"You know. I'm going to have to call you something." Richie pointed out as he fell back onto the Queen sized bed. "Unless you want me to make something up?"

"Not." Methos recoiled from the very idea. "My name is Methos."

If he was expecting fireworks and the cascading arrival of Richie's memory he was to be sorely disappointed.

"Methos?" Richie squinted. "You made that up."

"Made it up?" Methos spluttered. "I'll have you know Methos is a very ancient and noble name."

"How ancient?"

"I forget." Methos pulled him off the bed and steered him towards the shower. "After the fifth century some things start to get a little fuzzy."

"Um. I think I'm going to be .." Richie just managed to fall to his knees in front of the commode before retching up thin yellow bile.

"That's not the reaction I was hoping for." Methos murmured, as he rinsed a washcloth under the tap.

"Sorry." Richie apologised, when he was done.

"You've not been eating much have you?" Methos passed him the cloth. Acutely aware that the Richie Ryan he remembered didn't let anyone fuss over him. Except Macleod  Or maybe Amanda, given the chance.

Richie wiped his face and mouth. "Maybe I just are something I'm allergic to. Its not like I would remember."

"You're Immortal." Methos reminded him. "You don't have allergies."

Richie winced and put his hands to his head.

"Richie?" Methos crouched down beside him. "Are you OK? Did you remember something?"

"A racecourse." Richie scowled. "Maybe I am allergic to horses."

"Did you eat one?" Methos had no idea what the kid was talking about. He would have to check the Watcher records. He seemed to remember Macleod saying something about Richie, Amanda and a racehorse. Although it was always possible that these were Saul's memories.

"No I did not eat one." Richie shook his head. "Are you really five thousand years old?"

So the lad had been paying attention. "Yep." Methos passed him a glass of water.

"Thanks." Richie took a sip and eyes him over the brim.

"What?" Methos sighed.

"What happened to me?" Richie asked quietly.

"You tell me." Methos raised a brow. "You are the one who has been missing for the last week."

"I asked first." Richie insisted stubbornly.

Methos bit back a grin. The kid might not remember much, but he was definitely Richie.

"So, what do you know?" Richie demanded.

***

It was Joe, of course, who had broken the news. His face lined and grim.

"Mac. Have you heard from Richie lately?"

"Not today." Duncan didn't look up from the paper he was reading. "Why?"

"Not today?" Joe sounded surprised.

Amanda smiled. "What's the matter Joe? Don't the Watchers use text messages?"

"Richie texts you every day?"

"He knows I worry." Duncan's shrug belied his soft smile. Then he frowned. "Something up?"

"Richie was challenged last night."

"Who?" Duncan's tone was low and dangerous.

"Saul." Joe admitted unhappily.

Methos sat up a bit straighter in his chair. Saul was a seasoned Immortal. One known to be active in the Game, with several Quickenings to his credit.  "Oh? Who won?"

That earnt him a glower from Macleod and a disappointed look from Amanda. But Joe just shrugged.

"That's the problem. We just don't know."

"Excuse me?" Amanda frowned.

"They met on a bridge over the river." Joe explained. "It was dark, there was a storm, between the lightening and the Quickening, well we just don't know."

"I thought you people were supposed to be Watching." Duncan's tone was icy.

"What about the body?" Methos asked.

"It fell into the river. We've got Watchers searching the river banks, but so far .." Joe sighed.

"But you've found something." Methos guessed. Joe wouldn't have put Macleod through this for nothing.

"We found Richie's sword." Joe admitted.

"Oh." Amanda said unhappily.

"Did you find Saul's sword?" Methos asked.

"No." Joe scowled at him. You are not helping. "I'm guessing he still has that."

"Unless Richie has it." Duncan smiled thinly.

"Mac," Joe sighed. "I know you are a good teacher. The best. But Saul was centuries older than Richie. Do you really think he was good enough to beat him?"

"Mako wasn't exactly a bade in arms." Methos pointed out. "Neither was Kristov, or Culbraith and Harish Clay's Squire, whatever his name was, remind me again how many centuries older than Richie he was?"

"So if Riche won?" Joe wanted to know. "Why hasn't he been in touch?"

None of them had had any answer to that.

***

"So I fought this guy and well I'm guessing I won, since I still have my head." Richie pointed out. "At least, I assume its mine, since I still don't remember."

"Its yours." Methos reassured absently. "As for the rest of it. I'm not sure."

"What. In 5000 years, you've never seen anything like this?" Richie protested. "What have you been doing for the last five centuries?"

"Staying alive." Methos shot back.

"Well there's a contribution to society." Richie sneered.

"Richie." Methos took a deep breath. "I know you're scared. But the truth is. I really don't know."

"I'm not scared." Richie protested.

"Richie." Methos spoke gently. "You don't know who you are, where you come from, or who your friends are. Of course you are scared. You'd be a fool not to be. And I happen to know you are a pretty bright kid."

"So. If you don't know what caused it?" Richie looked at the wall. "How exactly are we going to fix it?"

"I don't know that either." Methos sighed.