"ROMONA!" Saxton all but screamed as she entered the living room and rushed over to the immortal, which had stood up from the sofa once she felt the presence of several immortals, and gathered her into a hug. Samantha joined the hug moments later as Ben was shaking his head with a smile on his face. Conner smiled, as it had been a long time since he had last seen his student.
"Oh God, Romona we thought you were dead." Samantha finally said as tears of happiness starting their journey down all of the three female immortal's faces.
"Why? I've stayed in the same flat for sixteen years. Even when I've known that I should have moved on, I stayed just in case you came looking for me. It wasn't till a woman, well I think it was a woman, showed up at the flat and planted an impulse to come to Seacouver that I realised what was going on."
"You saw Hestia?" Saxton asked shocked.
"Well not seen her, but I sensed her presence. Then, when I got the sudden urge to come to Seacouver, I knew she was influencing my actions. Normally I wouldn't have come, but I got a feeling deep down that it could lead to finding you and it did."
Ben was thinking about the only reason why Hestia was bringing them all together, took Saxton into his arms and hugged her close. "Well if Hestia's pulling us all together, then that means the battle is about to come to a head."
"What battle?" Romona asked confused.
"The battle between good and evil." Ben started. "Hestia told us before Mac died that there was going to be this all mighty battle between good and evil and we as a group were here to battle for the side of good."
"So this Hestia is supposed to be all good?" Romona asked sceptical.
Ben looked at her puzzled noticing the sceptical tone of voice. "Guess so! Why?"
"Because she's full of crap. There is no pure goodness. Nothing can be all good, it's not possible and same as there can be no pure evil." Romona was surprised to see puzzled looks on everyone's faces including David's who had entered the room mid conversation, holding a tray full of cups containing what she thought might be coffee.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean things aren't as plain black and white. Everything and everyone has parts of good and evil in them. This Hestia person cannot be pure good as there's no such thing, same with the fact that there can't be something that's pure evil. For example, Saxton when you found out about Mac's death, you were devastated you were unable to tell him about your forgiveness and that of Richie's, because of that fact you went on a quest for revenge. Something you knew you shouldn't have done, as you knew it couldn't bring Mac back but at the same time you needed it to end. What you thought you were doing for a good cause was actually done by bad means." Romona didn't notice the sudden looks that passed between David, Saxton and Ben, but she did notice David pale slightly, but didn't think anything of it, assuming it was just that the sixteen year old boy didn't want to discuss death and revenge.
Before Romona could continue with her speech David interrupted her. "You were going to kill Conner because of what he did to Duncan? What… What stopped you?" David asked taking a seat on the sofa as his feet suddenly felt like jelly.
"David, this is not the way I wanted to discuss this with you. I'm sorry I should have told you sooner but it never seemed the right time."
"You didn't have to talk to me about it. He understood. Hestia told him the truth, told me the truth over and over again until she believed that I believed it. But she didn't have to. I knew that Richie had forgiven me a long time ago. I knew that you were just having a hard time with what was happening with Richie's memories and that given time you would come to realise it as well."
"Ok, will someone please explain what's going on?" Romona asked in confusion.
"Rommy, you know about how Sax turned out to be the reincarnated form of Richie Ryan?" Samantha went into explain mode, letting the Parmer's think things through.
"Yeah!"
"Well, you see when Duncan died the same way as Richie; Hestia reincarnated his soul into David. That's the reason why Sax didn't take Conner's head. Hestia showed up and told them that Duncan's soul was out there just like Sax held Richie's. It took them a year to finally find him and once they did, they adopted him."
"So what you're basically telling me is that we have Conner, you, me, Ben, Richie and Duncan all present in the room?"
"In the sense of their souls are all present, then yes."
"GOD! Have I just walked into the twilight light zone or something?" Romona pursed trying to get all the new information settled but she knew there was only one way to truly get some answers. "Ok, Hestia I know you're here. Show yourself now!" Romona tried to control her temper, as she looked towards a corner of the living room where no one was standing, or so it seemed.
Suddenly Hestia appeared with a soothing smile on her face. "Romona, it is good to finally see that you have joined the group."
"Don't you mean it's good that your plans are working out?"
"I do not understand what you mean, Romona!"
"Yeah, ok I'll believe you, NOT! You know what I mean. You made it appear that I was no longer living at that flat when Sam came looking for me. David mentioned earlier that Sax had left messages for me. Messages that I never received. You know full well what I'm talking about. You know that I would be the one to talk reason here and not believe someone that's made themselves out to be a Goddess. You know that there would be no chance that I would allow you to manipulate my friends in this way."
"You are indeed more perceptive then I first anticipated. I would never have thought that you would be able to sense my presence for one thing. But it is too late for you to protest, as the force I have been anxious for you to meet, will be along shortly."
"What if we choose not to fight?" Ben asked as he released hold on Saxton and came to stand beside Romona.
"Then you will loose more then you ever thought possible Methos. You, who have lived so long, should know that I do what has to be done. You and your brothers from three thousand years ago are proof of that fact."
"What do you mean?"
"What I mean is, didn't you find it odd one day waking up with your brothers and just deciding to go slaughter a few villages?" The smile never left Hestia's face as she showed a slightly darker part of herself. "Didn't it seem odd that you never had a thirst for blood until that day and then it almost drowns you? That time, evil needed an extra edge on the scale and I asked your brothers for help. When they agreed like I knew they would, I just simply dulled their guilt for what they did. Unfortunately you, Methos, were a slight problem. I know you wouldn't agree to anything that would involve killing innocents, so I just planted suggestion after suggestion and you never worked it out. It all turned wrong though, when you captured the immortal known as Cassandra. I did not anticipate for you to fall in love and that was my downfall. When Kronos demanded you shared, I tried to change his mind, as I knew it would be the beginning of the end for the horsemen and it was. This time I have planned everything down to the tiniest detail; there is nothing you can do anymore other then to confront the one that is coming."
Ben had turned red with anger and his fist continually tightened during the time that Hestia was talking. How could someone be so evil? "You did that?" He hissed. "I was going through living hell for a couple of millennia and you were responsible for it all? I thought, I finally found someone to live through the centuries with me and YOU destroyed that chance?" Ben by now was standing almost only an inch in front of Hestia; the anger burning in his eyes was almost as strong as it was back in the days he rode with the horsemen.
"I did what had to be done for balance."
That was it. Ben couldn't take anymore and grabbed Hestia by the throat and pushed her back against the wall. Her face loosing the calming effect as it turned to an evil scrawl. "If you think you can stop me by damaging this form, you are mistaken."
"You stop all this crap NOW! Stop whatever or whoever is on its way here before anything happens or so help me, I will tip the scales and it won't be for the side of good. You've seen what I'm capable of, so you know I'm not kidding."
"Like I said before, what you did when you were part of the horsemen, you didn't do of your own free will. You are not evil! You aren't capable of doing evil!"
"One thing you should know about me though is that I will do anything to survive. I will also do anything that helps the people I care about to survive; as you should know that if you are as observant as you claim to be. I risked losing my life freeing myself from the horsemen after Cassandra escaped and I risked exposing myself as Methos for Alexa." Ben scrawled at her once again and then continued in a voice that clearly showed everyone in the room he wasn't kidding. "I will risk everything and I mean EVERYTHING for Saxton and David!"
"Even if that means them leaving you, because of what you do?!"
"If they're safe, then yes! I would rather have them safe and hating me, then them dead."
"I do not believe that you would do anything to cause Saxton and David to leave you so the plan continues."
"I won't leave him in fact I'll help him!" Saxton spoke up moving to stand by her husband.
"You can count me in too!" David moved forward and stood on the other side of Ben.
Conner, Samantha and Romona quickly followed the lead of Saxton and David, vowing to do evil if the plans Hestia had set out for them was to continue.
"I do not believe that any of you would truly do that, which is why I picked you to battle on the side of good."
"Then as I said before you are truly mistaken." With that Ben made a quick movement and snapped Hestia's neck and released his hold on her and she dropped lifelessly to the ground.
"What do we do now?" Saxton voiced the question that was on all of their lips.
Ben wanted to know everyone opinion before stating his next plan. "Did you mean what you said?" He asked not turning around. "Do you really mean that you're willing to do whatever it takes?"
"Whatever it takes!" Saxton, Conner, Samantha, Romona and David said in unison.
Ben's face turned serious as he turned and looked at his gathered friends, hoping beyond anything that they were truly willing to accept what they had to do. "Then I think it's about time we start planning our next move."