Title: Rhea
Author: Completed Irony
Authors Note: This story was a child of random bits of inspiration and the tireless poking of my beta Divine Seraphim.
Hope you enjoy, and please review.
Rhea Jason stared at the sign proudly proclaiming the name of the bar.
"Joe's." she spoke in a whisper to herself. It was her last lead. If he wasn't here, she could honestly tell herself it was time to give up.
Though she'd been searching for him for almost a year now, a small part of her prayed he would be no where to be found. 'Then I won't have to kill him for what he's done.'
The woman stopped her car and strode out, her long black coat billowing behind her. Though her inner thoughts were in turmoil, she schooled her face to show grim determination, with a hint vengeance. As she reached the front door, she felt a buzz in the back of her neck. 'Two,' her internal alarm screamed. Under a second later, her hand wrapped around the hilt of her sword, giving her a moment of reassurance before she forced herself to remove it and latch onto the door.
The bar was average, neither particularly clean nor dirty. Rhea scanned the faces at the bar looking for the others of her kind. Not seeing any reaction she moved her gaze over the tables. Her gaze found three pairs of eyes, all trained almost accusingly at her.
Rhea gasped. After all she'd done, the months of searching and using every favor she had. She'd found him. Whispering a soundless prayer, she strode confidently towards the men, analyzing them as she moved.
The oldest looking of the three sat somewhat awkwardly in is chair. His gaze, though obviously interest in her, quickly glanced at his companions at seemingly random moments. 'He's looking for a reaction,' she realized with sudden clarity. 'Definitely not the other immortal then.'
She focused on the man sitting besides him. He sat with a posture that almost screamed "Immortal". His rich chocolate brown eyes watching her with an equal mixture or honest curiosity and caution.
She finally turned her scrutiny to the man she'd been actively searching for. It'd been at least two millennia since she'd seen him, give or take a few years. He'd changed a lot. His hair was shorter, his posture less arrogant. He seemed... smaller. She looked closer. He stared at her unblinking, his jaw open in shock. 'Ah, still knows how to make a lady feel welcomed,' she thought sarcastically.
She took a final two steps and arrived at the table.
"Rhea..." her name came off his lips as her inhaled sharply.
She stood there unblinking and stared at him, her face stone-like and unreadable. Nothing moved for what seemed like eternity.
Inside her emotions were raging. Every "what if" question she'd ever pondered about this eventual encounter flew into the forefront of her thoughts.
Finally she broke the heavy silence.
"Have you seen my husband lately?"
He stared at her then blinked twice in quick succession. He opened his mouth to speak then snapped it closed. He just gawked at her. Finally, it seemed like he was ready to speak.
"Rhea." His voice was firm, yet she knew he must still be in shock. His repetition of her name was starting to grade.
"Death." She replied. She heard a sharp his from both of his companions. 'So they know do they? Well, I might as well lighten the mood... for their sakes. "Rhea, my name... Is that all you can say? No, 'hey sis what's up? Or 'How are the kids?' or even better THE ANSWER TO MY QUESTION?" She hadn't planned on getting angry, but him in a state of shock was more infuriating then how she remembered him to be. She stopped talking to catch her breath and calm herself. If things kept going like this, someone would end up challenged.
Finally, one of his companions spoke up.
"Did you just say sister?" There was a good amount of trepidation in his voice.
She turned her head and let her glare rest on him.
"Yes, I did. And you are?" As she spoke, his gaze turned hard.
"Duncan Macleod of the Clan MacLeod." There was a subtle threat in his tone.
"A pleasure," she replied, before turning back to the man she'd spent a whole year looking for, "Now would you mind answering my question."
During her formal introduction with her companion, he'd seemed to snap out of it.
"Rhea, long time no see, please, take a seat." As he spoke he pointed to the empty chair. There was something in his voice that made her nervous. She suddenly felt like a child about to be scolded by its mother, but she complied anyway.
"Hello Methos, now where is my husband?"
"Rhea," he broke off and he seemed to be debating something with himself.
"Yes?"
"Rhea, he's dead." His face showed no emotion, it was cold, hard, and uncaring.
Rhea took a minute to breath, and get her heart back into control.
"Who? Who killed him?" even as she spoke, one thought pounded in her head, over and over. 'He's dead. He's dead.'
Her brother didn't move a muscle, but she caught the glance he sent at his immortal companion. ' Duncan,' he brain supplied. She shot up out of her chair and glared at the man.
"YOU? You killed my husband!" Her words were part shock, part anger.
"I...I-" his denial was cut off by her brother's words.
"Yes, Rhea, he did, he killed you're husband."
She looked at Methos, her brother.
"And you? You didn't stop him?" He just shook his head, and looked at her solemnly.
She turned back to Duncan, the man who'd killed her husband. With the speed of a cobra she bent over and kissed him hard on the lips, then just as quickly sat down and started crying.
The three men looked at her in shock. She lifted her head from her hands to look back at Methos.
"So, did he kill Silas and Caspian then too?"
He just nodded at her mutely. Then he blinked and shook his head.
"I killed Silas."
Her head shot up. Her eyes wide with disbelief.
"You killed Silas. I liked Silas," her words seemed more for herself then for the company. She blinked. "You liked Silas." He words more a statement than a question.
"Who are you?" The words were spoken with obvious hesitation.
She turned her head and fixed her glare at the Scott who'd dared to interrupt her mourning.
"Who am I? Who am I?" her words hard and scornful. She turned towards her brother, her last known tie to the past.
"He wants to know who I am. Why don't you inform him, brother? You know me. Why don't you tell him all about me," she spoke quickly, but softly. Her eyes shone with the tell-tale gleam of insanity. She wiped her tears off her face with her sleeve and continued her overly calm rant. "And, while you're at it, why don't you tell him all about our little family. Silas, Caspian, you- oh yes- and my husband, who he killed." She stared hard at him, daring him to speak. Daring him to explain.
Even as she spoke, Duncan and the other onlooker, the mortal, stared at each other in shock as the pieces fell into place.
Methos looked at her long and hard.
"Rhea-"
"Tell him!" her words once again became sharp.
He sighed and shifted his gaze to his companions.
"This is Rhea, my sister," his voice was low and flat, no enthusiasm whatsoever. Everyone stared silently for a moment waiting for him to continue, before they realized he was done. Then she laughed. A laugh laced with the pain of loss and a tinge of hysteria.
The men stared at her.
"Dear gods, brother. Is that all you can say about me? And here I was thinking you were going to get him," she gestured to the highlander, "To kill me like you did with the rest of our family. Because that's what you did, isn't it? You planned it all out. You always did, always will. You killed them. You killed them all. The last of my family." As she spoke a single tear slipped down her cheek. And then her whole demeanor changed. Her eyes hardened, and her lips thinned. "Well you know what, brother? Here's something you won't expect." She reached into her coat...
There was a synchronized gasp, the men at the table expecting a challenge.
...and pulled out a locket.
There was a single gasp. 'Methos knows. He remembers.' As she set the locket down on the table, there was a small clink.
"This is goodbye, brother. If I see you again, it'll be your head." She turned on her heel and strode out of the bar, not even sparing a glance to the reception of her decree.