CHAPTER 99
Later that night, Beth was strangely quiet. She busied herself by preparing the guestrooms for
Duncan and Joe, but Adam could tell there was something on her mind. In the back of his mind
he trusted her father, but what if giving him the letter had been a test … and he failed?
When they finally went to bed and he held her in his arms, her silence became deafening.
"Sweetheart, what is bothering you? Did your family have more to say that upset you?" Adam
asked as he bent to kiss her shoulder.
Beth shook her head and the tears filled her eyes. "It's not them. Once Daddy told them to keep
the peace, they respected his decision."
Adam cupped her chin in his hand and urged her to look up at him. In the moonlight her eyes
glistened like beautiful dark stones, but he could also see the pain behind them. "What is it? You
can tell me." His gut tightened, praying he hadn't been the cause of it.
Beth swallowed hard. She hadn't known how to approach this subject, but knew she needed to.
In the euphoria of his return she hadn't let herself even think about it, but now she knew it had to
be said. "Did Cassandra tell you anything else about our connection?"
Adam didn't know exactly what she meant, but was relieved the subject wasn't what he had
feared. "Cassandra seemed surprised by the whole idea of a connection, but she said that both
instances she knew of were with immortals who stayed out of the game while their wives were
alive. There really hadn't been an opportunity to know about any possible connection."
Beth's face darkened. "Then she won't know if …"
Adam knew something was really wrong. "Beth what are you trying to say?"
"When I told you about our connection, did you wonder how I knew the times you died during a
challenge?" she asked.
"You said you could see through my eyes. I thought it must have been that. I'm sorry you had to
see any of it. I never wanted to expose you to that … all the anger and hate. I'm so sorry." He
stroked her face and kissed her temple as he apologized, gathering her closer.
"That isn't exactly how I knew." She hesitated a second. "I did see and I did feel … but I knew
because … I died too."
Adam's face registered first shock and then horror. "What do you mean you 'died'?" He sat up
and she rose to meet his gaze.
"I mean the first time I felt a sharp pain here …" she put her hand over a place in her chest.
"And then I died. When Garrett found me on the floor I wasn't breathing and I had no pulse. The
second time I felt a sharp pain in my side and collapsed at the hospital. Duncan and the others
were there. They know something happened to me … but they don't know why. The doctor
performed CPR on me for quite some time before I revived."
The ramification of what she was saying shook Adam to his core. He slipped out of bed and
began to pace the room. His mind recounted Quickening after Quickening, trying to remember,
trying to find anything that would make what she was implying not true. And then it hit him.
"What about Massey?" he turned and asked her. "What about the cop? I died one other time.
Why didn't you mention that one?"
Beth tried to remember. Each instance had been so difficult for her. She thought back to a
particularly painful connection. "The night you crushed my hand …" she whispered. "You were
so angry … I woke up from a nightmare and felt so much anger and then the bones in my hand
broke under the force of it."
Adam was horrified that he'd done that. "My God how could you even look at me after what I've
done to you?"
Beth crawled from beneath the covers and crossed the room to stand in front of him. "How can I
not? I love you with all my heart and soul. I know you would never have done it if you hadn't
been made to believe I'd betrayed you. I don't see any of that when I look at you now." She
reached up and framed his face in her hands. "I only see how much you love me."
Adam couldn't fathom what he saw in her eyes. For a long moment they just looked at one
another, but then he broke the silence. "You say you remember me challenging a cop, but you
don't remember dying."
"I was asleep until I felt the effects of the Quickening and … what happened to my hand. I could
have been more than asleep. I really don't know" Beth replied. "But I do know that a week
before you found us, my heart stopped for several minutes … enough for Garrett to call a doctor,
and then a few days after you left us at the hospital … it happened again. The doctors ran many
tests and found nothing wrong with me, and I revived on my own both times, but Adam … I was
clinically dead."
Adam pulled her into his arms and held her tight as he stared into the dark shadows of the room.
"That is why I didn't believe you were dead at first, but then I knew Duncan and Joe wouldn't lie to
me. I rationalized that maybe I would only feel the effects of your death if it was a wound you
would recover from and not …" She couldn't bring herself to even consider his beheading.
Adam didn't say anything. He just held her for the longest time. Beth could tell he was troubled
by the thought of his death causing hers. She imagined what was going through his mind.
Pulling away a little, Beth led him back to the bed. They held one another without speaking for
several more minutes before her words broke the silence.
"I trust you Adam." She told him. "I know you take a challenge seriously and how much you love
Cassie and I. I trust you to make sure we both live to see her grown up and on her own."
"I won't let myself be caught in a challenge until our time together is over Beth. I swear. I won't
be the reason for your death or that Cassie is left alone." Adam replied, but Beth shook her head.
"Don't promise that. We both know that any day a challenge could come looking for you. You
told me what happened before when you stayed out of the game for over 200 years. I don't want
you to lose the edge you have now. I've seen you fight and I know you didn't hone that kind of
skill by running. I won't ask you to run from any challenge … I only ask that you win, whatever it
takes … and I know you will."
Adam shook his head in complete disbelief. Just when he thought he couldn't admire Beth any
more for her courage or her complete faith in him, she takes the level of her belief in him to
another level. "I need to think about this." He replied finally. Beth understood. She shifted in his
arms and inhaled the musky scent of him before tilting her face up and planting a trail of kisses
along his jawline. "I love you Methos … I know you will do what is right for all of us."
He kissed her deeply before pillowing her head on his chest where she slept in the safety and
security of his arms. Adam however stayed awake for a while longer, listening to her breathing
and stroking her hair and back as he thought about what she had told him … and about the
envelope hidden in the pocket of his coat.
Later that night, Beth was strangely quiet. She busied herself by preparing the guestrooms for
Duncan and Joe, but Adam could tell there was something on her mind. In the back of his mind
he trusted her father, but what if giving him the letter had been a test … and he failed?
When they finally went to bed and he held her in his arms, her silence became deafening.
"Sweetheart, what is bothering you? Did your family have more to say that upset you?" Adam
asked as he bent to kiss her shoulder.
Beth shook her head and the tears filled her eyes. "It's not them. Once Daddy told them to keep
the peace, they respected his decision."
Adam cupped her chin in his hand and urged her to look up at him. In the moonlight her eyes
glistened like beautiful dark stones, but he could also see the pain behind them. "What is it? You
can tell me." His gut tightened, praying he hadn't been the cause of it.
Beth swallowed hard. She hadn't known how to approach this subject, but knew she needed to.
In the euphoria of his return she hadn't let herself even think about it, but now she knew it had to
be said. "Did Cassandra tell you anything else about our connection?"
Adam didn't know exactly what she meant, but was relieved the subject wasn't what he had
feared. "Cassandra seemed surprised by the whole idea of a connection, but she said that both
instances she knew of were with immortals who stayed out of the game while their wives were
alive. There really hadn't been an opportunity to know about any possible connection."
Beth's face darkened. "Then she won't know if …"
Adam knew something was really wrong. "Beth what are you trying to say?"
"When I told you about our connection, did you wonder how I knew the times you died during a
challenge?" she asked.
"You said you could see through my eyes. I thought it must have been that. I'm sorry you had to
see any of it. I never wanted to expose you to that … all the anger and hate. I'm so sorry." He
stroked her face and kissed her temple as he apologized, gathering her closer.
"That isn't exactly how I knew." She hesitated a second. "I did see and I did feel … but I knew
because … I died too."
Adam's face registered first shock and then horror. "What do you mean you 'died'?" He sat up
and she rose to meet his gaze.
"I mean the first time I felt a sharp pain here …" she put her hand over a place in her chest.
"And then I died. When Garrett found me on the floor I wasn't breathing and I had no pulse. The
second time I felt a sharp pain in my side and collapsed at the hospital. Duncan and the others
were there. They know something happened to me … but they don't know why. The doctor
performed CPR on me for quite some time before I revived."
The ramification of what she was saying shook Adam to his core. He slipped out of bed and
began to pace the room. His mind recounted Quickening after Quickening, trying to remember,
trying to find anything that would make what she was implying not true. And then it hit him.
"What about Massey?" he turned and asked her. "What about the cop? I died one other time.
Why didn't you mention that one?"
Beth tried to remember. Each instance had been so difficult for her. She thought back to a
particularly painful connection. "The night you crushed my hand …" she whispered. "You were
so angry … I woke up from a nightmare and felt so much anger and then the bones in my hand
broke under the force of it."
Adam was horrified that he'd done that. "My God how could you even look at me after what I've
done to you?"
Beth crawled from beneath the covers and crossed the room to stand in front of him. "How can I
not? I love you with all my heart and soul. I know you would never have done it if you hadn't
been made to believe I'd betrayed you. I don't see any of that when I look at you now." She
reached up and framed his face in her hands. "I only see how much you love me."
Adam couldn't fathom what he saw in her eyes. For a long moment they just looked at one
another, but then he broke the silence. "You say you remember me challenging a cop, but you
don't remember dying."
"I was asleep until I felt the effects of the Quickening and … what happened to my hand. I could
have been more than asleep. I really don't know" Beth replied. "But I do know that a week
before you found us, my heart stopped for several minutes … enough for Garrett to call a doctor,
and then a few days after you left us at the hospital … it happened again. The doctors ran many
tests and found nothing wrong with me, and I revived on my own both times, but Adam … I was
clinically dead."
Adam pulled her into his arms and held her tight as he stared into the dark shadows of the room.
"That is why I didn't believe you were dead at first, but then I knew Duncan and Joe wouldn't lie to
me. I rationalized that maybe I would only feel the effects of your death if it was a wound you
would recover from and not …" She couldn't bring herself to even consider his beheading.
Adam didn't say anything. He just held her for the longest time. Beth could tell he was troubled
by the thought of his death causing hers. She imagined what was going through his mind.
Pulling away a little, Beth led him back to the bed. They held one another without speaking for
several more minutes before her words broke the silence.
"I trust you Adam." She told him. "I know you take a challenge seriously and how much you love
Cassie and I. I trust you to make sure we both live to see her grown up and on her own."
"I won't let myself be caught in a challenge until our time together is over Beth. I swear. I won't
be the reason for your death or that Cassie is left alone." Adam replied, but Beth shook her head.
"Don't promise that. We both know that any day a challenge could come looking for you. You
told me what happened before when you stayed out of the game for over 200 years. I don't want
you to lose the edge you have now. I've seen you fight and I know you didn't hone that kind of
skill by running. I won't ask you to run from any challenge … I only ask that you win, whatever it
takes … and I know you will."
Adam shook his head in complete disbelief. Just when he thought he couldn't admire Beth any
more for her courage or her complete faith in him, she takes the level of her belief in him to
another level. "I need to think about this." He replied finally. Beth understood. She shifted in his
arms and inhaled the musky scent of him before tilting her face up and planting a trail of kisses
along his jawline. "I love you Methos … I know you will do what is right for all of us."
He kissed her deeply before pillowing her head on his chest where she slept in the safety and
security of his arms. Adam however stayed awake for a while longer, listening to her breathing
and stroking her hair and back as he thought about what she had told him … and about the
envelope hidden in the pocket of his coat.