Get Well Soon by Teresa C. (R)

[gardendoor.livejournal.com]

Fandom: HIGHLANDER
Pairing: None
Author Website: Story found at the HL Fiction Archive
Why this must be read:

This story had me on the edge of my seat all the way through: secret Watcher codes, great Joe/Methos banter, tangles of lies and misdirection, and a well-written Connor that reminded me he could be a lot scarier than his kinsman...

Connor turned abruptly away and lifted a sealed, bulging garbage bag. He brandished it easily in one hand. "He left suddenly. He didn't clean out his icebox," he accused. He was almost yelling.

Wary, Joe frowned at him. Why was he angry? "I know," Joe replied.

Connor didn't lower the bag. He waited, holding Joe's gaze fiercely.

With sudden insight, Joe recognized the worry in the Highlander's ire. Of course, it didn't look good. An immortal vanishes without a word, without so much as taking out the garbage, or - Joe looked around - replacing the books he'd been reading, or doing his laundry. Joe met the other man's intense gaze and took pity on him. "But I expect him back."

Connor lowered the bag, the tightness in his face relaxing. "Then where is he?" he asked, quietly.

"I really don't know," Joe responded in the same way. Connor quirked him a skeptical eyebrow. Grateful that Connor wasn't forcing the Watcher issue, Joe gave him what he could. They really weren't enemies, he reminded himself. "Everyone's looking for him."

Joe stood to go, hoping he'd be permitted. He didn't care to add to the story. "Do you want me to take the garbage?" Joe offered. "There's no city pickup on the quai."

"There's a strange little friend of Duncan's who said he'd come for it.."

Joe started for the door, relieved that Connor did nothing to stop him. He resented being frightened, and couldn't resist a dig. "That strange little friend has been paying Duncan's wharf fees."

Connor watched him go.

Get Well Soon