Author's note: Well everybody, here we are finally at the end. I'd like to thank all the readers who have given this story the time of day, and also I'd like to thank everybody who thought it was good enough to review. And once again very much thanks to Shadow3418 for her continual feedback for each chapter. Here's the last chapter, I hope you all enjoy it.

They returned to their hotel room, Kronos and Silas on either side of Methos, more or less holding him up and carrying him along as he'd lost all strength and energy to do anything except continue to moan and scream at the pain he was in. His skin was still ice cold to the touch and Kronos didn't know what was the matter with him. They laid him out on the bed and Kronos went into the bathroom to fill up the tub with hot water, hoping that might restore some heat to Methos' body. Silas went with him, and Kronos told Caspian to stay with Methos.

"You got it," was all he said in response.

"If he tries to get up," Kronos told him, "Sit on his lap, I don't want him moving anymore than he has to until this thing has passed."

"Right."

Caspian got on the bed and lay down beside Methos, rubbing his back and trying to get him to talk. Methos wasn't as loud now as he was on the way back to the hotel, Caspian hoped that meant the pain was leaving him, but it also might've meant he was just too tired to scream anymore.

"It's alright, Methos, it's over now…you're going to be alright."

Methos weakly nodded as if he believed it.

"I know it was horrible to take that Quickening tonight."

Methos made a small sound of agreement as he nodded his head again. Caspian felt Methos' cheek and realized he was warming up finally. Methos tried to raise his arms and then he realized he was still tied up in Silas' coat, he opened his eyes and looked over to Caspian and said, "Get me out of this thing."

"Soon enough, are you feeling better?"

"A little," Methos answered, "Oh but I'm so tired…"

"Then rest, it's over now."

Methos groaned as he turned on his side, "I don't think I've ever felt this awful in my whole life."

Caspian stayed by his side and listened to him for almost half an hour before Kronos and Silas reentered the room. Kronos went over to the bed and sat down beside Methos who had fallen asleep. Kronos felt his skin and now it felt more like he'd been caught in a cold rain rather than left in the ice. He finally looked to be resting peacefully after being in so much pain, Kronos hated to wake him up, but all the same he did. He untied the coat and slipped it off of Methos' body and had his brother follow him into the bathroom. Kronos closed the door behind them and told Methos to take his clothes off. He did and Kronos helped him into the tub and once he felt the hot water against his cold skin, as far as Methos was concerned, he was in heaven.

"You look better now," Kronos said, "Are you feeling better?"

Methos tiredly nodded.

"That's good, I was starting to get worried about you," Kronos told him, "I imagine the whole thing must've scared you half to death as well."

"Oh for a while," Methos replied, "Kronos, I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?"

"For what Nebtawi did to you."

Kronos' eyes hardened when he heard that. Methos was worried he'd said the wrong thing again. All Kronos had to say about it was, "Don't think about it."

Methos waited until Kronos had moved over to the door before he spoke again.

"Why didn't you tell me about it?" Methos asked.

"Probably for the same reason you didn't tell me about when you were there," Kronos replied.

"I have another question but I don't know if I should ask it," Methos said.

"What is it?"

"Is that how you got your scar?"

Kronos looked back at him for a minute before answering.

"I got this," he pointed to the scar that ran down from his eye, "From fighting with the bastard. At the time it happened, he got something far worse than that, so I consider this to be something worth showing off. Don't feel sorry for me, I'm just sorry that you had to be the one he picked as a replacement."

"I survived," Methos replied.

"I know, it's what you always did best, unfortunately."

"Hey."

"I didn't mean it like that…you know I love you."

"Yeah."

Kronos walked back over to the tub and knelt down by Methos' side. "My little brother…sometimes I wonder what I did to deserve finding you."

"Oh I'm sure it was probably something in a past life," Methos smugly replied.

Kronos laughed as he reached over and grabbed Methos and started kissing him. Methos struggled and squirmed and he finally wriggled out of Kronos' hold and commented, "I really think we need to find you a woman."

Kronos stood up and stroked the top of Methos head as he told him, "Enjoy your bath, after that we're going to get you ready for bed, and then tomorrow we're going home."

That brought Methos back to something he'd been wondering before.

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you, Kronos."

"What's that?"

"Well…do we have to go back to Nosara?"

"What do you mean?"

This was harder for Methos to say than he'd thought. "I guess what I mean is that…I'm looking forward to going back with the three of you, but I want to come back here as well to the others."

The look on Kronos' face wasn't one Methos could read, but it looked like Kronos couldn't figure out what Methos was asking.

"Four thousand years ago when we were together," Methos said, "The only people we could trust were each other, I guess that's why we've lasted as long as we did. But now, Kronos…I know it sounds bad, but you're not my only family anymore…I have friends here…some of them aren't too good but the others are worth coming back for."

Kronos nodded, "I know, I could see that earlier tonight…those two seem to really love you."

Methos nodded, "Richie sure seemed to take it hard…you should've heard the things he was saying when I went to the bar."

"I know," Kronos said, "He seems to be particularly fond of you."

"Well, Joe likes me too," Methos told him, "He and I go back the farthest."

Kronos nodded, "I could tell…"

Kronos watched as Methos laid back in the tub and closed his eyes. He knew that this day had been nothing short of exhausting for his brother, but now finally the nightmare was over. Hopefully now they would be able to put a lot of what they'd gone through recently behind them.

After Methos had been in the tub for an hour, Kronos pulled the plug and helped him out and helped him dry off.

"Now," Kronos told him, "Let's get you to bed, we'll be leaving for home at 10 tomorrow."

He helped Methos get dressed for bed and the two walked back into the bedroom. Kronos picked Methos up and dropped him in the middle of the bed and lay down beside him. Methos was so tired he couldn't even keep his eyes open, but for the first time in a long time he looked happy, truly happy.

"Go to sleep," Kronos told him.

Methos tiredly nodded in response as he turned on his side and closed his eyes. Kronos pulled up the covers on him and curled up next to him as he too fell asleep.

When Methos awoke the next morning, it was light out but there was no sunlight. He guessed it was going to storm again, it seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. He was certain there was some irony in how the weather was always bad when he and Kronos were there. As he started to come around, he realized that it felt like he'd slept for an eternity. Today he realized that something was different. It took him a few minutes to figure it out, but the answer finally came to him. He was an old man who for much of his life had felt the same way, but now today he felt as if thousands of years had been taken off of him. He felt like a new Immortal again, a young one just starting out, he felt as if something or somebody had lifted off all the tension and pain and horrible memories that had haunted him for most of his life. Methos looked up and saw Kronos looking down at him, grinning. Also Methos noted, they were the only two in the room, there was no trace of Silas or Caspian anywhere nearby.

"What're you doing?" Methos asked.

"Nothing, just watching you sleep," Kronos replied.

Methos tiredly laughed, "You've been doing that for over 2000 years, haven't you gotten tired of it yet?"

"No."

"What time is it?"

"Near 10, come on," Kronos pulled the covers down and pulled Methos into a sitting position and helped him out of the shirt he'd worn to bed and into a new one, "Lets get you dressed and then we're going."

"Home?" Methos asked.

"Not yet," Kronos replied as he buttoned up the shirt, "I sent Caspian and Silas out for a while, we'll go get them when we're ready."

"Then where're we going?" Methos asked.

"Well I got to thinking about what you said last night, and before we go back to Costa Rica, I wanted to get something straightened out while we're still here."

"What about?"

"Your friend, MacLeod."

"What about him?"

"You'll see," Kronos replied, "Would he be at the bar around this time?"

"Maybe."

"Good," Kronos said, "Let's go."

"But what're you going to do?" Methos asked.

"You'll see, now come on."

When they reached the bar, the glass company was just leaving, having put in new windows to replace the ones that were shattered the day before.

"He's in there," Kronos told Methos, "Now remember what I told you."

"Okay."

They walked in the door and saw MacLeod seated at the bar and Joe standing behind it, both men looked surprised to see the two Immortals again.

"Methos," Duncan said, "What're you doing here?"

"Came to say goodbye," Methos replied, "We're going back to Costa Rica today."

That hadn't been what either man expected to hear, and they were both shocked. Joe was the one who finally asked, "Are you going to come back?"

"That depends," Kronos told him.

"On what?" Duncan asked.

Kronos' eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at MacLeod. "On you. Is there anything that you have to say to my brother?"

Duncan hadn't been expecting that either, he looked at the two of them and had no idea whatsoever what he was supposed to say.

"Very well then," Kronos said as he grabbed Methos by the arm and started towards the door, "Come on, Methos, we don't want to miss our plane."

"What do you want me to say, Kronos?" Duncan asked.

Kronos stopped and turned around, his eyes sharper now, "It's not a matter of what I want, don't kid yourself. It's my brother who I'm concerned about." Kronos pushed Methos in front of him and grabbed his shoulders. "Look at him, MacLeod, look," Kronos violently shook Methos once, "At" and he shook him again, "Him!" Kronos shook him for the third and final time, jerking Methos' whole body back and forth.

Methos hung his head low and it looked like he was embarrassed, or upset, but in fact he was trying desperately to hide the fact that he was losing a battle with himself trying not to laugh. Kronos was a very good actor when he wanted to be convincing, but he could take dramatic license a bit too far at times.

"If my brother's going to be coming back here without me and I know he will," Kronos continued, "I want to know that there's somebody here who is as concerned about his wellbeing as I am. I warn you, MacLeod, if I ever find out that you've done anything else to hurt him, I'll hunt you down and kill you, no matter how long it takes. This is my little brother, who I fought and killed for a thousand times before you were even born. He's more important to me than you will ever realize, and if anything happens to him…"

He stopped when Methos subtly brought his elbow back against Kronos' stomach. He let go of Methos and said to MacLeod, "I'll leave you two alone for a minute to sort this out, but don't try anything stupid."

Kronos walked out the door but he stayed close enough that he could hear them.

"Just so I'm clear on this," Joe said to Methos, "You lived with that thing for 2000 years?"

"About that," Methos nodded, "He's doing much better now though, he used to be really possessive."

Joe started laughing, "And you're flying 2000 miles back there with that thing and staying with him for how long?"

"Well like he said, that just depends on if I'm welcome back here. I know I am with you, and I'm guessing Richie wouldn't have any objections, but that just leaves one thing to settle."

"Methos," Duncan finally said, "I'm sorry. I feel terrible about what I did, I…"

"It's alright, MacLeod, I'm not as hardheaded as my brother is, after yesterday I had an idea you'd be coming around."

"Can you ever forgive me for acting like a…"

"Like an ass," Joe suggested.

"You don't need to ask for that, MacLeod," Methos told him, "You always had it. Unlike you I've lived too long not to be able to."

"Methos, are you sure you're alright and up to going back with those things?" Joe asked, "After what happened yesterday."

"I'm perfectly alright," Methos answered, "It's been a long time since the four of us have been able to be together, I'd like for it to happen again before fate throws something else my way. Now Joe, will you tell Richie I said goodbye? Tell him I'll be back in a month or so."

"I'll tell him," Duncan said.

"Are you sure he'll listen to you though?" Methos asked.

"I'll tell him," Joe replied, "I'll also tell him that things are about as back to normal between all of us as they're ever going to be."

"Thank you, Joe. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a plane to catch," Methos said, "See you later, Joe..." he turned to Duncan, "So long, MacLeod."

"Wait a minute," Joe said, "Before you go there's something I want to know. Is what Kronos said true?"

Methos turned back towards the bar. "Is what true?"

"When he said that you were his little brother."

Methos nodded, "As far as I know."

"How's that possible?" Duncan asked.

"Kronos was 50 years old and an Immortal for 15 when he finally left Nebtawi, almost immediately after he escaped, I was captured and taken to be his replacement, I was 30 and a new Immortal at the time. And I stayed there until…well, it was too long. Anyway, after Kronos found me, the way it was figured was that he was the oldest, but not much more than Silas was, and Caspian was younger than both of them, but I was the genuine runt of the litter."

"And yet Kronos seems to highly regard you as the one he most prefers," Joe noted.

Methos nodded, "There was always something between the two of us that there never was with the others. I never knew what it was but now I wonder if it had to do with our pasts before we met."

There was an awkward silence between the three of them for a minute before Methos concluded, "If you'll excuse me, I must be off now," he turned to Duncan, "So long, MacLeod."

"Goodbye, Methos."

"Be good," he told him as he headed for the door.

"Well?" Kronos asked as Methos came out, "How did it go?"

"I'll be coming back someday, now let's go get the others," Methos told him.

When the plane landed and they had returned to Nosara, Methos was already going through jetlag. When they got home the first thing he did was go up to his room and go to sleep. Kronos left him alone to rest for a while, a few hours later when he went back to the room, Methos was gone. When Kronos wasn't able to feel Methos' quickening anywhere, he searched the whole house and couldn't find him, and he started to get worried.

Stepping out the front door and off the porch he saw something laying on the sand, he picked it up and saw it was Methos' jacket, a few feet away from that he found Methos' shirt. Stepping further away from the house and closer to the water, he found the rest of Methos' clothes tossed aside in the sand. Kronos still couldn't feel Methos' quickening and he was worried something had gone wrong. He ran out to the shore and dove into the water and swam out hoping to find Methos before something happened. Once he was about a hundred yards from the shore, he looked around and saw no sign of his brother anywhere. Then, he felt a quickening somewhere nearby and he started looking around, but the rising and falling waves all looked the same to him and he couldn't see anybody.

"Methos!"

"Looking for me?" he asked as he emerged behind Kronos.

Kronos turned around and saw him, and he stopped, and laughed, "Lady Godiva I presume."

He lunged at Methos and grabbed him and the two fell back into the seawater, screaming and laughing loud enough to wake the dead. They spent the next hour in the water each trying to drench the other to the bone. When they finally stopped, black clouds had moved in overhead and the sun had disappeared and it was starting to rain.

"Come on," Kronos said, "Let's get back to the house."

They swam back to the shore and Methos picked up his clothes as they went back, and they made it to the front porch just as the rain started to pour down. As Methos got dressed, they stood on the porch for a few minutes watching the storm, the rain beating down, the clouds swirling through the sky, and thunder loud enough that it made the ground underneath them vibrate.

"Nothing quite like a tropical storm," Methos commented as he watched the continuous downpour.

"Come on," Kronos said, "Let's go in."

The storm ended early into the evening. That night Methos seemed for the first time in a long time to be truly alright and Kronos hoped that meant he'd be able to sleep through the night. He himself had gone to bed in his own room alone and within an hour was in a near dead sleep when Methos crept into the room. He turned on the lights and went over to the bed where Kronos was still dead to the world.

Methos sat down on the edge of the bed and pressed down on Kronos' shoulder to wake him up, "Kronos."

He opened his eyes and saw his brother hovering above him.

"Methos, is something wrong?"

"No, I was just wondering if I could stay with you tonight," Methos replied, "It's rather lonely in my room after what we've been through lately."

Kronos nodded and pushed back the covers for Methos to slip in beside him.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Methos replied.

"That's good, we were worried the other night after the quickening."

"Even you?"

"Oh no, the others were worried, you scared the hell out me," Kronos told him.

"I didn't mean to."

"I know. I'm just glad that you're alright now. When I saw that son of a bitch again after all these years I just…I could've reached into him and pulled out whatever heart he had and torn it to shreds. There was no way in hell I was going to let him hurt you again."

That was good to hear, but there was something that Methos still wondered about.

"Kronos, what he said to you…"

Kronos' eyes grew sharp again as he said, "Don't think about it, don't you ever think again about what he said about me, it's over, he's dead and he can't hurt you anymore."

"But he hurt you."

"I survived, I don't care what he did to me, when I found out that he'd done the same things to you for two hundred years, I understood why you never told me about your early life. I can't say I blame you for it."

"In a way I almost envy MacLeod, he never had to know the kind of things we went through, he wasn't put through the pain and humiliation we were," Methos said.

"I don't want to hear anymore about it," Kronos said, "I don't want to hear anything else about Nebtawi or MacLeod or any of them, all that matters is the two of us here and now."

With that, Kronos reached over and grabbed Methos and pinned him against the pillows and kissed him as he had thousands of years ago to quiet Methos when he woke up screaming in terror, and once again he didn't pull away until neither had any breath left in them.

"I've missed this," Kronos told him.

"So have I," Methos replied.

Kronos look him in the eyes and smiled as he commented, "It's good to be back."

That night the two brothers slept peacefully in each other's arms, oblivious to everything surrounding them. Kronos slept with relief that Methos was finally going to be alright, and Methos slept for the first time in his whole life without a worry in the world. Though it had taken 2000 years for the two brothers to come together again without swords aimed at each other's necks, they each knew that the nightmare was over, and they were finally home again. The second chance that Methos had longed for over a course of more than 2000 years had finally been granted, and both knew it had been well worth the wait.