Shades and Echoes, Chapter Fifteen
Here's the next chapter.
"You never told me MacLeod had taken a student."
Joe looked up from the account book he'd been working on.
"James. What brings you here?" Joe was suddenly very grateful that Adam had already gone home.
"You never told me MacLeod had taken a student," James repeated.
"I didn't think you'd care," Joe told him frankly. "I'm not sure why you do."
"It's not in any of your reports, either," James said, ignoring Joe's almost-question. Joe shrugged.
"I'm a little behind in filing them." Not that it's any of your business. James had been acting strangely lately. Joe had put it down to his having followed the Kurgan around for the last fifteen years, and perhaps to the stress of recent changes, but this seemed different, and it was making Joe uneasy.
"Who's the student?" Definitely uneasy. Joe shrugged again, feigning mild disinterest.
"Some kid. Eric something or other -- I don't know his last name yet. You know how MacLeod is about strays."
James gave him a long, narrow-eyed look, then nodded.
"Are you okay?" Joe asked. He didn't really *like* James, but he did like his sister, which meant worrying when her husband wasn't acting normally.
"I'm fine," James said curtly, then grudgingly added, "Thanks."
"You want a drink?"
"No. I need to get going."
"Okay." Joe picked his pen back up. "Give my love to Alison."
"I will."
Joe went back to his accounts.
***
Methos opened the barge door only to be confronted by two scowling faces. For a brief second, he entertained the idea of closing the door again and going back to his flat. If he'd thought he would be allowed to get away, he would have done so. Instead he stepped the rest of the way inside and closed the door behind him.
"Where have you been?" Duncan demanded. "And don't say 'class'. I was there to meet you when you were supposed to have been finished."
Bugger.
"I was at Joe's. I needed some time to myself."
"With Slan Quince out there hunting, you're likely to end up with no time left," Connor remarked. Methos fought back the urge to say something sarcastic.
"Sorry," he said instead, looking down at his feet. It kept him from glaring daggers at both Highlanders. There were times when he wished he'd had the sense to disappear after MacLeod outed him as Immortal, no matter the plans that would have disrupted. This was one of them.
"Adam, I can't protect you if you fight me on this," Duncan said.
"I have a gun."
"And using it is a good way to get yourself arrested."
Methos decided not to enlighten him as to the silencer on said gun. It would only have led to awkward questions.
"Joe's is safe," he said instead. "He has a gun too, and if it comes to that, he's allowed to use it to protect his property and his patrons." And can convince HQ that he didn't know the man he shot was Immortal until afterwards.
Duncan hesitated, then nodded. "Fine. You can go to Joe's if you want. But stop skipping class."
Ignoring the last half of that statement, Methos smiled, pleasantly surprised by the unexpected display of reasonableness.
"Thank you." It was what Adam would have said.
"You're welcome."
Conversation presumably over, Methos shrugged out of his coat and slipped out of boots and socks, leaving all three by the door.
"It's still really cold out there," he said. "Unpleasantly so." Fortunately the barge was pleasantly warm.
"Then sit and warm up while I start dinner," Duncan suggested. "You can keep Connor company."
"Oh, boy," Methos said, only a little sarcastically. Connor grinned at him.
"I won't bite," he promised.
"Ha, ha," Methos said flatly. Duncan beamed benevolently at the pair of them and took himself off to cook dinner.
"Am I really that scary?" Connor asked. Methos would have glared at him, but Adam wouldn't have, so he looked down instead. Connor
sobered.
"Adam, I would never hurt you unless you tried to take my head. You're Duncan's student. That makes you a kinsman." Methos looked up sharply. Connor was looking back at him, his face open for once and his expression serious.
"You mean that," Methos said, not bothering to hide his surprise. "What about the Game? The whole 'there can be only one' thing?"
"We'll worry about that when and if we're the only two left standing. Until then, you've nothing to fear from me." Connor offered his hand.
"Friends?"
Methos took it, and they shook hands standing in the middle of Duncan's living room.
"Friends," he agreed.
After that, the atmosphere was more relaxed. Methos slipped into the kitchen to grab a beer, and poured Connor a drink while he was at it.
They sat together and watched TV until Duncan told them that dinner was ready.
***
Joe sighed and closed the ledger he'd been working on. He was finally caught up on the books for the bar -- which meant that he really had no excuse to keep procrastinating as regards to MacLeod's Chronicle. He'd been putting it off, not because he felt guilty about protecting Methos, but because it was the beginning of a whole pack of lies he was not looking forward to seeing if the Watchers would swallow. It was going to be horrendously complicated, and would mean having to watch everything he said and wrote all of the time.
Methos does it, he told himself, and he's in far more danger than I am. With another sigh, he pushed himself to his feet. He had almost reached the office behind the bar when someone knocked on the door. Joe turned to the door, ready to wave off a late customer. When he saw who it was, though, he crossed the room and unlocked the door.
"Reggie Blake?" he said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"We need to talk," Reggie said, stepping inside. "It's about your brother-in-law."
***
Author's Notes: Thanks go, as always, to my wonderful beta lferion, and also to those of you who've taken the time to read and review. Feedback rocks my world.
"You never told me MacLeod had taken a student."
Joe looked up from the account book he'd been working on.
"James. What brings you here?" Joe was suddenly very grateful that Adam had already gone home.
"You never told me MacLeod had taken a student," James repeated.
"I didn't think you'd care," Joe told him frankly. "I'm not sure why you do."
"It's not in any of your reports, either," James said, ignoring Joe's almost-question. Joe shrugged.
"I'm a little behind in filing them." Not that it's any of your business. James had been acting strangely lately. Joe had put it down to his having followed the Kurgan around for the last fifteen years, and perhaps to the stress of recent changes, but this seemed different, and it was making Joe uneasy.
"Who's the student?" Definitely uneasy. Joe shrugged again, feigning mild disinterest.
"Some kid. Eric something or other -- I don't know his last name yet. You know how MacLeod is about strays."
James gave him a long, narrow-eyed look, then nodded.
"Are you okay?" Joe asked. He didn't really *like* James, but he did like his sister, which meant worrying when her husband wasn't acting normally.
"I'm fine," James said curtly, then grudgingly added, "Thanks."
"You want a drink?"
"No. I need to get going."
"Okay." Joe picked his pen back up. "Give my love to Alison."
"I will."
Joe went back to his accounts.
***
Methos opened the barge door only to be confronted by two scowling faces. For a brief second, he entertained the idea of closing the door again and going back to his flat. If he'd thought he would be allowed to get away, he would have done so. Instead he stepped the rest of the way inside and closed the door behind him.
"Where have you been?" Duncan demanded. "And don't say 'class'. I was there to meet you when you were supposed to have been finished."
Bugger.
"I was at Joe's. I needed some time to myself."
"With Slan Quince out there hunting, you're likely to end up with no time left," Connor remarked. Methos fought back the urge to say something sarcastic.
"Sorry," he said instead, looking down at his feet. It kept him from glaring daggers at both Highlanders. There were times when he wished he'd had the sense to disappear after MacLeod outed him as Immortal, no matter the plans that would have disrupted. This was one of them.
"Adam, I can't protect you if you fight me on this," Duncan said.
"I have a gun."
"And using it is a good way to get yourself arrested."
Methos decided not to enlighten him as to the silencer on said gun. It would only have led to awkward questions.
"Joe's is safe," he said instead. "He has a gun too, and if it comes to that, he's allowed to use it to protect his property and his patrons." And can convince HQ that he didn't know the man he shot was Immortal until afterwards.
Duncan hesitated, then nodded. "Fine. You can go to Joe's if you want. But stop skipping class."
Ignoring the last half of that statement, Methos smiled, pleasantly surprised by the unexpected display of reasonableness.
"Thank you." It was what Adam would have said.
"You're welcome."
Conversation presumably over, Methos shrugged out of his coat and slipped out of boots and socks, leaving all three by the door.
"It's still really cold out there," he said. "Unpleasantly so." Fortunately the barge was pleasantly warm.
"Then sit and warm up while I start dinner," Duncan suggested. "You can keep Connor company."
"Oh, boy," Methos said, only a little sarcastically. Connor grinned at him.
"I won't bite," he promised.
"Ha, ha," Methos said flatly. Duncan beamed benevolently at the pair of them and took himself off to cook dinner.
"Am I really that scary?" Connor asked. Methos would have glared at him, but Adam wouldn't have, so he looked down instead. Connor
sobered.
"Adam, I would never hurt you unless you tried to take my head. You're Duncan's student. That makes you a kinsman." Methos looked up sharply. Connor was looking back at him, his face open for once and his expression serious.
"You mean that," Methos said, not bothering to hide his surprise. "What about the Game? The whole 'there can be only one' thing?"
"We'll worry about that when and if we're the only two left standing. Until then, you've nothing to fear from me." Connor offered his hand.
"Friends?"
Methos took it, and they shook hands standing in the middle of Duncan's living room.
"Friends," he agreed.
After that, the atmosphere was more relaxed. Methos slipped into the kitchen to grab a beer, and poured Connor a drink while he was at it.
They sat together and watched TV until Duncan told them that dinner was ready.
***
Joe sighed and closed the ledger he'd been working on. He was finally caught up on the books for the bar -- which meant that he really had no excuse to keep procrastinating as regards to MacLeod's Chronicle. He'd been putting it off, not because he felt guilty about protecting Methos, but because it was the beginning of a whole pack of lies he was not looking forward to seeing if the Watchers would swallow. It was going to be horrendously complicated, and would mean having to watch everything he said and wrote all of the time.
Methos does it, he told himself, and he's in far more danger than I am. With another sigh, he pushed himself to his feet. He had almost reached the office behind the bar when someone knocked on the door. Joe turned to the door, ready to wave off a late customer. When he saw who it was, though, he crossed the room and unlocked the door.
"Reggie Blake?" he said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"We need to talk," Reggie said, stepping inside. "It's about your brother-in-law."
***
Author's Notes: Thanks go, as always, to my wonderful beta lferion, and also to those of you who've taken the time to read and review. Feedback rocks my world.