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Ch. 4:

Sekhmet tracked Kronos and the others back to their lair before heading back to the hotel. As she left, she saw Methos arriving.

When she reached the hotel she quickly went to her bag, pulling out the clothes she had brought and the jewelry.

If she was going to outdo the Horsemen, she was going to need to look the part.

Methos made his way inside to find Kronos waiting for him, lounging on a couch in front of a fire.

"Your bomb didn't go off." He told him. "Not much of a plan, was it?"

"Well, I'll think of better." Methos said flippantly.

"I'm sure you will." Kronos agreed. "Otherwise, I'm going to have to improvise."

Methos looked away, scratching his face.

"By the way, where were you?" Kronos asked him.

"I was just-"

"Warning your friend." Kronos interrupted, standing up and walking towards Methos. "You didn't really think I wouldn't know you'd tell MacLeod, did you?"

"It's not like you think it is." Methos defended himself.

"It's just like I think." Kronos replied. "My dearest brother, that's what makes you my perfect right arm. We think alike."

Methos laughed.

"We always have." Kronos told him.

"I doubt that, Kronos." Methos replied, smiling. "No one thinks quite like you."

"Spoken like a true scholar." Kronos said. "Look at this."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small remote, showing it to Methos.

"All I have to do is punch in a few numbers, and a small vial explodes in the reservoir above Bordeaux." Kronos told him. "And then, well, you know what happens next, don't you?"

Methos didn't reply.

"We all have our own little plans." Kronos continued. "I'm sure you won't disappoint me. Come with me. I have something else to show you."

He led him down to a cage, surrounded by water. Inside was a half conscious Cassandra.

"She was asking about you." Kronos told Methos as he closed his eyes. "You knew exactly what you were doing when you sent MacLeod to that fountain, didn't you? So I did what you expected. I went and got Cassandra while she was unprotected. That was the plan, wasn't it?"

Methos nodded minutely.

"You see?" Kronos asked. "I know you better than you know yourself!"

"Which is why the plan was perfect." Methos replied calmly.

"Your plans always are." Kronos said.

Methos smiled modestly.

"So she was completely alone?" Methos asked.

"Yes." Kronos replied. "Is there a reason she wouldn't have been?"

"No." Methos replied hastily. "Just making sure."

Kronos nodded and Methos sighed softly.

"I wonder what your friend MacLeod think of you now, though." He said.

"Think I care?" Methos murmured.

"You should." Kronos told him. "You lured him away. When he comes back and he finds someone's stolen his women…If that-if that was me, I'd want you dead."

"Well then we should prepare for MacLeod to come here." Methos said.

"Already thought of that." Kronos replied.

Methos started, but just barely managed to control his emotions.

"Did you send Caspian or Silas?" he asked, very calmly.

"Both." Kronos replied, chuckling.

As he walked away, still chuckling, Methos' mask dropped slightly, his worry showing through.

"Run, Sekhmet." He whispered in Egyptian. "The wolves are coming."

Sekhmet shivered in the night air as she made her way back towards the Horsemen's base. The black cloak she was wearing added to her desired effect, but it didn't really protect her from the night chill. As she pulled it closer, she saw Duncan turn the corner ahead of her. She quickly moved to try to catch up with him, but as she drew closer, she felt the approach of another Immortal. She paused at the corner and saw Silas walking towards Duncan, axe in hand.

"Welcome home, boy." He called, advancing on Duncan.

The Highlander started to walk towards him, but stopped when he felt another. He turned and saw Caspian coming near him. Sekhmet considered making her presence known to even the playing field, but knew that if she did, her plan might be compromised. No, Duncan would have to win this on his own.

"You kill one of us, the other takes your head while you're down." Silas called.

"If you kill one of us." Caspian added.

Duncan chose to face Caspian first. They exchanged just a couple of blows, when Caspian pulled a dagger and slashed Duncan's cheek. Duncan backed away quickly before running off down the road, both Horsemen in pursuit. They split up, and Caspian confronted Duncan as he fled onto a bridge.

"It's been a long time, Highlander." He called. "You're gonna taste good."

"Yeah, well you're gonna go hungry." Duncan said, facing him with one hand behind his back.

As Caspian came at him, Duncan whipped out his own dagger and gave Caspian a matching cut to the one bleeding on his cheek.

"Two can play at that game." He told the older Immortal.

Silas came up as the fought and Sekhmet followed behind, staying just out of range of their senses. Duncan and Caspian continued to exchange blows, both of them using both sword and dagger. Finally, Duncan found a break in Caspian's guard, and as he fell to the ground, Duncan stared at Silas. As the Quickening began to take him, he staggered back to the brink of the bridge. As the first bolt of lightning hit him, Silas swung, but Duncan fell over the side and into the water. Silas made his way to the edge, continuing to watch the lightning hit the water until, finally, it stopped. Not seeing Duncan anywhere, he picked up Caspian's sword and stalked away.

When he was gone, Sekhmet made her way to the edge of the bridge.

"Hurry up, Highlander." She called. "We're losing time."

With that, she sprinted off after Silas.

"Caspian is dead." Silas reported. "MacLeod took his head."

Kronos and Methos stood there and didn't say anything.

"So the great brute is dead." a voice called. "So sad."

Methos froze at the sound of that familiar voice and they all looked around as they felt another Immortal approach. Finally, a figure in a dark cloak stepped out of the shadows.

"Seems like you're short a horsemen."

Sekhmet raised her head and pushed back the cloak's hood, letting her hair fall loosely down her back.

"You." Kronos exclaimed, turning to Methos. "You told me she was mortal!"

"No, you assumed and I didn't correct you." Methos replied before switching to Egyptian to address Sekhmet.

"I told you to run." He growled at her. "What the hell do you think you're doing here?"

"Your plan failed, Methos." She replied. "It's time to try mine."

"My plan is working just fine." He told her. "Or it was until you decided to screw it up!"

She grinned and shushed him as she switched back to English so the others would understand her.

"We obviously couldn't make it work on my side of the line, so I thought we'd try it on yours." She said calmly. "Besides, my side's boring."

Methos looked at her as she turned back to Kronos and saw a part of her he hadn't seen in millennia. The part of her that was born royalty and had spent a lifetime talking down to everyone. He only hoped it would work with Kronos.

"Well, at least we'll have some amusement." Kronos said, smiling as he stepped forward.

Before he could blink, Sekhmet had her cloak thrown back and her sword pointed at his neck. She was dressed in a skirt, that was split into strips starting at her mid-thigh, a pair of sandals that laced up to her knees and a low cut halter top. Around her upper arm was a gold band in the shape of a cobra, and her make-up was done in a subdued form of the traditional make-up she had worn in court.

All in all, the outfit wasn't really practical, but Methos had to admit it gave her a dangerous air. As did the sword pressed to Kronos' throat.

"What makes you think I will allow you to use me for your amusement?" Sekhmet whispered.

Kronos smiled, holding up his hands.

"Why don't you tell us your name?" he said.

She glanced at Methos before smiling at Kronos.

"I'm Sekhmet of Egypt." She said, lowering her sword and dropping a curtsy. "Methos' fiancée."

Kronos turned and looked at Methos.

"Sekhmet." He repeated. "I was told you were dead."

"I thought she was." Methos told him. "The Egyptians had locked her away in a tomb. I just found her recently. She's still not quite…herself, so I had hoped to bring her to us when she had recovered some. It seems she had other plans."

"Methos just worried because I'm still a little unhinged." Sekhmet said brightly. "He's such a worrier. But I figure, to ride with the Horsemen, you don't really need to be sane, do you?"

"You want to ride with us?" Kronos asked, shocked.

Sekhmet looked around and went to the railing, climbing up to walk along it like it was a balance beam.

"I figure, you're the heart of the Horsemen." She told Kronos as she walked and skipped back and forth on the short piece of railing. "You're what holds them together. Probably because they're afraid of you, which kind of negates the whole heart aspect, so maybe glue would be a better analogy. I don't know, I'll get back to you on that. But anyway, you keep them here. Methos, my love, you're the brains of the organization, just like you were when we were kids. Silas is the brute strength. Which makes Caspian the wild card, and who better to replace a wild card then the bloodiest goddess in Egyptian history."

She swung down so she was sitting on the railing, swinging her legs as the others stared at her in confusion.

"Plus, you cheated me out of a wedding I've been planning for three months." She continued, glaring. "The deposit on the catering and the cake was non-refundable, so I figure you owe me. So, to repay me, you're going to let me join your merry band, so I don't have to worry about Methos running around, unsupervised, and you're also going to make a swing through Egypt so I can pick up my cake. I paid for it; someone's going to get to eat it. Agreed?"

"You're insane." Kronos told her, smiling.

"It's been said." She said, shrugging. "And I'm not really, I'm just pissed off."

"What's to keep me from just taking your head?" he asked.

"You could try." She replied, jumping down to stand in front of him. "But you should keep in mind that while you were still getting your feet wet, I filled Egypt with terror for two millennia. Do you really think no one's tried before?"

She smiled and turned to Methos.

"You didn't tell me he looked like Montoya." She said in Egyptian.

"You've lost your mind." He replied.

"No, really." She said. "Look at him and take away the scar. Doesn't he look like that weasel?"

"Will you concentrate before you get both of us killed?" Methos demanded. "This is your demented plan, stick to it!"

"You know, I don't know what you're saying, but I don't think I've ever seen Methos look that tense." Kronos said, chuckling.

He looked her over and she smiled.

"Oh, what the hell." He said. "It'll be fun to see how Methos handles you. Welcome to the family, sister."

He held out his hand and Sekhmet took it, grinning.

A/N: Yes? No? Let me know.

Abbey