When Ben Adams left, the group broke up. Duncan was putting his swords in their case when he sensed a non-immortal presence approach.
"Hello, Zoe," he said. He closed the case and stood. "What can I do for you?"
Zoe paused, and seemed uncertain.
"Can I buy you a cup of coffee?" he said, gesturing towards the kitchen. "Metaphorically speaking, of course."
She nodded. "Thank you," she said.
The silence stretched longer and longer as Duncan filled two cups from the coffee urn. He gave one to Zoe and sat down at the table across from her.
She took a drink, then set the cup down.
"What's on your mind?" asked Duncan.
She sighed. "How do you do it?" she said.
Duncan could guess what she was thinking, but asked anyway.
"How do I do what?"
Zoe said, "You loved her. T.N., the woman who was the inspiration for your brand."
Duncan nodded.
"Her name was Tessa Noel," he said. "I met her in Paris on Earth-That-Was, over 600 years ago now. She was an artist, a sculptor. I showed her what I was, and she loved me anyway. We ran a studio and an antique shop."
A hint of a smile crossed Zoe's face. "I suppose that's like a garage sale to us normal folk," she said.
He chuckled. "A bit, perhaps," he said. "We lived in the Americas, in a city called Seacouver. We were happy enough. We took in a young man named Richie. He was a pre-immortal—sometimes we can sense them—but I didn't tell him or Tessa that. It's considered best if they… if they can live a normal life until the time."
Zoe nodded. "Where did it go wrong?"
Duncan sat back, and sighed. He let a sad look cross his face.
"It was a time we called The Gathering. For some reason we don't understand, we were drawn together to fight."
"'There can be only one,'" Zoe quoted.
"Exactly," he said. "I was challenged to a fight. The challenger kidnapped Tessa. Richie and I raced to save her. I told Richie to get Tessa out while I fought. The immortal had arranged an advantage — a completely dark room. He wore night-vision goggles."
Zoe said, "How did you defeat him? Can Immortals see in the dark?"
"No," he said. "I had a book of matches. Those old goggles didn't adjust to light very quickly."
"And while he was blind, you sliced off his head," Zoe finished.
Duncan nodded. "And while I was doing that, Tessa and Richie were waiting outside. A mugger demanded money, then shot them. Richie woke up when I found them."
"And Tessa didn't."
Duncan looked away. Zoe had the impression that he was looking light-years away and far into the past, to Earth-That-Was.
She said, "I'm sorry."
He shook his head, bringing himself back to the the here-and-now. "You asked how we do it, how we go on while those we love die. The answer isn't profound or complicated, but it is difficult. The answer is that life goes on."
Zoe blinked. "That's it?"
Duncan shrugged. "Methos... Ben can do the 'ennui' attitude better than me, but there's just not very much to add. We endure. We remember them, of course, and we remember them with love. We remember what they meant to us, and remember them. Because, Zoe..."
He paused.
"Yes?" she prompted.
"If we don't remember them," he said, "who will?"
"Everyone," she said. "Everyone loved my husband, except maybe Jayne. And he was known to annoy the Captain."
Duncan took her hand, and said, very quietly, "No one else remembers them like we do. They didn't mean the same thing to anyone else. Your ship's telepath can see how you remember him, but she can't remember him like you can. Zoe, you will have other people in your life, other friends, perhaps other loves. None of that will ever diminish what your husband was to you."
He released her hand, and sat back. She sat very still, thinking. He relaxed, and thought of Tessa until she was ready to speak.
After several minutes, she pushed her chair back from the table and stood up.
"Thank you, Mr. MacLeod," she said. "I will think about it."
He nodded as she left the room.