Doubled Edge 8a/10

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Hilo, Hawaii...

:~:Four hundred eighteen bottles of beer on the wall...:~:

:~:Kay, shut up.:~:

:~:Four hundred eighteen bottles of beer...:~:

:~:Kay, shut up.:~:

:~:Take one down, pass it around..:~:

:~:Kay, shut up:~:

:~:Four hundred seventeen bottles of beer on the wall!:~:

:~:Kay, shut up.:~:

:~:Four hundred seventeen bottles of beer on the--:~:

Luc pinched himself hard on underside of his arm.

:~:Ow!:~: Kay rubbed that spot on her own arm. :~:Quit it! That hurt!:~:

:~:Then, stop singing!:~:

:~:I can't help it, I'm booooored:~: She uncrossed her arms from under her
head, putting them instead straight beside her body. :~:It's been three
hours! I've counted the lines on the floor twice, the dust bunnies have
stopped talking to me, and if I have to listen one more time about what a
swell chap Kamehameha is, I'm going to vigorously soil myself.:~: She
pouted, not for the first or the last time. :~:At least you get to move
around in there.:~:

:~:At lot of good that's doing me.:~: Luc said, disgustedly looking around
the dark but dust-free room, :~:The man's got a soccer collection that most
Brits would kill for but I can't find one teensy, weensy little book written
in Gàidhlig.:~:

:~:There was a reason why we recruited him:~:

Luc exhaled, long and quiet. When Kay got bored, he got bored. :~:Want me to
read some more Tennessee Williams plays?:~:

:~:Nah, I'd rather watch his Star Trek collection:~:

>From the topside of the kitchen table came a bear-like growl followed by the
sound of a Bic being thrown dart-fashion against a hapless essay. "That's
it!" exclaimed Alex, "I can't do this any more! _I_ am going to Take A
Break!"

:~:Thank you, Gods,:~: Kay sighed with just as much relief. :~:Now if you
could only feel the urge to swim to Kauai...:~:

The phone rang. Alex snagged the cordless just as she left the room.
"Hello?"

"Mom, you're home!"

Alex folded herself up on the living room couch. "Yes, I've been home for a
while now. Where are you?"

"I'm at Tyce's place. We've been sparring and watching movies and stuff."

"Oh, yeah? Well, how much longer are you going to be there?"

There was a moment of silence on the other line. "Well, that's the thing,
Mom. Y'see Tyce gave me some pointers and things about karate and a whole
bunch of other things and fed me and everything so I kinda promised him that
I'd teach him to surf tomorrow morning and the best place to teach is really
the beach right here an campus but Tyce's car is broken and I don't really
want to bother you guys with picking me up and dropping me off at dawn or
anything so I was wondering, could I sleep over?"

Alex blinked. Had he managed to say all of that in one breath? "I hope you
haven't forgotten what your dad said about him," she cautioned.

"Mo-om, he's totally cool. Really! There wasn't a single kiddy-porn tape in
his entire X-rated movie collection."

"John!"

"Just kidding, Mom!" She heard him chuckle as in the background Tyce
hollered, "Hey, what are you talking-- you're going to get me arrested, you
little fool!"

"How are you going to get your surfboard and any spare clothes?"

"The athletic department here rents them out," John said, "And Tyce can lend
me some stuff. Mom, please? Everyone else is busy this month; I'm going to
be home alone with more time to listen to the devil on my shoulder and I
might get into trouble."

"I don't know," said Alex haltingly, "I should really talk to your dad
first--"

"Mom." John managed to sound wise and world-weary. "If Dad had his way, I'd
be locked up in a plastic bubble. Remember how he was when I first started
surfing? And how he grilled Leo, and Matt and everyone when they first
invited me to hang out? And--"

"All right, all right. I'm sold." Alex chewed on her lip and tugged on a
blonde lock of hair. "But don't be surprised if Dad shows up later and drags
you home."

"I'll take complete blame. Thanks, Mom! You're awesome!"

Laughing softly, Alex pressed the phone off. That kid was as open and
charming as his father was prickly and secretive.

And speaking of the devil...

"What's so funny?" Connor asked, kicking the front door closed. He threw his
briefcase on the seat beside her then leaned over to kiss her cheek.

"You know a kitsune named John? Yea tall, curly black hair, starting to grow
gills." Alex leaned into his embrace as he came around the couch.

"The description vaguely rings a bell. What did he do now?"

"He's sleeping over at Tyce Beauregard's." That out, Alex mentally Braced
herself for the storm.

Like all storms, it began quietly, gathering thunderclouds and power.
"What?"

"Con-nor." Now it was Alex's turn to use a wheedling tone. She led him to
couch and forced him to take a seat. "He seems like a really good kid.I even
checked around at Housing and Student Resources. They say--" she swung up
onto the back rest and straddled his shoulders as she leaned over to give
him a back rub "--that other than the fact that he tends to play his stereo
and movies too loudly, he's a gem. His academic record is all A's and B's
and no one has any complaints about him in either of his jobs on campus."

"I know," growled Connor, letting his head slumpforward, "I checked, too."

"So what's the problem?"

"The problem is _I_ still don't trust him."

"Why not?"

The Highlander was silent. "I don't know," he said finally, "Something
yanking at me at the back of my head. Something telling me that he's more
than what he seems."

"So are you," Alex lifted his head up by the chin to plant a kiss on his
forehead, "but that hasn't stopped me yet." When he would have pulled away,
Alex yanked on his hair. "Look, I love him, too."

"I know." Connor sighed and finally gave in to the urge to lay his head back
on her thighs. He wasn't used to going against his instincts; for the
longest time, they were everything he had. Every time he thought of
Beauregard, alarms went off in his head. "What if I just stake the place
out?"

"Connor!"

"Please, Alex." He took her hands, braiding their fingers together. "I can't
let this go."

Alex's lips tightened into thin, white lines. "You'rereally sure about
this?"

"Yes." Implacable. Unmovable. Carved in high relief on granite.

Nothing from Alex for a pregnant five seconds. Then: "I'll pack you
something to eat."

***
:~:Did you get all of that, Jean?:~: asked Luc.

:~:Yes,:~: said the young man who was calling himself Tyce Beauregard. He
looked over his shoulder, checking to see if John was still in the shower.
:~:Thank you for the warning, Papa. Are you and Mum going to be all
right?:~:

:~:Of course,:~: claimed Kay, :~:Puh-lease... are you forgetting who you're
talking to?:~:

:~:Never. I'll see you both at home then when this is over.:~:

*  *  *

Marrakech, Morocco...

Jack Donovan knocked his hat back, eyes narrowed against the sun. It wasn't
unusual to see planes this far from the centre of the city but Connor had
made a deal with the government concerning his privacy. The one coming in
now couldn't have been cleared; Jack hadn't received any notification.

The Englishman reached for his pistol, checked the magazine and slid it home
to its holster. Just in case.

"I'm going in for a landing," Cerny reported. He eased clenched his fists in
the control-gloves and curled them down in a smooth motion.

The plane followed the command, sending sand and dust flying out as the wind
cut a furrow in that patch of desert. Methos took a deep breath and willed
his stomach to crawl back down from his nose. None of his incarnations had
ridden in anything that went twice as fast as the speed of sound. He decided
right then and there that unless there was a way to control the atmosphere
in the cabin, none of his incarnations ever would.

On the bright side, Duncan was looking a lot less green. He wasn't faring
any better than Methos in the alien plane but he took the landing a lot
better, relieved that they finally arrived at their destination. He wondered
how Devaki and Kala managed to walk around normally, even when the plane was
dipping and diving. Something in that Ichor they got as teenagers?

Jack started to open to door as the plane coasted to a stop. Then, he
changed his mind; it would be better to have surprise on his side. After
years of living with Connor, paranoia had rubbed off on him.

After a bit of debate, they agreed that Duncan should emerge first. "Jack
knows me," said the Highlander, "He'll feel more at ease if he sees me
first." He entered the hydraulic elevator, trying to drag his hair into a
reasonably neat ponytail.

Indeed, at the sight of Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod, Jack let out a
relieved sigh. "Couldn't you have called?" he called out, unlocking the
door.

Duncan greeted him with a smile and enfolded the slight, grey-haired man
into a welcoming embrace. "How're you doing, Jack?"

"Well as I could be I suppose." He tossed his head towards the plane where
the rest of Duncan's companion were alighting. "Since when have you had
military planes, Duncan?"

"It's... long story, Jack. Let's take it inside." He slung an arm around his
old friend. "Is Connor around here?"

Jack looked surprised. "He hasn't told you where he moved?"

"I've been..." Duncan searched his language banks for the apt word. "...out
of touch the past two years."

"Well that explains it. Come in, come in." He waved the dusty group into the
cool living room, offering them seats on the soft couches. "They moved to
Hawaii around that time."

"That's more like it!" Methos clapped his hands together and rubbed them.
"I've got to compliment your kinsman on his sense of taste, MacLeod. I think
we're going to get along just fine."

Quite frankly, the thought of Connor and Methos together sent Duncan's
stomach into catapults to rival those that happened in the aftermath of the
synthetic hormone overdose. He stifled his shudders as he helped Jack bring
cool drinks out.

"That lovely girl, Alexandra, received a position in a university there,"
continued Jack, "You must admit, there wasn't much of a demand for Japanese
historians in Scotland and she was itching to get back to work."

"This happened two years ago?" Duncan sipped the tart lemonade.

"Yes, yes, unforgettable." Jack's eyes twinkled behind his bifocals. A new
addition to his friend's face, Duncan realized with a start. Had it been
that long since he visited? "That was when Connor gave me the deed to this
place."

"It's about time." Duncan shook Jack's hand, his smile cracking wider.
"You've spent more time here than that old haggis has for sure."

"I rather thought so myself," Jack said with a chuckle. "In any case, they
stopped by here for a week or so before flying off again. My, Johnny had
grown into a fine sapling, eh? Hard to believe he was that squalling, skinny
infant Connor brought in so long ago." The aging man laughed harder, wiping
away tears of mirth at the past memories. "I remember how bewildered the
poor boy felt that first night."

"So do I." Duncan's smile turned sardonic. "He called _me_ here. As if _I_
knew any more about bairns than he did." Before he could get lost in
reminiscing, Methos cleared his throat. Duncan snapped back to mind their
mission. "Jack, has Connor ever mentioned a group called Xeno Core or a
place called Aerie?"

Jack leaned back, tapping his empty pipe on his chin. "It doesn't ring a
bell, no."

"What of the name Jetblayd?" Kala asked. "Alliance?" she tried again when
the old man shook his head. "Volt? Cyclone? Miasma? Voce?"

"Those sound more like comic book heroes than real people," commented Jack
with an uncertain grin, "Are you playing a trick on me?"

"No trick," Duncan said, wishing it were true. "These people have my student
and they say the only way I can get him back is by contacting Connor and
giving him this." He drew the Pearl's tank from its bag.

Jack's pipe clattered to the floor. His entire body seemed to go numb.
"That's not a real pearl, is it? It's some sort of cleverly made plastic
prop. Dear God, you haven't shown Amanda, have you?"

"It's real enough," said Duncan, "We've had peopleafter our necks for this.
I want to get my student back, Jack, but not if Connor gets hurt, too."

"If Connor had ever come across this, I would have known." Jack leaned
forward for a closer look. The Pearl pulsed, its skin rippling ever so
slightly. To Jack's eyes, it seemed to float closer and closer. He could
feel a pleasant heat on his skin.

"Has he ever disappeared inexplicably for a month or more?" Kala persisted.

Her voice seemed to jerk the old man back into reality. "Disappeared, yes,
but not inexplicably." He looked to Duncan, asking silently if it was all
right to reveal his kinsman's secret. When Duncan nodded, Jack continued,
"There were times he went headhunting."

"How many times?"

"Since I've known him?" Kala nodded. "Three times in the past twenty years,"
replied Jack, "The longest took exactly forty-two days."

"No more?" Kala demanded sharply, "You are certain of this?"

"Extremely certain," Jack answered patiently, "I am his business partner and
friend; have been for years. We have shared many abottle of Scotch in the
wee hours." He glanced over to the Pearl once more, almost afraid of getting
close again. "He would have told me about this." His lips tightened, his
wrinkles deepening. "But you've come to ask him yourself, haven't you?" Jack
stood a bit slower than he used to, Duncan reflected, his joint popping and
his movements less fluid. "Give me a moment to scrounge up his address."

While Jack entered his study, Immortal and Ichor Born stared at the Pearl.

"I don't get it," Methos said finally, "What does thisthing have to do with
MacLeod the Elder? What is it between him, the Xeno Core, and Richie?"

Devaki shook her head, just as puzzled. "I do not know. Connor MacLeod has
never been in our records, neither as enemy nor as ally."

"Maybe they collect Immortals," said Duncan, "They have Richie, now they
want Connor."

But Methos was shaking his head. "I don't see a pattern. Richie was an
infant. Granted he had some pretty strong Quickenings under his belt, but
he's barely worth a second glance, no offence, MacLeod. Connor's a bit
older, but certainly not remarkably so. He _does_ have powerful Quickenings
though and--" Methos bit off what he was about to say, throwing himself back
into a sprawl. "There's no pattern to it at all."

"There is also you, Duncan MacLeod." Kala caught the Highlander's eye. "I
assume you are a midway between the two. Why did Jetblayd give _you_ the
Pearl? Why not simply give it to your kinsman?"

"I. Don't. Know." Duncan let out a grunt of frustration and leaned back
against the backrest as Methos had done. "I don't understand _anything_
that's happened for the past couple years. _Nothing_ has made sense!"

"Welcome to Earth," Jack stepped down to the common area clutching a ripped
piece of notepaper in his hand, which he gave to Duncan with the Gravity
befitting a knighthood. "He goes by Jack Montgomery," he said as Duncan read
the address, "I know someone that might be able to give you some room in one
of the smaller landing airports. It's owned by a private company." He smiled
and deliberately inched his cuff upwards, revealing a familiar blue tattoo.

"You're his Watcher," Duncan guessed.

Jack smiled and inclined his head. "_Was_. I officially retired five years
ago though I do take over when he visits here. I got tired to following him
around; I swear, he's half cat."

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