The Highlander characters and concept belong to Davis/Panzer
Productions, Inc. No infringement is intended. This story, however, is
created and copyrighted by me. The song 'One Year Of Love' is written
by Deacon, and performed by Queen. The lyrics are used here without
permission but I'm not making any money from this and no infringement
is intended. My other stories can be found at:
http://www.dlc.fi/~dce/fic/index.html

I've wanted to write a Methos/Alexa story for a long time now but just
didn't seem to be able to think of an original way to tackle the
subject. Admittedly, the concept of this story is hardly original but
I hope you will enjoy it none the less.

This is my first effort at a song challenge story and so, feedback
would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanx to Dana Woods for beta reading this for me.



ONE YEAR OF LOVE
by C. Bart
<dce@dlc.fi>
(c)1999



          Just one year of love
          Is better than a lifetime alone, 
          One sentimental moment in your arms 
          Is like a shooting star right through my heart. 


The night was dark as the last two Immortals fought for the Prize in a
freezing sleet. There was no one to witness the historical moment but
the fighters themselves, and afterwards there'd be but one to remember
it.

The only sounds in the otherwise quiet night were the heavy breathing
of the two Immortals and the clash of metal against metal as they
sought to find an opening in the other's defense. The battle had gone
on forever already; it seemed that the two were indeed much too
equally matched in skill for the end to be in sight anytime soon.

Methos would never have guessed that in the end, of all of the
Immortals, it would be him against - Cassandra. Her good fortune in
the Game so far was perhaps partly due to 'The Voice' she'd used more
or less successfully in the past, but as their duel proved she no
longer relied on it as heavily as she used to. Instead, she'd become
much more skillful with her sword since last he'd seen her.

He knew the grim concentration on her face was mirrored on his own.
They were both growing tired and one of them was bound to make a fatal
error. But he also knew that unless one of them did something to end
this once and for all they might still be at it when the night changed
into day, and that would never do. They were in a secluded area, yes,
but the risk of someone spotting them would be much too great in the
bright daylight. Luckily, he had one more trick up in his sleeve. So,
he waited for his moment and then made a brilliantly skillful
time-thrust, a daring move to bring the fight to a quick end.

It failed.

He failed.

Cassandra's blade found its way straight through his heart. With
effort Methos lifted his head a fraction to take a final look at the
last person he'd ever see, the last thing he'd ever see. He of all
people had no difficulty in recognizing Death when faced with it; he
had no illusions of what was to happen. This was it - the Survivor was
to survive no longer. But as his eyes closed for what he knew to be
the final time it was not Cassandra's face he saw floating before him.


          It's always a rainy day without you, 
          I'm a prisoner of love inside you - 
          I'm falling apart all around you - yeah. 


Darkness.

At first Methos wasn't sure if his eyes were even open; the pitch-dark
was so complete it seemed - inhuman. A dry chuckle tickled his throat
at the thought. If he was where he thought he might be, then 'inhuman'
was probably a very apt choice of word.

But despite the darkness surrounding him, he didn't really believe
that he'd arrived to Tartaros or to Hell, or whatever one wanted to
call the final place for the Damned. It was definitely too quiet and
not hot enough for that. As a matter of fact, he felt almost..
peaceful.

Losing his head sure wasn't how he'd imagined it to be, Methos mused
silently. Being *dead* wasn't how he'd imagined it to be. In fact, he
didn't *feel* dead at all. He felt the same as he'd ever felt, except
that he couldn't see a thing. He didn't believe he'd gone blind,
though. Somehow, he was convinced that he'd know if he were blind.
There simply was no light in this place he'd ended up in, wherever
that may be.

Gingerly, Methos took a few steps to his left. The ground felt smooth,
like a floor, so he ventured a little further. He kept his hands in
front of him, feeling for any obstacles, but there were none.

He stopped after a few more steps. There was no point in moving around
when he had no notion of *where* he was going. For all he knew he
might just be walking in circles.

Loudly, he called out, but there was no answer. Not even an echo. In
fact, now that he thought of it, the only sounds he'd heard since he'd
woken up were the ones he himself had made.

All of a sudden he didn't feel quite as peaceful as he had just a
moment ago.

Maybe he'd been wrong. Maybe this *was* Hell, after all. An eternity
in a silent darkness - alone. Yes, that could very well constitute a
kind of hell, he mused. Nothing to do and nothing to see, but *plenty*
of time to think of his past sins. A crooked smile flashed on his face
at that thought. Well, at least he'd have *plenty* to think of, then.
Should keep him entertained for quite a bit. Or, maybe he was there to
entertain someone else. Maybe this was all a 'test' of some sort, to
see how long it would take before he fell apart, before he fell mad...


          My heart cries out to your heart, 
          I'm lonely but you can save me, 


The darkness and the silence were getting to him and he felt as if
he'd been in a deprivation tank for a tad too long, although he had no
notion of how much time had actually passed. He hadn't slept once, nor
had he felt hunger or thirst, but he was certain that he'd spent a
considerable amount of time in the darkness.

He'd occupied his time by trying to chart his surroundings, but there
wasn't much to chart. No matter how far he'd gone he hadn't found a
thing - no walls, no stairs, no nothing. Just space. Lots of it. After
he'd finally given up on his efforts, he'd dwelled down Memory Lane.
And thanks to his long life, that well was yet to be exhausted.

Of all the things he'd seen and done, and of the people he'd met there
was one face that haunted him more than any of the others. He vaguely
remembered seeing that same face just before Cassandra had chopped his
head off.

She'd died millenniums ago but he remembered her still. After all this
time her image had faded somewhat and now held a dream-like quality to
it, but he could still recognize her sweet face. And if he
concentrated, he could still hear her laughter and feel her gentle
touch.

What was it that MacLeod had once said? "The spirit lives as long as
someone who lives, remembers."

Once, Methos had hoped it to be so. But that had been before. Now, he
wasn't so sure anymore. If her existence was anything like his present
one, he couldn't help but curse his own wishes. But no... of course
she wouldn't be in a place like this. She'd be in place full of
warmth, light and laughter just as she herself had been when she'd
been alive.

Now and then he'd speak to her out loud, just to hear something
besides the cursed silence, and in his mind he'd hear her answer him.
Sometimes he found comfort in the memory of her; other times it simply
made him feel the loneliness even more acutely. Like now.

Fervently, he wished he really could see her and talk with her and
touch her. Just so that he'd know that she was all right. That she
wasn't trapped in a limbo like he was. That he wouldn't be alone,
anymore.

Staring into the darkness hurt his eyes, so he kept them closed for
most of the time. After all, what difference did it really make? Now,
turning restlessly, Methos blinked a few times and it took him a
moment to realize that something had changed. He blinked again but it
didn't vanish. It was still dark, but somewhere in the distance there
seemed to be.. a spark of light.

Salvation.

He began walking towards the light, slowly at first then faster and
faster until in the end he was running like a mad man, afraid that at
any moment the light would disappear. It didn't. Instead, it seemed
that even as he was getting closer to it the light was also moving
closer to him.

He wasn't still in the light when he cautiously slowed down and
waited. For what - he didn't know, but he was certain that something
*was* happening. The air seemed to hum around him, the sound tiny as
it was thundering in his eardrums. And then he heard it. Her voice.

"Adam?"

It had literally been ages since anyone had called him by that name.
But that's how he knew it was really her. She called for him again,
and he couldn't help the tears that sprang to his eyes anymore than
the laughter that erupted from deep in his chest.

If she was there then he couldn't be one of the Damned, after all.
He'd made it. Who would've guessed? The Survivor had survived once
again.


          My hand reaches out for your hand, 
          I'm cold but you light the fire in me, 
          My lips search for your lips, 
          I'm hungry for your touch, 
          There's so much left unspoken 
          And all I can do is surrender 
          To the moment just surrender. 


Methos had no notion of how, exactly, she arrived to him. One moment
he could only hear her voice, and the next she was standing in front
of him.

But the woman who was now only a few short steps away from him wasn't
the one he had said good-bye to in Geneva all those years ago. No,
that woman had been frail and withered by her illness, but the woman
before him now was - radiant. She *glowed*.

"Alexa." His voice was a caress, a caress she seemed to welcome.

"Adam." She gave him a glorious smile, and took a step closer. "I have
waited for you for a long time. Though time has no relevance here I
never thought it would be this long before your time finally came."
She paused for a moment, but her eyes kept on speaking to him
silently. "I'm sorry I wasn't here when you arrived. If you can
believe it, I was waiting at a wrong place." For a second her smile
flashed into an apologetic grin. "I came here as soon as I could, but
like I said, time has no relevance here and, well... It took me a
while to find you."

"But you're here now. You found me."

He received another thousand-watt smile. "Yes, I found you."

Half expecting to find that she wasn't really there but that he was
merely dreaming, or hallucinating her, Methos grasped her hand. Her
warm and very real hand. And as his fingers curled around hers he
finally understood just how much he really had missed her. Her smile.
Her laughter. Her teasing. Her scent. The feel of her close to him.

He closed her into his embrace and reveled in her warmth as she
circled her arms around him in return.

"Methos?" For the first time her voice was held a note of hesitation.

"Alexa", he sighed into her ear. He loved the taste of her name on his
tongue, especially now that she was there to hear him say it. Then,
meeting her eyes he suddenly realized what she had just called him.

"Yes, I know your secret." She smiled up at him a little shyly. "But
would you mind terribly if I called you 'Adam'? I've always thought of
you as Adam, and Methos sounds.. strange."

"I've lost count to how many names I've answered. You can call me
whatever you like. And, 'Adam' seems oddly -- appropriate."

***

There was no one else in their Universe, but neither seemed to even
notice it. They were infinitely more than content with what they had,
and with whom they had it all. Eternity was filled with all they
wanted, needed and valued the most. With each other. With laughter.
And with love. Endlessly.

Methos couldn't tell how long Alexa had been with him when someone
else entered into their world, but he was certain it had to have been
for quite long. But since time really was of no essence, a fleeting
moment could seem like an eternity, and vice versa.
 
They were cheerfully teasing each other when Alexa suddenly went still
and cocked her head a little as if she was listening to someone. Then
she spoke up as if to answer to a question. "Yes." After a moment's
silence she spoke again to her invisible friend. "I understand."

Methos had studied her face during her conversation with the stranger
and was now alarmed at the sudden distress that marred her normally
joyous countenance.

"Alexa?"

She quickly cast her eyes down, but Methos had already seen the
glimmer of unshed tears in them. Something was horribly wrong. During
their time in this afterlife the only tears she had shed were those of
joy.

When she at last met his anxious eyes and spoke up, she couldn't quite
conceal the tremor in her low voice. "I can't stay, Adam. I must go."

He shook his head vehemently. "No."

"I must." Her voice was but a whisper.

No, this couldn't be happening, he couldn't lose her again, Methos
thought even as another part of him was whispering, "Why not?" 

He should've known it had been just a matter of time. He had allowed
himself to forget that life, even an afterlife, wasn't a dream. Now
he'd pay the prize for his folly. But if someone expected him to just
sit quietly and watch Alexa leave him again, they didn't know him at
all. He was the master of devious plans, after all. And if everything
else would fail, he'd fight.

Holding Alexa tightly in his arms, he waited for whom or whatever
would come to take her away. No one came. And still, she left. She
seemed to dissolve before his very eyes, leaving him grasping into
thin air.

From a distance he heard her faint voice. "I promise, I will find you
again...."

Then, there was only silence. And darkness. For she had taken the
light with her.

"ALEXA!!!!!"


          And no one ever told me that love would hurt so much, 
          Oooh yes it hurts, 
          And pain is so close to pleasure, 
          And all I can do is surrender to your love, 
          Just surrender to your love. 


Methos woke up with a cry on his lips.

He'd dozed off on his couch, and the radio was playing Queen's 'One
Year Of Love'. Even after he realized it had been only a dream, it
still took him a long while to calm his harsh breath, but the ache in
his heart lingered.

Sighing he got up from the couch, but paused for a moment to listen to
the song.

Oh yes, it did hurt, even after all this time. But if there was any
pleasure to be found in this pain, it certainly had managed to escape
him.

Sighing again, he sauntered to the kitchen to fetch himself a beer.
Concentrating on the flow of the icy fluid down his throat he cleared
his mind. Then he allowed the one thought he'd been avoiding for the
past few months enter again.

Tomorrow was the anniversary of Alexa's death.

He had bought a ticket to Paris a month ago, but then he'd canceled it
a couple of days later. He wasn't exactly sure why, but it didn't seem
important right now. It had been just a dream, yes, but she'd promised
to find him again...

Padding back to the living-room he picked up the phone and dialed.

"When is your next available flight to Paris?"


          Just one year of love, 
          Is better than a lifetime alone, 
          One sentimental moment in your arms, 
          Is like shooting star right through my heart, 
          It's always a rainy day without you, 
          I'm a prisoner of love inside you, 
          I'm falling apart all around you, 
          And all I can do is surrender. 



- the end -