Over thirty horses lined up on the SIMs City beach. Earlier in the day, jumps had been set into the sand, and beyond the jumps the sand was scratched away to create deep holes that were filled with water. Poles were set up at the end of the course, and on each pole a scarf was tied. Each scarf represented a person. The rules of the race were this: not only did a contestant have to run like the wind and jump over the dangerous obstacles, but they also had to grab off a scarf. Whoever won got his or her choice of scarves, and that person had to be the winner's date for the evening. SEX included. The other scarves would also be taken, but those scarf owners could get away with just a kiss if they so chose.

A few women chose to ride, so Methos, who was not riding, hung his scarf from a pole. Lady was racing but Giles had not hung anything from a pole; he knew she'd feel obligated to take his. Both Bronze Age Methos and Doc Adams were riding.

Of course, since Toni could barely ride, she had been one of the ones to hang her scarf. Nick was riding, and as she saw him up on Snowball, getting used to the feel of the horse before the race, she had to go over and kiss him for luck.

Sarah Jo stood near the center of the line, soothing her excited mount. Alannah, a dapple grey Arabian mare, had been an early birthday present from Duende and Dani. Duende also had a new horse, a rather wild black stallion by the name of Rio. He was not behaving, so Duende was circling him behind the line.

Connor MacLeod was also riding a black Arabian stallion, this one named Jameel. But he was standing quietly, his muscles tense as he waited for Connor's cue. Beside him, John Clayton was on a flashy liver chestnut mare he called Jinx.

Kronos was riding Devilspawn, an all black stallion that looked almost as evil as his rider. He reared and danced nervously, but Kronos was able to handle him easily. Within a very short time he had him behaving himself-God only knew what he had leaned forward and whispered in the poor beast's ear.

Kat was standing beside Doc Adams, giving him some last minute hints on how best to ride her mare Jasmine, who he had borrowed from her for this occasion. Connor, Giles and Doc had very firmly put their feet down when Kat had hinted she wouldn't mind riding herself. She had to be content with putting a scarf up on a pole. Lady agreed with Connor and the doctors. "It's a steeplechase," she said. "The jumps would be much too jarring for a pregnant lady!" Then Toni came over and added her own agreement, saying she'd be happy to have her friend keep her company in the crowd.

Lady hugged the women and went to mount Brando. Tom Kirby, on his gelding Herriot, was holding her for Lady. Herriot nuzzled Brandy, then turned away, disinterested. Lady chuckled. Just like Tom to geld his horse!

Tom Kirby moved into line next to Sarah Jo, smiling at her as he did so. Duncan was riding a handsome Thoroughbred by the name of Prince Charlie. He couldn't help smile at the younger version of himself, who was still having a great deal of trouble making his horse behave.

John Westlock and Martin Chuzzlewit, a SIM and a Vim, came prancing up. They had become fast friends since the Vim's arrival. Westlock was on the humorously named Pinch of Sneff, while Chuzzlewit was on a roan named Spire.

Farmer Grey, one of the new Beanios, was riding Wild Thing. He was in the process already of training him for Crystal. Crystal was watching with a worried eye as the handsome farmer moved her horse into line. She had left a scarf, which was all she could do. DeBracy, on his pure white mare Lady Crystal, seemed disappointed that she wasn't at his side. Sir Patrise was there, on Camelot. His friend looked at him with understanding as DeBracy gazed, lovelorn, at his lady.

Indiana Jones rode his big grey Thoroughbred gelding, Crusader, up to line, blowing a kiss to Katherine as he passed by. He was hoping to win so he could finally get Katherine to bed him.

Two of the Horsemen, BAMethos and BAKronos, came racing over from the bridge. The Marquis, Miglioritti, who was sitting his stallion Swordplay next to Count Vronsky and his sorrel, Lady Anne, made a sour face. "Those two are going to blow their horses before the race even starts," he said petulantly.

Bronze Age Kronos was riding one of Suz' mounts, another black Arabian named Satan. His brother BAMethos was on his gray, whose name was Reaper.

Dio was one of the five women who had dared to ride in the race. She and Gaston were standing next to each other on their horses Star and Grand.

Another woman who had chosen to ride was Jay, on her chestnut Yarraman. Bo, of course, rode his grey Arrow. Xavera was the fifth woman in the race. She was lined up on her horse Checkers, next to Roland, who was mounted on Trist. The two of them exchanged quick smiles as they waited.

Alun Lewis sat quietly on his horse, Poet's Dream. He couldn't believe all the people that had showed up for this race! As he looked around, Toni came out of the crowd and gave him a kiss for luck, too. They exchanged smiles, and when Toni glanced toward her scarf on the pole, then back at him meaningfully, he blushed. She laughed softly, gave him another kiss, and walked back to Kat.

Sal's horse Mario was restless and pawing the ground. He wasn't as used to crowds as some of the others. Sal spoke softly to the horse, patting his neck as he studied the competition. This was going to be fun. He waved to Ev and Jathelle, who were standing together looking at the crowd, and grinned when Ev blew him a kiss.

Gabriel moved his horse Spitfire next to Dio, grinning broadly at her. He, too, thought this was going to be fun!

Meanwhile, Shammah and his horse Jehovah stood off to the side. It seemed as though both horse and man were praying for a good outcome to the race for them!

Shelley, on a big ugly brute of a horse called, appropriately, "Monster", moved into the line up next, leaving only Robert Dudley on his lovely mare Queen Liz to complete the line-up.

Methos stood up with a red flag, ready to send them on their way. It wouldn't be easy, running on sand, but these were the finest bunch of horses anyone had ever seen. Duende managed to get his rearing and plunging horse up to the line.

After making sure everyone was ready, Methos raised his arm high, then called out "Ready, set....go!" This last, as he brought his arm and the flag down, brought a cloud of sand and water as they all rushed past him. They took off like a shot. The spectators oooh'ed. All that wonderful horseflesh in motion made a lovely sight. The riders soon spread out so the horses could take the fences safely. Sal, Indiana and Duncan were the early leaders. But suddenly a black cloud seemed to overtake them as Wild Thing, Satan and Devilspawn all came rushing up at once.

Ev and Jathelle were giggling together. Neither of them had ever been to a steeplechase and they couldn't decide whether to look at the magnificent horses or the magnificent guys. Some of the riders looked exceptionally well on their horses. The Count, for example, seemed born to this type of race.

Meanwhile, Toni was watching Nick and praying silently, unaware that her lips were moving! Kat, standing beside her, noticed it and pointed it out to her. When Toni blushed, Kat giggled. Nick did have a good seat, but his riding experience was mostly on a parade field. Doc was also a little uncomfortable with jumping, and it was pretty obvious he was no horseman. Jasmine was taking care of him though, just like Katherine told him she would. All he had to do was keep her pointed in the right direction.

Right in the middle of the pack, Sarah Jo was pacing her horse, not letting her go all out just yet. The mare she was riding had a powerful jump in her and was clearing the obstacles easily.

Sal and his horse seemed to love the thrill of racing. They were used to riding all over the hills of Sicily. These obstacles were nothing to them.

The first water jump claimed a few victims. Some of the horse refused to jump it and dumped their riders into the water. The Marquis cursed in Italian as he brushed wet sand off his costume.

Amazingly, because he was a younger version of Doc, Bronze Age Methos seemed to be melded to his horse. They moved over the jumps with fluid ease. Apparently it was a quality Methos had lost over the years.

Duende was not having any luck at all with his mount. The barely manageable horse tried bolting several times out into the ocean itself, but each time Duende was able to get him back on course. Needless to say, he was near the back of the pack because of this.

Although a difficult mount, Wild Thing loved to run, and he was more than happy participate in any foolishness as long as he could do so. As a result, he was close to the lead from the start.

Sal and his horse Mario were still close to the front of the pack, and Mario seemed to be getting his second wind; sailing over the obstacles with ease. Connor and John Clayton were running neck and neck with each other. They had made a friendly wager and they were both going to try to get Katherine's scarf off the pole. That is, if Indiana didn't beat them to it first. He was still charging along with the leaders.

DeBracy was thrown after one of the jumps. Getting up, he cursed and searched the crowd for Crystal. He hadn't been paying enough attention, he scolded himself.

Meanwhile, Sarah Jo's little mare was closing the gap between herself and the leaders. She passed Duncan and soon was even with BAM.

Sal and Mario had a close call when a horse and rider fell in front of them, but Mario stayed calm and simply sailed over them without breaking stride.

Shammah was out of the race, as was Alun Lewis. Some of the crowd helped round up stray horses while dumped riders made their way off the course. Also out were John Westlock, Martin Chuzzlewit, Shelley, Sir Patrise, and Sir Francis.

The participants were about ready to turn and come back the way they had come. As they neared the post where they were turning around, Sarah Jo passed BAMethos. Her Arabian mare as at home in the sand, and was actually building up speed. She passed Connor and John. Only Kronos, The Count, Farmer Grey, Sal, and Indiana were ahead of her now.

Vronsky edged past Kronos, and Farmer Grey, giving Wild Thing his head now that they were past the jumps, came up as well. The Horseman was now third, and he did not like it. Rounding the pole, Sarah Jo's quick little mare made a much tighter turn than the bigger horses, and she easily caught up with Kronos and started to pull past him.

This was the last straw for Kronos; it was bad enough that the other men had passed him, but a woman! Reaching out, he grabbed the reins of Sarah Jo's horse and pulled them roughly to one side, then he grabbed her long braid and yanked that, effectively pulling her off the horse. She was pinned momentarily between the two horses and then landed hard, screaming as the bones in her outstretched right arm shattered. A loose horse running along with the others came straight towards her and she rolled in a little ball, protecting her head as it sailed over her.

Vronsky and Grey both pulled up, hearing the screams. Some others hurried forward from the rear. Vronsky whirled Lady Ann and reversed, braving the onslaught of horses to rescue the fallen Sarah Jo. Farmer Grey kicked his heels into Wild Thing's sweaty sides, and the stallion rushed to overtake the mare. Sal heard the scream, but at the speed Mario was flying down the beach, he didn't get a clear view of what happened. He wasn't sure he wanted to. It didn't sound good. Doc Adams, who had remained on his horse only by going slower, was last in the queue and was able to rush to Sarah's aid.

In all the ensuing confusion, no one was ahead of Kronos, and he reached the finish line first, shouting in triumph. As Kronos slowed his horse gradually to a trot, he already knew which scarf he wanted

to claim. He rode over to the pole that held Kat's scarf and took it off, holding it high and looking at the small woman in the stands with a positive leer on his face, his eyes sparkling.

Sal and Mario flew along the sand until no one but Kronos was in front of them. He grinned. Not bad for not doing much riding in a while. He slowed his horse and went over to the poles with the scarves. It didn't really matter to him which one he got. He just grabbed one and moved out of the way of the others still finishing.

Sarah Jo had managed to scramble off to the side to avoid the oncoming horses. Then, sobbing in pain, she held her broken arm against her body, hoping it would start healing quickly. In the meantime, she was losing a lot of blood from where the broken bones had pierced the skin. The Count and Doc both leaped off their horses to help her.

Vronsky lifted Sarah Jo, carrying her completely clear of the racers. Then he laid her gently on the ground where Doc could check her out. Farmer Grey returned with Sarah Jo's mare, and he held her, Vronsky and Doc's horses while they helped the Immortal nurse. As Doc was trying to straighten the bones of her arm, Duende rode up and vaulted off his horse, not caring where it ran off to at that point.

Sarah Jo screamed again as the bones were moved back in place, then quietened as her body started to heal before their eyes. Vronsky watched the miracle, then turned in anger. "YOU!" He shouted across the sand to Kronos. "You are NO gentleman!"

Kronos ignored him, his attention fixed on Kat while he waited for her to notice who had her scarf. Vronsky's face turned red, and Doc, helping Sarah Jo up, smirked, "I think this is going to get ugly."

Katherine's face was white, her jaw tight with repressed anger. She met his eyes, not backing down for one moment. Beside her, her friends gathered in silent support. Ev and Jathelle, with Rayden and Theron close behind, made their way closer to Katherine to help in case it was needed. Kronos, seeing her notice, grinned as he rode over to her and dismounted. He walked up to her, and smiled, "Lady Katherine. I believe this is your scarf, is it not?"

But the Russian Count was incensed. "You can not profit from that crime!" he yelled as he ran up to the Horseman. Taking off his riding glove, he slapped Kronos across the face. And everyone knew what THAT meant!

In the mean time Sarah Jo struggled to her feet. "I'm going to finish!" she said stubbornly. Doc had to assist her back on her mare, which she now rode with one hand. Kicking the mare up into a gallop, she charged up behind Kronos. "You cheated!" she yelled at him. Then with an indignant air about her, she grabbed the nearest man's scarf, not caring who it belonged to.

Kronos just stared at the Count for a long moment, clearly surprised that anyone would do such a thing to him. Then he laughed loudly, and turned his back on the man, once again focusing on Kat. He was also ignoring Sarah Jo's accusation.

Sal joined the gathering group of angry riders hurling insults at Kronos. He was incensed that anyone should do such a thing to a lady.

There was no fear in Katherine's eyes, just a deep anger that he would do such a thing to her friend. As Kronos took a step toward her, Methos and Connor joined the protectors at her side. Methos looked his brother in the eye. "Sorry, Kronos, even I cannot overlook such a blatant incident." He took the scarf and offered it to the Count, who shook his head stubbornly. "I want my satisfaction!"

Ignoring the Count once again, Kronos stopped then, and said, "I won the race. The rules state that the lady whose scarf the winner takes is his to command, do they not?"

Methos grinned. "Don't push your luck." He turned back to Vronsky. "He's Immortal. You aren't. Don't be a fool."

Doc trotted forward. Giving Methos a slight nod, he said, "I will be your second. That way I can also be the doctor on hand." The Count, appeased, went back to Farmer Grey for his horse. "He won't give in," Doc explained when he left. "How well we know that type! But I have a plan." And he grinned.

The duel would take place. What Doc had in mind, no one knew. But they hoped it would save Vronsky's life.