fact. Joe, i'm over 5000 fucking years old. You don't stay alive that long with out a LOT of skill and ruthlessness. I keep my energy to my self. When you've taken as many heads as I have, lets just say it definitely shows in my energy that immortals can feel, mortals are even able to feel the power rolling off me if I don't keep it dampened... none of this was mentioned to Duncan by the way. I flatten my quickening, draw it in and down, I don't like people to notice me. If I keep my energy down low enough even mortals will look me over. Also, I'm sure you'd like to know, that the reason I don't fight is because it is absolutely no challenge to me, if I fight, I fight to win. Anything I do is just instinct if I don't remember to fight at a lowered level. I don't loose. It can get... messy. I don't really have control over my actions, not if I'm really put up against the wall. I try and keep the rage away, and most of the time I'm successful. I can mange to fight while staying grounded, up until I get a real fear for my life, then its all over. Then I have no control over what level I'm supposed to be fighting at. That I don't like because I like to be in control, what I dislike about fighting is also what I love about it, the lack of thought, of just riding on instinct alone, it's primal in every aspect of the word. Underneath I'm just a killer intent on survival at any cost. What you don't think about is how much of me is the killer. The answer to that is always, how much of one do I have to be to get out of the situation. There is no black and white with me, never has been, don't really understand the idea, it's all just equally gray to me, not even shades of gray.'

'Thank you for telling me that Methos, I'm sure it wasn't easy, your not exactly an open person. Ha ha. So... the only reason I got to know any of that is because Duncan would have told me, you wanted me to hear it from you before, huh' Joe said.

'Also Joe, the stuff I said about my personal quickening, I'm sure I won't have to remind you that no one else knows about it. I didn't explain that to either Duncan or Richie, ok?' Methos said to him.

'I'm glad you shared that with me, that you trusted me enough to. That information is unlike anything mentioned in records. Duncan doesn't know that stuff about you dampening your presence, that your able to?'

'Exactly Joe, and I would like to keep it that way.'