CHAPTER 64
Joe, Methos and Duncan stayed up half the night going over the reports and possible leads on
Devan's whereabouts they had procured by hacking into police files, watcher files and contacts
Joe had with different agencies. And they were getting nowhere.
They thought the Watcher files on the immortal who attacked Claudia and Beth would help, but
Sanchez's watcher lost him months ago.
"He's better at this game of hide and seek than you are." Duncan said, nodding toward Methos.
"Yeah well he's going to slip up, and we have to make sure we catch him when he does." Methos
replied.
"Let's just hope it's sooner than later. The body count this week for him is at 9 after that bride he
took from the car." Joe replied somberly.
"We're not getting anywhere with this tonight." Duncan stated before looking at his watch and
realizing it was almost 2am. "Joe why don't you let me drive you back? Make sure you get in all
right in case he's watching us."
"I guarantee he's watching." Methos said, walking to the window and scanning the dark buildings
around them.
"I won't say no." Joe said. "See you tomorrow Adam."
Methos nodded.
On the fourth floor of an office building just behind the rooftop of the house across the street,
Devan stood watching in the dark through a telescope. "It would be so easy to just drop you
where you stand and take her before you even hit the floor." He murmured.
Methos felt the hair on his neck stand up and knew that Devan was close … he only wished he
had the power to feel where the source of his unease originated. Devan had come way too close
to Beth that day, and it could not happen again …
When he went upstairs to the room he now shared with Beth, he crept in silently only to find she
wasn't sleeping. She was sitting in the window seat, her knees pulled up against her chest.
Silhouetted against the faint light of a street lamp outside, she looked like an angel in the simple
white gown.
"You should be sleeping." He said as he walked in, taking off his watch and putting it on the
dresser before pulling his sweatshirt over his head and laying it over the back of the chair.
"I was." She replied, turning a little to face him. "But I woke up about an hour ago and couldn't
get back to sleep."
"Can I get you anything? Warm milk? Tea?" he asked, but she shook her head.
She watched as he ran his hands over his eyes and through his hair and realized how exhausted
he was. "I think you've done enough for me. Let me take care of you." She said, walking over to
the edge of the bed and sitting down as she patted the middle of the mattress and told him to lay
down.
"Sweetheart as much as I'd love to … " he began, but stopped mid sentence when she started
giggling.
"I meant lay down and let me rub the tension out of your back and neck." She explained with an
amused smile.
"That would be nice." He replied, lying face down with his arms folded under his head.
She knelt beside him and began at his neck, kneading gently, before moving down his back in
long, sweeping strokes followed by small tight circles up and down his spine using the heel of her
hands.
After a few minutes she could feel the knots begin to loosen as he relaxed. "Who do I see about
booking regular treatment?" he groaned as she began kneading the muscles around his shoulder
blades with the pads of her fingers.
"I'll clear my calendar anytime." She smiled, bending over to plant a kiss in the middle of his
back.
Adam rolled over and looked up at her. "I'm sorry I failed you today." He said, his voice low.
"You didn't fail me Adam." She replied, running her hand along his cheek and jaw as she stared
down at him. "You couldn't help what happened and just knowing you were trying to get to us
gave me the hope I needed to keep running."
"I wish you had let me call the doctor … to make sure …" He said, concerned that something
might have happened to the baby.
"The baby is fine." She told him. "We're both fine."
"So why aren't you sleeping?" he asked, reaching up to brush the hair back from her face so he
could see her eyes completely.
"It's not important … not tonight." She told him. "You're tired and it can wait."
"Tell me." He said, propping himself up on one elbow and giving her his full attention. "You know
I won't get to sleep now … not when I know there's something bothering you." He continued to
stroke her hair, sweeping it back over her shoulder as he waited.
"It's not really bothering me. It's just a question. And really Adam … it can wait."
"Tell me." He insisted, capturing her chin between his fingers gently.
"It's something Cassandra said the other night." She replied, and he immediately worried she
was going to ask him something about his past.
"She said she had an answer for you and the answer was yes." Beth began. "Adam, what was
she talking about?"
Adam rolled onto his back and rubbed his hands over his face as he tried to think how to answer.
The love she'd shown him over the past few days with her complete devotion and unconditional
acceptance had shaken him to the core, and made him realize that he couldn't risk her or the
baby … even if it meant their time together would be too brief. And if he'd doubted it before that
day, the panic he'd felt earlier when he hadn't been able to protect her only reinforced that
decision. He wouldn't tempt fate.
"I hadn't realized you heard that." He replied.
"I heard everything."
"It doesn't matter anymore." He told her, looking up at the ceiling.
"It mattered enough for you to risk asking her the question. I know if you hadn't needed the
answer for something important, you never would have risked making contact with her, knowing
what she could do." Beth challenged him. "You don't do anything without a good reason Adam."
She knew him so well. Adam sat up and slid to lean against the headboard and Beth moved to
sit on one hip, facing him.
"When Alexa was dying, I was frantic to find some way to save her … some way to extend the
time we had been given." He began, and Beth wondered if she should have pushed him so hard
to answer her question.
"I searched everywhere for an answer, anything whether it was legend or rumor, became an
obsession for me. We only had one year … and that wasn't enough." He told her honestly. "But
there wasn't anything … anything I had the power to do that would make a difference."
"I'm sure you did everything you could." She told him, covering his hand with hers.
"I kept a record of everything I found that gave me any glimmer of hope. It was in one of the
boxes I had shipped here when I knew I was going to stay." He continued. "And when I was
looking for information on Devan that might be hidden somewhere in my manuscripts and notes
… I came across the folder."
"Why is that so important now Adam? Was there something in that folder that you think might
have saved Alexa? Something that Cassandra knew about?" Beth asked, wondering if he'd
gotten the answer, but received it too late and was now guilt ridden about it.
"Not for Alexa … for you." He replied, lacing his fingers through hers. "It was to save you."
"But I'm not dying Adam." She didn't understand.
He let out a quick breath. "You aren't dying now, but someday … you will, and I'll be alone
again." He told her, his voice already showing signs of sadness and regret.
Beth lifted her hand still intertwined with his and rubbed it against her cheek as she felt her heart
break for him. "I'm so sorry Adam. You know I'd stay with you forever if I could … I wouldn't
leave you if I had a choice." And then she kissed the back of his hand tenderly.
"Please don't say that." He said, his eyes becoming as moist as hers. "Because when you say
that it makes the temptation too great …"
"Too great for what Adam? What is this about?" she moved closer to him.
"I'd be tempted to risk everything to keep you with me as long as I could … " he replied. "But it
can't happen … it was a foolish idea of a desperate man who should be happy for what he's been
given." He slid his hand behind the back of her head and pulled her to rest her forehead against
his as he closed his eyes and drank in the feeling of having her so near.
Beth tried to lose herself in him, but something wasn't right … there was something he wasn't
telling her.
She leaned back a little and waited till he was looking into her eyes. "Tell me the rest of it Adam.
You're keeping something back … something important."
This was so hard. She was pushing him to tell her. For an instant he wished his heart wasn't
such an open book for her … that she didn't read him so well and know when he was holding
back. He'd always been able to keep his secrets before. Why did she have to be the one who
could see through them now?
"Tell me." She insisted, repeating the words he'd said to her a few short minutes before. And
Adam knew that he had to tell her, even if it wasn't something that could happen.
"I found journal entries of two ancient immortals, ancient immortals who found a way to extend
the life of the women they loved." He began, and Beth took in a quick breath.
"It seems that there is something very special and very powerful about the life force of a woman
carrying a child … especially a child conceived in love." He continued and couldn't help but let
his eyes drift down her body to the soft swell of her abdomen. "According to the journals, if an
immortal is fortunate enough to be loved by such a woman … totally … completely, with absolute
trust, then there is a way they can make time stand still … for a century."
"But that's just a story right?" she asked.
"I wasn't sure, not until Cassandra answered the question. You see she was there. She
delivered one of the babies." He replied.
Beth covered her mouth, unable to reply.
"But it's risky … and it's not an option because I'd rather preserve the time we have than to risk
losing you. If I didn't know that before today, I do now. I almost lost my mind when I thought he
was going to get to you before I could." He admitted.
"What do you mean make time stand still Adam?" she asked when she found her voice.
He sighed and ran his hand through her hair. "I mean that for 100 years, she would not age and
disease could not touch her. Time would stand still. And then after that, the natural aging
process would resume."
"And you believe this? It sounds more like a fairy tale than something that could possibly be
real." She admitted, not daring to hope for something like that. "I mean true love? Absolute
trust? The key to temporary immortality? It sounds too contrived to be real."
"And what would you call me? A year ago you would have sworn that the idea of immortality
made for great literature, but couldn't possibly be real." He replied.
"Oh God." She whispered as the possibility that this wasn't a fairy tale set in. Sitting back a little,
Beth created some distance between them while her mind raced.
"Beth please don't be afraid. I won't ask you to do this. I wouldn't take that kind of risk with your
life or the baby's." he told her.
For a long moment she sat and stared at him, searching his face as she thought about what he'd
said. She thought about the pain she'd seen in his eyes when he talked about the day when he
would be alone again, and she remembered how she wished there was a way she could spare
him that kind of deep loneliness. She also knew that deep in her heart, she wanted as much time
with him as she could. Was she selfish to even consider it?
And as she looked at him, she was overwhelmed by how much he truly loved her. Here he had
found a way to delay the pain, and to extend their time together. But he was more concerned
about her than to even ask. He only wanted to protect her, even if it cost him so dearly.
"What are the risks Adam?" she asked.
"It doesn't matter. Please. Let's just forget about it and enjoy the life we're going to have … with
our daughter. Trust me to do the right thing for us Beth."
"I do trust you Adam. You know that. But do you trust me? Do you trust me enough to tell me so
I can know for myself if it is worth the risk?"
"God you are stubborn." He said in exasperation.
"And I'm a fighter. You do remember saying that don't you?" she reminded him. "I want to know
the risks."
"I don't really know what they are Beth, except that if anything were to go wrong … It could put a
great deal of stress on you and the baby, and if we're wrong … then I could lose you both."
"But you said Cassandra delivered one of the babies. Does that mean only one survived?"
"No, both survived. And remember what Cassandra said to taunt me when she thought she had
destroyed your love? She said there had been four occurrences."
"So maybe it isn't as risky as you think." She replied. "Exactly what is involved?"
"Beth …" he started to argue, but he couldn't. He could see she wasn't going to drop this so he
conceded.
"I can't tell you everything. That's where the trust comes in." he told her. "But I can tell you that
it will require you to do something that might frighten you, and yet if you hesitate … "
"If I hesitate then it shows I don't trust you … and it won't happen." She finished the sentence for
him and he nodded soberly.
"Is there anything you can tell me?" she asked.
"It revolves around a Quickening." He replied. "The power of the Quickening combined with the
life force in you."
Beth felt her mouth go dry. She'd seen the Quickening as it burst through Claudia that afternoon,
and she'd been so afraid. She had hoped to never witness another. But now Adam was telling
her that was the key to securing a century together.
"This Quickening … it's not just any Quickening is it?" she asked. "It means a Quickening that
involves you … directly. It means you have to fight … and win … and only then would we be able
to take the chance."
He nodded.
"And that is where the risk comes in." she continued. "A risk for you, because there are no
guarantees … and a risk for the baby and I because of how hard it would be to watch, knowing
you might not be the one left standing."
"You wouldn't be able to just watch from a safe distance Beth. You would have to be close
enough to come to me when the Quickening began. And there is something you would have to
do in the midst of it. Something I can't tell you until we are in the middle of it and there is no
turning back."
She thought long and hard about what he was saying before she replied. "As long as you were
the one still standing, and I was walking to you Adam … I know that I could do it, whatever it is. I
know it because as long as you are there … I have all I need."
And then a chill shot through her as she realized something else about this Quickening.
Something she could hardly put into words because it frightened her so.
"This will only work if there is an immortal for you to challenge … an immortal who is honestly a
threat, because neither of us could live with ourselves if the only reason for our gain, would be
another's loss." She whispered. "Oh God … you would be facing Devan wouldn't you? Oh God
no." she gasped as she threw her arms around his neck and held him tight.
"Asher Devan and I are going to draw swords against one another one day Beth." He said as he
stroked her hair and back, trying to soothe her fear. "It's inevitable. He and I have been enemies
for more than 2,000 years. And even if I'd never heard of him before I met you, I'd still have to
face him, because that is the only way to keep you and our daughter safe." He told her as he
held her close. "But I won't put you at risk. I can't take the chance that he would be able to get to
you. So we won't talk about this anymore. We will take what we can from this life together and
we won't speak of this again."
Beth closed her eyes as she clung to him. The thought of him facing Devan frightened her much
more than anything ever had in her life. She knew that Adam … as Methos, had battled and
overcome over and over and over. And she knew he was confident in his ability to survive. But
she also knew the depths of Devan's evil nature, and worried that somehow because of her, this
time would be different.
"I can't lose you Adam. I'd die if anything happened to you." Her tears streamed down her
cheeks and dampened the bare skin of his shoulder and neck.
"You aren't going to lose me Beth. You have to believe that. You aren't going to lose me." He
promised, knowing that was a promise he had to keep.
Joe, Methos and Duncan stayed up half the night going over the reports and possible leads on
Devan's whereabouts they had procured by hacking into police files, watcher files and contacts
Joe had with different agencies. And they were getting nowhere.
They thought the Watcher files on the immortal who attacked Claudia and Beth would help, but
Sanchez's watcher lost him months ago.
"He's better at this game of hide and seek than you are." Duncan said, nodding toward Methos.
"Yeah well he's going to slip up, and we have to make sure we catch him when he does." Methos
replied.
"Let's just hope it's sooner than later. The body count this week for him is at 9 after that bride he
took from the car." Joe replied somberly.
"We're not getting anywhere with this tonight." Duncan stated before looking at his watch and
realizing it was almost 2am. "Joe why don't you let me drive you back? Make sure you get in all
right in case he's watching us."
"I guarantee he's watching." Methos said, walking to the window and scanning the dark buildings
around them.
"I won't say no." Joe said. "See you tomorrow Adam."
Methos nodded.
On the fourth floor of an office building just behind the rooftop of the house across the street,
Devan stood watching in the dark through a telescope. "It would be so easy to just drop you
where you stand and take her before you even hit the floor." He murmured.
Methos felt the hair on his neck stand up and knew that Devan was close … he only wished he
had the power to feel where the source of his unease originated. Devan had come way too close
to Beth that day, and it could not happen again …
When he went upstairs to the room he now shared with Beth, he crept in silently only to find she
wasn't sleeping. She was sitting in the window seat, her knees pulled up against her chest.
Silhouetted against the faint light of a street lamp outside, she looked like an angel in the simple
white gown.
"You should be sleeping." He said as he walked in, taking off his watch and putting it on the
dresser before pulling his sweatshirt over his head and laying it over the back of the chair.
"I was." She replied, turning a little to face him. "But I woke up about an hour ago and couldn't
get back to sleep."
"Can I get you anything? Warm milk? Tea?" he asked, but she shook her head.
She watched as he ran his hands over his eyes and through his hair and realized how exhausted
he was. "I think you've done enough for me. Let me take care of you." She said, walking over to
the edge of the bed and sitting down as she patted the middle of the mattress and told him to lay
down.
"Sweetheart as much as I'd love to … " he began, but stopped mid sentence when she started
giggling.
"I meant lay down and let me rub the tension out of your back and neck." She explained with an
amused smile.
"That would be nice." He replied, lying face down with his arms folded under his head.
She knelt beside him and began at his neck, kneading gently, before moving down his back in
long, sweeping strokes followed by small tight circles up and down his spine using the heel of her
hands.
After a few minutes she could feel the knots begin to loosen as he relaxed. "Who do I see about
booking regular treatment?" he groaned as she began kneading the muscles around his shoulder
blades with the pads of her fingers.
"I'll clear my calendar anytime." She smiled, bending over to plant a kiss in the middle of his
back.
Adam rolled over and looked up at her. "I'm sorry I failed you today." He said, his voice low.
"You didn't fail me Adam." She replied, running her hand along his cheek and jaw as she stared
down at him. "You couldn't help what happened and just knowing you were trying to get to us
gave me the hope I needed to keep running."
"I wish you had let me call the doctor … to make sure …" He said, concerned that something
might have happened to the baby.
"The baby is fine." She told him. "We're both fine."
"So why aren't you sleeping?" he asked, reaching up to brush the hair back from her face so he
could see her eyes completely.
"It's not important … not tonight." She told him. "You're tired and it can wait."
"Tell me." He said, propping himself up on one elbow and giving her his full attention. "You know
I won't get to sleep now … not when I know there's something bothering you." He continued to
stroke her hair, sweeping it back over her shoulder as he waited.
"It's not really bothering me. It's just a question. And really Adam … it can wait."
"Tell me." He insisted, capturing her chin between his fingers gently.
"It's something Cassandra said the other night." She replied, and he immediately worried she
was going to ask him something about his past.
"She said she had an answer for you and the answer was yes." Beth began. "Adam, what was
she talking about?"
Adam rolled onto his back and rubbed his hands over his face as he tried to think how to answer.
The love she'd shown him over the past few days with her complete devotion and unconditional
acceptance had shaken him to the core, and made him realize that he couldn't risk her or the
baby … even if it meant their time together would be too brief. And if he'd doubted it before that
day, the panic he'd felt earlier when he hadn't been able to protect her only reinforced that
decision. He wouldn't tempt fate.
"I hadn't realized you heard that." He replied.
"I heard everything."
"It doesn't matter anymore." He told her, looking up at the ceiling.
"It mattered enough for you to risk asking her the question. I know if you hadn't needed the
answer for something important, you never would have risked making contact with her, knowing
what she could do." Beth challenged him. "You don't do anything without a good reason Adam."
She knew him so well. Adam sat up and slid to lean against the headboard and Beth moved to
sit on one hip, facing him.
"When Alexa was dying, I was frantic to find some way to save her … some way to extend the
time we had been given." He began, and Beth wondered if she should have pushed him so hard
to answer her question.
"I searched everywhere for an answer, anything whether it was legend or rumor, became an
obsession for me. We only had one year … and that wasn't enough." He told her honestly. "But
there wasn't anything … anything I had the power to do that would make a difference."
"I'm sure you did everything you could." She told him, covering his hand with hers.
"I kept a record of everything I found that gave me any glimmer of hope. It was in one of the
boxes I had shipped here when I knew I was going to stay." He continued. "And when I was
looking for information on Devan that might be hidden somewhere in my manuscripts and notes
… I came across the folder."
"Why is that so important now Adam? Was there something in that folder that you think might
have saved Alexa? Something that Cassandra knew about?" Beth asked, wondering if he'd
gotten the answer, but received it too late and was now guilt ridden about it.
"Not for Alexa … for you." He replied, lacing his fingers through hers. "It was to save you."
"But I'm not dying Adam." She didn't understand.
He let out a quick breath. "You aren't dying now, but someday … you will, and I'll be alone
again." He told her, his voice already showing signs of sadness and regret.
Beth lifted her hand still intertwined with his and rubbed it against her cheek as she felt her heart
break for him. "I'm so sorry Adam. You know I'd stay with you forever if I could … I wouldn't
leave you if I had a choice." And then she kissed the back of his hand tenderly.
"Please don't say that." He said, his eyes becoming as moist as hers. "Because when you say
that it makes the temptation too great …"
"Too great for what Adam? What is this about?" she moved closer to him.
"I'd be tempted to risk everything to keep you with me as long as I could … " he replied. "But it
can't happen … it was a foolish idea of a desperate man who should be happy for what he's been
given." He slid his hand behind the back of her head and pulled her to rest her forehead against
his as he closed his eyes and drank in the feeling of having her so near.
Beth tried to lose herself in him, but something wasn't right … there was something he wasn't
telling her.
She leaned back a little and waited till he was looking into her eyes. "Tell me the rest of it Adam.
You're keeping something back … something important."
This was so hard. She was pushing him to tell her. For an instant he wished his heart wasn't
such an open book for her … that she didn't read him so well and know when he was holding
back. He'd always been able to keep his secrets before. Why did she have to be the one who
could see through them now?
"Tell me." She insisted, repeating the words he'd said to her a few short minutes before. And
Adam knew that he had to tell her, even if it wasn't something that could happen.
"I found journal entries of two ancient immortals, ancient immortals who found a way to extend
the life of the women they loved." He began, and Beth took in a quick breath.
"It seems that there is something very special and very powerful about the life force of a woman
carrying a child … especially a child conceived in love." He continued and couldn't help but let
his eyes drift down her body to the soft swell of her abdomen. "According to the journals, if an
immortal is fortunate enough to be loved by such a woman … totally … completely, with absolute
trust, then there is a way they can make time stand still … for a century."
"But that's just a story right?" she asked.
"I wasn't sure, not until Cassandra answered the question. You see she was there. She
delivered one of the babies." He replied.
Beth covered her mouth, unable to reply.
"But it's risky … and it's not an option because I'd rather preserve the time we have than to risk
losing you. If I didn't know that before today, I do now. I almost lost my mind when I thought he
was going to get to you before I could." He admitted.
"What do you mean make time stand still Adam?" she asked when she found her voice.
He sighed and ran his hand through her hair. "I mean that for 100 years, she would not age and
disease could not touch her. Time would stand still. And then after that, the natural aging
process would resume."
"And you believe this? It sounds more like a fairy tale than something that could possibly be
real." She admitted, not daring to hope for something like that. "I mean true love? Absolute
trust? The key to temporary immortality? It sounds too contrived to be real."
"And what would you call me? A year ago you would have sworn that the idea of immortality
made for great literature, but couldn't possibly be real." He replied.
"Oh God." She whispered as the possibility that this wasn't a fairy tale set in. Sitting back a little,
Beth created some distance between them while her mind raced.
"Beth please don't be afraid. I won't ask you to do this. I wouldn't take that kind of risk with your
life or the baby's." he told her.
For a long moment she sat and stared at him, searching his face as she thought about what he'd
said. She thought about the pain she'd seen in his eyes when he talked about the day when he
would be alone again, and she remembered how she wished there was a way she could spare
him that kind of deep loneliness. She also knew that deep in her heart, she wanted as much time
with him as she could. Was she selfish to even consider it?
And as she looked at him, she was overwhelmed by how much he truly loved her. Here he had
found a way to delay the pain, and to extend their time together. But he was more concerned
about her than to even ask. He only wanted to protect her, even if it cost him so dearly.
"What are the risks Adam?" she asked.
"It doesn't matter. Please. Let's just forget about it and enjoy the life we're going to have … with
our daughter. Trust me to do the right thing for us Beth."
"I do trust you Adam. You know that. But do you trust me? Do you trust me enough to tell me so
I can know for myself if it is worth the risk?"
"God you are stubborn." He said in exasperation.
"And I'm a fighter. You do remember saying that don't you?" she reminded him. "I want to know
the risks."
"I don't really know what they are Beth, except that if anything were to go wrong … It could put a
great deal of stress on you and the baby, and if we're wrong … then I could lose you both."
"But you said Cassandra delivered one of the babies. Does that mean only one survived?"
"No, both survived. And remember what Cassandra said to taunt me when she thought she had
destroyed your love? She said there had been four occurrences."
"So maybe it isn't as risky as you think." She replied. "Exactly what is involved?"
"Beth …" he started to argue, but he couldn't. He could see she wasn't going to drop this so he
conceded.
"I can't tell you everything. That's where the trust comes in." he told her. "But I can tell you that
it will require you to do something that might frighten you, and yet if you hesitate … "
"If I hesitate then it shows I don't trust you … and it won't happen." She finished the sentence for
him and he nodded soberly.
"Is there anything you can tell me?" she asked.
"It revolves around a Quickening." He replied. "The power of the Quickening combined with the
life force in you."
Beth felt her mouth go dry. She'd seen the Quickening as it burst through Claudia that afternoon,
and she'd been so afraid. She had hoped to never witness another. But now Adam was telling
her that was the key to securing a century together.
"This Quickening … it's not just any Quickening is it?" she asked. "It means a Quickening that
involves you … directly. It means you have to fight … and win … and only then would we be able
to take the chance."
He nodded.
"And that is where the risk comes in." she continued. "A risk for you, because there are no
guarantees … and a risk for the baby and I because of how hard it would be to watch, knowing
you might not be the one left standing."
"You wouldn't be able to just watch from a safe distance Beth. You would have to be close
enough to come to me when the Quickening began. And there is something you would have to
do in the midst of it. Something I can't tell you until we are in the middle of it and there is no
turning back."
She thought long and hard about what he was saying before she replied. "As long as you were
the one still standing, and I was walking to you Adam … I know that I could do it, whatever it is. I
know it because as long as you are there … I have all I need."
And then a chill shot through her as she realized something else about this Quickening.
Something she could hardly put into words because it frightened her so.
"This will only work if there is an immortal for you to challenge … an immortal who is honestly a
threat, because neither of us could live with ourselves if the only reason for our gain, would be
another's loss." She whispered. "Oh God … you would be facing Devan wouldn't you? Oh God
no." she gasped as she threw her arms around his neck and held him tight.
"Asher Devan and I are going to draw swords against one another one day Beth." He said as he
stroked her hair and back, trying to soothe her fear. "It's inevitable. He and I have been enemies
for more than 2,000 years. And even if I'd never heard of him before I met you, I'd still have to
face him, because that is the only way to keep you and our daughter safe." He told her as he
held her close. "But I won't put you at risk. I can't take the chance that he would be able to get to
you. So we won't talk about this anymore. We will take what we can from this life together and
we won't speak of this again."
Beth closed her eyes as she clung to him. The thought of him facing Devan frightened her much
more than anything ever had in her life. She knew that Adam … as Methos, had battled and
overcome over and over and over. And she knew he was confident in his ability to survive. But
she also knew the depths of Devan's evil nature, and worried that somehow because of her, this
time would be different.
"I can't lose you Adam. I'd die if anything happened to you." Her tears streamed down her
cheeks and dampened the bare skin of his shoulder and neck.
"You aren't going to lose me Beth. You have to believe that. You aren't going to lose me." He
promised, knowing that was a promise he had to keep.