CHAPTER 81
Methos paced impatiently. Why he agreed to wait for Duncan to return with swords for
Amanda and Richie, he didn't know. They could have been on an early morning flight
and driven the hour it would take to reach the town where Rosa lived by now. Instead
he was waiting for Duncan and the women to return. Richie and Joe had taken a cab
and were back with their necessities like a couple of changes of clothes, shaving kit
etc…. but no word from MacLeod. Methos started to pull out his phone and punch in the
numbers to find out what was keeping them.
"The plane doesn't leave for two hours." Joe reminded as he made some adjustments to
the crutches Mac had picked up for him. "They will be back in plenty of time."
"I just hate this waiting. I have a bad feeling." Methos replied, pocketing the phone. And
indeed he did. He'd had the feeling most of the night, the feeling that Beth was in
serious trouble. It hit him in the pit of his stomach and wouldn't be shaken. He knew
they had to hurry.
Richie was just as impatient as he held onto the railing outside and looked over the city.
He needed to focus on something besides the ache and emptiness in his heart, and
rescuing Beth and the baby was that thing. He also sensed Methos' anxiousness and
knew the ancient immortal never got that way without reason.
Turning and leaning with his back against the railing, he watched Methos more closely.
It was funny how things happen. When Beth first disappeared, Richie thought he
understood the pain the man was in, but still couldn't comprehend what had sent him off
the edge so far. And although he didn't want to give up on Methos like Mac had told him
they should do, he thought he was taking his anger to the extreme. Now with his own
loss so fresh, Richie knew why. At least Shafer was dead. Even if it didn't bring Claudia
back, and even if he wasn't the one to send him to hell, at least there had been
vengeance.
When Joe went outside to test the adjustments by walking up and down the sidewalk a
bit, Methos looked directly at Richie. "Is there a problem?"
"Problem?" Richie replied, coming in from the balcony. "No man, no problem. I was just
wondering how you were holding it together as well as you are."
"I could ask you the same thing." Methos replied, slumping down into the sofa and
leaning his head back, his eyes closed as he tried to force himself to relax.
"I don't have it together." Richie responded. "Not by a long shot. But if I let even a
fragment of what I feel get out, I'll lose it completely."
Methos opened his eyes and looked across the room where Richie had gone to stand
by the hearth. "I'm sorry about Claudia."
"Yeah well … 3 out of 4 was better odds than I gave us once they tied us up to those
things." Richie replied glumly as he turned and looked down into the glowing coals. "I
just wish it had been me …"
Methos couldn't help but feel badly for Richie. "It's never easy."
The last thing Richie could handle and still hold his emotions in check was compassion,
especially from Methos. "Just don't ok …" he replied, squeezing his eyes tightly together
so the tears couldn't escape and he might have a chance at keeping it together.
"Trust me, it's better to let it out now than to bottle it up."
"I can't!" Richie turned, his face contorted and his eyes blazing through the mist. "I can't
let myself feel this."
Methos didn't respond. He knew from experience how Richie felt, and if the young
immortal chose to deal with his pain by submerging it, then who was he to argue. He
learned long ago that everyone deals with things differently and there is no right or
wrong. You just do the best you can to survive.
"You know, Claudia was spoiled and pampered and so full of herself sometimes." Richie
said in a low voice as he turned back to look at the fire. "But there was so much more.
Behind all of that attitude was a sweet, almost innocent girl, and she thought I was this
really great guy. I wasn't some punk on a motorcycle to Claudia, I was like this Knight
from a fairy tale." He rubbed his eyes and shook his head.
"She thought I'd always be able to protect her." His voice broke as he spoke. "She was
… she was … God she was everything I never knew I wanted."
Methos watched as his young friend's shoulders began to shake and as he slowly
dropped to his knees as if his body was being deflated. As much as Richie had fought
letting it out, he knew it was better this way. The more he could deal with the emotions,
the less chance they would surface at the wrong time.
After a few minutes, when Richie seemed to be coming to the end of this, he finally
spoke. "I'm sure Claudia knew how much you cared for her. At least the time you
shared, there was never any doubt. She knew."
Richie nodded and wiped his face on the tail of his shirt as he moved to stand. Duncan
and the others were just coming inside when he left the room to splash water on his
face and grieve for a few more moments in private.
"Is he going to be all right?" Duncan asked.
"Probably not, but he'll make it none the less." Methos replied.
Amanda started to go to him, but Methos stepped in her path. "He really needs to try
and work through this on his own. He's trying to be strong … let him."
Amanda wanted to protest. She thought of Richie as her kid brother, but knew Methos
was probably right.
When Richie finally emerged from the bathroom, Duncan was showing Joe and Methos
the sword he'd selected for their young friend. It was a sword once owned by a Christian
Knight from Malta during Medieval times. The grip was beautifully crafted in gold and
pewter and the blade well balanced.
Richie took it, but then shook his head and reached into the bag containing Claudia's
things that Ellen and MacLeod had brought with them when they left New York. "I
appreciate it Mac, but I'll be using this one."
"Richie are you daft? Claudia's sword isn't nearly the blade this one is." Duncan argued.
Methos also frowned.
"I'm using her sword." Richie replied convincingly.
"Take them both." Methos suggested. "We worked on two hand fighting enough. It will
increase your advantage."
Richie nodded and placed both of the swords in the bag.
"Are we ready then?" Duncan asked, looking to see if everyone's bags were at the door.
"If we're not, that's too bad. I'm leaving." Methos replied, picking up his bag and one of
Amanda's that was sitting near the door. What was supposed to have been a short trip
for necessities had obviously become quite the spree for her. "Women." He muttered as
he strode through the door and out to the van.
Four hours later they were driving in another van, parking only a few blocks from Rosa's
shop. After a brief round of embraces, Rosa told them that she'd sent her teenage
nephew "biking" with his friends up the road that morning.
"They saw the villa where the car was parked." She told Methos and Duncan. "It is this
one." She pointed to a place near the end of the road, well up into the mountain.
"Your nephew rode a bike up this road?" Duncan asked with surprise.
Rosa laughed. "He took a motor bike."
That sounded like a good idea. Bikes meant they could move a little more freely and
since Rosa explained that was a favorite mode of transportation for the tourists in good
weather, they could blend in.
"May we leave our van and our things here with you?" Amanda asked Rosa.
"Of course." The woman replied. "My home and shop are at your disposal, and my
brother has room at his home next door."
While Joe, Amanda and Ellen carried their things in, Methos, Richie and Duncan walked
up the street to where they could rent bikes. It had been decided that Amanda and Ellen
would provide back up if necessary with the van.
On the way back from the motorcycle rental shop, Methos noticed another shop. It was
one that catered to children's clothing and items. "I'll meet you back at Rosa's." he said.
Duncan and Richie wondered what he had in mind.
Methos went inside and purchased one very warm blanket and a baby carrier he'd seen
women use that would allow Cassie to be held against his body without the use of his
arms. He wanted to be as prepared for a quick getaway as necessary.
Another thought crossed his mind as the clerk started to total his purchase. He asked
her to wait and went back to pick up two more of the soft carriers. In case he couldn't
get the baby out, MacLeod and Richie should be prepared.
Methos paced impatiently. Why he agreed to wait for Duncan to return with swords for
Amanda and Richie, he didn't know. They could have been on an early morning flight
and driven the hour it would take to reach the town where Rosa lived by now. Instead
he was waiting for Duncan and the women to return. Richie and Joe had taken a cab
and were back with their necessities like a couple of changes of clothes, shaving kit
etc…. but no word from MacLeod. Methos started to pull out his phone and punch in the
numbers to find out what was keeping them.
"The plane doesn't leave for two hours." Joe reminded as he made some adjustments to
the crutches Mac had picked up for him. "They will be back in plenty of time."
"I just hate this waiting. I have a bad feeling." Methos replied, pocketing the phone. And
indeed he did. He'd had the feeling most of the night, the feeling that Beth was in
serious trouble. It hit him in the pit of his stomach and wouldn't be shaken. He knew
they had to hurry.
Richie was just as impatient as he held onto the railing outside and looked over the city.
He needed to focus on something besides the ache and emptiness in his heart, and
rescuing Beth and the baby was that thing. He also sensed Methos' anxiousness and
knew the ancient immortal never got that way without reason.
Turning and leaning with his back against the railing, he watched Methos more closely.
It was funny how things happen. When Beth first disappeared, Richie thought he
understood the pain the man was in, but still couldn't comprehend what had sent him off
the edge so far. And although he didn't want to give up on Methos like Mac had told him
they should do, he thought he was taking his anger to the extreme. Now with his own
loss so fresh, Richie knew why. At least Shafer was dead. Even if it didn't bring Claudia
back, and even if he wasn't the one to send him to hell, at least there had been
vengeance.
When Joe went outside to test the adjustments by walking up and down the sidewalk a
bit, Methos looked directly at Richie. "Is there a problem?"
"Problem?" Richie replied, coming in from the balcony. "No man, no problem. I was just
wondering how you were holding it together as well as you are."
"I could ask you the same thing." Methos replied, slumping down into the sofa and
leaning his head back, his eyes closed as he tried to force himself to relax.
"I don't have it together." Richie responded. "Not by a long shot. But if I let even a
fragment of what I feel get out, I'll lose it completely."
Methos opened his eyes and looked across the room where Richie had gone to stand
by the hearth. "I'm sorry about Claudia."
"Yeah well … 3 out of 4 was better odds than I gave us once they tied us up to those
things." Richie replied glumly as he turned and looked down into the glowing coals. "I
just wish it had been me …"
Methos couldn't help but feel badly for Richie. "It's never easy."
The last thing Richie could handle and still hold his emotions in check was compassion,
especially from Methos. "Just don't ok …" he replied, squeezing his eyes tightly together
so the tears couldn't escape and he might have a chance at keeping it together.
"Trust me, it's better to let it out now than to bottle it up."
"I can't!" Richie turned, his face contorted and his eyes blazing through the mist. "I can't
let myself feel this."
Methos didn't respond. He knew from experience how Richie felt, and if the young
immortal chose to deal with his pain by submerging it, then who was he to argue. He
learned long ago that everyone deals with things differently and there is no right or
wrong. You just do the best you can to survive.
"You know, Claudia was spoiled and pampered and so full of herself sometimes." Richie
said in a low voice as he turned back to look at the fire. "But there was so much more.
Behind all of that attitude was a sweet, almost innocent girl, and she thought I was this
really great guy. I wasn't some punk on a motorcycle to Claudia, I was like this Knight
from a fairy tale." He rubbed his eyes and shook his head.
"She thought I'd always be able to protect her." His voice broke as he spoke. "She was
… she was … God she was everything I never knew I wanted."
Methos watched as his young friend's shoulders began to shake and as he slowly
dropped to his knees as if his body was being deflated. As much as Richie had fought
letting it out, he knew it was better this way. The more he could deal with the emotions,
the less chance they would surface at the wrong time.
After a few minutes, when Richie seemed to be coming to the end of this, he finally
spoke. "I'm sure Claudia knew how much you cared for her. At least the time you
shared, there was never any doubt. She knew."
Richie nodded and wiped his face on the tail of his shirt as he moved to stand. Duncan
and the others were just coming inside when he left the room to splash water on his
face and grieve for a few more moments in private.
"Is he going to be all right?" Duncan asked.
"Probably not, but he'll make it none the less." Methos replied.
Amanda started to go to him, but Methos stepped in her path. "He really needs to try
and work through this on his own. He's trying to be strong … let him."
Amanda wanted to protest. She thought of Richie as her kid brother, but knew Methos
was probably right.
When Richie finally emerged from the bathroom, Duncan was showing Joe and Methos
the sword he'd selected for their young friend. It was a sword once owned by a Christian
Knight from Malta during Medieval times. The grip was beautifully crafted in gold and
pewter and the blade well balanced.
Richie took it, but then shook his head and reached into the bag containing Claudia's
things that Ellen and MacLeod had brought with them when they left New York. "I
appreciate it Mac, but I'll be using this one."
"Richie are you daft? Claudia's sword isn't nearly the blade this one is." Duncan argued.
Methos also frowned.
"I'm using her sword." Richie replied convincingly.
"Take them both." Methos suggested. "We worked on two hand fighting enough. It will
increase your advantage."
Richie nodded and placed both of the swords in the bag.
"Are we ready then?" Duncan asked, looking to see if everyone's bags were at the door.
"If we're not, that's too bad. I'm leaving." Methos replied, picking up his bag and one of
Amanda's that was sitting near the door. What was supposed to have been a short trip
for necessities had obviously become quite the spree for her. "Women." He muttered as
he strode through the door and out to the van.
Four hours later they were driving in another van, parking only a few blocks from Rosa's
shop. After a brief round of embraces, Rosa told them that she'd sent her teenage
nephew "biking" with his friends up the road that morning.
"They saw the villa where the car was parked." She told Methos and Duncan. "It is this
one." She pointed to a place near the end of the road, well up into the mountain.
"Your nephew rode a bike up this road?" Duncan asked with surprise.
Rosa laughed. "He took a motor bike."
That sounded like a good idea. Bikes meant they could move a little more freely and
since Rosa explained that was a favorite mode of transportation for the tourists in good
weather, they could blend in.
"May we leave our van and our things here with you?" Amanda asked Rosa.
"Of course." The woman replied. "My home and shop are at your disposal, and my
brother has room at his home next door."
While Joe, Amanda and Ellen carried their things in, Methos, Richie and Duncan walked
up the street to where they could rent bikes. It had been decided that Amanda and Ellen
would provide back up if necessary with the van.
On the way back from the motorcycle rental shop, Methos noticed another shop. It was
one that catered to children's clothing and items. "I'll meet you back at Rosa's." he said.
Duncan and Richie wondered what he had in mind.
Methos went inside and purchased one very warm blanket and a baby carrier he'd seen
women use that would allow Cassie to be held against his body without the use of his
arms. He wanted to be as prepared for a quick getaway as necessary.
Another thought crossed his mind as the clerk started to total his purchase. He asked
her to wait and went back to pick up two more of the soft carriers. In case he couldn't
get the baby out, MacLeod and Richie should be prepared.