FIC: The Ash Chronicles: The Methos Story 2/?

["Julie Burnham" <kerothyn@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

all disclaimers/notes apply from the first part. For a recap, Ash belongs 
to herself. Her sister(s) belong to me (with the exception of one or two of 
them). Everything else is borrowed lovingly. I asked the guys of the band 
mentioned if I could use them, but I haven't gotten a reply back yet. The 
lead singer's on his honeymoon, and he's the one that checks the mail. I'm 
sure they'll say yes (I am, after all, Cookie Girl).

--


The next morning proved nothing for Methos. Toxicology came up negative, 
and the autopsy came back normal except for the cancer. Even the test for 
digitalis came back negative. ?At least I know who it?s not,? Methos 
though. Then again, Ash?s sister(s) was/were never on his list of suspects. 
The more Methos thought of it, the harder it became to figure out if he 
should use singular or plural when discussing Ash?s sister(s). He shook his 
head to clear it.

"What about the security tapes?" Joe asked. "We could at least see who was 
going in and out of her room besides you, Old Man."

"I don?t know how useful they?ll be, but we can check." He picked up the 
phone and dialed. "Hello. This is Adam Pierson. May I please speak to 
someone in security?" There was a pause as his call was transferred. 
"Hello. This is Adam Pierson. I was wondering if there was any way I could 
get access to copies of some of your security camera?s tapes. I?d like to 
see everyone who entered Carolyn Marshall?s room from the time she was 
admitted until the time her body was taken out. I?m conducting a private 
investigation to make sure there was no foul play involved." There was 
another, shorter pause. "Yes. I understand. Thank you. Yes, I?ll pick 
them up then. Have a nice day."

Joe looked at Methos with one eyebrow raised. "So?"

"We?re picking up the tapes in two hours. Get your stuff ready because 
after we pick them up and get Carolyn?s body, we?re flying to Pennsylvania."

"We don?t have tickets," Joe protested.

"I?ve got my own plane."

"What?s in Pennsylvania?"

"Lots of things," Methos said. "Amish, some mountains, and Ash?s place. 
That?s where we?re taking Carolyn. I thought I mentioned this."

"Oh, right," Joe said. "You never told me you could fly."

"I also never told you I like cherry Kool-Aid but you?re not complaining 
about that. It?s not like you ever asked."

"Is... Ash expecting us at a certain time?"

"Not really. She should be back before we get there, but I?ve got a key 
just in case."

"She?s not there now?" Joe asked, incredulous.

"She said something about having some business to take care of in 
California. She didn?t say what kind of business, but I?d imagine it had 
something to do with a reincarnation. Her sister probably woke up. It?s 
not like she was fighting, oh, a Morah demon."

"What?s a... never mind. I?m sure I don?t want to know. You believe in 
reincarnation?"

"Completely. I?ve seen it. Ash?s sister keeps getting reincarnated. She 
can?t stand to be without her, so her sister keeps coming back. If she?s 
back, she?ll probably help chant. Long ago, she was an Amazon, so she knows 
the chants in the original."

"This just keeps getting more interesting."

"I think," Methos remarked, "that the phrase you?re looking for is 
?curiouser and curiouser.?" He sat down. "Go get packed. I?ll meet you in 
the lobby in ten minutes."

Joe turned and walked out of Methos?s suite. "See ya then, Old Man."

"Dress warm. It?s gets chilly in the Allegheny Mountains." Methos shut the 
door behind Joe. A single tear rolled down his cheek as he gathered his few 
belongings that were with him and stuffed them into a duffel bag. He looked 
down again at the envelope bearing his assumed name, and another tear joined 
the first. He picked up a framed picture of Carolyn and himself that was 
one of two of their momentos from their last trip to the Mediterranean. He 
leaned down and lightly kissed picture-Carolyn?s lips as the first tear made 
its presence known to the photograph. Methos turned his head and set the 
framed picture in the bag with the rest of this things. He looked down and 
wiped away the second tear that was ready to splatter. With one last look 
around the suite, he walked out.

Dawson was waiting in the lobby as promised. Methos stepped out of the 
elevator with his bag slung over his shoulder looking like a poster boy for 
a toothpaste manufacturer. Anyone could see, though, that his happiness was 
forced. He met Joe?s eye and walked out to his Range Rover.

"Aren?t you going to check-out?" Joe asked.

"I don?t have to check out. I don?t have to check in. We have an 
understanding."

"So you milk these mortals for all they?re worth?"

"No, Joe. I did a rather large favor for the owner of the hotel a few years 
back. And I pay rent. When people are after your head, you have lots of 
names and lots of addresses. Ash has a home in every major city on the 
planet. But then, she?s used to angry mobs coming after her. Lots of 
immortals have planes. It?s nice to have someplace to go to in one if the 
need arises. Isn?t that right, Amanda?" Methos turned around to see his 
suspicions confirmed as a very short, very blonde-haired woman stepped out 
of the shadows in the parking lot.

"Quite true," the thief said.

"What are you doing following me?" Methos asked, the scorn evident in his 
voice.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay. Ash told me about Carolyn. I?m 
sorry. I wish I could turn back time so that you could have saved her."

"Well you can?t. I really must be going. I have some things to pick up at 
the hospital, and none of it?s recreational. I?m sure you have no clue what 
else I could be doing." Methos smiled an "I just lost a Grammy but they?re 
turning to me for a reaction shot" smile.

"Okay then," Amanda said. "Goodbye Methos. Dawson, I?ll see you later." 
She walked back into the shadows.

*

Los Angeles International Airport was crowded. It was always crowded. This 
wasn?t a surprise for the two women walking through it to get to the door 
that led to Ash?s hangar. They walked in front of the door as it was 
opening and Willow caught her first glimpse of her sister?s plane. "I was 
right?" she asked. "Why keep it at a civilian airport when it?s clearly 
military technology?"

"I don?t trust the military. They lost their chance during the Vietnam War. 
Actually, nowadays, I don?t trust any organized group. Individual people, 
maybe, but not big groups. When you?ve lived as long as I have, you learn 
things about people and committees. No committees are to be trusted. They 
are as smart as their stupidest member. You?ll note that in my memoirs for 
me won?t you?"

"Of course dear. You?re such a people person and an optimist," Willow said 
with a smile on her face. "Are we going now?" She swung her bag around her 
knees.

"Get in. I just want to double-check everything. Trust no one and all 
that." She walked around the plane, checking things. General 
checking-things type activities. No one could tell really what she was 
doing, and Willow assumed it wasn?t vital to the plot since Ash was checking 
for anything wrong. After a little bit, she stopped, grunted, and got it. 
"It?s not that I don?t trust and love you, but don?t touch anything. This 
baby?s armed to the teeth."

"I expected nothing less from you. Just don?t use them. We?re staying in 
the country and I don?t think we?re going to run into any Republican 
nominees for president. That I wouldn?t mind." The redhead grinned.

"Meow!" Ash exclaimed.

"Wow, that?s my second meow ever."

"What was the first?"

"?What?s Xander?s number? Oh yeah, "1-800-Im-dating-a-skanky-ho"!?"

"Who was he dating?"

"Cordelia. You haven?t met her, have you? She works for ?tall, dark and 
brooding? in LA."

"Oh. Yeah, I have. That about sums it up. The kind of person I?ve always 
hated."

"Don?t I know it. I was president of the "We Hate Cordelia" club. Xander 
used to be the treasurer."

"I sense resentment."

"Are we getting off the ground?" Willow asked anxiously.

Ash started up the plane, and soon they were off. "Got a favorite radio 
station?" she asked.

"Yeah...." Willow answered suspiciously.

"I can get any radio station in the world in this. It?s got a modified ?net 
hookup. What?s your favorite station?"

"WDBR. It?s 103.7 in Springfield, Illinois," Willow told her.

"They play Mr. Opporknockity, right?"

"Yeah. Those guys are awesome. Well, after Dingoes."

"I?ll take your word for it. I?ve never heard Dingoes." Ash turned the 
station to DBR. It was playing Meatloaf?s "I Would Do Anything For Love 
(But I Won?t Do That)." Ash shook her head and murmured something about 
Miami and Michigan.

"Mind if I sing along?" her sister asked.

"Go ahead. You singing Meatloaf?s part or the woman?s part?"

"Woman?s."

"Perfect. Wanna duet?"

"Sure." Their voices complemented each other?s beautifully, and in almost 
no time, or so it seemed to Willow, they had landed on a field in the middle 
of nowhere. The only house to be seen was Ash?s, if it could be called a 
house and not a mansion. The two Olympic-sized swimming pools in the 
backyard were a nice touch. But then Ash had always been known to be 
athletic. She had had the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse following her 
every move, worshipping at her feet. Her landing of the plane was just as 
perfect. Ash touched down right next to a very civilian-looking plane. 
"You have two?" Willow asked.

"No. That one?s not mine. Someone must have gone shopping since I last saw 
him."

"When was the last time you saw Methos?" the redhead queried.

"Let?s see, I saw Little Boy at your last funeral, so it?s been almost 
twenty years. No wonder he?s gone shopping." They walked in the front door 
to find Joe Dawson sitting in front of the fireplace drinking and staring 
off into nothingness. "Hello," Ash said.

Joe turned his head to see a face from his past staring directly at him. 
"Jade? Is that you?" Ash nodded. "I thought you died in ?Nam."

"Sorry to disappoint you. I?m rather hard to kill. I?m sorry about your 
legs, Joe."

"What are you doing here anyway?"

"I?m Ash."

"You...?" Joe bowed his head down and put a hand to his forehead. "Is that 
your sister?"

"Oh, Methos mentioned me? I?m honored. Hi. I?m Willow." She held out a 
hand for him to shake. He ignored her. After a painfully awkward moment, 
she retracted her hand. "Yes, well, I?ll leave you two to catch up. Ash, 
I?ll just settle into my room, all right? I?ll see you at dinner?" Ash 
nodded, and Willow kissed her on the cheek. "Be careful. Love ya," she 
whispered.

Joe raised an eyebrow. "What?" Ash asked.

"I don?t suppose you feel you owe me an explanation."

"For what?"

"You and Willow, dying, your friendship with Methos, I don?t know, 
everything. How long have you known Methos?"

"Since he was pretty young."

"You?re older than him?"

"Yes." She paused. "I don?t expect you to believe me. But I also expect 
you to not say a word to anyone. You?re possible the one Watcher I can 
trust. Willow can tell you that I don?t even trust her best friend?s 
Watcher, Giles."

"I don?t know of any Watcher named Giles. Who does he watch?"

"A girl named Buffy. And no, she?s not an Immortal. She?s a Slayer."

"A Slayer?"

"Of Vampires. Any other questions?"

"You and Willow?"

"A long story. And not your business."

"Dying?"

"Well, you know now I?m an Immortal. There was something I had to get back 
to in the States. Willow?s predecessor got very ill. I can?t lose her. It 
rips me apart the twenty years between the time she comes back and the time 
she wakes up again. As I said, we?re complicated. Is Methos around here 
somewhere?"

"I think he went upstairs."

At that moment, Methos was, in fact, upstairs greeting his old friend. He 
had heard Willow?s movements in her room, putting stuff away, and so he came 
in to see her. "Methos!" she exclaimed. "It?s great to see you." She 
enveloped him in a huge hug. "I wish the circumstances were better. How 
are you holding up?"

Methos sniffed. "It?s good to see you too. What?s your name this time?"

"Sorry," she said. "I keep forgetting people haven?t met my new body yet. 
I?m Willow."

"Good to see you again. How are you adjusting to waking up?"

"I hate missing twenty years of my sister?s life. I?m doing okay. How are 
you doing?"

Methos sighed and lowered his facade. "Terrible. She meant everything to 
me." The two sat down on Willow?s bed, and she put an arm around him as he 
lay his head on her shoulder. "I loved her completely. You remember 
Jacinta, correct?" At her nod, he continued. "I loved Carolyn even more." 
Willow gasped. "I didn?t think it was possible either." Tears started to 
fall. "I loved her like you love Ash. Only she isn?t going to be 
reincarnated. She?s truly gone." Willow began running her fingers through 
his hair and kissing his head to comfort him, but she knew nothing she did 
would really do the job. Only one woman could comfort him, and she was 
dead. And Methos wept for the woman he loved so much but who was here and 
gone in a blink of an eye. He wept until he fell backwards on the bed with 
Willow into a blissfully dream-free sleep. Willow put her other arm around 
him and joined him in slumber.

---


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