Chapter Twenty-Four
Korea

The gentle slap of the waves and the slight rocking motion of the Lady Ambergris II let Amber know, when she next awakened that the boat was at rest somewhere. Rising, she could feel the stuffy heat of the cabin. It was likely going to be a scorcher now that the storm front had passed. She pulled on shorts and a sleeveless top before slipping into her still damp deck shoes. Brushing her medium blonde hair up into a ponytail, she then headed to the deck.

Passing Michelle she asked where they were.

"Korea, I think," replied the young immortal as she headed below.

Amber shrugged. It made as much sense as anything else; after all, they'd likely have to put in somewhere after the storm. On deck she had a feeling of a diminished buzz. She'd become so accustomed to the presence of the group that the feel of them had pretty much been reduced to background noise. She lifted a hand over her eyes and watched a harbor launch speed away. One of them was on board. Glancing over at Burke waving frantically like a small child, she guessed that it was Wingate.

Dropping her hand, Amber headed into the pilothouse where she found Derrick speaking over the radio… in what she assumed was Korean. She found a breeze blowing through an open window and settled in front of it while she waited for him to finish.

When he did so… she nearly laughed.

Derrick signed off… replaced the handset… groaned loudly … and banged his head on the chart table a few times.

"I take it the local authorities don't buy ya story?"

He turned and smiled at her and then began to chuckle. "My Korean is only passable. I hadn't planned on coming here… but the storm blew us north. So we might as well get some supplies while we're here."

"Wingate went ashore," Amber began.

"Aye! He was reluctant to go, but I arranged for an interpreter to assist him."

"Ya sent him ashore without his sword?"

Derrick shrugged. "Actually… I gave it back. Sending him into a town with no weapon was tantamount to murder. Besides… if I didn't give him his… I figured he'd buy another one while in town… and then we'd still have a problem. By giving him his… I'm hoping he's learned to trust us."

"But do we trust him?"

Derrick made no reply. Instead he leaned back, folded his arms across his chest and regarded her somberly as if trying to read her feelings and intent. "You wanted him off the boat. I talked to him and he agreed to go."

"But ya'll welcome him back?" Amber sputtered forcefully.

"If he wishes to come back."

"I still think he was the immortal trying to get into our room in Denver!"

"Even if you're right… has he made any other moves of that nature? He did go into the ocean to retrieve you."

"Hummph!" Amber snorted angrily. "It's not as if I'd have died."

"But I'd have lost you."

Derrick's voice was filled with pain, which made Amber pause in her anger and consider how losing her might have affected him. She could see a pinched look about his eyes, and there was a tremor to his breathing pattern. "Ya'd have found someone else."

"But I'd have failed you."

Amber bit her lip. What was it about Derrick that made her want to take him into her arms? She shook her head, determined this time to stand her ground.

"Where's your cutlass, Amber?"

Amber looked down at her empty hands. She shrugged. "In the ocean… I guess."

"It's in the cabin."

Snapping her head up, she stared at him. "How?"

"It was still on you when you were brought aboard. Caspar made no move for it. He could have and didn't. The aura of danger around him is not so thick as it first was."

"Aura?"

Derrick shrugged. "It's what I see around people and the state of their emotions. I'm still learning how to read it. Caspar's was charged with danger when we first met. When we agreed to end the fight… it dissipated slightly. But there were still moments that I sensed he was furious with me. Working with Burke helped him a great deal. He'd never known immortals except as something to hunt and kill. He'd never considered really getting to know some… and not killing them. I think he was lonely."

"So we're all yar little projects. According to you, I needed love. Burke needed to get out of that dump. Wingate needed to lose his anger. And I suppose David and Michelle needed to learn how to channel their talents creatively and still maintain the mission."

Derrick shrugged, the tips of his mouth slowly curving upward. "If you say so," he said lightly.

"Ya're a damned puzzle Derrick Foster," Amber snorted as she slapped his arm. "It amazes me how ya can be both a mere child and the oldest man I ever knew all rolled up in one."

Derrick snatched her by the waist and pulled her into an embrace. He nuzzled her neck and kissed her. When he pulled back he laughed. "The better to keep you intrigued… my dear."

Amber placed her hands about his neck and pulled him down again. "Aye… intrigued. I am that." And then she kissed him.

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Three hours later Caspar Wingate returned with the interpreter and the supplies. He also had an easy air about him. He winked at Derrick and said, "Thanks for the address. They worked wonders." Amber rolled her eyes. She had a feeling what kind of place Wingate had spent some time in. Well… if it eased the tension… she was pleased. If he noticed the cutlass once more about her waist… he made no mention of it. She did take the time to thank him for rescuing her. He nodded curtly and mumbled "You're welcome" but that was the extent of it. And… Amber still noted that he followed her movements about the boat with his eyes. Her savior or not… she planned to remain on guard around him.

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Paris

Methos' head hurt. The last high-altitude flight had really drained him. He knew that he'd be fine in a few hours, but it was bothersome to feel less than at his best. There was a reason the experts suggested only one in a twenty-four hour period. He'd had four. He had an inkling of how bad Jayne had felt when she'd arrived in Greece with him.

At the thought of the young Watcher, Methos realized that he hadn't even stopped to tell her where he was going. Well… there hadn't been much time if he were to make the ferry. Surely Eleanor would ease that slight for him. He'd picked up the rental car at the airport and had headed into Paris itself.

He'd let Amanda know that he was in and she'd indicated that things were quiet for the moment. The two separated lovebirds were cooing and calling their love to one another from the rooms where Amanda and MacLeod had secured them. How long that phase lasted was anyone's guess. He'd told her he'd be there after nightfall. He needed to check on Alisaunne while he was in Paris. He'd been privately concerned after reading MacLeod's last message about the state he and Amanda had found her in. "I just need to stop by and see how she is, then I'll come straight on to Robert and Gina's," he'd told her.

"I'll be waiting," Amanda had replied before ringing off.

Now he sat in the rental car outside the hidden grove, he rubbed his temples and blinked the bleariness out of his eyes. He couldn't recall feeling so tired in centuries. Once this little adventure was over, he hoped to take a long leisurely rest on the island. He could barely sense Alisaunne here. The last time he'd come she'd seemed unusually lonely. He'd suggested she get out more… and somewhere along the line they'd nearly come to blows. He'd left abruptly. Somehow they'd just never been able to develop a real father-daughter relationship. He blamed himself for that. He should have tried harder… but Eleanor and J.D. had been foremost on his mind. He hadn't taken the time with her that he should have.

He alit from the car and stretched slightly, looking around for signs of a Watcher. Not seeing anyone in the area, he adjusted his coat with broadsword. Having a child, who appeared to be only a few years younger then he appeared, was also a problem. No wonder children for immortals were a problem! Sometimes he wondered how the ancients had managed it… and at other times, he recalled that their society had been destroyed. They hadn't managed it. Was this course of action on the part of modern immortals even wise? Should it even be continued? Methos worried about that everyday when he contemplated J.D. and Marianna. He had no idea what the future might hold for them… or for immortals.

Slipping into the covered archway, he found the hidden key and unlocked the gate. Once inside, he called out to Alisaunne.

She was on the landing above and gave him a short wave. "Hi! What's up?"

"I was in Paris. You know I like to check on you when I'm in Paris."

Alisaunne sighed. "Let me guess. Duncan or Amanda told you I was really out of it the other night. And you in fatherly affection have come running." Her sarcasm was plainly evident.

"I truly do have business here. I wanted to let you know Eleanor and the children are on Niebos if you try to contact them for any reason."

"Where I'm not allowed." She sauntered down the steps. He noted she was armed.

"Look… I know things between us aren't good. I realize you're closer to MacLeod than to me. I'm fine with it. He's your teacher after all. I just want there to be peace between us. I am concerned about you."

"I was working too hard and just lost track of everything. I thought I had it. I thought I'd finally cracked the code. But in the light of day after they'd left… I realized I hadn't."

"Then give it up for a time. Do other things. It's waited thousands of years. A few more won't matter."

"Exactly my conclusion. But I have this little problem." By this time she'd reached the ground and now stood eye-to eye with him… almost as tall as he was. "I can't spend too much time away from here or Nestor's whispers become too loud in my head."

"Cassandra was unable to help?" Methos asked sadly.

"Oh… she helped. I learned some great tricks for shutting things out. But as the years pass… his desperation becomes stronger and stronger. When I'm tired… it's all I know. I feel as if I'm being torn in two by Havron and Nestor. One rests within me… and the other owns my soul."

"I truly wish I knew what to do," Methos said as he shook his head.

"It's my problem. I'll find a way."

"I'll be in France for a few days. If you need me, call."

"Sure." She crossed her arms and shifted her weight to one side.

"It's not that you're less important… but I don't know how to help you. Everything I've tried has had repercussions."

Alisaunne smiled in spite of herself. "Yeah… Niebos to visit and meet my new-born baby brother wasn't such a wise choice was it?"

"No."

Alisaunne shrugged. "I'll be fine. I'm sleeping here for a while so I can actually sleep without dreams. I go out for walks in the sunshine and I'm shopping for food daily. I've changed my entire routine. I'm not even working on the cavern for a while."

Methos smiled. "That sounds like a plan."

"Yeah… Amanda kinda gave me some ideas."

Methos smirked. "I hope not about second story work."

Alisaunne joined in the light-hearted moment and laughed with him. They had so few of them, and they were always over far too soon. As now. He had to go… and she would be alone once more. "Bring Eleanor and the children to see me one day soon," she begged plaintively as he left.

Methos nodded, "I'll see what I can do." He kissed her forehead, feeling her shudder beneath his touch and then pulled away. He left. He still had a long drive ahead of him.

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As Methos pulled into the drive before the de Valicourt chateau, he was relieved that nothing seemed out of sorts. As he climbed out of the car, he saw a young woman sitting on a bench. She glanced at him quizzically. With a groan, Methos realized the de Valicourt's Watcher was here. This could complicate things depending on how much she'd seen and figured out. He paused as she rose to approach, her hands stuffed deeply into the pockets of her dark coat.

"Bon soir," she said with wide smile. "I'm Madeline LeSeur." She offered a slender hand. Even in the darkness Methos was taken with her looks. She was the sort of beauty who stopped men in their tracks. Her thick blonde hair whipped about in the light breeze. He also noticed when he glanced at her white silk blouse visible beneath her opened dark coat, that she was well built… very well built. He sucked in a slight breath of appreciation of the female form.

Within his mind, he noted Eleanor's laugh and agreement. That's where the trouble must lie, he thought. Robert appreciated and Gina reacted. While he didn't know the couple as well as MacLeod or Amanda, he knew that they were often volatile with one another. In fact, his dealings with them had often gone a long way toward strengthening his decision not to marry an immortal. But then Eleanor and the unity bond had happened. Now he couldn't conceive of life without her.

"Adam Pierson," he said, shaking her hand. "Watcher?"

"Yes… you?"

"Not any more. I discovered I'm on the other side." He shrugged, finding himself once more in the persona he'd used for many years. He could have lied to her… but decided under the circumstances not to. After all… if she were anything like Jayne… she'd figure out pretty quickly that he was immortal.

"Oh?" Madeline's eyes widened. She smiled. Moonlight glimmered on her white teeth and on her blouse. She shifted with a measured and provocative sigh.

Methos stepped back and bowed his head… yes… Madeline LeSeur was definitely part of the problem. "So… you were put out of the house."

"Yes…" she pouted. "But I need to watch. Something odd is going on with them. They seemed to know what the other was thinking. They were completing each other's sentences. Amanda called Duncan MacLeod. He put me out. But this is my job. I'm not leaving."

Methos chuckled. She sounded a lot like Jayne. "I'll see what's going on. Maybe you can be allowed back in once things calm down."

"And they'll tell me what they've done?"

Methos shrugged. "Maybe. We'll see." He saluted her casually as if tipping a non-existent hat and turned to knock on the door. It opened before he knocked and Amanda pulled him in.

"It's about time," she snapped. "I'm tired and stressed out. Those two are starting to yell at one another again and her continued presence here isn't helping."

"How do they know she's still here?"

"Gina can see her."

"She's in a room overlooking the front?"

"And Robert's in the back." Amanda sighed. "We had to do something quickly and Duncan couldn't stay."

"About that… you were very vague. What's up with him? I haven't had a message from him in two days."

Amanda blinked tears and shifted uncomfortably. "I thought he'd tell you. It's not my place."

"Amanda?" Methos pushed verbally. Then he took her arms in his hands, noticing that she was biting her lip and looking away. "Tell me? What's he done?"

Meeting his gaze she shook her head. "You'll have to ask him." She pulled back and gestured up the stairs. "We have enough of a problem that has to be dealt with now. Shall we?"

Methos nodded. It was a major problem… but only because these two hadn't listened and had jumped ahead with this on their own. If anything, this situation further strengthened his resolve that the unity bond was something that should only be attempted after the two in question understood all the ramifications. He closed his eyes and mentally reached for Eleanor… as if to remind her that she was and always would be a part of him. He almost felt her reassuring touch before he opened his eyes and sighed. He nodded at Amanda and followed her up the stairs. He wanted to get this settled somehow… and quickly. Already he could hear the two yelling in French and dragging up every slight… real or imagined… in their three hundred years together. Methos sighed. It was going to be a long night.

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