IT’S ABOUT TIME

Ever since his night with Lady and Toni, Methos had been trying to work out why he was so attracted to them. It was like a simmering desire in him at all times. He knew it was because they were pregnant, but he had to admit that while he loved Lady's twins and his own *son*, he wasn't that into being a hands on dad. What was it about pregnancy that turned him on so?

Then, suddenly he saw Doc Adams, who was going to be Lady's Doctor for the pregnancy. "Isn't it wonderful?" he asked.

"Yes," Methos admitted, "though I am not completely sure why."

Doc looked at him oddly. "Aren't you?" When Methos said nothing, he laughed. "Perhaps I am closer to it, my friend. I confess I do not like delivering children - there are midwives for that – but the thought of a woman being fertile . . . something we are not . . . it's just so . . . mortal, is it not?"

Stunned, Methos went off to think about it. And the more he thought about it, the more he knew Doc was right. He loved their fertility, not necessarily the product of that condition. And, quite naturally, his thoughts ran to Katherine. The Immortal that had become mortal just to have a child . . .

The Captain's Lady had been busy as usual for lunch. But the crowd had thinned out and Katherine was now finding time to breathe a little.

Grinning at Jeremy, who was finishing up cleaning the few tables still left with lunch dishes on them, she walked over to the stage and picked up her guitar. She checked the tuning and then started to play a toe tapping Irish tune.

Methos came through the door. "Nice," he said with a winning smile. "Always good to remember your roots."

Katherine grinned at him, and as her song ended she switched to another one called "Laddie, Lie Near Me". As she sang, she wandered around the coffee shop, using the words of the song to flirt with the guys still nursing their cups of coffee. She was feeling especially good that day and was not above showing off a bit. Chuckling, and keeping his eyes on her as she moved, he slid into a seat to watch in open admiration.

Katherine not only felt good, she was absolutely glowing. She was wearing a loose fitting shirt over a pair of leggings, but still managed to look absolutely stunning. As he watched her, Methos could not help but think about the incredible difference between the way she looked now and back when he as Doc Adams had rescued her from the filthy brothel, where he had found her chained to a wall.

He did not want to stop her song, but he did want to speak to her, and for a moment he wondered if she was more interested in the other patrons than in himself. Pushing this Adam Pierson-like doubt from his mind, he slid confidently into a sprawl and continued his frank inspection.

Eventually she'd come over.

She made her way across the room, teasing each man with her song.

Finally she was next to him, and the last words were directed at him. "Delight shall drive care away, Laddie lie near me." When the song ended, she put down her guitar and smiled brightly at him.

"Want some company?" she asked, already knowing the answer. He nodded as if he didn't care either way, but his heart was racing and he was afraid it showed. It didn't. What went on outwardly was entirely different from what he kept inside, but even with 5,000 years of practice he always had some modicum of doubt. And Katherine was an empath.

Katherine sat down gracefully in the chair next to him and her hand rested momentarily on the soft roundness of her slightly expanded belly. Jeremy brought her a glass of lemonade and the tea that Methos liked to drink and then left the two of them alone while he tended to the rest of the customers. "It's nice to see you here, Methos," she said with a soft smile to him. "Is there something you would like to talk about?"

"It's come to my attention that you and I have never really talked since you got here," he said smoothly.

Katherine looked at him, her head tipped slightly to one side. "No, we haven't. I think you've let Doc do all the fence mending between us that needed to be done."

"Did he though?"

She licked her lips as she recalled the night they had been together on the beach. "Aye, he did," she said with a silky purr. "But you haven't."

Methos leaned forward. "My point exactly," he said in a very low, husky voice. He knew damn well what that tone did to some women of his acquaintance, but he had never had much luck with this one.

She studied him intently for a moment, then got up and held out her hand to him. "No time like the present then to rectify that."

He could not hold back the grin that spread boyishly across his face. Standing, he took her hand and squeezed it. Somehow he knew she'd already read his insecurity, but was not going to broadcast it to the world.

She led him into her little office and closed the door. "We can go up to the cabin if you like. We would have absolute privacy there. Sarah Jo was going to have Farmer Grey over tonight anyway. I can call her and let her know she needs to have him bunk out at her place tonight."

He sprawled in a chair. "Whatever you think is best," he said slowly, again hiding his happiness. This languid sensuality gave him pleasure, too.

Katherine made a couple of quick phone calls, her hand reaching out and playing with his hair as she talked. Then hanging up the phone, she grinned and said, "It’s all arranged. And no one will be calling out the cavalry if I don't show up at home tonight now." She took his hand and then led him out of her office. Blowing a kiss to Jeremy, she told him Connor would be by to help him close and she would see him in the morning. Then she and Methos walked out of the coffee shop, still hand in hand.

"It's been a long time," Methos began as they walked, adding quickly, "and I don't want to bring all that up. If you and Doc have squared it, I'm okay with it. I have Cain in me, too, but I have more control over him."

"I know that," Katherine said gently. "He was a lot closer to the surface in you back then. That is why I never went any further with you. I had more than my share of abuse at the hands of men already to put myself as any further risk. But in protecting myself, I ended up hurting you, and I'm sincerely sorry for that."

He shrugged. "I'm all right with it. Not that I want you to think you're not important or desirable. It's just that . . . we've both had other distractions. Yes?"

Katherine nodded. "Yes. Some good, some bad. But life goes on and we have both survived. And now in this time and place, life is treating both of us very well indeed."

"So, you are happy here?" he asked with a smile. When she said she was, he admitted, "So am I. Although I seem to have an unending itch lately." He grinned at her.

"I am very aware of that," she chuckled. "You, believe it or not, are one of the people here in town that I can sense the easiest. Especially when you are having *fun*." They had arrived at Rayden's place and had entered the backyard. She sent a mental message out and for the first time, Methos saw the scenery shift for himself. They were now in a lush mountain meadow and a quaint little log cabin was waiting for them on the other side of a creek.

He wasn't thrilled that she could read him so easily, but then again, he hadn't been happy when Lady started reading him, either. Of course, her knowledge was not based on empathy . . . and yet he would not entirely pull down his defenses. Not yet.

Katherine led him across the log bridge, letting him grumble to himself. But the sooner he accepted her abilities, the more comfortable he would be with her. The cool mountain breeze blew through her hair and molded the shirt she was wearing to her body as they walked across the meadow. When they got to the cabin she climbed up on the steps and then spun around to face him. The tiny woman was now at eye level. "We're here!" she said with a wicked looking grin as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

He kissed her immediately and hungrily, then pulled back to silently slide down her body. When his cheek pressed against her belly he sighed blissfully.

Katherine stood quietly, letting him enjoy the moment as she ran her fingers through his hair. Her belly was just starting to round slightly as she neared her fourth full month of pregnancy. "There are days I still can't believe I have a child growing inside of me," she said softly.

"I suddenly came to realize that you're the missing link, so to speak," he told the belly.

Chuckling slightly, she nodded. "It is an unique situation, isn't it? An immortal who was barren her whole life becoming mortal to have the chance of bringing a child into this world." She pulled him to his feet again. "Lets go inside," she said with a happy smile.

He agreed, standing stiffly to follow. "I don't know why I didn't realize the unique qualities of your situation before," he said as he opened the door for her.

"It wasn't an easy choice to make. Or an easy transition. It took me awhile to adjust to being vulnerable to the least little thing," she mused as she led him into the cabin. "Would you like something to drink, or would you like to go *rest* with me? I've gotten used to taking a nap about this time of day."

Methos' eyebrows rose. "You don't seem tired to me. And if we go in that room, you won't get much rest."

Giggling, she slipped her hand underneath his shirt. "There is always afterwards," she said in a low voice. He was suddenly very aware that the small lady in front of him was extremely secure in her own sexuality. She seemed to know exactly what both they both wanted. Leaning down for another kiss, this one sizzling with intensity, he lifted her and brought her into the bedroom.

Once they were inside, he gently placed her down and started unbuttoning her shirt as she was doing the same to his. He seemed almost annoyed at her interest in his clothing, so single-minded was his purpose. He was there to experience her; although her pleasure was important to him, he put her attraction to himself out of his mind.

She picked up what he was feeling immediately, and her efforts to strip him stopped. She stood in front of him with a knowing smile on her face while he pulled her shirt off her slight body. Pausing, he pressed his lips to her belly above the leggings before pulling them off as well. When her belly was clear he again pressed close to her warmth.

She was just starting to show. Her slim body was becoming more rounded and softer in appearance and he couldn't help but notice her breasts had most definitely increased in size from the way he remembered them.

But they were, undoubtedly, all the signs of pregnancy. Then again, the desire he had felt - that Cain had felt - was different from this.

There was a surge of repressed anger at the thought and he stiffened, fighting it back. This would be passion and tenderness, not rage and rape. It passed quickly but he knew she'd felt the inner battle he'd easily won.

Nodding in approval, she took his hand and led him to the old fashioned cast iron bed with a thick feather tick mattress. He pressed her back slowly, kissing her with a long, drawing suck that set the tone wonderfully. His long fingers still caressed her belly.

Sensing that he wanted to pleasure her more than he wanted her to do the same to him, Katherine relaxed on the comfortable bed and gave herself completely over to the sensations he was causing. She slowly opened up her mind to him and let him feel just how his caresses were making her body respond.

He responded almost painfully to the revelation. Gasping, he kissed her harder before moving down to caress, fondle, lick and suck each breast and nipple. Her open mental door to him was letting him see how they were even more sensitive to stimulation during pregnancy, an insight he was sure to use to his full advantage. Moaning softly Katherine arched up under him, encouraging him to do more of the same.

He was now in tune with her, touching her as she wanted to be touched while denying himself the ultimate prize. Sex was fleeting, he knew - it was what led up to it that was desirable. That was not a typical *male* way of looking at it, but it was his. And it was especially so in this case, when he wanted to be near her for more than sexual reasons.

With that in mind, he spent the time he needed to get to know every inch of her body. He wanted to find out just what little touch or kiss caused her the most pleasure. She was totally relaxed under his administrations, willingly letting him do anything he pleased to her as he explored her body the way he had been wanting to for as long as he had known her.

And yet he felt her heat rising. Slipping out of the rest of his clothing, he never left her for long, but worked his way toward a mutual joining. Teasing her, he brought her close to the edge over and over until she bit his chin and told him in no uncertain terms she wanted him, and wanted him now!

"That's what a man wants to hear," he whispered gruffly as he finally took her. The taking itself was gentle, belying his tone.

She did not let it stay gentle very long as she held him close and moved up to meet each thrust. As he made love to her, it seemed that their bodies truly became one, her pleasure his, and his desire hers.

He pressed in deeper, still wondering what it was about mortal women that excited him so, and he suddenly knew it was the brevity of their lives. Kat would go back to being Immortal, but for now she was vulnerable, and that vulnerability touched his heart.

Katherine arched up hard underneath him as her body was filled with the pleasure of her orgasm. It was so intense it was almost painful. When she cried out, Methos knew for the first time in his 5000 years of life exactly what a woman felt as she slipped over the edge.

He understood now why Giles was so afraid that what he shared with Lady was clouding his judgment, and also why he refused to do it with other women. Sharing that moment was potent and special.

Fighting for control, he managed to continue on. But when

Katherine reached a second earth shaking climax a few moments later, he

felt himself going with her. Afterward, he rolled off and apologized.

"I couldn't hold it that time," he grinned, as if she should have expected more.

Chuckling softly as she curled up in his arms, she said with a smug tone, "There's always next time!"