Here we were, Joe, Methos and me stood a small distance from MacLeod's barge. This was it, I was going to tell MacLeod the truth and hopefully with his help all four lives would be saved.
The mixed feelings of guilt and joy cursed through me pulling me in separate directions. One making me want to jump up and down with joy in realisation that no one was going to die, while the other half wanting me to run at full speed in the opposite direction if MacLeod so that he would never find out that I lied to him and I alone made the chose for Tessa to die when she didn't have to.
Just then the sound of a motorbike pulling up behind us made me turn just in time to see Richie dismount his bike and pull off his helmet. He looked over at me and for a moment there was a smile but it was soon replaced with a look of bewilderment when he noticed the two men with me.
He slowly made his way towards me trying to look pleased to see me, but I could easily see straight through his façade. "Cat? Why are the guys from the bookshop in Seacouver doing here? I thought you said that you wanted to speak to us about something?" Richie said as he reached where we were standing.
"I'll explain everything in a minute Richie." I sighed knowing it was time. My stomach decided it wanted me to feel as bad as possible in form of punishment for what I was about to reveal. "Come on lets go see Mac." I found myself moving although I couldn't quite remember giving the command to feet to even start walking.
We had just started walking onto the deck of the barge when MacLeod came up on deck, his Katana in hand. "Richie, Cat move over here now!" He said his voice tense at the possibility that his friends could be in danger.
Richie moved without hesitation but I stayed where I was. I glance quickly back noticing that Adam was trying with all his might to fight his instincts and reach for his sword in what I assume to be a show of trust while I could tell Joe was slightly awestruck at seeing his charge up close and personal.
When I didn't move over to MacLeod I saw the confusion on his face and knew it was now or never to get things started. I moved forward slowly arms out stretched in a sign of peace. "Mac, it's ok. He's a friend he's not here to challenge you."
"How would you know?" He almost spat as I saw the first flashers of the betrayal I knew he felt appear in his eyes.
"I know the same way I knew all about you Mac. You were going to meet them over the next couple of years but something's come up and I need for you to meet now. Can we please go inside and I'll explain everything." I held my breath, as Mac looked Adam and Joe over once more sizing them up. Finally after what seemed like an eternity Mac finally lowered his sword and nodded his head.
We walked quickly down the steps Adam and Joe in front of Mac and me. I would have sworn that if Adam wasn't wearing his usual baggy clothes I would have been able to see all his mussels tense the deeper in the Mac's world we got.
As we entered the living area Tessa looked up and the smile that was on her face quickly faded when she saw Joe and Adam. She rose up from where she had been sitting on the couch and quickly went in to hostess mode.
I saw out of the corner of my eye that Mac shuck his head telling her not to approach them and the pain of guilt once again stabbed at me. Tessa hesitantly stepped back a few steps and turned back to sit back down on the couch and was quickly joined by Richie.
"Do you mind if I sit down as this looks like it's going to be quite some tail?" Joe asked smiling trying to loosen the tension that had taken over the room.
"No you can stay standing till I find out what's going on!" Mac's voice clearly showed his annoyance at his unannounced guests.
"Mac. Please what harm is it going to do to let Joe sit down?" I couldn't just stand around and let Mac's stubbiness cause a man who would become his friend discomfort.
"Mac, let him sit down." Tessa said from where she was sitting seeing that Joe was already having trouble standing.
"Fine!" Mac almost grunted in response and Joe reluctantly made his way to a chair and sat down. "So who wants to start with the explanations?"
"I'll explain from the beginning." I said then took a deep breath to steady my nerves. "When I told you about how ended up here in this universe for lack of a better word, I missed something out, I didn't know how to tell you before and I when I was faced with the realisation I didn't know if I could." I took another deep breath knowing now was the time I find out whether Mac would hate me forever or would offer me forgiveness. "What I told you was true, the only thing I missed out was that that whoever brought me here also made me choose out off four people who were destined to die over the next few years who I want to live. My chose would live even after that they were meant to die."
"So you had to choose who lived. Out of whom? Who were your choices?" Richie asked, as MacLeod was now looking at me sceptically.
"Before I tell you who the chosen were or who I chose let me finish the rest of the story." When I received nods in agreement I continued. "I didn't know what to do. I thought if I told you the truth it would affect things that shouldn't be changed and if I did something worse would happen. I tried to find a way home, I went to every bookstore I knew of and finally I found something that gave me hope. I found a journal of an immortal known as Methos. I managed to read small parts of it from some the French lessons I took back at school but not enough. Once we came to Paris I pushed myself to learn all I could about written French, that's why I was always with Darius. I never told him why I wanted to learn French so desperately until a few days ago. I showed him the journal and he gave me the address of someone he thought would be able to help me translate it."
I looked back to MacLeod and there was still slight look and disbelief on his face but it had lessened since Darius was mentioned. I relaxed slightly and continued. "I went to that person desperate to find a way home and when I got there I found Adam."
"And why would Darius send you to Adam to translate a journal by Methos?" The scepticism was once again clear in MacLeod's voice.
"Because I am Methos!" Adam spoke up from beside me and I couldn't help looking at him slightly shocked that he had told MacLeod that.
"You? Methos?" MacLeod snorted not believing a word. "You're not Methos. I think you would have been lucky to five decades let alone five Millennium, besides Methos is a myth."
"Oh you would be surprised what I've lived through MacLeod and although I generally like to make it seem that I'm a myth, I can guarantee that I'm real." I could tell that Adam was getting annoyed with Mac's arrogance as his voice was turning slowly from mild mannered watcher Adam Pierson to ruthless immortal Methos.
"Mac, if you don't believe him why don't you call Darius to confirm it." I said. "At least that way it'll be less deadly." I couldn't help but mutter as a continuation, which Adam snorted at.
MacLeod took my advice and grabbed the phone off the side and dialled in the number for Darius. The room was silent while MacLeod went paler and paler as I'm guessing Darius confirmed to truth about Adam.
The phone was put back down on the table and Mac looked over at Adam shocked. "Your Methos!"
"Is it me or is there a echo in here?" Adam replied sarcastically.
"Do you believe us now?" I asked trying to keep the annoyance from showing.
He nodded letting us know that he believed us and I continued. "Well, Adam has been part of a group for about ten years now called 'The Watchers'. 'The Watchers' have known about immortals for thousands of years." I looked over at Joe and he followed on from where I started off.
"'The Watchers' watch and record immortal and the game. We are vowed to watch but never interfere. I've been your watcher now MacLeod for eleven years now. I record which immortals you battle." I couldn't help but be slightly surprised at how steady Joe's voice was.
"So you're telling me you are part of a group of peeping toms?" MacLeod asked.
"It's not like that MacLeod." Joe tried to defend the Watchers but know that once he was informed about the Rogue Waters was out in the open his opinion of them would be a lot worse.
"Please can we argue whether the Watchers are peeping toms or not another time?" My hands were shaking now, as I know I had to tell them about my chose. "Can I continue now?" I waited for the room to concentrate on me once again. I opened my mouth so start but no words came out. I had locked my eyes on Tessa and was suddenly hit by the guilt in the chest full force. I quickly diverted my eyes not wanting her to see the pain I held for the choices I was forced to make. I only hoped that she would be able to forgive me for not choosing her.
I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to look at the person trying to offer me support and was surprised to see a kindness in Adam's eyes that I knew meant he had been in the same situation. Shaking myself mentally I turned back and continued. "The choices I was given were four people close to you MacLeod. Darius who is meant to die a few months from now when by a group of Rogue Watchers led my a man called James Horton."
"Horton?" Joe said shocked at the revelation and I realised then that we never discussed the Rogue Watchers in much detail back at Adam's apartment. "James would never do anything like that."
"Joe I'm sorry but he does, he even tries to kill Mac and Fitz when they try and avenge his death. I know it's hard to believe but Horton is part of the Rogue Watchers." I couldn't help but feel sorry for Joe.
"Who else?" Richie spoke up and I could tell from him tone of voice that he suspected something worse was about to be revealed.
I forced back the tears that threatened to fall and continued. "Not long after Darius died you would headed back to live in the states after finding a Watcher Chronicle a Darius church. You follow the leads and meeting Joe. At first your friendship is strained as all you know about the Watchers at that they killed Darius, but you become friends. One night you're out with Richie and Tessa when you remember about a curse a gypsy once put on you. I don't know why but I can only guess you must have felt rebellious or something as you just suddenly asked Tessa to marry you. Of cause she said yes but it also attracted the attention of another Rogue Watcher that kidnapped immortals lovers to lour the immortal into a trap. Tessa was kidnapped and Duncan went after her. He found the Rogue Water and killed him. Richie, who had followed Mac even after been told not to got Tessa out of there before anything else could happen. Mac stayed behind to check through his computer hoping to find something to track down the rest of the Rogue Watchers. Richie and Tessa were almost at the car when a mugger stopped them demanding money. They gave him everything they had but it obviously wasn't enough and he shot them both."
"Died?" MacLeod's voice broke with the pain that he was obviously feeling at the loss of Tessa. He knew that Richie would survive so obviously that didn't bother him that much although it still upset him I could tell.
"Tessa died, Richie Lived." I said trying not to reveal the fact that Richie became immortal.
Mac nodded and looked towards Tessa who was slightly shocked at the revaluation herself. Mac moved over and took a seat next to her pulling her into his arms trying to comfort and reassure her that she was alive.
I gave them a few minutes but knew I had to continue otherwise I was never going to. "It was about a year and a half after that when Kalas came after you for revenge. You died in front of someone who didn't know about your immortality so you fled to Paris where you once again met up with Fitz. As a way to get to you Kalas went through Fitz destroying his chance for happiness with a woman he had come to love. Fitz wanted revenge so when he next saw Kalas he challenged him and lost. It wasn't long after that when Kalas discovered 'The Watchers and with it a way to find the one immortal that if he gained the quickening of would help him beat you. He went after Methos and that's when the two of you met. You became friends; you trusted each other with your lives."
The sorrow was clear to see in Mac's eyes and she hadn't even got to the worse part. How was she meant to tell him that he was responsible for the next death? "Again about a year and a half after that Richie paid you a visit in Paris. He must have stayed for a while as it all started when you were coming back to the barge one night. I think you had been to the theatre or something. An old man stopped you in the middle of the street telling you that you were the campaign against Ahriman and only you could stop him. He unknowingly set things in motion. To say the least you didn't believe the guy but you started investigating anyway even if just for peace of mind. What you found out made you believe. It wasn't long before Ahriman messed with your head making you see things that weren't really there. People who had died appeared before you taunting you. In the end he tricked Richie, making him believe that Horton had kidnapped Joe. Richie called Mac but before Mac could tell Richie that Joe was safe and with him Richie had gone after him. Mac went after him to an old abandoned racetrack. Once there Ahriman messed with his head again making him see Horton, Melvin Korin; who you found out to be called Krones a few months earlier and killed, and Richie. They once again taunted you and attacked you. You fought back but when they disappeared and the real Richie was stood before you, you didn't know. You attacked and kill Richie."
Richie had turned a ghostly shade of white, as he looked at me in absolute shock. I didn't know what to do or say to make him feel better. A voice broke into my thoughts startling me for a second.
"Who did you choose?" It was Tessa who asked and I could see in her eyes she was begging me to say she had picked Richie for both his and MacLeod's sake.
"I had to chose Richie. I'm sorry Tessa but I hade to chose him otherwise it would have destroyed Mac." I couldn't help it any more I let the tears out. My vision blurred and I felt someone pull me into a comforting hug. When the sobs subsided I heard Tessa's voice reassuring me, letting me know that I had made the right chose.
A/N: - Sorry about the delay but I've just starteda new job and I haven't had much chance to get online.