Disclaimer: I do not own Highlander Davis/Panzer does, this story is only written for fun and enjoyment not for profit. Rated M for language and mature situations.

I want to thank my Beta reader R.J. Bingham. Please go and read R.J. Bingham's Fan-fictions, they are all well written and very enjoyable.

Chapter 18

Parties and Wedding Gifts

Luke went in super drive to have everything just right for the wedding the next evening. Joe and Gwen were married in a huge white tent on the beach by the Father from the local parish. This was not Gwen's first choice since she was a pagan but Joe wanted a Catholic wedding and she was willing to do whatever made him happy. Gwen thought Father Darius would have been happy if he had lived to see this. The Flowers were perfect the sun was setting as they said their vows and there wasn't a dry eye in the place. Duncan was the best man while Cassandra was the maid of honor. When Gwen tossed her flowers to all the single ladies she threw it over their heads and Duncan caught it much to his surprise. Luke who always seemed to know everything had clued Gwen in to what was going on between Amy and Mac.

Friends from all over the north Island came plus some other Immortal friends beside the ones staying at the house. One huge surprise was that Barney and his 2nd wife Susan came. Gwen hadn't seen him since that night on Weirs Beach; he looked so old now in his mid-fifties. Funny he was about the same age as Joe, but Gwen hadn't known Joe since he was a toddler. Barney had told his wife about Gwen being an immortal, she was nervous but gracious. They showed Joe and Gwen pictures of their three children Luke, Joey and Gwen. Gwen was overwhelmed Barney had named his children after her, Joe, and Luke. They promised to keep in touch but Gwen knew they never would, the past was still too painful. Amanda spent much of her time with the Millers since she was now one of Barney's Vice Presidents, and they did not know she was an immortal.

The catering was perfect too and everyone agreed it was the best immortal wedding everyone had been to in over a 100 years. Everyone was looking for Methos to make an appearance but Mac had told Joe he had taken a 5AM private plane off the Island to parts unknown. Joe was sad to see him go but knew it was for the best since his wife and the old immortal were now not at the moment on the best of terms.

Amy did not attend the wedding but watched it with a large group of other watchers from the next property. Her dad was right the watchers did use events like this to hold their own party. With both MacLeod's present, Cassandra, Amanda, Richie, Luke, Gwen and half a dozen other immortals Amy wasn't familiar with all present that added up to a dozen watchers in one place. Everyone was in a good mood and many brought food, wine, and beer. They all knew there would be no quickening here tonight so they all celebrated along with the wedding guests. It was a good time to get to know the other watchers, she especially wanted to get to know Duncan MacLeod's watcher and Harold "Hank" Henderson was fresh out of the academy but graduated 2nd in his class. He was from America, very intelligent and had a wicked sense of humor and had served two tours of duty with special opts in Iraq before joining the watchers. His father, grandfather, and all the men in his family going back ten generation before him had all been watchers so it was the family business. He seemed serious about the job and Amy thought getting around this man was going to be downright difficult. But no one still knew Amy was the illegitimate daughter of Joe Dawson, and no one knew she was falling in love with the immortal Duncan MacLeod. Both secrets she needed to keep safe if Amy was going to stay Gwen's watcher.

The watchers were also disappointed with the fact Methos was a no show, but they figured he was impossible to track so they would just wait until he showed up either to see Joe or MacLeod at some further point in time, it wasn't worth wasting manpower and money on someone who knew all the watchers techniques and was a master strategist anyway. So Amy Zoll appointed Amy and Hank responsible for making reports of any Methos sightings. Hank seemed quite take with the lovely Amy and suggested they set up a date to exchange information and see how they were going to double as Methos watchers too. She agreed but only to keep her cover up, Hank was very dashing in his own way but her thoughts were with another man.

Meanwhile at the wedding things were winding down by 1AM and everyone still in attendance had retired into the house. Most everyone had left except for the people staying at the house and a few squatters including Victoria the secretary at the travel business, who Gwen was making Luke and John promise they would help out every day she was gone. For their honeymoon they had rented a yacht in Greece to sail the Mediterranean Sea, it came complete with a crew, cook and Captain. Joe said he had some silly Idea about Gwen finding her roots, but in truth he thought sailing on the water was a good way to just be alone and avoid other immortals. The boat was large enough that he doubted he'd get sea sick.

The watchers had arranged for Amy to be a member of the crew but Gwen and Joe had changed those plans and she was to get her own state room. Gwen had paid the rest of the crew for their privacy and discretion so it was going to be the trip of a life time for Amy too. Gwen had a long private talk about Amy and Mac with Joe and told him about what had happened. Luke had told her, somehow Luke seemed to know everything that happened around Gwen's house, a holdover from his old watchers days. Joe wasn't thrilled but he wanted to make his daughter happy so they hatched a scheme how to get Mac aboard the Yacht without his watcher seeing. Mac was surprised when they came to him with the idea. He was slightly embarrassed too but he wasn't going to turn down a chance to spend time with Amy either.

By 2 am everyone had either left or gone to bed but Duncan, Connor, Luke and the bride and groom. Duncan brought the strange wedding gift Methos had left. "Well Joe and Gwen Methos said I should give this to you, it was his wedding present. Are you going to open it or leave us wondering, about it until you get back from your month long honeymoon?"

"Ok we can open it, but it's heavy." Gwen remarked as Joe shook his head at his new wife.

"So are you calling yourself Gwen McDermott or Gwen Dawson now, just so the damn watchers will get it right in the chronicles?" Joe asked his new wife.

"Whatever you want my love, Gwen Dawson will be just fine," and she reached over and gave him a kiss. "Joe help me open this, I think he used more tape than there is tea in China, damn secretive bastard."

"Just pull out that stiletto your hiding, Gwen dear, yea I know it's under the beautiful dress I know you can't even come to your own wedding without at least a couple of knifes under your skirts." Joe laughed.

"I am afraid you know me too well my husband." Gwen said as she pulled out the stiletto and every one had a good chuckle.

In the box was a beautiful embroidered tunic and cloak just Gwen's size, wrapped up in them were three very old knifes and a note with Gwen's name on them. "By the Goddess Ovesevea, I lost these knives eons ago; all are very sentimental to me." Gwen said as she looked at the gift.

Joe asked "so exactly when was the last time you saw these knifes Gwen, my dear, ok you know I will never stop being an old watcher and want to hear all the stories, I won't just write them in any chronicles, just my private journals."

"They were sticking in Kronos's arms and legs pinning him to the ground if I remember right." Gwen smiled with a devilish grin. "I should have retrieved then back then but, Methos just wanted to take me out of the horsemen camp ASAP and so he stabbed me tossed me on his horse and off we went, before I could explain. So I decide since he was going to be so rude as to kill me to get me away when I wasn't in any real danger, I'd keep him in the dark about what really happened. It was dumb, stupid, and an emotional thing to do, we all know that now."

Duncan recognized the Brass knife that the horsemen had used to take Cassandra with was among the three.

Joe asked. "Are you going to read the note or keep us in suspense all night?"

Gwen opened it gingerly, it read "Dearest Gwennie, I wish you and Joe many long and happy years together, tell him the better man won. I found your Knifes when the horsemen reunited, Kronos still kept then, as for why; I leave that up to you to decide. Try to not lose this tunic and cloak, as you did so many others back in the days you were my student. I give it to you as a remembrance of better times we shared and hope you can make new and happy memories with them, as you and Joe live together many blissful years. Methos."

Gwen gave her husband a hug and a kiss after reading Methos's note and wiped a tear from her eye. She could never stay angry at Methos for long, they had too much of a history, and she thought to herself the fact he said Joe was the better man must have killed him to put in writing. Yes she loved Joe but Gwen had chosen him above Methos because Joe was mortal, and their time was limited. Plus Joe was the only man to say no to her and then hang around for the next six years building a relationship without sex involved in it. But this note of Methos had touched her heart and for the first time since that day at the Seacouver airport Gwen began to think perhaps just maybe someday Methos would be part of her life again. Then she looked at Joe and pushed all this out of her thoughts, right now it was Joe she was married to and right now he was her only priority.

There was a layer of tissue paper covering another layer of something, and a card taped to the top of the tissue paper just saying Joe on it. Joe reached in and took the card; he uncovered the tissue paper, to see volumes of leather bound books. Joe picked up one it had the date 1985 on the cover; he leafed through the book to see it was a hand written journal, Methos's journal from the year they had met. Gwen stood next to him and verified the hand witting she knew so well.

"Joe, it looks like Methos has given you some of his journals, now that's strange, what does the card say?" Gwen asked with anticipation.

Joe scratched his head, and looked at a few other dates on the journals, some were modern, the year he met Duncan MacLeod, one just said "1996 the horsemen return." some were new journals that must have been recently rewritten but had very old dates but were in modern English. Gwen saw one that made her eyes pop out dated 2053 BC.

Joe could see her try to reach for it and took it first saying. "Gwen dear he gave these to me not you, lets at least read his card first before we get crazy. I guess this Journal is about you my dear wife." Joe said holding it fast in his hands.

"Ok Joe read his card, but why is he always such a damn sneaky son of a bitch, just when Methos was sounding so sweet and noble he pulls this crap!" anyone could see Gwen was pissed about the journal dated 2053 BC, and every one present knew it had to reveal things about Gwen she might not want known.

Joe handed the Journal to Luke, who held on to it like it was made of gold, then after taking a few steps away from his wife, Joe opened the card.

It read: "Dear Joe, Congratulations on your wedding, I concede the best man has won Gwennie's heart. After years of not being involved with mortals I stepped out of the shadows and befriend two mortal men, you and Don. Don guessed my secrets so quickly it made me wince. To say Don was an amazing man would have been an understatement, and I never thought I would find a friend anywhere near his caliber again. That was until I met you Joe. Throughout my 5000 years there have been few mortal men I have trusted and respected as much as you. Many still think of me as a man capable of doing much evil, or the perpetual schemer, or master manipulator or at the very least the infinite, never-ending, survivor. I leave you some of my Journals, read them then you can see if you agree with this view of me. Or don't read them, but please do not turn them over to the watchers they are written for your eyes alone. At some point in the future I will come back to collect them since some are the original copies. They are not like watcher journals, filled with quickening's, meeting times and dates, but instead they are my personal reflections and thoughts on events that were happening at the time they were written. I appoint you Joe Dawson to be my sole judge and jury since I believe you above all mortal men I have met have the experience, the honesty and the heart to judge me. I know the watcher in you will enjoy reading these. I wish that you may have many years of happiness in the life you have chosen. Forever, Adam /Methos."

Then there was a 2nd note enclosed that said "Joe for yours eyes only." Joe quickly put the note in his pants pocket, hoping Gwen didn't see him. "Well what do you think about that? He wants me to read his journal and decide wither he's a bad guy or not, that's quite a job for an old retired burnt out watcher like me. What do you think Mac?" Then he looked at Connor and Duncan MacLeod, "I mean the younger Mac. Gee sorry guys but its Damn difficult to talk to either of you two with both of you in the room, Oh forget it tomorrow I'm leaving for my month long honeymoon, and you Connor are not invited, but you're welcome to stay here for as long as you like, and if you stayed a while it would give Luke a break from keeping an eye on the place. Duncan I guess I'll be seeing you on the yacht. Funny how fast I am becoming adjusted to this life style, it almost scares me." Joe shook his head at the silence greeting him. "Mac what do you think about the letter Methos wrote me, and Mac Damn it Stop thinking about my daughter when I am around the whole thing is completely uncomfortable for me."

"Well Joe I would like a look at a few of those myself, you know Methos, the one thing we all know about him is we never know what he is going to do next, well this is a total surprise, I would ask your wife she knows him a hell of a lot better than anyone else alive." Duncan explained.

"Ok Gwen what is your opinion?"

"Joe I want the one Luke has in his hands." she repeated.

"Besides that." Joe smiled.

"Methos is offering you an olive branch, he's offering you a look into his psyche, his motivation, he is honestly asking you to look at why he did certain actions and see if you approve or disapprove of his reasons. It's a rare offer Joe I really don't think he let many men read any of his journals before. There might have been a couple of other men through the years he has offered what he has to you but you're in an elite club. I never read his journals, except a few I borrowed without him knowing about it."

"So Gwen what you're saying is your as sneaky as Methos is." Luke teased his teacher. "Hey I get a month off!"

"Not really I think I am taking up Joe's offer and staying here so with Gwen's approval I'll take over your lessons." Smiled Connor.

"Great, at least no magic tossed at me but just a huge Highlander, sounds like fun, I suppose you want me to continue to do all the cooking too?" Luke lamented.

"That would be nice of you to give my wife a break, so when I am not telling you to go to work at the travel agency, overseeing your dojo workouts, or practice your swordsmanship on the roof, I can spend the rest of the time sight-seeing with Mary and our daughter." Connor said as he laughed that dead pan laugh everyone who was gathered knew so well.

"Luke can you help me lock these journals up in the safe in my office," then turning to his wife Joe said "Gwen it's not like I will keep anything from you, but please just let me do as Methos wishes and read these journals first. It's not like I am reading your personal journals or I hope you plan on reading mine. We haven't been married for even one day yet let's not have our first fight before our wedding night."

"Damn it Methos, you're not here yet your still here." Then Gwen cursed in a tongue that only Connor recognized, and he smirked.

"Joe take it from me now that you're living with Gwen you will be learning a whole new vocabulary of curse words in dead tongues that you can say anywhere and no one will have a clue that you are really swearing!" Connor laughed.

"Would you stop reminding my husband that we used to be a couple! Besides that was over fifteen years ago, and I doubt Mary likes it either. But Connor you're probably right, sorry Joe I promise it's just sometimes Methos can touch my heart and have me thinking he's so sweet and then he changes in an instant and makes me so angry. How about I just let you do what you want with the journals as long as you keep them away from me so I can forget all about Methos and concentrate on you, my husband, deal Joe?" Gwen said. As she gave Joe that certain look with her big brown eyes.

"Deal." Joe said as he gave his bride a deep kiss. "Luke help me please lock up the journals then I can pick a few that have nothing to do with my wife to take on the yacht. So Gwen my love I will meet you in our room and to the rest of you I say good night all, it's late but I still have a wedding night ahead of me. Luke make sure we are up in time for our flight."

"It's my personal airplane and pilot Joe and I can be a little late," Gwen gave Joe a playful smile then turning to Duncan said. "Are we giving you a lift to Greece? After that dumping your watcher and getting on the Yacht are your problem."

Thanks Gwen that would be great it's kind of difficult getting the Katana through as a carry on flights these days." Duncan chuckled.

The group bid good night to the bride as she walked to the master bedroom suit while Luke and Joe went to lock up the journals, then after putting them away in the safe Joe dismissed Luke so he could lock up the house and the Clan MacLeod men got on the elevator to go down stairs.

After Luke had left the room Joe opened the 2nd envelope, it said;

"Dear Joe, watch over Gwennie for me, I know you can get her to stop her headhunting ways. Even the best fighter can have an off day, a proverbial slip on the ice, and neither one of us wants to lose her. I was wrong, you were right. Joe you were right from the very beginning, I have always loved her, and she just crushed my heart so many times. I did not want to admit the truth to myself, or open myself for another round of pain. But always remember none of this was her fault. Gwennie was still like child holding on to a dream that was smashed thousands of years ago when Kronos shattered her world and she had no comprehension of what the word love meant. When he destroyed her life taking away everything from her including her dignity, her sense of self respect, self-love and left her with nothing except her will to survive. You were right Joe, only with your patience, with you forever saying no to her, your special brand of acceptance you have taught her how to love again and maybe after 4000 year you can heal her broken heart. Joe you are the only man for the Job, please realize I have been and always will be your friend. I left my Journals so you could keep my word with you. I know you have already judged me, and I am still your friend. When you are but dust in the earth I will always remember you with a happy heart. Do not see me as the good guy here; I give her to you on loan only to keep as long as you live. But there may be a day if you love her enough and do the job I trust you can do that I may have my Gwennie back. So you are right I always have a plan in the works, for Joe I have always loved you both. My only flaw in the plan is that you are not immortal, because wouldn't it have been fun to see what happened in 100 years from now and see which of us would win her in the end. Joe, you're the man who taught Gwennie to love again, whilst I am the man that has loved her for over 4000 years? How grand would it be if we had that twist in fate, but alas you are mortal and I will always regret we could not go on forever. Goodbye Joe, your friend Adam/Methos."

Joe folded up the letter, and then Joe put the letter in his safe with the journals.

"Damn you Methos always telling me both sides of things, I knew I was right too, I knew you loved her as much as I do. But then you try not to sound honorable and say me winning Gwen was just another plan of yours when you know it was the best for everyone. Damn you Methos I love you too, you never had to run away. I guess you left part of yourself here for me, your journals to read. The part about judging you that was a bunch of Bull Shit for the peanut gallery who I read the other latter to. You just knew I would miss my old friend. I miss you too so you left me your word to keep me company until you decide to come back. They're not as good as having you around but your words will have to do. Methos you knew I needed you in my life so you left me theses journal so I could have a piece of you still here." While wiping tears from his eyes Joe tried to put Methos out of his mind, he had just gotten married for the first time in his life and he had a wedding night ahead of him and he wasn't going to let Methos spoil it for him he thought as he walked to his bedroom.

Connor and Duncan took the elevator down stairs and Connor looked at his kinsman and said. "Duncan it is true you're still getting the best women, but did she have to be Joe's daughter? He is the best mortal friend you have, its pushing the lines even for you my friend."

"Connor it's not like I planned this, it just happened, and I'm not sure where it's going, I just have to see if it's what Amy wants, it's not like she doesn't know what she's getting into." Then Duncan whipped his hand through his hair and took a deep breath, "I wasn't even looking, I had given up looking and was satisfied just to be with Amanda or Cassandra, a mortal woman wasn't in my plans, not after what happened to Tessa and ?"

"Duncan when are you going to stop living in the past, didn't we have this same argument in 1993, when I came to visit you and met Tessa for the first time? I am glad you're falling in love again, you've been sad too long, just be careful. Yea I know some gypsy said you would never marry, but we both know gypsies were full of shit back then, and you are still hanging on to the past."

"Connor I just don't want to hurt her."

"Well it's too late for that my friend, if what Luke says is true she's already fallen pretty hard for the great Duncan MacLeod and besides you have to deal with being part of a real family this time, Joe's her father. Thank God Gwen is on your side, you're going to need a voice in the Dawson camp and Gwen's not going to vote you off the island." Connor chuckled, "Duncan just promise me, if you both love each other you'll marry her. Damn the consequences, forget the game, it's what Gwen and I have both done, and whatever happens I know that for as long as it lasts. I can always say I had found true contentment. Anyway who wants to live forever?" Connor smiled.

"Well Connor I never planned on living forever, it just seem like I will." Duncan smiled back.

"What you've been doing Duncan is not what I would call living. Hey think about it, you'll be sleeping on the sofa since Amanda and Cassandra have your room now by the way."

"Its not the first time i slept on the sofa Connor, besides I be in Greece tomarrow and not sleeping on any sofa."

"Hey you are still having all the fun and most of the good women, but Ducan think about what i said?"

"Yes Connor I will" the younger Highlander smiled.

"Have fun on the honeymoon cruise, keep in touch Duncan." The two men embraced and went to bed and the only sounds anyone could hear was sound of the ocean.

End chapter 18

finaly the ending

The Epilogue - The world is full of Second Chances