XOVER: Changing of the Guard 4: The Road To Hammelcar [PG13] 19/19
ecolea (ecolea@WT.NET)
Tue, 25 Dec 2001 09:29:44 -0600
Notes and disclaimers in part 0/19
Epilogue
"YOU STOLE A BABY!!"
Methos flinched at the volume of his shout, glaring at O'Neill as he shoved
the small, heavily wrapped bundle into the colonel's arms before hurriedly
climbing into the car.
"No. I stole the corpse of a baby."
"Oh. Well that makes all the difference!"
O'Neill leaned away from the package on his lap in horror. There was a
crèche joke in here somewhere, he thought absently, but damned if he could
find it now.
"It's not what you're thinking," Methos explained, carefully pulling out of
the hospital parking lot.
"Really?" O'Neill asked dryly. "And what am I thinking? Other than that you
obviously have some really serious issues to work out."
"It's not for me, it's for Quinta," he responded testily, quickly reporting
what had happened earlier.
"Sweet," O'Neill muttered as he shifted uncomfortably, though he could
understand why Methos hadn't told him immediately. Not many friends were
willing to help their buddies bury the bodies. Or steal them, in this case.
"Okay, so she messed up. Why not do it on her own?"
Methos didn't take his eyes off the road. "Because she's expended too much
of her life force to both animate the child and move it to a safe location,"
he explained quietly. "Same reason Tok'ra couldn't evolve once he became
host to Morgot. Besides keeping his friend alive, he had to use the energy
contained in his Quickening to shield the symbiot from those same energies.
Takes more than a couple of D cells worth of power to do that apparently."
O'Neill rubbed his face and sighed. "So, she needs you to do the foot work
for her," he finally nodded and Methos smiled wryly.
"About the size of it," he commented ruefully.
"What about the family?" O'Neill asked sadly, no doubt remembering a small
coffin of his own.
"The baby was still born due to the mother's drug addiction," Methos told
him softly. "She gave a false name and disappeared from the maternity ward
before she could be arrested. With the body unclaimed, it was scheduled for
cremation in another week. I only had to tweak the computer records to make
it look like it went out earlier than legally allowed due to a clerical
error."
"Which means no one is going to say anything unless mom gets her act
together and comes looking," O'Neill nodded thoughtfully.
"Highly unlikely," Methos pointed out. "Especially given how much the courts
frown on prenatal abuse these days."
"So, what now?" Jack finally sighed, staring down at the lifeless bundle in
his lap.
"Now?" Methos shrugged as it started to snow and he turned on the windshield
wipers. "Now we find a safe location for Quinta to do her thing and drop her
off at a good home. I know just the couple," he smiled wistfully. "Nice
folks," he added. "A little too old for the state to consider them capable
of parenting, and not quite wealthy enough to go through a baby broker. But
they've got more than enough love between them to take a baby into their
house and hearts. More importantly, they both desperately want a child."
"Sounds wonderful," O'Neill nodded. "Think she deserves such good fortune?"
Methos frowned. "Everyone deserves a second chance, Jack. Maybe with the
right start Quinta wouldn't have turned out so bad. Maybe I wouldn't have
either."
"You didn't--" Jack started to say then stopped.
The ancient Immortal could only smile wistfully. The good colonel might have
forgotten just whom he was sitting next to, but Methos hadn't.
"Yeah," O'Neill finally sighed. "A second chance it is."
They were silent then as they drove far into the night, stopping only once
at a convenience store that happened to be open, where they found some much
needed baby supplies. A couple of hours before dawn Methos pulled into an
abandoned factory. He took the body from O'Neill and they headed inside.
"So, uh, where's Quinta?" Jack asked nervously, looking around.
"She'll be here," Methos shrugged as he set the bundle down. He stepped
back, opening his arms wide. "Ready?" he silently queried his sister.
But it's so small, Quinta answered softly.
"You'll be fine," Methos told her gently. "I won't let any harm come to
you."
But can't you...?
"No," he said with finality. "I cannot keep a child. You need more. You
need...better. And," he added more kindly. "You would not be safe with me. I
have enemies, Ninta. Too many to protect you."
Will I see you again?
"No, dear. But I'll be watching. I promise."
With a soft mental hug she gave her silent assent and he felt her Quickening
disengage and swiftly exit his body.
"Jesus!" Jack gasped, taking a couple of steps back.
The cloud of light that was Quinta hung above the room for a long moment
before it settled over the still figure of the baby. A minute passed, then
another, and suddenly the little bundle jerked to life.
"We did it!" Methos grinned as he hurriedly unwrapped the newborn, laughing
in wonderment when it let out a loud, healthy cry.
"Merry Christmas, minion!" O'Neill chuckled, patting Methos' shoulder as he
leaned down to have a good look. "It's a girl!"