MacLeod’s loft
that night

“Have a beer, Richie?” Adam asked as the younger Immortal wandered in from Duncan’s bedroom several hours later. Richie apparently kept an emergency change of clothes at the loft, because the bloody shirt he’d been wearing earlier had been replaced.

“Don’t mind if I do. Where’s Mac?”

“Meeting a friend at the airport.” He tossed a beer can to the other man. “Have a seat–we need to talk.”

Curious, Richie obeyed and seated himself on the couch at the opposite end from the other Immortal. “What’s up?”

There was a long pause as the older man sipped his beer with a thoughtful look on his face. “Richie…how much do you know of the lore of Immortals? Of our own myths and legends?”

“Only what Mac told me. I don’t know how much that is.”

“Are you familiar with the legend of the oldest Immortal?”

“Methos? Sure, I’ve heard of him. Why?” He took a drink from his own can.

“Well, because I’m afraid I haven’t been entirely honest with you. Adam Pierson isn’t my real name–Methos is.”

Richie spat his beer out all over the couch.

Methos winced. Damn, I hope MacLeod doesn’t expect me to clean that up!

“YOU are Methos??? The oldest living Immortal???”

“Yes to the first question, and so far as I know there’s not an older one around, so yes to the second as well.”

“But–but–!”

“No, Methos isn’t just a myth, yes, I know I certainly don’t look or act my age, and no, I am not pulling your leg.” He regarded the younger man frankly. “Does that answer your questions?”

“All but one–why are you telling me this?”

“Because…” Methos sighed. “If you’re going to help us take care of this little unholy alliance, you need to know.”

Richie nodded, a grim expression coming into his eyes. “All right. So what’s the plan?”

“Mac is right now at the airport, picking up the friend of a friend. This friend of mine, as well as his friend, are both also vampires.”

The young man visibly paled.

“They are, as I said before, friends,” the ancient Immortal reassured him. “So, I can promise you they will not behave anything like Divia.”

“Good.”

“When MacLeod returns with Janette, she and LaCroix are both going to take turns killing me.”

Once again, the younger man paled. “Why?” he choked out.

“Because they need the power in my blood, my age and experience. Divia is older and more powerful than both of them and she has probably been drinking from many Immortals besides you. Many older Immortals. Without my blood in their veins, they would have little hope of defeating her and we would all be lost.”

Richie nodded. “Got it.”

“We need you to help us find where they are hiding.”

“Hey, whatever I can do to help,” the young Immortal promised.

“You just have to promise me one thing–once we get there, you will stay out of the way and not come inside. It’s going to take both LaCroix and Janette to keep Divia from draining me, and I can’t risk getting distracted.”

Although he was not always known for following orders, the young man nodded. His own memory reinforced the gravity of Methos’ words. Richie shuddered again. “What about Mac?”

The ancient Immortal sighed. “MacLeod isn’t going.”

“He agreed to stay behind?” Richie sounded astonished.

“He doesn’t know yet. But if I have to shoot the stubborn fool to keep him here, he’s staying.”

The younger man snorted. “Boy, is he gonna be thrilled to hear you say that.”

“I’m not here to thrill Duncan MacLeod,” was the dry retort.

o/

MacLeod’s loft
later that night

“All right, now that everyone’s here, I’ll make introductions.” Methos pointed to each of them in turn. “Duncan MacLeod, Richie Ryan, Lucien LaCroix, Janette DuCharme. Now, let’s get down to business, shall we?”

Richie had to shake his head to clear the cobwebs. He’d known from her name that Methos’ friend’s friend was a woman, still he hadn’t been expecting her to be so…breathtaking. Janette turned to look at him knowingly, then smiled and slipped an arm through LaCroix’s.

The young Immortal turned scarlet.

“Janette, how much of our plan did Lucius and MacLeod explain to you?” the ancient Immortal asked.

“Lucien and I will drink from you to gain the power of your age and Immortality, then we are responsible for disposing of ma vilaine petite soeur, while you will take care of the Immortal child.”

Methos nodded. “And Richie is going to make sure we show up at the right place.”

“What about me?” Mac demanded.

“You, Highlander, are holding down the fort and getting your ass out of Seacouver if for any reason we don’t come back.”

MacLeod’s jaw dropped. “What??”

“I’d like to keep the number of Immortals involved in this venture as small as possible,” the older man explained. “Fewer distractions, so to speak.”

“But you’re going to risk Richie’s life again by taking him along??”

Richie turned away from his mentor, hiding a smirk.

“Richie has strict orders to stay out of things once we get there,” Methos stated with a glance at the young man.

“Oh, he’s really good at following orders,” was Duncan’s sarcastic response.

“This time I will be, Mac,” the youngest Immortal promised. He shivered. “Trust me, I have no interest in running into those two again!”

“I still don’t like it,” the Highlander declared.

“Of course not. You don’t like any adventure where you don’t get to play the hero,” Methos stated calmly. “But the fact remains, there is such a thing as too many cooks spoiling the Haggis–to use a metaphor I’m sure you’ll understand–and since you’re the only one we don’t absolutely need, you get to stay home.”

Mac just scowled and fell silent.