Chris's Chronicles Book 3: Part 8:
Righting the Wrongs...
2017- Seacouver
Chris walked into Joe's bar and stood in the darkness as Joe played. She sighed as she realized the words he was singing were about her. After that night when they broke up, they had remained as close as when they were together, but they knew it was over between them. They were better off as friends. She had been in Arizona since then, and now she had come to talk to Joe. When he was done, she started clapping.
Joe looked up not knowing there had been someone watching. "The bar's closed." He said, as he leaned his guitar against the stool and picked up his cane and walked to the bar.
"Even for an old friend?" she said as she walked out behind the pillar she was behind and into the light.
Joe looked up startled and then smiled. "Chris, welcome home." He said as he went to her and hugged her. "You look great."
She kissed him on the cheek and smiled. "You do too. How have you been?"
"Great. I missed you."
"I missed you to, but hey we still talked on the phone and wrote so it is not like we have been complete strangers the past few years. Cat sends her love."
"How is she doing? I haven't seen her in a long time."
"She is back in Arizona tending the ranch. She wished she could come but she has gone back to school to finish up her degree and it is her last semester. She did not want to miss any classes."
"So what brings you back to Seacouver? I know it's not because of Mac, he's not here and neither is Methos or Richie."
"I came to see you." She said as she flashed him the smile that still melted his heart.
"What for?" he said as he handed her a beer and sat next to her. "Is everything all right?"
"Everything is fine. I came to tell you some news. Have you talked to Mary lately?"
Joe shook his head. "Not since she and Meg started training. Why? Is she ok?"
"She is more than ok, she is a Watcher now. And guess who she is watching?"
"Who?" Chris grinned. "Are you serious? The Watcher's know your still alive?"
"No, the Watchers think Daniella Dawson is still alive, you are forgetting, I have been dead for 18 years. My old friends are the only ones that know me by Chris."
Joe smiled. "Daniella Dawson? I like it. Let me guess Megs is watching Cat?" Chris nodded. "Those two always have to do everything together don't they."
Chris nodded and smiled. "Just like we use to." She said as she took his hand.
Joe looked at her and smiled. "So you flew all this way just to tell me Mary is your Watcher, or is there something else?"
"You know me so well. Actually there is. I wanted to say I am sorry for the way I left things that night I left. I did not give you much of an explanation as to why I left. I mean why I really left."
"You don't need to explain anything to me. I understood that night that no matter what happened, no matter how much we loved each other, that we gave it a try knowing things would eventually end that way."
"I still love you Joe, not just the same way. And I really should have given you a better explanation than because it was the difference in age. I was scared. I was getting to involved and it started to remind me of Will and Alex. I started having nightmares and when I would wake up, you were off watching Mac. That is why I flew to Paris after I returned from Mexico. Because I came home one day and you were there watching him. Your job always came first and maybe I was jealous a bit. I guess it was a combination of many things, I do not know, but I wanted to come and apologize."
"After I proposed to you, I should have stayed instead of running off. Maybe I was putting my job first, and I never meant to. Can you forgive me?"
"Only if you can forgive me." She said as she kissed him on the lips softly. She leaned her forehead against his and smiled as she looked into his eyes. "I never meant to hurt you."
"I know." He said as he looked into her eyes. "Chris?"
"Yes Joe?"
"If I promised I'd never do it again do you think..."
Chris pulled back, ran her fingers through her hair and shook her head. "As much as I would want to try it again, no, I do not think it would work out."
"I didn't think so. You know I'm retiring from the Watcher's at the end of the month."
Chris nodded. "Mary mentioned it. "They are loosing the best Watcher they ever had. I better get going. I was on my way to Anne's for Cat and Mary and I thought I would stop by here."
"I'm glad you did." He said as they stood up and walked to the door.
"Bye Joe." She said as she hugged and kissed him.
"Watch your head." He said as he smiled and started to laugh. "Bye." He watched her walk out the door, not knowing that would be the last time he would ever see or talk to her.
Six months later...
Arizona
"Chris! Chris come here!" Cat yelled, as she ran out the front door of the ranch house.
Chris came out from the barn and looked at her wondering what was going on. "What is it?"
Cat pulled her to the TV and sat her down on the couch. "And apparently this is how they survive, by cutting people's heads off." The TV announcer said.
"Oh my God." Chris said as she watched a Quickening on TV. "How in the hell..."
"I don't know. I was watching TV and low and behold they cut in with this. What does this mean?"
Chris looked at her former student who had become more than that. "It means, that now everyone knows about us, and we are not safe." She said, as she watched the screen.
"And as President of the United States, I will not rest until everyone of these Immortal creatures are gone. Innocent people could be killed by these people and their Watcher's and I swear justice to these killers will come."
"I'm scared Chris. What if they come after us?"
"There's no way for them to know who we are."
"What about Mary and Megs, are they in danger?"
"We are all in danger. He has just declared a war against all of us. At least with Mary and Megs they can hide what they are, but with us anytime someone sees someone with a sword we could be killed."
"But Megs is..."
"Not yet. One day, hopefully when this is all over with she will be, but she is as safe as any Watcher now."
"Why is this happening to us? Why now?"
"Caitlynn, this is all events leading up to the Gathering. The time is drawing closer as it always has, all we can do now is wait."
"How did I know you were going to say that? You know I hate waiting." She said. Chris smiled.