Methos' Apartment – Next Morning

The sense of the quickening of another immortal from inside the apartment took Methos by surprise. True, after leaving MacLeod, Amanda and Joe in the bar, he hadn't been home. Walking the streets alone was a habit long lost to him or so he thought. It was strange in the pattern that he walked, didn't matter what city or what country, he always done the same. He always seemed to go in huge circles of the city, coming back to the same building to turn a different angle and to do another circle. It always seemed to Methos that the circles he walked were symbolic of his life. He had once been Death on a horse, finally able to leave that part of his life after trapping Kronos in a well many years ago. Finally, as he knew he would, Kronos managed to get free and track Methos down. Even after several thousand years apart, Methos slipped back into being Death as easily as putting on ones favourite pair of slippers. Had he done it for fun? No, and he knew it immediately. He had slipped back into the role of Death to survive his blood brothers, nothing more, nothing less. Contingency plans were his specialty though. Had MacLeod lost his fight with Kronos, he would have had to have stayed as Death, or at least until he could find a more permanent way of escaping Caspian, Silas and most importantly, Kronos.

Shaking his head to loosen the memories from his head, at least temporarily, he approached the door to his apartment, sword released from the inside of his jacket and in his hand as he pushed the door further open, trying to see inside.

"Who's there?" The barked question echoed around the room, seemingly to stop behind the door, just outside of his vision from where he stood.

"We've got to stop meeting like this Methos. People might start rumours."

"Amanda, what are you doing here? If we keep meeting like this one of us might end up losing our head." The look in his eyes made no room for doubt of that he was serious.

"Yes. However, what would I be able to tell MacLeod afterward?" Her eyebrows lifting and a sly smile creeping onto her face "Besides, I couldn't take such a pretty head!"

The serious look in his eyes faded in an instant, her charms were impossible to refuse and Methos would dare anyone to try. "You're impossible, do you know that?" The last few words came out as a chuckle.

"I certainly hope so. Though compared to you, a thousand years may not be much, but to people such as MacLeod, it's a long time. Naivety is still plentiful in him."

"So, what can I do for you Amanda?"

"Well, I'm here to see if I could pick your brain?"

"Pick my brain about what exactly?"

"Well, what you said in the bar. Hades being Silas' father? How can that be?"

"You forget. Even though Caspian, Silas, Kronos and I were not born from the same womb, we called each other Brother and brothers we were. Hades was Silas' father in the same manner."

"So is there no biological link between them?"

"No, none at all. Would you like a drink? I've been walking all night..."

"I know. I've been waiting all night."

Methos continued, as if he Amanda hadn't said anything at all. "...and I'm cold."

"Sure, coffee if you've got it. Black with sugar please."

"Coming right up." Methos walked past Amanda. The fact that he hadn't been home all night became even more evident, the smell of wet from his jacket still strong. She was about to say something to Methos when she realised he might not be as co-operative if she did. She turned around to find Methos standing right behind her, cup of coffee in hand. It was only then that she realised he was saying something.

"Huh? Sorry Methos. I drifted away for a second then."

"I said, so why all the questions about Silas and Hades?" The cup he handed Amanda had gone straight up to her nose. The question in his eyes didn't need to be voiced.

"You're not the only one that's cold Methos. I've been up all night as well, remember?" The lie had come seamlessly, without any hesitation and voiced with nothing but total eye contact between the two. The sense of proud accomplishment would be kept to revel in at a later time.

"Well, the way you said about Hades and Silas before you left the bar? It took us all by surprise."

"Ah, sorry. It's a second nature Amanda. I was with the others for so long that I forget that other people may not be able to read between the lines."

"Oh. So, what are you going to do about Cassandra?"

"I'm not sure about that yet. I want to see her and talk to her, but I like my head being attached to my shoulders even more. I don't think that at the moment she would allow me the luxury."

"You'll never know until you try."

"It's the results from the trying that I'm worried about! Anyway, I'm off for a shower. Make yourself at home."

"Ok Methos, thanks. I'm going to head home anyway. I'll see you later?"

"Ok, bye Amanda"

The loud click of the latch accompanied the lessening feeling of Amanda's quickening. Stretching, he felt his bones creak along with the boards under his feet, a hot shower was the only prize being won today.

"Peace at last." The smile on his face seemed almost painted on as he imagined what may lie ahead of him as he looked into the mirror above his sink. The possibilities were endless. The word played in his mind as he always found it ironic somehow. Endless. No matter what choices are made, how they are made or why they are made, you only ever get to see one ending. He decided in his mind... the ending of this would certainly be one to remember.

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