Richie groaned softly opening his eyes, squinting into the sunrise.
"What happened?" he moaned groggily lifting his head. He moved to rub his
face and discovered he was tied to a tree. His arms were stretched out to
his sides wrapping barely a third around the trunk. Not immediately
worried, because over the years he had become used to being kidnapped, he
began looking around trying to figure out where he was and remember what
had happened last.
"Adam?" he called out looking for any sign of the other immortal as he felt one approaching. "Adam!" he began pulling at the ropes.
"Relax, I'm right here," Adam came out from behind another tree holding Richie's saber.
"What's going on?" Richie asked eyeing the blade.
"This is the only way to do it, Richard," Adam said calmly.
"Only way to do what?"
Adam held up the blade catching the sunlight. "What has to be done, Richard."
"Stop calling me that! What are you talking about?"
"The end of the Gathering." He swung the blade through the air, careful to face away from Richie, testing the balance. "MacLeod gave you a fine weapon," he commented.
"If you kill me. . ." Richie started not sure what the end of his threat would be.
"Relax, Richard. I'm not going to kill you."
"Then what's with the ropes? And I told you stop calling me that!"
"If you run away, this won't work, Richard," Adam explained almost monotone taking a few steps toward Richie. Richie shrank back into the bark of the tree.
"What won't work?"
Adam stepped closer, until he was inches from Richie. "Can you tell me what you said about Jaesin earlier?"
"Hey!" Richie pulled violently from the tree only to be jerked back by his restraints. "You leave her out of this! Whatever you have against me, fine, but don't touch her! You hear me?" He yelled in Adam's face.
"I'm not going to hurt either one of you, Richard. Calm down. Now tell me, what did you say earlier?" Adam asked apparently not phased by Richie's sudden outburst.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Richie admitted.
"We were talking about fate, how things happen for a reason. Do you remember what you said?"
"Methos," Richie said using the ancient immortal's true name. "if you want to talk, then untie me, and we'll talk," he said fighting to remain calm.
"How about I put your sword down?" Adam offered instead, placing the blade gently on the ground.
"Methos, let me go," Richie snarled through clenched teeth.
"I can't have you running to MacLeod, Richard, this is the way it has to be."
"Running?" Richie repeated. 'If I can run to Mac, we're still on the island,' he thought.
"Richard? What are you thinking?"
"MAC!" Richie screamed as loud as he could. "MAC! HEL- - -" Adam clamped his hand over Richie's mouth stifling his cries.
"We can't have that either. Now, if I let you go, are you going to be a good little boy and stay quiet, or do I have to use these?" He pulled several lengths of cloth out of his pocket. Richie glared at Adam, very annoyed that he had just been called a little boy, then at the gag in his hand and nodded somberly. "Good." Adam took his hand off his mouth.
"What are you doing?" Richie asked slowly almost in a whisper.
"I know you don't understand what's happening. . ."
"So explain. . ." Richie started to yell, then stopped himself. He took a deep breath. "So explain it to me," he repeated quietly.
"I can't explain it all. There is only one way I know of to help you understand, Richard. What I can tell you is you were supposed to be MY student. But I made a horrible mistake and fate had sense enough to pair you with MacLeod instead."
"What are you talking about?"
"The same thing that attracted you to MacLeod is what attracted you to Jaesin. Didn't you find it strange that MacLeod found her the same weekend you just happened to be visiting?" Adam asked. Richie set his jaw to keep from yelling again. He didn't like the way Adam was talking about Jaesin, but if he was going to figure any of this out he needed to be able to ask questions.
"I never thought about it."
"Had you ever had the impulse to raise children before her?"
"No."
"And yet you couldn't stand to let MacLeod turn her in to the authorities. You wanted to keep her for yourself. The same way MacLeod took you in 114 years ago. He had never felt he had the patience to be a mentor, but he couldn't risk letting you find another teacher."
"I don't get it," Richie's voice broke as he fought for control, a battle he was quickly loosing.
"I messed up over five thousand years ago. I ruined a perfectly good generation of immortals. I made a mistake and you're the one to fix it."
"What do you mean?" Richie was becoming desperate to understand.
"For years I marveled at what I had done. I took pleasure in the killing, the violence. Then I saw what destruction I had caused. And sense that day I have regretted what I had done."
"You're not making any sense!"
"You will understand," Adam began separating the pieces of cloth in his hands.
"Methos, no," Richie begged, realizing he had yelled. . . his anger had caused him to forget Adam's threat for a moment.
"I'm sorry," Adam said simply.
"No, please. I don't understand," Richie continued.
"I promise you will," Adam said forcing Richie's jaw open with one hand and stuffing a piece of cloth in it with the other. Before Richie could spit it out he tied it in place with another. Richie tried to pull away, but all he succeeded in doing was jamming the gag further back in his mouth. "You will understand," Adam repeated. "This is the way it has to be, I've know for years. I leave the world in capable hands. . . You won't want to see this." He took the final length of cloth and covered Richie's eyes with it. "I'm sorry for what I have done. And I only prey that everyone I've hurt can forgive me. Good-bye, Richard." He began to walk away. Richie tried to call after him, but all that came out was an unintelligible moan.
"Adam?" he called out looking for any sign of the other immortal as he felt one approaching. "Adam!" he began pulling at the ropes.
"Relax, I'm right here," Adam came out from behind another tree holding Richie's saber.
"What's going on?" Richie asked eyeing the blade.
"This is the only way to do it, Richard," Adam said calmly.
"Only way to do what?"
Adam held up the blade catching the sunlight. "What has to be done, Richard."
"Stop calling me that! What are you talking about?"
"The end of the Gathering." He swung the blade through the air, careful to face away from Richie, testing the balance. "MacLeod gave you a fine weapon," he commented.
"If you kill me. . ." Richie started not sure what the end of his threat would be.
"Relax, Richard. I'm not going to kill you."
"Then what's with the ropes? And I told you stop calling me that!"
"If you run away, this won't work, Richard," Adam explained almost monotone taking a few steps toward Richie. Richie shrank back into the bark of the tree.
"What won't work?"
Adam stepped closer, until he was inches from Richie. "Can you tell me what you said about Jaesin earlier?"
"Hey!" Richie pulled violently from the tree only to be jerked back by his restraints. "You leave her out of this! Whatever you have against me, fine, but don't touch her! You hear me?" He yelled in Adam's face.
"I'm not going to hurt either one of you, Richard. Calm down. Now tell me, what did you say earlier?" Adam asked apparently not phased by Richie's sudden outburst.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Richie admitted.
"We were talking about fate, how things happen for a reason. Do you remember what you said?"
"Methos," Richie said using the ancient immortal's true name. "if you want to talk, then untie me, and we'll talk," he said fighting to remain calm.
"How about I put your sword down?" Adam offered instead, placing the blade gently on the ground.
"Methos, let me go," Richie snarled through clenched teeth.
"I can't have you running to MacLeod, Richard, this is the way it has to be."
"Running?" Richie repeated. 'If I can run to Mac, we're still on the island,' he thought.
"Richard? What are you thinking?"
"MAC!" Richie screamed as loud as he could. "MAC! HEL- - -" Adam clamped his hand over Richie's mouth stifling his cries.
"We can't have that either. Now, if I let you go, are you going to be a good little boy and stay quiet, or do I have to use these?" He pulled several lengths of cloth out of his pocket. Richie glared at Adam, very annoyed that he had just been called a little boy, then at the gag in his hand and nodded somberly. "Good." Adam took his hand off his mouth.
"What are you doing?" Richie asked slowly almost in a whisper.
"I know you don't understand what's happening. . ."
"So explain. . ." Richie started to yell, then stopped himself. He took a deep breath. "So explain it to me," he repeated quietly.
"I can't explain it all. There is only one way I know of to help you understand, Richard. What I can tell you is you were supposed to be MY student. But I made a horrible mistake and fate had sense enough to pair you with MacLeod instead."
"What are you talking about?"
"The same thing that attracted you to MacLeod is what attracted you to Jaesin. Didn't you find it strange that MacLeod found her the same weekend you just happened to be visiting?" Adam asked. Richie set his jaw to keep from yelling again. He didn't like the way Adam was talking about Jaesin, but if he was going to figure any of this out he needed to be able to ask questions.
"I never thought about it."
"Had you ever had the impulse to raise children before her?"
"No."
"And yet you couldn't stand to let MacLeod turn her in to the authorities. You wanted to keep her for yourself. The same way MacLeod took you in 114 years ago. He had never felt he had the patience to be a mentor, but he couldn't risk letting you find another teacher."
"I don't get it," Richie's voice broke as he fought for control, a battle he was quickly loosing.
"I messed up over five thousand years ago. I ruined a perfectly good generation of immortals. I made a mistake and you're the one to fix it."
"What do you mean?" Richie was becoming desperate to understand.
"For years I marveled at what I had done. I took pleasure in the killing, the violence. Then I saw what destruction I had caused. And sense that day I have regretted what I had done."
"You're not making any sense!"
"You will understand," Adam began separating the pieces of cloth in his hands.
"Methos, no," Richie begged, realizing he had yelled. . . his anger had caused him to forget Adam's threat for a moment.
"I'm sorry," Adam said simply.
"No, please. I don't understand," Richie continued.
"I promise you will," Adam said forcing Richie's jaw open with one hand and stuffing a piece of cloth in it with the other. Before Richie could spit it out he tied it in place with another. Richie tried to pull away, but all he succeeded in doing was jamming the gag further back in his mouth. "You will understand," Adam repeated. "This is the way it has to be, I've know for years. I leave the world in capable hands. . . You won't want to see this." He took the final length of cloth and covered Richie's eyes with it. "I'm sorry for what I have done. And I only prey that everyone I've hurt can forgive me. Good-bye, Richard." He began to walk away. Richie tried to call after him, but all that came out was an unintelligible moan.