CHAPTER 48
Methos stood at the window overlooking part of the theatre district, sipping a beer as he watched the scurry of activity on the street and sidewalks. He had been surprised to find it was already late afternoon when he woke up. It had been weeks since he'd been able to sleep more than a couple of hours at a time, and when he had it was more because he'd passed out. When he'd arrived at the hotel in the early morning hours, it hadn't taken but a few minutes for him to fall asleep and that was over 10 hours ago.
Of it's own volition his mind drifted back to the events of the previous night. There hadn't been anything particularly remarkable about the young immortal whose Quickening he'd taken. He hadn't been in the game for more than a couple of decades at the most, and from the glimpses Methos had seen, his opponent had been born, lived and died within a few miles of where he finally fell for the last time.
Methos shrugged off any sense of sympathy he might be tempted to feel for the young man who never really had a chance to experience any more of what life had to offer than what he'd found in his neighborhood gang. That wasn't his concern. His only concern was to do what he had been created to do . be a part of the Game.
So what had been different? Methos squinted as the setting sun slithered between the two buildings across the street, almost blinding him with it's orange brightness. It had been bright the night before when the Quickening began. The young immortal's entire essence revolved around the red colors he wore and exploded around Methos as the power shifted from one to the other. There had been rage, and there had also been a sense of family . of belonging . of loyalty that Methos could feel rush through him. And then there had been that presence he could not escape. Somewhere in the midst of the Quickening, the sense of belonging that had colored the young immortals gang life shifted and Methos felt not only Beth's fingers lace with his own, but felt the warmth of her wrap around his entire body. He could even smell the fragrance of her hair and skin as he heard her whispering over and over how much she loved him. For some reason still unknown to him, Methos hadn't pushed her away. As much as he knew in his mind that her words were a lie, he let that feeling of warmth continue to wash over him without resisting.
"Must have been something about the kid's Quickening." He rationalized, before finishing his beer and moving to sit on the edge of the bed. For several minutes he sat watching the light fade against the wall, and then his eyes fell to the newspaper that had been slipped beneath the door sometime while he was sleeping. He remembered the hotel used to do that as a service to it's guests when he'd stayed there before, and looking for something to distract his thoughts from falling again to Beth, Methos picked up the paper and began to leaf through it.
The main section was full of world news, rumors of war, terrorist sightings and the same old political struggles he'd watched happen over and over. The names and places were different, but the story basically the same. Setting it aside he scanned the next few sections looking for any item of interest. He was almost ready to lay the paper down and go get a sandwich at The Roxy when he turned the page and his eyes froze on a familiar face.
"Pianist Diva Jardine Cancels European Tour" read the headline above a photo of an obviously distraught Claudia Jardine, holding her hand up to block the camera as she tried to move through a doorway. The article stated that for "personal reasons" the musician would not divulge, her whirlwind tour of Europe was postponed indefinitely, a move that according to the columnist would most likely cost Jardine her career.
An unnamed source contended Jardine had been jilted by her lover and was an emotional wreck, unable to function and hadn't touched a keyboard in more than two weeks. This same source that claimed to be close to Claudia, went on to describe the artist's finicky behavior and how difficult she was to work with, and basically picked her apart.
Methos didn't read any more, but folded the paper with the photo up and placed it on the table beside the bed. "You should have gone." He whispered sadly. When he'd decided to make the active pursuit of the prize his goal for living, he'd promised himself that he would confront any and all immortals as they came into his path. He knew he would eventually face MacLeod and the others, if another immortal didn't get to them first, but he hadn't really considered facing his student. Of all of them, she was the one he thought would not be around long enough and therefore would never be an issue for his inconvenient conscience to resolve, but there she was. Claudia was not only in New York City, but according to the article, was holed up in a hotel within easy walking distance of his own.
He stood up and slipped his sword into the folds of his coat before locking the door and going downstairs.
****************************
Back in Chicago, Duncan and Ellen were going over a change in strategy for that night. She'd walked in and out of the apartment until the early morning hours, and if Methos were watching then he was taking his sweet time confronting her.
"What is he waiting for?" Ellen asked.
"He may be waiting for you to let your guard down, or maybe he knows I'm here. Me . My friend is patient when he needs to be and pays great attention to detail" Duncan replied, almost slipping and calling Adam by his real name. His frustration was evident.
"You're worried about your young friend aren't you?"
Duncan nodded. "Richie is a good kid and he is always trying to prove himself. The only reason Joe and I can figure he's gone underground is because he thinks he can get to Adam and together they could help Beth. He just doesn't realize who he's dealing with ."
"And there can't be any other explanation? Are you sure he didn't meet up with another immortal and things didn't go his way?" Ellen offered an alternative solution.
"It's always a possibility, but if he did then the Watcher's missed it." Duncan replied, not wanting to consider the option as he stared out the window. "I shouldn't have told him I was giving up on Adam. If he thought I was still looking he would never have done this on his own."
"You can't blame yourself for doing what you thought was right." Ellen said coming to put a hand on his arm. "It sounds like you've been taking care of Richie and the others who are important to you for a long time, and if they choose to go out on their own then you can't control it."
Duncan nodded soberly, thanking her for her thoughts. "Everything was going so well for us all." He admitted. "And maybe I let myself get lulled into a false sense of security."
Ellen didn't reply. The little Duncan had shared with her about his friends and the details of what had happened let her know they had shared something special. It was more like a family than most immortals ever find.
"You would think that the vast lifetime we've been given would be enough, but there are sometimes when I wish I could go back and change just one thing." Duncan admitted, turning to face her.
"And what was this one thing you would change?" Ellen asked.
"I'd have taken Garrett's head the first day I was alone with him in that stable." Duncan admitted. "If I'd known then what I know now, no way I'd let him tear our lives apart . no way he'd have lived to do what he did."
He was so angry that he shook and Ellen took a step back for an instant, realizing that this man who had shown himself to be so kind and generous, was also capable of great anger and violence.
Their conversation was interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone.
Methos stood at the window overlooking part of the theatre district, sipping a beer as he watched the scurry of activity on the street and sidewalks. He had been surprised to find it was already late afternoon when he woke up. It had been weeks since he'd been able to sleep more than a couple of hours at a time, and when he had it was more because he'd passed out. When he'd arrived at the hotel in the early morning hours, it hadn't taken but a few minutes for him to fall asleep and that was over 10 hours ago.
Of it's own volition his mind drifted back to the events of the previous night. There hadn't been anything particularly remarkable about the young immortal whose Quickening he'd taken. He hadn't been in the game for more than a couple of decades at the most, and from the glimpses Methos had seen, his opponent had been born, lived and died within a few miles of where he finally fell for the last time.
Methos shrugged off any sense of sympathy he might be tempted to feel for the young man who never really had a chance to experience any more of what life had to offer than what he'd found in his neighborhood gang. That wasn't his concern. His only concern was to do what he had been created to do . be a part of the Game.
So what had been different? Methos squinted as the setting sun slithered between the two buildings across the street, almost blinding him with it's orange brightness. It had been bright the night before when the Quickening began. The young immortal's entire essence revolved around the red colors he wore and exploded around Methos as the power shifted from one to the other. There had been rage, and there had also been a sense of family . of belonging . of loyalty that Methos could feel rush through him. And then there had been that presence he could not escape. Somewhere in the midst of the Quickening, the sense of belonging that had colored the young immortals gang life shifted and Methos felt not only Beth's fingers lace with his own, but felt the warmth of her wrap around his entire body. He could even smell the fragrance of her hair and skin as he heard her whispering over and over how much she loved him. For some reason still unknown to him, Methos hadn't pushed her away. As much as he knew in his mind that her words were a lie, he let that feeling of warmth continue to wash over him without resisting.
"Must have been something about the kid's Quickening." He rationalized, before finishing his beer and moving to sit on the edge of the bed. For several minutes he sat watching the light fade against the wall, and then his eyes fell to the newspaper that had been slipped beneath the door sometime while he was sleeping. He remembered the hotel used to do that as a service to it's guests when he'd stayed there before, and looking for something to distract his thoughts from falling again to Beth, Methos picked up the paper and began to leaf through it.
The main section was full of world news, rumors of war, terrorist sightings and the same old political struggles he'd watched happen over and over. The names and places were different, but the story basically the same. Setting it aside he scanned the next few sections looking for any item of interest. He was almost ready to lay the paper down and go get a sandwich at The Roxy when he turned the page and his eyes froze on a familiar face.
"Pianist Diva Jardine Cancels European Tour" read the headline above a photo of an obviously distraught Claudia Jardine, holding her hand up to block the camera as she tried to move through a doorway. The article stated that for "personal reasons" the musician would not divulge, her whirlwind tour of Europe was postponed indefinitely, a move that according to the columnist would most likely cost Jardine her career.
An unnamed source contended Jardine had been jilted by her lover and was an emotional wreck, unable to function and hadn't touched a keyboard in more than two weeks. This same source that claimed to be close to Claudia, went on to describe the artist's finicky behavior and how difficult she was to work with, and basically picked her apart.
Methos didn't read any more, but folded the paper with the photo up and placed it on the table beside the bed. "You should have gone." He whispered sadly. When he'd decided to make the active pursuit of the prize his goal for living, he'd promised himself that he would confront any and all immortals as they came into his path. He knew he would eventually face MacLeod and the others, if another immortal didn't get to them first, but he hadn't really considered facing his student. Of all of them, she was the one he thought would not be around long enough and therefore would never be an issue for his inconvenient conscience to resolve, but there she was. Claudia was not only in New York City, but according to the article, was holed up in a hotel within easy walking distance of his own.
He stood up and slipped his sword into the folds of his coat before locking the door and going downstairs.
****************************
Back in Chicago, Duncan and Ellen were going over a change in strategy for that night. She'd walked in and out of the apartment until the early morning hours, and if Methos were watching then he was taking his sweet time confronting her.
"What is he waiting for?" Ellen asked.
"He may be waiting for you to let your guard down, or maybe he knows I'm here. Me . My friend is patient when he needs to be and pays great attention to detail" Duncan replied, almost slipping and calling Adam by his real name. His frustration was evident.
"You're worried about your young friend aren't you?"
Duncan nodded. "Richie is a good kid and he is always trying to prove himself. The only reason Joe and I can figure he's gone underground is because he thinks he can get to Adam and together they could help Beth. He just doesn't realize who he's dealing with ."
"And there can't be any other explanation? Are you sure he didn't meet up with another immortal and things didn't go his way?" Ellen offered an alternative solution.
"It's always a possibility, but if he did then the Watcher's missed it." Duncan replied, not wanting to consider the option as he stared out the window. "I shouldn't have told him I was giving up on Adam. If he thought I was still looking he would never have done this on his own."
"You can't blame yourself for doing what you thought was right." Ellen said coming to put a hand on his arm. "It sounds like you've been taking care of Richie and the others who are important to you for a long time, and if they choose to go out on their own then you can't control it."
Duncan nodded soberly, thanking her for her thoughts. "Everything was going so well for us all." He admitted. "And maybe I let myself get lulled into a false sense of security."
Ellen didn't reply. The little Duncan had shared with her about his friends and the details of what had happened let her know they had shared something special. It was more like a family than most immortals ever find.
"You would think that the vast lifetime we've been given would be enough, but there are sometimes when I wish I could go back and change just one thing." Duncan admitted, turning to face her.
"And what was this one thing you would change?" Ellen asked.
"I'd have taken Garrett's head the first day I was alone with him in that stable." Duncan admitted. "If I'd known then what I know now, no way I'd let him tear our lives apart . no way he'd have lived to do what he did."
He was so angry that he shook and Ellen took a step back for an instant, realizing that this man who had shown himself to be so kind and generous, was also capable of great anger and violence.
Their conversation was interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone.