========================================================================= Date: Thu, 18 Apr 1996 22:00:30 -0400 Reply-To: JJSWBT@AOL.COM Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: Wendy Tillis Subject: Isabel 11/13 Isabel By: Wendy Tillis jjswbt@aol.com Copyright April, 1996 Part Eleven ============ Isabel walked away toward the bathroom. Duncan tried to think about what to do next. Leave town or go after Etienne. Those were the choices. Just then, he felt another Immortal approach. Looking up, he saw the door open and Methos come in. Methos came down the stairs slowly. He looked bad - like he'd seen something he wished he hadn't. Or knew something? " Methos?" " Duncan. I . . I don't know how to tell you. ." "What? Just tell me." Duncan had an awful suspicion he knew what was coming. "It's Richie. He's . . he's dead. She killed him, Duncan. Isabel. This morning. He went after her and she killed him." Methos lifted his head and looked around - like a dog sniffing the air. "She's here? Where is she?" "In the bathroom. What do you mean - he went after her? Why? What happened?" Before Methos could answer Isabel reappeared in the bar and spoke up. " What happened? I can tell you what happened. He *sent* Richie after me. Didn't you, Methos? You sent him out to kill me because you weren't man enough to try it yourself. But you didn't know - you never knew about Etienne - did you? DID YOU? You coward! You *fool* . You sent a boy out to do your dirty work and got him killed! Just like last time." Duncan had felt his knees go weak at the news of Richie's death. Not Richie - not on top of everything else that had happened. He and Richie had just begun to rebuild their friendship - he was so young . It wasn't fair. Duncan tried to focus on what Isabel was shouting at Methos. " Wait!" Duncan interjected. "What do you mean 'he sent Richie'? What happened *before*? Methos spoke up. "I don't know what she's talking about MacLeod. She's the one who has been killing the Immortals - she killed Joe. That's what she does - she makes friends with Immortals and then kills them. She's done it before. . . MacLeod. You know me - I wouldn't do anything to hurt Richie. Duncan?" Duncan was staring at Methos - trying to understand what was happening. He turned to look at Isabel. She was standing very still - rigid. She was furious but was holding herself in check - waiting for Duncan to say something. " Isabel? What is he saying?" "He's lying Duncan . It was Etienne. Duncan - listen. Ask him about Macao. Ask him about Travis. Go on." "Methos?" Methos didn't say anything. "Methos? Talk to me." " Travis? She killed him. Just like she killed Richie!" Isabel broke in. " No, Methos. Tell him the whole story. It was in Macao - it was what? - around 1550. There weren't many Europeans there - I'd come overland from the west. Methos and his Immortal student, Travis, arrived in port one day. The boy hadn't been Immortal long and he did whatever Methos told him to. Didn't he, Methos? You'd filled him up with how old you were, how wise, how important *your* own survival was. Methos and I met in an inn one night - he made a stupid pass at me and I told him to bugger off. He didn't stop and I broke his arm - isn't that right? You didn't like that, did you Methos? And you were afraid too . . afraid I'd come after you. You told Travis I *was* after you - you told him that I would be easy to kill - you let him think he was protecting *you* by coming after me. And he did come after me. I tried not to kill him but he wouldn't stop. I had to take his head. And now - you did the same thing to Richie. You sent him after me - not knowing there was someone else out there. You bastard!" Her words came rushing out - Duncan listened in horror. He didn't want to believe her - didn't want to believe Methos would have used Richie that way. He turned to Methos for answers. "Methos? What did you and Richie talk about last night? After I left? When did you see him last?" "Duncan. Really. It wasn't like that. I . . we might have . . .we did talk about your problem killing women. About how Kristin might have killed you if I hadn't killed her first. He . . he might have thought he was protecting you . . I didn't put him up to it. This morning at breakfast, he said . . I think he said he was going over to the Youth Center . . I never dreamed he'd go after her. . MacLeod. . . you don't think. . ." Duncan saw it all too clearly. Methos had been grooming him for years - taking care of him, 'helping' him. Whether Duncan wanted the help or not. He knew Methos was capable of convincing Richie that going after Isabel was his own idea - that he would be protecting Duncan by doing it. And if Methos had a history with Isabel? So much the better if Richie killed her. What was it Methos had told him once? That he hadn't survived 5000 years by caring about other people? Duncan hadn't believed him then - but now he saw that Methos was not above sacrificing another for his own survival or for revenge. With a cry, Duncan lunged for his katana on the bar. Methos drew his own sword and they circled each other. Isabel moved behind the bar, out of the way. "MacLeod - we don't have to do this. I'm sorry about Richie - I didn't know he was going to get himself killed. I thought - I though he could take her. I didn't know there was someone else. Duncan - after all I've done for you - you owe me." " Whatever you did for me in the past - you did for your own purposes. You set Richie up - sent him to do something you weren't man enough to do yourself. Now - *now* you have to do your own fighting. There's no one here to do it for you." The fight began in earnest. Methos stayed alert - waiting for his opening. He *had* been grooming Duncan. Using him as a stalking horse - letting other Immortals come after Duncan - letting Duncan thin the herd before Methos came out of hiding to take the Prize. He did feel badly about Richie. But those were the breaks. Now he would have to kill MacLeod and start over with someone else. Methos knew that Duncan would give him an opening - MacLeod was too "noble" to fight him all-out - he would hesitate at some critical moment and Methos would have him. Then he would have to deal with Isabel. Duncan could feel the blood roaring in his ears . Methos had betrayed him - he couldn't believe it - didn't want to believe it. But it made a horrid kind of sense. Duncan had warned Richie to stay away from the Youth Center - he wouldn't have gone there without prompting. Methos was good at convincing people that things were their idea - when in fact they were Methos'. But . . Methos had saved him two years ago in France - Duncan knew he might not be alive now if Methos hadn't helped him. He wished there was some way to avoid killing Methos . As this thought crossed his mind, he dropped his guard just a bit- his sword moving past Methos' throat instead of cutting deeply. Duncan found himself slightly off balance and Methos saw his opportunity. He stepped in and swung at Duncan's momentarily unprotected neck. Duncan saw it coming but couldn't move fast enough to save himself. He watched as Methos' sword came at him in what looked like slow motion. . . and then Methos' head fell from his shoulders as Isabel's sword cut him from behind. As Methos' body fell sideways, Duncan saw Isabel standing behind him - her bloody sword in her hands. Before either of them could speak, the strange white mist of a Quickening began to rise from Methos' body and surround Isabel. All the lights went out and then flashed on and exploded. Lightning struck Isabel and the blast threw Duncan backwards away from her. A wind began to howl in the bar and more and more lightning bolts flashed . The glassware on the bar exploded, as did the bottles of liquor. The sound system came on with an unholy electronic squeal and then died in a ferocious blast. Isabel stood with her hands at her side as she took in the 5000 years of Methos life and power. It seemed to go on and on - the bar was being torn to pieces by the force of Methos' passing. At last it stopped - as suddenly as it had begun - and Isabel dropped to her knees, head bowed. Duncan picked himself up off the floor where the force of the Quickening had thrown him and looked around - stunned. There was Methos' body - the head lying a few feet away. And Isabel down on her knees, holding her sword with both hands, just below the hilt. Point to the floor , it looked like a cross and she bent her head to it, almost prayerfully. " What have you done?" he demanded in a rasp. " I killed him. He was going to kill you - I stopped him." "You had no right! You canna interfere once the battle is joined." "Can't? I just did." She got up, using the sword as a support. She moved over to look at Methos. " He knew you wouldn't fight him all-out. He was counting on it. *I* could see it. You passed up chances to kill him. I wasn't going to let *him* win that way. I wasn't going to let *you* die like that." "But it's not allowed. No two against one. You broke the rules." Duncan realized he sounded like a school boy and not a 400 year old man of the world. " Did I? I suppose I did. We all do it sooner or later. When Richie was younger - you never stepped in to fight a duel that was technically his? You never stepped in front of an unarmed Immortal to save them? I don't believe it. You're too good *not* to have. It's a matter of degree - that's all. This was an unfair match- you weren't playing to win. Methos was. I just did what you would have done if he had been anyone else." Isabel walked over to the bar and found a towel. She wiped the blood off her blade and tossed the towel toward a trash can. She looked back at Duncan, who was still having trouble absorbing what had happened. He pulled a table cloth off a nearby table and covered the body. " But - I didn't want to win that way. I don't want to live because someone else broke the rules to save me. I didn't want you to." "You would rather he was alive and you were dead? Then you *are* a fool. Being *alive* is what this is all about. Death before dishonor, right? Wrong!! What's the point, Duncan? If he had killed you - what would that have proved? Not that he was better that you - you weren't trying your best. That you were better than him - because you chose 'honor' over killing an unfaithful friend? Bullshit, Duncan. You'd be dead- period. He'd have been alive and I would *still* have killed him. Then you'd both be dead. I decided you were worth saving - any dishonor is *mine* - not yours. If there is a price to pay - now or later - I'll pay it. If it disqualifies me from the Prize - so be it. I never wanted to be the last anyway. Second last maybe" She smiled sadly. "but not last." "Remember, Methos was a survivor. He lived this long by using others to his advantage. He wasn't a believer in death before dishonor - he was a believer in survival. Today - I used that against him and *we* survived. I think he would have found that reasonable. If you can't look at it that way - I'm sorry. But - your conscience should be clear. My conscience - well , that's my concern." Isabel turned and went back to the bar. She picked up the scabbard and slung it back over her head and one arm. She adjusted the way it hung and then swung it around to insert the sword. Readjusting its position on her back, she picked up the cape and shook it out. Twirling it with a practiced motion, she floated it onto her shoulders - like a matador in the arena. She fastened the clasp and turned back to Duncan. " I have to go now. Will you take care of him?" She indicated the body on the floor. " Where are you going?" "To find Etienne. He needs to be stopped - once and for all. He is hiding somewhere near the apartment. He'll come to me if I go searching. Then. . . then I do what I should have done 900 years ago." She smiled wanly and started to leave. Halfway up the stairs Duncan spoke. "Isabel." It was softly spoken but she turned and waited. "Can you do it?" " I can try. If I fail . . I think he'll leave, his mission over. But - he might go berserk - I don't know. What does a Guardian Angel do when he kills the one he is to Guard? If I lose . . . save yourself. There isn't any shame is running - not from someone like Etienne. Stay alive, Duncan. Or this" And she vaguely motioned with her hand. "was pretty pointless." With that she went up the remaining stairs and out the door. Duncan sat down heavily in a chair. Joe dead. Richie dead. Methos dead. Isabel on her way to Etienne - probably to her death. He scrubbed a hand over his eyes. His head hurt and he felt as tired as he ever had in his long life. He looked over at the tablecloth covered body. Methos. Methos had been a good friend. Duncan refuses to think of him as anything else. But . . . Methos had been interfering in his life for the past three years - not always in ways Duncan approved of. Methos had had his own game he was playing. Isabel was right there. And she was right that Methos didn't believe in death before dishonor. Methos had sent Richie off to fight a battle that, by rights, was Methos' to fight and Richie had paid the price. On the other hand, Richie had been an adult - he hadn't had to go if he didn't want to. On the other hand , Methos was a very good manipulator. Did any of this excuse what Isabel had done? She hadn't seemed to think it needed excusing. She was like Methos there - the ends did often justify the means. He looked at his watch. She had only been gone a few minutes. He thought of he story she had told - of her description of Etienne. Could she kill him? Methos proved nothing, one stroke from behind. She had looked good in practice but that didn't always indicate how well one would do in battle. That she was 2000 said something of her skill perhaps - but Amanda was 1200 and only moderately capable with a blade. He checked his watch again. She might be at the Youth Center by now. He tried to imagine how it would be. He knew those alleys. He could see the garbage and the snow piles. It was late afternoon, the sun was almost down, such short days so close to the Solstice. He could imagine Etienne at one end of the alley, Isabel -all in black - at the other. Closing his eyes he saw the fight, Etienne towering over her, her fighting well but not well enough. He saw the final stroke as Etienne took her head, the black caped body crumbling slowly into the icy muck of the alley. Duncan stood up , grabbed his sword and coat and headed for the door. Methos would keep. He needed to know what was happening. Getting in the car, he drove the short distance to the Youth Center. He parked and got out of the car. He couldn't feel any Immortals about. Across the street from the car, he could see the yellow police tape strung across the alley. Duncan felt a stab of pain at the sight. That must be where Richie had died. Etienne and Isabel wouldn't be there. He began to circle the area on foot, moving outward . Four blocks west of the Center, he felt them. Moments later he heard the ring of steel on steel. Moving toward the sound he found them - they were in an empty building - the door still open. Duncan went inside slowly- not wanting to step into the middle of the fight - just wanting to see. He found them in a large room- it looked like this had been a department store at some point. Duncan stayed against the wall, just inside the doorway. Etienne was every bit as impressive as she had said. Tall and strongly built, he was none-the-less bleeding from numerous wounds. Isabel was also wounded, blood on her leg, across her back and once on her neck. The cape was gone, the sweater slashed. She was still fighting but she looked tired and maybe a little desperate. Etienne had almost no expression on his face - just a kind of blank determination. Duncan moved into the room, care to avoid getting near the combatants. He moved to a pillar in the center of the room and stood behind it where he could see. Isabel was in trouble now, she was backing up , her sword swinging madly to keep Etienne away. She backed up to the wall and was forced to stop. Duncan thought it was over for her then but she managed to keep her sword up and caught Etienne on the shoulder. He stepped back and now Isabel was advancing. Etienne backed up before her attack, letting her come on - letting her tire herself out. Etienne knew he was in no danger, she was too tired to force him to a corner where she might finish him . Etienne let her criss-cross the big room , keeping her engaged but staying out of range for any serious harm. She knew she was beat - any time Etienne chose to attack instead of retreat - she was dead. They were across the room and Isabel could see Duncan, standing behind the pillar. For a moment their eyes met but then she locked eyes with Etienne and forced him to move backwards again. As Etienne moved past the pillar, Duncan acted without thinking. He pulled his katana and took Etienne's head as he passed. Etienne never saw the blade coming. His head rolled away and his body toppled like a small mountain. Isabel toppled too, exhausted by fight and the day's events. Duncan stood - shocked at his own action. It was like his hands had acted of their own volition. Then the Quickening hit and he hugged the pillar as the lightning flashed and the room shook and it felt like the world was ending. The Quickening went on and on. Duncan fell to his knees and then curled up in a fetal position as the waves of energy hit him. Finally it ended and he was able to pull himself back onto his knees and look around. Isabel was there, across the room, curled up in a ball. "Isabel?" She uncurled and looked at him. Standing up on wobbly legs she crossed the distance to him. He stood up and waited for her. She fell into his arms, not in a lover's embrace but in relief and in exhaustion. He wasn't much steadier than she and they both rocked on their heels trying to stand upright. After a long moment, they pulled apart. " I killed him." "Yes." "I didn't mean to. I just . . . did it. Why did I do that? It was wrong." " Was it? Don't worry about it. The world didn't end because you interfered. I think . . I think our *rules* are more like guidelines than something set in stone. Each of us has free will and we each have to decide how to live - or die. There's no one to punish us if we break the rules." "No, we do that to ourselves." Duncan said sadly. "What are you going to do now?" "I don't know. I don't think I can face Sister Michael tonight. I . . I guess I'll go find a hotel. Tomorrow I have to talk to Father Matthew. We have the Christmas pageant next week, so much to do. . ." Her voice trailed off. " Why don't you come home with me?" She looked up at him. "I mean, there isn't any need for a hotel. Come on. You can have the bed, I'll sleep on the couch - again" He smiled wanly at his private joke. "Thank you, Duncan. That's the best offer I've gotten in a long time." They pulled themselves together and headed for the door. She stopped and looked back at Etienne. The expression on her face was unreadable. A second more and she turned away and didn't look back again. ======== End Part 11