Thank you all very much for the reviews – I really appreciate them! Some words why I update every day at the moment: I only have this week left before my holidays are over; and I don't know how much time I have later to finish the story (there will be likely then only one chapter or so per week).
Two weeks later, Duncan's loft
Almost two weeks had passed since Adam and Duncan's first meeting. After visiting Adam every day a little bit longer in the watcher hospital, Adam finally seemed to trust him enough to come with him for some hours to his loft. Dr. Wildwather had been sceptical at first, not sure if Adam was ready yet; but at the end it had been Adam who had persuaded her to allow him to go.
As they then finally stood together in Duncan's loft, Duncan eyed Adam very closely, watching him walk around and touch some of his antiques. After a few minutes, Adam finally turned around, disappointment shown on his face.
"I remember nothing," he said, "although it seems familiar somehow."
"The doctor said that you would very likely not remember the place... Come, sit down." Duncan pointed with an encouraging smile at his leather sofa, "I have a cold beer for you in my refrigerator."
"Have I been here regularly?" Adam wanted to know behind him as Duncan went to the refrigerator.
"We trained a lot in the dojo together, and you sometimes stayed overnight on my sofa," Duncan explained a few moments later as he turned to bring back the beer, almost dropping it as he saw Adam's form sprawled in typical Methos-like manner on the sofa - some things obviously never changed. "Here," he said as he then placed one beer in front of the other Immortal.
Adam nodded his thanks to him and then grabbed the beer to take a sip, immediately twisting his face into a grimace. "Aggg, this is horrible," he then complained before he took another sip.
"Obviously you DO remember something; the last time I offered you this beer, you also complained about its flavour." Although it didn't stop you from drinking all of it, he added silently in his mind as he grinned at Adam.
"This is a good sign, isn't it?" Adam smiled, "maybe I should drink more of your terrible beer then."
They talked about two hours about several things until the conversation was suddenly about swords. "I have your sword here, Adam. The watchers handed it over to me to keep it for you." Duncan didn't mention that he had pressed Joe to get it for him. Then he hesitated for a second, "do you like to see it?"
Adam's face went pale for some seconds and his green eyes widened as he starred at Duncan. Finally he managed a slight nod.
"OK, wait a minute. I have it in the dojo." A few minutes later, Duncan returned and placed the Ivanhoe in Adam's slight trembling hands.
He watched a smile appear on Adam's face as the other starred at the sword. Then Adam raised his right hand and touched it, going gently with his fingertips over the whole blade. "It's beautiful," he whispered with a husky voice. After a few minutes, he took it into his right hand and made some blows into the air with it. "It feels so natural in my hand – as if it would belong there." Green eyes looked at Duncan again. "Can I keep it? I feel safer with it."
Duncan smiled at him; this was a very good sign. Obviously, something in Adam remembered the importance of having a sword for an Immortal. "It's yours, of course you can keep it... By the way, I think it's time for you to refresh your training with me. I already talked with your doctor about it, she agrees with me that we both should take up our training sessions again." Duncan grinned at Adam and a slight sardonic expression appeared on his face, "I get you tomorrow at 7.00 p.m., be ready then."
"But," Adam immediately complained with a twisted face and a whining voice, "why so early? I still sleep at that time."
A pure Methos-like reaction that made Duncan grin even wider. "Not tomorrow... and pack some good shoes, too, we'll run some rounds before we'll start the fighting-lessons."
"What?!!"
Seeing an expression of pure horror appear now on Adam's face, Duncan smiled and grabbed his keys before he hurried to the elevator. "Come on! We must get you back in time, or the good doctor will have my head."
Watcher hospitalAfter they had parted in front of the watcher hospital, Duncan walked back to his car, deep in thoughts about his new relationship to Adam/Methos. Adam had been very unsure at the beginning, not knowing how to judge and behave towards him. But finally he began to show slight signals of trust and also seemed to feel safe in his presence; and what was most important: it also looked as if Adam was beginning to accept him as his teacher.
Duncan smiled; their relationship remembered him strongly at the one they had had before the Horsemen incident. After that, there had always been a slight tension between the two of them - but it had vanished again and now the relationship felt as easy and trusting as before. Although a part of him missed sometimes the cynical old man, another preferred the more open and accessible Adam. He had never been able to understand Methos, his motivations and thoughts, but he was able to understand Adam in contrast. And there was another fact – a fact he would have strictly denied if asked – the fact that in contrary to Methos, Adam depended on him: that he, Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod, was able to help Adam now - and not the other way around.
2 weeks later, Duncan's dojo
"Alright buddy," Adam heard Joe order him, "you stay in here. Don't let someone in until Mac arrives... And keep your little fingers from Mac's alcoholic beer."
"Yes Joe," he agreed with a smile on his face as he guided Joe to the door.
Joe examined him closely, obviously not trusting him, "I mean it, Adam... You know that your doctor wants you to drink less alcohol. I extra ordered some anti-alcoholic beer from Europe for you..."
"Sure," Adam interrupted him quickly while he tried to put a very thankful smile on his face. "And I really appreciate that... You know that." Seeing Joe's expression, Adam doubted somehow that Joe was buying his thankful-act, although he didn't say anything else to this topic.
"Alright, see you then tomorrow." Joe finally nodded goodbye to him and Adam closed the door.
Anti-alcoholic beer, he thought in disgust as he twisted his face. Who to hell wants anti-alcoholic beer? Definitely not I. Shall Duncan drink this... this muck ... no, I definitely stay with the really good stuff instead. Smiling, he made his way back to Duncan's refrigerator.
While he opened the refrigerator-door, he thought about his first meeting with Joe. Duncan had taken him along to Joe's Bar; they had sat down on one of the tables and listened to the music. He remembered with a smile that Joe had been playing on his guitar at that particular moment – the music had been absolute beautiful. He had closed his eyes and followed the melody, and for a moment he had felt whole again – although he had later not been able to say why this had been so.
Then the music had ended and Joe had discerned them. At that moment, Joe's face had lost all colour and his body had began to tremble badly – for some terrible seconds he really had been afraid that Joe would collapse to the ground. But then a true and wide smile had appeared on the old watcher's face, and his eyes had gleamed while he had come towards them, "Adam!"
Then Joe had hugged him, and although he normally not liked being touched, he had welcomed it that time. There was something between Joe and him that was different to his relationship to the doctor or Mac; it went deeper somehow - as if Joe would be able to accept him totally. He really wasn't able to explain this feeling; he only knew that it was there and that he really liked it.
They had spent the next hours together, Joe telling him some funny stories about MacLeod. It had been a very relaxed and enjoyable evening, he really liked to remember.
He smiled while he took one of the alcoholic beers out of the refrigerator. After opening it, he flipped the lid automatically behind Duncan's refrigerator... then he frowned for a second, rethinking this act. Had he done this before? It had felt so familiar.
Putting down his beer, he then stepped nearer to the refrigerator's back and looked down on the floor. His heart began to beat up in excitement as he discovered some lids lying there. Yes, he smiled in joy, I've done that before. Grinning, he grabbed his beer again and took it with him to Duncan's leather sofa where he made himself comfortable.
A few minutes later, his cell phone rang; it was Duncan who explained him that he would arrive one hour later because his car had broken down – apparently it had a cooling problem that was now being repaired in a garage.
While Adam waited, he got bored and so finally decided to check Mac's CD collection. He inserted the first CD and pressed the start button... and almost choked at his beer as he heard the terrible sound - this was obviously not his kind of music-taste.
Flipping then through Mac's other CDs, he only found opera, opera and much more opera. He almost had given it up yet as he suddenly discovered another CD that looked a bit different to the others. He inserted it into the player... and almost let out a surprised cry. This voice was familiar to him, very, very familiar. Closing his eyes, he let himself follow the music as suddenly a picture of a man appeared in his mind: the man had black hair, his face was pale and there was something dark about him. Then he heard a voice: "What do you do when there is nothing left but dark, cold emptiness?"
"What?" he blinked in shock and turned around, but there was nobody. Shaking his head, he then took another sip of his beer. I must have imagined it... or maybe it was a memory? His hands trembled slightly as he took the booklet out of the plastic cover to search it through for a picture of the singer.
And then he found it: a dark-haired man with a pale face - exactly the same man he had seen in his mind a few seconds before. And this was not all, next to the photo he discovered a handwriting that read: 'To Doc, never let the music die. Byron'.
Obviously this CD didn't belong to Mac, nobody called him Doc - but whom else? To him? He definitely remembered the man, and his voice also sounded familiar; but why should the other address him as Doc? As he recalled Dr. Wildwather, he never had finished his doctor degree. Maybe this was some kind of joke about it? Or was there something else, something the good doctor didn't know? He decided to ask Mac later while he went to the refrigerator to get himself another beer.
He didn't make it far into the direction when he suddenly felt the presence of another Immortal - but definitely not Mac's. His heart began to speed up as he grabbed his sword and hurried down to the door.
While he waited, thoughts appeared in his mind: What if I'm not good enough? What if I loose my head? He would die without ever being certain if he really was Adam or not. Panic rose in him and he leaned against the wall, painting heavily. He didn't want to die - not now, not ever.
As the fear began to overwhelm him, there was suddenly a voice in him, telling him to calm down and get himself another weapon. Yes, a second weapon would be a good idea, he agreed. Hurrying back to Mac's flatware-drawer, he picked a very long knife and hid it in the back of his jeans. Then he went back to the door and waited.
He heard the sound of the bell, then a female voice called, "Duncan?... It's Gina. Please open, I have not much time, my taxi is waiting for me to bring me to the airport."
He considered for some seconds what to do, obviously this woman was a friend of Mac. Then he finally answered through the door, "Mac is not here."
For a moment there was silence, then he heard to his big surprise the woman call his name. "Adam, Darling, is this you? What a great coincidence, we already..."
He no longer listened to her as his thoughts began to race in his mind: this woman knows me... maybe if I see her face-to-face, then memories will come back to the surface. Still holding the sword in one slight wet hand, he finally opened the door and found himself staring at a dark-haired woman that smiled happily at him.
"Come in," he invited her while he never let her out of his eyes; it's always better to be prepared than sorry afterwards, a voice whispered in his head.
"Robert and I plan a big party in four weeks in France, and we want to invite you and Duncan." Her smile deepened, "I told Robert to buy some bottles of your favourite beer for the event... Here are the invitations." She placed two white envelopes in his hands and then hugged him while she whispered, "I never can thank you enough for what you have done for us." Then she let go of him again. "I'm sorry that I cannot stay a little bit longer so that we two can have a chat about Duncan, but I really have to go now... And before I forget it: Robert damaged your toaster, so if you should look for a gift...." She twinkled and let the rest of the sentence unfinished. Winking him goodbye, she then disappeared before he even was able to open his mouth.
He blinked in confusion as he closed the door behind her. A Toaster? Shaking his head in bewilderment, he really whished for Mac to arrive soon; he had so much questions to ask.
The doorbell rang again. Believing it to be Gina again, he hurried to open, and found himself confronted with a long sword pointing at his face. In an almost automatic reaction, he tried to slap the door into the other one's face, but was unable to because the other had already placed his right foot between the door and the frame.
Cursing quietly, Adam grabbed his sword a little tighter while he backed away. A big blonde man of about 40, clothed completely in black leather, entered. Apparently chewing on a chewing gum, he examined Adam with an appraising look.
"So, you're the famous Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod... Don't take it personally, but you're not what I had in mind; I always thought you to be a bit more impressive... By the way, my name is Bastiano da Pierro, and I'm here to challenge you."
Damn, Adam thought as he backed away a little bit wider, damn, damn, damn, where are you Mac? He tried to put a very friendly face on his face as he explained, "I'm sorry, but I'm not MacLeod. He is not here... but he will be in few minutes," he then added quickly, hoping that the other would believe him. "But you can leave a message for him if you like; I really would be happy to deliver it to him."
"Really," the other grinned now. "And who would you be then?... Maybe his student?"
"...Yes... hm... do you want to wait outside? I'm sure he will arrive every minute... or do you want something to drink? I think we have lots of beer here, even anti-alcoholic if you like. But if not, we also have alcoholic here..." Adam knew that he was bubbling now. The problem was the other knew it too.
The grin widened. "No, thank you very much... I think I'll have something else instead." He looked at Adam's neck.
Oh, oh, not good, Adam thought as his throat tightened in fear. "I assure you my head is absolutely not worth taking it."
"Oh," the other grinned, "I think it will do until MacLeod arrives."
Notes: This chapter was inspired by the episodes 'The Modern Prometheus' and 'Till Death'. The sentence Methos hears from Byron is taken out of the episode-script; the handwriting 'To Doc, never let the music die ' is borrowed from methos. org (there is also a nice picture of Byron). And the toaster – I couldn't resist :-)