When Day Breaks, Part 4
Unfortunately, Natalie wasn't buying. As a matter of fact, she was laughing. Not a good start. "What? Are you kidding me? People running around after each other, trying to cut each other's heads off? You're crazy!"
Adam shook his head, and continued earnestly, "I'm not. So it's weird, it's bizarre, it's stranger than what you're used to. So is waking up from the dead!" He smiled. "Is this really so different, when you think about it?"
A good point, she thought, "...But this is insane! I'm not some kung-fu ninja, battling evil!" She waved her arms around, same as everyone when talking about kung-fu ninjas. "I'm a doctor. My job, loosely," she admitted, "is to heal people, not kill them. Can't I just refuse to fight?"
Always the first question, it seemed. And the hardest decision. Adam sighed. "We cannot fight on holy ground. Ever. If that is your choice, you can spend your whole life in a monastery somewhere, and no immortal will be able to touch you."
"A monastery? For the rest of my eternal life." Natalie wrinkled her nose at the thought. "Not a chance."
"Well, before you decide anything, I think you'd better call Nick." Adam repressed a small smile. "If I recall correctly, he'll be none too pleased at this little crimp in his lifestyle..."
***
Belgium, 1477
A very grand and lustrous hall, with crystal chandeliers, velvet carpets, and food on every table. That was how Nicholas had always imagined the throne room of the Habsburgs of Austria. Quite unlike the scene before him.
Stone benches rivaled the floor for coldness. The tables were stone also, covered in stained linen which once might have been white, but he couldn't say for sure. A few dogs sat at the foot of the throne, unceasingly hunting fleas. There was food everywhere, he had at least got that right. On the tables, the floor... God only knew the last time they had cleaned the place. The windows were grand and quite ornate, almost worth the trip, but for the moment they seemed to add to the chill of the windy evening with their tall splendor.
"You'd think such a wise man as a duke would have the sense to pick a small room to sit in on a night like this. A room this size would need a fire the like of a funeral pyre to warm." Methos murmured in his ear, and Nicholas' mouth shifted ever so slightly upward.
"And I was so looking forward to this..."
"I did try to tell you. You shouldn't have gotten your hopes up. Royalty are just people, too, Nicholas. Don't assume anything else." It was then that the duke took notice of them, and they approached the throne.
"My daughter arrived well to Ghistele?"
The two exchanged glances. Methos was the one to speak. "Yes, my lord. Quite well. She sends you her regards." With a deferential bow, he handed the duke a slip of parchment, merely a few words, a token to show that his daughter had arrived safely.
The duke seemed pleased. "Very well. Your payment for service." He motioned to one of his aides, who slipped away a moment, then reappeared with two small bags. The two accepted the money, bowed low, and turned to go.
Just as they reached the door, a messenger arrived. He wore the colors of Ghistele. Nick glanced at Methos, alarmed, but the other walked confidently out, looking neither left nor right, calm as ever. That didn't keep them from walking as quickly as they could for their horses. It was only at the shout of "Guards!" that they broke into a run.
"Nicholas! Wait for me!" Methos raced through the muddy streets, with what seemed to be half the town at his heels. He had no idea how quickly news of bounty spread here, or he would have made sure the horses were nearer. Of course, it didn't help that the watchtowers were all shouting the news...
Nicholas, finally on horseback, spared a moment to glance behind him, reigns in one hand, the spare horse in the other. "Methos! Hurry up, they're gaining!"
"You think I don't know that?" Methos swung up on his horse, and the two galloped full speed for the docks, leaving the crowd of townspeople in their dust.
The two made it to their ship with only minutes to spare. "Methos," Nicholas muttered, "exactly how is it that I get into these situations with you? As if Cairo weren't enough!"
"What can I say?" Methos yawned mightily, and stretched. "You're destined to live an interesting life." Relaxing into his bed, he sighed in contentment. "Cheer up. We got away, money in hand, and none the worse for wear. What's the problem?"
Nick stared at him, incredulous. "The problem! The problem, is that we were contracted to transport the girl, not to steal her away!"
Methos waved a hand carelessly at him. "Bah. The Duke's got more daughters than even he can marry off in a lifetime. Besides, he'd never think to look for her in that godforsaken hole we left her in. Why such a beautiful girl would choose a pig herder to love..." he shrugged, "but, who am I to judge?" He raised his eyebrows at Nick's disapproving look. "He won't miss her a bit, I promise you. And like I said, we got away."
Nick looked singularly exasperated, and shook his head in defeat. "Mark my words, Methos, if I never meet another immortal, it will be too soon."
***
When he came out of the memory, Adam was losing the battle to keep from smiling. "No, I don't think Nicholas will like this idea at all..."
Natalie made a sudden connection. "Was it you that he needed to call?" She hadn't ever thought Nick's quick solution would come to anything. She just assumed it was some potion she had to breathe on, that would turn green if she were one thing, purple if she were something else. Teach her to make bad assumptions...
He nodded. "Nicholas and I go way back. He wanted me to come and take a look at you. To see if you were one of us, or just a fluke of nature, unique, like you thought. He was right to call."
Natalie absently shook her head. "Why, why, *why* doesn't Nick ever tell me these things? This could've saved me two months of worry." What was he thinking?
Adam's face became quite serious. "He was being careful. If it had turned out that you weren't an Immortal, I would have just kept on walking through that parking lot, and you never would have heard about us. It should be obvious why we're so secretive. Our community is nearly as hated, on the whole, as vampires. Immortality is something some people would give anything," his expression sent a chill down Natalie's spine, "*anything*, to put in a bottle. Even the worst of us knows the danger in letting our presence be known. It's in our own self- interest to keep quiet."
Natalie nodded thoughtfully. "I guess I'd better call Nick."
"Nick? Yeah, it's Natalie. I have a friend here who wants to see you. An old friend." She paused a moment, then whispered to Adam, "How old?"
He strained to remember how old he'd told Nicholas he was... he was sure it wasn't the full five thousand. He'd already learned by then that people tended to die when he told them his real age. Being the oldest of the Immortals sounded impressive, but invariably was the worst kind of nuisance... damn, when was it that he met Nicholas, anyhow? Ah well... he made a stab at what he thought was a good number.
He whispered it into her ear, and Natalie nearly dropped the receiver. Giving him an impressive awestruck stare, she spoke quite clearly into the phone. "Twenty five hundred years."
There was silence a moment, then Natalie stared at the receiver in confusion. "He said he'd be by tomorrow. Something about greeting you appropriately."
Adam wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Oh, for God's sake. He's not *still* in a huff over Cairo, is he?"
***
Outside of Cairo, 1460
Two figures raced madly across the desert in the last hour before dawn. Their horses were sagging as they ran, but they kept at full speed, trying desperately to outrun the sun.
"Where is that oasis you promised me, Methos?"
"It's just over that dune there."
"And it has shelter?"
"Kept me out of the wind many a time." Methos rolled his eyes slightly at his friend's urgency. "Don't *worry*, Nicholas. We'll reach it before the sun rises, with time to spare."
They plowed their way to the top of yet another sand dune. No oasis. No shelter. Nicholas muttered through gritted teeth, "You were saying?"
Methos frowned uncertainly. "Well, I know it's around here somewhere..."
"The sun, Methos, the SUN!"
"I'm thinking, I'm thinking!" Methos waved him off, concentrating. Suddenly he took off in a new direction. "Well, come on, then. Do you want to stay in solid form or not?" he called over his shoulder. Nicholas spurred his ragged mare after him.
Once he'd gotten within shouting distance, Nick started in on his companion. "You said it would only take half a night to get to this place, Methos!"
"Well," he responded practically, "who was the one who decided to get ragingly thirsty in the middle of nowhere and spend two hours digging up sand snakes? That does tend to lengthen the journey, you know."
Nick was flabbergasted, as usual. "Well, why didn't you say something before?"
"I make it a point never to come between a vampire and his dinner, Nicholas," was the dry response. "Just one of those rules of thumb that have kept me alive."
Nicholas was finally able to catch up completely to Methos' horse, made considerably easier through the fact that Methos had stopped at the top of the most recent dune. He gestured, an 'I told you so' look written all over his face. A small clay hut squatted next to a muddy pool. "See? I knew I'd find it eventually. And even a good..." he peered at the horizon while Nicholas' horse swept past him and he dove headlong, straight from the saddle, through the window, "... thirty seconds before dawn. Perfect timing." He dismounted and led his horse as he meandered down to the waterhole.
After making sure both horses had had enough to drink, he peeked inside to see how Nicholas was doing. He looked none too well: groggy, disoriented. Not to mention belligerent.
Methos' expression went from confused..."No, Nicholas, this isn't a church. It's a Muslim shrine."
To exasperated... "Well, how am I supposed to know that? I thought it was just a Christian thing."
To derisive... "Well, you don't expect me to hole up anywhere else but on holy ground, do you? Don't be silly."
To annoyed. "Oh, do stop whining, Nicholas. You'll live until the sun goes down."
By the time they made it to the coast, Methos was filthy from head to toe with sand from digging, and he'd nearly died of sand snake poison twice. But Nicholas had forgiven him.
Or so he'd thought.
****
As he expected, Adam awoke with a sword at his throat. "Get up." Nicholas' features were as cold as he'd ever seen them. But his eyes betrayed him.
"Nicholas..." Adam looked at him reproachfully.
"I said get up!" The blade inched closer to his jugular.
"All right, all right!" Adam slowly raised himself from the bed. He'd managed to find a hotel room, even as late as it was, and had made sure Nicholas had gotten the address. No need for him to come barging into Natalie's apartment, sword swinging. "Hasn't anyone ever told you that life's too short to hold a grudge?" A sword whipped out from under his pillow to meet Nick's, disappointment lacing his tone. "I bet you haven't even held that thing for two hundred years. Exactly what are you trying to tell me? You're still as much a fool as you were when I knew you?"
"A fool, am I?" Nick thrust forward, parried, spun... and was disarmed in about two seconds flat. Adam's sword came to a stop not more than an inch from his neck.
"A fool."
Nick smiled wickedly. "Perhaps, but I'm still faster!" Adam blinked, and he was gone. Without moving his eyes or his body, he swung his sword in a wide arc over his head, to thrust it behind him at just the right moment. Nick skidded to a stop mere inches before impaling himself.
Adam shook his head reproachfully, still facing forward, away from Nick. "You're also still predictable."
"You didn't think so the last time I tried that little trick."
Adam rolled his eyes. "The point is to grow, Nicholas. You should try it sometime. I think you might like it."
Nick snorted derisively. "You should talk. And speaking of talking, why didn't you *tell* me Natalie was an Immortal last time you were here? What, did it slip your mind?"
Adam tried hard to look remorseful. "Surprise."
The look on Nick's face was worth the two years' wait. "What?"
"Well, I knew you'd call when the time came. She wasn't in any real danger." Nick's eyes were narrowed, and he thought he saw an edge of gold to them. Bad news. "She wasn't! Nicholas, don't you trust me?"
Nick shook his head slowly as he advanced slowly on Adam. "Trust you? Trust you! Every time in my entire life I have trusted you has turned out to be a complete nightmare!"
Adam shook his head and replied soothingly, "You're exaggerating."
"Am I? I don't think so!"
A good highlight came to mind. "I saved your life!"
"*After* you tried to kill me!" Nick finally cornered him against one wall. "Give me one, just one, good reason why I should trust you."
"You're destined to live an interesting life, Nicholas. Haven't I always told you that?" Totally and completely unflappable. Nick never understood how he did it.
The gold melted out of his eyes, and he sighed the sigh of the long- suffering. "You know, I really am going to kill you one of these days."
Adam amiably clapped him on the back. "Take a number, and pull up a chair. You'll have a long wait ahead of you."
Unfortunately, Natalie wasn't buying. As a matter of fact, she was laughing. Not a good start. "What? Are you kidding me? People running around after each other, trying to cut each other's heads off? You're crazy!"
Adam shook his head, and continued earnestly, "I'm not. So it's weird, it's bizarre, it's stranger than what you're used to. So is waking up from the dead!" He smiled. "Is this really so different, when you think about it?"
A good point, she thought, "...But this is insane! I'm not some kung-fu ninja, battling evil!" She waved her arms around, same as everyone when talking about kung-fu ninjas. "I'm a doctor. My job, loosely," she admitted, "is to heal people, not kill them. Can't I just refuse to fight?"
Always the first question, it seemed. And the hardest decision. Adam sighed. "We cannot fight on holy ground. Ever. If that is your choice, you can spend your whole life in a monastery somewhere, and no immortal will be able to touch you."
"A monastery? For the rest of my eternal life." Natalie wrinkled her nose at the thought. "Not a chance."
"Well, before you decide anything, I think you'd better call Nick." Adam repressed a small smile. "If I recall correctly, he'll be none too pleased at this little crimp in his lifestyle..."
***
Belgium, 1477
A very grand and lustrous hall, with crystal chandeliers, velvet carpets, and food on every table. That was how Nicholas had always imagined the throne room of the Habsburgs of Austria. Quite unlike the scene before him.
Stone benches rivaled the floor for coldness. The tables were stone also, covered in stained linen which once might have been white, but he couldn't say for sure. A few dogs sat at the foot of the throne, unceasingly hunting fleas. There was food everywhere, he had at least got that right. On the tables, the floor... God only knew the last time they had cleaned the place. The windows were grand and quite ornate, almost worth the trip, but for the moment they seemed to add to the chill of the windy evening with their tall splendor.
"You'd think such a wise man as a duke would have the sense to pick a small room to sit in on a night like this. A room this size would need a fire the like of a funeral pyre to warm." Methos murmured in his ear, and Nicholas' mouth shifted ever so slightly upward.
"And I was so looking forward to this..."
"I did try to tell you. You shouldn't have gotten your hopes up. Royalty are just people, too, Nicholas. Don't assume anything else." It was then that the duke took notice of them, and they approached the throne.
"My daughter arrived well to Ghistele?"
The two exchanged glances. Methos was the one to speak. "Yes, my lord. Quite well. She sends you her regards." With a deferential bow, he handed the duke a slip of parchment, merely a few words, a token to show that his daughter had arrived safely.
The duke seemed pleased. "Very well. Your payment for service." He motioned to one of his aides, who slipped away a moment, then reappeared with two small bags. The two accepted the money, bowed low, and turned to go.
Just as they reached the door, a messenger arrived. He wore the colors of Ghistele. Nick glanced at Methos, alarmed, but the other walked confidently out, looking neither left nor right, calm as ever. That didn't keep them from walking as quickly as they could for their horses. It was only at the shout of "Guards!" that they broke into a run.
"Nicholas! Wait for me!" Methos raced through the muddy streets, with what seemed to be half the town at his heels. He had no idea how quickly news of bounty spread here, or he would have made sure the horses were nearer. Of course, it didn't help that the watchtowers were all shouting the news...
Nicholas, finally on horseback, spared a moment to glance behind him, reigns in one hand, the spare horse in the other. "Methos! Hurry up, they're gaining!"
"You think I don't know that?" Methos swung up on his horse, and the two galloped full speed for the docks, leaving the crowd of townspeople in their dust.
The two made it to their ship with only minutes to spare. "Methos," Nicholas muttered, "exactly how is it that I get into these situations with you? As if Cairo weren't enough!"
"What can I say?" Methos yawned mightily, and stretched. "You're destined to live an interesting life." Relaxing into his bed, he sighed in contentment. "Cheer up. We got away, money in hand, and none the worse for wear. What's the problem?"
Nick stared at him, incredulous. "The problem! The problem, is that we were contracted to transport the girl, not to steal her away!"
Methos waved a hand carelessly at him. "Bah. The Duke's got more daughters than even he can marry off in a lifetime. Besides, he'd never think to look for her in that godforsaken hole we left her in. Why such a beautiful girl would choose a pig herder to love..." he shrugged, "but, who am I to judge?" He raised his eyebrows at Nick's disapproving look. "He won't miss her a bit, I promise you. And like I said, we got away."
Nick looked singularly exasperated, and shook his head in defeat. "Mark my words, Methos, if I never meet another immortal, it will be too soon."
***
When he came out of the memory, Adam was losing the battle to keep from smiling. "No, I don't think Nicholas will like this idea at all..."
Natalie made a sudden connection. "Was it you that he needed to call?" She hadn't ever thought Nick's quick solution would come to anything. She just assumed it was some potion she had to breathe on, that would turn green if she were one thing, purple if she were something else. Teach her to make bad assumptions...
He nodded. "Nicholas and I go way back. He wanted me to come and take a look at you. To see if you were one of us, or just a fluke of nature, unique, like you thought. He was right to call."
Natalie absently shook her head. "Why, why, *why* doesn't Nick ever tell me these things? This could've saved me two months of worry." What was he thinking?
Adam's face became quite serious. "He was being careful. If it had turned out that you weren't an Immortal, I would have just kept on walking through that parking lot, and you never would have heard about us. It should be obvious why we're so secretive. Our community is nearly as hated, on the whole, as vampires. Immortality is something some people would give anything," his expression sent a chill down Natalie's spine, "*anything*, to put in a bottle. Even the worst of us knows the danger in letting our presence be known. It's in our own self- interest to keep quiet."
Natalie nodded thoughtfully. "I guess I'd better call Nick."
"Nick? Yeah, it's Natalie. I have a friend here who wants to see you. An old friend." She paused a moment, then whispered to Adam, "How old?"
He strained to remember how old he'd told Nicholas he was... he was sure it wasn't the full five thousand. He'd already learned by then that people tended to die when he told them his real age. Being the oldest of the Immortals sounded impressive, but invariably was the worst kind of nuisance... damn, when was it that he met Nicholas, anyhow? Ah well... he made a stab at what he thought was a good number.
He whispered it into her ear, and Natalie nearly dropped the receiver. Giving him an impressive awestruck stare, she spoke quite clearly into the phone. "Twenty five hundred years."
There was silence a moment, then Natalie stared at the receiver in confusion. "He said he'd be by tomorrow. Something about greeting you appropriately."
Adam wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Oh, for God's sake. He's not *still* in a huff over Cairo, is he?"
***
Outside of Cairo, 1460
Two figures raced madly across the desert in the last hour before dawn. Their horses were sagging as they ran, but they kept at full speed, trying desperately to outrun the sun.
"Where is that oasis you promised me, Methos?"
"It's just over that dune there."
"And it has shelter?"
"Kept me out of the wind many a time." Methos rolled his eyes slightly at his friend's urgency. "Don't *worry*, Nicholas. We'll reach it before the sun rises, with time to spare."
They plowed their way to the top of yet another sand dune. No oasis. No shelter. Nicholas muttered through gritted teeth, "You were saying?"
Methos frowned uncertainly. "Well, I know it's around here somewhere..."
"The sun, Methos, the SUN!"
"I'm thinking, I'm thinking!" Methos waved him off, concentrating. Suddenly he took off in a new direction. "Well, come on, then. Do you want to stay in solid form or not?" he called over his shoulder. Nicholas spurred his ragged mare after him.
Once he'd gotten within shouting distance, Nick started in on his companion. "You said it would only take half a night to get to this place, Methos!"
"Well," he responded practically, "who was the one who decided to get ragingly thirsty in the middle of nowhere and spend two hours digging up sand snakes? That does tend to lengthen the journey, you know."
Nick was flabbergasted, as usual. "Well, why didn't you say something before?"
"I make it a point never to come between a vampire and his dinner, Nicholas," was the dry response. "Just one of those rules of thumb that have kept me alive."
Nicholas was finally able to catch up completely to Methos' horse, made considerably easier through the fact that Methos had stopped at the top of the most recent dune. He gestured, an 'I told you so' look written all over his face. A small clay hut squatted next to a muddy pool. "See? I knew I'd find it eventually. And even a good..." he peered at the horizon while Nicholas' horse swept past him and he dove headlong, straight from the saddle, through the window, "... thirty seconds before dawn. Perfect timing." He dismounted and led his horse as he meandered down to the waterhole.
After making sure both horses had had enough to drink, he peeked inside to see how Nicholas was doing. He looked none too well: groggy, disoriented. Not to mention belligerent.
Methos' expression went from confused..."No, Nicholas, this isn't a church. It's a Muslim shrine."
To exasperated... "Well, how am I supposed to know that? I thought it was just a Christian thing."
To derisive... "Well, you don't expect me to hole up anywhere else but on holy ground, do you? Don't be silly."
To annoyed. "Oh, do stop whining, Nicholas. You'll live until the sun goes down."
By the time they made it to the coast, Methos was filthy from head to toe with sand from digging, and he'd nearly died of sand snake poison twice. But Nicholas had forgiven him.
Or so he'd thought.
****
As he expected, Adam awoke with a sword at his throat. "Get up." Nicholas' features were as cold as he'd ever seen them. But his eyes betrayed him.
"Nicholas..." Adam looked at him reproachfully.
"I said get up!" The blade inched closer to his jugular.
"All right, all right!" Adam slowly raised himself from the bed. He'd managed to find a hotel room, even as late as it was, and had made sure Nicholas had gotten the address. No need for him to come barging into Natalie's apartment, sword swinging. "Hasn't anyone ever told you that life's too short to hold a grudge?" A sword whipped out from under his pillow to meet Nick's, disappointment lacing his tone. "I bet you haven't even held that thing for two hundred years. Exactly what are you trying to tell me? You're still as much a fool as you were when I knew you?"
"A fool, am I?" Nick thrust forward, parried, spun... and was disarmed in about two seconds flat. Adam's sword came to a stop not more than an inch from his neck.
"A fool."
Nick smiled wickedly. "Perhaps, but I'm still faster!" Adam blinked, and he was gone. Without moving his eyes or his body, he swung his sword in a wide arc over his head, to thrust it behind him at just the right moment. Nick skidded to a stop mere inches before impaling himself.
Adam shook his head reproachfully, still facing forward, away from Nick. "You're also still predictable."
"You didn't think so the last time I tried that little trick."
Adam rolled his eyes. "The point is to grow, Nicholas. You should try it sometime. I think you might like it."
Nick snorted derisively. "You should talk. And speaking of talking, why didn't you *tell* me Natalie was an Immortal last time you were here? What, did it slip your mind?"
Adam tried hard to look remorseful. "Surprise."
The look on Nick's face was worth the two years' wait. "What?"
"Well, I knew you'd call when the time came. She wasn't in any real danger." Nick's eyes were narrowed, and he thought he saw an edge of gold to them. Bad news. "She wasn't! Nicholas, don't you trust me?"
Nick shook his head slowly as he advanced slowly on Adam. "Trust you? Trust you! Every time in my entire life I have trusted you has turned out to be a complete nightmare!"
Adam shook his head and replied soothingly, "You're exaggerating."
"Am I? I don't think so!"
A good highlight came to mind. "I saved your life!"
"*After* you tried to kill me!" Nick finally cornered him against one wall. "Give me one, just one, good reason why I should trust you."
"You're destined to live an interesting life, Nicholas. Haven't I always told you that?" Totally and completely unflappable. Nick never understood how he did it.
The gold melted out of his eyes, and he sighed the sigh of the long- suffering. "You know, I really am going to kill you one of these days."
Adam amiably clapped him on the back. "Take a number, and pull up a chair. You'll have a long wait ahead of you."