THE YOU'RE IN MY HEART SERIES YOU CAN'T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT by JoLayne and Susan Part Six ~~~~~ 11:35 PM APRIL 14, 1912 Without Amanda realizing it, time had flown. Thoughts of Methos and Rebecca had both made her feel warm and loved, but also made her miss her man and wonder where the hell he was. The clock on the fireplace mantle tolled eleven pm. He couldn't have been arrested or anything, or Herbert couldn't have had a heart attack, or the Wentworths couldn't have gotten him and tossed him overboard, could they? The wooden chair at the small round table was getting uncomfortable and her glass was empty. She lifted the champagne bottle out of the ice bucket to see that the ice had melted and the bottle only had a few drops left. She dropped it to the carpet and yelled to no one in particular, "Where are you?!" After sweeping the train of her white wedding dress over her arm and fluffed her veil as pulling it on her arm had caught some of her hair, Amanda yanked open the door. There was a man to find, and damn it, if she had to search every inch of that ship, Methos was going to rip that dress off her if it was the last thing that happened. As she entered the hallway, she had to clutch the wall or she would have fallen. She didn't think she was drunk, but champagne always did have a bit of a kick on her. Down the hall, she saw a young couple walking toward her then stop. The woman hooked onto her man as she had also stumbled. "Clarence," she giggled. "I fear I had too much to drink this evening." Clarence patted her hand and said, "I do not think that was just you. I felt something as well." Amanda realized she was just wearing one high heeled white shoe. She tried her door, but it was locked. She swatted it with her hand, as she hadn't brought her purse and had no key. Shrugging, she just kicked off the other one and would forage through the ship for Methos with only hose covering her feet. Clarence waved to Amanda as she started down the hall, and said, "You there, why are you dressed in such a manner?" "It's my wedding night," Amanda stated as she passed them. "Have you seen my groom?" "Certainly not, sorry, ma'am," Clarence's wife called after her as Amanda swept through the door to the Grand Staircase. She heard the titter of conversation by the few people still out and about at that late hour. She headed for the door to the deck as the staircase was too full with people coming up to retire for the evening, and the elevator had a long line waiting for it. As she entered the vestibule a boy yanked open the door from the deck. Cold air make her instantly shiver as she was only wearing silk. The boy announced with glee, "We hit an iceberg!" She saw a piece of ice in his hand as he ran past her to the staircase. Amanda laughed. "An iceberg wouldn't dare get in our way." It had to be a child's prank. "Little brat should be in bed." She rubbed her arms as she made her way up the outside steps to A Deck. There were a trio of young men on the third class deck tossing pieces of ice at each other in front of her. In fact, chunks of ice were scattered all over the deck. She stood still, clutching the ice cold rail of the stair and didn't feel the ship moving for the first time since they departed Ireland. Amanda walked to the rail and looked out on the water. It was curling against the ship lightly, not in the usual pattern of being separated from the massive ship in motion. The wind was brisk. The night was a black blanket, eerily calm. She looked behind the ship and saw a mass of white higher than the decks of the Titanic itself sitting alone in the water, the reflection of it by the moon made it look blue. The words the boy uttered, "We hit an iceberg!" reverberated in her mind, making it pound. Methos! Where's Methos? was all she could think as she made her way to the door and back into the warmth of the ship. The boy that she had seen on B Deck had made his way up the stairs with the chunk of ice in his hand, having everyone's attention. Officers of the ship appeared to calm people down. "Nothing to worry about. This ship has a double hull with watertight compartments. Go back to your rooms. Everything is fine." Not that anyone had to be calmed down per say. It was unthinkable that even if the Titanic did hit that iceberg that Amanda had seen, she had read that the ship was ‘unsinkable' and chose to believe it. All she needed was Methos, and she rushed to the room she had been taken by the Wentworths to see if that heinous couple had kidnapped the love of her life once again. She bounded down the hallway and was about to run down the stairs when the sweeping sensation of another immortal halted her dead in her tracks. "Me–Roger!" "Amanda, I thought I asked you to stay in our rooms." Methos grabbed her and out of the blue planted a seductive kiss upon her lips as they bounced against the wall. He whispered, "The dress is quite exquisite, my love," he almost purred in her ear. The veil of lace crowned by a pearl tiara rubbed against her neck as he quickly nuzzled it. Before she could completely collapse into his arms, he took her arm and led her in the direction of their cabins. "Herbert should be there by now." Amanda stopped him and declared, "We hit an iceberg!" "Yes, I felt it," Methos replied sharply.  "At least the ship is unsinkable," Amanda stated matter-of-factly.  "It remains to be seen whether that is true." They arrived at the door of their rooms. Methos knocked softly and announced their arrival. "I'd rather not take my chances, Amanda. We're getting off the ship as soon as we can." "The crew said not to worry." Amanda nodded hello to Herbert, who sat on the couch and was already nursing a brandy. Methos shook his head. "Are you really that naive, Amanda? Like they're going to say ‘Everyone start panicking! We're going to sink!' Wake up!" "Surely, you're just paranoid. I read about the soundness of this ship." "Paranoia has served me well for a very long time," Methos retorted. "And they would lie to keep everyone calm." "I have to agree with Roger," Herbert joined in, swirling his snifter. "Personally, I always start to worry when people tell me not to." "All right," Amanda said, clearly outnumbered. "What do you suggest we do, Roger?" "First thing, I want you and Herbert to gather up our valuables and the Mona. I will see what I can find out about what's happening with the ship. Then we'll go from there." "Our wedding night is caput, huh?" Amanda pulled the tiara off, and the lace veil fell around her bare shoulders. She saw his desire lurking under the surface in his wonderful hazel eyes. I had so many plans... Amanda twirled her tiara on her finger and asked, "How long will you be gone?" "Just long enough to find out what I need to," Methos answered, shaking off his rapaciousness, much to Amanda's amusement. Let the man suffer if he's going to act his age. "Keep the gun handy just in case the Wentworths come snooping around." Herbert nodded in understanding. "I'll keep both of your ladies safe, Roger." "I'm sure you will." Methos smiled at his friend. "Now lock the door behind me and don't-" "Let anyone in, but you," Amanda and Herbert said in unison.  "Ha, ha you two are so funny," Methos mumbled as he strolled out the door. Amanda waited all of two seconds after she locked the door behind Methos before she asked, "So, Herbert, what happened with Elaine?" The grin that spread across the Frenchman's face made Amanda giggle. "You should have been there, Miss Sinclair. Never have I seen faces turn so many colors." "Did the ladies believe you?" Amanda looked eagerly at the man, gleefully hoping Elaine's reputation was so undermined that she'd never make another friend again. "Of course, they believed me," Herbert said confidently. "I am an excellent actor. You should remember that about me." "Yes, I should," Amanda giggled, remembering some of the exploits the three of them had gotten into in Colorado. "What happened?" "Let me just say I gave them something to talk about," Herbert hedged.  "Such as?" Amanda wanted details.  "You are not going to leave me alone until I tell you, are you?" Amanda shook her head. "You would do well to remember that about me." Herbert laughed. "Fine." He relayed the details of his performance as Amanda made herself a brandy for herself and kicked up her feet. After the bottle of champagne, the brandy made her feel even more warm. Her strapless silk gown felt almost claustrophobic. Herbert concluded the events with, "And then they hauled me away, saying I was causing a scene. However, I kept up the charade even as they hauled me away." "How did Roger get you out of trouble?"  "That man could charm a snake out of it's own skin," Herbert laughed. "By the time we left, those officers were apologizing to us for our inconvenience." "Sounds about right," Amanda said proudly. "My man's one of a kind." "Which is probably a good thing." "A good thing, indeed." Amanda giggled. "I suppose we should get started." ~~~~~ Methos didn't bother wasting his time with one of the stewards. They would only repeat orders from their superiors. Instead he headed for the bridge. He wanted real answers, not some generic bullshit. His progress was halted by a group of officers bunched up on deck. "Sir, please go back to your rooms." One of them stepped forward. "Things are under control. No need to worry." "Really?" Methos replied. "I'd like to speak with Captain Smith, if you don't mind." "You aren't the first, and I'm sure you won't be the last," the officer with a thick Irish brogue pointed out curtly. Methos was about ready to bean him when he was pushed back to the hall he had just come from. "I insist. You don't understand." "Captain Smith is on the bridge, in a very important meeting. He cannot be disturbed." Methos paused and took a deep breath. "Are they filling the lifeboats yet?" That question elicited a round of laughter. The officer stated, "You have not been listening, everything is fine. Go back to your room and do not make any trouble," he added with a furrowed brow and authoritative nature. Methos knew that if he were going to get anywhere, he needed to find the susceptible officers from earlier. He took off in the direction of the office he had declared himself Herbert's barrister and hoped that he could find them. ~~~~~After Herbert's brandy was gone, he went to pour another one. Amanda said, "You know, if Roger is off playing savior, maybe I should get into something more..." she looked at her wedding gown. "More appropriate for a faltering ship?" Herbert chuckled. "Footwear would be suitable." "I've never gone down on a ship before," Amanda said grandly as she swept out of her chair. She laughed softly as she shook her head. "As if that could happen. But, a cranky Roger is not a pretty sight, so I'll play along. Mark my words, Herbert. In three hours time, we'll be in that bed, and you'll be in there," she pointed to her stateroom door before opening it, and disappearing into the dark room. Herbert refilled his snifter. He jumped when he heard a loud thump in Amanda's room. Seeing the empty champagne bottle he laughed. "Did you by chance have too much to drink?" When no answer came, or a string of choice words from what he assumed was a stubbed toe, he walked to the door of her shadowy stateroom and peered in. Before he knew it, someone moved stealthily behind him and a needle was stuck in his neck. "Son of a bitch," he slurred as the serum took effect. Herbert slid to the floor in a graceless heap. Amanda struggled against her captor's hands. She bit the hand that was clamped tightly over her mouth. "Let go of me, you bastard." "Ow!!" A masculine voice yelled when her sharp teeth pierced the delicate skin of his hand. "James!" Amanda immediately recognized the voice of the man holding her. "You won't get away with this! Roger will hunt you down. He's a mean son of a bitch, so I wouldn't mess with him if I were you." "Shut up!" James yelled into her ear. "Elaine, did you take care of the old man?" "He's out for the count," Elaine answered. "We need to get out of here with the painting before Sothem returns." "Where's the painting?" James snarled as he shook her hard. "Tell me where it's at!" "Oh, sure! That will happen," Amanda snapped. She didn't fear these two at all. "You two are pathetic! The painting is nice and safe where your nasty little hands will never find it." "So you want to play dirty, do you?" James jerked her arms painfully behind her back. "Then we'll play your little game, darling." James spun her around and crushed him to her. His mouth ground unmercifully onto hers. "James!" Elaine stammered in shock.  James glowered at his wife. "Shut up, Elaine. Remember our arrangement." "But her!?" Elaine whined. Amanda realized her captors' attentions were divided. Never one to waste an opportunity, she slammed her heel down onto the top of his foot and shoved her knee into his groin. James had no choice but to release her. Amanda gathered up the billowing skirt of her wedding dress and ran for the door. Elaine made an attempt to stop her, but Amanda shoved her aside. She cast a worried eye at Herbert lying crumpled on the floor, however she knew that there was nothing she could do for him now. Right now, she had to find Methos. ~~~~~ Methos leaned against the deck railing. As of yet, he'd had no luck finding the amiable officers from earlier in the evening. Apparently, every available officer and crewman was busy with ‘official' business. This, of course, set off every alarm in Methos' head; things seemed more serious than they were letting on. He decided that he wasn't going to waste his time with mere officers; he wanted to talk with the Captain and he wasn't going to settle for less. The ship's lack of movement proved disconcerting to Methos. Warily, he leaned over the rail and observed the side of the ship as best he could. Methos noticed that the bow of the ship was riding lower in the water than it had before. The ship appeared to be sinking despite the crew's protests that all was well. No one had started loading the lifeboats yet, though he did notice several sailors discreetly removing the covers off some of them aft of where Methos stood. He pushed off the rail and walked in the direction of the bridge. The same group of officers that had blocked his progress earlier where still deep in discussion. He turned on his heel and searched for an alternative route. After much ducking and climbing, he found himself right where he wanted to be. The captain stood alone in the enclosed bridge, his eyes directed straight ahead. Methos didn't bother to knock as he strode into the room. "Captain Smith–" The white haired man turned his gaze from an unseen object to the man interrupting his solitude. "Mr. Sothem, I am afraid I'm busy at the moment. I must ask you to leave." "I'm equally afraid that I can't do that." Methos' determination was evident in the set of his jaw. "The ship is sinking." "I'm assured that the ship is, in fact, not sinking," Smith refuted. "The hull is-" "Repeating that utterly ridiculous statement over and over will not make it true," Methos said. "Do you have any intentions of loading the lifeboats any time soon?" "When it is necessary," the captain replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me." Without another word Smith left Methos standing alone. Methos closed his eyes and counted to ten. The sheer arrogance of mankind never failed to amaze him. The captain had to realize the boat was sinking. It was obvious to Methos that the powers to be aboard were all under some grand delusion. Or, they knew it was just a matter of time and didn't want to cause mass panic. Both options weighed heavily upon him as he noticed a Second Officer walk in and furrow his brow. How many people were about to suffer for this? Methos didn't bother sneaking out. He glared at the officers as he passed them. Deep down, he'd feared something catastrophic happening on this voyage. Too many coincidences involving the ship had bothered him, along with the nagging sense of impending doom. He had pushed it aside for Amanda's benefit, but doom had never been far from his mind. Next time she came up with another idea that didn't sit well with him, he'd put his foot down more firmly. He knew there was nothing he could do about the current situation until they lowered the lifeboats, if they ever started. ~~~~~ Amanda had been at a constant run since escaping the Wentworths, and hadn't had any luck finding her fiancé. The only thing she had accomplished was gathering startled glances by people wearing heavy coats over their clothes and life belts. Upon a quick glance outside when she opened the Boat Deck door thinking Methos could have been waiting at for her and Herbert to come with the Mona Lisa, she had changed her mind that there could very well be danger in the air with all the orderly marching to the decks by passengers. None of them had been talkative; that was another bad, very bad sign. Only those too scared to talk didn't. She was swept outside along with a small gathering of first class passengers, and the cold air rushed through her. She was craning her neck to search for Methos through the gathering on the deck, and noticed that the first of the lifeboats were being filled. A hand took hers and she turned with relief; it had to be Methos. It wasn't. An officer was escorting her to Life Boat 14. Another crewman already aboard it reached out for her other hand. Amanda jerked back. "Are you insane? It's freezing out here." She indicated her wedding gown and that her feet were bare. "I am just looking for someone." The officer clad in his black uniform smiled and said, "Get your wrap, ma'am. We'll hold this one for ya for a short while." She could have sworn she saw him wink. That was a very good sign. Even though she was taken, she could still turn heads. "Wonderful, thank you. I am Amanda Sinclair. I need to get my coat, and other things, and I'll be back before you know it. Please save me three seats," she said as if reserving a table at a restaurant. As she made her way back to the door to the warmth inside the ship she knew Methos would be pleased with her. All she had to do was change into something more appropriate (which she had tried to do before being so rudely interrupted), find Methos, round up Herbert (and hope the Wentworths hadn't harmed him more than the knockout juice) and the painting, and get back to Life Boat 14. The slant of the ship wasn't even that noticeable, so there shouldn't be too many people prone to paranoia in the middle of the night like her fiancé, so the task at hand shouldn't be too difficult. Even though Methos thought he needed to make all the arrangements, Amanda had done them herself. She darted down the stairs to B Deck, nifty trick considering that the ship had seemingly awakened and more and more people were filling the stairwells, going in the opposite direction. When she entered the hallway on B Deck, she ran right into a family of four, all wearing life belts and carrying possessions. She stubbed her toe on a trunk the little boy dropped. "Damn it! Watch where you're going!" she yelped as she hopped on her good foot. "I am sorry, ma'am," the boy squeaked, looking up at her with big round blue eyes. She saw that his sister had his identical eyes, and they looked like cherubs with their angelic blond hair. The sister was holding a ceramic doll with ringlets matching her own. Their father took hold of Amanda's arm. "You have to excuse them, miss. We just woke them up and–" "No need to apologize," Amanda said, sorry she had overreacted. "It was my fault." Methos yelled from the opposite end of the hall, "Amanda!" "Gotta go." Amanda rushed down the hall, grunting with every step on her stubbed toe. "I have it all covered. Be careful when you open the door. Herbie and I had company." "I thought I told you to fire at anyone–" "Oh, don't be bossy with me now of all times, Methos," she said. When he reacted to the use of his name, she just groaned, "Sorry! Just be careful opening the door." Methos tried the door knob to his stateroom, but then stopped. "In that case, you open the damn door." "If you get shot, you'll revive," she joked. More people filled the hallway from their rooms, all dressed warmly and wearing life belts. "Things are sure getting exciting on this ship." "Need I remind you that it's sinking?" A couple of gasps escaped some women as they passed, clearly not liking the horrible news to be uttered. Amanda turned to Methos and said proudly, "I have that taken care of. Let's just get Herbie and Mona and we're out of here." "Oh really?" Amanda pantomimed for Methos to open the door and zip it as she stepped back in case the Wentworths were still in there. Methos kicked open the door and crouched low as he entered his room. Amanda smiled at startled onlookers and followed him. "I just have to change clothes. They aren't here? There's no way they could have found...." she said before the condition of the room became clear to her. Everything had been ransacked, even the mattress had been slashed and feathers peppered the room. The table was overturned, a chair was broken, Methos' clothes were spread out all over; a shirt was draped over one of the nobs of his four poster bed. What Methos was focused on was the slashed painting over the fireplace, with only the wood paneling behind it. "Gods above! I trust you two with ONE thing. ONE!" Amanda ran to her room to see it wasn't in any better condition. All of her dresses had been cut in half. Her lace veil was cut into little pieces and had to have been tossed into the air with glee as they were all over the room. Amanda surmised that Elaine had a ball performing that task. "I'll kill her! Where is she?" "That's what I'd like to know," Methos screamed from the other room.  She walked back to the door and studied his intense mood. Now wasn't the right time to explain why she ditched Herbert and the Mona Lisa. If she hadn't, they could have... "Where's Herbert?" "Herbert?" Methos called out along with her, and they were greeted with only the sounds of the moving people in the hallway. "Is he still in there?" Amanda queried. "Exactly how I am supposed to know that, Amanda? You can see as well I can." Methos slung the frame of the painting against the far wall of his room. The sound of it splintering did nothing to make him feel better. "I cannot believe this!!!" Amanda jumped at the sound of his voice. Methos was beyond pissed now. She chose her next words carefully; she didn't want to face his wrath. "I'm sure we'll find Herbert and the painting." The faint sound of someone moaning diverted their attention from the matter at hand. Amanda's eyebrows climbed and Methos shrugged his shoulders. At first they thought the sound was coming from the sinking ship, but as it grew louder they soon realized it was coming from somewhere in the room. "I wonder-" Amanda started, but Methos held up his hand for silence.  His keen hearing tracked the sound to underneath the overturned sofa. Between him and Amanda, they hoisted the heavy piece of furniture into an upright position. Both were visibly relieved to see Herbert sprawled in a heap, but very much alive. "Herbert, you're alive!" Amanda shouted joyously. "I believe I am," Herbert winced at the loudness of her words. "A little worse for wear, but breathing." "I'm so sorry I left you behind, Herbert," Amanda apologized as she knelt beside him. Herbert sat up with her help. "You did exactly as you should have. You would have been much worse off than me if you stayed." Methos cleared his throat. "If you two are finished with this little love fest, we need to get the painting back and off this sinking death trap." "You have such a one track mind," Amanda glared at Methos and turned to Herbert. "And he says I'm bull headed." "Roger is right." Herbert levered stiffly to his feet. "They've got the painting and I'd rather they didn't keep it in their possession. Personally, I'd rather not drown tonight." "Finally," Methos sighed wearily, "I thought it would take you two all night to figure it out." Amanda ticked off her plan as if it was a shopping list, ""I just have to change into something a little more warm, you and Herbert have to find the painting, I have to kill Elaine, then we'll meet up at Lifeboat 14, where I have made reservations." Methos grabbed Amanda's arm and pulled her out into the hallway and up to the Boat Deck with Herbert trailing obediently behind them. The lackadaisical pace of filling the life boats had taken on a more hurried tempo since she'd been on deck earlier. A flare went up in the sky, lighting the night more than just the outside ship lights. They're sending up flares? Taking a quick glance towards Lifeboat 14, she was pleased to see it was still waiting, but filled a bit more than before. "I really need to get into warmer clothes," Amanda said, wrapping her arms around her. With only a silk gown on her body, it was immediately filled with goosebumps. If they're sending up flares, maybe there was more to this than she had assumed. Methos took off his suitcoat and laid it over her shoulders as he announced, "We're not going to have time to get down there again if we're going to get on boats. Buck up, don't think about the cold." "But," before Amanda could argue further, he pulled her along the deck, as close to the bow as they could, and indicated the risen water line. His theatrics had the desired effect when Amanda gasped. The bow was now completely submerged in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic. "God!" Amanda yelped, grasping the railing. Now that she thought about it, there was a more pronounced slant to the deck. "We've got to get off of this ship! Come on!" As they stalked back to the Lifeboats, where Amanda knew they'd all get on, Herbert cleared his throat, "What's the plan?" "We have got to get the painting back," Methos emphasized. "Then off the ship." "How about we get off the ship and to hell with that ugly painting?" Amanda suggested with more than a little vehemence. Methos glowered at his fiancé. "I will not allow Leonardo's masterpiece to be destroyed with this monstrosity. She will get off the ship with us. Do you understand me, Amanda?" "Where's your voice of self-preservation at now, Roger?" Amanda mocked. "There are some times in life when there's something more important than ourselves," Methos said. Amanda touched his face and shoulders to make sure those words had come from the Methos she knew and loved, and not some clone. It couldn't be James in disguise, could it? The sudden rush of adrenaline of being on a sinking ship rushed through her, and she clearly wasn't thinking. She tossed out a nervous laugh. A defiant Methos, a courageous Methos, a Methos with a mission isn't what she wanted now. She wanted the Methos who would walk right to that lifeboat, get on, and help her get on herself. To hell with a piece of wood with paint on it, this was their lives she was worried about. She knew that drowning couldn't kill them, but if they went down with a massive ship to the bottom of the Atlantic, they might as well be dead. Her eyes flitted to Herbert, who needed to get on that lifeboat. She hooked her hand on his, and pulled the aged man to Lifeboat 14. As they neared, Amanda was livid as they were loosening the ropes that held it to deck level. "Wait!" she called out starting to run with Herbert behind her. She pulled on the officer's arm and declared, "You were going to hold that boat for us!" "Time is a wastin', ma'am," the officer said as he turned around, then looked as if he recognized her. "Oh, pretty lady." He stopped his movements, then called to the man at the other wench, "Hold it!" Amanda breathed a sigh of relief, then moved Herbert to it. "You must save my father," Amanda told the officer. Herbert's arm was taken and he was half lifted into the lifeboat by another sailor already on it. "But wait, Miss Sinclair, I must assist you and Roger," Herbert argued, trying to fight off the two strong men lifting him up. The others on the lifeboat were jostled by Herbert's fighting the sailor at an awkward angle straddling the lifeboat and the rail of the deck and they screamed out. "Get ‘em off!" a couple yelled. "Pipe down," the sailor ordered them all and pulled Herbert on board and settled him roughly on one of the planks that consisted of seats. Amanda sighed in relief that one was in, and asked rushed, "Just hold the boat a couple of more minutes. I have to get a coat, and my fiancé needs to get something, and we'll be right back." She felt Methos behind her, his arms around her waist, which warmed one part of her body. After a millisecond of a squeeze, he said in her ear, "You're going." Before she knew it, she was being lifted into the boat. She kicked and screamed, "NO!" Looking back, she saw Methos step back and blew her a kiss. "We will meet again, my love," he promised her, then disappeared into a small crowd who had scrambled to the lifeboat. "Help me in," and "Don't forget me," and "My husband, please! He needs to get on as well," was heard around her as she stood on the plank seat next to Herbert. "METHOS!" she called out angrily. "God dammit! Get back here! Wait for me!" She felt Herbert's hand on her feet, she supposed so she wouldn't fall, and a large woman wearing a mink coat was placed aboard. What she would give for that coat! But, she couldn't in a million years be away from Methos at this most important time in their relationship. She felt the boat lowering, and people were being pushed back from the rail on the Titanic. She pushed the woman rougher than she had intended, and the mink wrapped woman fell on her knees. Amanda didn't pay it any mind as she scooted closer to the edge, kicking Herbert's hands from her legs. "STOP! STOP!" she ordered the officers and grasped the rail of the deck, then hoisted herself over it. She tumbled onto the deck and felt the raw pain that flooded through her foot. People stepped on her as she tried to roll out of the way. As she laid on the deck, she grabbed her bare foot and pulled it up to her face so she could see what the stabbing pain was coming from. Her toes were turning purple from the cold, and blood was trickling across it. She had a major splinter that she yanked out and yelled in frustration, fear, and pain. She wished she had another bottle of champagne, cognac, whiskey, wine, anything to warm her up at the moment. Suddenly, hands were lifting her up and her arms flared out to thwart off the intrusion. "Leave me alone!" she spat out, and belted whoever it was that held her handily. "Knock it off!" Methos yelled at her. "Are you really that insane or is this just a phase you're going through?" "Methos!" Amanda cried out as she held him for all she was worth. She had lost his coat somewhere, and noticed that her bare arms were a hot pink color. "I've never been so cold." "You're going to get colder, you imbecile!" He spat at her, pulling her arms from his neck. He moved to the boat. "There's been a mistake. Take her!" he yelled at the men who were lowering the wenches holding Lifeboat 14. "We haven't got time for dramatics," one officer said, never slowing the pace of twirling the wench. Another flare was released and the bright, white light climbed into the night sky. The others around the lifeboat who hadn't gotten in started moving down the deck to another. Methos saw that it seemed that every other one of the boats along the rail were gone, and pulled Amanda's hand to go into the Grand Staircase room. As the warmth of the ship greeted her, she moaned with glee. But Methos kept walking. He pulled open the door on the other side and suddenly they were on the port side deck, and she was freezing again. "You hold a boat and I'll get dressed, dammit!" He yanked her to stand still and said in a furious voice, "You're going to have to deal with the fact that you're going to be cold! You have to get into a boat so I can find Mona! I can move faster without you tagging on my heels! Do you get it?!" A movement near a lifeboat caught her attention and she pointed behind Methos and declared, "There she is!" Just getting onto one of the last boats on that side of the Titanic was Elaine Wentworth with the help of two officers. She was protectively holding a suitcase that could very well hold the Mona Lisa. Both Methos and Amanda ran as best they could to her, as Elaine stepped onto the lifeboat. Methos grabbed the case from her hand and clutched it as if it held the Crown Jewels. The Mona Lisa was just as priceless. "Give that back!" Elaine shouted, the din of the other passengers drowned her out. "Not on your life, bitch!" Amanda shoved the woman with a mighty heave. Methos couldn't suppress his laugh at the outrage on poor Elaine's face when Amanda made a rude gesture with her hand. "We'll see who has the last laugh." Elaine made an attempt to stand but several of the ladies in lifeboat tugged her into a seat. "I wouldn't be so arrogant," she spouted. "You're going to sink and drown like the rats you are!" "Why you little twit!"  Only Methos' firm arm around her waist kept Amanda from charging Elaine. "Knock it off, Amanda. This is not the time for a cat fight." "Wait ‘til I get me hands on her!" Amanda fussed and fumed. "Elaine Wentworth will rue the day she met me." "Of that, I have no doubt," Methos agreed as he pulled her away from the rail. "But, we need to get off this confounded ship for that to happen." "Surely, we can find another boat to get into." Amanda rubbed her hands up and down her frigid arms. "Look around, Amanda." Methos gestured grandly. "They're only allowing women and children on now. There's still time for you to get on one." "Not without you," Amanda protested. "Together," she threaded her fingers through his, "or not at all." Amanda's heartfelt words flattered Methos. Her sense of self-preservation ran a close second to his. Somehow, he'd find a way for them to survive this with their heads intact and the Mona safely in his hands. Hopefully his plan would also provide a way to keep from drowning. He hated death by drowning with a passion. "Together," he vowed, placing a kiss of assurance on her lips. "Now, I wonder what we have in here." He sat the suitcase on the deck and stooped down to investigate. "Let's at least try to get on a boat." Amanda tried to pull him away from his task. "Come on." "I need to see if Mona's in here or not." Methos slapped away her hands. "Stop it, Amanda." "Yes, do stop that, Amanda," a voice whispered in her ear. In her preoccupation with Methos, Amanda failed to hear the man sneaking up behind her. Something blunt was jabbed into her side as arms came around her waist. "Don't say a word or I'll shoot you." "Bingo!" Methos chuckled. "Just as I suspected! Mona's safe and sound." "Roger. I wouldn't bet on that." Methos turned at the sound of the new voice. "What the devil?" James Wentworth sneered, "Thought you'd seen the last of me, didn't you?" "One could only hope," Methos stated calmly. "You seem to turn up like the proverbial bad penny." Amanda giggled, which made James tighten his grasp on her and the gun was forced further against her rib. "I'd watch what you say, Roger. Your little woman is in a precarious position right now." "True, but if I were you I'd be the one worried. Amanda takes remarkable care of herself," Methos said proudly. "Thank you, darling." Amanda used her free hand to blow him a kiss. "You know how to flatter a gal." Confused by their lack of fear, James didn't see Amanda's hand ball into a fist once it left her mouth and make contact with his nose. The gun fired, hitting a man who was blowing a kiss goodbye to his wife just down the deck from them. Suddenly, officers swarmed the three, and tried to restore the onset of panic that now permeated the deck. All those who had kept a cool exterior were now crying out or even outright screaming. A male passenger hooked his arms around Wentworth's body from behind, trapping his arms, and James fired out once again as he hollered to be left alone. It was all a blur to Amanda, who saw the two men working the wench on the lifeboat never stop their pace lowering it with Elaine on board. People were jostling her as all she saw was Methos' confused face drifting away from her as she was swept down the deck by the crowd, and then his face with wide eyes disappeared straight down. He had to have been shot! She fought against the crowd to no avail. They were people on a mission, and soon she was at the last lifeboat on that side of the deck. People were clambering to get into it, stepping on her bare feet and yanking on her arm to get past her. Amanda's feet were past being cold; everything below her knees were numb, and it was hard to move them. I have to! She commanded herself to get back to where Methos was. Move it! Slowly, she made her way past the hollering and flailing crowd to see Methos laying on the deck, up hill from her. The slant of the deck was so pronounced, it was as if she was climbing Mount Everest to get to him. She ended up on her hands and knees making her way up to him. He was most certainly dead; Elaine's case was under his body. She had no idea where James was, and actually didn't care as long as the murderer wasn't around them, or the painting, which Methos had died for. She huddled alongside Methos, and nudged him to hurry up and revive. If he were to slip off the ship-which was a very good possibility as it seemed to her that she could feel the deck raise higher and higher-he would sink like a rock and never be able to be rescued. "God damn it! Come back to me!" she declared as she jostled him. Methos' body slid slightly off the suitcase, and Amanda knew she had to get it off the ship to safety, somehow. If Wentworth were around, she would give it to him. Over the edge of the deck, she saw a lifeboat being slowly rowed away from the ship. It was filled to capacity, and all faces looked up at the ship in silent shock. "At least you're going to make it!" Amanda screamed out. Her hand hooked around the handle of the suitcase and pulled it. With one swift, smooth, motion, she flung it over the edge of the Titanic, and hoped it would come close to the lifeboat. She screamed, "Take care of that case!", but didn't know if anyone on board heard her from the loud sounds of the ship, the screaming people, and the buzz of fear and panic in her head. The deck slanted further with a jolt, and she hooked her hands on the edge, her head bumping the rail, and saw the suitcase land in the midst of the lifeboat. One woman was ready to toss it overboard, but another placed it at her feet, as they both talked furiously about the intrusion. Amanda rolled over, happy that someone had it. When it was opened, the Mona Lisa would be found, and it would end up somewhere. On the bottom of the ocean wasn't an option. The slant of the ship made her slip and she ended up against Methos. He felt so warm, even though he was sans suit coat himself, as he had gallantly given it to her. She jostled him again. "This is not the time to get some beauty sleep, now come back, now!" Together, as Amanda had a good hold on him, they slid further down the deck. A metal post that had held a vacated lifeboat in place caught them, or they could have slipped right into the water. She clutched the beam with one hand, and Methos' arm with the other as he finally revived. His head spun around to take in the circumstances, and his first words were, "Where is she?" "I'm right here," Amanda said with relief as he could now help them figure out what to do. Sure the situation was dire, but she wouldn't ever lose faith that Methos would know what to do. He was the ultimate survivor, and he was on her side; she knew they would be all right. He'd come up with something. "We are so screwed," he moaned. "Where's the painting!" "I tossed it overboard," Amanda meekly replied. "You what?" He had the strength of ten men as he got to his feet on the uneven planking, probably to search for her or someone to punch. His movement had made Amanda falter and her hand slipped from the metal beam. She slid down the deck, taking Methos with her. The rush of cold water singed every fiber of her being. The sounds were intense, even underwater. She still heard screaming, but now she realized that the choking scream came from her, not the hundreds on the deck. The heavy metal creaking on the ship echoed and amplified around her. Amanda was floating downward and looked up to see only blackness. She saw a leg, but couldn't reach it if her life depended on it. She somberly realized that it was. She felt something around her hand, and had the thought of a shark. Before she could jerk away, she was being pulled up, then drifted. The downward current was too much. She looked to see that it was Methos who had hold of her hand. New life came to her, and she started kicking furiously as she made herself as straight as possible, kicking to the surface. At least she hoped it was the surface. Not being able to see anything but Methos' dim outline and nothing but blackness beyond him, she couldn't be sure where they were now kicking in unison to. They broke the surface of the water and her lungs cried out to be filled with air. She coughed out the gulp of seawater that she had consumed, then bobbed back under. With the next appearance above water, she took in the cold air, which gave her body life, but made her feel as if she were encased in ice. There was a piece of paneling drifting nearby, and she treaded water to it as best she could. All the existed in her life at that moment was that piece of wood. When she got a hand on it, she heard sloshing next to her and Methos took hold of it as well. They tried to pull themselves up on it, but it flipped over and they were both underwater again. She got to the surface and only put her arms on it, and saw that Methos was on the other side of the six by four feet piece. From its carving, she instantly knew that the paneling had once been in the Parisian Café. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so she did both. Since it felt good to make noise, she started screaming at the top of her lungs. Life was swirling inside of her as she yelled for all she was worth. The Titanic was a massive triangular mass in the distance. Lifeboats had gathered far behind them. Reality flooded her as she silently watched the beautiful ship with dots of what she knew were people clinging to the stern. The ship's lights flickered, and all was suddenly dark around them. Being wet from head to toe, along with the darkness, made Amanda be past the point of shivering. The only reason she knew Methos had hold of her hand across the paneling was because her body had moved. She tore her eyes from the dying ship to Methos, who was watching it in silence. Amanda held his hand with both of hers, and felt tears warm tracks down her cold cheeks. ~~~~~ 2:17 AM APRIL 15, 1912 The sounds of metal of the Titanic slowly rising at the stern, funnels breaking off and crashing in the water, people screaming frantically still aboard it, and moans of horror from those in the distant lifeboats, melded with Amanda's sobs to an almost deafening pitch. She could no longer feel Methos holding both of her hands across the paneling as he turned away from the sight. Try as she might, she couldn't stop watching as the stern went straight up in the air. It hovered for what seemed like an eternity, and Amanda had hope that it would stay that way. As long as there were some part of it that could hold the people still on it, and of those in the water, they might be saved. "Look at it, Methos," she said, surprised she could even speak at all. He only shook his head and kept his focus on her. She couldn't look away from it. Never again, she hoped, would she ever see such a sight. If there were anything she could do to stop it, she would. She couldn't, so she just watched. Slowly, noise faded. The moans from the lifeboats stopped. The screams of the people still on the stern of the Titanic ebbed. The ship itself wasn't making a sound. She wondered if she was deaf, or dead. Methos turned around to look at the ship, stern high in the air, like a mountain of steel in the middle of a black desert. The humongous iceberg the Titanic had hit was off in the distance, taking on a blueish cast from the clear night sky. All at once, the ship let loose and like a locomotive at full speed, it started into the sea. The sounds erupted again, this time, everything was louder. The ocean started to wave from the force of the last of the ship sliding under the surface without stopping. The water bubbled around where the stern had once been, and the waves floated across the surface to them. She lost hold of Methos' hands, and went under once again from the pull of the current. Then, she bobbed up to the surface again. She flattened her torso against the paneling, and soon, she was holding on from her armpits to hands. Once again, everything was silent. The ocean now seemed massive as the Titanic was no longer there. "Methos!" she called out when she realized he wasn't there. She searched the surface around her for him, and was ready to dive under for him when she heard sloshing several feet away from her and he swam to her. As he hooked his hands on hers as he treaded water on the other side of the paneling, he said, "This is another fine mess you've gotten me into, Amanda." "Me? If I recall correctly this was your idea," she told him through chattering teeth. "It was my idea that we get married; you wanted to do it on the grandest ship at sea." "Don't you dare blame this on me!" Methos grimaced, then yelled, "I HATE THE SEA!!" "I'm no longer fond of it myself," she said, noticing for the first time all the people in the water wearing lifebelts. "We are all dead in the water." "What did you do with the painting?" "I cannot believe that after that display," she said motioning to where the Titanic had faltered, "that your first thought is for that ugly woman!" "What else do we have to do at the moment but talk and wait to die?" he said casually. His words chilled her even more, if that were possible. She cocked her head to the lifeboats, now farther in the distance, as they must have rowed farther away since she had spotted them the last time. "Get to one of those. Think we can swim to them?" "They'd never let us on board," Methos said defeated. "I know I wouldn't." "Why not?" "If you're on a lifeboat and it flips over, you're all done. No, we don't have a chance there." "So, we have no chance at all." "Is the painting on board one of the lifeboats?" Methos had to annoying habit of not losing a thought that was important to him. He demanded, "Are you sure?" "Yes, Methos," she replied exasperated. "But I am freezing to death if you are at all interested!" She had an itch on the nape of her neck and was going to scratch it, but Methos had a death grip on her hand. "Don't let me go, Amanda," he warned. "We can't go under. We just have to hang on to each other and this scrap of wood." "Then what? Wait for the sharks to come?" "This water is too cold for sharks. We'll stay afloat, then we'll freeze to death. We'll be taken aboard a salvage ship. One is bound to come eventually. Then... we will thaw out and revive. We'll be fine." "That's your big plan?" "I'm open for other ideas," Methos said shrugging. "But for now, I think that's all we have to go with." "Methos?" For the first time, Amanda realized her teeth were chattering. Her body was numb except for the itch on her nape. She saw her diamond ring flash in the moonlight. "What?" "If we get on one of these rescue ships, thaw out and revive, will we still be getting married? "No offense, Amanda, but no way in hell." She laughed as hard as her cold lungs could allow. "None taken." "It is bad luck for two immortals to marry." "Tell me about it," she said with a knowing laugh. Methos' eyebrow shot up. "No, you tell me about it. Sounds like you have experience." Amanda clamped her hands on him harder as she revealed, "I'm already married, Methos." The paneling was jostled as he violently reacted to that piece of news. "WHAT?" "Well," Amanda paused. "He's more than likely dead, but I never got divorced, or took his head, so... I guess I'm... still married." "FINE TIME TO TELL ME!" "Wow, how are you strong enough to yell like that?" Amanda tried to change the subject. She hadn't really thought to reveal that nugget of information to him... it had to be the temperature of the water, or the direness of their condition to be honest. Damn it! I'll never be honest again! Amanda vowed to herself. She didn't need the one man she loved in all the world to be that angry at her... just before she died! "Were you ever going to tell me?" "Obviously not." "Amanda!" They were silent for a long while, holding onto each other's hands as their arm lengths covered the piece of paneling. She hoped he was still holding onto her hands because he wanted to, but got the feeling that he only did because they were frozen to each other. The wetness of their heads and arms were starting to ice over. She broke the silence with, "Methos? This is so odd." "Sure, it isn't every day you're stuck in the middle of the ‘pond' without a ship under your feet." "I've never waited to die before." "Hm?" "People have pulled guns and I have waited for the bullet to hit me when I couldn't get out of the way. I've been in sword fights that I could very well have lost, and that seemed to last forever. I've never waited to die before. I've never frozen to death." "Don't talk, Amanda. It will just make you live longer." The sight of Methos just waiting to die didn't sit well with her, but what could she do? If he had only listened to her back when she had everything figured out for them, the three of them would be on Lifeboat 14 right now! The third member of their party would be Herbert, not that stupid painting. If she ever saw that painting again, it would be too soon. There was a small part of her that hoped it was at the bottom of the Atlantic right now along with the... "My God," she moaned. "They're all down at the bottom by now." "Or still on their way there," Methos said. "Don't know how deep this water is." She shook off the sorrow that filled her as it wouldn't do any good anyway. "At least Herbert is alive." Methos nodded slightly, not in the mood to talk. Or maybe he couldn't any more. She had a bottle of champagne that might be holding off the inevitable of freezing to death, but he hadn't. She pulled at him. "Methos?" "What?" he asked shortly. "Never mind." Amanda closed her eyes and willed her body to shut down and just get it over with. Methos asked softly, "Amanda?" She didn't open her eyes to reply, "Yeah?" "I'll see you later." Methos wished he could have given her hand an assuring squeeze, but his fingers were frozen. As long as they held onto each other, even in death, they wouldn't sink to the sea, never to revive. "Courage, Amanda. Courage." ~~~~~ "I wager we floated for some time until a salvage boat pulled our corpses out of the water," Amanda finished her narrative. Joe closed his mouth, which had been hanging open while she recounted the last hours of the mighty ship's demise. "Incredible." "Try living it," Methos snapped. "Drowning and freezing to death are not my favorite ways to die." Amanda crooked her head so she could see his face. "Actually, we didn't drown." Methos glowered at her. "We came awfully damn close." "Everything turned out in the end, darling." Amanda leaned her head back against his chest. "Herbert lived and that god awful painting made it back to the Louvre." "Amazingly," Methos mumbled as he shifted Amanda out of his lap. "I'll have you know I avoid ships of all sorts now." He stood up and walked to the edge of the patio and looked out over the ocean. "Too damn dangerous." "Yeah, but you'll fly on an airplane without so much as whimper," Amanda rolled her eyes. She looked to Joe. "And he drives like a maniac around these island roads in that overpriced car of his." "Don't bad mouth the Jag, if you ever want to drive it," Methos replied.  "As if you'd ever let me drive the stupid thing," Amanda snorted. "You have some kind sick obsession with that car." "Well, if you didn't have a record of wrecking my cars, maybe I would allow you some time behind the wheel." Amanda jumped off the chaise and stormed over to where Methos stood. "I'll have you know those accidents were not my fault." "Whose fault were they, pray tell? You were the one driving." Joe grinned openly. "Hey, knock it off." He didn't stop grinning when they stopped arguing and frowned at him. Arguing seemed to be their favorite sort of foreplay. "I mean, I was just wondering how you got the painting back to Paris." Amanda and Methos started laughing uncontrollably. Joe asked, "What's so funny?" Methos stumbled to a chair. His deep laughter echoed in the still night. Amanda held her sides and tears ran down her cheeks. Whatever they were laughing at must have been hilarious Joe surmised. He hadn't ever seen Methos laugh this hard, not even the time the old man had found Duncan and him trapped in the bar's office sans clothes during a power outage on a hot summer's day. Finally, Methos' laughter bled off and he wiped the tears from his face. "Oh, not just funny, Joe. It goes beyond funny." "Hilarious, hysterical," Amanda added. "One of the best instances of revenge I've ever had the pleasure of being involved with." Amanda bowed in Methos' direction. "You are the master at settling scores." "I can still see the look on their faces," Methos chimed in. His hazel eyes danced merrily. "I wish I would have had a camera to capture that moment." "At least Herbert got the satisfaction of seeing it, too." Methos smirked, "He very nearly had a heart attack he was laughing so hard." "I miss the old darling," Amanda said wistfully. "He was such a dear man." "Herbert was a rare man," Methos nodded his head. "He did love getting even with the Wentworths." "I'm almost afraid to ask, but what exactly did you do?" Joe ventured. "You tell him, Methos." Amanda stretched out on the chaise and yawned. "You could tell the story so much better." "But you come off badly, my love." "That's true, especially in your hands." Then she suddenly slapped his arm. "You aren't laughing about the accident, are you? Are you?" "Of course! I don't laugh over corpses." Amanda grimaced as she sunk into the chair with her arms crossed protectively in front of her. "Even if they deserved it? And it really wasn't our fault?" "Spill it," Joe said to prod Methos into telling him how the world famous painting not only got back into the hands of the Wentworths, but back in their hands. "And don't leave out a thing." "Are you going to record, my friend?" "Hell no. This is between us." Methos folded his arms across his chest and extended his legs in front of him. "Well, you see, it's like this. The last the Wentworths saw of us were our frozen bodies clinging to a piece of paneling." "Those assholes were in two separate lifeboats and saw us in the water, and neither one of them came to rescue us," Amanda said, peeved beyond any ire she had felt before. "Did you really expect them to?" Methos pointedly asked. She shrugged. "I guess not." "Are you going to interrupt again?" "No." "Because if you are, you can go ahead and tell the story." Joe rapped his cane against the table getting their attention and said, "Anyone? In the next decade?" He shook his head at the way those two could string out everything. "I'm not getting any younger here." ~~~~~ "ROGER!" Herbert excitedly whispered as he flipped the tarp that covered Methos' dead body in the warehouse in Halifax. "I cannot believe I have found you!" "Sh!" Methos said, taking his French friend into his arms. He had been lying still since he revived in the search boats even though there was a deck chair uncomfortably underneath him. "Where's Amanda? Did she make it?" "I have not found her yet." All of a sudden, Herbert swatted Methos' arm and asked, "Why did you insist I get on a lifeboat when you and Amanda had no intention to?" "We had every intention," Methos explained, "Circumstances beyond our control, you know." Methos hugged his friend and said, "I'm so glad you made it." Methos looked around the large dark room that was normally a steel factory, but now held artifacts and corpses pulled from the ocean surface a few days after the sinking of the Titanic. On the wall was a large White Star Line banner, which didn't quite hold the same esteem it once had, just a week ago. From the inky black outside the windows, Methos knew it was night, and they didn't have any light in which to search for Amanda. The sight of the hundreds of tarp-covered corpses was daunting, and a bit morbid, but one by one, both men started to lift them. "She has to be here. I was holding onto her with my last breath." "She is here," Herbert said confidently, far from Methos, lifting a sheet that covered the small corpse before him. Herbert's face crumbled as he said, "Why did this child die while I..." Methos walked to Herbert and hooked his hand around the back of Herbert's neck. "Do not even think that. You're alive for a reason. You deserve life as much as the next person." He covered the dead child without looking at it; he didn't know if it was a boy or girl, and it didn't matter in the long run. "Find Amanda," he ordered Herbert and started on another long table with corpses placed upon it. It was then that Methos realized that he was wearing only one of his shoes. His tuxedo pants and shirt that he wore when the ship went down was now dry, but there was a bite in the air. They probably turned the heat off in the warehouse to keep the corpses cool until they would be buried, somewhere. He was going to need a pair of shoes. And a coat. He looked at the feet of a corpse next to him, and knew they were too small just at a glance. Down the row, there was a pair, still on feet, that looked about right. He untied the brown leather shoe and slipped it off. He placed the shoe sole to sole with the one on his foot, to see they were the same size. He took the other shoe off the corpse as Herbert gasped with abhorrence. "Roger, that is... do not do that..." Methos put the shoes on and said, "Far be it from me to be blunt, but he doesn't need them anymore." "But that is..." "If I died and someone needed a proper pair of shoes, I say take ‘em." "I suppose you need a coat as well," Herbert said with a bite. Methos didn't need the judgmental Frenchman on his case at the moment. "Hey, I died along with them. We're a fraternity. I can do what I like. This isn't the cheeriest place in the world, so I'd prefer leaving soon. Find Amanda so we can get the hell out of here." Herbert called out in a hushed manner, "Miss Amanda! Where are you?" "I'm over here." They heard an irritated Amanda call out from the corner. As they approached her, she sat up and the sheet fell down off her face. She gathered it around her. "I heard voices and didn't know if it was safe yet. I'm so cold! I don't think I'll ever thaw out." Methos wrapped the sheet around her and pulled her to her feet. "That was a close one, right?" "I thought we were goners," she said, happily letting him warm her as best he could. "Nah, we're survivors," Methos countered. "A sinking ship can't stop us." She gasped when she saw the multitude of corpses lying in the warehouse. Methos nodded and said, "And those are just the ones that remained on the surface." "I shudder to think of the people at the bottom of the... I just shudder anyway. I'm still freezing." Methos saw that she still wore only the wedding gown, and her feet were still black from frostbite. "We have to get you somewhere warm to heal." "Then promise me one thing before you disappear again." Methos looked at her surprised. "I'm not disappearing." Amanda chuckled. "Yeah, right. It's your pattern, honey. I understand. We're not getting married so you'll be off with the wind in no time." "We won't get married while you're still married." "You didn't want to marry me before you found out I was married, so don't blame that on me too. Just accept the fact that you changed your mind and it's your fault." Herbert, who had opened the door to peer outside, called to them. "Shall we be off? The sun is coming up, and invariably, people will soon follow." "After we get somewhere warm, we have a mission, remember that," Amanda said. Before she could continue, Methos presented her with a pair of shoes. She stared at them. "Are those from...?" "She'll never miss them." Methos waited with the shoes held out to her. "Unless you want to walk barefoot. Doesn't make any difference to me." "You don't by chance have a motorcar, do you Herbie?" she asked, clearly not wanting to wear a dead woman's shoes. "I do, shall we go?" "You do?" Amanda's mood suddenly brightened. "I've only been in one once. They're so exciting. No more saddle sores or bumping around in a carriage. I do hope they catch on." "The chariot awaits," Herbert said forcefully. "Get a move on!" ~~~~~ After spending the evening in Herbert's small hotel room, the only free room in the whole town of Halifax, and Amanda sat by the fire as all of her frostbite healed, she said, "It's a good thing nothing snapped off, being I was frozen solid." Methos got off the phone to announce, "We're going to Philadelphia." "Why?" "Because that is where Kenneth Judpur lives," Methos said. "Who?" "The guy Wentworth wired from the ship. He's got to have the painting. I made a call to a friend in New York, who said that a certain couple we know and want to throttle have made arrangements to travel to Philadelphia next Wednesday." "Both Elaine and James are alive? Vermin!" Amanda croaked. She stood up, letting the blanket fall off of her and said, "Let's go." "They must have the Mona. Someone probably returned Elaine's suitcase with the Mona inside while they were on the Carpathia." Methos grabbed the few clothes and toiletries they had purchased and stuffed them in a bag and opened the door to leave. Amanda was out the door without delay, but Herbert sat in the chair. "Come on, Herb." "I fear I am too old for your shenanigans." His disappointment showed in his face. "You'd be better served without me." "Nonsense. We need you to help us and serve as backup." Methos smiled at him. "Besides, don't you want to see the downfall of the two who are responsible for Lillian's death?" "Well," Herbert said getting out of the chair. "When you put it that way." ~~~~~ Peeking in the window, Amanda could see Elaine sitting in a chair with a blanket over her legs in front of the fire. Burning hate filled her once again when Amanda saw for her own two eyes that Elaine Wentworth was still alive. Wherever Elaine's sniveling jackass of a husband had disappeared to was anyone's guess. Methos was on the other side of the house, and she was supposed to wait until he gave her the signal before she entered. Casing the joint posed little challenge to her and she found it extremely boring. Amanda had waited two long days to come in with guns blazing. Even though she wasn't going to reveal the small pistol she had tucked in her stocking, she wanted to get the ball rolling. Herbert had just returned around the corner of the house, and Amanda felt he provided adequate backup for her purposes. She walked over to the front door and kicked it in with more than enough force to send the door rocking on its hinges. Amanda relished the sight of Elaine jumping from her chair sending her dreadful penny novel sailing across the room, her eyes wide with shock. "You!" Elaine declared. "You cannot be! No!" Amanda's lips curled in a sinister grin. "What's the matter, Elaine? Seeing ghosts now, are you?" "You were dead!" Hysteria thickened Elaine's accent. "I saw you in the water with my own eyes." "Well, you see, I'm a lot harder to kill than you thought," Amanda sneered as she walked closer to Elaine. Terrified, Elaine backed up not wanting Amanda to get close to her, convinced the woman standing in front of her was a figment of her imagination. "This can't be happening. It's just the shock of what I've been through," Elaine told herself in an attempt to rationalize what she was seeing. She squeezed her eyes tightly. "Go away! You're not real." "Oops!" Amanda slapped the other woman soundly. "This is as real as it gets, I'm afraid." The force of Amanda's blow and the shock of seeing Amanda alive and well sent Elaine sprawling on the floor. Amanda stood over her and glowered at the cowering woman daring her to do anything. "Amanda!" Methos yelled as he ran into the house. "I thought I told you to wait til I signaled to you." "So I'm impatient, sue me." Methos shook his head in resignation. Had he really expected Amanda to follow the plan? She'd listened more than he anticipated, so he couldn't complain now. "Never mind, darling. Where is James?" "How the hell should I know?" Amanda asked. "I just got here." Elaine finally spoke up, "He's not here." "Obviously," Methos dismissed her. "Amanda, search every nook and cranny upstairs. I'll take the downstairs and keep an eye on our friend." "Sure thing." Amanda grinned. "I'll be sure to leave everything just as I found it." "My considerate Amanda," Methos snickered. "Go!" Amanda blew him a kiss before she ran up the stairs. Methos started rummaging through the closets and cupboards, ignoring Elaine, who remained huddled in a heap. He turned when he heard the sound of material rustling behind him. Feeling unusually brave, Elaine stood with a fireplace poker in her hand ready to do damage to Methos. "I'd put that down if I were you," Methos laughed at her feeble attempt. "Or have you forgotten how hard Amanda and I are to kill?" The metal rod clattered loudly on the floor beside Elaine. She held her middle to try to calm down. "What do you want?" "Let's see." Methos rubbed his chin as if to ponder her question. "Why did we come here?" He genuinely seemed perplexed. "A warm spot of tea, some charming conversation, and oh yes, the bloody painting you stole from me!!" Elaine jumped at his words. "I have no idea what you're talking about." "Really?" Methos leaned in close, mere centimeters from her. "I think you do, Elaine. It would behoove you to cooperate with us." "You hurt me and James will-" "I'm scared." Methos grinned ferally. "Darling James wouldn't risk his neck for you anymore than you would for him. Now, let me rephrase my question, where is the painting?" "I will not tell you," Elaine replied. Amanda practically skipped down the staircase carrying Mona. "No need to spill your guts, Elaine. I found it." "That was quick," Methos stated. "These two are mere amateurs," Amanda moaned. "She was hanging above their bed, can you believe that? You'd think they would've learned not to leave her lying around." "I thought you were dead!" Elaine bolstered. "Some people never learn," Methos agreed. "Now hand me a piece of rope, darling. Then we're out of here." "What are you going to do to me?" Elaine asked. "If I had any say in the matter I'd kill you," Amanda told her. "But, I assume that the news travels fast, even on rescue ships, about your past that Herbert revealed so adeptly to all on board the Titanic. I'm sure the wire was running fast and furious to acquaintances back home about your sham of a marriage. Never mind a tragedy of epic proportions; if there's gossip to spread, it will, hun." She could see Elaine's face grow steadily redder. "Hit the nail on the head, didn't I?" "We need that painting!" Elaine demanded, and tried to grab from Amanda, who deftly swooped it behind her back. "Like that will happen." Methos took the Mona Lisa from Amanda's hands and set her gently on the table. He turned on the overhead light to inspect it thoroughly. Amanda continued in a mocking voice , "Are you ruined, my dear? Did James' family renege on their promise of his inheritance? Did they cut off the twit who married a gold-digging slut?" Amanda ducked just in time to miss Elaine's fist. "Ladies, ladies," Methos said, to which a slap was directed at his cheek. Never underestimate women with a grudge. "Sorry, hun," Amanda tossed out, almost out of breath from wrestling with Elaine. "That was meant for her." "Hand me the rope, Amanda," Methos ordered.  "What are you planning on doing with it," Amanda asked guardedly. "Tie her up, you git." Once Methos had Elaine bound to a chair and gagged, he took the painting from the table and shoved Amanda toward the door. Amanda, never one to pass up an opportunity, plowed her fist into Elaine's pert nose before leaving the house. Methos shook his head and continued to urge her to the door."Look what I found, Roger," Herbert announced as he pushed James into the house. "The other sewer rat you were looking for." "James, how nice of you to join the party," Methos greeted. "Long time no see." "You can't be... you can't..." James stammered, his eyes wide as he stared at Methos and Amanda, and his tied-up wife as well. "We can." Amanda walked seductively toward him. "Didn't you once call me an angel? Well, you got that right." Then she turned angry. "How did you manage to get on a lifeboat when there were women and little children still left on board? How dare you still be alive!" Methos had to pull her back from James, who had just stood there in shock, and caught a glimpse of Herbert's sullen face from her comment. "That's enough!" he said, pulling her, better yet, throwing her at the door. Just as she grabbed the doorframe for balance, a gunshot rang out. She spun around to see James holding a rifle. "Gods!" Methos cried out as the bullet had gone too close to the Mona Lisa for his comfort. He tossed it to Herbert, who caught it before it flew out the window. Amanda and Methos both took out their guns. In theory, she wanted this to happen, but now that it was time to take out the artillery, she got a queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. It wasn't in her, or Methos, to kill mortals, even when they asked for it. The time ticked by so slowly as she reached into her stocking for her pistol that she thought she would go insane. All the while, she was staring at the barrel of James' rifle. A continuous clicking sounded, and she looked over to see Methos' face filled with shock as he tried to get his gun to work. "Cheap crap!" he declared as he threw the pistol at James and rolled to the floor. Amanda shot in James' general direction, and cocked back the gun once again as Methos popped up alongside her. He grabbed the painting from Herbert and looked back at James, who was aiming straight at Herbert. Methos tossed the Mona Lisa to Amanda and put his body in front of Herbert's, and then fell when the bullet seared into his chest. Amanda dropped the painting and fired at James, hitting him in the leg, making him fall to the floor like a limp rag. Elaine was screaming her head off, trying to yank free from the rope that held her to the chair. Herbert had snatched the painting from the floor and told Amanda, "Shoot her, too!" Police sirens whined in the distance. Amanda knew they had to get the hell out of there. She nudged Herbert to the door, then on second thought, took the Mona Lisa from him and indicated Methos, dead on the floor. "Get him, will you? We have to get the hell out of Dodge." As Amanda ran to Herbert's motorcar, she looked back to see Herbert struggling with Methos' body down the walk. Once she got into the car she turned the key, just as she had seen Herbert do many times in the last three days. When the car started up, she waved Herbert to hurry. "Come on!" "Easy for her to say," Herbert complained. The old man struggled visibly under the surprising weight of the dead immortal. "I am coming as quick as I can, Amanda." James staggered to the door and aimed at Herbert and Methos. Luckily, the shot went wide, but it did have the necessary effect of making Herbert move a little faster. Amanda clutched the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white. Were they ever going to make it to the car? She breathed a sigh of relief when Herbert hefted Methos into the motorcar. "Go!" Herbert yelled as he shoved Methos into the back and slammed the door shut. Amanda mimicked the actions she'd seen Herbert execute. She grimaced and Herbert cursed when the gears ground as she shifted. "Sorry." Methos' sharp intake of breath signaled his return to the land of the living. "What the hell!!" He levered himself to a sitting position in the back seat. "Pull over and let me drive, Amanda." The scenery passed by them in an ever-increasing speed as Amanda got the hang of driving. "No, I am doing just fine, thank you very much. Hell, if you can drive one of these things so can I." "Slow down at least," Methos said. "We are far enough away, I think." "Oh, shut up, sit back and enjoy the ride, darling," Amanda admonished. "I've got the hang of this!" "I'd feel better if you'd just pull over," Methos entreated. "All we need is have the police pull us over due to your erratic driving." "Who are you calling erratic?" Amanda's attention diverted from the road ahead of her to the insufferable man in the seat behind her. "You have no room to talk." "Amanda!" Herbert and Methos shouted at the same time. The motorcar swerved dangerously close to the shoulder of the road. "Watch where you're going," Methos threatened.  Amanda jerked the wheel and let up on the gas pedal. The motorcar straightened and they continued down the narrow road. "See, you worry entirely too much, darling," Amanda said smugly. "I am definitely getting one of these for myself." "Gods! Just what the world doesn't need," Methos retorted, "you loose on the road!" "That's it!!" Amanda twisted in her seat and began pummeling Methos. "One more word out of you and I'll–" "Knock it off!" Methos ducked down from her punches.  Herbert grabbed the steering wheel in a futile attempt to keep the motorcar on the road. Unfortunately, Amanda's body wrestling with Methos in the back seat made steering difficult at best. Herbert gave her a shove only to have her turn on him. With no one doing the driving, the motorcar soon veered from the road and crashed into the shallow ditch, jarring its occupants. Once the vehicle came to a stop, all three just sat in stunned silence, being the first time any of them had been in a car accident. Finally, they piled out to investigate the damage. "You should have let me drive," Methos gloated.  "In case you've forgotten, you were dead at the time," Amanda yelled back. "Herbert wasn't," Methos pointed out with equal firmness. "Women drivers!!" Amanda launched herself at Methos. "You are such a pain in my ass!" "And you would know about being a pain in someone's arse." "Excuse me for interrupting your discussion," Herbert busted into their conversation to say. "But we need to get the car out of the ditch and back to the hotel." The immortals turned and looked at Herbert. "It's cold and I'm tired and you are acting like spoiled children." Herbert stood with his hands on his hips, looking very much like he'd had enough of their theatrics. Methos grinned remorsefully and went to see what he could do about getting their transportation out of the ditch. Amanda threaded her arm through Herbert's. "There are times when Roger and I tend to bring out the worst in each other in trying circumstances." "Tell me about it," Herbert laughed. It was nearly impossible to stay aggravated at his friends. "Roger needs help." "Nah," Amanda giggled. "He's always saying he's the brains; let's see if he can be the brawn as well." "You are so bad, Amanda," Herbert smiled. "I know," Amanda stood on tip toe and planted a kiss on Herbert's cheek. Ending in Part Eight