Disclaimer: If I promise to keep it on the DL, can I have Methos?

Ch. 3:

Methos strode into Kronos' lab to find Silas feeding the monkeys through the bars, clucking and chuckling to the happily.

"Methos!" he said, obviously happy to see the other Immortal. "You look troubled."

"Just thinking." Methos told him, smiling slightly.

"Ah, you were always good at that, eh?" Silas said. "I bet after all these years, you still are."

"Me, too." Methos said.

"It's not like the old days, is it?" Silas asked.

"What do you mean?" Methos replied.

"I don't like this killing from a distance." Silas told him. "I like to feel my axe in my hands, look into my enemies' eyes before I strike."

"Soon enough." Methos told him.

"You don't think the virus will work?" he asked, surprised but still smiling.

"It will work." Methos said, resigned. "Silas, for 2,000 years, we have lived without this. We have lived without the blood, the fear, the power."

"And for 2,000 years, I have dreamed of the day when we would ride again!" Silas replied, smiling brightly. "Like you always said, Methos: we live, we grow stronger. And then we fight."

Methos just stared at him for a moment before turning away.

"I'll see you later." He told the big man.

"Do you think he'll let me have one?" Silas called.

Methos stopped and turned back to look at him.

"What?" Methos asked, confused.

"A monkey!" Silas replied. "I like this one."

He chuckled at the monkey in the cage in front of him, and Methos watched him with genuine fondness.

"I'll ask him." He promised.

"Thank you, brother." Silas said, pure happiness in his voice.

Methos turned and walked away, leaving Silas with his monkey.

Sekhmet was laying on one of the beds in the room, softly singing to herself.

"Come ready and see me, no matter how late.
Come before the years run out
I'm waiting with a candle no wind will blow out
But you must haste on foot or by sky
For no one can wait forever under the bluest sky
I can't wait forever
For the years are running out."

The words faded away, but she continued to hum. A little ways away, Duncan was sitting in a chair, lost in thought. Cassandra came out of the bathroom, having just gotten out of the shower.

"Okay, will you humor me for just a moment?" she asked.

"Is what you're about to ask going to damage my calm?" Sekhmet asked, sitting up slightly to look at her. "Because I've spent the last hour trying very hard to cultivate it, and I would hate for all my hard work to go to waste."

"What happens if he isn't trying to help us and it is a trap?" Cassandra asked.

"He is and it isn't." Sekhmet said, laying back down and closing her eyes.

"Just humor me." Cassandra told her. "Can you do it? Can you kill him?"

Sekhmet opened her eyes and looked at the other woman. Cassandra actually shivered at the coldness in the Ancient's eyes.

"Yes." Sekhmet answered. "And if it comes to that, you shouldn't be worrying about whether or not I can kill Methos. You should be worrying about whether or not Duncan can take me. And to answer the earlier question, yes this was damaging to my calm, so thanks for that."

The phone rang and Duncan quickly answered it.

"Elysium church, thirty minutes." He heard Methos say. "Come alone."

Methos hung up.

"I'll be right down." Duncan said into the dead phone before hanging up.

"Was that him?" Cassandra asked.

"No, something wrong with my credit card." Duncan replied. "I'll be right back."

"I'll come with you." Sekhmet said, bounding out of bed. "If your card won't work, we'll use Methos'. I figure if he's going to drag us all over creation, the least he can do is pay for it."

She grabbed her coat and walked out the door before Duncan could stop her. Sighing, he followed her out, leaving Cassandra alone.

Down the hall, Sekhmet was waiting for him.

"Where is he?" she demanded.

Sekhmet and Duncan entered the church to find Methos sitting near the front, his head bowed and his hands clasped between his knees. He raised his head slowly and sighed when he spotted Sekhmet.

"I guess it was too much to hope that you could actually follow instructions." He said sarcastically.

"Show me." She ordered him.

He held up his arm and she could see her ankh hanging from his wrist.

"Oh thank god." She whispered.

She broke into a run and threw herself into his arms as he stood up. She wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly, as he buried his face in her neck.

"I was so scared." She whispered in Egyptian. "If anything happens to you…"

Methos pulled away and took her face between his hands, kissing her gently. When he pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers.

"I was losing it." She whispered. "I don't think I can do this."

"Just a little while longer." He assured her.

"Will you just tell me what you're planning?" she asked.

He just kissed her forehead and sighed.

"Thanks for coming." He called to Duncan, switching back to English.

He sighed and pulled away from Sekhmet slightly. She protested and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, allowing her to wrap her arms around his waist and rest her cheek against his chest as he turned to face Duncan.

"Why did you lie to me?" Duncan demanded.

"About what?" Methos asked.

"About Cassandra." Duncan shot back. "About who you were."

"I have been many things, MacLeod." Methos replied.

"And who are you now?" Duncan asked.

Methos glanced down at Sekhmet and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Then he looked back up at Duncan, smiling slightly.

"Why'd you think I didn't tell you?" he asked. "I knew how you'd react. I'm not like Sekhmet. I don't have clearly still present mental illness to fall back on."

Sekhmet glared up at him and hit him in the stomach before wrapping her arms around him again.

"What I've done, you can't forgive." Methos said, returning his attention to Duncan. "That's not in your nature. Will you accept it?"

"Accept what?" Duncan shouted, raising his voice for the first time. "That a friend I trusted with my life slaughtered innocent people? For what, a few head of cattle? You're right, you don't have the same excuse as Sekhmet. She was sick and I've watched her fight against that part of herself for over a century. But you? What are you going to tell me, Methos? That's how the world was?"

"No, the world was how we made it." Methos interrupted.

"No, the world was how you chose to make it." Duncan shot back.

Methos wrapped his other arm around Sekhmet, holding her tightly, his eyes closed.

"How you chose to slaughter her people and…burn her village." Duncan continued.

"And I chose to take her prisoner." Methos said softly, still not looking at him.

"And…?" Duncan prompted.

"There's more." Methos told him.

The Horsemen rode back into their camp, driving several women in front of them like cattle.

"Another day well spent, Methos." Kronos called.

The Immortal didn't answer. He glanced across the camp and saw Cassandra walking, carrying a cup. She was much more well kempt now, in a clean robe and a torque around her neck.

"Let's celebrate." Kronos said, trying to capture Methos' attention. "Divide our bounty."

"You can have my share." Methos told him. "I'm tired."

He led his horse past as Kronos stared at him.

Inside his tent, Cassandra was waiting for him, smiling, with a cup in hand for him. He walked past her, taking the cup without a word and she followed him. She picked up a bowl and cloth and carried it to him. She set them down and kneeled next to him as he sat down.

"It's good." He told her, motioning to the drink as he set it aside.

"I cooled it in the river for you." She replied.

She dipped the cloth in the water and began to wash his hands.

"You rode far today." She observed.

"Yes." He agreed, looking at his hands.

She reached up and began washing his face, but her hands soon stilled as his eyes met hers. As she lowered her hands, he reached out to brush her hair back, cupping her cheek. Her eyes closed briefly, but snapped open when they heard Kronos enter the tent.

"My compliments, brother." He said. "You taught her well in everything, I see." He leaned down and snatched up a piece of fruit. "And it seems she keeps the best fruit for you."

"It's no different from the rest." Methos said warily.

"Maybe it just tastes better in here." Kronos said. "Made quite a prize of her, haven't you?"

"She's no different from the others." Methos said.

"Except you seem to prefer her to all others." Kronos pointed out. "Why is that? Have you grown attached?"

"No." Methos said, standing and facing him.

"Good." Kronos said, smiling. "I didn't think you'd make a mistake like that, brother. Because now it's time to share the spoils of war."

Methos' jaw tightened as he looked down as Cassandra, then back at Kronos. He walked away and Cassandra stared at him, her jaw dropping.

"No!" she cried, struggling as Kronos pulled her up.

"Ah, you've left some spirit in her, I see, brother!" Kronos exclaimed. "I like that! After I finish, maybe I'll let Caspian have her!"

"No!" Cassandra cried as he dragged her out of the tent. "Methos, please!"

Methos simply squeezed a piece of fruit between his hands as he listened to her cries get farther away.

…

"No, I'd rather die!" Cassandra spat.

It was night now, and Kronos had her on her back in his tent. He grabbed her by the wrists and dragged her up.

"No!" she cried. "Please, no more! No more! Please don't hurt me!"

He let her go and she hesitantly put her hands on his chest. She slowly knelt in front of him, dragging her nails down him as she went and he groaned.

"Maybe I won't give you to Caspian after all." He said as she kissed his hand.

She reached down and grabbed a dagger, slamming it into his stomach.

As he fell to the ground, she quickly got up and ran away.

…

Methos heard Kronos scream and quickly moved to the opening of his tent.

"I could've stopped her, but I didn't."

Methos watched as Cassandra ran across the dessert and into the night.

"She escaped across the wilderness." Methos told them as they walked in the graveyard.

He had his hand wrapped in Sekhmet's tightly, and she was leaning her head on his arm, silently giving him strength.

"She must have died a dozen times from heat and thirst before she found a village that would take her in." he continued. "And I bet it was worth it, just to get away from us."

He looked down at Sekhmet and sighed.

"I know it hurts you to hear this." He told her in Egyptian.

"It doesn't matter." She told him in English so Duncan could understand her. "That part of you isn't who you are any more. The man I love is the one who's standing right here. My Methos."

"You always did think more of me than I deserved." He sighed, resting his cheek against her head. "I love you, too."

"So what are you doing with Kronos now?" Duncan asked.

"Same as always, trying to survive." Methos replied. "And if you want Cassandra to live, you'll get her as far away from here as you can. Sekhmet too."

"What?" Sekhmet cried.

"What, and let Kronos go?" Duncan said at the same time.

"To hell with Kronos." Sekhmet said, pulling away from him. "You're not sending me away. Not again."

"I can't keep you safe!" Methos told her. "Not from them."

"I don't need you to keep me safe." She told him. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"That's what I'm afraid of." He told her. "And you, MacLeod, you don't have a choice! You can't stop him. I can't stop him! Nobody can!"

"Yeah, four guys on horseback are gonna rule the world." Duncan said, disbelieving.

"The world doesn't change." Methos said. "Not in 500 years, not in 5,000. It's only the details that change. Kronos didn't torch those villages for a few coins, he torched them to watch them burn. And now he'll have a nuclear bomb or a planeload of Napalm, but the effect will be the same. The world living in fear of the Horsemen."

"And you expect me to let that happen?" Duncan demanded. "You should know me better than that!"

He started to walk past them, but Methos stopped him.

"I came to warn you." He told him. "The first step towards Kronos' brave new world will happen tonight."

"Where, when?" Duncan demanded.

"In a fountain at La Place des Quinconces." Methos replied.

"You set a bomb?" Duncan asked in disgust.

He strode past Methos and Sekhmet.

"Do you know anything about Ebola, MacLeod?" Methos called.

Duncan stopped and turned to look at him.

"Well, there are worse things in the world." Methos told him. "If you look. And Kronos looked. He's breed a virus. No cure. It's very exotic. He's got cages of monkeys he's been testing it on. He's got enough to destroy half of Europe! Now, a little bit in a fountain will only kill a few, but it's a start."

"The water supply's next." Sekhmet said softly.

"Good girl." Methos said just as softly.

"Let's go." Duncan said, jerking his head briskly.

"Oh, no, no." Methos said, shaking his head. "If I go up against him, I lose."

"Going with the winner?" Duncan asked, staring at him.

Methos smiled smugly.

"So why are you here, Methos?" Duncan demanded. "What game are you playing?"

"It's in the bottom fountain just above the water line." Methos told him, ignoring the questions. "White, then black, then red."

Sekhmet snorted.

"What?" the men asked.

"Nothing." She said. "It's just…you designed the bomb didn't you?"

"How did you know that?" Methos asked, confused.

"You used my favorite colors, in order, as your failsafe." She told him.

Methos stared at her, dumbfounded. Finally, he shook his head and looked back at Duncan.

"Don't do this." The other Immortal pleaded. "You have a choice."

"And you have…" he said, checking his watch. "Twenty-four minutes."

Duncan looked at Sekhmet.

"You don't need me for this." She told him. "I'll catch up."

He hesitated for a second, but then took off.

Methos sighed and looked at Sekhmet.

"You need to go." He told her, reverting back to Egyptian. "The key to the Paris apartment is above the door. I left all our things there. Everything you need to go on the run. Go to Egypt. I don't care if you have to barricade yourself inside, just keep yourself safe. I'll do my best to keep them from finding you."

"No, Methos." She replied. "I'm not going to run away and leave you here to die, or worse be trapped with Kronos for the rest of time. I won't!"

"Please." He begged, grabbing her arms and holding her tightly. "I can't do this if I worried about you! If Kronos finds out about you, he'll do to you what he did to Cassandra. I can't…I won't watch that happen."

"I'm not Cassandra." She told him fiercely. "Kronos doesn't scare me."

"He should!" Methos told her. "He scares me! Please, Sekhmet."

"No." she told him. "Together, you four have a higher body count than me. Individually, I'm a bigger badass than any of you."

Methos chuckled without any real humor. Sekhmet sighed and reached up to touch his cheek.

"Caspian and Silas won't touch me if they think they'd have to fight you." She told him. "That just leaves Kronos, and I'll just have to make it not worth his while."

"Sekhmet." Methos begged.

She sighed and let her hand drop.

"It's that important to you?" she asked softly.

"Yes." He replied. "God, yes."

She swallowed and nodded.

"I'll go to Egypt via Paris." She told him. "If you want, I'll even take Cassandra with me. Though I'm going to have to keep killing her all the way to Egypt just to get her there. And keeping her there isn't going to be fun."

"Thank you." He whispered.

"Just…" she said softly. "Promise me you'll keep trying to come back to me."

"I swear." He told her. "I will keep trying for the rest of time."

She reached up and kissed him hard, and he could taste her tears.

"I love you." She said, pulling away. "I love you, so much."

"I love you, too." He told her.

He kissed her again before pushing her away slightly.

"Go." He told her.

She nodded and turned, running off into the night.

"Stay safe." He whispered after her.

In the hotel, Cassandra felt the approach of another Immortal and got up to go to the door.

"What the hell took you so long?" she demanded, opening the door, only to find Kronos, Silas, and Caspian.

"I'm afraid Duncan is otherwise engaged." Kronos said, smiling as he stepped in. "Am I wrong? Don't I owe you something? Too bad you didn't know you had to take my head to kill me."

"I'll take it now!" she shouted, lunging for her sword.

Caspian quickly jumped on it, knocking her hand away.

"I've waited a long time to give this back to you." Kronos said, pulling out the dagger she had used to stab him.

Cassandra quickly backed away in fear.

Sekhmet watched from the shadows as the three Immortals carried Cassandra's body out. Knowing there was nothing she could do just then, she followed them.

"Sorry, Methos." She whispered. "You're not the only one who can keep a secret."

"Get out of here!" Duncan yelled as he ran towards the fountain. "There's a bomb!"

He quickly jumped in the fountain, looking for Methos' device. He found it in a crevice of the statue and pulled it out. He pulled a set of pliers from his pocket and struggled to remember the combination Methos had given him.

White…then black…then red…

He quickly cut the wires in that order and the device powered down.

At that moment, the fountain sprang to life.

A/N: Okay, so what did you guys think? Let me know.

Abbey