For the 4th time in 10 minutes, lightning filled the sky, and Amanda was keeping count.

"That storm's moving closer," Amanda said.

"Well so far all we've seen is the lightning," Duncan replied.

"Duncan, I have seen many nights like this…and it never just has lightning…you'll see, soon the thunder will be booming, and the rain will coming pouring down."

"Fortunately we're on a hill."

"Yeah…but how well's that storm going to go over with those three in there?" Amanda pointed back to the living room.

"That's something I don't know."

Throughout the afternoon and into the night, Methos had been occupying Richie and Amber's minds with stories from some of the storms he was in over 70 years ago, while they laid on the couch at either side of him.

"Then once the storm blew over, we came out of the storm cellar and found that the tornado had blown away almost everything."

"Like what?" Richie asked.

"It blew all the plants out of the garden, it blew the roof off the house…hell, it stole the clothes off the scarecrows…after that, the birds weren't afraid of them anymore, instead they'd land in the yard and they'd look at the scarecrows, and if birds can laugh," Methos paused, "those birds would've wet themselves."

"So what happened the next summer?" Amber asked.

"Again? I've been telling more stories today than Hans Christian Anderson did in his whole life," Methos complained.

"Ah humor us, Methos…it's either that, or we're all wearing a hole in the floor," Richie told him.

"And since we have no basement that wouldn't be too pleasant to go through it," Methos said, "allright…let's see, the summer of 1927…ah…well actually I was in the city in the beginning."

"Which city?" Amber asked.

"Brooklyn, so…"

"What were you doing in Brooklyn?" Amber asked.

"Getting out of Queens…anyway…"

"What happened in Queens?" Richie asked.

"I was being chased by the police…anyhow…"

"What'd you do?" they asked.

"Do you want me to tell the story or not?" Methos asked.

"Sorry…"

"Anyway…uh…they were after me for stealing laundry, and…"

"Hey!" Amber cut in, "that's how Billy the Kid started as a criminal."

"Correct…only he didn't have that name until a newspaper used it after a killing," Methos said, "he had several aliases, and he…"

"Wait a minute," Richie said, "you knew him too?"

"Oh yes…we rode together temporarily."

"Now you're getting off subject here," Amber said.

"You'd rather hear about him being a laundry thief, or him riding with Billy the Kid?" Richie asked.

"William Bonney."

"What?"

"That was his name…anyway."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Richie said as he got up off the couch.

"That's all I've been doing," Methos replied.

"How do we know that you're telling us the truth here? How do we know you're not just making this all up?" Richie asked as he started pacing.

"Even if I were, so what?" Methos asked, "at least it gives you something to think about besides the damned weather."

"I guess he's got a point, Richie."

"The weather's not problem…it's Kronos and Shane that we're worried about," Richie replied.

"I know, but there's nothing we can do until we find that hospital," Methos said, "and we can't do that until the weather clears up."

There was a silence between them all for the longest time, then finally Richie said, "So tell us about Billy…eh…William," and he laid back down on the couch.

"Well, that was in the summer of 1876…"

---

The storm didn't pass them, in fact, after about half an hour, it took root right above Tampa, so the rest of the night was filled with heavy rain, loud thunder and bright lightning. It was especially a problem at the hospital. Thousands of years ago, Kronos knew that surviving the night anywhere would depend on how light a sleep he was, and in several thousand years, that hadn't changed too much. Any sound even slightly loud woke him up, and with the storm taking place right outside, he soon came to the conclusion that he could just forget about getting any sleep. As he got himself up in the bed, he couldn't help but wonder why Shane hadn't said anything.

"Shane, can't you hear that racket?" when he got no answer, he looked down by the foot of the bed, it was too dark to see anything. Lightning lit up the room a moment later and Kronos realized Shane was gone, however he was still on the same floor, so Kronos jumped to his feet and took off to look for him. However, he was going to fast to notice the big bump in the floor right outside of his room and he tripped over Shane for the second time, and wound up hitting the wall head on.

That boy is worse than any dog I ever knew, Kronos thought. As he got himself out of the pretzel he'd formed when he tripped, he rolled back over to Shane to see why he'd left the room again.

"Allright, Shane…what're you doing out here this time?" he asked.

However, once he returned to where Shane lay, he realized something was wrong. Shane was lying on his side in something similar to a fetal position and he was shaking vigorously. At first, Kronos wasn't sure, but when he heard the muffled gasps and moans, he knew that Shane was crying, and he found himself at a loss. For one thing he had no idea how to approach Shane and find out what was wrong…for another thing, he wasn't sure Shane would even tell him what was wrong…and another he already regretted what he was going to hear, it didn't matter what it was, he didn't want to hear it. But he knew he had to, so then he decided just how to do this without putting his foot in his mouth. This was one thing that he had never anticipated as being a problem in all his life, but as he'd been finding out, there was a first time for everything.

He laid down right behind Shane and first put one hand on his shoulder, then when Shane didn't do anything to move, he reached up with the other and started to stroke the back of Shane's head, once again, he didn't try to move away, so Kronos figured so far so good, then came the hard part, actually bringing himself to talk and hoping that whatever he said it didn't come out wrong. That was always the hard part in a situation like this, even if it was someone who had lived over 4,000 years with no regrets.

"Shane…" he'd managed to get slightly above a whisper so Shane would hear him, but it wouldn't draw the attention of Silas or Caspian. That was the last thing they needed right now. "Shane…what's the matter?"

Shane drew in a breath and let out a choked sob all at the same time, lightning lit up the room and Kronos could see the real mess that he'd become in such a short amount of time. "I miss Mommy," he managed to answer.

And that had been exactly what he was afraid he was going to hear. It was hard enough on him having left her after only one month and then lost her for good, but he couldn't imagine how it must've been for Shane, to know the woman all his life, and then one day have her taken from him. That brought him to another question, and as much as he hated it, and what it might do to Shane, he had to ask. He remembered Shane telling him that Amanda had been murdered, but he didn't go into any details other than she was going to be cremated immediately to cover it up.

"Shane…I need to know…how did your mother die?" There, he'd said it, now he was waiting for Shane to fall apart completely.

Shane tried to explain, but in between crying and gasping for air, he had plenty of trouble trying to talk.

Kronos patted him on the back and was thankful that he was in the dark, and behind Shane so he couldn't see the mess it was making him, seeing his son like this.

"I'm sorry to do this to you, Shane, but I have to know…" he told him.

After a minute, Shane seemed to be able to control himself a bit, and he started to talk. "It was storming just like tonight when it happened…she'd been gone since 5 that afternoon…I was on the porch waiting for her like I always did when she was late…"

Already Kronos could tell that before Shane was through telling this tragic story, he was going to have a growing urge to find the people responsible and rip through their chests and tear their hearts out.

---

The storm had been going on for about two hours now, and all the time it seemed to get worse. Shane was worried because he knew his mother was a good driver, but he also knew that she tended to rush when she was late, which she was, and that mixed with roads that could be washed out at any time could mostly likely take a turn for the worst.

His mother said she'd be back around 7, it was now going on 9 and he hadn't seen anything of her. Finally the suspense became too much for him and he decided he would have to go out and look for her, just as he turned for the front door, he heard a truck coming up the street.

Once he saw past the blinding headlights, he recognized the pickup truck, and he thanked God that she was home safe. He went down to the driveway to meet her, watching his step along the way, the sidewalks had already become like rivers. However he realized that something was wrong, she slammed the door harder than usual on her way out and she was talking in another language, she only did that when she didn't want Shane to know what she was saying. And considering she rarely got through a day without swearing like a sailor, he knew that whatever it was, it had to be bad.

"Mama?"

"Oh Shane," she said as she came around the front of the truck, her voice a mixture between bitter and relieved, "come here, I'm so glad to see you."

She reached Shane and locked her arms around him and buried her face in his chest and just screamed, and Shane knew there was trouble by the way she screamed. It wasn't really a sound you'd expect from a woman to make, it was just a raw, hoarse scream that just seemed to erupt from her throat.

"What happened?" Shane asked.

She pulled away from him to talk. "Those bastards…they want to have us investigated…they think we're not fit to live in their society…well, we'll show them."

She tore away from him and ran up the porch steps and into the house with him following close behind.

"I don't get it, why are you so late?" he asked, "was it because of the storm?"

"The storm? My dear son, you should know by now that a little weather never stopped me. No, those sons of bitches, damn them all…they tried to stop me from getting up here…they thought they could get to you before I did…well I'll show them…nobody, mark my words but nobody is going to take my son away from me. They try and they'll go down swinging."

"They want me?" Shane asked.

"You, me, they won't be happy until they have us both…but they know if they get to you first, then I'm an easy target from there."

"I don't get it, what are they doing?" Shane asked.

"What are they doing?" Amanda repeated, "they are doing, my dear boy, what everybody's talked about doing with us since we came here…they want to get rid of us…they don't see us fit to live in their society. They see you as a monster, as a creature who doesn't deserve to breathe the same air as their own children, and they see me as some sinister bitch who'll blow anyone to hell that gets in her way."

"You would," Shane said.

"Yes, but they don't know that…least they shouldn't. I certainly never said a word about it to them. I never talked to them as it is, but they talk their heads off about us. They talk…they say they'll have the FBI on us, and the SRS, welfare and social workers, who knows? They may bring a fucking army with them…least that's what they say, but I know better. They're not going to bring in the authorities until after they have their own way with me, a lynch mob you might say. Well let them try, I'll blow them to Kingdom Come before they even get to our porch. This is our home and they're not going to drive us away from it."

"Should I go watch for them?" Shane asked.

"No…you'll be waiting for nothing."

"They're not coming?" Shane asked.

"Not tonight anyway," she replied, "they want to humiliate us, so they'll do it in morning when everyone's watching. For now, we're safe."

"Do you think they'll bring the police?"

"Police, hell, they could have the police, and the Florida Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Bureau…for all I know, they may even bring in the damned priests!" Amanda exclaimed. "They could have the whole state coming after us…well…let them try."

Amanda could see that she was upsetting her son, so she went over to him and told him in the calmest tone she could manage. "Nothing is going to happen to us, Shane…they can try all they want, and they're not going to get anywhere…and they're certainly not getting anywhere tonight, so don't pay any attention to it."

Those sorts of things it was always easy to say don't pay any attention, but it wasn't easy to do.

"They sent some people to block the roads so I couldn't get through…" she laughed, "they were smart…but not smart enough…fortunately I know a few back roads to this town."

Shane smiled, "you know every road to this town…and every alternative route."

"And I know how to run every other damn driver off the road," she added.

"And that damage is never pretty," Shane said.

"From this side it is," Amanda replied, "put us in a Dodge Charger and get us some bows and flaming arrows, we'd put the Dukes of Hazzard to shame…hey, now there's an idea."

"What?" Shane asked.

"If they do come in the morning, we can get in the car and send them on the wild goose chase of their lives."

"That would be good."

"Good? Hell, they wouldn't know what hit them. We'd have them going all over the place, and at the end of it all, they wouldn't know which direction was which."

Shane had no doubt that his mother could do it either, he'd seen her pull off some pretty amazing stunts while driving. She could especially be persistent when she was dealing with people she despised. After that, the night seemed to go smoothly, there was no more discussion about what the people were going to do. At midnight they went to bed and Shane thought that the trouble was over, but he was wrong.

---

Shane woke up at 6 the next morning and found his mother wasn't in bed, or in the house for that matter. It was still dark out due to the continuing thunderstorms, and Shane decided if she was nowhere in the house, then he would have to go out and find her. He pulled out her floodlight and went out looking for her, first he checked the front yard and she wasn't there, then he went around to the back, she wasn't there either. He was coming back around to the front yard when he saw something, even without the floodlight he knew, it was his mother standing out in the middle of the street. She was looking up the next block, and didn't notice the pitch-black car with the headlights turned off coming her way, not until it became loud enough to hear over the rain and the wind and the thunder, and when she turned around…it was too late.

Any capability of speaking, or screaming, Shane lost when he saw the car hit his mother, and he watched her roll off the hood and into the street. The car stopped, and two men got out, Shane went over to them, careful not to fall because he had to get to his mother and fast, but by the time he got to the street, they'd put her in the back of the car and drove off. Shane wanted to run after them but knew he'd fall and probably drown in the water, so he ran over to the pickup truck and dug the spare key out from a tear in the seat, and he followed after them as close as he could without getting caught. He knew that this had all been planned…find her, run her down, and take her body somewhere.

He stayed close to half a block behind them but managed to follow them, and he followed them to the last place he ever thought he'd find his mother…the funeral home.

Staying back a ways, he watched them carry her body in…as soon as they were in, he followed in behind them. He had a good idea of what they were going to do, and they weren't going to if he got a say in it. Following them in, he made sure he was far enough behind not for them to see him…he took a few steps back to guarantee it…all the while he heard them talking.

"What do you mean you can't do it now?"

"Just what I said, we're backed up."

"How in the hell can you be backed up?"

"Because cremation is becoming a very popular request, and we don't have enough crematory ovens to keep on schedule…you'll have to wait."

"How long?"

"About an hour."

"You got that many more to do?"

"Yes…the ceremonies are drawing to a deadline…she can wait."

Shane looked at the men talking and knew they didn't see him…he also saw that for the time being, they'd put his mother in a coffin with the lid up. The men disappeared into the crematory room, and he got up close to the coffin and saw his mother…she looked like a broken doll…Shane lowered his head and turned away, and he almost jumped out of his skin when he felt a hand grab his.

Amanda was still alive, but barely…she opened her eyes into tiny slits, and looked at him. "Well son," she said in a low voice, "I guess we know what happens now."

Shane made sure nobody was watching, and he picked her up as gently as he could, and hurried out to the truck. He propped her up in the passenger seat and got the engine started and sped out of there.

---

The damage that had been done to Amanda was beyond repair, she would die at any time…the only thing they didn't know was how soon that would be. Shane rushed home as fast as he could manage in the storm, and he got her out and took her into their house…up the stairs, into her bedroom and laid her out on the bed, and waited for the inevitable.

"I always knew they'd try something to put me out of the way…I just didn't know it would be like this," she said.

Shane took her hand in his and held it firmly, hoping that she'd be able to cling on to her life. "Mommy, please don't leave me," he begged her.

"I have to, Shane…we both knew this day would come sooner or later…I was a lucky target for them…but you're not going to be an easy one for them…I know that much."

"M…Mama?"

"You're my son, Shane…my baby…you always were and nothing can change that…I love you very much and I want you to know that."

"I know," Shane could barely speak, "I know, that's why I don't want you to leave me…"

"Don't be so upset, Shane…this isn't the end of it…you'll see, everything will be allright."

"No it won't," Shane replied.

"Shane, I never told you this," she said, "but the day that you were born…I knew you were something special…the doctors said you wouldn't live long…they said you'd probably die before the day was through…but I knew you'd survive. I always knew you'd be something spectacular."

Somehow, there was enough life left in her to keep her going through the rest of the day…the entire time she talked to Shane, and told him about the past.

It was going on 7 that night, the storm had continued all day and still showed no signs of letting up…the rain continued to pour, and the outside was as dark as night.

"Lovely night for a burial," Amanda said.

"Mommy, please don't talk like that," Shane said.

"Well it's true…I never liked the idea of being buried on a bright day…it would put a real damper on things…and you know just as well as I do that I'd never settle for being cremated…just ain't natural."

"I know."

"They buried people back in Biblical times, and it was good enough for them then, so it's good enough for me now."

"I know."

"Shane…"

"Yes, Mommy?"

"I love you…I always have…and I always will."

"I know…I…I love you too, Mommy."

"Now don't go and get upset over me…now I'll be where nobody can touch me…and I can still see you…and that's the best part to dying."

"Mommy, please don't go."

"I have to, Shane…Someone needs me even more…and it's not the best place to look for a fight…He's a lot bigger than you."

"G…Goodbye, Mommy."

"Goodbye, Shane…I'll be seeing you."

Amanda exhaled, and inhaled, and closed her eyes, and that was it. Shane collapsed on the bed crying for the loss of his mother. It took about an hour for him to calm down, and once he was able to think clearly again, all he could think was the fact that the people in that town took her away from him, and they were going to pay.

---

Shane covered Amanda with a bed sheet and carried her down the stairs and out to the yard. The rain had turned the entire ground to mud, but he was going to dig her grave anyway, it took longer in the rain that it would've dry, but nobody came by and nobody saw him, so there wasn't any problem. He performed the ceremony single handedly, and figured considering he was alone on this; it turned out rather well. After the hole was dug deep enough, Shane went over to his mother and knelt down beside her, and he looked up. "God, I loved my mother more than I ever loved anyone in my life…I know she deserved better than this…a better life…a better son…it's because of me that this happened to her. I know I couldn't give her the proper burial she deserves, but this is as close to what she wanted as can be done…she's in Your hands now…I'm asking on my life, take care of her now."

Afterwards, he picked her up and lowered her into the grave, and as he put the mud back in place, he thought to himself, from the dust we came and to the dust we return, all a part of life. For Amanda, that particular part was over…and now she was probably sitting through another 45 years watching her life again before a final decision was made. But he knew that in the end, it didn't matter because she'd be up there from then on, watching over everything and everyone…just as she was meant to do. Even knowing all that, it wasn't enough to stop Shane from collapsing on top of the freshly covered grave, and crying again.

Nobody came to the house after that, nobody declared his mother dead or alive or missing. Shane didn't know what happened after they found the coffin empty, and he wasn't going to find out because nobody from the funeral parlor or the police ever came to the house. He knew it was because they had no idea what had happened, and they weren't going to go looking on his property, where if Shane were to know what they'd done, he'd probably kill them, and in all honesty, he probably would've. He honestly didn't know, he had never killed anyone in his life, and he wasn't fond of the idea, but what they did to his mother was inexcusable. It was then that he was certain if he ever did see them again, he would kill them, but the opportunity never came up. They left him alone, and he stayed home as much as possible, every night he'd sneak out to where he'd buried Amanda, and talk to her, as if she were really there, and to Shane, she was, and she always would be.

---

By the time Shane had finished his story, he was unable to say anything over his crying, which had increased greatly during the explanation. So there it was, Kronos got his answer, the one thing he never wanted to hear but he needed to hear, and he'd heard it. Now, Kronos was still behind Shane, he hadn't moved at all during that time, and he was thankful for the darkness that surrounded them, he didn't want Shane to see that he'd become as much a mess as he was. He was the only parent Shane had right now and decided he had to pull himself together for his sake. It was nearly an hour before he said anything, until then he didn't trust himself to say anything, he was worried if he did he'd break. When he was finally able to talk, he asked Shane quietly, "Shane, can you get up?"

Shane nodded, "yes."

"Good…stand up, Shane…I want you to come with me."

Shane did as he was told, once he got up he asked, "where're we going?"

"Back to my room," Kronos said, before Shane could protest he continued, "I know you prefer sleeping on the floor to a bed…how that can be is beyond my mind, however…for tonight I'd like to keep you where I can keep an eye on you, and I don't do well if I have to spend the night on the floor."

Kronos managed to get Shane settled into bed, but shortly after doing so, there was a problem, Shane kept moving from side to side and he showed no sign of resting.

"Daddy?"

"What?"

"I can't get comfortable on this bed."

The problem was easily fixed once Kronos got a few more pillows out of the closet, and fit 2 under his shoulder blades, 1 under his back, 2 under his thighs, 1 under his shins, and 2 under his feet. How he could be comfortable like that, Kronos couldn't figure and guessed he didn't want to, as long as Shane was comfortable now and he would sleep, that was all that mattered.

"Goodnight, Shane."

"Goodnight, Daddy."

Kronos turned over on his side of the bed, and offered a silent 'goodnight' to Amanda, knowing that wherever she was, she could hear him. As he was on the verge of falling asleep, he was almost certain he could hear her reply, "goodnight, Kronos, you smug son of a bitch."

---

Methos had done a good job of being the entertainment for the night to take everyone's minds off the storm, Richie and Amber's minds particularly. In fact, he'd done such a good job that they went with him up to his room and insisted on staying with him for the night. It wasn't too much anything new, lately every night it had been the three of them all smashed together in one bed. And now here they were again, all smashed in one bed, Methos in the middle with them on either side of him, blocking him from getting up.

"Let's here another one," Amber said.

"Another one?" Methos repeated, "I swear you kids are going to be the end of me one of these days."

"Oh come on, Methos, humor us," Richie said.

"Just until we go to sleep."

"I hope that's soon," Methos replied, "okay…it was the summer of 1933…I was staying with these two yuppies, Jack and Bo Shavers…they lived with their Uncle Maurice…"

"Did they live on a farm too?" Amber asked.

"No…this place was a mansion of its time, it had glass chandeliers on high ceilings, suits of armor in every corridor…"

"And don't tell me, golden sidewalks and a spitting angel fountain in the living room, right?" Richie asked.

"Wrong…in good weather it wasn't bad…however whenever a storm came up, you never knew what would happen. Bo and Jack were a couple of real cowards, they hid every time a storm came up."

"Why?" Richie asked.

"That's something I could never figure out, but they always took me with them," Methos said.

"Where did they hide?" Richie asked.

"Under the bed," Methos explained, "anyway…"

"Whose bed?" Amber asked.

"Uncle Maurice's bed…that's whose bed…anyway, one night in July it was storming up something awful…and like clockwork the three of us were under his bed while he was supposed to be asleep. But you try sleeping with three bumpkins under the bed shaking it…you get motion sick…and he knew that, and he woke up and put on the hurricane lamp, and he ordered us to get out from under the bed or he would shoot, because he didn't know that it was us down there. That's the strangest thing, ordinarily he slept right through it during a storm, he never noticed us before…so we came up and we…"

Methos looked down and saw that Richie and Amber had already fallen asleep. Methos sighed and grabbed a blanket that was laying on the headboard and spread it out over the three of them. He had to laugh, right now with the three of them all smashed together, they looked happier now in their sleep, than they had in weeks since this whole mess had started. He held them close and murmured, "goodnight my dear children", then he shut off the light. Now he'd been in a lot of uncomfortable positions in his life, but this was one of the stickiest. He knew he had no right saying what he did, they were more MacLeod's children than his own, but tonight he felt more like a father than he had in centuries. It was wonderful to him to actually be able to feel like a father again, and now he figured he knew just what had been going through Kronos' mind since he found out about Shane.

I just hope we find them soon, he thought before he too drifted off to sleep.

---

Shane woke up when he heard something that at first sounded like a wounded animal…once he was partially awake he thought it sounded like a hurt dog whimpering, but when he turned around he realized it was his father. Kronos was turning from side to side and he appeared to be in agony, Shane couldn't tell what was the matter but he had an idea of what might help. He reached over to Kronos and grabbed him and rolled him over to him, and he held him close as he'd done with Methos a long while back.

Poor Daddy, he thought, he's had a busy day and gone made himself tired.

No matter, Shane was sure that come morning, everything would be looking better than it currently was.