Chapter 116

Watcher Compound, Switzerland

Duncan MacLeod, katana gripped loosely in his hand pushed past several of the milling mortals. He'd turned the ordering of the captives and their dispensation over to Meyers. He had to take control of his people.

He put out a hand to comfort Alisaunne's shuddering shoulders. She shrugged him off. Her sobs cut into him as if they were wounds, which would never heal. Ian was dead… and she was bereft. Would anything help her hold up against Nestor now?

"Duncan!" He turned and welcomed Amanda into his arms… crushing her lips to his.

"I love you!" he laughed when he finally pulled back.

"I know!" she said and returned his kiss passionately forming her body to his and hanging onto him as if she feared he'd vanish.

Duncan closed his arms about her slender form and lifted her slightly as he turned. Above on the catwalk… he saw Phillip kneel by Keith's corpse and sigh. The Swordmaster lifted his eyes and stared around at the carnage. Cory Raines leaned exhausted on the catwalk railing. He met the Highlander's gaze with a smirk and a small salute.

"John? John?"

Regrettably shifting Amanda to his side, Duncan watched a somber Grace move through the curtained areas seeking Kage. Duncan turned back towards Alisaunne and again lay one hand tentatively on her shoulder. This time she turned and huddled against him sobbing as if the world had ended.

Methos opened his eyes.

Eleanor sat beside him, her eyes bright green, and a smile on her lips.

"Are you real," he said lifting one hand to caress her face. "You feel real."

She laughed, and the familiar sound of tinkling bells surrounded him.

At a movement he saw Derrick smile at them both and then grab a short white-haired man Methos thought he'd seen in some of his dreams and shove him through the curtain. He vaguely saw the obviously dead Rawlins lying on another gurney.

Methos and Eleanor were alone.

"You have to be real," he added. "You look terrible."

She laughed aloud and ran a hand over his scalp. "Those are healing nicely." She winked at him. "At least I still have my hair."

"What?" He raised one hand and felt his shaven scalp.

"It should grow back," she said teasingly. "But even if it doesn't… I think bald is sexy." She smirked impishly. "Or maybe it's just you I find sexy."

He pulled her down on him and kissed her… aware that only a sheet lay between them. "I feared I'd lost you."

"Not a chance," she gazed at him. "I will never leave you… nor close my heart to you… as long as you want me." She lay against him and sighed, her thoughts open to him.

As the events of the past few weeks flowed over him he smiled. "We have a daughter."

"She is something," Eleanor said. "But she doesn't really feel like ours… She's something conjured up out of the power of the ancients to complete their union. We were just the conduits of her creation… we… and Darius. Of course now… we could see if it works the way it was supposed to. He seems to have given us another chance."

Eleanor shifted in his arms and pulled out a creased letter. "I saved this for us to read together." He helped her open it. "Although I don't think there will be much in there that we don't already know… except maybe his reasons."

"Don't you two ever think of anything else?"

Methos and Eleanor glanced up at Duncan's face. He stood holding the curtain aside for a moment.

"We have to get re-acquainted," Methos insisted.

"Well… remember you're in a public place. There are a lot of people around."

"I'm well aware of that!" snapped Methos.

"Just wanted to be certain." Duncan grinned. "Nice haircut."

"At least I still have my head!" Methos yelled as Duncan withdrew his through the curtain.

Duncan leaned back in. He sobered. "But not everyone does. We lost some people. Let's hope that doctor can awaken everyone that's still alive. Some of them aren't responding even though we've removed the IV's."

"Let me know if I can help… I am a doctor. And see if someone can find me some clothes!" Methos groused while Eleanor laughed… bells tinkling.

Duncan nodded and was gone. Methos could feel immortals all about him… and he could hear lots of voices… some of them very unhappy voices… very confused voices.

Eleanor unfolded the letter… they began to read.

Grace pulled the IV free of John's arm and waited. Within minutes his eyes flickered open.

"John!" she smiled and bent to kiss him.

He did not respond.

"John?" she said, fearful that he was one of the lost ones… the ones who lived… but whose minds seemed frozen and lost like patients in a waking coma.

His eyes met hers and he closed them as he sobbed.

"You're fine… John… you're fine." Softly she stroked his shaven head. He was fine. He had to be fine.

"It's gone, Grace… the peace I felt… the acceptance. Kage still lives within me." He struggled to a sitting position and slid off the gurney. His knees buckled and she supported him. She wrapped the sheet about him. Kage struggled to the next gurney and stared sadly into the blank face of Carl Robinson. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know that was still in there." He met Grace's eyes. "We have to help them. We have to care for them. I can't let anyone kill them… or take their heads. Maybe with time… they'll heal… they'll be back."

Grace nodded. "Yes… Together… we'll take care of them all."

John sobbed as he lay his head on her shoulder. "I was a beast… a monster. I killed him… and I enjoyed it!"

Grace held him as she would a baby. He was her love… and she would stand by him… for all the days to come. No matter what.