Disclaimer: Alexa, Amanda, and Methos/Adam belong to Davis/Panzer Productions and whoever owns them nowadays. I don't claim to have invented anyone here. The original portion is owned by me, so please don't rip me off. If you have comments, flames, kudos, or chocolate, send them my way via email. Historical note: This takes place during the time period covered by the episode "Deliverance." Keeping Company by HonorH Alexa wasn't happy. Six months ago, she wouldn't have expected anything different. But now, after being so happy for so long, she found the opposite unexpectedly painful. She shifted inside her jacket, sighed, then looked up at the man beside her. He didn't look any happier than she felt. "You'll be all right, won't you?" she asked, not for the first time. He turned to her and forced a smile. "Of course I will. I'm not that easy to get rid of, as you well know." She forced a smile onto her face as well, then glanced back at the boarding gate. Over the past few months, she'd seen boarding gates like it in America, Egypt, Portugal, and Greece. The difference with this one was that in just a few minutes, Adam would be walking through it . . . without her. Early in the morning, she'd awakened to the phone ringing in their hotel room. She'd answered it, muzzy with sleep, but she'd instantly recognized the tension and worry in her former employer Joe Dawson's voice. He'd asked to speak with Adam, and a very few minutes later, her husband of five months was explaining to her that he had to leave in order to track down a crazed Immortal. It had been difficult to take, to put it mildly—Alexa had wanted to beg Adam to stay with her and out of danger—but she had forced herself into the stoicism her illness had imposed on her over a year ago. She knew in her heart that Adam wouldn't leave her unless the situation was desperate, and judging by how Joe had sounded and how Adam looked, the situation was desperate. But that didn't mean she had to be happy about it. Frankly, she was worried sick (nice choice of phrase, she thought dryly) not only about Adam, but also about how she was going to get by in a place where she didn't even know the language. Her one bit of security was knowing how to contact Joe Dawson if worse came to worse, but she tried not to think about that. "You'll be okay?" Adam asked gently, wrapping his strong right arm around her shoulders. "I will," she promised, feeling guilty that he was worrying about her. Suddenly, Adam stiffened and looked around. "What is it?" Alexa whispered. "Immortal," he murmured. She could feel her husband's heartbeat quicken. A tall, gorgeous brunette with a pageboy haircut suddenly stepped through the crowd. "Hello, Adam," the stranger greeted him. "Fancy meeting you here." Adam relaxed. "Amanda." His tone held a bare hint of irritation. The woman refused to notice. Her dark eyes glittered mischievously as they settled on Alexa. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend, Adam?" the apparent Amanda inquired. "Alexa, Amanda, Amanda, Alexa," he introduced perfunctorily. "Alexa, Amanda's an old friend. Amanda, Alexa is my wife. There. Now you know each oth . . ." He stopped cold. After a moment, he turned to Alexa. "Will you excuse me for a moment, my love?" With that, he got up, took Amanda's arm, and pulled her a little distance away. Alexa watched as they had some sort of discussion—which, judging from Amanda's body language, almost turned heated at one point—after which Adam returned to his wife. "Alexa, Amanda's going to stay with you until I get back," he told her, taking her hand. Alexa pulled back. "Adam, I don't need a baby-sitter." He sighed. "It's not like that, Alexa. You see, Amanda's been Duncan MacLeod's lover on and off for the past three centuries or so. I told her what happened to him." "What?" Alexa was genuinely shocked. Why would he tell Amanda something that was sure to worry her, if it wasn't necessary? "Why?" "Because in a few moments she's going to see me get on a plane without you. Amanda's a smart woman, Alexa. She's also a very skilled liar, and she can spot lies coming out of other people's mouths. She'd have known something was up, and she would have wrangled it out of you. This way, I can be guaranteed that she won't try and find MacLeod herself. She'd only get hurt." Adam fixed Alexa with those eyes that had captured her from the start. "Alexa, if you two keep each other company, I'll be less worried about you. Amanda's no stranger to Greece; she can help you while I'm gone." He pushed a few strands of his wife's hair behind her ear. "And you're good for the soul, Alexa. Amanda's going to be worried for MacLeod; she'll need someone's company. Besides, you might actually keep her out of trouble for a few days of her life. It'll be a unique experience for her." He grinned. "She's trouble?" Alexa asked, lifting one eyebrow. "Incorrigible." "Good," Alexa declared. "I think I'd like to get to know at least one troublemaker in my life. I've always been too good." "Mmm. That you are." Adam leaned down and kissed her tenderly as his boarding call sounded. Alexa stood up as he did. "Be careful," she whispered through a suddenly tight throat. "Please come back to me." "I will," he pledged. Then he turned and walked through the gate. Alexa stood and watched until his plane took off. She fingered the iron bracelet on her arm, a precious artifact of Celtic Britain that Adam had given her in lieu of a wedding ring, and sent up a prayer for her husband's safety. A soft whiff of exotic perfume came over her shoulder. The young woman turned to look at Amanda. Tall, Alexa thought, knockout figure, great skin—your basic nightmare. Amanda, too, was sizing up Alexa. Tiny, very cute, very vulnerable. The Immortal wondered what Alexa knew about her husband. "So—why are you in Athens?" asked Alexa by way of breaking the ice. Because the people at the Prado get cranky when a five million dollar painting goes missing, Amanda thought. Aloud, she said, "Oh, Greece is so nice this time of year, and I needed a vacation. It's just luck that I ran into you and Adam." An awkward pause commenced. "Well . . . why don't we go get your bags, and I can give you a lift to whatever hotel you're staying in," Alexa finally suggested. The two women made their way down to the baggage claim, where Amanda fetched an expensive-looking suitcase and an equally stylish garment bag. After that, they walked out to where Adam had deposited the rental car he and Alexa were sharing. "Have you eaten this morning?" Amanda suddenly asked. Alexa shook her head. She wasn't hungry—she rarely was nowadays—but she knew she needed to eat. "Why don't I buy you breakfast? We ought to get to know each other, especially since your Adam's snookered us into keeping company for the next few days." Alexa laughed as they got in the car. "He can be persuasive when he wants. How long have you known him?" Amanda looked suddenly uncertain. "I know about Immortals," Alexa hastened to add. The Immortal woman took another look at her companion. "Around 1,100 years, give or take." The all-too-mortal woman shook her head. "Wow. That always gives me chills." After a short drive, Amanda directed Alexa to a small café where they ordered a simple breakfast of the bread, cheese, and fruit variety. When the food arrived, Alexa pulled out a small bag full of pills and began taking them with her food. After about the third pill, she realized Amanda was staring. "Adam didn't tell you," she realized out loud. "Apparently not," agreed Amanda. "What . . ?" Alexa sighed. "I'm terminally ill. In other words, dying." There was that look again. One of sadness, but not really shock. Alexa had seen it on Adam's face; now, as she looked at Amanda, she thought it might just be endemic to the Immortal population when they contemplated the brevity of mortal lives. The beautiful Immortal seemed unsure of what to say next. Alexa took pity on her. "You ever hear about the elephant in the room?" she asked. Amanda just looked perplexed. Alexa explained, "There's this poem about this elephant sitting in a room. The people in the house walk around it and pretend it's not there. They never mention the elephant in the room, but it's too obvious to ignore." The mortal paused a moment, giving Amanda a direct look. "I don't like my illness being the proverbial elephant. If you've got questions, please just ask them. I promise I won't be offended." Amanda smiled a little sadly, beginning to understand why Methos loved this girl. "Okay. If I have a question, I'll ask it. And my first question is: how did you and Adam meet?" Alexa laughed. "He handed me a really bad line at Joe's." The two talked their way through breakfast with the story of how Alexa and Adam met and set out on their grand adventure together. Much to her surprise, Alexa found Amanda easy to talk to. Amanda, at first glance, looked to Alexa like one of those perfectly coiffed, manicured, plucked, and made up models, too perfect to be real. Her Immortality only added to that feeling. Underneath that, though, the Immortal woman had a pleasantly earthy way about her, not to mention a distinctly bawdy sense of humor. After breakfast, Amanda went back to the hotel with Alexa and checked herself in. Alexa showered and dressed, and before long, Amanda was knocking at her hotel door, offering to show Alexa a private beach. The mortal woman hesitated only briefly, then slathered herself with sunblock, picked up her purse, and followed her new friend. As they walked along Amanda's beach, the Immortal seemed pensive. "Where did Adam say he was going first?" she asked. Alexa heard the worry in her tone. "Scotland. He said he had an idea of something that might be of help in a village called—oh, I forget. Glen-something." "Glenfinnan," Amanda supplied. "It was where Duncan grew up. I suppose that makes sense. Start at the beginning . . ." she trailed off. Alexa brushed back a few strands of her deep auburn hair. "Do you know what's happened, Amanda? Adam didn't explain it much except to say it had something to do with Quickenings, and I'm a little shady on the whole idea." Amanda paused for a long moment. "Understand that what I know isn't much better than Immortal rumor." Alexa nodded, and Amanda went on. "When you take a Quickening, you take in part of another person: their memories, their strength and skills, even their personality. Most of the time, your own personality is able to reassert itself. According to legend, though, it's possible for an especially powerful Quickening to override the personality of whoever took it." "And that's what Joe thinks happened to Duncan MacLeod?" Alexa inquired. "Yes." Amanda looked away. "I hope it's not true—or that Adam can help him if it is. Duncan's . . . the best man I know. I-I don't think I could deal with knowing something's changed that." Almost unconsciously, Alexa reached out and touched the Immortal's arm, wanting to offer comfort. Amanda looked at her, and as their eyes met, they realized they were going through the same thing. Each stood to lose the man she loved. "So how did you and Duncan meet?" asked Alexa, wanting to change the mood. It worked. "The first time Duncan saw me, he thought I was a man." Amanda grinned wickedly, and Alexa laughed. This was one story she had to hear. A little after noon, they made their way back to the car, where they'd packed a light lunch. Amanda noticed that her new friend was sagging. "Why don't we drive up the beach a little bit?" the Immortal suggested. "There's a beach house there. We can rest up and eat lunch." The beach house was rather magnificent. When they walked up to the front door, though, Amanda swiftly took apart the security system pad and began fiddling with wires. "What are you doing?" asked Alexa in a hushed voice. "Disabling the alarm so we can get in," said Amanda. Her tone was so flip that her words didn't even penetrate for a few minutes. When they did, Alexa's eyes widened. "What?! I thought this was your place!" Amanda didn't answer until she'd finished with the wires, then turned to the door and started working on the deadbolt. "Don't worry. The owner only uses it for about six weeks of the year. No one will even know we were here." The deadbolt slid back and Amanda opened the door, ushering Alexa in. "You realize this is a felony?" the young woman asked. Amanda nodded placidly. "I'm beginning to realize why Adam said you were trouble." "What's life without a little risk?" challenged Amanda lightly. "Ohh, it's nice and cool in here." They laid out their lunch in the living room, and Alexa began the ritual of swallowing her midday "take with food" pills. Amanda looked at them, shrugged lightly, then asked, "You said you and Adam are married. When did that happen?" Alexa giggled. "It's actually kind of a funny story. We'd been traveling about a month, and I was just beginning to realize that I was really, really in love with Adam. It had been . . . a long time since I'd opened my heart for anyone." The young woman paused for a moment, eyes soft and warm, before she went on. "Anyway, we stopped in this little town—I can't even remember the name of it now—and as we were eating lunch by the fountain in the town square, this old-fashioned horse-drawn carriage rolled by carrying a newlywed couple. I guess Adam caught me looking at them, because he suddenly said, 'Marry me.' I thought he was crazy. All of a sudden, he was lifting me to stand on the highest step of the fountain, and he started asking me to marry him in all these different languages. I was laughing so hard I couldn't say anything, and here he was, making a spectacle of himself right in the middle of town. Finally, this old lady who'd been sitting trying to read a book on the other side of the fountain stands up, walks over, looks at me, and says, 'Just say yes, dear. It's the only thing that will shut him up.'" Both women laughed. "Adam looked at her and said, 'Wise woman.' Then he looked back at me . . . and I said yes. We were married just as soon as Adam could get a marriage license." Amanda caught the glow in the young woman's eyes. She was willing to bet that Methos was Alexa's first real love. "Did you know then that he was Immortal?" Alexa shook her head. "No. That came later. Adam was fixing a flat tire when he managed to cut his hand somehow—did I mention he's mechanically inept?--and I saw it heal." "How did you take it?" asked Amanda. She was genuinely curious, and she got the feeling that Alexa liked dealing with things head-on. Smiling a little sadly, Alexa said, "It was a little hard to take, especially when he explained what the sword was for. But I loved him too much to want to leave; besides, why waste your time with recriminations when you're dying? And, after a while, I started to take comfort in the fact that someone will remember me long after I die." She sipped a little more water, then laid down on the couch. "Mind if I take a little nap?" "Not at all. Take all the time you need." After Alexa woke up from her nap, the two headed back to the rental car (after Amanda reassembled the house's security system). They drove the coast for awhile while Amanda regaled Alexa with a few of her more colorful adventures. Alexa was surprised to find herself having a genuinely good time. It had been so long since she'd had a girlfriend to talk to—she thought of her roommates, Shannon and Destiny, back in Seacouver, and missed them again. They got back to the hotel a little past seven o'clock. Amanda knew of a good restaurant within walking distance, and Alexa felt like she needed to stretch her legs. While they waited for the food to arrive, Alexa asked a question she'd been thinking over all afternoon. "So how did you and Adam meet?" Amanda pursed her crimson lips. "I actually met him not long after I'd had my first Immortal challenge. You see, he knew my teacher, Rebecca, and he'd come to visit her. He was going by the name Charles Ambrose back then." The beauty leaned across the table and spoke in a low voice. "I thought he was the most arrogant jerk I'd ever met. He was a scribe, and the first thing he did was to criticize my handwriting. I came back with a really low comment about his nose." "In other words," deduced Alexa, "you two didn't exactly hit it off." Amanda shrugged. "It wasn't exactly mutual hatred; that was all on my part. I think part of my problem was that Rebecca had been the only person in my life I'd ever loved, and here he was cutting in between us. I could tell she cared about him, and I was jealous." The deep brown eyes looked away for a moment. "Rebecca eventually took me aside and let me know that the fact that she cared for Charles didn't mean she cared any less for me. That was a pretty important lesson for me." Alexa nodded. "I'd like to meet Rebecca, from how you describe her." Amanda's eyes were suddenly filled with pain. "You can't meet Rebecca; she's dead." "I'm sorry," Alexa said gently. Amanda looked across the table. "Rebecca helped keep me from going bad for a long time. It would have been easy for a girl of my background to turn into . . . well, more of a criminal than I am." Both laughed. "Duncan's also helped in that way. I love him, but in a way, I almost look up to him. He's the most noble, courageous, kind, good man I know. That's why it's so hard for me to think of him going bad. It's like if you woke up one morning to find out the sun made everything darker." "I understand." Alexa reached out and covered Amanda's hand with her own. After dinner, they went back to the hotel. Alexa got to her room just in time to hear the phone start ringing. Hastily, she grabbed it. It was Adam, calling from Scotland. "Hi, sweetheart. How are things there?" He sounded tired. "I'm fine, Adam. Don't worry about me. How are you?" A light snort. "I spent most of the day on an airplane and the rest arguing with a Scotswoman. On the whole, I've had better days. Tomorrow I get to fly to the Continent and grill Watchers for the whereabouts of MacLeod." "Sounds like fun," Alexa sympathized. "Oh, by the way, Amanda's great company. We committed a felony today." "Oh, no, she's corrupting you!" Adam moaned. Alexa giggled. "You tall, good-looking brunettes have a way of doing that to me. Although you've got a better nose than she does." They chatted lightly for a little while, each anxious to keep their thoughts away from the upcoming confrontation. After she hung up, though, Alexa couldn't keep visions of Adam dying out of her mind. She picked up the phone again and dialed Amanda's room. "Amanda? Got any ideas for tomorrow?" Amanda arrived at Alexa's room bright and early the next morning. The door was locked, but the thief could hear the shower running inside, so she let herself in her own special way. "Alexa?" she called. After a moment, Alexa's voice came from the bathroom. "Amanda? That you?" "Yeah. Don't hurry or anything; I just wanted you to know I was here so I wouldn't give you a shock when you got out of the shower. I'll just make myself comfortable." And do a little snooping, Amanda thought. She started through the room, talking lightly to herself as she did so. "Ooh—Adam's clothes he left behind. What have we here? Boxers or briefs, Old Man? Boxers, I see. And all these sweaters—such dull colors, dear." She tsked, then walked over to Alexa's bags. "Hmm . . . not bad taste, but I'm sure I could improve a few things—the undies, for instance. Now, what's this?" Lying beside the bag and leaning up against the bed was a large sketchpad. Amanda recognized the drawing on the page it was opened to: the beach she and Alexa had walked down the previous day. Curious, the Immortal flipped to the first page. The first few drawings were of Seacouver. Amanda recognized a park and Joe's bar, among other things. Then, abruptly, the scenery gave way to a beautifully drawn picture of Methos' face, with special emphasis on his eyes. The caption was simply, "Adam." As Amanda flipped the pages, gorgeous cityscapes and landscapes were interspersed with more pictures of the man Alexa knew as Adam. His face, his hands, his eyes—some were colored, but they were mostly black and white. After a time, the drawings became more intimate. Amanda could have guessed by the dates on the drawings when Methos and Alexa had become lovers, almost to the day. There was a drawing of Methos asleep in a softly rumpled bed with the caption, "He Sleeps." There were loving sketches of his arms, his chest, him standing in the moonlight wearing nothing on his upper half. The pictures were softly shaded, sparing nothing in time or detail. Even the drawings Methos wasn't in had a new quality to them, something Amanda couldn't quite put her finger on—sort of a softness, a light shining through the pages. A few of them were funny, too, like one of Methos sitting engrossed in a map in an apparent outdoor café while two women at a nearby table checked him out. Amanda realized that while she was looking at Alexa's art, she was looking at Alexa's soul. The drawings contained a young woman trying her best to pack as much living as possible into every moment she had. A woman who liked to laugh, to draw, to travel, to make love. A woman passionately in love with life, the world around her, and her lover. Amanda finally stopped at a spare, erotic line drawing of Methos' back. Going through luggage was one thing; this was far too intimate. She flipped the pages back to where they'd been before she picked up the pad and was about to set it down when Alexa emerged from the bathroom. The thief suddenly felt guilt out of proportion to her snooping. "I—saw this and was curious. It's a lovely picture." Alexa just smiled. "Thanks. When I got back last night, I was tired, but I just had to get that gorgeous beach down on paper before my memory of it faded. Thanks for taking me, by the way." "Not a problem. It's hot out, by the way, so wear something light." Amanda was glad Alexa hadn't seemed to mind her looking at the drawings. A thought seemed to occur to Alexa. "Hey, I need to get you in there," she said suddenly. "Where?" asked Amanda, puzzled. "My sketches. I should draw you in. Here, give me that and have a seat." The mortal woman took the sketchpad from Amanda and rooted for her art supplies. "Are you sure?" Amanda felt strangely unworthy of being included among the drawings she'd just seen. "Of course. Sit down." Amanda chose one of the soft chairs near the window and sat in it, curling up her long legs. "Should I strike a pose?" she asked teasingly, trying to shake away a lingering feeling of unworthiness. Alexa laughed. "Amanda, you strike a pose without even trying to. Just sit there and talk a bit while I draw." Amanda launched into a slightly exaggerated tale of sitting for an Italian artist boyfriend of hers back in the 1600's, and by the time the story came to an end, Alexa was presenting her with a finished portrait. The likeness was exceptional. Amanda stared at herself sitting in the chair, a twinkle in her eye and an impish little half-smile on her face. "Wow," she said. "You have real talent, Alexa." "So you like it?" the young woman asked, a little pleadingly. The Immortal smiled. "I do. You should have marketed your talent, Alexa. I'll bet you could have made some real money." I'd have tried to steal your work, she thought. Alexa shook her head. "No. My drawings are a little too close to me for that. I give some away, but . . . selling my art would be like selling a piece of my soul. Do you understand that?" Better than you know, Alexa. "Yes, I think I do," Amanda said out loud. She looked critically at her portrait again. "Do I always look like that?" "Like what?" Alexa wondered. "Like I'm plotting something." Alexa laughed until her stomach hurt. They spent the first part of the day wandering the streets and small shops of Athens together, with Amanda doing most of the talking. Alexa found herself a little tired, probably from the emotional stress of the previous day. Amanda was content to amble and relate some of the stories about how she'd gotten Duncan into trouble various times. Alexa was nearly disabled from laughter at the story of how Amanda, Fitz, and Duncan had stolen the Stone of Scone. About the time they stopped for lunch, Alexa had an epiphany. Talking was a sort of catharsis for Amanda. The Immortal woman was much better than Alexa at hiding her feelings, and relating these stories with Duncan in them helped her keep her mind on the man she knew and loved, rather than what he might have become. " . . . anyway, the upshot of that whole business was that I ended up pulling an arrow out of Duncan's incredibly tight little tush while dressed as a belly dancer," Amanda was saying. Alexa laughed, then abruptly stopped and turned white. "Alexa?" Amanda's voice was suddenly concerned. Alexa breathed deeply, trying to exorcise her sudden nausea. She hated throwing up, especially in public. After a few moments, she felt a little better under control. She looked up to see Amanda watching her intently. "I-I'm all right, I think," she managed. "There's a medication I occasionally have a bad reaction to." Another wave of nausea caught her. "I need to lie down." Amanda flagged down a cab, and they drove back to the hotel. Once there, Amanda helped Alexa, who felt almost too weak to move, up to her room where she sprawled face down on the bed. Amanda, still concerned, sat down beside her on the bed, keeping watch. Just as the Immortal thought Alexa had fallen asleep, the mortal woman sighed softly and shifted. "Thanks, Amanda," she murmured. Amanda had a sudden thought, but she didn't want to voice it. It seemed intrusive. She looked down to see one of Alexa's clear aqua eyes watching her. "Elephant, Amanda?" she asked. The Immortal looked at her new friend for another moment before asking, "Alexa—what is it like, knowing . . ." She couldn't finish her question. "I'm going to die?" Alexa finished. "Don't worry, Amanda. I'm not offended." She sighed, looking pensive. "It's strange. Most of the time, I think I've come to terms with the fact that I'm dying, but then something will set me off again. I'll see an old couple sitting on a bench together and think how wonderful that must be, to have been together and in love for so long—and then I'll remember it's something I'll never do. Or I'll see a woman with a child and realize I'll never have one of my own. Little things I used to take for granted, dreams for the future that I now know will never happen. Just . . . little things." Her brow crinkled. "In a way, I suppose it's like Immortality." That startled Amanda. "How do you mean?" Alexa smiled sadly. "I'll never get any older. I'll never have a child. In effect, I'll always remain as I am." Amanda thought for a few moments, then looked back at Alexa. "You're right. Immortality begins with death. It's like we're trapped in that moment forever." She shook her head. "Not a pleasant thought." For a long moment, she gazed at Alexa. "In a way, you know, I envy you." That startled Alexa. "Envy me?" A mirror of Alexa's previous sad smile touched Amanda's face. "When you die, you'll be in the arms of the man you love. When I die, I'll be in combat. You can have some sort of closure to your life. I never will." Alexa touched Amanda's hand where it laid beside her. "I never thought of that. I envied the long lifespan and the fact that you're all able to see and do so much, but I guess I ignored the bad side of it. How do you deal with that?" Amanda's hand tightened on hers. "I think you answered that one yourself." The mortal woman smiled, but then a thought seemed to occur to her. "What is it?" asked Amanda. It took a moment for Alexa to respond. "Amanda . . . what is it like? Dying, I mean." Amanda was dumbstruck. She suddenly realized she had no idea how to answer Alexa's question. Thinking back, most of her deaths had come quite suddenly. After all, Immortals tend to survive what doesn't kill them outright. There were a few times, though, when death had come all too slowly. Amanda shuddered. Alexa saw the shudder. "I'm sorry . . ." she began apologizing, but Amanda stopped her with a shake of her head. "No, Alexa, it's okay." Now the Immortal purposely let her mind linger on a particular death. She'd been forced to fight for her life against another Immortal, and though she'd won, her opponent had dealt her several serious wounds before meeting his own death. After enduring the Quickening, Amanda had lain down and bled to death. She focused on that time. "It's like . . ." Amanda paused, finding the words. "It's painful, at first. Your body fights death, and your mind fights with it. There's always that fear, even for Immortals, that this time, you won't wake up. Sooner or later, though, your body loses its strength. You stop fighting. That's when the fear fades, and with it, the pain. Death becomes a friend, a place to rest." The woman on the bed was silent for a long time, eyes closed. Amanda thought she might have fallen asleep, but then her eyes opened again. "Thank you, Amanda," Alexa said quietly. "I . . . couldn't ask Adam." "No, of course not," acknowledged Amanda. Almost unconsciously, she reached over and rubbed one hand across Alexa's back. "Try and rest, hon." Alexa smiled, then closed her eyes and slept. Alexa slept for a little over an hour, and when she awakened, Amanda had set up a card table. "Play poker much?" asked the Immortal. The poker lesson took up most of the afternoon and well into evening. Alexa wisely refused to play for cash. They ordered room service, but Alexa didn't feel well enough to eat much more than a little bread and tea. At about nine-thirty, the phone rang. It was Adam. "How are you doing?" asked Alexa. "Well enough," he said, but she could hear tension in his voice. "The Watchers have a line on MacLeod's whereabouts, and I think I'll be able to catch up with him tomorrow. If I do, I probably won't have time to call." Alexa swallowed. "I understand." "I will call Thursday morning, Alexa," he promised. "No matter what." Both of them heard the unspoken "unless I die." "I love you," Alexa whispered. "I have faith in you." She could hear Adam's deep sigh on the other end. "I need that faith, Alexa. I love you, more than I can say." Neither wanted to hang up, so Adam asked, in quite a different tone, "So what's Amanda up to? Introducing you to the fine art of stealing fine art?" Alexa giggled, and they chatted for awhile about meaningless things. After another false start, they finally said good-bye for real and hung up. Alexa felt Amanda's eyes. "Tomorrow, he thinks," Alexa answered the unspoken inquiry. "He says he'll call Thursday morning and let us know how things turn out." Amanda nodded, looking unhappy. She shook herself after a moment and said, "Look, I know you've had a tiring day, so why don't you go to bed, and we can figure out what we want to do tomorrow morning. Okay?" Alexa nodded back, forcing a smile. "Sounds like a plan. Have a good night, Amanda." The Immortal smiled. "You, too, hon. See you in the morning." After Amanda left, Alexa got ready for bed, turned out the lights, curled up on Adam's pillow, and didn't sleep. At all. Two rooms away, neither did Amanda. Next morning, Amanda showed up at Alexa's room just after the young woman had put on a light yellow sun dress. The Immortal thought she saw some signs of strain in her friend's face, even though Alexa was smiling. Well, if she did, it wasn't exactly a wonder, Amanda decided. There was something playing on the radio Amanda thought she recognized. "Country?" the Immortal asked. Alexa smiled guiltily. "Yeah. Adam hates it, but it reminds me of my parents. They both loved country music. Adam says it's unfair that the only station that plays American music in Greece is a country station." Listening to the young woman's voice, Amanda realized Alexa was keeping a very tight rein on her emotions. The thought that her husband might at this moment be facing down a crazed Immortal was eating at her, as well it might. The thought of Duncan being that Immortal was disturbing Amanda more than she wanted to admit. The Immortal thief decided a little distraction was in order. "Ready to go?" she asked. "I'm thinking . . ." Amanda trailed off as Alexa's eyes suddenly filled with tears just as a new song started playing. "Alexa, hon, you okay?" Alexa gestured a little helplessly. "This was my dad's favorite song, and Adam always humored me with a slow dance when it came on. I-I'm sorry . . ." One hand came up to Alexa's eyes as she started crying. "What'll I do without him, Amanda?" The Immortal allowed her purse to fall to the floor as she walked over to her friend. She thought to just give the young woman a hug, but instead she found her left hand clasping Alexa's right. Her other hand slipped around the slender waist, and as the chorus played, the two began to dance together. "The smile on your face lets me know that you need me, There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me, The touch of your hand says you'll catch me wherever I fall— You say it best when you say nothing at all." Alexa leaned up against Amanda's shoulder, allowing herself to be led in the slow dance as she wept softly. The strain of the past few days came out in her quiet tears. She felt Amanda lay her cheek gently against her hair. Finally, the tears slowed and stopped, but the two kept dancing until the end of the song. As it ended, Amanda slipped both arms around the smaller woman and stroked her hair. "You going to be okay, sweetie?" she murmured. Alexa drew in a watery breath. "Yes. I think so." She swallowed hard, then spoke again. "When you're sick, other people will let you be either weak or strong. Some people want to take care of you, so they want you to be weak. Others want to ignore your illness altogether; they want you to be strong. I got tired of the kind who wanted to take care of me, so I put up this front of being strong all the time, but sometimes I'd cry when I was alone. I never let on to anybody else how scared I was or how much I was hurting. "But when Adam came into my life, I could be both with him, and it wouldn't disturb him. When I needed to cry in someone's arms, he was there. And when I could be strong, he didn't stop being there for me. With everyone else, I had to pretend, but not with Adam. That's the gift he gave me. He made me real again." Amanda's arms tightened around her. "He's going to come back to you, Alexa. Just have faith in him." Alexa pulled back to look into her friend's eyes. "You're right," she said decisively. "You're right. He's going to be okay." She found a tissue, blew her nose, and wiped the last few tears from her face. "Well, I'm not going to stay around here moping all day. What do you say we do?" The Immortal thief's eyes twinkled. "I say we shop. We're going out on the town tonight, Alexa, and I hate to tell you this, but you don't have a thing to wear." A shrewd look took over Amanda's face. "Did Adam, by any chance, leave a credit card lying around somewhere?" Their first stop was at an expensive boutique. Alexa was truly appalled at some of the prices, but Amanda brushed her worries off. "Adam's got plenty of money, darling. You know he'd buy a dress for you; just go with it." Finding a dress was a bit difficult, though. Alexa hated how skinny she looked in most of them. At one point, she walked out of the dressing room in a filmy white nothing that made her look downright gaunt. "What does zees say to me?" she asked Amanda in a bad French accent. "Eet says, 'famine victim,' ees what eet says." Amanda snickered, then answered, "Mais oui, ma cherie. How you say—'heroin chic' went out last fall. C'est tres gauche." The tall Immortal proffered a different outfit and dropped the accent. "Perhaps we'd better go for 'ethereal.' Try this." "Ethereal. I like that," Alexa commented. "Sounds so much nicer than 'skeletal.'" She took the outfit, which was a slim champagne-colored silk skirt and a matching silk top, and went back to the dressing room. A few moments later, Amanda heard, "I think we have a winner here." Alexa emerged. The soft silk flowed around her slight figure, shimmering and settling in just the right places to disguise exactly how thin she'd gotten, and the color brought out the gold in Alexa's skin and hair. The mortal woman patted her chest a little disdainfully. "I'm afraid my bust was the first thing to go. Of course, I never had anything so magnificent as yours to begin with, but I liked the little I had." She straightened and looked in the mirror. "Oh, well. Adam thinks I'm beautiful." Amanda stepped closer. "Well, sweetie, there's a marvelous invention called 'The Miracle Bra' that I believe is sold in the lingerie section. Perhaps we should check it out." An unknown number of dollars' worth of outfit, jewelry, and lingerie later, Alexa considered it a successful morning. Amanda had one more thing in mind, though, as she led the young woman into a beauty shop. "Your makeup bag is pitifully sparse, Alexa. We must do something about it." Under Amanda's guidance (read: bullying, thought Alexa), Alexa spent what she thought to be a perfectly obscene amount on salon cosmetics. Amanda also purchased something, but didn't tell Alexa what it was. They then repaired to the hotel for lunch and Alexa's midday nap. When she awoke, Amanda had pulled a chair into the middle of the room and set it on a towel. "Ready for your makeover?" she asked gaily. There's no escape, Alexa realized. Might as well enjoy it. She ran a hand through her hair. "Maybe you could help me with my hair. It's disobeying me lately." She pulled her hand free and displayed about four strands that had come loose. "Probably because half of it isn't attached anymore." The Immortal patted the chair. "Exactly what I had in mind, hon. Have a seat." Alexa sat. Amanda produced her freshly-purchased barber set. Alexa squawked. "You didn't say anything about cutting it!" she protested. Amanda waved the scissors negligently. "Don't think of it as cutting. Think of it as . . . shaping." Alexa wasn't convinced. "Trust me, dear. I have done this before." No response. "Promise I won't take off too much?" The mortal finally sighed. "Heck, I'm dying anyway. Sure, cut it off." "Thanks for the vote of confidence." Amanda draped another towel around Alexa's shoulders. "Now—there's something I've always wondered about. You see, Adam's a lot older than I am, and I'm just too curious." She leaned around to look Alexa in the eye. "How is he in bed?" A haircut, makeup job, manicure, and much girl talk later, Amanda finally pronounced Alexa "up to snuff." The young woman walked hurriedly to the bathroom to see what the damage was. She was pleasantly surprised. Her hair, which had been thinning far too much for her comfort, was cut into soft layers with a wispy row of bangs just touching her eyebrows. The effect was to make it look much thicker and fuller. As for the makeup—Amanda was a true artist. The colors she'd directed Alexa to were a perfect complement to her skin tone, hair, and eyes. After Alexa dressed in her new outfit (and her new Miracle Bra), she looked in the mirror to find a sexy, sassy young woman. She liked the feeling. Amanda had put on a long black sheath dress that displayed her man-killing curves within an inch of legality. She looked every inch the femme fatale she was, but Alexa couldn't even envy her. The Immortal had just helped her look as sexy as she ever had, and Alexa was grateful far beyond what Amanda would have understood. The mortal woman drew in a breath. "Well, this'll be interesting. I've never been mobbed by men before; it'll be a new experience." Amanda laughed. "If they get too obnoxious, just tell 'em I'm your butch." "Oh, and you look so very butch tonight, Amanda," Alexa shot back as she grabbed her purse and headed out the door, then squeaked as Amanda pinched her bum. Alexa mock-glared at the Immortal, who looked incredibly innocent. They had an outrageously expensive dinner at the ritziest place Alexa had ever been in. She'd observed, over the past few months, that Adam tended to disdain what most people thought of as high living, preferring what he called "real life." Thus, Alexa had seen the inside of a Bedouin tent and countless waterfronts and street bazaars, but very few palaces or mansions. She didn't mind. She'd enjoyed the feeling of sheer, exuberant life that had surrounded her in the places Adam chose to take her. Still, there was something to be said for this, she thought, looking around at the rich decor. And the food was absolutely incredible, right down to the all-too-rich dessert, which she carefully enjoyed every bite of. Amanda watched her with great satisfaction. "My goal," the Immortal confided, "is to get an indignant call from Adam complaining that I've spoiled you." After dinner, they moved on to a nightclub. Alexa felt a little sorry for herself that she couldn't have one of the fantastical concoctions they prepared at the bar, settling instead for seltzer water with lime, but she did have fun watching Amanda work the room. The woman was good. Within fifteen minutes, every man in the club had made a concerted effort to speak to her. Alexa caught a few herself, and by the time Amanda came off the dance floor, the mortal woman was flirting expertly with two very good-looking Greeks. "You're pretty good," Amanda complimented her as they refreshed their lipstick in the ladies' room. Alexa grinned wickedly. "I was a bar waitress, you know. You don't get to be one of those for long without figuring out how to flirt . . . or how to cut men loose when they get too persistent." "Getting tired?" The mortal woman considered it for a moment. "No, not yet. The night's still pretty young, and I'd say I've got at least another good hour in me." In fact, it was almost two hours later that Alexa signaled Amanda that she needed to call it a night. The two left, disappointing their swains and giggling most of the way back to the hotel. Amanda was about to bid Alexa goodnight in her room when something made her stop. The thought of Alexa spending a tense night alone, knowing that in the morning Methos would either call—or not—made the Immortal's heart twist inside her. Come to think of it, Amanda wasn't too crazy about laying awake alone thinking about Duncan, either. "Why don't I stay?" she suddenly offered. "You know—we'll have a little slumber party." She read my mind, thought Alexa, and almost sagged in her relief. She'd wanted to ask Amanda to stay, but was afraid doing so would sound childish. Now she smiled. "That sounds fun." Amanda left to get some nightclothes and remove her makeup. When she got back to Alexa's room, her friend was nowhere in sight. "Alexa?" "In here." The voice came from the bathroom. Amanda saw that the door was open, and, curious, looked in. There stood Alexa, still in full makeup and the clothes she'd worn for the evening, using the bathroom mirror to draw her own portrait. After a few moments, the mortal finished the sketch and stepped back, blushing slightly. "I wanted to remember what I looked like tonight," she explained. "This will help me remember better than a photograph would." Something passed between them then, and Amanda suddenly understood exactly what the clothes and makeover meant to Alexa. And Alexa knew she knew. That moment was too intense to last, though, and Alexa shook it off with a soft chuckle. "Besides, Adam ought to know what he's missing, don't you think?" Amanda, too, shook herself. "Oh, definitely. Men are so much more fun when they beg." They got ready for bed, then, Amanda in her silk pyjamas (and she explained that the "y" in "pyjamas" was very important; after all, there must be some way to set them apart from your run-of-the-mill cotton PJ's) and Alexa in one of Adam's tees. They engaged in a little more girl talk, and soon, Alexa drifted off to sleep, followed by Amanda. Sometime in the deep of night, Amanda was awakened by a sound and the bed shaking slightly. It took her a moment to get her bearings ("Greece, 1990-something, last name Darieux, sharing a bed with . . . Alexa"). "Alexa?" she mumbled sleepily, blinking her eyes. The young woman was curled up on her side of the bed, shaking violently, a soft moan coming from her throat. "Alexa!" Amanda moved over, sliding her arm under her friend. "H-hurts," whimpered Alexa softly. Amanda's breath quickened. Methos would kill her if anything happened to his wife. "Do you need to go to the hospital?" "No," gasped Alexa. "N-not yet." "Can you take something?" "I already did." Alexa managed a few labored breaths. "Why does it have to hurt, Amanda? Dying's bad enough, but why does it have to hurt?" The Immortal pulled her tiny friend close. "I don't know, sweetie. I've never met a death myself that wasn't painful . . . just never this long." She rocked the shuddering figure softly. "What can I do? What does Adam do when this happens?" "He holds me," Alexa whispered. "Sometimes, when it's especially bad, he tells me a story." "Okay. A story." Amanda wrapped her arms a little tighter around her friend. The Immortal thought of a lot of stories, but most of them involved Duncan. He was the last person she wanted to think about now. Maybe something with Dex . . . "How about I tell you about the time I almost lost my life because a jeweled goblet fell out of my monk's robe while I was presenting the fake hair of St. Margaret to Queen Mary?" Midway through the story, Alexa's violent trembling eased, and her breathing slowed. Soon, she relaxed as the drug took hold. Amanda continued her tale, only to be interrupted. " 'Manda?" Alexa murmured. "Adam. Don't let him . . . be alone. Please." Amanda's eyes filled with tears. How can you think of someone else at a time like this, Alexa, she thought. "Okay. I won't," she reassured her friend. "Promise," Alexa slurred insistently. "I promise, Alexa. I won't let Adam be alone." She kissed Alexa's forehead. "Sleep, sweetie." Alexa's body relaxed completely against her taller friend's, and she slept. Amanda held her until she was sure Alexa was completely asleep, then laid her against the pillows, keeping one arm protectively curled around her friend. Then she, too, slept. Morning. Alexa woke to the wonderfully familiar sensation of a strong arm holding her . . . but something seemed wrong. The smell of whoever was spooned up against her back, for one thing. The shape, too. Last time she'd checked, Adam didn't have breasts. Oh. Amanda. The memory of the pain that had seized her the night before came flooding back, and she realized why she was so muzzy this morning. Pain pills did that to her. Amanda stirred, drawing in a deep breath. She, too, seemed a little puzzled at where she was, and Alexa looked over her shoulder. "I guess I'm not very trustworthy," the mortal woman said. "My husband leaves for a little while and next thing you know, I'm sleeping with a gorgeous brunette." It took Amanda a moment to catch on, and then both women laughed helplessly, giddy from interrupted sleep. Alexa slipped out of the bed, still giggling, and headed for the bathroom. When she emerged, tying on her bathrobe, Amanda was hanging up the phone. "I called room service," the Immortal explained. "They'll be sending up breakfast." "Thanks, Amanda," said Alexa, and both knew it wasn't for breakfast. Amanda got up and headed into the bathroom. She emerged a few minutes later in the dress she'd worn the previous night. "I'm going to go get some casual clothes from my room, but I'll be back as soon as I can. 'Kay?" Seeing Alexa's nod, she opened the door and ran almost headlong into a bellhop. The young man looked nonplused for a moment, then his eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of Alexa in her bathrobe. He looked back at Amanda, rumpled from sleep and wearing evening clothes . . . . The bellhop hurried off, and Amanda shut the door hastily before nearly dropping from hilarity. Alexa fell on the bed, laughing until tears ran down her face. "That'll be a hot one for the hotel staff," Amanda finally gasped as her lungs resumed working. "I wonder what sort of looks Adam's going to attract when he gets back?" Alexa laughed, but her eyes flickered involuntarily to the phone. Amanda sobered a little as she saw it. "Be back in two shakes, okay?" When she returned, bearing a pack of cards, the food was there, but Alexa wasn't eating. Despite herself, Amanda felt her stomach clench; it was past ten. The Immortal brushed the sudden worry away and pulled up a table to play cards on. The minutes ticked by. Amanda dealt a few hands, but found herself looking at the phone more than her cards. As for Alexa . . . Amanda set her cards down and reached across to squeeze her friend's hand. "Another of those darn elephants," she said. "Big one," Alexa agreed. About that point, both gave up any pretense of trying to do anything else and sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for the phone to ring. Amanda slipped one arm around Alexa. Ten-thirty. Alexa squeezed Amanda's hand, looking up at the matching worry in her friend's brown eyes. "They'll be okay," she told herself and Amanda. "They have to be okay." Another fifteen minutes passed, marked by the beat of two hearts. Alexa wiggled a little closer to Amanda, whose arm tightened. Eleven. Both women clamped down on the panic threatening to overwhelm them. Both prayed silently for the men they loved. The minutes continued to tick by. The phone rang. Twice. Three times. Alexa, shaking, nearly fumbled the phone as she picked it up off the receiver. Her throat was completely dry as she whispered, "H-hello?" "Alexa, it's Adam." And for the first time in her life, Alexa understood the meaning of the expression "burst into tears." One moment, her eyes were dry. The next, tears were running down her face as she sobbed helplessly. "Alexa?" came Adam's voice again. "Sweetheart, don't cry . . ." Amanda reached over, her own hand shaking as she pulled the receiver out of Alexa's grasp. "Me-Ch-Adam, is everything . . ?" "He's all right, Amanda," said Methos. "MacLeod's back to his Boy Scout self again." Amanda closed her eyes as tears filled them. "Thank God," she whispered. "Thank God. He'll be okay, then?" Please tell me he'll be okay. "I left him with a genuine member of the Clan MacLeod," Methos reassured her. "He'll be fine, Amanda. Oh, no, you're not going to cry, too, are you?" His tone was sardonic, but Amanda recognized the relief and the affection in it. "As a matter of fact, I am," Amanda sniffled. "Thank you, Adam. Now, talk to your wife." She handed the phone back to Alexa, who swallowed her own tears. "Adam?" she whispered. His voice, when it came, was the most beautiful thing she'd ever heard. "I'm fine, love. MacLeod's fine. We've got a genuine happy ending here." Alexa closed her eyes, savoring the knowledge that he was alive and coming back to her. "Adam, don't you dare do this to me ever again!" He laughed a laugh warm and rich with released tension. "Believe me, love, I won't. I'm coming back tonight. I've got a flight that should be in at ten-fifteen . . . and I'm not leaving your side again." "I can't wait to see you. I can't wait to hold you." Alexa closed her eyes, tension flooding out of her body. "I love you." "I love you too, Alexa. I'll be back tonight to tell you how much all over again." He said good-bye then, and Alexa reluctantly hung up. She looked up at Amanda, who was wiping away tears. "They're all right." Her voice broke, and the two women clung to each other, laughing and crying. ---------------------------------------------------------------- EPILOGUE Amanda hated the smell of hospitals. She thought that hatred must be ingrained in all Immortals. They learned to associate hospital smells with the deaths of their mortal friends. And another was dying now. Amanda rode the elevator, her thoughts spinning back nearly two months to the last time she'd seen Alexa. After the lovers' joyful reunion at the airport, Methos and Alexa had gone back to the hotel together, but not before promising Amanda they'd have breakfast with her before the thief left Athens. It had been, Amanda reflected, a very late breakfast, with both her friends glowing with their love over the table. Alexa had looked so very alive, far more alive than most of the people in the hotel restaurant. That was how Amanda wanted to remember her . . . but she also knew she had to see her friend one last time, no matter how it hurt. The Immortal buzz struck her as she stepped out of the elevator into the corridor. She steeled herself and walked determinedly down the hall toward the room where Alexa laid. Methos didn't even look up as Amanda entered the room. Alexa laid in the bed, propped up to make breathing easier, oxygen tubes in her nose, and tubes and wires connecting her to pieces of equipment Amanda didn't even want to know the meaning of. Her heart twisted inside her as she remembered Methos' breakdown in the trainyard where they'd fought over the Methuselah crystal. She'd never heard the like of his awful roar of pain, and her conscience pained her as she realized she herself might be partially to blame for Alexa's death. "Methos?" Amanda asked softly. As he turned toward her, Amanda thought with a start how genuinely old he looked, like his 5,000 years were catching up to him now. "Amanda," he said, voice soft and empty. "Come on in. She's talked about you, from time to time. She's . . . awake sometimes, but not often." His eyes flickered to the window, and Amanda saw tears in them. "It won't be much longer. It's just a matter of making her comfortable." The thief moved into the room, finding a chair and pulling it up next to Methos. She forced herself to look at Alexa, still and pale. "Methos, I-I'm so sorry," she whispered. "If I hadn't interrupted you at the Watchers' Headquarters, you'd have gotten the stone for her. I was just so frightened . . ." He interrupted her. "Don't torture yourself. I'm not holding a grudge, Amanda. It just . . . wasn't meant to be, is all." Amanda didn't believe his philosophical mood for a moment, but she decided to let it be. He was having a hard enough time holding together as it was. Now he raised Alexa's hand and brushed his lips across it softly. "What we had was precious all the more because our time was so limited. I've never lived so much in the moment." For the first time, he faced Amanda completely, a soft, sad joy in his eyes. "She made the world real to me again, Amanda." Tears stung Amanda's eyes. "You made it real for her, too, Methos. She loved you completely. I don't think she held anything back." "No. Never." He turned back to his wife. Alexa stirred slightly, her eyes opening a slit. They focused on Methos first, then Amanda. A little frown appeared between those eyes. "Alexa, it's me, Amanda," the thief offered. " 'Manda?" The name was barely whispered. "What did you . . . do . . . t'your hair?" Amanda suddenly felt a giggle escape her throat, and even Methos chuckled. "This is Amanda's idea of looking inconspicuous, beloved," he told his wife. He was rewarded with a slight smile. "Don't . . . make me . . . laugh." Amanda leaned forward, bringing herself more fully into Alexa's view. "I just dropped by to see if you wanted to go shopping again." She produced Methos' wallet. He snatched it with mock irritation. Alexa just smiled again. "No . . . elephants . . . my friend." The thief sobered, realizing Alexa's perception had picked out what she'd really come to do. "I came to say goodbye, Alexa. I wanted to see you one last time." "Thought so," Alexa breathed. "Goodbye . . . Amanda." "Goodbye, sweetie," Amanda whispered back, then leaned over to kiss Alexa's forehead softly. "Stay . . . awhile." Amanda could barely pick out the words. "I will." Alexa's eyes closed, and her breathing fell back into the labored rhythm of sleep. Amanda's eyes moved to Methos. A single tear was making its way down his face. Silently, Amanda slipped one arm through his, and her other hand came up to brush aside the tear. ===================================================================== ===================================================================== Song excerpt is from "When You Say Nothing At All," by Paul Overstreet and Don Schiltz. Also, a thank you to Tanja Kinkel for her excellent suggestion that Alexa ask Amanda about dying.