As ever, thanks for the reviews. I swear that all the stories will get finished, eventually, but flu, real life and the holidays, have all been conspiring to take me away from the computer lately, so I can only promise that I'll update when I can.

***
"What is it?" Joe asked worriedly as the two Immortals tensed. "Or should I be asking who is it?" he amended as he saw a familiar look in their eyes.

"Duncan?" Amanda suggested.

"Maybe," Connor stood ready. "Or it could be Methos."

"Methos is here?" Amanda said in surprise.

"Well, he was until he went to pick you up from the airport." Joe told her.

"Methos was the one who went to the airport?" Amanda paled slightly. She'd been confident enough of her ability to get round any mood Duncan might produce at a wasted trip. After all, he was the one asking her for help. But Methos was an entirely different matter.

"The traffic's pretty much bumper to bumper at this time of day," Connor smiled thinly. "There and back."

Before she could respond Methos stalked in. His face was completely expressionless. His gaze settled on Amanda.

"Methos," she trilled nervously, "How wonderful to see you. Its been .."

"Weeks?" Joe suggested helpfully.

Amanda shot him a venomous look.

"I missed you." Methos told her.

"Yes. Well. About that .." Amanda improvised. "You see, I had every intention of taking the flight Duncan booked but then this lovely young man offered to take me in his private jet and I thought of poor Richie and how it was really an errand of mercy and so .."

Anything else she might have said was cut off when Methos crossed the room in three long strides and kissed her firmly on the mouth.

"I missed you." He repeated, brushing her cheek tenderly with his thumb.

"Oh," Amanda smiled coquettishly as realisation dawned. "Well, if you put it like that." She put her arms around him and kissed him firmly back.

Connor and Joe looked at each other in stunned surprise.

"Um. Have we missed something?" Joe hazarded as they watched Methos loop his arm around Amanda and lead up upstairs.

"We?" Connor raised a brow. "You're the Watcher."

"Yeah. Well," Joe looked awkward. "In five thousand years you gotta expect a few gaps."

"It might help if you didn't let him write his own Chronicle." Connor observed.

***

Duncan scowled as he struggled past Connor with the myriad of packages into the lounge room.

"You know, we could just have waited until Amanda got here. She loves to shop. Especially with my credit card."

"Yes, but think about what she would have bought him. Do you really want to send our twelve year old out in black leather pants and a fitted tee?"

"Good point," Duncan grinned. "Where is he? I want to show him the jacket I've bought him."

"He's in his room, reading." Joe announced.

"Connor, if he's found your stash of Playboy .." Duncan warned.

"Not that kind of reading. Methos bought him some books. Turns out your laddie was quite the bookworm."

"This I have to see," Duncan picked out a glossy black bag and headed up the stairs. "Bring the rest, will you Connor?" he tossed over his shoulder.

"What did your last servant die of?" Connor groused, even as he began to pick up the packages.

Before he could make it to the bottom of the stairs, Duncan reappeared at the top. He face was creased with concern.

"He's not there."

Connor closed his eyes and prayed that he was wrong. "Did you check the bathroom?" he asked without much hope.

"Yes, I checked the bathroom," Duncan snapped.

"Did you check the window?" Joe added.

"The window? Why would I ..?" Duncan frowned. "Oh no, tell me he didn't. Damn it Connor, I asked you to watch him."

"I canna watch him every second Duncan. The lad has to take some responsibility. I made it quite clear that he wasn't to go out by himself again."

Duncan fixed him with a steady gaze.

"What do you mean? Again?"

***

"So, let me get this straight," Duncan paused in his pacing to glare incredulously at Joe. "He asked you a couple of awkward questions, so you sent him to bed."

Joe opened his mouth to protest that the kid had also lied to him. But somehow, trying to wangle a later bedtime no longer seemed like such a dreadful crime. More like, normal behaviour for a twelve year old.

"That's about the size of it." He admitted unhappily.

"And you thought he'd just stay put?" Duncan threw up his hands in despair. "For God's sake Joe, this is Richie we're talking about."

"Oh c'mon Mac, I know Rich is good now. But at twelve? There's no way he should have been able to get past Connor's security system."

"Except that it was still early and I hadn't actually set it yet." Connor informed him.

"Oh." Joe realised.

"And then, you," Duncan turned his scowl on Connor, making his disapproval plain. "You punished the lad for your own carelessness."

 "It was just a swat," Connor defended himself. "I'd told him the first time that he wasn't to go out by himself."

"The first time?" Duncan blinked.

"Look, granted we're not his favourite people right now," Joe cut in rapidly, before this could escalate any further. "But he couldn't have got out again. I mean, the alarm is set now, isn't it?" Connor nodded. "He can't bypass that," Joe continued. "So he has to be somewhere in the apartment, right?"

"That would depend," Duncan said dryly, as his eyes alighted on set of matched luggage. "How long has Amanda been here?"

"Long enough to help our little thief fly the coop." Connor admitted.

"Except that Amanda is kinda busy right now." Joe reminded him.

"Busy?" Duncan looked up. "What do you mean, busy?"

***
Duncan took the stairs two at a time and burst into Methos' room without knocking, with Connor close on his heels. Methos was sprawled on the bed.

"What have you done with Amanda?"

Methos rolled over onto one elbow, carefully rearranging the folds of the black silk dressing gown to ensure that they didn't reveal anything too .. revealing. "We went to Disneyland once." He reflected.

"Try again." Duncan hissed.

Amidst the crumpled sheets and eiderdown cast off onto the floor, Amanda's perfume still lingered in the air.

"Um." Joe put in hesitantly from the doorway, having come up more slowly behind the two Immortals. "Where is Amanda, anyway?"

"She went to get us something to drink," Methos looked around.

"She wasn't downstairs." Connor murmured.

Duncan gave Methos a thin smile. "Looks like you've been dumped for a younger man."

"Story of my life." Methos shrugged.

"Oh I really hope Richie remembers this," Joe chortled. "The Five Thousand Year Old Lothario here dumped for his boyish charm."

"He'll be insufferable." Duncan groused, with fond affection. It would be something worth seeing.

"Richie," Methos sat up, concerned. "She's gone out with Richie?"

"Who's gone out with Richie?" Amanda appeared in the doorway, carrying a bottle of champagne and two glasses.

For a moment no one spoke.

"Where have you been?" Duncan was the first to find his voice.

"I went out to get something to drink." Amanda pushed past him to sit on the bed.

"What was wrong with the bottles in the pantry?" Connor demanded.

"Really Connor," Amanda tossed her hair. "You can't expect me to drink those vintages."

"That's you told." Methos smirked.

Connor gave him a disapproving look. "That, is my dressing gown."

***

"Duncan, this is madness," Methos, tried to remonstrate with him. "You can't just wander the streets of New York in the hopes of bumping into him."

"Well, I can't just sit here," Duncan retorted, tying his shoelace with such force that the lace came off in his hand. "Damn."

Methos pushed him back into the chair.

"Look, there have to have been at least three Watchers outside. One of them must have followed Richie. We'll get Joe to make a few calls. And then we'll go pick him up. Simple."

The Watcher was happy to oblige. Glad to be in the right for once.

"I left messages," he put the phone down. "We should hear something soon."

"Soon?" Duncan demanded. "Why not now?"

"C'mon Mac," Joe spoke without thinking. "You can't expect them to leave their phones on all the time. What if they are Watching a Challenge? That would be downright dangerous."

"A Challenge?" Duncan paled.

"Oh hell, Mac," Joe swallowed. "Look, I didn't mean, I mean it could be .."

The phone rang.

"That was quick." Methos murmured.

Joe picked up the phone. "Um. Yes. No. Yes he is. Hang on a minute." He passed the phone over to Connor. "Its for you. It's the Police."

Connor took the phone, his face expressionless.

"Nash."

Duncan hovered with impatience as Connor spoke in a few brief monosyllables and put the phone down.

"Is it Richie? What happened? Is he OK?"

"How much is the bail?" Methos enquired, earning a dark look from Duncan and a reproachful frown from Amanda.

"He hasn't been arrested," Connor corrected. "Quite the opposite in fact."

"What?" Duncan demanded.

"Apparently, your little one is quite the hero," Connor told him. "I don't have all the details yet. But it seems there was some sort of accident. They want us to collect him from the Hospital."

"Was he hurt?" Duncan worried. If Richie had been injured, things could get very complicated.

"Apparently, there wasn't a scratch on him." Connor looked pained. That could only mean one thing.

"Not one?" Duncan sank down into the chair. "He died, didn't he?"

"I would say so." Connor agreed.

"So, is he OK now?" Joe wanted to know. "I mean, is he himself again now?"

"Well," Connor allowed himself a small smile. "He's alive. And he asked where his motorbike was."