Upon request... I'm loading a second chapter today. Enjoy and let my knwo what you think. --elle

Chapter 52

Washington DC

Matt McCormick's return to FBI Headquarters did not go unnoticed.

"His expense report indicates he went to St. Louis. I know I should have followed… but I had no idea he would go. He gave me the slip by going to the airport instead of to the office! Uh… huh… yes sir…" Roberta Collins shut the cell phone off and stuck her tongue out at it. She tossed the phone into her purse and kicked the bottom drawer of her desk shut.

She hated that new supervisor. She'd been in Watchers for twenty years… had been here at the FBI watching McCormick for the past fifteen… and some of the new directives she'd been getting in the last three or four years just plain didn't make sense. Roberta had a husband and a family. She was not going to seduce Matt McCormick or follow him twenty-four hours a day. And she was most definitely not interested in playing corporate politics!

Both of Roberta's parents and all four of her grandparents had been Watchers and she knew a hell of a lot more about Watching than some of these people who were now in charge. Roberta believed in immortals… and in the hope that a good man, like Matt McCormick might one day be the one to win the game… in some far off day. Roberta felt deep in her heart that if enough of the good ones survived… then the game might never end… they'd figure out another way to survive without killing one another. But her thoughts and hopes she'd always kept to herself.

She began entering McCormick's expenses into the database… making certain she made a copy of everything for Watcher records, although she couldn't see how his coach class ticket to and from St. Louis added anything into the Chronicle. Roberta longed for the old days when she could write up reports and her observations of McCormick herself.

"Roberta?"

Looking up with a smile at the soft southern drawl of her gentleman immortal as she often called him, Roberta's fingers paused on the computer. "Yes sir?"

"See if you can locate these case files for me and if Detective Royce Hart of St. Louis calls… put him through to me immediately."

"Yes sir," she smiled, watching as he returned to his office. Glancing at the case file numbers, she groaned. These were old ones… and would require a trip to the file room. She doubted these were on the system yet. Roberta finished typing in the information… submitted it to financial… and set her system on a password protected standby while she headed down to the file room to pull these files.

Before she left she called into McCormick's office that she would be out of the office for about an hour and wouldn't be able to screen calls. McCormick gave her smiling nod as she left.

Once Roberta had left, Matt stared after her thoughtfully. While he had no reason to suspect her in any of this… he wanted to be certain that these so-called Watchers were not closely regarding him. Matt crossed to the outer office to be certain Roberta had left and then swiftly began typing on her keyboard. He knew her password… although he doubted she knew that he did… and swiftly double-checked some things she'd been doing. He didn't like what he saw. If she was watching him… then he might have to interrogate her.

Matt needed to find out exactly what was going on with these Watchers… before something happened to him… and to any other immortals… be they friend or foe. He returned her screen and desk to stand-by and thoughtfully returned to his office, considering just what he knew about Roberta Collins… and what he might have to find out.

-----

Niebos, Greece

The warmth of the Grecian sun warmed Nick Wolfe as little had warmed him in recent years. For the first time in a long time… he felt content… and at rest. He could almost sense the small light of Marie-France within him… and for the moment… the slithering evil of Nestor was asleep.

Beside him he could hear Valeraine reading in… Greek he thought. She'd translate eventually… but it was more the sound of her voice rather than what she was reading that he cared about. Like the inner light of Marie-France… the sound of Valeraine's voice was often an anchor in the storm that too often of late was his life.

He couldn't begin to explain to them Nestor's thoughts… which were focused almost entirely on Alisaunne. Nick had never met the girl… and had no idea what she looked like… but he could sense her through Nestor's obsession. Somehow… he and the girl were linked… and the link was growing. It worried him… as he feared that one day she would come, kill him, and be lost to an even greater darkness than the one he was condemned to.

"Are you listening to me, Nick?" Valeraine asked from nearby.

Nick nodded. He was listening… he was always listening. It was the one thing he could still do… in the distance he could laughing voices… also speaking in Greek… but not the classical Greek Valeraine read… and music… he could hear music.

"I'm going to the kitchen to get something to drink… would you like something?"

Nick shook his head and felt her kiss his forehead before she left. He smiled.

Once he heard her pad away… the sound of bare feet on flagstone… Nick stopped smiling. He flung himself off the chaise and hit the flagstones with a thud. Dragging himself along he sought to explore this new world he'd been brought to. Ursa carried him everywhere… he was never allowed to know too much about where he was… and while he understood that the others feared what Nestor might do… Nick knew that it was not always Nestor who controlled his actions. Sometimes… he just wanted to know where he was and what was about.

His head banged against a stone wall. Bringing his one arm forward… he felt along the stone pillars of the wall with his left palm, trying to visualize what he felt. He ran his palm higher until he felt the smooth capstones. He began to leverage himself upwards until he managed to stand on his crippled foot… steadying himself with his mangled hand against the wall.

He could smell so many things for which he had no name… He'd heard the children mention there was a vineyard nearby… Was that what he smelled? He felt the wind in his hair. Valeraine kept it cut fairly short… Behind him he heard classical music playing on Phillip's sound system in his office. Nick had not known the Greek immortal well, before his misadventure at Nestor's hands that had left him but half a man… but he did have Nestor's memory of Phillip… and that unnerved him a bit. Whenever he managed to fight the Ancient down and keep him from raging… Nestor allowed images of Phillip to fill Nick's mind… images of a time long ago. Images that Nick was uncomfortable with knowing.

As if summoned by his thoughts, he heard Phillip's voice behind him, "Here there, lad… Let's get you settled back down."

Nick heard Phillip's approaching footstep and then felt his strong hand on his arm. The young immortal did not resist as Phillip helped him back to the chaise. Obviously he'd been keeping an eye on him while Valeraine was absent.

After he was once more on chaise, Nick slapped his palm down on his outstretched thigh.

"You want to play 'Yes and No', Nick?" Phillip asked, and it sounded as if he'd taken a seat and pulled up a chair.

Nick slapped his thigh once.

They'd tried several things over the years… and this worked best when he needed to know something. While Valeraine was beginning to make out some of the vocalizations he'd managed to develop… most of the others needed the yes and no that he could manage this way.

"You know we are in Greece… right, Nick?" Phillip asked. When Nick slapped once for yes… Phillip continued slowly. "I can't tell you where… you don't need to know… Do you understand that?"

Yes

"Do you want to know why we are here?"

Yes

"Some men attacked the school… we needed to leave. We couldn't take the chance of anyone getting to you… or killing you. Do you understand that?"

Yes

"But you don't agree?"

No Two slaps sounded. Then two more.

"New topic?"

Yes

"Should I get the writing pad or Valeraine?"

No

There was a long pause. "All right then… I'll start mentioning names… you let me know…"

No And then Nick pointed at Phillip. A strangled sound came from his throat.

"You want to know about me?"

Yes

There was another long pause.

"Me and Nestor or Barak?"

Yes Nick felt almost relieved.

"Do you have memories of us together?"

Yes

He heard Phillip shift in the chair. "I loved him once. I loved him as I have loved few companions. But that was before Nestor consumed him. He was lost in minutes. That you still remain… that you are still yourself at all… even after so many years… is a testament to your strength and to that of Marie-France, I think. He thought you weak… Nestor never was a good judge of character. He thought everyone was motivated as he was by desire and control. He could never understand sacrifice or love. For him… it was always about control. Does that help?"

Yes

"Ahh… lass… you're back." Phillip chuckled a bit and Nick knew he'd risen and left.

She kissed his brow. "Did you miss me, Neck?"

Nick nodded. Inside, he felt a flash of thought that considered ripping her to shreds… but Nick took a deep breath and, shaking his head slowly, motioned for her to continue reading. In listening to her voice… the other slept once more… and Nick was content in the afternoon sun.

-----

Paris

"Are you certain you want to do this?" Cory asked as he and Amanda stood in the shadows of a Paris side-street while she watched the pedestrian traffic back and forth in front of Le Blues Bar.

"I have to do this… If anyone can get me in touch with MacLeod… it's Joe. I'm certain he knows." Amanda gestured with her hands and betrayed her nervousness in doing so.

"There's a Watcher over there," Cory whispered into her ear.

"And that's why you go first. Draw him away so I can sneak in."

"Kiss me for luck!"

"You don't need any luck."

"No…" he grinned, "But I do need a kiss!" He leaned in to kiss her… and smiled when she kissed him back. "Now that's more like it. Are you certain you want to do this?" he asked again, teasing her. "I mean we could back away and return to my friend's place and…"

"Cory!"

"Fine… fine," he was still grinning. "On my way." Whistling he stepped out into the sunshine, his hat pitched back on his head, his hands in his trouser pockets… and sauntering up the street.

From where she was, Amanda could see the Watcher react to him… look up at him from the newspaper he was pretending to read. Cory played it to the hilt… He came almost all the way up to the man… stopped… looked at him startled… then took off running. The Watcher pitched his paper and raced after him.

Amanda slipped across the street and quickly let herself into the dark interior of Joe's nightclub.

Thankfully… Joe was the only one there… evidently doing some inventory behind the bar. He stared at her a moment… then when she came closer… and pulled off her dark glasses, he grinned.

"Miss me?" Amanda asked with an apologetic shrug.

"Damn right! Did anyone see you? There's usually a guy parked on my doorstep…"

"A friend took care of him. Do you know where MacLeod is? I heard he was on his way to Paris."

"Sorta. He said for you to meet him where you danced a tango tomorrow afternoon."

"What?"

"Well I told him that was vague."

Amanda smiled to herself. "No, Joe, that's not vague at all. Thanks!" She slipped closer to him and kissed his cheek, carefully wiping away the lipstick evidence. "You're a true friend."

"Be careful Amanda," Joe said.

"Always!" Amanda replaced her sunglasses… eyed the empty street and headed back outside. "The Tower…" she thought, "The Eiffel Tower… tomorrow." It would be a long twenty-four hours.