Chapter 49
As Alex's eyes slowly opened it took her a few seconds to remember where she was. Across the room Maria was sat in an armchair reading by the light of a small lamp. The room wasn't in darkness but the dim greyness of twilight curled its fingers around the room. Alex pushed the shawl off that Maria had placed over her while she was sleeping and moved slowly to the edge of the settee. Her movement made Maria look up and she placed the book she was reading down on the small table next to the lamp and took her silver rimmed glasses off placing them on top of the book. "Ah your awake. Do you feel better?"
Alex was still a little fuzzy from her sleep "I'm sorry I nodded off for a while. What time is it?"
"It's getting late. If you want you can stay the night, I have a spare room it would be no trouble to put bedding on it" Maria said as she moved to the edge of her seat. "That is really kind of you but I really should be going. I'm supposed to meet a friend at Le Blues Bar"
"But that is a long way from here. Surely your friend will understand. Why don't you call them and they can come here" Alex knew that Maria's suggestion made sense but she couldn't risk calling Duncan in case Ray was with him, she didn't want to take the risk until she could be sure if he had anything to do with Thomas's attack on her. "No it's all right, I can never remember his number anyway. I'll walk a little way to wake me up then I'll take a cab" Alex said as she gingerly got to her feet "Thank you, for everything, you've been so kind. I wish there was something I could do for you" Alex said as she watched Maria get to her feet "Just having company is thanks enough but if your ever in this area again, please call in maybe I could finish my story" Alex realised with horror that she must have fallen asleep while listening to Maria's tale about her time in the French Diplomatic Service. "I'm so sorry that was really rude of me"
Maria smiled warmly "No harm done, just come back and see me sometime. Maybe you could bring your Gentleman friend" Maria said as she guided Alex towards the door "I will I promise" Alex said as she walked down the stone steps into the street. Alex was aware of Maria watching her until she turned the corner. Some of what Maria had told her came back to her as she walked. How lonely Maria was made Alex wondered if that was what life had in store for her or did she have time to change.
Thomas filled Ray in on what had happened at the hospital and managed to convince him that they should go back to the Embassy and get another car so they both could look for Alex. Thomas smiled to himself even his partner didn't suspect anything but he knew to keep it that way he had to be the one to find Alex. He decided to search the route from the hospital to the barge first, he knew that Duncan and his friend would have already searched this area but they didn't know Alex as he did and that was his advantage they thought very much alike. Thomas had reached the barge after checking all the back streets and alleys but it was in darkness, Duncan and his friend must still be out looking. He left his car and made his way down towards the barge. He had just reached the gangplank when his cell phone rang.
"Where are you?" Thomas didn't have to ask who the caller was he knew from the voice it was Du Pont. "I've had a little set back" he replied.
"I don't want excuses I want what we agreed. I don't like being let down you know that. Don't think your going to let me down again without consequences. Remember I hold your markers. Now get the job done" before Thomas could reply the phone went dead. "Damn it!" Thomas exclaimed he knew now that if he didn't get to Alex before the others his life was over. He couldn't let that bitch beat him again.
Duncan's call to Joe to see if Alex had made it to the bar had brought him into the hunt as well. Duncan hadn't asked him to join them but as soon as Joe had heard that Alex was missing he wouldn't take no for an answer and took to the streets in his car. "The more eyes on the streets the better Mac. Philippe will call me if anyone asks for me or you at the bar". Duncan had travelled to the bar and the barge by several different routes but they had found no sign of her but there were still a lot of other routes she could have taken, so they continued their search.
Alex walked until she was about a kilometre from the bar when she was forced to stop again to rest. She was sat in the shadows on the metal steps of a fire escape in an alley behind a restaurant trying to catch her breath. A large black car drove slowly past just as Alex looked up her eyes fixed straight into the face of the passenger. "Lazarski" all thoughts of how tired she was left her as she took hold of the railing and pulled herself to her feet. Keeping to the shadows she watched as the black car turned into the run down factory site across the street. Alex waited in the shadows until the car had disappeared into the building and the roller shutter had closed behind it before she crossed the street; she just had to know what he was doing here.
Alex moved slowly towards the main building she froze when a light suddenly came on in the room only a few metres ahead. She could hear her heart beating in her ears and her throat was becoming dry as she inched forward her back flat against the wall. Just as she reached the window the light was turned off. Alex closed her eyes as she quietly breathed out but she didn't have time to relax as another light came on in a window further down. This window was higher than the last one but as her eyes adjusted back to the darkness she saw an old pallet leaning against a small wooden building on the other side of the alley. Alex moved as silently as she could through the debris in the alley between the buildings until she was able to take hold of the pallet. Half dragging, half lifting the pallet she brought it over to the window. Gently she lent it against the wall with the slats facing her, a couple of the slats were broken so she could use it as steps. Cautiously, she placed her foot on the first slat tested that it would take her weight before reaching up to the windowsill to steady her as she climbed.
Slowly she moved up the slats of the pallet staying to one side of the window until her head was level with it. Alex move her head gradually towards the glass, inside she could just make out the back of a man's head as he stood a little way from the window, through the small open upper window she heard an unmistakable voice. Her blood ran cold and Alex swallowed hard as the sound of that voice brought the old feelings of panic and fear she had felt as a child to the surface. Alex moved her head away from the window resting her forehead against the brickwork as she pushed her feelings deep down inside. She couldn't risk them effecting how she was going to deal with this. Just as Alex had managed to quell her fear she heard someone else enter the room.
"Well where's the girl?"
"My man has run into a little problem, she got away from him"
"HE LOST HER?" Lazarski's eyes flashed with rage making Du Pont instinctively back away
"Yes, but he has assured me that he will have her shortly. I don't understand if she's such a pain in the ass why don't we just have him kill her," Du Pont asked nervously.
"Because I want her alive" Lazarski said as he moved towards Du Pont. "What is it with you and this woman?" Du Pont couldn't understand why his partner was so irrational since this woman came back into his life. Lazarski move to put his face inches from Du Pont's "She is bought and paid for and no one takes anything that is mine and no one leaves me." Du Pont swallowed hard for the first time in their partnership he really felt that his life might be in danger from this man who had become increasingly obsessed with this woman and the two men who had befriended her. Du Pont didn't like that Lazarski was letting all this get in the way of business but he knew that to challenge him now would be suicide.
"The men are at the barge as you requested and the rest of the virus is ready to go with us to the States, as soon as your ready" Du Pont answered trying to keep the emotion he was feeling from his voice. "Then as soon as your man on the inside brings me the woman and the others bring the Doc and his friend MacLeod this will all be over and we can get on with business"
The thought of Duncan and Adam walking in to a trap filled Alex with terror and she knew she had to get to the bar. As she placed her foot down the wood of the pallet gave way-sending Alex crashing to the ground. As her body slammed into the ground a shaft of burning pain ripped through her stomach and she instinctively let out a cry. It didn't take her long to realise that there was movement inside the building and she had to get away but the fire in her stomach made moving difficult. As quickly as she could she half crawled, half stumbled across to the small wooden building, she was so grateful that the door was unlocked. Alex pulled the door open and stumbled inside pulling the door closed behind her.
She sat in the darkness one hand holding the door closed and the other holding her stomach as she listened to footsteps in the alley outside. Alex held her breath, as the footsteps got closer, she had to really concentrate to stop her hands from shaking. She felt the handle being grasped she felt her heart beat loudly in her ears, it seemed so loud that for a moment Alex was afraid that whoever was on the other side of the door would hear. Alex slowly let out a sigh of relief when a shout made the person leave without trying the door. Alex sat in the darkness not daring to move in case it was a trick; she must have been there for nearly an hour before she heard the sound of the metal roller door being lifted and a car driving away. It was another 20 minutes before Alex decided to open the door; she took the gun from her belt with her right hand as she slowly pushed the door open with her left. Her eyes searched the alley but no one was there as she moved to the end of the alley there was some faint light from the street lamps, it was then that she noticed that there was blood on her blouse. As she got nearer the street Alex put the gun back in her belt and pulled her jacket around her stomach making sure that the blood couldn't be seen.
Methos had persuaded Duncan to take a break at his apartment; they had been looking for hours. "Sit down Mac, I'll make us some coffee" Methos said as he walked towards the kitchen. "I can't sit down, I really don't think we should be here" Duncan said following him into the kitchen. As Methos switched on the kettle he sighed, "She's not a child MacLeod, she's a professional and from what I can gather she's rather good." Duncan moved to the other counter "Yeah, I know all that but there is something about her it's hard to explain. Sometimes when I look into her eyes I see a ."
"A child" Methos said finishing Duncan's sentence "I know I've seen it too" Methos said as he handed a cup of coffee to Duncan "but that's her emotional state your seeing Mac not her survival instincts. Take it from me she's a survivor with all that has happened to her she has had to be." Duncan smiled "well I guess you should know".
As Alex got to the door of the bar her head started to spin again but she managed to fight it off until she got inside, the bar was crowded. Alex didn't want to fight her way to the bar so she looked around for a table; the only one that was free was a small one in the far corner. As she sat down she leant forward as the pain in her stomach burned and she felt the room start to spin but she managed to stay conscious. She watched as the waitresses moved around the tables taking orders before heading for the bar, she knew she had to be patient. Alex took advantage of the time to move her jacket to one side and lift her blouse to check the dressing the hospital had placed over her wound. It was red with her blood from where the stitches had been ripped out in the fall. Before Alex could check how bad it was she saw a waitress approaching and pulled her jacket back around her.
"Can I get you anything?" the waitress asked as her eyes scanned the room for other customers. "All I want is to talk to Joe, Joe Dawson"
"Well I'm sorry he's not here. Now what would you like to drink?" the waitress asked impatiently. Alex didn't have time to play games she grabbed hold of the waitress's arm and pulled her closer "Now if you can't get Joe for me get some one who can" Alex saw the look of pain in the waitress's eyes and released her grip. As soon as her arm was free the waitress made her way quickly to the bar. Alex saw her speak to the barman who looked across the room at her as he picked up the phone.
"Joe, it's Philippe. The woman you said about she's here. What do you want me to do?"
"Thank God" Joe said as he started to turn the car around "I'm on my way. Don't let her leave". Joe didn't park his car in its normal place he just pulled up right outside and made his way inside as quickly as he could. As he entered the bar Philippe looked up from serving and nodded towards the table Alex was sat at. "Hey we've been looking all over town for you" Joe said as he pulled out the chair next to her. As she heard Joe's voice she looked up "Sorry Joe, it took me a little longer than I had hoped"
"You don't look so good"
"That's because I'm not doing so good," Alex said as she opened her jacket so that Joe could see the blood on her blouse. "Oh God, I'll call an ambulance"
"No Joe, no ambulances, not Doctors it's not safe. Just get Duncan tell him to come here he's not to go to the barge, Lazarski's men are there waiting for him" Alex's pleading eyes made Joe sit back down "Ok, forget the ambulance. Do you think you can walk to the back room?"
"Yeah, with a little help I can make it" Alex said as used the table to help her to her feet. Joe took hold of her arm and helped her through the sea of people in front of the bar. As Joe held open the bar for Alex, Philippe approached "I really could use some help Joe"
"I just have some things to sort out. I'll be out as soon as I can" Joe said as he opened the door to the rear office and let Alex walk inside. Philippe threw up his hands and returned to the sea of people wanting for his attention. "Here sit down," Joe said as he guided her towards the couch. "I've got a first aid box around here somewhere"
"No Joe, phone Duncan first. I can wait" Alex said breathlessly as a wave of pain took her breath away. "Ok, Ok but stay still we don't want anymore stitches breaking loose" Joe said as he reached for the phone and punched in Duncan's number.
"Mac its Joe. Alex is here and she's not look so good but she won't let me call an ambulance"
"How bad?" As Duncan asked the question Methos put his cup down. "It looks like she's ripped her stitches, she's loosing blood" Joe replied as he looked over at Alex who was resting her head against the back of the couch. Duncan hadn't noticed Methos leave the room "Ok we'll be there as soon as we can Joe. Just one thing if Ray or Thomas shows up don't let them know she's there. I'll explain when we get there"
"No problem. Oh one other thing don't go to the barge Alex said Lazarski has his men waiting for you and Mac please hurry" Joe replied before putting down the phone. Duncan nodded as he closed his phone and looked round he walked into the next room when he realised that Methos wasn't there "Methos we've got to go" he shouted just as Methos appeared out of his bedroom with a black bag in his hand
"Ok I'm ready" Methos replied following Duncan to the door "I take it Joe's found Alex?"
"Yeah, and she's injured" Duncan said as he walked towards his car "I know" Methos said as he lifted the black bag. "I always keep it handy you never know when it might be needed." Methos said grinning as he climbed into the passenger seat.
As Alex's eyes slowly opened it took her a few seconds to remember where she was. Across the room Maria was sat in an armchair reading by the light of a small lamp. The room wasn't in darkness but the dim greyness of twilight curled its fingers around the room. Alex pushed the shawl off that Maria had placed over her while she was sleeping and moved slowly to the edge of the settee. Her movement made Maria look up and she placed the book she was reading down on the small table next to the lamp and took her silver rimmed glasses off placing them on top of the book. "Ah your awake. Do you feel better?"
Alex was still a little fuzzy from her sleep "I'm sorry I nodded off for a while. What time is it?"
"It's getting late. If you want you can stay the night, I have a spare room it would be no trouble to put bedding on it" Maria said as she moved to the edge of her seat. "That is really kind of you but I really should be going. I'm supposed to meet a friend at Le Blues Bar"
"But that is a long way from here. Surely your friend will understand. Why don't you call them and they can come here" Alex knew that Maria's suggestion made sense but she couldn't risk calling Duncan in case Ray was with him, she didn't want to take the risk until she could be sure if he had anything to do with Thomas's attack on her. "No it's all right, I can never remember his number anyway. I'll walk a little way to wake me up then I'll take a cab" Alex said as she gingerly got to her feet "Thank you, for everything, you've been so kind. I wish there was something I could do for you" Alex said as she watched Maria get to her feet "Just having company is thanks enough but if your ever in this area again, please call in maybe I could finish my story" Alex realised with horror that she must have fallen asleep while listening to Maria's tale about her time in the French Diplomatic Service. "I'm so sorry that was really rude of me"
Maria smiled warmly "No harm done, just come back and see me sometime. Maybe you could bring your Gentleman friend" Maria said as she guided Alex towards the door "I will I promise" Alex said as she walked down the stone steps into the street. Alex was aware of Maria watching her until she turned the corner. Some of what Maria had told her came back to her as she walked. How lonely Maria was made Alex wondered if that was what life had in store for her or did she have time to change.
Thomas filled Ray in on what had happened at the hospital and managed to convince him that they should go back to the Embassy and get another car so they both could look for Alex. Thomas smiled to himself even his partner didn't suspect anything but he knew to keep it that way he had to be the one to find Alex. He decided to search the route from the hospital to the barge first, he knew that Duncan and his friend would have already searched this area but they didn't know Alex as he did and that was his advantage they thought very much alike. Thomas had reached the barge after checking all the back streets and alleys but it was in darkness, Duncan and his friend must still be out looking. He left his car and made his way down towards the barge. He had just reached the gangplank when his cell phone rang.
"Where are you?" Thomas didn't have to ask who the caller was he knew from the voice it was Du Pont. "I've had a little set back" he replied.
"I don't want excuses I want what we agreed. I don't like being let down you know that. Don't think your going to let me down again without consequences. Remember I hold your markers. Now get the job done" before Thomas could reply the phone went dead. "Damn it!" Thomas exclaimed he knew now that if he didn't get to Alex before the others his life was over. He couldn't let that bitch beat him again.
Duncan's call to Joe to see if Alex had made it to the bar had brought him into the hunt as well. Duncan hadn't asked him to join them but as soon as Joe had heard that Alex was missing he wouldn't take no for an answer and took to the streets in his car. "The more eyes on the streets the better Mac. Philippe will call me if anyone asks for me or you at the bar". Duncan had travelled to the bar and the barge by several different routes but they had found no sign of her but there were still a lot of other routes she could have taken, so they continued their search.
Alex walked until she was about a kilometre from the bar when she was forced to stop again to rest. She was sat in the shadows on the metal steps of a fire escape in an alley behind a restaurant trying to catch her breath. A large black car drove slowly past just as Alex looked up her eyes fixed straight into the face of the passenger. "Lazarski" all thoughts of how tired she was left her as she took hold of the railing and pulled herself to her feet. Keeping to the shadows she watched as the black car turned into the run down factory site across the street. Alex waited in the shadows until the car had disappeared into the building and the roller shutter had closed behind it before she crossed the street; she just had to know what he was doing here.
Alex moved slowly towards the main building she froze when a light suddenly came on in the room only a few metres ahead. She could hear her heart beating in her ears and her throat was becoming dry as she inched forward her back flat against the wall. Just as she reached the window the light was turned off. Alex closed her eyes as she quietly breathed out but she didn't have time to relax as another light came on in a window further down. This window was higher than the last one but as her eyes adjusted back to the darkness she saw an old pallet leaning against a small wooden building on the other side of the alley. Alex moved as silently as she could through the debris in the alley between the buildings until she was able to take hold of the pallet. Half dragging, half lifting the pallet she brought it over to the window. Gently she lent it against the wall with the slats facing her, a couple of the slats were broken so she could use it as steps. Cautiously, she placed her foot on the first slat tested that it would take her weight before reaching up to the windowsill to steady her as she climbed.
Slowly she moved up the slats of the pallet staying to one side of the window until her head was level with it. Alex move her head gradually towards the glass, inside she could just make out the back of a man's head as he stood a little way from the window, through the small open upper window she heard an unmistakable voice. Her blood ran cold and Alex swallowed hard as the sound of that voice brought the old feelings of panic and fear she had felt as a child to the surface. Alex moved her head away from the window resting her forehead against the brickwork as she pushed her feelings deep down inside. She couldn't risk them effecting how she was going to deal with this. Just as Alex had managed to quell her fear she heard someone else enter the room.
"Well where's the girl?"
"My man has run into a little problem, she got away from him"
"HE LOST HER?" Lazarski's eyes flashed with rage making Du Pont instinctively back away
"Yes, but he has assured me that he will have her shortly. I don't understand if she's such a pain in the ass why don't we just have him kill her," Du Pont asked nervously.
"Because I want her alive" Lazarski said as he moved towards Du Pont. "What is it with you and this woman?" Du Pont couldn't understand why his partner was so irrational since this woman came back into his life. Lazarski move to put his face inches from Du Pont's "She is bought and paid for and no one takes anything that is mine and no one leaves me." Du Pont swallowed hard for the first time in their partnership he really felt that his life might be in danger from this man who had become increasingly obsessed with this woman and the two men who had befriended her. Du Pont didn't like that Lazarski was letting all this get in the way of business but he knew that to challenge him now would be suicide.
"The men are at the barge as you requested and the rest of the virus is ready to go with us to the States, as soon as your ready" Du Pont answered trying to keep the emotion he was feeling from his voice. "Then as soon as your man on the inside brings me the woman and the others bring the Doc and his friend MacLeod this will all be over and we can get on with business"
The thought of Duncan and Adam walking in to a trap filled Alex with terror and she knew she had to get to the bar. As she placed her foot down the wood of the pallet gave way-sending Alex crashing to the ground. As her body slammed into the ground a shaft of burning pain ripped through her stomach and she instinctively let out a cry. It didn't take her long to realise that there was movement inside the building and she had to get away but the fire in her stomach made moving difficult. As quickly as she could she half crawled, half stumbled across to the small wooden building, she was so grateful that the door was unlocked. Alex pulled the door open and stumbled inside pulling the door closed behind her.
She sat in the darkness one hand holding the door closed and the other holding her stomach as she listened to footsteps in the alley outside. Alex held her breath, as the footsteps got closer, she had to really concentrate to stop her hands from shaking. She felt the handle being grasped she felt her heart beat loudly in her ears, it seemed so loud that for a moment Alex was afraid that whoever was on the other side of the door would hear. Alex slowly let out a sigh of relief when a shout made the person leave without trying the door. Alex sat in the darkness not daring to move in case it was a trick; she must have been there for nearly an hour before she heard the sound of the metal roller door being lifted and a car driving away. It was another 20 minutes before Alex decided to open the door; she took the gun from her belt with her right hand as she slowly pushed the door open with her left. Her eyes searched the alley but no one was there as she moved to the end of the alley there was some faint light from the street lamps, it was then that she noticed that there was blood on her blouse. As she got nearer the street Alex put the gun back in her belt and pulled her jacket around her stomach making sure that the blood couldn't be seen.
Methos had persuaded Duncan to take a break at his apartment; they had been looking for hours. "Sit down Mac, I'll make us some coffee" Methos said as he walked towards the kitchen. "I can't sit down, I really don't think we should be here" Duncan said following him into the kitchen. As Methos switched on the kettle he sighed, "She's not a child MacLeod, she's a professional and from what I can gather she's rather good." Duncan moved to the other counter "Yeah, I know all that but there is something about her it's hard to explain. Sometimes when I look into her eyes I see a ."
"A child" Methos said finishing Duncan's sentence "I know I've seen it too" Methos said as he handed a cup of coffee to Duncan "but that's her emotional state your seeing Mac not her survival instincts. Take it from me she's a survivor with all that has happened to her she has had to be." Duncan smiled "well I guess you should know".
As Alex got to the door of the bar her head started to spin again but she managed to fight it off until she got inside, the bar was crowded. Alex didn't want to fight her way to the bar so she looked around for a table; the only one that was free was a small one in the far corner. As she sat down she leant forward as the pain in her stomach burned and she felt the room start to spin but she managed to stay conscious. She watched as the waitresses moved around the tables taking orders before heading for the bar, she knew she had to be patient. Alex took advantage of the time to move her jacket to one side and lift her blouse to check the dressing the hospital had placed over her wound. It was red with her blood from where the stitches had been ripped out in the fall. Before Alex could check how bad it was she saw a waitress approaching and pulled her jacket back around her.
"Can I get you anything?" the waitress asked as her eyes scanned the room for other customers. "All I want is to talk to Joe, Joe Dawson"
"Well I'm sorry he's not here. Now what would you like to drink?" the waitress asked impatiently. Alex didn't have time to play games she grabbed hold of the waitress's arm and pulled her closer "Now if you can't get Joe for me get some one who can" Alex saw the look of pain in the waitress's eyes and released her grip. As soon as her arm was free the waitress made her way quickly to the bar. Alex saw her speak to the barman who looked across the room at her as he picked up the phone.
"Joe, it's Philippe. The woman you said about she's here. What do you want me to do?"
"Thank God" Joe said as he started to turn the car around "I'm on my way. Don't let her leave". Joe didn't park his car in its normal place he just pulled up right outside and made his way inside as quickly as he could. As he entered the bar Philippe looked up from serving and nodded towards the table Alex was sat at. "Hey we've been looking all over town for you" Joe said as he pulled out the chair next to her. As she heard Joe's voice she looked up "Sorry Joe, it took me a little longer than I had hoped"
"You don't look so good"
"That's because I'm not doing so good," Alex said as she opened her jacket so that Joe could see the blood on her blouse. "Oh God, I'll call an ambulance"
"No Joe, no ambulances, not Doctors it's not safe. Just get Duncan tell him to come here he's not to go to the barge, Lazarski's men are there waiting for him" Alex's pleading eyes made Joe sit back down "Ok, forget the ambulance. Do you think you can walk to the back room?"
"Yeah, with a little help I can make it" Alex said as used the table to help her to her feet. Joe took hold of her arm and helped her through the sea of people in front of the bar. As Joe held open the bar for Alex, Philippe approached "I really could use some help Joe"
"I just have some things to sort out. I'll be out as soon as I can" Joe said as he opened the door to the rear office and let Alex walk inside. Philippe threw up his hands and returned to the sea of people wanting for his attention. "Here sit down," Joe said as he guided her towards the couch. "I've got a first aid box around here somewhere"
"No Joe, phone Duncan first. I can wait" Alex said breathlessly as a wave of pain took her breath away. "Ok, Ok but stay still we don't want anymore stitches breaking loose" Joe said as he reached for the phone and punched in Duncan's number.
"Mac its Joe. Alex is here and she's not look so good but she won't let me call an ambulance"
"How bad?" As Duncan asked the question Methos put his cup down. "It looks like she's ripped her stitches, she's loosing blood" Joe replied as he looked over at Alex who was resting her head against the back of the couch. Duncan hadn't noticed Methos leave the room "Ok we'll be there as soon as we can Joe. Just one thing if Ray or Thomas shows up don't let them know she's there. I'll explain when we get there"
"No problem. Oh one other thing don't go to the barge Alex said Lazarski has his men waiting for you and Mac please hurry" Joe replied before putting down the phone. Duncan nodded as he closed his phone and looked round he walked into the next room when he realised that Methos wasn't there "Methos we've got to go" he shouted just as Methos appeared out of his bedroom with a black bag in his hand
"Ok I'm ready" Methos replied following Duncan to the door "I take it Joe's found Alex?"
"Yeah, and she's injured" Duncan said as he walked towards his car "I know" Methos said as he lifted the black bag. "I always keep it handy you never know when it might be needed." Methos said grinning as he climbed into the passenger seat.