Seacouver: 4 am, Joe's House.
Catriona was trapped. It was as if her body were tightly bound. In vain she struggled to free herself, to move, to escape the inevitable assault. Inevitable, and one she had suffered almost nightly in her dreams for the past eight years. Too late she knew, she had never managed to escape, not in reality nor in her dreams. The familiar and unwanted feeling of revulsion and self loathing overwhelmed her once again. Then suddenly the scene changed and she was once again in the small stone cell holding the young Methos in her arms. In the corner a shadowy figure began to take shape. It had many heads and tentacles that snaked toward Catriona and the boy, intent on taking him from her. Her embrace tightened around him as she sought to offer him protection. Gently she dropped a kiss upon the top of his head, holding his over-thin body closer to her she whispered, "Do not fear my love, I'll not let any one harm you again. You are safe now."
The boy raised his head to regard her, his clear hazel eyes showed no fear and his lips formed one simple phrase that tore at her heart. "Mother."
She caught her breath as she heard the word, looking carefully at him she saw his face morph from that of the young Methos to one which was strongly reminiscent of both hers and Calum's. In her surprise her grip on the boy's shoulders relaxed slightly. As if this were a signal the multi-headed monster seized the opportunity to reach for its prize. She took in some of the features of its many heads, there were the faces of Kronos, Silas, Caspian, Sulla, Ariostos, Cassandra, Calum and many others she could not as yet identify. She screamed and tried to tighten her hold on the body of the boy, but it was too late. The tentacles had found what they sought and had begun to strengthen their hold. The snaking appendages curled firmly around the throat of the boy and began to choke the life from his body, his face turned blue as he lost the battle for breath. It was more than Catriona could bear and she fought like a wild cat to protect him. To no avail!
The screams woke all the occupants of the house instantly.
Methos leaped from bed, grabbing his sword and rushing into the living room from where the blood curdling sounds had come. He arrived in time to see Catriona thrashing wildly and calling out.
"No!! Methos!! My son. Stop. Bastards. Stop. Not my son. Methos No. Not Methos. Stop please. Oh God No. Methos! Stop. Stop."
Her convulsions and the substance of her screams made him pause uncertainly for a moment only. Then he rushed to the side of the bed and knelt gently beside it. Hesitantly at first and then more firmly he called her name, lightly stroking her face in an effort to wake her.
"Catriona, wake up Catriona. It's all right. You are safe here."
Success, she began to stir, her eyelids fluttering as she woke to see him gazing down at her a concerned frown on his face.
She sat up and clasped Methos to her. He returned her embrace instinctively.
"Oh God!" She moaned. "It was you, my son, but then you again...." She choked on her sobs, unable to continue and Methos reached again for her face, gently stroking it reassuringly.
"It's all right, nothing to worry about Catriona. Just a dream. You're fine now. Everything's fine." He could tell that she wasn't really paying any attention to him but the sound of a voice soothing her seemed to calm her erratic heartbeat a little at least.
At that moment Duncan and Joe appeared in the doorway.
Duncan took in the scene before him. Catriona in her slip, looking dishevelled and crying uncontrollably, oblivious to everyone and everything around her. Methos hugging her tightly, clad only in his boxer shorts. She had been calling out, no screaming out Methos' name, begging for something to stop. His mind froze. Not for the first time in his life Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod put two and two together and came up with a numerically incorrect answer.
The instinct to protect and defend or avenge those in his clan took over. Advancing to a position directly behind Methos, sword drawn, he spat out an angry oath.
"Bastard! So Cassandra was right about you. Well I think it's time we put an end to this charade once and for all. On your feet!"
He slid the blade of his Katana under Methos' chin, applying enough upward pressure to encourage him to get up from his knees. Resistance, given the sharpness of the blade, would prove painful - if not fatal. Relinquishing his grip on Catriona - and totally unable to speak with the blade pressing hard against his Adams apple - Methos levered himself upwards, hands turned palm outwards in a gesture of surrender. He looked at Joe, his eyes expressing what his voice could not. It was as eloquent a plea as Joe had ever seen, he cleared his throat, which was suddenly dry, before speaking.
"Mac. don't you think you should ask questions first and shoot later?" He said.
"Given our 'friend's' history I think it would be a complete waste of time and energy." Mac said through clenched teeth. "It seems a leopard cannot change its spots - no matter how much it may want to or how much of an act it puts on."
He pulled back on the sword, forcing Methos closer to him. "Outside!" he snapped, pushing from behind but never altering the suffocating pressure of the blade against Methos' throat. A red line appeared as the blade broke the skin. Methos closed his eyes briefly. He had no desire any longer to lose his head to any one..especially not to this man but being unable to speak meant he could offer no defence. The only course open to him - unless Joe or Catriona came to his aid - was to force Duncan to kill him and hope that his friends would intervene before he was able to take his quickening. It went against every instinct of self preservation he had but as soon as they were outside he thrust his head and body forward hard, forcing the blade to sink deep into his jugular vein. He started to lose consciousness almost instantly, praying fiercely, as his knees began to buckle, that he would live to see another day dawn.
Joe stepped up to the couch and put his hand on Catriona's shoulder, rousing her from her almost catatonic state. She blinked and looked up at him, confused.
"Where's Methos? I thought he was here."
"He was, Mac just took him outside and I'd say unless we stop him Methos is in serious danger of losing his head."
"No!"
She was on her feet and out of the door almost before Joe could take it in.. He followed, taking his gun from the drawer on the way.
As he reached the door he saw lightening streak the sky. 'Oh God no!' he thought, 'please not Mac or Methos, please.'
He pushed on as fast as he could to the porch in time to see Methos' body lying on the grass, Duncan standing over him - sword raised for the final swing- and Catriona running toward them.
Duncan turned to look at her as she screamed at him to stop.
"You can't possibly mean me to spare him after what he's done." He said, and he brought his blade down towards Methos' unprotected neck which already harboured a gaping wound through which his life's blood had so recently seeped.
"No Duncan. No!" Catriona screamed as she threw herself protectively over the supine body of Methos.
Shocked, Duncan tried to pull his stroke and only partially succeeded. The carefully tended, razor sharp blade sliced deep into Catriona's bicep. In horror, Duncan dropped the sword and threw himself to his knees, desperately trying to stem the stream of blood that welled up from the deep gash.
Catriona's pain was evident from the expression on her face and yet she made no sound save one, a sighed prayer of thanks that she had been in time.
As if on cue, the heavens opened and a torrential downpour engulfed all three figures, saturating them to the skin within seconds.
A groan from the bottom of the tangled heap of bodies signalled Methos' return to life.
'Shit!' He felt like death warmed over. He was cold, wet, exhausted, his throat hurt like hell and he felt as if he could eat a horse - despite the fact that he seriously doubted he would ever move again so devoid of energy did he feel. Then he registered the fact that there was blood trickling across his back. Not his blood though - his wound had already stopped bleeding. Whether or not he'd have a permanent scar from it remained to be seen. For now all he was interested in was seeing who was bleeding and getting his face up off the grass so that he could breathe again.
Suddenly he realised who it was that was lying across his back and bleeding. He could feel Catriona's breasts through her thin slip. His mind froze suddenly. 'Surely Mac hasn't killed her?' he thought anxiously..then he relaxed with relief as he felt her heart beat faintly against his spine. It was obvious his little plan had produced some unforeseen results. The extent of the damage had yet to be seen however, and in the meantime he was in serious danger of suffocating. His struggles to lift his face from the mud and grass prompted a harsh response.
"Lie still for God's sake Methos! You are immortal - she isn't I need to keep the pressure on this wound. You'll just have to wait your turn.
With a mental sigh at the general shittiness of life right now Methos ceased his struggles and died for the second time in less than ten minutes.
Duncan continued to press with all his strength on Catriona's wound. The flow had lessened but Catriona had lost a lot of blood, and she was losing consciousness. He had to stop the bleeding as soon as possible or he might lose Catriona to shock caused by severe blood loss. His face was grey with the strain as Joe approached.
"Shit Mac! When you do something you don't do it by halves do you?" Joe said. "I think you should get her inside as quickly as you can. If she loses too much body heat on top of all that blood we'll lose her."
"I know that, don't you think I don't know that!" Duncan snapped. He pulled Catriona into his arms, still keeping up the pressure on the wound, and began carrying her back to the house. Halfway there he realised that Joe wasn't following.
" I could use your help Joe." He said.
Joe snorted. "I ain't no good as a field medic Mac. The man you need for that job is right here." He indicated the limp and still dead form of Methos at his feet. " At least he has a medical degree, even if it was gained a few hundred years ago."
" You don't seriously suppose I'd let that bastard touch her again do you?"
"Mac. Think about it. Catriona's not keen on being touched. you said as much yourself. Yet she was holding Methos just as much as he was holding her. Added to that she threw herself in front of a likely fatal blow to prevent you from taking his head. I'd say the whole thing bears a little more investigation wouldn't you? In any case you can't afford to be picky here. You'd better pray that Methos will help . If I were him I'm not sure that I'd ever want to speak to or see you again after tonight."
Duncan looked at Joe. He knew he'd made a hasty judgment earlier based on nothing more than a few snatched words overheard, and an assumption. He had felt out of control..a red mist of rage had totally overcome him. He couldn't remember having felt like that more than a few times before in his life. Certainly after Culloden. Also when Little Deer, an later Tessa, was killed. After his dark quickening when he had attacked Richie, then Methos....and lastly when he had killed Richie. But he had overcome the sources of all those rages. Especially the last..so why had he felt it again now?
The answer came quickly. 'Because - once again- you were being manipulated. Your rage was not of your own making.' This answer made him no happier - yet it did give him something to think about.
"I'll take her back to the lounge and try to warm her. Please see if you can persuade Methos to help when he comes back."
"I have every intention of it." Joe said as he watched Duncan carry Catriona back inside. 'And I have no doubt whatsoever that he'll pitch right in there to help out without any prompting from me,' he thought, 'though why he puts up with Mac always judging him and still comes back for more is beyond me.
He waited as Methos began to stir. The cough he gave sounded painful and the amount of mud and blood he spat out was truly astonishing. Joe wasted no time thinking about that small matter though. Catriona needed urgent treatment and since Anne Lindsay was out of town they had no tame doctor to call on - except Methos. Whatever he might say Joe knew the oldest immortal was no slouch and that he had kept as up to date as possible with his medical knowledge...it hadn't taken a genius to work out that. Now was the perfect time, if ever there was one,to show how he had honed his skills to perfection.
Methos sat up, wincing and looking expectantly at Joe.
"Inside." Joe said. "Hurry Methos, Mac needs help. More to the point Catriona needs help."
Without further urging the oldest immortal stood and headed swiftly, if unsteadily, toward the house followed by Joe.
It was incredibly painful to swallow, or breathe, Methos reflected. As for speaking.. he dreaded having to. He was also incredibly pissed off, wet and tired. However, all these concerns were as nothing. Duncan had been right about one thing..Catriona was not immortal and her needs took priority right now.
As he entered the living room he saw Duncan finish tying a pressure bandage to Catriona's right upper arm. Nodding peremptorily at Duncan, Methos approached the couch and reached to feel Catriona's pulse. He avoided speaking, principally because he still felt as though he had several feet of cold steel embedded in his throat, but also because he was unsure if he could speak that he would do so to the highlander without anger right this minute. He noticed Duncan watching him, a concerned look on his face and an air of guilt about him. Sighing inwardly, Methos turned his attention back to Catriona. Duncan's dilemma and his guilty conscience would have to wait - his patient was priority number one.
Her skin was grey and clammy , her breathing light and shallow, her pulse weak and erratic. Methos didn't like any of it and he could see that Duncan knew the signs weren't good.
"She needs blood doesn't she?" Duncan asked as Joe came into the room.
Methos nodded, checking the pressure bandage was tied with enough, but not too much, pressure. He began chaffing Catriona's skin to try and warm it..but there was so little blood circulating that it was not an exercise that met with much success.
"Towels Mac." He managed to croak. "We need to get her warm and dry. Also we need to get her to hospital urgently. I could save her but not without the proper equipment. I may be immortal but I can't work miracles." Damn! it hurt to speak but he had to make Duncan understand - no amount of mere knowledge was good enough on its own.
"We can't take her to hospital without having to answer too many questions, unless we just abandon her there," Duncan said,"and I'm not willing to do that."
"Maybe not. But are you willing for her to die? I thought not ." Methos said, as Duncan shook his head. "OK. Let's try it this way. Listen very carefully. I am going to give you a list and you will have to go and fetch what we need. I'll do my best to save her Mac, but you have to help me out here. Joe can give me a hand till you get back. Speed is of the essence here..you do understand that don't you?"
Duncan nodded glumly, wincing inside at the rasping, harsh sound of Methos' voice, normally so pleasant to listen to. God alone knew what damage he had wrought to Methos' throat and vocal chords - there was no way either, of knowing if the damage would be permanent. However, he couldn't afford to think about that now..he had t go and commit a burglary to put right the other of his follies for that evening and he had to do it fast.
Taking the hastily written list of supplies from Methos he hesitated briefly, obviously about to say something to the oldest immortal by way of apology. Methos, noticing this, merely pushed him away.
"Mac, there's no time to waste, you must hurry. I'll have to improvise till you get back. Now go!"
He indicated the door and then turned back to his patient, oblivious to his own needs for warmth, food and rest he began to work on treating Catriona..Joe poised to fetch whatever Whatever Methos might need.
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