Disclaimer, notes and warning about not warning available on the prologue.
After the Dream
Chapter Two of Twelve
Duncan fell back on the hotel bed with a relieved sigh. He'd arrived in Stockholm in a casket as Connor and the immortals who ran their sanctuary insisted that he not be able to pick out which country he left. Connor had left to finish putting his papers in order so he could legally board a plane to France. He had never liked traveling as a dead man even though he'd been forced to do it a few times before over the centuries. Alone in that coffin he'd been forced to spend hours sorting through his memories attempting to discern what was real and what had been formed by his subconscious.
One of the most troubling aspects of his awakening was the implication Cassandra made that his dreams had been shaped entirely by his desires. He refused to believe that part of him wanted Connor, Ritchie and Joe dead. Shying away from those thoughts, he began to wonder how everyone had changed. He knew Amanda and Methos would be the same as immortals didn't change that much in just a decade but Joe was mortal.
When he thought about Ritchie, he recalled what Joe had said during a brief phone call a few hours earlier that Ritchie had changed a lot. He was honestly surprised that Ritchie was still alive he'd been worried that his friend would lose his head without him around. He was proud of the job he'd done teaching him and looked forward to seeing how he'd improved.
He closed his eyes to catch a bit of sleep before Connor got back and they had to leave for the airport. He was looking forward to getting back to his home in Paris and seeing his friends again. Then he'd be able to put the nightmare behind him and get on with his life.
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"Ritchie should be here shortly." Amanda turned toward Joe as he continued tiredly. "My contacts at the airport said he cleared costumes with no problems." Amanda nodded, it was never fun flying with a sword. There was always the chance that it would get ceased and you'd end up with a bunch of red tape.
She looked back and saw him frowning in thought. "It still bothers you that Ritchie killed Andrew, doesn't it?" She hadn't seen Ritchie since that business with Cory back at the dawn of the new millennia.
"Doesn't it bother you?" Joe asked tiredly. "Wasn't Andrew one of your friends as well?" Joe began to clean a few glasses in response. Amanda took a moment to look around the bar before she answered him.
"Andrew was never really my friend." Amanda said with a shrug. "He didn't care too much for immortals who play the game like I occasionally do." She decided not to bring up the time he threatened her after he learned she framed him for a theft and nearly cost him his heads at the hands of another immortal. "I don't think Duncan is going to be happy about it though." She had to frown at the thought. "He never takes it well when a friend kills a friend regardless of the reasoning."
"How do you think Duncan will react?" Joe asked her after a short pause. "Is he going to be able to forgive Ritchie for it?" Amanda hadn't given it much thought Duncan did tend to give his friends a great deal of slack when they couldn't live up to the standards he tried to hold himself too. However, Duncan didn't have the best track record when dealing with students who didn't live up to his ideals.
"I think that will depend on how Duncan sees Ritchie." She could tell her answer through Joe. "Duncan will forgive his friends nearly anything." Seeing his knowing nod, she went on. "But he's not as forgiving of his students who don't live up to his standards." She smiled. "I'm sure you've read in his chronicles how those incidents turn out."
Joe nodded an extremely worried expression on his face. Amanda didn't think things would turn out that badly she imagined Duncan would be glad to see everyone even if he might be surprised at how things had changed. She didn't blame Ritchie for choosing to live in a way that allowed him to survive even if it wasn't up to Duncan's standards. She also had to admit that time in Brazil had been a lot of fun and taken her mind off the bad way things had gone with Nick after he became immortal.
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Methos set aside Cassandra's letter after reading it for the hundredth time. In the last ten years he'd thought a lot about her accusations in the letter. A great many of them were true he'd made her the broken person she became. He also though a lot about her cryptic warning that when he finally betrayed Duncan he'd get what he deserved.
He also knew that when he inevitably met up with Macleod that he'd ask about the letter and he wasn't sure he wanted Macleod to know it's content. He knew he'd have to seek out Macleod that chapter of his life wasn't closed and there were issues that both needed to address. There was also Joe to consider he was a good friend and at most he only had another couple of decades left before he was gone.
After brooding on things for a while longer he got up to get himself a beer. He'd let Macleod get acquainted with how the world had changed before he showed up perhaps by then Macleod would be too busy dealing with everyone else to ask to many questions about Cassandra's letter.
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Joe had cleaned the bar's glasses for the second time when Ritchie finally arrived. He watched Amanda give him an enthusiastic hug in greeting and commented on his current pitch black hair. "I had a bit of trouble and needed a new look." Amanda smiled at him and then led him over to the bar. "It's good to see you again Joe." Ritchie said with only a bit of hesitation.
"It's good to see you too, Ritchie." He knew something of his thoughts must have shown because Ritchie quickly turned back to talking with Amanda. He watched as Ritchie whispered something in her ear that made her slap him playfully. "What's so funny?" He asked missing the easy comradery everyone used to have.
"I was asking if Amanda still had the tattoo she got in Brazil." Joe saw Amanda giving Ritchie a mock glare. Joe noticed Amanda wasn't answering. "I mean she'll have to tell us because it's not in a place she usually shows off in public."
"If you want to discuss embarrassing stories about our little caper in Brazil in front of Joe we can." Amanda said with a wicked smile. "Shall I tell him all about that incident with room service?" Joe had read the reports on the theft Ritchie, Amanda, and Cory Raines had pulled off in Brazil a few years ago but he didn't know all the details.
"Sure go ahead." Ritchie said with a wink at Joe. "He might even get a thrill out of it." Amanda laughed and Joe wondered what joke was being made at his expense. He didn't care for a few moments things were back like they were before any of this happened just three friends killing time while waiting for Macleod.
The rather happy moment was shattered by the phone ringing. He left the two of them looking slightly self conscious to answer the phone. "Dawson, Here." He said simply and wasn't surprised to find Connor on the other end of the line.
"Joe, there's been a problem getting Duncan a new id and we won't be able to leave Stockholm till tomorrow." Joe frowned everyone was anxious to see Duncan and the longer things were put off the worse they would be.
"I'll let Ritchie and Amanda know." Joe was surprised when Connor asked to speak to Ritchie but he nodded and setting the headset down went to get him. "Ritchie, Connor wants to talk to you?" He knew Ritchie had spent some time in New York but he wasn't if the two had stayed in touch.
"Something the matter?" Amanda asked as he watched Ritchie pick up the headset and start to talk to Connor in a low voice. He turned back to see Amanda was watching him with a concerned expression.
"Duncan's new id is taking longer than expected they're stuck there until tomorrow." He saw Amanda's face fall and her expression began to show a bit of the tension he knew they all felt. He heard Ritchie stop talking and set the phone down. He wanted to ask what the two of them talked about but didn't feel he had the right. "Do you need a place to stay Ritchie there's a spare room in the shop you can use?"
"No, a friend has a house here that he's letting me crash at." Joe nodded in response and looked back at Amanda who still looked upset over the fact Macleod wasn't going to make it on time. "Amanda, why don't you call Nick and check on him?" He saw her start at the mention of her current boyfriend.
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Ritchie let himself into Greg's condo and deactivated the security system. He knew he probably should have gotten a hotel but Gregor had insisted when he called to let him know Macleod was awake. He had enjoyed seeing Amanda and Joe again even if it had reminded him of the rather unpleasant fact he'd come to realize in the aftermath of the incident at the race track.
Their friendships had all been based on the fact they were all connected to Macleod with him incapacitated they had all gone on with their lives and lost touch for a while. It had been a bit sobering to realize that after meeting Mac and Tessa all his old friendships had faded away and he'd become absorbed into Mac's lifestyle. He didn't regret it he'd enjoyed every minute of his time with Mac and Tessa it had been the closest thing to a real family he'd had since Emily Ryan was his foster mother.
Still once Mac was gone there really hadn't been a place for him any more and he'd been forced once again to fend for himself. Joe really couldn't help him too much because of being a watcher and once he killed Andrew Johnson things had changed for good. Joe had always seemed wary around him and he knew it was because Joe didn't approve of how he'd won. He wasn't looking forward to Mac's reaction but he knew there was no escaping having to explain himself to his former teacher.
To be Continued...
