CHAPTER 63
"How could you let that happen?" Duncan was beyond angry when Methos told he and Amanda
what had occurred at the hospital.
"If I could go back and change what happened, I would. Believe me it wasn't easy to know they
were in trouble and be helpless to stop it." Methos replied, the sound of Beth's panicked cries
still ringing in his ears. "But it's done, and if you ask me Claudia is better off because now she
will learn to protect herself."
"Protect herself? She doesn't begin to know the first thing about protecting herself. Have you
seen her hands or the way she babbles on and on about something as insignificant as a
hangnail? She's not ready."
"Claudia knew what she was doing when she picked up that sword. She had seen first hand what
it was like to be the hunted and she didn't like it." Methos retorted. "And as far as not knowing
how to protect herself, I saw a great deal of natural dexterity when she fended off those blows.
No one taught her that, but it was there. She was quite courageous actually."
"I'll need to start her training immediately … tomorrow." Duncan said, shaking his head at the
thought.
"You aren't the one to teach her MacLeod." Methos argued. "She's small and has almost no
strength in her upper body, and she has no patience if she can't see a measure of success along
the way. You'll train her and push her and make sure she abides by all the rules and she'll
become frustrated because no matter what you do, you cannot teach her to win against an
opponent with any real power."
"I'll teach her the same way I was taught. She'll work hard and in time she will become stronger."
"She may not have that kind of time MacLeod. She's not like you. Your methods may have
worked for Richie, but she can't survive by following your boy scout handbook."
"Methos is right." Amanda interrupted. She'd been listening from the doorway. "She'll be an
easy mark if she tries to follow a traditional training regiment."
"Well excuse me for believing that honor and discipline are a good foundation for survival." He
scoffed. "But tell me this. If I am so unprepared to give her the training she needs, who is going
to do it?" he looked from one to the other.
"I'll do it." Methos replied flatly, much to the amazement of the others.
"You're kidding me right?" Duncan doubted he'd make that kind of commitment, especially for
someone like Claudia who Methos seemed to find shallow.
"Amanda can't do it because Claudia is too high strung and would never give her the respect
demanded, because she is a woman. It is too bad really, because she would truly be learning
from someone who knows how to use her small frame to maximum advantage." Methos began.
"No, if Claudia wants to survive she is going to have to train with someone who is not going to let
up or pamper her ego. I don't have the patience for that nonsense and wouldn't be doing her any
favors by caving in."
Deep in thought, he walked over to his coat and pulled out the sword of the immortal Claudia had
beheaded. "I was surprised at how easily she managed to handle this sword, but it is lighter than
it looks …" he extended his arm and made a few swiping motions. "And well balanced. It will do
for her until we can have one especially made."
"I don't like this." Duncan complained.
"What don't you like?" Methos asked. "My choice in weaponry?"
"You know that's not the problem. I know you Methos. You're going to teach her to cut corners
… to create advantage by any means … to ignore the rules."
Methos shook his head and let out a sarcastic laugh. "I'll teach her how to survive MacLeod.
And if that means she relies on her wits instead of strength and skill she does not have to escape
an opponent, or to draw him off guard, or to deliver a deadly blow from an unsuspecting direction
… then that is what she will do. Unless you are comfortable with her time on this earth being cut
short because she had the misfortune to be thrust into the game at such a late stage and in a
time where it is more difficult to watch from the sidelines."
Duncan didn't like the argument, but as much as he hated to admit it … Methos was right.
Claudia lived her life in the spotlight and even if she didn't … she wouldn't be that difficult to track.
"And don't worry." Methos continued. "I'll make sure that she knows the rules that cannot be
bent or broken."
Upstairs, Richie and Beth were sitting with Claudia. She hadn't said more than a few words since
they had gotten home two hours ago. The events of the afternoon played over and over in her
head, and she couldn't shake the feeling of the Quickening rushing through her body no matter
what she did.
"What have I done?" Claudia began to second guess herself.
Beth knew she didn't have an answer, and Richie didn't appear to know what to say either.
A knock at the door interrupted the silence. It was Adam.
"Did you hear anything else about Devan?" Beth asked.
Adam shook his head. "I'd like to speak with Claudia." He asked, his expression letting Beth and
Richie know he wanted to speak to her alone. Beth squeezed his arm as she past him in the
doorway, but Richie held back, not completely sure he should leave.
"Are you going to be ok?" he asked Claudia, and she nodded.
Adam closed the door and came to sit across from her.
"We need to talk about what happens next." He began.
-----------
"Incompetence!" Devan raged. "I set up the perfect plan to strike a blow at the heart of them and
what? Sanchez can't even take down a concert pianist who has never picked up a sword in her
life?"
"It wasn't like that … exactly." The young man whose job it had been to distract Pierson replied.
"She shot him first … that Beth woman shot him."
Devan shoved everything on the table in front of him into the floor with one wide sweep of his
arms.
"Next time I take care of it myself." He promised. "Next time Raphael will watch as I cut the child
from her womb and leave them both to die on the ground like the irrelevant garbage they are."
He turned and faced Reynolds and the other man. "It will be the last thing he sees before I
encase him in darkness the way he entombed me. He'll have an eternity to relive the horror, and
no way to escape."
"I thought you were going to take his head? I thought you were going to take his power and that
power would help us achieve everything we wanted? What about our plans?" Reynolds asked,
not happy with this development.
"The plan has changed!" Devan stated. "I told you there were worse things I could do than kill
him. And I will not settle for anything less than leaving him in agony for the rest of the ages."
"The depth of his suffering will know no bounds."
"How could you let that happen?" Duncan was beyond angry when Methos told he and Amanda
what had occurred at the hospital.
"If I could go back and change what happened, I would. Believe me it wasn't easy to know they
were in trouble and be helpless to stop it." Methos replied, the sound of Beth's panicked cries
still ringing in his ears. "But it's done, and if you ask me Claudia is better off because now she
will learn to protect herself."
"Protect herself? She doesn't begin to know the first thing about protecting herself. Have you
seen her hands or the way she babbles on and on about something as insignificant as a
hangnail? She's not ready."
"Claudia knew what she was doing when she picked up that sword. She had seen first hand what
it was like to be the hunted and she didn't like it." Methos retorted. "And as far as not knowing
how to protect herself, I saw a great deal of natural dexterity when she fended off those blows.
No one taught her that, but it was there. She was quite courageous actually."
"I'll need to start her training immediately … tomorrow." Duncan said, shaking his head at the
thought.
"You aren't the one to teach her MacLeod." Methos argued. "She's small and has almost no
strength in her upper body, and she has no patience if she can't see a measure of success along
the way. You'll train her and push her and make sure she abides by all the rules and she'll
become frustrated because no matter what you do, you cannot teach her to win against an
opponent with any real power."
"I'll teach her the same way I was taught. She'll work hard and in time she will become stronger."
"She may not have that kind of time MacLeod. She's not like you. Your methods may have
worked for Richie, but she can't survive by following your boy scout handbook."
"Methos is right." Amanda interrupted. She'd been listening from the doorway. "She'll be an
easy mark if she tries to follow a traditional training regiment."
"Well excuse me for believing that honor and discipline are a good foundation for survival." He
scoffed. "But tell me this. If I am so unprepared to give her the training she needs, who is going
to do it?" he looked from one to the other.
"I'll do it." Methos replied flatly, much to the amazement of the others.
"You're kidding me right?" Duncan doubted he'd make that kind of commitment, especially for
someone like Claudia who Methos seemed to find shallow.
"Amanda can't do it because Claudia is too high strung and would never give her the respect
demanded, because she is a woman. It is too bad really, because she would truly be learning
from someone who knows how to use her small frame to maximum advantage." Methos began.
"No, if Claudia wants to survive she is going to have to train with someone who is not going to let
up or pamper her ego. I don't have the patience for that nonsense and wouldn't be doing her any
favors by caving in."
Deep in thought, he walked over to his coat and pulled out the sword of the immortal Claudia had
beheaded. "I was surprised at how easily she managed to handle this sword, but it is lighter than
it looks …" he extended his arm and made a few swiping motions. "And well balanced. It will do
for her until we can have one especially made."
"I don't like this." Duncan complained.
"What don't you like?" Methos asked. "My choice in weaponry?"
"You know that's not the problem. I know you Methos. You're going to teach her to cut corners
… to create advantage by any means … to ignore the rules."
Methos shook his head and let out a sarcastic laugh. "I'll teach her how to survive MacLeod.
And if that means she relies on her wits instead of strength and skill she does not have to escape
an opponent, or to draw him off guard, or to deliver a deadly blow from an unsuspecting direction
… then that is what she will do. Unless you are comfortable with her time on this earth being cut
short because she had the misfortune to be thrust into the game at such a late stage and in a
time where it is more difficult to watch from the sidelines."
Duncan didn't like the argument, but as much as he hated to admit it … Methos was right.
Claudia lived her life in the spotlight and even if she didn't … she wouldn't be that difficult to track.
"And don't worry." Methos continued. "I'll make sure that she knows the rules that cannot be
bent or broken."
Upstairs, Richie and Beth were sitting with Claudia. She hadn't said more than a few words since
they had gotten home two hours ago. The events of the afternoon played over and over in her
head, and she couldn't shake the feeling of the Quickening rushing through her body no matter
what she did.
"What have I done?" Claudia began to second guess herself.
Beth knew she didn't have an answer, and Richie didn't appear to know what to say either.
A knock at the door interrupted the silence. It was Adam.
"Did you hear anything else about Devan?" Beth asked.
Adam shook his head. "I'd like to speak with Claudia." He asked, his expression letting Beth and
Richie know he wanted to speak to her alone. Beth squeezed his arm as she past him in the
doorway, but Richie held back, not completely sure he should leave.
"Are you going to be ok?" he asked Claudia, and she nodded.
Adam closed the door and came to sit across from her.
"We need to talk about what happens next." He began.
-----------
"Incompetence!" Devan raged. "I set up the perfect plan to strike a blow at the heart of them and
what? Sanchez can't even take down a concert pianist who has never picked up a sword in her
life?"
"It wasn't like that … exactly." The young man whose job it had been to distract Pierson replied.
"She shot him first … that Beth woman shot him."
Devan shoved everything on the table in front of him into the floor with one wide sweep of his
arms.
"Next time I take care of it myself." He promised. "Next time Raphael will watch as I cut the child
from her womb and leave them both to die on the ground like the irrelevant garbage they are."
He turned and faced Reynolds and the other man. "It will be the last thing he sees before I
encase him in darkness the way he entombed me. He'll have an eternity to relive the horror, and
no way to escape."
"I thought you were going to take his head? I thought you were going to take his power and that
power would help us achieve everything we wanted? What about our plans?" Reynolds asked,
not happy with this development.
"The plan has changed!" Devan stated. "I told you there were worse things I could do than kill
him. And I will not settle for anything less than leaving him in agony for the rest of the ages."
"The depth of his suffering will know no bounds."