Forever

Deal

Henry shivered and pulled his coat and scarf higher up his neck. This meeting with Adam was important, but damn it, why did it have to be so cold? Ah, well, nothing could be helped now. Either the other immortal showed up or Henry and Jo would never get the answers they needed. Letting loose a shuddering sigh into the ice cold air, he peered around him, through the trees. There was Jo, casually sitting in a tree with a book in her hand, flicking her eyes up to meet his every time. Adam would have hell to pay if he tried to expose them now. Reassured she was there, Henry's thoughts leapt to other things. Lucas hadn't shown up that day for work. Henry presumed he was sick, probably from a night of drinking like he did every Monday night. Abe was on a date- He hoped his son was in bed by now, on his own- and he had asked that if Henry came home and his date was still there, to be quiet about it. A hand tapped his shoulder, and Henry jerked around. A hooded figure, head bowed, stood before him, and he knew automatically who it was.

"Adam."

"Henry."

"You got the message?" He tried to sound imposing, angry, annoyed, but he couldn't hide the polite traces from his voice, its higher and lower pitches when he was nervous or frightened. Curse it, 235 years had bred him well.

"You bet I did. I didn't come here because I wanted to, Henry. I did it because I had to. You see, I wanna make a deal with you."

Henry's throat constricted. "And?"

"Jo, it the tree, I wanna trade you."

"What?" He couldn't know! Henry's thoughts raced to come up with a conclusion. None came to mind. Adam chuckled grimly, breaking the momentary lapse of silence.

"Please. Don't act so surprised. Anyway, don't you wanna find out who I'll trade for her?"

Who? He'd thought- no, he'd hoped- of was a 'what'. "Who do you want to trade?"

"That guy you got going around at the lab, what's his name." The hooded figure raised his arm and snapped his fingers on a way that it seemed he was trying to remember something. "Uh, Logan... Luke... Lucas! Yeah, that guy."

Henry couldn't help it. He gawked. "What?! How did you possibly-"

"I have my ways. Now, Jo."

"Never! You don't really have him, do you?" Apprehension made Henry so nervous his voice was hardly flat and businesslike.

"Oh, but I do..." Adam'a teeth glared white in the blackness. Henry backed away slowly, still in shock- only now it was mixed with anger. A choice between love and friendship, it was impossible! But that was the keyword he and Jo had chosen for the calling signal. So, he did what anyone would do.

"Impossible!"

Jo beat him to it, putting a gun with its safety off to Adam's head. Henry hadn't even seen her. Adam bared his teeth again.

"Do it."

"No. You see, that just isn't how the world works. You're coming with us, Adam. Whether you like it or not."

"Sure, but if you kill me I'll run free, and you'll never seen Lucas again."

Jo hesitated. In that moment, Adam lurched forward, tackling Henry with both arms and a sharp head-butt to the stomach. The air left his kings, and his back struck the ground so that surprise arched through his body faster than the pain. Within seconds Adam had disarmed Jo and pointed it at her.

"Come with me, Jo. You're my relative, get that now! We'll even do a DNA test. Or maybe the good doctor here will do us a favor and do it for us."

Henry lay on his back, staring up at them. Anger rushed through him. Adam thought he owned the place? There was news in store for him, of that Henry was sure.... he just didn't know how to prove it. Jo held both hands up, disgusted.

"No way."

"Yes way. Follow me. And Henry, if you even stand up, so help me God, I will-"

"What? Make me stay dead?" Henry laughed, shocking himself further with the bitterness of it. "I'm sorry, Adam, but that's dull even for you."

Jo gave him a 'shut the hell up' glare, but he stood up, keeping at it. Adam was seething with anger, his gun hand trembling.

"You are so cowardly you prey on me and Jo, with your sick little games and teasing. There's more than just me, you know, but you chose Henry Morgan and Jo Martinez because you are a coward."

"Stop!"

"And you know it, don't you! Hiding behind the mask of intelligence where none exists! You should be given the official certificate of death for this! Tell me, has it gotten to the point where the government no longer thinks you exist, that you died off years ago?"

"Shut. Up!"

"And you think you're some prodigy, don't you? All those years.... A ruse. A fraud. A cover-up for you games and everything else! Why don't you-"

"Shut the hell up!" Adam yelled loudly, and swung the gun at Henry's head. Metal connected with his face, and he knew no more.