Joe bent low over his roasting animal, sniffing deeply. A satisfied smile spread across his face. "Mmmm...MM!", he grunted satisfactorily.

"Too much garlic. Not enough wine. Just what year was that, anyway?" Methos quipped.

Joe shot an annoyed glance at Methos, then turned back to his subject. He continued gingerly basting the cooking cow and said, "I have no idea. Like most other things here, I wished the wine up. But it tastes like it's supposed to taste, in and out of the sauce."

"If you say so," Methos shrugged. "I contend you must have the real thing along, or you are just, "faking the funk", as Richie says."

"Oh, and you brought along ingredients for barbequing pig, Methos?" Joe said with a touch of exasperation.

"Well...when you are stuck on a deserted island, you improvise," Methos said with a sense of self-satisfaction. "Did you ever watch that show, 'Gilligan's Island'? Charming show. Did the Professor ever figure out a way to plug the hole in that boat?"

"Methos, you do know they pulled the plug on that show decades ago?" Joe said with a snort.

Methos tilted his head, "They did? Pity. I don't watch much television, truth to tell, but I did catch that one. Didn't do justice to the original Daniel Dafoe, truth to tell. Hm, isolation, rebellion. I guess those will be the fruits of the soul of a man who was in and out of debtor's prison. Too bad we don't have that, anymore. Might result in better television."

Joe looked at Methos, trying to tell if he was joking. Methos was carefully deadpan. Joe chuckled and then said, "Methos, I want you to taste this..."

"Joe..." Methos started.

"No, you're gonna taste this," Joe said, cutting off a piece a few bite sizes large. "You have the nerve to badmouth my beef, not only insulting me, but generations of Dawsons and small town county fair barbeque contests, you HAVE to taste test it."

Methos gingerly accepted the brown-black-pink beef piece, sniffed it, then bit off a piece. Chewed thoughtfully. His eyes lit up.

Joe grinned, "Not bad for imitation generated out of the empty, is it?"

Methos bowed, "I beg forgiveness. But in return..." he then cut off a piece of his turning hog. He held it out to Joe.

Joe looked at it, then speared it with a spit and took a bite. He nodded with enthusiasm, "Well, whatever you snagged out of Mac's galley, it did the trick."

"Well, luckily, Duncan's a bit of a gourmet himself. He keeps a well stocked larder. Women are impressed by that sort of thing."

"That's what I hear," Joe said thoughtfully.

"You know, we ought to open a restaurant when we get back to civilization," Methos said.

"I have a restaurant," Joe said, turning back to his cow.

"No, I mean a REAL restaurant, not a smoke filled gin joint," Methos emphasized.

Joe looked offended.

"Not that it's not a VERY NICE smoke filled gin joint," Methos added hastily, "But I'm talking about the sort one could bring the offspring, to eat in comfort and class."

"Ok, I'll play along," Joe said, "What would we call this theoretical eatery?"

"Oh, I have that covered," Methos said confidently. "Not Joe's, as that's taken. No, I'm thinking...Adam's Family...something or other. I'll work on it," he added, seeing Joe grinning widely.

"You're just stuck in old TV mode," Joe said with a laugh.

Fitz and Rebecca emerged from the treelike, hand in hand, smiling pleasantly, chatting. Duncan looked at them, a mix of emotions flowing through his eyes. Amanda looked angry. Anne looked pensive.

"Duncan...what is it with you? Fitz is your friend! Further, he's Rebecca's friend! She's taken to him ever since she was born. You saw her that day. She clung to him like he was a life preserver and she had been tossed off the deck of the Titanic. Fitz knows how you feel, and look at him, you can TELL he wants to behave himself!"

"How do you know, Amanda?" Duncan muttered.

"I KNOW," Amanda said. "Trust me, there are a few things I am an absolute master in. This is one of them. Fitz would no more take her 'honor' than you would."

Duncan looked at her.

"Ok, maybe not emphatic, but he would die for her. I would stake my life on it."

Duncan looked at Anne.

Anne shrugged her shoulders, "Duncan...I don't know Fitz nearly as well as either of you, but it's clear he's very protective of Rebecca. And it's safe to say he's her best friend. And friends may be something few and far between for these children. This may be all they know. I'd think carefully before interfering with it."

"You are saying Fitz isn't attracted to Rebecca?" Duncan asked the two women.

"He thinks of her as a little girl still, though it is clear, physically, she's closing in on sixteen, seventeen," Anne said. "He loves her company, but is more protective of her than anything else."

"What about Rebecca?" Duncan asked.

"She likes Fitz, but all women do. You know this," Amanda said. "But she is drawn to his adventurous nature, his love, his lust for life. She wants to experience it like he has. Yes, she is attracted to him. But Fitz can handle that."

Her eyes pleaded with Duncan.

Duncan sighed and looked back out. Richie and Darius were returning from their climb. Richie looked cheerful, though his clothes were torn up. Darius looked withdrawn, pensive. Richie didn't seem to notice.

Amanda nudged Duncan with a smile, "C'mon, Daddy, it's birthday for the twins!"