Chapter 76

Outside of Paris

Grace Chandel shifted in the passenger seat as John pulled off to the side of the road and shut down the engine.

"Why are we stopping?" she asked.

"We're almost to Paris. I want to stop and call the number we were given." John's creased face broke into a wistful smile. He caressed one side of her face softly. "I don't want to take any chances with our next move. I won't put you in danger."

Grace raised a hand to cover his. "Where you go… I go also." Sometimes she considered how she had found this man… how gentle he was… how thoughtful… and wondered how he had ever managed to rid himself of the darkness of his soul. He'd done so much in his long life… and had done so without a conscience. He'd raped and murdered and used others across six continents… and he'd never given it a second thought. But she had never known that man… although she'd heard of him.

"Kage," immortals whispered fearfully when the worst of them were named. Kage had not been the worst, but most had thought if there were a way to survive, he would be the one to find it. Not the strongest warrior, no, that had been the Kurgan. Not the most evil… not even the most devious… but perhaps the smartest.

How was it he'd changed so thoroughly in so short a time? Grace had no doubt about his honest change of heart. She'd been with him long enough to see for herself that it was true. At first she'd traveled with him as a companion… watching him… helping him with the mortals he tried to help. Finally she had joined with him… finding in his gentleness… the mirror of her own. And in his desire to atone for his past, a reason for her to continue to hope that the game might have a different outcome than the one she feared.

"Wait here… I won't be but a few moments," he said and climbed out of the car to walk to the payphone. He made a call and then returned to the car. "It's set."

"Do you think we can trust him?"

"Honestly?" John paused. "I don't know. But we have to try. Hatchell said we could… and he apparently died for helping us." John shook his head sadly. "Such a waste of life… such a waste."

"Then if he chose to sacrifice his life for us… we should do all we can to honor that sacrifice," she added.

John nodded as he started the car. "We have about an hour. If I've timed this right… we should arrive at the cemetery with ten minutes to spare. If anything looks odd or out of place… we'll leave." He reached over to lace his fingers with hers for a moment, squeezed her hand, and then pulled out onto the busy street.

-----

Joe hung up the phone and ran one hand through his beard and then around to scratch the back of his neck. Kage and the Chandel woman were in Paris. And if Kage had made the call, then something had already happened to Hatchell and his friends.

"Damn!" he said aloud to no one in particular… and then looked around to see if anyone was paying attention. No one was.

"René," he shouted to his bartender. "I've got to go out… watch the place!"

"Oui, Monsieur Joe," his employee said, wiping his hands on his bar apron. "I will watch as always."

Joe raised an eyebrow and grinned. He wondered if René had any idea of the irony of his words. He pulled his coat on and left through the back entrance, pulling his car out of the alley and into the street. Slowly he turned left and proceeded down the street. Immediately, and as expected, he saw the back Mazda pull out. "Gotcha!" he smirked and turned into the boulevard and headed for the tower. He'd lose him in the warren of streets near there… everything was set.

Twenty minutes later he pulled to a stop and climbed out at a light while Georges Gautier, Pierre's grandson climbed in. Joe vanished into the crowd as Georges drove off. Turning he slowly made his way to the substitute car.

"I know this sounds hokey," Burt had said. "But trust me… they won't expect it… so it'll work."

Joe hoped so… he truly did as he climbed into the car. He started the engine and drove north the rest of the way to the tower… bypassing it on the north and crossing the pont de l'Alma to the far side. Then he worked his way west to the Cimetiere de Passy. He pulled in and parked. Before he got out… Joe checked his gun to be certain it was loaded. Taking a deep breath, he climbed out of the car and began to wander among the graves. They had his description… they'd contact him if they felt safe. He leaned heavily on his cane and stood over a grave off to one side… near a stand of trees.

"Joe Dawson?" the soft male voice asked gently.

Joe looked up and around, seeing no one. "That's me."

A female voice asked, "Henri's daughter… what's her name?"

Joe grinned. "Estelle." He heard them cautiously step out of the bushes and he turned to greet them. "Sorry about the cloak and dagger, but my son-in-law seemed to think it might be necessary."

"He is also a Watcher?" Grace Chandel asked.

Joe stared into her luminous eyes and understood immediately what has so captivated Duncan MacLeod centuries ago. "No… my daughter is though, and we need to be careful so that she's not next on their target list."

"Why is this group killing it's own people?"

Joe stared at the man whose Chronicle he'd once studied because it had crossed paths with MacLeod a few times. James had been Kage's watcher in Cambodia in the 1970's. What he'd witnessed there had helped drive his brother-in-law mad. Joe nodded. "Those in charge of this group evidently find many of us expendable. I'll answer all of your questions… but please… we need to go."

"Where is Duncan?" Grace asked.

Joe shook his head. "I don't know exactly. But he'll contact me. Please." He motioned toward his car. "We need to go before we are noticed."

They climbed in with him… and Joe pulled out and headed back to the center of Paris.

"Where are we going?" Kage asked.

"A safehouse. One we rented recently and one we've made certain would be off their radar. We've been very careful."

"How many of us have been captured?" Grace asked.

Joe sighed. "We're not certain. About fifty immortals are unaccounted for. Now that might mean they're dead in combat and we missed it… or they're just hiding out somewhere… or…" his voice trailed off.

"Hatchell said you've been watching us for millennia," Kage said.

Joe nodded. "Some of our records go back thousands of years. Some of the oldest ones are in languages no one can translate." He smiled thinking of the one immortal who could likely translate them. Hell, he probably already had. "We just wanted to keep a record of your lives for when you were all gone."

"But something went wrong," Kage said.

Joe nodded. "Something went wrong."

Thirty minutes later he backed into the garage attached to the house Burt had secured for them and closed the garage door. Shrugging, Joe motioned the couple to follow him into the house.

Inside Marie Chezlon was fussing about in the kitchen. "Bonsoir, Joseph. I shall have potage et croissants ready for all of you. Please… make yourselves comfortable." The old woman beamed at Grace. "I so admire you Madame Chandel. I watched you for many years and I am so pleased to finally meet you. My daughter, Claudette became a doctor because I was inspired by your life. I used to tell her stories about you when she was a child." Marie shrugged. "She thought they were just stories of course. But they inspired her."

Grace blushed slightly as she removed her scarf and coat. "Thank you," she murmured. "Is there a place I might wash up?"

Marie showed her to the bathroom while Joe led Kage into a sparsely furnished dining room. "We only moved in a few bare essentials," Joe said pulling out a chair. "Just enough to make it comfortable if we had to use it."

Kage nodded and looked around. Seeing that Marie had returned to the kitchen and that Grace had the door shut, he leaned close to Joe. "I want some answers. Hatchell was killed before he could tell us much."

Joe nodded. "I was afraid of that when you made the call. Damn! He was a good man."

"He gave his life for ours… that we could escape. He had one life… and he gave it selflessly for ours. What makes us so important?"

Joe shook his head. "Amy… that's my daughter… says the group is now looking for the oldest surviving immortals… the older the better. You my friend… are one of the oldest male immortals left. Most of you have killed one another off."

Kage nodded somberly. "Yes… we who live by the sword are doomed to perish that way." He narrowed his gaze at Dawson. "You don't like me very much."

"Let's just say I know who you were. When MacLeod spared your life in Seacouver… I told him he was a fool… that you were pulling a con."

"You knew MacLeod even then?"

Joe nodded. "I think he's the best of all of you."

Kage settled back in the chair nodding. "Yes… you're probably right." He glanced up as Grace entered and his expression softened as he regarded her. "Feel better?"

Grace had let her dark hair down and combed it. "Yes… much better." She leaned over to kiss Kage's brow and then settled down beside him… holding his hands. "So… Mr. Dawson…"

"Joe… please."

Grace smiled. "Joe. How do we contact Duncan?"

"I'll have to wait until he contacts me. It's better if I don't know where he is. They really want him."

"But he's very young… compared to us," Kage interjected.

"Yeah… but he's killed a couple of really old ones… He may be the most powerful immortal alive today. They've likely been after him for some time… but only recently got on to his trail. He's still trying to stay under the radar."

"I always thought he was special," Grace murmured with a small smile. Then she met Kage's gaze and rubbed one hand along his arm. "But you are special too," she assured him. She leaned close to kiss him. Their foreheads touched and they rested their brows against one another's for several moments.

As he watched, Joe realized he was seeing two immortals who were as strongly committed to one another as any two he'd ever seen. For a moment he thought of Methos and Ellie… and wondered if the kind of commitment his friends had with one another was possible for other immortals. His reverie was interrupted by Marie's arrival with the steaming soup tureen. Kage rose to help her with it and Grace turned to get bowls and flatware from the nearby buffet for all of them. Marie returned to the kitchen to bring the croissants and the four of them settled down for a quiet meal.

-----

Later, once Marie had left for the evening, Joe answered their questions about the history of Watchers… and what they knew of the two of them and their long lives.

"This is a new cell phone I just bought," Joe said, handing it to Kage. "As is this one." He held up his. "Only you, and MacLeod and a few others have this number. Call me if you need anything. I have to get back… They watch me as well… but I'll stay in touch as often as I can."

"You'll tell MacLeod to call us," Kage directed.

Joe nodded with a small salute. "Will do." He let himself out and drove away. He still had to make the return trip… and get his own car back. It would be late by the time he got home. Hopefully… the day's efforts had been worth it.

-----

Avril Mischkov leaned back in his chair and listened to the phone report. "And you're certain all Dawson did was drive about Paris all afternoon?" He nodded at the reply. "He's at home now? You've actually seen him… not just his car?" He swiveled a bit and tapped the fingers of his left hand against his thin lips. "No… I'm certain all is fine. Keep an eye on him until your relief shows up. I'm now putting him on twenty-four hour surveillance."

After hanging up Mischkov snarled. Evidently Dawson had managed to give his Watcher the slip for a few hours and the man hadn't a clue. Well that would change tomorrow. He'd put his best man on Dawson. Something was going on! And Dawson had to be at the center of it.

Shoving back from his desk he left his office. "I'm going home. Forward all calls to my cell," he directed his secretary. He needed to focus and clear his mind. And there was only one place he could adequately do that… his apartment.

Avril Mischkov had already decided it would be a long, cleansing night.