Ummm... I guess this is a little late...? :-)

Well the phone jack next to my computer went down and unless I wanted to try and lug the entire set-up upstairs... Anyway, despite all my excuses here it is! Personally I don't really like it that well, but I submit it to you for your perusla in the hope that maybe somebody will find it a little bit entertaining.

:-)

Disclaimer:
Methos, Joe, Templeton "Faceman" Peck, and any other characters I may end up mentioning here don't belong to me. They belong to someone else. No infringement intended. I've never claimed to own them, and I will return them sane or saner than they were to begin with. My word on it.

Notes:
This turned out to be a little longer than I expected, so bear with me. Forgive me Amand-r? That's why it was posted a little late. Hopefully it's readable, since I didn't take the time to do much more than run it through the spell-checker. And I apologize if there happen to be any Murdock fans reading this (I'd be interested to know if there are). I wouldn't exactly call this a death story... But you have been warned. Nothing is described of course, just referred to. And as for Joe's background in Vietnam... I made everything in here up. I didn't know anything about it and unfortunately didn't have time to do any research, so canon (Whatever that may be...) has been ignored (Obviously). If anybody has any info on that I'd love to see it.

Thanks go to Killa for the lyrics.

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Choose Your Moment

By Jessi Melann



Methos stared glumly at his drink and ignored the pointed looks from the gray-bearded bartender who kept sending worried glances in his general direction.

That annoying little voice in his head was very lively tonight.
His silent reply was short, pointed, and decidedly profane.
The oldest immortal gave another sigh and took a long swallow from the almost-empty bottle of beer in front of him, wondering if it would be worth the effort to try and drink himself into a stupor. Dull the pain for a while...
There were some down-sides to being immortal.
That little voice was being decidedly pessimistic.
His current morbid train of thought was interrupted as a familiar voice cheerfully asked him if he wanted another beer, or if he wanted skip it and go straight to the hard liquor.
He looked up at the bartender's grizzled face and managed a half-hearted chuckle. "Nah. I guess I'll stick with the beer tonight, Joe, although getting drunk doesn't sound half-bad."
Joe Dawson gave the immortal a measuring look, trying to gauge the depth of his friend's depressed state, then gave a small sigh of his own as he settled down onto a chair beside his friend.
"Alright, old friend. What gives?" He met the immortal's raised eyebrow with one of his own, and a stern, "Don't you even try it. You can't pull one over on me... You've been caught in the act, man, so talk." His knowing glance let the other immortal know that he'd been unusually careless about guarding his expression.
That little voice had been joyfully stating the obvious all evening
Methos caught himself starting to sigh again and reached for his drink instead, downing that last of it in one long swallow. After a moment he let a wry smile slip over his features and vocalized the name that had been occupying his thoughts all evening.

"Duncan Macleod o' the Clan Macleod." Methos mockingly added the Scottish accent for emphasis. His wry smile didn't reach his eyes.
"Ahhh..." Joe sighed knowingly and absently tapped his fingers on the tabletop. When nothing more was forthcoming from the immortal, he gave an resigned shake of his head and stood up, stepping over to the bar and producing two more bottles of Methos' usual poison, returning to set them down on the table with a thump.
"Alright. Since we've got that out of the way..."
Methos couldn't help but grin as Joe rolled his eyes and made a show of handing his friend another beer and then taking a slow sip of his own. The immortal could see that Joe's cheerful demeanor was just a facade, and that the mortal was just as upset as he was. Perhaps more so, considering the circumstances.
They sat in silence for a while, neither willing to discuss the matter that troubled them both. Methos' mind had just begun to drift away again when a soft voice jerked his attention back to the man sitting across from him.
"So who is it that you're upset with? Him... Or yourself?"
He looked up to find a pair of clear eyes probing his own. He mentally choked back another sigh and nodded a silent salute in the Watcher's direction, unconsciously avoiding the man's knowing look. Perceptive as usual... But what was there to say? He could tell from the man's sympathetic expression that Joe already knew the answer to his own question. "Both maybe... I just can't help wondering if I could have done something... Changed something...."
Joe seemed to hesitate for a moment, considering his words. Finally, he let out another sigh. "You can't fight his battles for him, Methos, just the way he can't fight yours. He made a decision..."
"But what will it cost him Joe?" Methos' strained voice and white knuckled grip on the neck of his beer bottle were the only indicators of his inner tension. "You and I both know that it was a mistake. He never should have gotten involved in the first place, much less..."
"I know. Believe me I've been thinking the same thing for the past two days. If anyone has reason to feel guilty about this I do. I mean, it was my fault he was in this situation in the first place. If I hadn't insisted on..." Joe's voice trailed off into a hoarse whisper and this time he was the one avoiding eye contact. Methos tried to think of something comforting to say, but all his 5000 years of experience failed him. Everything that came into his head was trite and meaningless when he saw his own pain mirrored in the face across from him. He opened his mouth and then closed it again, hating the feeling of helplessness that was slowly creeping over him.
Joe was startled when Methos' low voice suddenly made its way to his confused brain.
"I've been wondering the same thing for days; wondering if there was something I could have done... And then I feel terrible when I can't think of anything. Nothing..."
Silence crept over them, each man sinking deeper and deeper into the depths of his own thoughts, trying to sort through the myriad of emotions that weighed them down.
Joe Dawson sighed and glanced up again at his friend wondering if there was anything he could say to encourage the oldest immortal. His depressed contemplation was interrupted, however, when he saw a familiar expression cross Methos' face.
Another Immortal.
He casually turned and focused on the individual that had just entered his bar. The first thing that struck him about the stranger was the clear blue eyes that were staring directly at them. Joe couldn't stop the small shiver that went through him. That piercing gaze seemed strangely familiar.
He was shaken out of his confusion by Methos' casual "Ahem...". He looked at the immortal beside him and caught Methos' narrowed gaze.
"Do you know him?" Methos returned his own gaze to the stranger as the man moved over to the bar and ordered a drink, sparing another casual glance for the pair of men at the corner table.
"I don't know..." Joe had the strange feeling that he had met the stranger before, but he couldn't recall where or when. He watched as the man began blatantly flirting with a passing waitress, bringing a blush to her cheeks as he boldly took her hand and whispered something in her ear. She nodded and quickly slipped away through the crowd on some errand, giving him an amused smile as she disappeared into the throng of people. Several seconds later Joe was startled out of his contemplation of the stranger as she reappeared beside him bearing two more drinks which she handed to them with a smile.
"Compliments of the gentleman at the bar." She grinned at their surprise and waved a hand in the man's direction. "He said that you both looked like you could use another drink."
Methos gave a small chuckle and raised his glass in a silent salute to the other immortal. "The man certainly has good taste in his favor."
Joe raised an eyebrow and watched curiously as the man slowly wandered over toward them, stopping to flirt with several pretty girls on the way; his easy grin and cheerful manner leaving laughs and blushes in his wake. Finally he strolled up to their table and let his piercing gaze move over them both, finally settling on Methos.
"Adam Pierson," said Methos coolly, eyeing the well-dressed man with a lazy caution that belied his casual posture and appearance.
"Ahhh..." The man ran a hand through his blonde hair and gave him a friendly, yet guarded smile. "Templeton Peck. Pleased to meet you." And then lowering his voice he added quickly, "I'm not looking for any trouble..."
Methos raised an eyebrow and nodded slowly. "That's good. Because I can think of several more pleasant ways to spend the evening." He smiled at the stranger's relieved grin. "In that case, why don't you pull up a chair?"
Peck did so, and finally turned his attention to the other man at the table. He was about to say something when an incredulous look came over Joe's face.
"Vietnam!" He said suddenly, his eyes going wide. "That's where I saw you before. You were with Colonel Smith's unit, the one that..."
The blonde man froze for a moment and gave Joe a strange look. "Do I know you?" Methos could have sworn that he saw the man's hands give a nervous twitch as they wrapped around his drink.
"Dawson. Joe Dawson. You did a mission with my unit once, when we were in need of some... special skills... You remember Colonel Morrison don't you?"
"Morrison..." Peck looked confused for a moment, and then his face brightened. "Oh Morrison! I remember him. He was the one who had me locked up for illegal acquisition of army resources or something like that. I don't remember really. I was a little preoccupied at the time." He sat back in his chair and gave a short laugh. "Such a small world." He suddenly sobered however and glanced in Methos' direction before turning back to Joe. "I gather then, that you know about..." He raised an eyebrow questioningly at Joe.
"Immortals?" Joe watched carefully as the blonde man gave a short nod. "Studying immortals is a ... hobby of mine." Joe ignored Methos as the oldest immortal rolled his eyes and shook his head.
Peck narrowed his eyes slightly, trying to work out the meaning of the last statement before shaking his head in confused amusement, apparently deciding not to pursue it further. "Irony at it's best." He snorted and took a gulp of his beer. "You gotta love it."
Joe studied the handsome features of the former green beret, trying to guess how old he really was. The last time he had seen Peck, the young man had been barely twenty years old, or so he had said. He looked several years older now, but still had the same boyish charm and sparkling eyes. He opened his mouth to ask the obvious question, but Methos beat him to it.
"So were you immortal before you went to Vietnam?"
Peck looked at the oldest immortal, seemingly trying to gauge his intentions. Apparently deciding that Methos was sincerely interested, and had no underhanded motives, he sighed and shook his head. "No. I became immortal several years afterward. The team and I got caught in a bad situation and..." He hesitated and then laughed grimly. "Some mafia thugs decided that I knew too much of their business and unanimously voted to write me off... permanently." Joe glimpsed a flash of anger that swept through the blue eyes, quickly hidden behind a cheerful smile. "They were quite surprised when I didn't stay dead."
Methos grimaced and gave the man a nod of sympathy. He had been in that situation many times himself.
Silence spread over them for a moment until Joe let loose a small chuckle. "You and the rest of the A-team were quite a legend to most of us you know. When you got your pardons we were almost disappointed." He grinned at Peck's surprised look. "All that underground work that you did had quite an impact on the rest of us." He cocked his head at the younger man and continued. "We never believed that you really committed treason, you know. Tales about you guys spread through all the units like wildfire. Don't know how many of them were true... but it sure made for some exciting listening."
Peck grinned back. "Yeah, I heard that. I'd always wanted to be a celebrity." He laughed and tapped a lively tune on the table-top with his fingertips. "I never expected that getting sent to prison on a charge of treason would thrust me into stardom."
Joe laughed with him. " "So how is the rest of the team. Are you still working together?"
Peck's grinned faded and he looked away for a moment before speaking. "We still keep in contact, but we haven't done any real leg-work since..." He trailed off and ran an unsteady hand through his hair. "A couple years ago there was an... accident. After that, well, things were never the same."
Joe stilled and glanced at Methos. The old man had a thoughtful expression on his face and he was studying the other immortal intently. Joe turned back to the younger man, suddenly noticing the tired look that had swept over the man's face, and the glint of moisture in the deep blue eyes.
"What happened?" he asked softly. "Did one of the team..." He couldn't bring himself to say the words. The shiver that went through the ex-soldier and the pained glance that met his own was answer enough.
"I'm sorry." Methos calm, voice quietly offered his condolences.
Peck nodded and took a deep drink of his beer, swallowing it down with a sigh. "The thing is," he said softly. "It was all a mistake. Murdock saw something that needed to get done, and he nominated himself for the job despite everything we could say. We later found out that we had been fed false information. He went in with bad intel and..." Peck's voice trailed off into a whisper that could barely be heard over the noise of the crowded bar. "It should have been me. I was the one who should have gone in and we all knew it. He didn't have all of the skills necessary to..." He shook his head abruptly, a lock of thick blonde hair falling down over his forehead. "I spent weeks afterward, wondering if there was something I could have done to change his mind. To give him an extra edge... To change things, somehow." He fell into silence, his elbows perched on the table and his shoulders slumped forward.
Methos and Joe looked at one another, the same thought running through their heads simultaneously.
Joe finally managed to voice the question at the front of his mind. "And did you ever find the answer?" His voice came out a little choked, despite his effort to ignore the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat.
Peck looked up and studied him intently. As their gazes met, Joe saw sudden understanding flash through the blue eyes, followed by a sincere expression of compassion that made Joe's breath catch in his throat.
"No. I never did." His low voice was firm and steady. "Because there is no answer." He folded his hands together and let out a long breath. "I finally came to realize that all there was, was 'might-have-beens'. Murdock made his choice, and I made mine. Anything I could have done wouldn't have changed the fact that it was a mistake." He smiled wryly. "We all make mistakes." He stared intently at Methos and quietly added, "You're only human. "
Methos stopped breathing for a moment as the unspoken meaning of the younger man's words sunk in. The kid's perception was almost uncanny...
Only human...
He met Joe's eyes and saw the sad smile that had appeared on the man's grizzled features. The little voice in his head seemed almost comforting now.
"Choose your moment..."
The blonde man blinked in surprise and a small smile spread across his good-looking face at Methos whispered words. "Yes. Choose your moment..." His eyes shone with understanding and Methos felt a sudden sense of kinship with the young immortal.

Methos silenced the little voice with a firm mental directive.
A collective sigh ran through the three men and the oldest immortal chuckled as matching smiles appeared on the others' faces.
"And speaking of moment... I think my beer is empty." His wry observation pulled a laugh out of Joe and snort from Peck.
"Well my friend," the lines of worry had lifted from Joe's face, replaced by a familiar grin. "I think I can fix that." He slowly stood up and made his way over to the bar, leaving his two companions smiling behind him.
As soon as the bartender was out of earshot, Methos leaned over and caught the younger immortals gaze.
"Thank you." Two simple words, yet they expressed a depth of feeling that surprised Methos himself.
The young man met his eyes silently for a moment and then he nodded. "You're welcome." A simple answer. But it contained all that needed to be said.

Methos and Peck exchanged knowing smiles as Joe returned and handed them their drinks. Live in the moment...
And what was a moment that didn't include good beer?

:-)

The End.

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Slide
By Dido

Even on a day like this when you're crawling on the floor
Reaching for the phone to ring anyone who knows you any more
It's all right to make mistakes, you're only human
Inside everybody's hiding something
Staring at the same four walls, have you tried to help yourself
The rings around your eyes they don't hide, that you need to get some rest
It's all right to make mistakes, you're only human
Inside everybody's hiding something
Take time to catch your breath and choose your moment
Don't slide
Even at a time like this when the morning seems so far
Think that pain belongs to you but it's happened to us all
It's all right to make mistakes you're only human
Inside everybody's hiding something
Take time to catch your breath and choose your moment
Don't slide
You brought this on yourself and it's high time you left it there
Lie here and rest your head and dream of something else instead
Don't slide



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