Heavenly Bodies

Title: Head Games, or Pulling One Over
Authors: Christina A and Elizabeth
Author Notes: This is one of the first collaborations I ever wrote. We wrote this story in 2000. It features Jade but some of the AU is different that in The Past Returns. Please remember that this story is NOT in that AU.

Summary: This is one of the first collaborative stories I ever authored. It was penned with a dear friend of mine, Liz.

Head Games, or, Pulling One Over
By Elizabeth and Christina A.

Molly turned and was faced with another young woman. She was breathtakingly gorgeous, but from the way she carried herself, it looked like she didn’t even realise it. Her eyes were the deepest and purest green Molly had ever seen. Period. Wow, Molly thought. The other immortal was definitely one of the most beautiful people the old woman had ever seen. Her face was open and inviting; however, Molly didn’t fail to notice the subtle age in her eyes, that small twinkle of knowledge that all of the old ones possessed, and only others who had the experience of millennia behind them could pick out. The quiet voice of her intuition told her that this woman was a good one, but not to be messed with. Molly liked her instantly.

Jade’s reaction to Molly was very similar. The other old immortal had eyes like none she had ever seen. They were blue—at first glance. Looking again, as she sized up the other woman, Jade noticed hints of violet, then a flash of green, and a touch of grey. Wow, she thought. She was gorgeous. She reminded Jade of a sculpture she had seen once, in Greece, of Artemis. The other woman was shorter than she was, by three or four inches. Maybe five. She carried herself like royalty, but there was something else in her demeanor, something subtle, subconscious, that made her seem…approachable, contrary to the fact that she looked like a goddess. And there was the glint of age in her eyes, along with a spark of something else. Sarcasm? Mischief? Jade hoped she wasn’t looking for a fight.

“Well doesn’t it figure that we meet while we’re both trying to get the hell out of here?” Molly smiled at the irony.

Jade smiled back, relieved that the other one just wanted to get on her way without a confrontation as well. She held up her book. “It was the only one left.”

Molly hefted the four she held on her hip. “They were on sale,” she said of her own.

Both women chuckled. Then Molly spoke again, leaning closer to Jade, quiet and blunt. “Look, I don’t want a fight. I don’t want to kill you. I don’t want to be killed. I just want to go home before it starts snowing.”

Jade glanced out the large front windows of the Barnes & Noble. Slate grey clouds hugged the roofs of the buildings across the street.

“I wholeheartedly agree with you,” she replied.

Molly sighed. “Thank the gods. Now that that nonsense is out of the way, I’m Molly.” She hefted her books again, and held out her free hand with a smile.

Jade smiled back and took the older woman’s hand. “Jade. Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise. This is so odd though.”

Jade had to ask. “Why is this odd?”

“Because I honestly don’t remember the last time I met another woman whose also an—” she cut herself off before making a really stupid mistake, winced at herself, then continued. “I don’t remember the last time I met another sorority sister who didn’t want to…you know.” Molly gestured a little, well aware of her ludicrous metaphor.

Jade, on the other hand, appreciated it. It was certainly an unusual euphemism for immortality, perhaps the most imbecilic one she’d ever heard. She laughed out loud at Molly’s statement. When she calmed, she nodded at the other old woman. “You know how us gals can be. Awfully territorial, and jealous.”

“True. Myself included, at times. But this isn’t my turf, so what do I care?”

“Exactly. I’m here for the books, not…you know.”

The other woman actually blushed and looked at her feet. Before Molly could think of something witty to cover her embarrassment, which she had no idea why she was feeling, the clerk cleared her throat and said, “Next in line, please,” with polite exasperation. Molly looked up and realized she was next, hefted her books and moved forward to pay, ending their friendly small talk.

Jade stepped up behind Molly as the other woman juggled her bag of books, her purse, her wallet, and her change. She was about to offer assistance when she noticed the small photograph in Molly’s wallet.

It was her husband. “Gods above,” Jade breathed.

“What?” Molly replied around the strap of her purse. Then she noticed where Jade’s gaze was directed and her eyes widened. “You know him?”

Jade nodded, her own eyes wide.

For a single short moment, they just stared at each other in complete, stupid awe. Molly recovered first, by mere seconds.

“Why don’t I go get us a table in the café? Can I get you something to drink?”

“Um…” Jade forced her thoughts to calm. “A mocha, please.”

“Okay. I’ll see you in a few.”

Molly had just sat down with their drinks when Jade joined her. Neither woman knew how or where to begin. Both of them knew he was Methos. Neither one of them knew if the other knew. The situation was not very promising.

The older of the two went over Jade’s reaction again. It was too extreme for it to be just passing acquaintance. Wasn’t it? Methos doesn’t have immortal acquaintances, anyway. Molly decided yes, it was probable that the other woman knew the immortal whose picture she carried in her wallet was Methos, but before she could think of a way to hint around it without being really obvious, Jade spoke up.

“I was married to him,” the younger woman blurted. She hadn’t known what else to say. Jade knew damn well that the man was Methos, but she had no clue if the other old immortal knew. Telling her she was married to him would justify her over-reaction, without revealing too much. Lots of immortals married other immortals. Not many stayed that way. Letting on that they were divorced would barely even register as a lie.

“Oh…” Molly replied. She’s lying. The only immortal Methos ever married was…. Oh… “…Gods above. You’re that Jade?”

Jade sighed. She knows. “I guess so. So you know—”

“Who he really is? Yeah. Santa Claus. Old Man Winter himself.”

Jade smiled. This woman liked metaphors. “Okay, so how do you know him?

Molly gazed at the young woman and sipped her Vanilla Steamer. Forty-six hundred years they’ve been married. He must’ve told her about me. But then again, that isn’t the sort of thing that just comes up in conversation. ‘Oh, by the way, my teacher—she’s a thousand years older than I am. And she’s still alive. You should meet her sometime.’ Why the hell didn’t he ever introduce us? Greedy bastard! But then again, he did raise her, didn’t he? He must have told her stories…all those stories I told him…he better have used them. If he didn’t tell her at first, then…but he may have told her later. But…well, he does trust her enough with his secret, and he’s married to her. Molly decided to go for it. She leaned across the table. “I taught him.”

Jade sat back, stunned. All those stories she had heard from Methos. They were all true. “You…what? Oh my God.”

“Oh shit.” Molly covered her mouth, one horrific consequence after another rolling through her mind, each worse than the last. “He never told you! I am so stupid. I’ll kill him. I’ll—”

“No, no!” Jade reassured the distraught and angry older—much older—woman. “He told me. I just never believed him. It was all stories.”

Molly took a deep, calming breath and controlled herself. “Please don’t ever do that to me again, Jade.”

“Sorry.”

“Why didn’t you believe him?” Molly continued, brushing off the apology. It was already forgotten.

“I don’t know. It was all stories,” she repeated. “He told me it was all true, but there was always something in his voice. This, sort of, catch, you know? I just always figured he was teasing me. I’d heard the legends about him. I figured he made you up to shake some of the fame, at least in his own head.”

Molly nodded. “He would. No, I really did teach him. I always kind of wondered about your existence myself, to be quite honest, Jade.”

“Then I’d say we’re even.”

“Quite.”

They finished their drinks in silence. Molly was about to make her excuses and leave—it was starting to snow—when Jade spoke up suddenly.

“You know what?”

“No. What?”

“He really should’ve introduced us, long before this. That pisses me off. I mean we could’ve met under terrible circumstances. We could be busy in some secluded spot right now trying to kill each other. I could show up at his place one day and find out I killed his best friend.”

“Or his wife,” Molly whispered. She shuddered at the thought of her own death, or Methos’ reaction to Jade’s death. Or his reaction to her own.

“This is not the sort of thing you leave to Fate,” Jade continued, a barely suppressed anger borne mostly of fear tinting her voice. “I would think him more intelligent than that.”

“Nah. Methos? Intelligent? Are we talking about the same guy?” An idea was forming in her head. A wicked smile spread across her face.

Recognizing the look from its similarity to one of her husband’s, Jade asked, “What are you thinking?”

“Well, what if we did meet under terrible circumstances? What would Methos do if he found out we were hunting each other?”

“But we aren’t.”

“Yes, but he doesn’t know that. He doesn’t know we know about each other and him. And what he doesn’t know makes for great fun for us.”

“What are you saying, Molly?” Jade recognized the mischief in the older woman’s eyes. She had a feeling she knew where this was going. And he desperately deserved it.

“I say we give him what he’s been asking for by not introducing us. We give him exactly what he deserves for his stupidity. I say we present to him a scenario where we are hunting each other.”

“Why?”

“Why? Because he didn’t introduce us. He’s gotta answer for that. He needs to realize what could have happened. He made me think about dying. He made me think about him in grief. Both of which I don’t enjoy thinking about. And from your reaction, I have a feeling you don’t enjoy the thoughts either.”

“You’re warped.”

“Thank you. Shall we?” Molly grinned.

A similar smile spread across Jade’s face. “We shall.”

The two women spent a long time sitting in the Barnes & Noble café drinking hot beverages and plotting their joke on Methos.

“Well, first off, we’re going to need a reason. I mean I just don’t go on the Hunt for no good reason. I can’t tell him you made me chip a nail or stub my toe or anything like that. I’m never in that bad a mood.”

Jade nodded. “I’d need a good reason to go head-hunting myself. But I think we need a really ridiculous reason. Something so obvious he’ll never see it until it’s all over.”

“I agree. Something retardedly obvious. Something ludicrous. But the only thing I can think of is valid.”

“What’s that?”

“Oh, if one of us killed the other’s student, or something else involving one of our students. I know I’ve avenged one or two in my lifetime. And from the few things Methos has told me of you, you’re rather protective yourself.”

“Yeah, I am definitely nothing if not protective. Now, wait a minute…that could work….”

“What?”

“We use him.”

“Huh? I don’t follow, Jade.”

“Methos can be our reason. I’ll show up, out of the blue—I haven’t seen him in a while—and tell him I’m on the Hunt for some woman, Molly Something, who stole my husband.”

Molly’s eyes widened as she realized where Jade was going. She smiled, liking the way the younger immortal’s mind worked.

“Then, shortly after that, you call him, out of sorts, a little…unbalanced, off. Y’know? And you tell him you’re after a woman named Jane—that’s my current alias—who stole your student. Of course, we both mean him, but he will be too distraught to realize it. A day or two later, you show up at his place, in need of comfort, after all, some immortal chick stole your student from you. He won’t know whether to comfort you or help me. After all, he doesn’t want either of us to find the other. He’ll make himself crazy trying to do both. Quite amusing, I would imagine. What do you think?”

“Wow. That’s…perfect. That’s…devious. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

Jade smiled back at the older woman, feeling quite pleased with herself. It had been a while since she’d done anything truly mischievous.

“We’re going to need help,” Molly continued, glowing with impish excitement. “Someone close to me boyo. I think, maybe the Scot.”

“Duncan? I don’t think he’ll help. This really isn’t his sort of thing.”

“Oh, I don’t know. He has a pretty bent sense of humor underneath all that boyscout charm. Leave him to me. He’ll help.”

*-*-*

Molly stepped out of her car and looked up at the building, wondering if Duncan could possibly have found a more inconspicuous and generally boring place to live. On the other hand, most immortals had a very fond appreciation of holding a low profile, so she guessed this was a nice enough place, overall. Methos told her his barge in Paris was much more conspicuous. Of course, it was also movable, which solved the problem its visibility presented.

The old immortal woman’s expression melted into a glare of exasperation as she realized that she had not yet sensed the young Scot’s presence. Which meant he wasn’t present, unless he’d learned a few things even she couldn’t explain since the last time she’d seen him?

“Well damn,” she muttered to herself. “You’re supposed to be here, silly Scot. I need to talk to you. This is going to seriously mess up my schedule.”

Molly slammed the car door shut and walked up to the building. The doors were locked. “Oh, man. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to do this.” She shot a quick glance up and down the street, saw no one, and pulled her lock picks out of her purse. “A girl’s best friend,” she murmured. “After the diamonds, of course.”

*-*-*

Duncan pulled the Thunderbird in beside a kelly green ’99 Mustang. Whose is that? He wondered, cutting the engine and getting out of the car. Then he sensed another immortal in the vicinity and glanced up at his home. Company. And me without my hair done. The Highlander sighed and got out his keys, except when he got to the door, he didn’t need them. The lock had been picked. That eliminated both Amanda and Richie. They had keys. Methos? Would he do that? Maybe. If he was in an odd enough mood. Doesn’t he have a key though? Does he need to have a key? Would he need to pick the lock if he didn’t? Duncan drew his katana from his jacket and proceeded with extreme caution.

At first glance around his loft, there was no one present. Then the goddess who liked to be called Molly rose from his high backed arm chair and turned to face him, one hand on her hip, head cocked slightly to one side, a smile on her face worthy of a goddess amused with one of her mortal worshippers. She was breathtaking as always, and dressed to kill, in a short black skirt and a figure hugging lavender cashmere tube top that looked as if it had arrived hand-made and -delivered from JCrew just before she put it on. Her shoes were flat and black, with slightly pointed toes and thin straps across her lower foot. Her pale grey coat skimmed her ankles, with silver embroidery at the collar and cuffs. It had a distinctly Edwardian air to it. Duncan fondly remembered Edwardian England. Apparently, Molly did too.

“You won’t need that,” she said sweetly, indicating his katana. “I can’t fight in this outfit anyway. It’d kill my feet.” She smiled prettily at him.

Duncan put his katana down and took off his coat. “I’d ask you to make yourself comfortable, but I can see that you’ve already done that.” There was a glass of juice on the coffee table. He sat on his couch, across from her.

“I’ve been waiting here for you a while.”

“You could have called before you came over.”

Molly sat back down in the chair with a slight humph. “But that would’ve ruined the surprise.”

“What surprise?” MacLeod was instantly suspicious.

Molly smiled at him. “Surprise! You know, I would’ve brought a bottle of wine or something for you—I know how Methos likes to drink other people’s liquor—but I forgot. I’m sorry.”

“It’s no problem Molly. Why are you here, anyway?”

“Well, I wanted to ask you to do something for me.” She stood, walked around the coffee table, and sat down beside him.

Duncan almost agreed right then and there. He had to force himself to not nod. “What do you want me to do?”

“Well, you’ve met Jade, right?” She touched his arm lightly, a curious expression upon her gorgeous features.

“Yes.” Duncan didn’t see the relevance of that. He couldn’t think much farther than the five fingers touching his arm.

“Well, up until a few days ago, I hadn’t.”

MacLeod almost choked. “You hadn’t met Jade?!?!?”

“No. She didn’t even believe I was real,” Molly pouted. She sat back from him and crossed her arms. Then she recovered, leaned back towards him, and continued, “You see, Methos has been, well, rather silly and quite unthinking about us two gals. I suppose he was afraid that we wouldn’t like each other or something ludicrous like that. So, we’ve decided to teach him a bit of a lesson. He needs to realise what could’ve happened. Jade and I are going to show him. But we need your help.”

“What do you need my help for?”

Molly chuckled and put her hand on his arm again. She was well aware of the affect she had on his senses. He could hardly think. Putty in her hands. If she asked him to jump into the Puget Sound, he would have. “You need to keep Methos on his toes. I’m not asking you to drive him over the edge. I think I’d have to kill you if you did. All I ask is that you keep Jade, and I, informed of his reactions, and that you keep each of us updated on the other’s progress. You see, we can’t have any contact with each other. Would you like to hear what we plan to do?”

Duncan certainly didn’t want to, but he was seeing some definite possibilities in the plan of the two ancients. Not that he would admit it. It would be quite interesting to see Methos’ reaction when he realized his best friend and his wife were…. “Yes, I would. What are you planning?”

“Well, Jade’s coming to town in a day or two. She’s going to tell Methos that’s she’s after me, she has no clue who I am—Molly Something—only that I’ve stolen her husband from her. I will proceed with step two, calling Methos in all sorts of a frazzled state and telling him that some woman named Jane has stolen my student from me. A day or two after that, I’ll come to town, and watch as Methos goes down in flames.”

“You sound awfully delighted about that prospect.”

“He has to see the error of his ways, Duncan. Surely, you understand that. If he’d introduced Jade and me a long time ago, all of this could have been avoided. Even if we didn’t like each other, we would have the sense not to mess with each other, because of him. He means the world to the both of us. I don’t know why he didn’t. Maybe he was afraid. Maybe he was selfish. Either way it was wrong, and it could have ended disastrously. I don’t think he’s ever thought of it, and this will certainly make him. Besides, I haven’t played a good prank on him in a long time.”

She ended by pleading with him. “Please, please say you’ll help us, Duncan. Please? Think of the expression on the man’s face when he sees us trying to kill each other. Think of what he’ll do trying to keep us apart. Think of the picture of his reaction as we explain to him that it was all in fun. Think of all the little things you can say to him to make him freak out even more.”

Duncan looked doubtful.

Molly sighed to herself and turned up the charm. A slow smile spread across her face. “Besides, you owe me.”

“Owe you? For what, may I ask?”

“Oh, don’t tell me you don’t remember that time way back in…oh, gods, it must have been the late seventeenth century, when I got you out of that noose?”

“Oh yeah. I guess I do owe you.”

“So are you going to help us, Duncan?”

He sighed. “Yes.”

Molly squealed and kissed his cheek. “Thank you Duncan!”

“I’m not doing it because I owe you though.”

She stopped smiling. “Then why?”

He looked at her. Because of you, I think. “I don’t know.”

“I don’t care. Just so long as you help us, darling!” She kissed his cheek again, then popped up, and floated over to the door. “We’ll be in touch, Duncan-darling!”

Duncan watched her go, cursing himself for giving in and agreeing to help her and looking forward to it at the same time.

*-*-*

Jade stood on the sidewalk in front of the apartment building and smiled. It’d been over half a century since she’d seen him, since she’d felt his Quickening mingle with hers. She stretched out with her Quickening to see if she could sense him. Yes, he was home. The wash of his presence was as familiar as ever. Her uncanny ability to sense others before they could sense her had saved her life on several occasions.

Mentally, she prepared herself for what she was about to do. Admittedly, she’d been angry when she’d learned the truth about Molly, the other longtime presence in his life. She hadn’t believed the stories. Of course, it would have been easier to stay angry if she hadn’t liked the old woman so damn much. Molly’s sense of humor was contagious. Jade was often entirely too serious. Laughing with Molly had been wonderful. The idea to play this little prank for revenge over his secrecy had been the perfect reason to contact the old man again.

But, she had a part to play, a role to fulfill. And, if this were to work, she had to be convincing. Methos knew her better than anyone, and he was just cunning enough to figure out the entire thing. After all, he surely should have known that the two women would meet one day. How could he believe they’d never meet? What if, gods forbid, she had taken Molly’s head, or vise versa. The anger of before rose in her. She was over 4800 years old for the love of the gods! Molly was over 6000! Their meeting would have happened sooner or later. She was surprised it hadn’t happened before now. So, why didn’t he make sure they met in a controlled situation? What was his motivation?

Fueled by the resurgence of anger, Jade entered the apartment building and took the elevator to his floor. He answered the door even before she knocked.

“Jade, love!” he said obviously thrilled by her presence. He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. “It’s so wonderful to see you. Been way too long.” His voice dropped to that octave that she knew entirely too well.

Jade was bombarded by emotions immediately. She couldn’t help but return the embrace. She’d missed him. Elation, excitement, anger, and arousal all warred within her. Damn, but he could turn her on.

After all these millennia, she was still attracted to him physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Obviously, he felt the same. The temptation was there to forget the entire scheme, to let him continue to nuzzle her neck, to…

No, she mentally shrugged. Later, definitely, but now… She pulled away regretfully.

“What’s wrong love?”

Straightening her shirt, she said, “I needed to see you.”

Hallelujah, Methos thought. He’d practically been a monk for the past several years. Before him stood the remedy for that, but something was definitely wrong. Her stance told him that she was upset about something. But what? Whatever it was, it wasn’t good. “I’m here for you. You know that.”

Honestly, Jade replied, “Yeah, love, I know.” She screwed up her courage. It was now or never. She had to be convincing.

Concerned for her, Methos took her by the hands and led her to the couch. “Okay, love, now give.”

Jade took a deep breath and said, “I’m looking for someone. I figured since you were with the watchers, you could help me.”

Someone is definitely in trouble, Methos thought. If Jade was looking for someone, he or she would soon be dead. “You’re hunting?”

Jade held back a smirk. “You could say that.”

Methos mimicked her serious mood. “Who?” he asked solemnly. She’d be challenging someone, which meant she could lose, highly unlikely, but still possible.

“This woman named Molly something-or-other. I don’t know her last name.” She’d put enough venom in her voice to make it sound menacing.

Methos heard little else, as he was struck by panic, sheer panic. It couldn’t be his Molly. Not her. Oh gods! He was becoming sick with fear. Molly, who had seen him through the most difficult time in his life, his mortality. The woman who’d been his tutor when he was a child. The woman who had given him his first sword and taught him what it was to be an immortal. Taught him how to survive. Molly was his best friend. Now his wife, the other love of his life, was hunting her. And, one would lose her head for sure. Molly was cunning and wily enough to take Jade’s head. Jade was tenacious and persistent. She could take Molly’s head. Standing quickly, he began to pace the floor.

“Methos, love, are you listening to me?”

“W-what?” he asked. He had to convince Jade to give up the hunt. It was the only way to save them both.

Not wanting to let Molly down, Jade dug from the well deep inside her and gave a convincing performance as the jilted lover. “I said, the bitch stole my husband, and I want her head. If she thinks I’m just going to stand by and let her steal what’s mine, she’s wrong. Dead wrong. I’m going to find her, and you’re going to help me. She has to pay for what she’s done.” Jade smiled inwardly. Molly would be proud. She couldn’t understand why, but that mattered to her.

Methos muttered his next question. “You’re married?”

Oh yeah, Jade thought, he was gone. He was so far into his hysteria that he couldn’t string two coherent thoughts together. “Yes, Methos. I’m married. Or, was until that jezebel stole him away from me. I’m going to take her head. Mark my words, Methos. The woman is dead.” She stood to leave. The seeds had been planted. It was time to get word to Molly and let her know what was happening.

“Where are you going?” Methos asked as panic once again took control. He had to control this situation. He had to make it appear that he was helping her, while keeping her off Molly’s trail at the same time. But, if she left, he wouldn’t have that control. She had to stay here where he could watch her.

“I’m going to get a room, love.”

“No.” At her look of disbelief, he calmed enough to say, “I would really like you to stay here with me.”

“I don’t think so, Methos. I came here for your help, but obviously something’s wrong with you.”

“I’m fine,” he said a little more forcefully than he intended to. Calming, he said, “If you stay here, I’ll be able to help you track down this woman. We work together. Besides, you are my wife. You should stay with me.”

“You’re acting awfully strange, Methos.”

Methos grabbed his coat.

Perplexed now, Jade asked, “Where are you going?”

Thinking quickly, he said, “To the store to buy some supplies. I wasn’t expecting company. Are your bags in the car? I’ll bring them up for you when I get back. I have extra t-shirts and sweats in the drawer if you want to go to bed before I get back. It’s late, so you don’t have to stay up if you don’t want.” What he really wanted to do, needed to do, was get to MacLeod. He hated to admit it, even to himself; but the situation was out of control. He needed a clear head. Mac could help him.

Jade watched as Methos put on his coat. He crossed the room and kissed her quickly, absently. “I’ll be back soon, love.” The desperation in his voice was tangible.

As Methos closed the door, Jade faintly heard him mutter something about wives and best friends, but couldn’t grasp what exactly he’d said. He was definitely over the edge. She could just imagine what was running through his mind. The plans he was making. The schemes to prevent her from killing his best friend. He should have thought of this before he decided not to introduce them. This would be a lesson well learned. The plan was working perfectly.

Jade picked up the phone to call Duncan. She and Molly had decided that he would be the contact between them. If she knew Methos as well as she thought she did, then he was on his way to MacLeod’s right now. She had to be certain that Duncan was on their side.

The phone rang twice before that distinctive Scottish voice answered the phone. “MacLeod.”

“Duncan, it’s Jade.”

“Hello,” Duncan said with a smile in his voice. After the unexpected arrival of the eldest beauty, Duncan had decided he would help the women. Anything to get in the good graces of these two beautiful women. Duncan happily admitted to being a pushover.

“Have you talked to our mutual friend?”

“I have.”

“And…”

“I’ll help anyway I can.”

Jade had to smile at that. Molly had said she had a way of getting the Highlander to go along. A technique that was as old as time itself. Feminine wiles. A woman of 6000 years probably invented them. There was no way Duncan could have resisted. “He’s on his way to see you. He’s out of his mind with worry. He was muttering to himself when he left.”

Duncan laughed. “This I have to see. Mr. Cool completely out of control of his emotions.”

“Believe it. Anyway, he’s insisting that I stay here. And, to stay true to my form, I have to. Hunting or not, I’ve always fit him into my life.”

“I understand. What can I do?”

“Just what Molly said. Keep him off balance. Mess with his head. Once he leaves, call Molly and let her know what’s going on. Okay.”

“Sure.”

“Oh, and Duncan…”

“Yeah.”

“He’s craftier than an old dog. Watch yourself.”

“I will.” Duncan said as he hung up.

Jade sighed. There was nothing left to do now but wait for Methos to return. She rummaged through his drawers and put on a pair of old sweats and a t-shirt. Grabbing a book from the bookshelf, she curled up on the couch and started to read. She’d wait it out, keep wearing him down, until Molly called him, and set up part two.

*-*-*

MacLeod opened the door on a very ragged immortal. The only outward sign that he knew his wife was hunting his best friend was his utter lack of expression and his hair, which looked as though he’d spent the entire car ride over with one hand clenched in it.

“Hey,” MacLeod greeted him cheerfully. “How’s it going? Come on in.”

Methos pushed past him with a grunt meant to be a hello, went over to the couch, and slumped into it. MacLeod smiled at the door as he shut it, then turned, and approached the older man with a serious and concerned expression.

“What’s wrong?”

“Everything,” Methos groaned, covering his face with his hands.

Duncan took a breath. “What, exactly, does ‘everything’ encompass?”

“Everything, Mac. Absolutely, positively, undeniably, everything.”

MacLeod sighed. Talk about over the top. When Methos actually freaked, he really went all the way. Melodramatic? Just a little. “Ok, now that we’ve established that everything is wrong, why don’t you try explaining it to me.”

Methos gave him a look, as though MacLeod should already know. “Jade’s in town.”

“Ok. And…?”

“She’s hunting Molly.”

Duncan counted to ten, hoping his expression was one of disbelief. Then he spoke slowly. “Where’s Molly?”

“How the hell should I know, MacLeod? I’m not her bloody keeper!”

“Calm down, Methos. Think for a moment. Do you know where she is?”

“Not really. Not here. Paris, most likely; London, New York, Milan, Madrid. I really have no clue.”

“Exactly. Calm down. She’s not here. Jade, on the other hand, is. They aren’t in the same city. One of them, your wife, is here with you. All you have to do, Methos, is keep her here with you. Jade, from what I understand of her, is not a woman to hold a grudge for any incredible amount of time. Why is she hunting Molly, anyway?”

“She says Molly stole her husband. And I’m inclined to believe her.”

“You think Molly would do that? Steal someone’s husband? It doesn’t sound like her.”

“No, it doesn’t sound like her to me either.”

“Then why do you believe Jade when she says Molly stole her husband?”

“Because I know Jade. I’m certain Molly didn’t intend to steal Jade’s husband, but for some reason, she did. And now Jade’s hunting her, and I don’t know what the hell I am going to do.”

“I just told you what to do, Methos. Keep Jade in town. It’s that simple.”

“Nothing’s that simple.”

“You’d be surprised.”

Methos gave him a highly lethal glare.

MacLeod just gazed back at him. “It’s true. You would.”

“I highly doubt that.”

“Well then, trust me.”

Methos responded with a blank stare. There wasn’t even a flicker of emotion in his normally expressive eyes.

“Look, you need some time to cool off. Why don’t you bring Jade over here tomorrow? I’ll entertain her for the day, you take some time to calm down, get your head together, and think of something. Go from there.”

The old immortal muttered something. All MacLeod caught was the word “improvise.” But then Methos sighed and stood. “All right. I’ll bring Jade over in the morning. Whenever she gets up.”

“Where are you going to go?”

“I don’t know. Church, maybe.” Methos shrugged. He already seemed calmer, more collected and in control. “Goodnight, MacLeod.”

“G’night, Methos. See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah.” Methos stood, looked around quickly, as if he’d just realised where he was, then left without another word.

Duncan stood at a window and watched Methos leave the building and go to his car. The man’s movements were jerky, tense. It was easy for anyone who knew him to see that he was very on edge. MacLeod watched as Methos drove away, a smile spreading itself across his visage as the older man’s presence faded from his sense. He crossed the loft to his phone, pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket, and dialed the number. After three rings, she picked up.

“Hello?”

“Molly? It’s MacLeod.”

“Duncan! So good to hear from you. How’s it going?”

“Quite well. I was just visited by a mutual friend of ours.”

“Oh really?” Molly giggled in delight. “And how is this friend of ours?”

“Oh just a bit frazzled. He doesn’t know whether he’s coming or going. He also doesn’t know where you are. He’s decided he needs to keep his wife here and probably that he also needs to keep you out of town. He’s bringing Jade over here tomorrow, and taking some time to cool off and calm down.”

“Learning his lesson well, I see.”

“It does appear that way. Might I ask what our next step is?”

“Well, since you asked so very nicely, I’ll tell you. Tomorrow, sometime in the afternoon I believe, I will call my dear boy and tell him I’m hunting his wife, because she stole my student. The bitch took what belongs to me, and she must answer for it.” Molly giggled.

“Sounds like a most interesting conversation. I would most like to be there.”

“And I would be willing to wager that Jade would enjoy that small entertainment as well. You could both be there, actually.”

“How’s that, Molly?”

“I shall just call from your place.”

“Will you now?”

“Yes, if you’ll have me. I’ll stop by, around four thirty or five, and we can make an evening of it.”

“Sounds wonderful. We’ll see you then?”

“Most certainly. Tootaloo.” Molly clicked off.

On the way back to his apartment, Methos stopped at an all night grocery store and bought a couple things. Milk, bread, coffee, the necessities, most of which he was running low on anyway. Jade’s arrival was as good an excuse as any to stock up. The simple, everyday-ness of the task did much to calm his spirit and quiet his worries. By the time he sensed Jade’s Quickening as he got home, he was feeling well enough to realize he was tired. So he went quietly up to his apartment and put the groceries away in silence, then curled up beside Jade in his bed. She’d awoken long enough upon sensing his return to stagger from the couch to the bed. Methos wrapped his arms around his wife and drew her close. She murmured something incoherent in her state of mostly asleep and snuggled closer. Methos sighed and was soon asleep.

*-*-*

Jade awoke long before Methos did. She made herself breakfast, went downstairs to get her things, then took a shower. She made a lot of noise getting dressed; hoping it would wake up Methos. When she came out of the bathroom, he was sitting in his bed.

“Morning, sunshine,” she greeted him.

“Whatever,” he returned. Methos swung his feet over the side of bed and stood. He still had on the jeans he had worn yesterday and an undershirt. “Why are you so bright this early in the morning?”

Jade chose her words carefully. There intent was to ruin his morning thoroughly. “I don’t really know. I suppose hunting can be an exhilarating thing sometimes.”

Methos froze for a fraction of a second, then walked out of the room. Jade smiled to herself; it had worked.

“I’ve got a few things I need to do today, love,” Methos called from the kitchen, where he was adding a generous dollop of whiskey to his cup of black coffee. “Duncan wants to see you today for a while. I figure I’ll drop you off over there while I get my stuff taken care of. Is that okay with you?”

Jade crossed the room and stood in the doorway, watching him gulp the coffee she’d made. If she knew him, there would be almost more liquor in that cup than coffee. “That’s fine. I’ll visit with Duncan for the day. I don’t want to stay here for very long, though. I need to find her.” She didn’t need to say whom. Just the mention was enough to send him pacing again. “When are you going to be ready to go, Methos?” she asked.

“Huh?”

“When are you going to be ready to go?” she repeated.

“Oh, uh…. In a few minutes I guess.”

Duncan entered the loft after using the showers in the dojo’s locker room. He much preferred the shower in his own bathroom, but had been chivalrous in offering it to his lovely workout companion, who was just stepping out of his bathroom. Duncan remembered the circumstances that had surrounded Jade’s arrival.

Methos had dropped her by the dojo around 10:00. He’d looked no better this morning than he had the night before. He’d hugged his wife closely and was getting ready to get back into his vehicle when Jade had reminded him, “You’ll let me know if you find out anything, right?”

“Um, yeah, sure. I’ll be back this evening to pick you up, love.”

She’d stood beside Duncan as Methos drove away. At that moment, Duncan had felt her presence more than saw her. She was a good inch or two taller than Amanda. Her jet-black hair was pulled back in its customary ponytail. When she finally leveled her hazel green eyes on him, she had smiled at him and said, “Shall we?”

“Indeed,” he had answered to her silent invitation to an extremely invigorating workout.

Now, she stood in his loft looking no more tired than if she’d just got finished taking a leisurely walk around the block. Duncan, on the other hand, was exhausted from the workout. Their spar had ended up a stalemate, or actually fatigue had been the winner.

She sat down on his couch and took the drink he offered her. Sitting down beside her, he saw the mischievous twinkle in her eyes. He looked her over cautiously. She was simply dressed. Her style so very different from Molly’s. Jade preferred to cover most of her skin, which Duncan thought was a real shame. But, it did hide her true physical nature, making her true strength very deceptive, much like Methos.

Breaking into his thoughts, Jade said, “You should have seen him this morning. He said you wanted to see me today, and I didn’t have the heart to ask him when he’d seen you to tell you I was in town. I take it that he showed up here last night.”

“Of course,” Duncan said as he raised a brow and smiled. “He’s not exactly himself, is he?”

“Tell me about it. He was very anxious for me to come over here this morning. Promised me he was going to do some research and try to find Molly. He said that with the mood I was in that I shouldn’t be alone and since you’d asked to see me, it was perfect. I haven’t needed a sitter in millennia.”

Duncan took her hand. She’d pulled her hair back again, making her look extremely young. For most women, pulling back their hair sharpened their features, not so with Jade. He’d only seen her once with her hair flowing freely down her back. And, he had to admit that with her hair down, she had been breathtaking. She’d been visiting Methos, and Duncan had stopped by unannounced at a rather inconvenient moment. That had also been the first time he’d met her. Now, Duncan believed Methos to be a fool. He had two of the most beautiful women in the world filling the two most important roles in anyone’s life, and he hadn’t done the simplest thing to ensure their safety. Duncan decided that Methos was getting what he deserved. And, Duncan was getting the chance to spend time with both of them.

“You don’t need a sitter, Jade. He’s just ensuring that you don’t run into Molly. If he only knew…” Duncan smiled.

Jade turned to face him. “He should have told me. What if I’d challenged her?”

Duncan responded confidently, “You wouldn’t have. It’s not like you.” Duncan shook his head, took her glass, and stood to refill it with more scotch.

“A couple thousand years ago, I would have and not have given it a second thought.”

Duncan almost dropped the glasses in spinning to look at her.

Jade stood and walked toward him. “Close your mouth, Duncan. The look of shock does not become you.”

Duncan closed his mouth.

“I was so very different then,” she said as she took the glass of scotch from him.

“Tell me.”

Jade, unlike Methos, had no real qualms about telling Duncan about her past. “Methos had broken up the Horsemen, and Silas had decided to find me. You remember, Silas was my student, right?”

“Yes,” Duncan said, still having difficulty realizing how destructive Kronos’ influence had been.

“Well, Silas was confused and lost without Kronos to guide him. I was his stability. He needed me.”

Duncan remembered Jade telling him about her heartbreak when Kronos rode into her village with Silas by his side. She had been even more devastated when Methos had left her to join them. Jade’s capacity for forgiveness was without limits. Duncan had a hard time understanding her sometimes.

Jade continued, “By that point, I didn’t really care about much of anything, except surviving. Silas and I took care of each other. I wouldn’t hunt necessarily, but I would never walk away from a challenge. I instigated more than my share. And, I took a lot more heads back then than I care to recall. One of them could have easily been Molly.”

“Or she could have taken yours.”

“Just as easily, yes.”

“Now what?”

“I don’t know, Duncan.” She returned to the couch and sat down heavily. “Why doesn’t he just come out and say that he knows Molly? He has to know that I would give up the hunt for him.”

Duncan sat beside her, his shoulder touching hers. He chuckled. “Methos isn’t thinking too clearly right now.”

Jade broke out in a smile. She’d been getting too serious again. “That’s true. He’s meeting himself coming and going. You know, he came to bed last night in his jeans and a t-shirt. He rarely wears clothing to bed. If he’s this frazzled now, how will he be when Molly shows up?”

“Positively a mess,” Duncan said.

“She does love to torment him. I gathered that after knowing her for only a few minutes.”

“Yeah, she does. But, this is new for you.”

Jade leaned in closely to Duncan. “I have a secret for you.”

“Yeah,” Duncan said wearily.

“I’m much more serious than Molly.”

Duncan had to admit she was right.

“I met Methos when I was eight years old.”

“You remember back that far!” Duncan said, astounded. He turned to face her wanting to hear this story.

“Of course. My village was extremely superstitious. There was a ritual of child sacrifice where one child was sacrificed each year to ensure a good harvest.”

Duncan couldn’t speak he was so shocked.

“When I was eight, I was chosen as the child to be sacrificed. Methos rescued me. He raised me and protected me.”

Duncan nodded. He knew that Methos had known Jade when she was mortal. But, he hadn’t known the depth of the connection.

“When I died for the first time, Methos took care of me. He taught me how to be an immortal. It seemed the most natural thing in the world when we realized how much we loved each other. We were married shortly after my second century as an immortal. And even though we’ve taken others as husbands and wives, we’ve believed in those vows we made to one another that day. A part of me feels betrayed by his unwillingness to share Molly’s existence with me. I’m very angry at him because of this, Duncan.”

Unable to stop himself, Duncan ran his hand over her hair. He sensed her anger, but there was something more there. “But…” he started for her.

“But, for the first time in my long life I’m not going to charge head-on and confront him. I’m going to let him stew and fret. I’m so thankful that I met Molly. I’m learning a new method of conflict management.”

“What would have been your standard response?”

A serious expression covered her beautiful face as she said, “Oh, the usual. I would have run him through with my sword, waited for him to revive, then given him a serious tongue-lashing.” She smiled prettily.

Duncan laughed. “I’m sure he would prefer your way to this.”

“Me too, especially because of the way we make up.” Jade raised her brows speculatively. “But, the lesson will make a more lasting impression by doing it Molly’s way.”

Duncan was about to agree when they both felt the wash of another immortal’s presence.

Duncan checked his watch. “That should be Molly. She’s late.”

“Act two,” Jade said as the oldest immortal entered the loft.

Molly waltzed into Duncan’s loft. It was five forty five. “I’m so sorry I’m late,” she apologized in greeting.

Jade and Duncan looked up from the couch, where they had been deep in conversation. “It’s not a problem,” Duncan replied.

“Did you have a nice day?” Jade added.

“Oh, lovely, lovely. I did a little shopping. Can I have a drink please, Duncan?”

“Sure, what would you like?”

“Water, please.”

“Just one moment, milady.”

When Duncan returned with her glass of water, Molly smiled her thanks and gulped it down quickly. “Now I must prepare,” she said with dramatic flair.

As Duncan and Jade watched in awe, Molly transformed herself from a calm happy woman into one who was scared, angry, and crying. She took deep breaths, each more shaky than the last. When she looked at them, there were tears in her eyes. The two surprised immortals started to giggle. Molly turned to glare them and ended up in a fit of giggles herself. A few minutes later, when they had all calmed, she rolled her head and cracked her knuckles, then dialed her best friend’s number.

*-*-*

Methos lay in the dark on his bed, his eyes shut against the horrors of the world. His wife was hunting his best friend. He had to figure out something to do, to get her to give up the hunt, to solve this dilemma. Jade seemed more determined than he’d ever seen her before. He spent a good portion of the day trying to think of a way to end this disaster without it ending complete catastrophe. The rest of the time, he imagined all of the horrific scenes of murder, mayhem, and general destruction that would ensue if his wife and best friend actually met and engaged in combat to the death. If they met, either way, he was the one to lose. It brought tears of helpless rage to his eyes just thinking about it.

The ring of the phone next to his head finally drove itself through his reverie. He reached over and picked it up. “Hello.”

There was no answer, but something like a whimper sounded softly over the line.

Jade and Duncan were trying extremely hard not to burst into very loud laughter.

“Hello?!” Methos was very annoyed. He had better things to do than deal with prank calls. He was about to hang up when he heard, very softly, scared, and actually squeaky, “Methos?” It was positively the most terrifying sound he’d ever heard. He sat bolt upright.

“Molly?? Ye gods and goddesses, what’s wrong??”

Her only reply was to burst into tears.

Duncan was in the kitchen leaning over the counter, Jade was on the floor in front of the couch. Molly turned away from the both of them, motioning back with her hand to keep quiet, working to stay quiet and keep the tears coming.

“Where are you?” Methos continued. “I’m coming over there.”

She took a breath deep enough to respond. “No, y-you can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I’m not,” she sniffled, “in the country.” She took a couple shaky breaths.

“Well, where are you?”

Molly’s eyes went wide, but she recovered quickly. “I don’t know!” she wailed.

“What do you mean, you don’t know?!”

“I-I-I…. I’m in an airport. I just got on the first flight out of the states. I didn’t care where the hell it went!”

“Ye gods, Molly. Calm down, love.”

“I-I-I can’t!”

“You’ve got to try.”

“I-I-I know,” she mumbled.

“Why did you leave the U.S. so quickly?” He dreaded the answer.

“I-I just w-wanted to get away.”

Methos sighed in relief.

“Because I’m being hunted,” she continued. Her voice caught in her throat.

“You’re being what?”

“Hunted. And I am so mad!” She was slightly less teary.

A flood of possibilities fell through Methos’ mind in a matter of seconds. He was scared to ask.

“Methos?”

“Sorry. Why are you so mad, dear?”

“Be-because I can’t stop crying… and that bitch took what belongs to me.”

“Um… what do you mean?”

“That Jane whatever-her-name-is bitch stole my student, the bloody whore. I hope I find her first. Her head is mine.”

Now Methos understood. Her tears were borne of rage, not fear. She ran because she knew she needed to calm down, gain control, before facing the coming challenge, else she’d lose miserably. “She stole your student?”

“Yes. And she’ll pay. With her head. I think it’ll make a nice mantelpiece.”

Methos found himself staring at an extremely horrific mental image. He gulped.

When she spoke again, her voice had regained much of its composure. Her tears were clearing up, she was calmer. “Methos, my dearest boy, thank you.”

He gulped again. “For what?”

For a half-second, she was sorely tempted to tell him, flat out. But then her common sense reasserted itself. This was all too much fun. “For being there. Just the sound of your voice helps me calm myself. I’ll call you when I get finished with my business here. Love you.”

“Uh, yeah. Love you too.” He sounded very distracted.

Molly smiled. “Bye.” She clicked off, and turned to Duncan and Jade, who were recovering from their fits, wiping their tears as she was. “On to act three,” she said with glee.

Jade was the first to recover. “He’ll be coming over here soon. Now that he knows we’re actually hunting each other, my leash will get even tighter, I’m sure.”

“And, he’ll want to keep me informed,” Duncan managed to say between gasping breaths.

Molly managed to gain complete control and said, “Of course, he will.”

“Now what?” Duncan asked.

Molly crossed the room to MacLeod and touched his chest.

Jade noticed the immediate effect it had on the Scot and had to smile.

“Now, you will play best friend. Be concerned. Offer your help. Be comforting. And Jade will play obedient wife.” Molly snickered as she continued, “Although, I can’t imagine her being anything of the kind.”

“Well, I wasn’t too popular in Ancient Greece, that’s for sure.”

Molly laughed hard. “I’ll bet.” She crossed to the elevator. “I better disappear. If I know him, he’ll be here very soon. Tootles, you two.”

Jade and Duncan returned to the couch. Molly’s signature faded.

“She’s good,” Jade said with admiration in her voice.

“You bet,” Duncan responded with something resembling awe.

Jade laughed heartily.

“What?” Duncan asked perplexed.

“You’re so obvious, Duncan MacLeod.”

“What in the hell is that supposed to mean?” He couldn’t believe that Jade could really know what he had been thinking when Molly touched him.

Jade had opened her mouth to reply when they felt another immortal’s presence. “He’s here,” she said instead.

The back door opened and a very haggard-looking Methos entered the loft. “Jade, you’re still here?”

Pretending she didn’t notice his current state, Jade approached and embraced him. “Where else would I be, love?”

Methos returned the embrace. Closing his eyes, he almost wanted to cry. His wife was hunting his best friend, and through some evil twist of fate, his best friend was hunting his wife. He’d have to ask her about that one later, covertly of course. He pulled away slightly and framed her face with his hands. “Go get in the car, please. I’ll be along in a minute.”

Jade nodded, grabbed her bag, and went downstairs with a brief wave to Duncan.

Duncan noticed how Jade played the role of perfect wife, even if Methos didn’t.

When he heard the door close, Methos began, “You’re not going to fucking believe this, MacLeod.”

“You’d be surprised at what I’d believe,” Duncan said fighting back his laughter.

“I got a call from Molly.”

“And…”

“She’s pissed. Says some woman is hunting her and that she’s going to face her.”

“She is…” Duncan couldn’t contribute any more to the conversation right now. Methos was wringing his hands and running them through his hair. It was almost more than Mac could bear.

“That’s not all. Apparently, she’s hunting too. She wants the damn challenge.”

“Why?”

“Because this Jane-person stole her student! That’s why!” Methos fairly shouted.

“But she’s hunting… whose Jane?”

“Jane is one of Jade’s assumed names, MacLeod.”

“Oh.”

“This is getting worse by the minute.”

“Hold on. If Jade stole Molly’s student, then where is he?”

“How the hell do I know?! It really doesn’t matter, does it?! The point is they’re hunting each other.”

“Calm down, Methos.”

“I CAN’T!” Methos flung his arms up dramatically.

Duncan’s voice turned soothing. “You still have control here, Methos. Jade is still with you, and Molly’s out of town, right?”

“She’s out of the country, yes.”

“All you have to do is keep Jade occupied. Between you and me, I’m sure we can keep her busy. You take her to museums; take her to dinner and to the movies. I’ll work out with her, maybe take her to the opera. This whole thing will blow over, Methos. I’ll help any way I can.”

“I know you will. Maybe it will work out. I need to get Jade home now. Goodnight.”

Duncan watched as the car pulled away. He’d never wanted to be a fly so badly in his life.

*-*-*

Methos entered the apartment first. He dropped his keys on the table and took off his coat. Tossing it in the chair, he said, “I need a shower.”

Jade looked at Methos. Intentionally misreading the signs, she said, “I bet. You’ve had a mind-numbing day tracking that woman for me. You go shower. I’ll cook. You look like you need to relax.”

“You have no idea, love.”

That night as they lay in bed, Methos clutched Jade to him. How could he lose either one of them? It was so damn unfair.

Jade kissed his chest and snuggled as closely as possible. She could feel his heart racing and almost felt sorry for him.

“Jade,” his voice came to her from the dark.

“Yes, love.”

“I love you, you know that.”

Jade smiled. “I love you too. Now, get some sleep. We have a lot to do tomorrow.”

Methos wanted to tell her how deeply he loved her. He wanted to tell her how important she was in his life. He wanted to tell her the truth about who Molly was and how important Molly was to him. He opened his mouth to speak, but then realized it was too late for that. He couldn’t express to her how he couldn’t survive without either one of them. He finally fell into a fitful sleep. Jade safely locked in his arms. She was safe for the moment, just as he knew Molly was safe for the moment. The moment was all he had.

*-*-*

Duncan was roused from a dream-filled sleep by the abrupt sensation of another immortal approaching. It hit him all at once; there was none of the preliminary build-up that usually occurred. In a heartbeat, he was out of bed at the ready, katana in hand.

“Whose there?” he called, voice hoarse with sleep. He blinked away the remnants of drowsiness and the dreams of raven-tressed women.

The door opened, Molly poked her head in. “Sorry,” she said with a sheepish smile. “I lost my concentration.”

Duncan relaxed and lay down his katana. “Good God, Molly, you scared me.”

“Sorry,” the old woman repeated. “Did I interrupt a particularly nice dream, Duncan?”

“No.” The highlander blushed crimson. “Are you just going to stand there with your head in my door all morning?”

“No,” she replied with a chuckle. “I’m like a vampire. I like to be invited in before I barge.”

“Well, come on in.” Duncan turned away, went to pull on a bathrobe over his bare chest and black pajama pants.

“I brought breakfast,” Molly announced, crossing the room to put the white paper bags she carried on the breakfast bar. “I didn’t know what you like in your coffee, so I left it black.”

Duncan smelled the warm bread when he reached the bar. It mingled with the bitter aroma of coffee and a tang of vanilla.

“What did you bring?”

“Some muffins, a couple of buttermilk biscuits, bagels. That’s about it.”

“Sounds good. Thank you.”

“Welcome. It’s the least I can do, to show my gratitude to you. I don’t think Jade and I would be able to pull this off without you, Duncan.”

“It’s no problem at all. I’m enjoying myself, and happy to be at your service,” the Scot replied as he buttered a biscuit.

Molly raised her eyebrows as she chewed her muffin. But she didn’t say what she was thinking.

“So how’s Methos?” she asked instead.

Duncan smiled. “Completely wrecked. He can’t even see straight, let alone think.”

“Wonderful. He will remember this lesson quite well for years to come. I’ll probably be hearing about it for years to come as well, but it’s all worth it.”

“That you will.”

Molly started to say something but cut herself off. “Oh, shit.”

“What?”

“They’re here.” Molly grabbed his arm and shut her eyes.

Something told MacLeod that he should not interrupt her for the moment. He watched her, secure that she didn’t know. Once she opened her eyes again, he asked, “What’s going on?”

“Methos is here, Jade too. I’ve gotta bolt.”

“Does he—?”

“No. I have longer range than most. Long story, not very happy, get him to tell you sometime.” Which meant Duncan would be lucky to ever hear about it.

“Where can I hide?”

“I don’t know. In a closet?”

“Ew, no. Dust. How about the bathroom?”

“No, why don’t you go down to the dojo showers?”

“Okay.” Molly bolted.

“Wait!”

She turned back and caught her coat, dropped it, snatched it off the floor, and fled.

After Methos, who was looking worse every day had left on his “information gathering quest,” Jade turned on Duncan.

“Where’s Molly?”

Duncan told himself that he shouldn’t be at all surprised that both of the ancient women would have far longer range in sensing others, but he still was. “She’s downstairs,” he replied. “Should be—”

Methos presence had faded out of range. Immediately the stronger presence of the older woman washed over both of them. A moment later, she ducked through the door again, walking slowly, head bent, hand against her forehead.

“What’s wrong?”

Molly groaned just a bit. She bit off the sign of pain quickly. “Nothing. Keep your voice down.”

The other two crossed their arms. “No, seriously, what’s wrong?” Jade repeated.

Molly sighed. “My head. Doing that for that long tends to give me a killer headache. I ought to kill him just for that. Why the hell were you two up and coming over here this early in the morning anyway?”

Jade chuckled. “I could ask the same of you.”

“Breakfast.”

“What?”

“That’s why I’m up. Breakfast. Need a good start for what I’m going to do this afternoon.” Molly grinned, thankful that the pain had receded to a dull ache. “Want a muffin?”

“Sure.” Jade smiled back at her older friend.

The two women spent the morning and most of the afternoon rehearsing their big fight scene. Both of them had enough sense to realize the danger in fighting to the death for the fun of it. It would be very easy for one of them to make a mistake that could cost a life. And they wanted to freak Methos out, not destroy him. Duncan stood on the sidelines and gave them pointers, helped them to see the subtleties of one another’s styles and how to work together. The women caught on quickly, easily devised a choreography for their fight, with Duncan’s help, then went through it in slow motion about a million and three times. Then, they did it for real. The first time, Molly’s grip slipped, and she sliced open Jade’s arm. The older woman apologized profusely as Duncan applied pressure to the wound, and Jade assured her friend that it was no big deal. When Jade’s arm was healed, Duncan moved back and told them to do it again. And they did. And again, and again, and again. Until they had it absolutely perfect and were both exhausted from the effort. Then, they took showers and dressed.

“Well,” Molly said to Jade. They were standing in the loft. Duncan was still in the shower. “Time for my big scene.”

“That it is,” Jade agreed. “Good luck.”

“Thanks. I may need it. I never liked picking fights with Methos.”

Jade raised her eyebrows.

“Well, ok, I never liked picking fights for real with Methos. You know what I mean. I love to tease the boy, but I hate fighting. You of all of us understand that, I’m sure.”

Jade nodded, admitting to herself that Molly’s intuition was unfailing. “Have fun,” she said with a smile.

“I think I will.” Molly smiled then impulsively gave the younger woman a hug.

Jade was surprised at the spontaneous show of affection. It was the last thing she expected from Molly. She hugged back. “I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah,” Molly agreed with a more customary mischievous grin. “Tootles, doll. Touch Duncan for me.” She winked.

Jade grinned at her, and the old woman left.

*-*-*

Methos sensed another immortal as he stepped out of his car. He’d spent the day driving around aimlessly, wasting a lot of gas, and getting nothing for it. He still had no solid plan, and somehow doubted that his customary practice of improvising would fly in this situation.

The fact that there was another immortal nearby was in itself not a good thing. The last thing he needed now was some random asshole looking for a fight. But as the distinct sensation started to fade, it twisted and melded into one with another, extremely familiar, constant, and normally comforting presence.

He stared up at the building where he lived in horror, knowing his best friend was up there, waiting for him, knowing he was down here, and probably wondering what the hell was taking him so long. All coherent thought ended. It was only because of some sort of subconscious direction and perhaps subliminal message that he left the side of his car and went inside, into the elevator, down the hall, and through his door. It wasn’t until he had taken off his jacket and was standing in his bedroom door looking at her that he came back to himself.

Molly was sprawled on her side in his unmade bed. She was dressed to kill—literally and figuratively—in grey slacks with a touch of stretch in them, a pair of sneakers, and an easy to move in black turtleneck sweater.

“Hi,” she greeted him; her attention focused on the large tome she was reading.

Methos gulped, decided he couldn’t trust his real voice, instead relied on his mental one. Hello.

She looked up to raise her eyebrow at him, shrugged, and switched over. I’ve been waiting for you.

Sorry, I was out for a nice afternoon drive. What are you reading?

One of your journals. Old one.

Ah. Methos sat down heavily in an armchair and took off his shoes. For fear of the panic threatening to send him screaming for the hills if he even attempted thought, he refused to think, period.

Cleopatra was a bitter, deluded fool, Molly announced without preamble.

What? No, she wasn’t.

Oh please.

Methos nearly exploded at her then and there. His barely contained panic was destroying his control. The room was threatening to spin out of control, along with the rest of his life. His fear and worry threatened to overwhelm him and send him screaming into the abyss, never to return. His already tenuous hold on his control was stretched dangerously thin, and threatening to snap. If only he had told them, if only he had taken the time to think, the time to realize that he needed to let the two most important people in his life meet under his terms, and not like they had! He was not in control of this situation, he’d been deluding himself the whole time, it was worthless, and he might as well give up now. Even as he jumped to his feet and spoke, he realized he was overreacting, but he couldn’t hold himself in check any longer. It was all too much. Molly, Cleopatra was one of the smartest, most beautiful women I’ve ever known!

Smart? Yes. Stable? Nuh-uh. She had the emotional maturity of a blueberry muffin, Methos.

You don’t know what you’re talking about, Molly. He stalked around the room.

Molly saw he was suffering. She wanted to end it. She wanted to tell him. But that would ruin everything, he wouldn’t learn. She steeled her resolve, sat up, and caught his arm as he walked past. Methos, she killed herself! That is not the action of a woman in control of her emotions.

He wrenched his arm away. You gave her the goddamned snakes, Molly!

She rose to her knees, paradoxically beginning to enjoy how riled she’d made him with only a few words, despite the fact that she also wanted to tell him everything. Oh, and what would you have had me do? Disobey my queen, my goddess? Get myself flayed alive? No, I’ll take the asps, thank you very much! She only kept you around for the sex, you know. A very sensitive subject, sure to touch a nerve. You were no better off than I was. At least I had my dignity!

I— Methos sputtered.

For crying in church, Methos! You were as blind as she was! Maybe if she’d actually talked to you…. Of all the men she ‘loved’ maybe you could have actually talked some sense into her. Maybe with you she could have done something for Egypt. What a waste.

Molly why do you think I stuck around?

She looked him right in the eye. He’d left himself wide open. You were in love with her.

No I wasn’t. I wanted her for the same reason she wanted me.

Oh spare me, Methos. Why do you even bother trying to lie to me? Or are you still lying to yourself too? You were in love with her, and she only kept you around for the sex, and you’ve been deluding yourself ever since. She fucked you three ways from Sunday, Methos, and you let her!

Just shut up Molly! Shut up!

The older woman glared at him, torn between satisfaction and regret. Good. Her work was finished here. She stood and walked off the bed, brushed past him, got her coat and shrugged into it, muttering to herself angrily, thoroughly delighted with her performance and his reaction.

“Wait!”

She turned around and sighed. “What, dear?” she asked reluctantly.

Why are you here, Molly?

“I’m hunting, remember? That bitch Jane stole my goddamned student.”

For a moment, he just stared at her, certain panic was etched into every line of his face, certain she would notice and demand to know what was the problem. He was also fairly certain that if she did ask, he would just tell her. Methos crossed the room and wrapped his arms around her. He just wanted it all to end, before he went totally insane. “I love you,” he murmured against her hair.

Molly could barely draw a breath; his grip was so tight. All she wanted to do was get away from him before she started laughing or told him everything in a rush of words. But she returned his embrace. I love you too, sweetheart. And I really have to get going. I just wanted to say hi. I didn’t want to fight. I’ll catch up with you after I kill the bitch, okay?

No.

She looked up at him and cocked one eyebrow. What do you mean, no?

I mean…stay here? Just for the afternoon? Please? I have to go out—for just a few minutes. But I’d like to spend the rest of the afternoon with you. I don’t want what could possibly be my last words to you to be said in anger.

I won’t lose, Methos.

Everyone says that, Molly.

Yes, but for me, it’s true.

Please, just stay? I won’t be long, I promise.

Molly sighed, affected thoughtful indecision. Then, All right. But you’d better hurry.

Thanks, magistra.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Go already.

Methos smiled. He was safe, for the moment. Jade was with Duncan, Molly was safely ensconced here. He breathed a sigh of relief, kissed her cheek, and headed for the door. As he shut it behind him, he thought he heard her mutter something like, “poor deluded fool,” but he decided his head was messing with him yet again, and forgot about it.

Molly got her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed Duncan’s number. “Duncan, darling, it’s Molly. He’s on his way over. Send Jade over here, okay?”

“Sure will. Good luck to you two.”

“Thanks. See you later.”

Duncan hung up the phone and turned to Jade. “It’s done,” he said.

Jade stood resolutely. “Final act,” she said.

Unable to resist, Duncan hugged her fiercely. “You two be careful. It’s a dangerous game you’re playing. If anything happened to either one of you…”

“Then it’s our own fault. We’re big girls, Duncan. We’ll be careful. Neither one of us wants to die.” She could sense Duncan’s hesitation.

“I’m not too sure about this, Jade. It’s starting to seem almost cruel.”

“You’re right, Duncan, it is. But, dammit, this could all be happening for real. How cruel would that be?”

Duncan nodded though he wasn’t completely convinced.

“Duncan, I love him more than I’ve ever loved anyone. I hate hurting him like this, so does Molly. But, imagine how much he’d hurt if we were really hunting each other.”

She was right, of course. But, it was just harder than he imagined it would be.

“Look, I can’t tell you not to tell him. Once he comes over here, what you do or say is strictly up to you. All I can say is that he won’t learn anything if we don’t see this through.”

Again, Duncan was forced to admit that she was right. He swallowed loudly and said, “Tell Molly…”

Before he could finish, Jade kissed his cheek. “She knows, Duncan.” And with that, Jade grabbed her bag and left.

Duncan said a silent prayer that this would end as they had planned and not as some Shakespearean tragedy.

*-*-*

Methos pounded on Mac’s door solely as a prelude to his entrance. He’d known something was dreadfully wrong when he pulled up to the dojo and couldn’t feel his wife’s presence. Barging in, Methos said, “Where is she, MacLeod?”

“She’s left.”

“How long ago?”

“About five minutes.” Duncan looked the other man up one side and down the other. He was a complete wreck. Whatever Molly had done, had hit its mark. Logical thought was now lost to Methos.

“Oh my gods…”

“What’s wrong, Methos?”

“Molly’s here. I just left her at my place. Where did Jade go?” When Duncan didn’t answer as quickly as Methos liked, so he asked again, “WHERE, Mac?”

“She went back to your apartment, Methos,” Mac answered softly.

It was impossible. This wasn’t happening! He shook his head and said, “No, no, no, no, no. She can’t be. She’s supposed to be here with you where she’s safe. You were supposed to take care of her, MacLeod. How could you let her leave?” Methos ran to Duncan’s coat and tossed it to him.

“Look, Methos, she’s a big girl. She wanted to surprise you. You know, you’ve been tense lately, and with good reason. She was coming to see you. She loves you, man.”

“We gotta go,” Methos said.

“Did you hear a word of what I said?”

“YES,” Methos shouted, “I HEARD EVERY FUCKING WORD, MacLeod.” Methos calmed immediately. “We’ve got to move. Molly’s at my apartment, and Jade is on her way there as well.” Methos ran out the back door before Duncan could reply.

After a brief argument, they decided that Duncan would drive. Duncan looked at his friend and said, “You should have told them, Methos. Long before now.”

“I know. I know.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“Would you believe me if I said it just never came up?”

“That’s pretty lame, old friend.”

“How about I was afraid they would each be jealous of the other and possibly challenge each other out of that jealousy?”

“I would say that you didn’t have much faith in either one of them. Geez, Methos.” Duncan was stupefied. Methos may be a master strategist, but he was dense where these two women were concerned.

“What do you mean, MacLeod?”

“I mean, Methos, that Jade is your wife. She’s your match.”

“And Molly?”

“She knows you better than you know yourself. She’s your teacher. Your best friend.”

“She’s more than that, Duncan. And so is Jade.”

“Then you should have trusted them, Methos. You should have trusted that their love for you was strong enough to at least accept one another for your sake if for nothing else.”

“You’re right. But hindsight is 20/20. I can’t change the past.”

“But you can still fix the present.”

Methos’ voice fell to a whisper, “If we get there on time.” He started to cry. Damn, but he didn’t want to cry in front of Duncan.

Mac pulled the car over and turned to face his friend. Squeezing Methos’ shoulder, he said, “Let it out, Methos.”

Impulsively, Methos embraced his friend hard as sobs wracked his slender frame. “I can’t lose either one. Gods above, but I can’t lose them like this. I love them, MacLeod. Even when they aren’t around, they’re a big part of my life. Help me, please.”

“I know you love them. And, I am here to help.” It wasn’t a lie really. Duncan was there for Methos. He was helping the man learn a lesson about ensuring the safety of those he loved. Gently pulling away, Duncan continued, “We’ll get there on time. I promise. You okay now?”

Methos wiped his eyes. “Let’s just hurry, okay?”

Duncan pulled back onto the road seriously wondering if this had been the right thing to do. True, Methos deserved to be taught a lesson. One he would never forget. But, this was traumatizing him psychologically. It was beyond what Methos deserved. And if they hadn’t pulled in front of his apartment building at that precise moment, Duncan would have told him the truth. But as soon as he stopped the car, Methos was out the door and running for the stairs. It was all Mac could do to keep up with him.

*-*-*

“Are you sure we should be doing this?”

“No,” Molly replied immediately. “Why? Are you?”

“Not at all.”

“Good. I’m sure Duncan is of the same opinion. I’d say that this makes us all even.”

For a few long minutes, the two ancients stretched in silence. Then Molly spoke up again. “I guess it wouldn’t fly if we were sitting here having tea party when they arrive, would it?”

“No. Unfortunately.”

“Damn.”

“Yeah.”

Their eyes met as both of them sensed the approach of other immortals.

“Well,” Jade sighed, picking up her sword. “I guess this is it.”

“Mmhm,” Molly agreed. “Denouement.” She took up her own blade, saluted and bowed to her opponent.

Jade smiled faintly and returned the gesture.

“Nos morituri salutamus est,” Molly added.

“Appropriate. Nos morituri salutamus est,” Jade repeated. It was a Latin phrase uttered by gladiators to the emperor before fighting to the death. “We who are about to die salute you.” “It’s been a long time since I heard that one,” she added, stepping into a ready position.

Molly assumed her own stance. “It’s been a long time since I said that one,” she replied.

Jade raised her eyebrows.

“Long story. I’ll tell you sometime.” Molly grinned, then began her attack.

When Methos entered his apartment, Duncan right on his heels, the two most important women in his life were trying to kill each other. “NO!” he cried. The only thing that kept him from interfering, undoubtedly at high cost to either him or one of the women, was Duncan, who grabbed him by the arms and held him back. The task took all his strength.

“You can’t interfere!” MacLeod yelled in Methos’ ear.

Methos whirled on him. “The fuck I can’t!”

“No, really, you can’t. The fight has begun. There’s nothing you can do.”

“I know,” Methos whispered. He turned around to watch the end of his life, the tears spilling over once more, and blurring his vision.

“HE’S MINE!” Jade screamed at Molly amidst the loud clanging of metal against metal.

“HE WAS MINE FIRST!” Molly screamed back. “I’M BLOODY OLDER THAN YOU ARE!”

“WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING?”

“HE’S OLDER THAN YOU ARE. I’M OLDER THAN YOU ARE. PUT TWO AND TWO TOGETHER, DUMB BITCH!”

“WHO ARE YOU CALLING A DUMB BITCH?”

“UH, YOU!”

Jade growled, “HE’S MINE!”

“NO HE ISN’T!”

“DIDN’T YOUR MOTHER EVER TEACH YOU TO SHARE?”

“DON’T YOU KNOW, HONEY? I’M EGYPTIAN; WE DON’T SHARE!” Molly took a breath, then continued, “Cultural flaw. Perfected over millennia.”

“NO!” Methos interrupted from his place by the door, Duncan still holding him back, more out of caution than from any provocation from the old man. They didn’t hear him, or they chose to ignore him. “Please!” he added, voice dropping to a hoarse whisper.

Molly gave a nod just barely perceived by Jade, whom it was intended for. On Molly’s next attack, instead of defending herself flawlessly as she had every other time, she miscalculated her parry, and failed to riposte, the result of which was Molly running her through. Jade gasped in pain as cold steel ripped through her body. “Sorry,” she heard Molly whisper somewhere in the vicinity of her right ear. She gasped again in pain as Molly pulled her blade back out, the other woman wincing in sympathy.

“No,” Methos whispered, his knees giving out beneath him. He covered his face with his hands and sobbed. It was then, as he waited for his best friend to take his wife’s head, that he realized that it was he over whom they fought. They were talking about him. They were jealous of each other. Over him. Oh gods, he thought. This is all over me. What have I done?

Duncan stood over him, slack jawed, wondering when the two had added the bit with the running through, and when they had rehearsed the fierceness in their expressions, and when they were going to give up.

Jade was on her knees, looking across the room at Methos. Molly was standing over her, poised for the strike that would never come. She was out of breath. Jade could hear her breath rasp in and out of her lungs. Her own breath was quick and shallow. Methos was sitting with his head in his hands, not watching. He looked…desolated.

“Molly,” she whispered, “look at him.”

Molly stood with her hands over her head, her sword growing heavy extremely fast. She heard Jade’s words, and slowly raised her head to look at her best friend. “Oh gods,” she whispered. “What have we….” She tore her gaze from the mess that was Methos, to look at Duncan, who was wide eyed. “Oh gods,” she repeated. Then she put down her sword. “Nevermind,” she said. “Fuck this.” She helped Jade up. “Sorry,” she whispered, again.

Jade nodded. They exchanged glances, made a silent agreement. Molly glared at Duncan, silencing him, at least for the moment. Then Molly crossed the room and knelt beside her best friend, regretting ever coming up with this sadistic joke. We can’t tell him now. Look at him. It’ll kill him. He’ll kill us. He didn’t deserve this.

“Methos?” she whispered. The world’s oldest woman reached out to touch her student, but he shied away. “Methos,” she repeated. “It’s over, boy.”

Slowly, he looked up from his hands at the woman who’d taught him everything. There was nothing but an utter lack of hope in his eyes. She was staring at him. Tears gathered in her eyes. It’s over, she told him.

Methos shifted his gaze from Molly before him, up to Jade, who was standing with Duncan’s arms around her, almost as teary as Molly was. He looked back at the older woman. Do you promise?

“Boy,” she whispered. “I swear it.”

Methos put his arms around her and clung to her for dear life. He never wanted to let go of her. Ever, ever, ever. Molly held on tight, rocking him gently, trying to convey all of her regret in the simple action of holding him, trying to erase his pain. She didn’t know if he received her message, but he held her as tight as he could without suffocating her, and cried on her shoulder. He didn’t realise that she was crying too.

Jade looked back at Duncan. “Let’s go,” she whispered.

“Don’t you—”

Jade shook her head. “Later,” she mouthed.

Duncan raised one eyebrow, but did not respond. She glared at him for assuming, although he was right. Jade gathered her coat and her sword, wrapping herself up tight so as to avoid stares over the bloodstain on her shirt. Duncan took her bag and put on his own jacket, and they left in silence. As they passed the two sitting on the floor, Jade briefly lay her hand upon Molly’s shoulder. The older woman nodded her acknowledgment, but otherwise did not react. Then Jade and Duncan were gone, leaving the old woman to offer her comfort to her best friend.

*-*-*

Jade and Duncan had left long ago. Or perhaps it felt longer than it had been. Molly and Methos were still sitting on his living room floor.

“Methos?” she whispered. She didn’t know if he was still crying. Her own tears had dried up a while ago. At least he was letting her breathe normally again.

“Mmm?” he replied.

“My foot is asleep.”

He snorted into her shoulder with laughter and lifted his head. He was almost smiling. “Thank you,” he said softly.

“For what, love?”

“Making me laugh. I needed that.”

“Oh. Welcome. Anytime. Help me up, please.”

“I don’t think I’ll be able to. My entire left leg is asleep.”

It was Molly’s turn to laugh. “Why didn’t you say something, darling?”

“Because. I was rather comfortable as I was. And besides, after a while you don’t feel it any longer.”

“Oh.” Molly smiled and unfolded herself, already feeling stiff and sore. Sitting still for so long after the exertion of the fight had not been a good idea. She got to her feet, favoring her left leg because the pins and needles sensation in her right foot made it hard to put any weight on it. Somehow she managed to assist her student to his feet as well.

“Do you want something to drink?”

“Yeah, that’d be good. Thanks.”

“Any clue what you’d like?”

“Not in the least. Something hot, though.”

“Okay. You sit down, I’ll go throw something together for you.”

While his teacher was in the kitchen Methos looked around and realised that Jade and Duncan were gone. Where had they disappeared to? Did Molly know where they were? Was his wife ok? He was calmed slightly by the fact that they were probably together, wherever they were. He decided to hold off on asking Molly if she knew their whereabouts. Maybe she’d tell him on her own. But then again, maybe she wouldn’t. She did, apparently, hate Jade. And Jade hated her. Damn but things were just totally fucked.

Molly was back in only a few minutes. “Here you go, love,” she said as she handed him the mug.

Methos took a sip and mostly smiled. “Mmm, hot chocolate. With just a hint of…coffee?”

“Kahlua,” Molly corrected. “A little Mudslide I found in the back of the cabinet.”

“Ah. Yum.”

“It’ll help you sleep.”

“Maybe.” He sounded extremely doubtful of his ability to find sleep anytime in the coming hours, perhaps even days.

“Trust me.” Molly sat close beside her best friend, letting him know with her body language that she was entirely available for any consoling he could possibly need. Methos understood her message and lay his hand over her own, the only thing he really needed at that moment being physical confirmation that she was alive.

For a few scant seconds, Molly found herself assaulted by her conscience. The proverbial angel sat on her shoulder and screamed at her to tell him everything. But Molly fought back. She told the little creature to shut up. It wasn’t as if she wasn’t ever going to tell the boy what she and Jade had done to him. It was just that in his extremely fragile state, he was likely to go totally berserk, and neither her, nor Jade, nor Duncan needed to deal with that at the moment. Now was definitely neither the time nor the place to let him know of her little joke. Her conscience grumbled over the compromise for a few moments, then poofed away back into the recesses of her mind where it belonged.

When he finished Molly’s brew, Methos set the mug down on his coffee table without the benefit of a coaster, something he usually insisted upon since the table was over two hundred years old. Then he scooted down the couch, under curious gaze from Molly, and then lay down with his head in her lap. It was something he had done often in his life, and even more so in his mortal life, as a child. If he remembered the habitualness of his action, Molly did not know, but it brought fond memories to her. She smiled down at him. “My dear, darling, little boy,” she said softly. “Just as precious now as you were as a babe.”

Methos smiled and shut his eyes. Molly smoothed his tousled hair. She ran her fingers through the dark strands, plucked gently at it, smoothed it, and then tousled it again. She continued the process many times over. It was an old habit, yet another thing she had done very often for him as a child. It was something he had always taken great comfort in, something she knew he found soothing, even if he didn’t remember it. That, and it helped with headaches. She continued the slow process, her thoughts growing more and more dim as the exhaustion and regret and worry of the last few days finally caught up with her. Eventually she drifted off, her hand stilling in his hair.

Methos looked up at her. “You look worn out,” he observed. Her head was starting to droop. He knew it was a selfish thing to do, he could tell she was exhausted and needed sleep, but he wanted her to be awake, to stay with him. He needed her to stay with him.

At his statement, Molly’s eyes blinked open. “So do you,” she replied. “Your eyes are red. Poofy too. Get up and come with me.”

Methos sat up, grabbed her arm before she could stand. “Where’s Jade and Duncan?” he asked, voice low and serious.

She blinked at him. The old woman hadn’t expected him to be so blunt about it, though she had known he was wondering. Molly stretched her arms and back taking her time answering him. “They left. Your wife wasn’t feeling too well after I ran her through, and Duncan took her away so I could have some time alone with you. She’ll be over later.”

Methos gave her a suspicious look.

“What? You don’t believe me?”

“No, I believe you. I just…I don’t know.”

“You’re wondering at my lack of hesitance in sharing you?”

“Well, yeah.”

“I have to. End of story. And so does she, which makes me feel a hell of a lot better. Now come with me, s’il vous plait.” She took his hand and led him into the bathroom.

“Sit,” she ordered. Methos sat down on the edge of his bathtub. He watched as Molly got out a washcloth and turned on the sick to hot. She held her hand under the water until she deemed it hot enough, then doused the cloth. “Shut your eyes, dear,” she ordered, her tone soft, but still authoritative. Methos shut his eyes. Molly started at his forehead, wiping the cloth against his skin, down the sides of his face, across his closed lids, over his cheeks and lips, down his neck. Then she re-wet the washcloth and repeated the process.

“I feel like I’m about five,” Methos said.

“Nah,” Molly replied. “If you were five, you’d still be kicking and screaming. In a mother of a fit. You liked to throw fits.”

“Really.”

“No. You never cried. It worried me. I’m glad to see that you’ve gotten over that.”

“I only had five thousand years to learn.”

“Yup. Besides, you’re loving this.”

“Maybe.”

“Definitely.” Molly finished wiping his face a second time, then wet the cloth again. “Cold this time,” she said softly.

Methos nodded. The cloth made him shiver. But he felt immensely better when she was finished.

“Are you as tired as I am?” she asked.

“Probably.”

“Good. Let’s go to bed.” Molly pulled him to his feet, but before tugged him into his bedroom, she spoke again. “Methos, I’m sorry.”

Methos touched his index finger to her lips, silencing her apology. “You’ve nothing to be sorry about, Mol. This entire ordeal is my fault.”

“No, it isn’t,” Molly protested.

He silenced her again. “Even so, it definitely isn’t your fault. Or Jade’s.”

“Still, I…. Still.”

“Shh,” he ordered. “Not now, ok?”

“Ok.” She tucked him in, then crawled in beside him. He put his arm around her waist, and tucked his head under her chin. Molly draped her arm along his and shut her eyes. “I feel like I could sleep for about a week,” she whispered.

“As do I,” he replied.

“Well then, it’s a plan.”

Only a few minutes later, the phone close beside Molly’s head jumped to life, jerking her out of her drowsing state. She reached over, picked the offending piece of plastic up, and clicked the talk button.

“Hello.”

*-*-*

After a warm shower and a change of clothes, Jade admitted to feeling a little better. She’d given the two oldest immortals a couple hours to work through their emotions, and decided that she’d stayed away long enough. She was practically sick with worry. Worry for Molly. Worry for Methos. She wanted, no needed, to know that they were okay. She wanted to see for herself that Molly had helped Methos to step back from the edge of the proverbial cliff. She had some healing of her own to do as well, and she needed to be with Methos to do it.

Duncan hated to see Jade go off by herself. Physically, she’d healed rather quickly, but mentally she seemed distracted, almost lost. Just as a precaution, he called up Molly after Jade left to let her know that Jade was on her way.

“Hello,” Molly’s soft voice answered after the first ring.

“Molly, it’s Duncan. I just wanted to tell you that Jade’s on her way back over. She’s not really acting like herself.”

“I’ve no doubt, Duncan. But, I’ll keep an eye out for her. I can’t leave Methos alone.”

“How is he?”

“Better, now that he knows we’re not going to kill each other. He’s worried about Jade. He’ll be even better when he sees her again.”

“I’m sure he will,” Duncan said. In a selfish way, he was sorry to see this end because that meant that Molly would soon be leaving for parts unknown. Then, through pure unadulterated genius, Duncan said, “You sound worn out, Molly. Why don’t you come over to the loft and let me pamper you for a while. You can kick back and relax. I promise to wait on you hand and foot.”

Molly smiled. Silly Scot. But, how could she deny him? He sounded so damn cute. “Okay, why not? I’ll head on out when Jade arrives.”

“See you then.”

*-*-*

Jade arrived a few short minutes later.

Molly met her at the door.

“How are you?” Jade asked, in a soft voice so as not to disturb Methos, wherever he was. Molly looked as worn out as Jade felt. She never imagined the stress and strain she would feel over this.

“I’ve been better. How are you?” Molly answered softly as well. She gave Jade the quick once over and decided that the girl could use some consoling herself. Methos could help her with that.

“I hate being run-through. Hurts like hell,” Jade said both honestly and with an attempt at some humor.

Despite herself and Jade’s dry humor, Molly chuckled lightly. “I know, sweety.” She really couldn’t help but like this girl. It had taken a lot of trust on Jade’s part to allow herself to be run through by a virtual stranger’s sword.

Looking around, Jade’s visage turned to one of concern.

Interpreting the look for what it was, Molly said, “He’s in the bedroom, resting. The whole thing has taken its toll on him more than us, I think.”

Jade took a couple of steps toward the bedroom before she heard Molly say, “Look, give me a call later. I’ll be at Duncan’s.”

Jade smiled. “Sure will. Enjoy yourself,” Jade said, knowing that deep inside Molly loved the attention that the Scot lavished on her. From what Methos had told her, Duncan had quite the reputation for knowing exactly what made a woman turn to butter. Good for Molly. She deserved some special attention.

Molly’s chuckle and unique signature faded a few moments later.

Jade peeked inside the bedroom door. She really didn’t know what to expect. If he was sleeping, then she didn’t want to bother him. But, she needed him, dammit. Needed to know that he was no longer in distress.

It was dark in the room. She scanned inside quickly and found her husband’s form standing by the window looking down at the street. Even in the dark, she could read his mood. He held more emotion in his body than he wanted people to see. And, he wasn’t as opaque as he wanted to believe. His shoulders were still hunched slightly, but he was standing taller. Whatever happened between him and Molly went a long way towards his mental recovery. Silently, she thanked the old girl. Now, Jade would have to see if she could bring him the rest of the way.

“You’re too far away,” Methos said without looking away from the window, his voice a full octave lower than normal.

Jade couldn’t help but shiver slightly. She’d heard him use that tone so many times with her. She knew what he wanted and was more than happy to give him whatever he needed. Jade entered the room quickly. Upon reaching her husband, she was gathered into his arms swiftly for a tight embrace. “I’m so sorry,” she said as genuine tears of apology fell from her face.

“I should be the one to apologize, love. I was such a fool,” he said as he wiped the tears from her eyes. They were in his eyes too, but he ignored them. She was safe and she was once again in his arms. It was the same as the relief he felt when Molly had gathered him into her embrace. He wondered briefly if it would be possible to hold them both as tightly as he could for the rest of his life. He could try. But for now, he would show Jade just how much he wanted her. And he did want her, as suddenly his clothing became tighter than normal.

Jade clung to Methos and bit back her reply. She wanted to tell him that she and Molly had planned the entire scam from the beginning. That it was all some crazy idea to teach him a lesson. But, it was she who had learned a lesson. She stopped her train of thought when she felt Methos’ lips kissing her neck. She sighed in response. This was it. This was what she had craved from the first second when Methos had opened the door a few days ago when he was so excited to see her. “It’s been a long few years, love,” she said though her breathing had gone shallow. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“I need you, Jade.” The rawness in his voice was undeniable. He must have spent a long time, after Jade and Duncan had left, crying. Crying for the near loss of her. Crying for himself. Crying for Molly. It had been too much for him to bear. She could sense it in his voice.

Jade thought to comment, but again lost her ability to form words when his mouth covered her ear. It was one of her most erogenous zones. He knew it and was exploiting it like a master. Jade tilted her head to give him better access. “Methos,” she finally managed to say as his hands ran sensuously up her back.

“Yes, love,” he responded huskily as he slowly backed her toward the bed. He needed her like he needed to breathe. He’d thought her lost a few hours ago. Now, she was here with him and she was finally safe, just as Molly was safe. He never thought to question where the older woman had gone, just as he hadn’t questioned when Jade had left earlier. He was just thankful to have this opportunity to be with each of them. He reached under Jade’s shirt and caressed her skin. He said all the things with his body that he couldn’t speak at the moment. But, she already knew. That was the beauty of their relationship.

When the back of Jade’s knees hit the bed, she fell back lightly taking Methos with her. “Nevermind. It will keep,” she said before his mouth claimed hers. This kind of comforting she could definitely do. Definitely.

*-*-*

“Hello?” Duncan answered after only the first ring.

“Duncan, it’s Jade.”

“Hey, are you alright?”

“Perfectly fine, all things considered. You?”

“Fine. How’s Methos?” the Scot asked hesitantly.

“Better. All things considered. Is Molly there?”

Duncan looked across the loft. Molly was in his bed, something that immensely pleased him, despite the fact that he wasn’t with her. His covers were pulled up over her head. He didn’t know if she was still asleep or not. Upon arriving, she had promptly burst into tears. It had taken him a half-hour to calm her, and she had fallen asleep shortly after that, with her arms tightly around his waist. Duncan had tucked her into his bed and left her. She desperately needed the sleep.

“I think she might be asleep,” he told Jade, keeping his voice low. “I’ll go check.”

“Thanks.”

Duncan set down the receiver and tiptoed across the room. Very slowly and carefully, he pulled the covers back off of Molly’s face. She looked up at him. “Is it Jade?” she asked.

The Highlander nodded.

“Okay,” Molly replied. Then she kicked the covers back and rose. Rubbing her eyes she walked across the room and picked up the phone. “Hey Jade.”

“You sound like shit, Molly,” Jade said, surprised and unable to stop the reaction from leaving her lips. “I’m sorry,” she added quickly.

Molly chuckled. “No prob. I feel like shit.”

“Oh. Okay, I guess.”

“Have you left Methos already? I’d would have thought your conjugal visit would have lasted a little longer.”

“Molly,” Jade hissed.

“What?” the older woman asked, all innocent and sweet.

“And to answer your question, no, I haven’t left yet. Methos is in the shower.”

“Ooh, dangerous.”

Jade grinned on her end of the line and glanced over to the bedroom. The shower was still going. She wished she could join him, but needed to talk to Molly, and this was the only time she could think of. “Are you leaving town, Mol?”

“I don’t know. I might let Duncan convince me to stick around for a while. Provided he cooks for me.” Molly slanted a glance at the Scot, who bowed before her. She giggled, but quickly sobered. “Does Methos have a clue?”

“Not a whit.”

“Well that’s good, for now. I don’t know when we’re going to tell him.”

“An opportunity will present itself, Mol. They always do. I’m trying not to worry about it for now.”

“And undoubtedly failing as miserably as I am.”

“Yup. Unfortunately.”

“I hate guilt,” Molly muttered.

Jade snorted. “You aren’t the only one. I haven’t felt this guilty in a long time.”

“Honey, I don’t remember the last time I actually felt guilt.”

“Must be nice.”

“Not really. I’d forgotten how miserable it makes me.”

“Well, you’ve got the besotted Scot to wait on you.”

Molly smiled. “Well that certainly is true. I feel better already. Thanks, Jade.”

“Not a problem. Happy to help. And I just heard the water go off, so I’d better get going. Our opportunity is not now.”

“Definitely. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Bye.” Molly hung up.

Jade turned the TV on and feigned interest. Methos emerged from the bathroom with a towel around his waist. He looked better. “Did I hear you talking?” her husband asked.

Jade shook her head innocently and smiled. “Must’ve been the TV,” she replied.

Methos shrugged as if he wasn’t quite sure he believed that, but he knew Jade wouldn’t lie to him, so he accepted what she said as truth.

“Want something to eat?” Jade asked.

“Sure.”

“Okay, I’ll go make something.” Jade got up and hurried into the kitchen before he could get a word in edgewise.

Methos watched her go with a quizzical look, but then shrugged and went to get dressed.

*-*-*

The End

Tags: alternate universe, angst, character driven, drama, duncan macleod, het, humor, jade, joe dawson, rating: pg-13, richie ryan, romance

This entry was posted on Monday, June 15th, 2009 at 2:33 am and is filed under highlander: the series. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.