Duncan began to hurry back towards Joe's bar. The mortal seemed rather calm when he called on the phone.

"What could be going on now? What did he find that he couldn't tell me over the phone?" he asked himself out loud as he came up to the bar.

His answer came as the sensation at the back of his neck, indicating that an Immortal was nearby.

"Joe!" he cried out before running inside.

There, he found Joe sitting in a chair, with Bobby standing behind him. Bobby was holding a knife to Joe's neck, as if trying to intimidate Duncan or even Joe yetthe mortal calmly sat where he was.

"One wrong move, and he dies," Bobby warned him.

"I don't think so. I think one move, right or wrong, and we all die, am I right? Now where's Elkaryene and Scott?" Duncan demanded to know.

"They're somewhere close. You obviously haven't found them otherwise you'd be there, trying to free them," Bobby replied with a cunning smile on his face.

"And I suppose you're not going to tell me where they are either? Now why are you here?" Duncan retaliated.

"I've come here for you and him. Particularly you. I will take you to your friends if you give up your sword and quietly come with me. Nothing will happen as long as you cooperate. The moment you don't, everyone will die," Bobby explained to him. "Including him."

Duncan quietly growled to himself as he laid down his katana.

"Don't do this Macleod," Joe told him.

"I have to Joe. Can't let it end this way. I have to try something," Duncan replied.

He angrily stared at the Immortal standing across the room.

"Good. Now come on before I change my mind about killing you now instead of later," Bobby replied.

He stepped away from Joe as Duncan walked towards him. Bobby snickered as he led Duncan out of the room. Joe watched them leave, a worried look on his face.

'Well whoever gets Methos' quickening is going to have one hell of a shock,' Joe thought to himself.

He reached for the phone and began to dial. He patiently waited for someone to answer until someone managed to pick up.

"Hello?" came a voice from on the other line. "This had better be good."

"Oh it is. This is Joe. I just got a lead on something - interesting. There's going to be a battle somewhere near my bar," Joe explained.

"Oh really. Do you know exactly where?" asked the man.

"No, but I have a feeling that we will know soon enough. It's Bobby and Anna Smith. They're back in town. We've finally gotten a lead on them again," Joe replied.

Joe couldn't see the man's eyes shoot up in surprise, but he figured he could see them. Any of the Watchers would be surprised that the whereabouts of those two was known again.

"Aren't the ones we lost track of a few years back?" he wanted to confirm.

"One and the same. They're after Elkaryene Shymel and a friend of hers. A former teacher of hers. I think in a sense, still is. What are they after her for? I wouldn't be able to tell you," Joe said. "Bobby nor Anna have really said anything about it when I saw them."

"One way or another, we better find them soon. We'll probably lose Elkaryene and her friend but we'll finally know where Bobby and Anna are, finally. We can't lose track of these two again," the other Watcher said.

"I know but have you considered where Elkaryene has been? She's been to more places than any of us have been," Joe told her.

"Yes, we have but she's young still and that's why she's going to get killed. She doesn't have as much experience as these two. Remember Joe, we never had a chance to put a Watcher on Elkaryene right away. You know we didn't until a few months ago," the man said. "We'll get our best people on it. We will find them sooner or later."

00000

Duncan walked outside and climbed into the car which Bobby headed towards.

"Remember, one wrong move and we come back and kill him," Bobby reminded him.

"Like you're going to make me forget," Duncan muttered to himself.

Bobby heard that and growled slightly as he climbed into the driver's seat.

"So where are they?" Duncan asked.

"You'll find out soon enough. Just be glad they're not dead yet. You'll get to see them one last time before you all die," Bobby replied.

"I take it you're going to tell me what they did to aggravate you so much?" Duncan wondered.

"Do you really want to know?" Bobby asked him.

"I don't think I would have asked if I wasn't curious at all. I haven't known these two for very long but they don't seem to be the type to aggravate anyone at this magnitude," Duncan replied with a smile.

Bobby didn't appear too happy and Duncan could see this. The Highlander smiled to himself, knowing he hit a subject that Bobby didn't want to talk about.

"They humiliated our friends," Bobb finally replied.

Duncan was unprepared so he turned surprised towards the man.

"What?" Duncan said.

"Friends of ours were humiliated my these two. Scott got between two friends of ours almost 2000 years ago. Elkaryene made a fool of another just over 50 years ago. Now are you satisfied?" Bobby angrily explained.

"Yeah, I am," Duncan quietly replied, a bit unsure what to think.

"Now be quiet, we're almost there," Bobby snorted.

'That was a quick ride,' Duncan thought to himself. 'How could the Watchers look over the wherabouts of two Immortals previously known to be unaccounted for? They are so close to Joe, it's not even funny!'

Duncan soon found himself being forced out of the car and towards the building.

"Anything I should be prepared for?" asked Duncan.

"What?" Bobby had to ask himself.

"Anything I should be prepared for?" repeated Duncan. "You know, any scenes that might be unsuitable for my 'young' eyes?"

"You should be a comedian. That was real hilarious," Bobby dryly told him as he opened up the door. "There's nothing you probably haven't seen before."

Duncan closed his mouth and began to look around the area. He didn't see anyone around and began to worry.

"Where are they?" he asked.

"Don't worry. They're here and not far away," Bobby reassured him, a snicker in his voice.

Duncan heard that snicker and that worried him greatly. He didn't know what fate already befell his two friends. He followed Bobby for a while before he began to faintly sense two others nearby.

"You want to see your friends again? They're right in there," Bobby asked him.

He pointed at the door that was silently sitting across the room. Duncan glanced between him and the door.

"What am I to expect?" Duncan wondered.

"If I told you, would I be telling you to walk into that room?" Bobby asked him.

Duncan didn't answer as he began to head towards the door. He slowly placed his hand on the doorknob and opened the door. He gasped at what he saw once it opened.

Methos was hanging by his wrists from a cross-like structure. Blood was streaked down his arms, torso and face, his eyes closed. With his head hanging down, Methos was in the worst state that Duncan ever saw him in.

"Scott," Duncan quietly said.

He quickly looked around for Elkaryene. He finally noticed her nearby, sitting in a chair. She had a dagger through her heart but behind her, was Anna, a sword right at the young Immortal's neck.

TBC...