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Nightshade,
Early evening.
The sun has been down for
barely an hour and already the club regulars have
started to file in. Mariah sits on her stool (or throne a few
wags might say)
at the end of the bar surveying the entire club. A group of five
enter and
immediately draw attention to themselves. They are dressed like
some cliched
bikers from a bad movie. Torn blue jeans, leather jackets....
the whole lot.
Their leader is a tall slim
man with scraggily blond hair and gotee. He is
flanked by two women, who under other circumstances would be considered
quite
attractive if they weren't playing the roles of the typical biker-sluts.
Followed closely behind is a heavy-set black man wearing a long leather
trenchcoat and an asian man dressed in a bomber jacket.
They make a show of moving
across the room, shoving and pushing people out of
the way. Mariah shakes her head at the scene. There are
always a few like
these.... they come into a new city and immediately try to intimidate
the
locals and thus elevate themselves higher. The group had taken
a booth in the
back when Terry came up to Mariah.
She touched her shoulder
and saw the look of concern on her face. "Something
wrong?"
"New arrivals." Mariah
said pointing to the loud group in back. "Young ones
probably.... I'm willing to bet none of them have reached fifty yet."
Terry turned back to the
bar and took her glass. "I would be surprised if they
hit thirty." Terry sighed. "Well at least Derek is coming
back tonight, let
him worry about it."
"Let Derek worry about what?"
A voice from behind came.
Terry whirled around to
see her old friend and her husband standing there. She
wrapped her arms around Aaron's neck and kissed him passionately.
"I've missed
you."
V opens the door to her
apartment and invites Jax in. She sets her sword case
on the table and goes to the bedroom to get changed. Jax takes
the opportunity
to look around. He notices a picture on the mantle he never saw
before. It was
of V who had her arm around an attractive woman with long black hair.
Beside the photo there was
a simple pencil sketch of a handsome young man held
in an elegant silver frame. He had just picked it up when V walked
back into
the room. She had changed into a comfy pair of jeans and a t-shirt.
She noticed Jax admiring
the pictures and spoke startling him. "I just put
those out a few days ago."
He turned around a little
embarassed. "I'm sorry." He said still hold the
silver frame. "Who are they?"
V moved to stand next to
him and Jax thought he caught of whiff of perfume.
"That's Jessica.... we were..... involved for a short time."
Jax saw the sadness in her
eyes at mention of the woman. "And this.....?"
V took the frame from his
hands and traced the man's face with her fingers.
"This is..... this was Justin..... my husband." A single tear
fell from one of
her eyes as she placed the frame carefully next to the one of her and
Jessica.
"I'm sorry." Jax said.
V smiled a sad smile.
"It's alright.... it was a long time ago."
"How long?" Jax enquired,
then instantly regretted asking such a question.
V gave him a genuine smile
this time letting him know she didn't mind him
asking. "Almost.... yeah..... almost 200 years now." Her
face grew sad again
and Jax was about to put his arms around her when she suddenly started
to laugh.
"What?"
V looked over at him.
She has the most beautiful smile Jax thought. "I was
just thinking about Darius." She saw Jax raise his brow in intrest.
"He was
the one who did that sketch. I never knew he was an artist until
he made that
for me."
"Who's Darius?" Jax
asked as V motioned for him to sit.
V sat down on the couch
next to him. "He was the best of us."
"He was Immortal like you
and Brenda?"
"No. He was better."
Jax leaned in a little closer as V spoke. "He used to
be a general, but he threw down his sword and became of all things....
a
priest." Jax smiled with V as she said it. "He spent 1500
years in a small
church in Paris, tending the sick, helping the survivors and the victims
of war
and plague and....." She started to giggle. "..... and
trying those noxious
teas he would brew out on anyone who walked through the door."
"He sounds like an interesting
man."
"He was."
Jax looked down at his watch
and saw the time. He couldn't believe how late it
was. "I had better get going." He said getting up off the
couch.
V walked him to the door
and held it open for him. "Thanks for lunch. You
know I never would have picked for the chili dog type." She said
laughing.
Jax smiled at her.
"Well I guess it just proves that maybe we don't know each
other as well as we thought."
V smiled back, then leaned
in and planted a kiss on Jax's lips. She drew back
quickly, completely embarassed at what she had just done. Jax
said nothing and
pulled her close to him and kissed her again. After several seconds
they broke
apart, both left quite breathless and a little confused. They said
nothing more
and V closed the door slowly behind Jax.
After he had gone she leaned
her back against the door and sighed. "Oh boy."
The large man swung the
double-edged battleaxe down and Brenda dodged. She
knew that only a moron would try to block an axe with a blade.
She instead
relied on parrying moves that diverted the axe rather blocking it outright.
Her
oppnent swung the heavy axe with a skill that terrified her.
This wasn't how she planned
to spend this evening. She had just left Lois at
the PC Hotel and was on her way back to the loft when this man approached.
He
introduced himself as Simon Karn and then launched his attack.
Brenda saw an opening as
Karn swung down again. She brought her blade up quick
and managed to strike two fast cuts into his chest. Karn stumbled
back as the
pain hit him, but it didn't last long because he swung the axe over
and
splintered the dock rail next to Brenda.
Just as it struck the rail
Brenda threw herself forward and lunged at Karn's
undefended side. The blade layed opened his stomach and Karn
dropped the axe.
Brenda immediately came in with a sweeping blow that severed the man's
head from
his shoulders.
A few minutes later car
alarms near the area went off and every window around
was blown out by a sudden and violent electrical surge. Brenda
pulled herself
up and rested for a moment against the rail. "I am really starting
to hate
that."
Robin walked into Nightshade
and as she headed to the office in back she was
stopped by the tall man with dirty hair. "Hello darlin'."
The man said in a
English cockney accent that sounded way too phoney to be real.
"Excuse me." Robin
said as she tried to pass.
The man held out his arm
in front of her, blocking the way. "Now come on.....
don't be shy. I mean after all we're all friends here."
He then grabbed Robin
by the waist and pulled her close to him. "So why don't you get
with it and be
friendly."
"Let me go." Robin
said as she tried to push him away but he held too tightly.
The man was laughing as she struggled against him. He was just
about to kiss
her when a hand on his shoudler spun him around.
"I think the lady wants
you to leave her alone." Aaron said as he stood face
to face with the brash young vampire.
"I think you should mind
your own business meat sack." He said flashing his
fangs. "Or I'll rip open your chest and eat your heart."
Aaron suprised the vampire
by laughing in his face. "You've seen too many
movies." He then grabbed him by the jacket and shoved him hard
against the bar.
"And you've just made the
last mistake of your life." The man snarled at him.
"Stop!" Derek's voice
startled both men especially the young vampire.
"Who the hell are you."
The man said in a tone that no one.... no one used on
an Enforcer if they expected to go on living afterwards.
Derek came closer and a
light from the ceiling illuminated his face. "I am the
law here." The man's friends had now gathered around them.
"And if you cannot
conduct yourself accordingly you will not be welcome in my city."
The four other vampires
began to slowly advance on Derek, Robin and Aaron but
stopped when noticed they were now surrouned by eight of Derek's Enforcers.
The
others looked to thier leader for what to do. He motioned to
the door and the
others backed away slowly.
The man straightened his
jacket and got right in Derek's face. "I don't care
who you think you are.... we will meet again."
"Becareful what you wish
for." Was Derek's icy reply.
The man just smirked at
him and left the club running his hand along the bar
and knocking glasses and bottles off as he went. Mariah and Terry
had now
joined them and had witnessed the tail end of the encounter.
Aaron put his arm around
his wife's shoudler and gave Mariah one of those
looks. "Hope your insurance is paid up because I think there
is going to be
trouble."
CHAPTER 5
Chez Mariane.
Methos took Eve's coat and
handed it to the hostess. As they were shown to
their table every male head in the restaurant turned to look at Eve
in her
dangerously low cut dress.
Methos suprised her by ordering
for both of them in French and a few minutes
later the waiter returned with a bottle of wine. He poured some
into a glass
and waited for Methos' approval. Once he had it he filled the
glass and then
Eve's.
"So you speak French too?"
Eve said taking a sip of wine.
"I've spent a lot time in
Paris these last few years." Methos answered.
"Doing what?" Eve
said as she smiled at the waiter who placed a salad in front
of her.
"Research. I work
for a private...... historical foundation."
Their food arrived and they
chatted over the meal. For relative strangers the
conversation, even the silences, were surprisingly easy. Eve
had never met
someone she'd felt so comfortable around. Methos was charmed
and thrilled by
her intelligence, her grace, her smile, and most of all, the spirit
reflected in
her eyes.
Nearly two hours later they
strolled along the street heading for Eve's
apartment. The night was quite chilly for June, but neither of
them seemed to
notice. Methos walked her as far as her door.
She hesitated, then looked
at him. "Would you like to come in for coffee
Adam?"
Methos smiled at her.
He wanted more than anything to come in, but he also
wanted to take whatever this was between them slow. There was
something about
Eve Lambert that intrigued the 5000 year old Immortal. He hasn't
had this kind
of feeling since....... since Alexa. "I have an appointment early
tomorrow, in
fact the one I was supposed to have tonight. I'd better go."
Methos took her hand in
his, the steady gaze penetrating her eyes as he gently
kissed her hand. He released it, then laced his fingers with
hers and pulled
her towards him, his eyes never leaving hers as he bent down to kiss
her.
Eve's breath caught when
their lips met. He wrapped his other arm around her
neck, pulling her tighter and deepening the kiss. She slackened
in his arms and
he gently pressed her against the doorframe, supporting her as he slowly
explored her mouth. For what seemed an eternity they stood outside
Eve's
apartment, each stunned by the intensity of the feelings the kiss invoked.
Methos finally broke the
kiss, still holding her tightly. He felt her shaking
slightly beneath him and his reaction to that was almost as intense
as the kiss
itself. He looked into her eyes again. "Good night, Eve."
He kissed her
forehead with a tenderness that made her shiver once more.
She finally regained enough
composure to wish him good night. She slipped
inside and locked the door behind her. She slouched against it,
her feelings a
jumble of deep pleasure and fear at the vulnerability of emotionally
opening
herself to this man she had only just met.
Methos took a deep breath
to compose himself and went back outside into the
chilly night. He didn't notice the cold.
Brenda came into the hall
and threw her coat onto the couch. She felt the buzz
and turned around. "What the hell do you want?"
"I wanted to talk to you."
Sonny said as he came to her. "What happened?" He
asked when he saw her torn shirt.
"Guess." She said
sarcastically.
Sonny's eyes widened as
Brenda pulled the shirt over her head revealing a white
lace bra. She exmained her shirt then threw it into a waste basket.
"Are you
still here?" She said as she walked to staircase that leads upstairs.
Sonny followed her upstairs
and Brenda went into Robin's room. She came out a
minute later wearing a shirt that was clearly too small for her and
poured
herself a drink.
"Are you okay?" Sonny
asked concerned about her.
"I'm fine." She told
him. "Why wouldn't I be.... I only just killed someone
tonight."
"Brenda...." Sonny
said softly as he tried to touch her shoulders.
Brenda shook him off and
turned around to him angry. "Don't you dare." She
stormed over to the couch. "I don't want your pity."
"It's not pity Bren."
He said as her eyes started to tear up. Sonny walked
slowly up to her and hesitantly put his arms around her.
Brenda half-heartedly tried
to push him away, but eventually allowed his arms
to envelop her and she began to cry into his chest. Sonny rocked
her back and
forth and stroked her hair as the emotion took control.
Emily's apartment,
a few hours later.
Emily was straightening up,
moving some boxes out of the extra bedroom and into
the closet in hers when the doorbell rang. She looked at the
clock on wall
wondering who it could be at this late hour. "Derek!" She
screamed in suprise
upon opening the door. "I missed you."
"I.... missed you too."
Derek said as she wrapped her arms around him.
Emily eventually released
him and invited him inside. "When did you get back?"
"This evening." He
said sitting down on the couch. "Mariah told me you got
your own place."
"Yeah, now that I'm 18 I
can get away from the Quatermaine dungeon without them
being able to drag me kicking and screaming back."
"I'm sorry I was out of
town and missed your birthday." Derek said taking one
of her hands. "But I'm afraid it couldn't be helped."
Emily squeezed his hand
back reassuringly. "It's okay. Mariah told me. What
was it some kind of family emergency?"
"In a way." Derek
reached into his coat pocket. "I may have missed your
birthday, but I didn't forget it." He pulled out a jewel box
and handed it to
Emily. "I stopped by because I wanted to give you this."
Emily opened the box carefully.
Inside it was an antique silk choker with a
exquisitely carved pearl cameo sown into it. Just below the choker
was a
matching pearl ring. "Oh.... Derek.... I.... I can't..... I can't
take this.
It must have cost you fortune."
"Hardly." He took
the box from her and removed the choker. Emily turned her
back to him and raised her hair. Derek traced his fingers along
her neck
sending a shiver down Emily's spine before he slipped the choker around
her neck
and fastened it.
It fit perfectly, almost
as if it were made just for her. Emily turned around
so he could see it. "Beautiful." He said admiring her.
He then took the ring
and slipped it onto her finger before bringing her hand up to his lips.
Emily felt her temperture
rise when his lips touched her skin. She moved a
little closer to him. "Thank you." She she whispered as
she let her lips
lightly touch his.
As she kissed him Derek
could hear her heart beating within. When she moved
away he grabbed her and he pulled her onto him so she was straddling
his lap.
She slid both arms around his neck and found his mouth with hers.
Derek slipped one arm around
her back as he slowly traced a line of soft kisses
around the edge of her face, then moved to her left ear. She
gasped softly as
he traced his tongue around it. Unknown to Emily, Derek had reached
his limit,
his eyes had shifted to gold he was just about to bite when the doorbell
rang
again. Emily instantly regained her composure and slid off of
Derek's lap while
he silently thanked the god he never really believed in for the interruption.
Emily went to the door and
after checking her clothes and taking a few deep
breaths, she opened it. "Mom!"
Robin and Jason were sitting
on the floor in front of the couch. A fire was
blazing in the fireplace and they sat together gazing at it.
Robin was drinking
from a wine glass and Jason sipped from a bottle of beer, his back
propped
against the sofa, supporting Robin as she rested against his chest.
"You've been awfully quite
tonight." Jason's voice was almost a whisper as he
stroked her hair gently.
"I was just thinking."
Robin mentally debated on whether or not to tell him
about what happened at the club tonight, eventually deciding to leave
it for
now. "Taggert paid a visit today." She instantly felt Jason
tense up at the
mention of Taggert's name. A well placed hand on his chest though
calmed him
immediately. "Sonny was here too."
"What did Taggert want?"
"The usual. He just
came by to say that he's going to throw you and Sonny into
jail no matter how long it takes." Robin tightened her arm around
Jason's
waist. "Let's not talk about him or anything."
Jason held Robin, tight
and close, until she dozed off. Gently he slipped from
her arms and trying desperately not to wake her, he carefully picked
her up and
carried upstairs to their bedroom.
CHAPTER 6
"May I come in?" Monica
asked standing outside of Emily's door.
"Oh, sure." Emily
moved to the side and allowed her mother to pass.
Coming in Monica looked
around and was surprised to a man standing in the
middle of her daughter's apartment. Derek shifted a little feeling
Monica's
intense gaze and she tried to surpress the urge to go off on Emily.
Monica walked to the good
looking young man with her hand out. "I'm Monica
Qaurtermaine.... Emily's mother."
Derek smiled at her.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you Mrs Qaurtermaine.
I'm Derek LaShalle." He took Monica's hand gently and she was
surprised at the
coolness of his skin. "I was just leaving." He released
Monica and walked over
to Emily who was still standing by the door. "I'll talk to you
later." He said
as he tenderly kissed her forehead.
Emily brought an arm around
his back and hugged him. "Thanks for my present."
She whispered in his ear. She closed and locked the behind him
as he left.
Then Emily turned around and prepared herself to recieve both barrells
from her
mother.
Derek walked outside and
stood in the cool night air staring up at the moon for
several minutes. He finally turned into a nearby alley and positive
that no one
was near, he launched himself into the air.
Across the street from the
apartment building a shadowy figure watched a dark
shape rise over the building and disappear into the night sky.
An attractive
woman (in a slutty kind of way) came into the light cast by the nearby
streetlamp. It was one of the women Derek encountered earlier
that evening at
Nightshade. She smiled sadly to herself, then turned and walked
away.
Lucky was sleeping soundly
while Liz was busy getting dressed. She slipped on
her shoes and bent down to gently kiss his cheek. As her lips
touched him, his
eys snapped open and he reached out and pulled her down onto the bed.
"Lucky....." He stopped
her talking by covering her mouth with his. He broke
the kiss, but continued to trail kisses down her neck. "Lucky
stop.... I have
to leave."
"No you don't." Lucky
said, his voice muffled as he moved to her shoulder.
"Yes.... I do." She
replied while pushing him off of her. "It's late and I
have to get home." She kissed him quick on the mouth and then
got off the bed.
"I have to get up early and start packing. I'm moving into Em's
tomorrow."
Lucky propped himself up
on an elbow. "I can't believe Audrey is just going to
let you walk out."
Liz smiled. "She's
not happy, but she knows I'm serious about this." She
slipped on her coat and checked her sword. She bent down and
kissed Lucky
deeply. "I love you."
In an old wharehouse in a
particularly nasty part of the city a small group was
gathered. The same group who caused some minor trouble at Nightshade
earlier.
They sat around a fire that cast enlongated and distorted shadows on
the distant
walls. The place was filthy even by their standards, but at least
it was a safe
place to spend the day.
Their leader, the man with
the dirty blond hair called himself Zed, it wasn't
his real name of course, but that didn't matter to his 'friends'.
His face bore
the appearance of a man who might have once been referred to as handsome,
but
years of hard and fast living had taken their toll.
Zed paced around the fire
seething with anger. If it wasn't for those two
bastards at the club he would be staying there tonight, feeding whenever
he
liked and having the pick of countless women. He looked up an
saw the asian man
in the bomber jacket approach. "Tane?"
"He was still at the club
when I left." Tane said sitting down next to fire.
"And it didn't look like he was leaving anytime soon."
The woman who was outside
Emily's building came in next. Her name was Melissa.
Two years ago she was a college student with a bright future ahead
of her. She
used to be strong-willed, independent, but that was before she had
met Zed. He
had taken her against her will and in the following weeks through almost
constant abuse, he had broken her. He turned a vibrant young
woman into a
timid, silent shadow of her former self who now belonged only to him.
Zed looked up at her.
"Well?"
Melissa didn't meet his
gaze. "He went to an apartment building." She started
to shake slightly when he walked up to her. "He met a woman there.
A mortal
woman."
Zed turned and smiled.
"It seems the big bad Enforcer has got himself a mortal
bitch."
"This is a mistake."
Another woman said.
Her name is Shannon and
she has been with Zed's crew from almost the very
beginning. She too was taken against her will, but unlike Melissa,
Shannon
reveled in her new life. Instead of retreating inward and shutting
down, she
redirected her pain outward and became the abuser herself. Once
someone could
have felt sorry for her, but not any longer. She enjoys what
she has become,
enjoys hurting people too much to elicit understanding or pity from
anyone
anymore.
"Excuse me?"
Shannon walked up next to
Melissa. "I've heard others talk of the Enforcers
and from what I've heard they're very dangerous."
Zed turned around and backhanded
her across the mouth. "Don't give me that
crap! Those are just stories." He started to pace again.
"We can do whatever
we want and no one can stop us."
"What if you're wrong?"
Shannon said rubbing her jaw.
"I'm not wrong. All
we have to do to establish ourselves as the power in this
city is give the local losers a little show of force to let them know
who's in
charge from now on." Zed then flashed a malevolent grin.
"And we're going to
start with those two bastards who got in my face tonight."
Wyndemere,
the next morning.
Mrs Johnson showed the young
woman into the study. Stefan looked up and smiled
when he saw her. Sarah smiled back at him and noticed another
man sitting on
the couch with his back to her. Stefan walked up to her and grasped
her hand.
He led her over to the couch and Methos stood up.
Stefan introduced them.
"Sarah, this is Adam Pierson, he's going to help you
get started with your assignment."
Methos took her hand and
kissed the back of it. "Hello Sarah."
Sarah blushed involuntarily.
"Hi."
As Methos held Sarah's hand
Stefan tried to ignore the sudden twinge of
jealousy that surged through him. He coughed. "If we could
get down to
business."
The three of them sat down
and Methos began to explain to Sarah in detail
exactly what her duties as her sister's Watcher entailed. After
he had finished
Stefan got up and got a package that he handed to Sarah. She
opened the box and
took out a leather bound journal with the Watcher insignia stamped
on the front.
"Are you ready to get started?"
Stefan asked her.
Sarah held the book to her
chest and smiled proudly. "Yes."
Methos clapped his hands.
"Excellant." He put his arm around the young woman.
"Welcome to the asylum." He said and Sarah smiled. "Now
if you will excuse me
I have to go."
"An important meeting no
doubt." Stefan said with a smirk.
Methos smiled back at him.
"You could say that."
"Give me regards to Doctor
Lambert." He said as Methos walked to the door.
Methos opened the door and
turned back to Stefan before leaving. "Who's
watching who now?"
Stefan laughed as the door
closed and Sarah studied him curiously. In all of
the time she has known him, this was the first time she ever saw him
laugh.
When she was seeing Nik he was always so rigid and collected and hardly
ever
even cracked a smile, now here he was laughing, quite loudly too.
Sarah decided
she liked this version of Stefan Cassadine and hoped to see more of
him.
"Well I guess I'd better
go too." Sarah said.
Stefan touched her arm as
she started to leave. "Please stay. Have you had
breakfast yet?" Sarah shook her head no. "Then I insist
you stay." Stefan
placed his hand on Sarah's back and escorted her into the dining room.
Sarah placed her journal
on the table while Stefan went into the kitchen to
speak with Mrs Johnson. She took a plate and began to fill it
with food from
the small buffet laid out. She had just sat down when a voice
startled her.
"Nik." She said swallowing.
"What are you doing here?"
Nik asked staring down at her.
CHAPTER 7
"I asked you what you're
doing here?" Nik said walking around the table to her
growing more impatient by the second.
"Unless I'm mistaken she
appears to be having breakfast."
Nik turned around to see
his father walk in carrying a pot of fresh coffee.
"Father...."
"Good morning Nikolas."
Stefan said after pouring Sarah a cup and setting the
pot down. "Would you care to join us?"
Nik was now totally confused.
"Can I have a word with you?" He led Stefan to
the other end of the room, out of earshot of Sarah. "Father why
is she here?"
"As I said before, we're
having breakfast."
"What I mean is... why are
you having it with her? Not too long ago you barely
acknowledged her presence and when you did it was only to dismiss her."
Stefan shifted slightly
embarassed. "Yes well... I was somewhat curt with Miss
Webber before, but that was before I got a chance to know her."
Stefan looked
over at the attractive blond haired young woman who smiled back at
him. Stefan
turned his attention back to Nikolas. "I understand your concern
Nikolas. Your
break-up with her was not pleasant."
"Not pleasant? She
refused to accept it and she still thinks we're going to
get back together. There was a time when I couldn't turn around
without seeing
her."
"And whose fault is that?
You ignored her for months, refused to see her, now
granted some of that is certainly my fault, but you were the one who
decided to
break things off with her in favor of Robin Scorpio."
Nik considered Stefan's
words for a moment. "Okay. I admit that I could have
handled it better, but that's not the point." He turned so his
back was to
Sarah. "I don't want her coming here."
"That's not your decision."
Stefan looked into Nik's eyes. "If you have a
problem with being around her, you are just going to have to get over
it because
you will be seeing her quite frequently."
"What do you mean?"
Nik asked.
"I mean I've hired Sarah
as..... my personal assistant."
The loft.
V sat at the kitchen table
having coffee with Brenda. V walked in early this
morning to find Brenda fast asleep on the couch. In the last
month or so Brenda
has barely spent a night at home, it seems that the only reason she
goes out to
her house now is to get fresh clothes or something she needs.
She liked staying
at the loft because it kept her close to Robin who was now living in
Jason's
penthouse.
Brenda refilled her friend's
cup and sat down next to her again. "So where did
you disappear to yesterday?"
V almost choked on her coffee.
"Oh...ahh... I had lunch with someone."
"All day? Who was
it?" Brenda asked trying to worm it out of her.
V took another slow sip.
"Jax."
Brenda raised her eyebrows
in surprise. Not that Jax and V had an all day
lunch, but that it really didn't bother her that he spent all day with
another
woman. <So that's where he was.> She thought to herself.
A couple of minutes of uncomfortable
silence followed, until they both felt the
buzz followed by a knock on the outside door. V looked at the
security monitor
and broke in a wide smile. Brenda watched as she opened the door
and threw
herself into the arms of the man standing there.
"Methos!" V screamed
as he gave her a bear hug. As they walked in V
remembered Brenda standing there and looked sheepishly at Methos.
"Sorry."
Methos kissed the top of
her head. "Forget it." He held his hand out to
Brenda. "Methos."
Brenda took his hand.
"Brenda Barrett. So you're Methos."
Methos grinned at her.
"Yes. Disappointing isn't it?" He laughed and Brenda
joined him. He released V and turned to her. "So where's
the old man, as if I
didn't know?" V pointed to the guest bedroom. "Excuse me."
He said to both
women, then walked to the room.
Methos stood over the bed
next to Aaron. He looked over at Terry and gazed at
her for a moment and let out a short breath. She is so beautiful
he thought to
himself. He bent down and whispered to Aaron. "Good morning,
sunshine."
A groan, then a voice from
beneath a bundle of sheets and quilts grumbled.
"Bloody hell Methos, that's a good way to lose your head."
"C'mon, sleepyhead, up and
at 'em."
Another grumble, then Aaron
mumbled irritably to himself in a language that
only the two of them, and maybe Terry, would recognize caused Methos
to smile.
"That's what I love about you, Antonius. You're such a morning
person."
Methos grinned and made
his way into the living room. Aaron joined him a few
minutes dressed only in pajama bottoms and a robe. The two men
embraced warmly.
"What are you doing in Port
Charles?" Aaron asked as V handed him a mug of
coffee.
"Joe sent me down on......"
He looked over at Brenda and Aaron nodded.
"....Watcher business. Something involving a new recruit."
"Sarah Webber." Aaron
said knowingly causing Methos to grin. "Who do you
think put the idea in Daniel's head." He laughed.
"I should have known.
The sister of a new Immortal, who just happens to be
your newest pupil."
Brenda and V went downstairs
to the practice hall leaving to the two old
friends alone to catch up. Methos gazed longingly at Brenda as
she walked down
the stairs, when she was out of sight he turned to Aaron with a mock
look of
scorn.
"You really piss me off
Antonius. Why do you always get the gorgeous
students?"
Aaron just smiled.
"Luck."
"Where do you want this one?"
Lucky asked holding a box.
Liz looked up at him.
"Bedroom please." She said then went back to sorting
out her CDs with Emily. "I told you there was a reason I brought
him along."
Emily giggled. "It
must be so nice having a big strong man in your hip
pocket."
Liz started giggling too.
"You have no idea." Liz got serious for a moment.
"Em.... there's something I wanted to talk with you about. I
just want to know
if it would be a problem if sometimes Lucky....." Liz's face
turned red.
Emily put her hand on her
friend's shoulder. "Liz. It's okay, just let me
know when." Liz smiles. "Besides I may have an overnight
guest myself." Liz
asked if she meant Derek and Emily nodded. "He came by last night
and gave me a
late birthday present." Emily showed the pearl ring she was wearing
and the box
that held the matching choker.
"Oh my god, Em. They're
gorgeous."
"Who's gorgeous?"
Lucky asked coming in.
Both women eyed each other
and started giggling, then Emily spoke. "You are."
She got up and started caressing his chest. "I was telling Liz
how jealous I
was of her, because she has you, in fact I was telling her how I used
to have
huge crush on you and I always regretted never doing anything about
it."
Liz moved up next to him
and started to run her hand along his chest with
Emily's. "Yeah, and I decided to help Emily out by giving her
the chance to
live out her fantasy."
"Fantasy?"
Emily started to kiss his
neck. "My ultimate fantasy.... you and me...."
"....and me." Liz
finished as she started to kiss his neck too.
Lucky stood there speechless
until both women finally broke down and started
laughing hysterically. "You two are evil." He said as Liz
and Emily
practically rolled around on the floor. "Now if you'll excuse
me.... I'm going
to take a cold shower."
Emily and Liz looked at
each other and started laughing again.
General Hospotal,
that afternoon.
Eve was trying to finish
her patient follow-ups so she wouldn't have to make
Adam wait for her. He was coming to take her to lunch and Eve
could barely
contain her excitement at the thought of spending some time with him.
She she loved how he made
her laugh, really laugh; and she loved that he made
her feel beautiful. His kisses made her tremble like a high school
student, his
words made her feel special. She forced herself to push away
the fear of
rejection that had clouded every relationship she'd ever had.
She had just filed the last
one away when Chris Ramsey walked up to her. Eve
saw him and rolled her eyes. She should've known her good mood
wouldn't last.
Ramsey came up and got close
to her, a little too close. "My Doctor Lambert
don't you look lovely. Pleasure or business."
Eve put her hands in her
coat pockets. "Drop dead Ramsey."
He just smirked at her.
"I guess it's business then."
Eve resisted the urge to
deck him and stomped off. Ramsey picked up a chart
and felt the buzz, he turned around to see Methos walk into the hospital.
He
tried to make a prudent retreat, but Methos saw him.
"Good afternoon, Christian."
"Methos."
Eve had grabbed her purse
from her locker and came upon the two men. She saw
them staring intensely at each other and decided to interrupt before
Chris
insulted Adam. "Adam."
Ramsey suddenly smiled when
Eve came to Methos and grasped his arm. "Well, you
didn't tell me that you made a new friend here already..... Adam."
He leered at
Eve. "But then I shouldn't be surprised that you're with Eve,
you always did
have a weakness for whores. Make sure she charges you the corporate
rate."
Eve held her face and turned
away from them in complete embarassment, while
Ramsey smugly smiled to himself. Methos was unphased by his crass
remark.
"You always were fond of
cheap shots." He then came close to whisper in his
ear. "You are still alive because I don't see the need to kill
you and as long
as you stay away from me I won't. But that could change."
He backed away from
a clearly shaken Ramsey and put his arms around Eve. "Ready?"
Eve looked up at him tears
starting to well up in her eyes. "Yeah." She then
smiled at him.
He held her tight letting
her know that he didn't care what Chris Ramsey had
said. "Then let's go." Eve rested her head on his shoulder
as they walked out
of the hospital.
CHAPTER 8
"Hey, hey! Who wants
Outback burgers?" Lucky shouted as he came into the
apartment, waving two bags around.
Liz came out of her room
and started to dig through one of the bags looking for
the fries. Lucky smiled at her, her thick brown hair was combed
back and was
still damp enough that Lucky could tell she must have taken a shower
while he
was gone. Lucky gazed at her, she looked so adorable in her cut
off shorts and
t-shirt.
He looked around but didn't
see Emily. "Where'd Em go?"
Liz had found the fries
and was quietly munching away on them. "She said she
was going to have lunch with Brenda and someone named Lois, and then
they were
going to see Robin."
"So we're all alone here?"
Lucky said raising an eyebrow.
Liz came up and kissed him
on the mouth. "For hours probably."
She kissed him again causing
his blood pressure to rise, and just as he was
beginning to respond in kind, she broke the kiss and smiled seductively
at him.
Lucky was practically gasping for breath as he watched her turn and
walk to her
bedroom. Taking a few seconds to catch his breath he followed
her.
When Liz reached her door
she held hand up and without turning around she
spoke. "Lucky.... bring the food." Lucky turned on his
heel and grabbed the
bag containing the burgers and went into her room and closed the door
behind
him.
Methos and Eve were walking
through the park. Eve hadn't spoken a word since
they left the hospital for fear of shattering the illusion of peace
she had for
the moment. She felt Methos' arm tighten around her waist.
"I'm sorry." She said
to him.
"What do you have to be
sorry for?" Methos said kissing the top of her head.
"What happened between Doctor Ramsey and I back at the hospital had
nothing to
do with you."
Eve stopped walking and
looked at him. "You know him?" She asked suddenly
remembering that the two of them spoke like knew each other.
"Unfortunately." Methos
said. "I take it you don't think much of him either."
"No, I don't." Eve's
tender face suddenly went hard. "He's a lying,
manipulative, back-stabbing weasel."
"And those are his good
points." Methos joked and Eve broke into a wide grin
and started to laugh. "Don't give him another thought."
"About what he said back
there....." Eve started.
Methos hushed her.
"I don't care what he said." He steered her over to a
nearby bench and sat her down, he then knelt in front of her.
"Whatever you did
in your past that Ramsey enjoys throwing in your face doesn't matter
to me."
Eve laid a hand on his cheek.
"You might not feel that way if you knew." Then
before she could stop herself she told him the entire story.
Methos sat in silence as
he listened and when she had finished Eve waited for
him to react, to tell her that he never wanted to see her again.
What he did do
surprised her. He reached out to her and tenderly embraced her.
Eve started to
cry a little as she felt his arms tighten around her.
Jason lifted baby Michael
into the air and spun him around. The baby laughed
and Jason smiled. Laticia stood respectivly to the side and watched
while
father and son played. She looked at her watch and slowly moved
close to them.
"Mr Morgan." She said
in an accented voice. "Miss Roberts is due back soon."
Jason looked over at her.
"Thanks." He cooed at Michael then kissed him and
handed him to his nanny. "How are things here?"
Before she could answer
Carly opened the door, she saw Jason and her face lit
up. Jason kissed Michael again and left the apartment without
saying a word to
Carly. She tossed her purse onto the couch and sat down.
She looked over at
Laticia who had just put Michael down in his playpen for a nap.
"Get out." She said
to the woman who just nodded and left the room. Carly
gently stroked Michael's head and whispered to herself. "He'll
be back. Your
daddy will be with us soon and mommy will have everything she ever
wanted."
She got up and took a small
piece of paper out of her purse, looking at it she
considered dialing the phone number. She folded it up again and
put it back,
deciding to wait a little longer.
Liz moaned as Lucky traced
his fingers along her back exciting her more and
pushing her even closer to the edge. Lucky looked up at her,
her eyes were
closed and her breath was coming in little gasps. All of a sudden
she dug her
nails into his chest, then arched her back sharply as she shuddered.
Lucky rose up to meet her
and clasped her body against his. He gently turned
them onto their sides and held her tightly against him. Liz was
still trembling
slightly and curled herself close, her head against Lucky's throat.
Lucky was
still trying to catch his own breath as he stroked Liz's hair, kissing
the top
of her head reverently.
Lucky said her name and
Liz just mumbled wearily before drifting off to sleep.
Her kissed her head again and whispered into her ear. Liz turned
her head and
smiled in her sleep. After a few more minutes Lucky himself finally
drifted
off.
Rinaldo opened the penthouse
door and allowed the three women to enter. Brenda
immediately went into the kitchen to grab some plates, while Emily
set the bags
containing their lunch down. Lois looked around the penthouse
and noticed the
thick, heavy drapes covering the window, blocking all traces of sunlight.
She
walked over and flung the drapes open illuminating the once dark room.
Robin came downstairs after
getting dressed. She stopped midway down when she
saw the drapes were open. Thankfully Brenda came out of the kitchen
and saw her
and instantly closed them again allowing her come down all the way.
"What'd you do that for?
It's dark in here." Lois asked Brenda curiously.
Robin answered her.
"It's too bright and I've got a little headache."
Lois went to her and put
her arm around her. "You're not coming down with
something are you?" She placed her hand on Robin's forehead.
"Well you don't
have a fever, in fact you feel kind of cool."
Robin smiled at her.
"Lois I'm fine. It's just a headache."
Lois started to giggle.
"Sorry. I guess I was in Mommy mode there."
Brenda set out the plates
and Emily started to open the boxes of chinese food.
Lois asked for the egg rolls and Emily handed them to her, as she took
the
container she noticed the ring on Emily's finger.
"What is this?" She
asked taking ahold of Emily's hand.
Both Robin and Brenda gathered
next to Lois to look at the exquisite ring and
Emily suddenly felt embarassed. "It's a present from a friend."
She said.
"A friend, huh?" Lois
replied. "This wouldn't be the friend that Monica and
Alan are blowing a gasket about at the mansion would it?"
Emily didn't say a word,
but the look on her face told them. The four women
then sat down to eat. Robin surprised Brenda by taking a couple
of egg rolls
and actually eating them, although Brenda could see her swallowing
them with
some difficulty. She also noticed that each time she took a bite
she would take
a drink from the wine glass that she brought out to her.
Lois and Brenda were drinking
red wine and Lois just assumed that's what Robin
was drinking as well. Emily was offered a small glass but refused
it in favor
of water. The lunchtime conversation started off with the topic
of Lois'
impending return to Port Charles.
"What does Ned think about
you coming back?" Emily asked chewing.
Lois took a sip of wine.
"He doesn't know yet, he's still in Dallas on ELQ
business. I was hoping to talk to him before I head back to New
York to care of
some things."
"He'll be thrilled that
you and Brooke are coming."
Lois smiled at her former
cousin-in-law. "I hope so."
"I know so." Emily
tooked Lois' hand and gave it a quick squeeze.
"Talking about men...."
Lois turned to Robin. "How are things with you and
Jason now?"
Robin told her the current
state of her and Jason, and how breaking up with him
was the biggest mistake she ever made. As she spoke Lois understood
completely
what she meant and Brenda saw a faint shadow of sadness cross her face.
"Why didn't you invite Liz
along Em?" Brenda asked.
"I did, but she wanted to
stay at the apartment.... with Lucky." Emily said
with a grin.
"Little Lucky Spencer?"
Lois said.
"Not so little anymore."
Robin added.
"You can say that again."
Brenda said dreamily. "What?" She said noticing
how the other three were looking at her. "Oh come on, like you
two haven't
sneaked at look." She said at Emily and Robin. "I'll tell
ya, if he were a few
years older, I might've jumped him."
Emily choked on her water.
"Brenda!"
Brenda gazed at her.
"Like you wouldn't if you had the chance."
Emily thought for a moment.
"Well.... he does have a great butt."
They all just stared at
each other before the entire table erupted into
uproarious laughter.
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