[MACLEOD swings. RICHIE jumps out of the way, saved by his reflexes. MacLeod offers no quarter. RICHIE scrambles for his sword. He slips and falls. MACLEOD comes after him, kicks his legs out from under him. RICHIE, on his hands and knees crawls, skittering across the floor. MACLEOD comes after him. RICHIE reaches for his sword. It's just out of reach but MACLEOD is there first. He raises the blade in a mighty swing. RICHIE screams.]
 

 
DAWSON - A few days after... after you left for Paris, he took off too. Disappeared.

[MacLeod wavers.]

[Dawson is working the bar, facing MacLeod. Richie is there too. MacLeod is silent a BEAT. He looks at Dawson.]

MACLEOD - What do you know about Dark Quickenings?

[Dawson gives him a look.]

DAWSON - Come on, MacLeod. You're reaching.

RICHIE - Reaching what? [off their silence] Somebody mind filling me in?

[There's an uncomfortable beat.]

[MacLeod and Coltec face off. Instead of their dialogue, we continue to hear V.0. the dialogue from Joe's.]

MACLEOD - (V.O.) When we take heads, we take the Immortal's power. You take in too much evil, you overload. [beat] You become evil yourself.

[Coltec circles, looking for an opening. MacLeod slips past Coltec's guard -- and takes his head.]

[REFRAME - As the Dark Quickening hits MacLeod.]

[MacLeod's eyes gleam with a dangerous light -- he's smiling. He pulls his sword. Richie backs off.]

RICHIE - Come on, Mac... What are you doing?

[MacLeod flicks his sword casually. Richie dodges back, winces -- looks down at his chest.]

[CLOSE - RICHIE'S CHEST - there's a line of BLOOD across a slash in his shirt. Richie pulls his bloodied hand away in disbelief.]

MACLEOD - You're a smart boy. What do you think I'm doing?

[MacLeod moves purposefully forward. Richie scrambles back, yanking his own sword free. He tries to fend MacLeod off, fighting with every ounce of skill he has.]

RICHIE - Whatever happened, we can fix it. Don't do this... [beat] I'm your friend, dammit!

MACLEOD - Sorry, wrong number.

[He lunges, wounds Richie in the shoulder. Richie drops his sword and goes to his knees. He tries to reach his sword with his other hand -- MacLeod kicks it away. Richie is defenseless. He locks eyes with MacLeod. Anger, pain, betrayal.]

RICHIE - If you're gonna kill me, I want to know why! The teacher kills the pupil? There can only be one? Why!

[A BEAT of hesitation on MacLeod's part, an inner battle, something in there trying to stop him -- then it passes.]

MACLEOD - That's as good a reason as any.

[He raises his sword to take Richie's head. Richie winces, waits for the killing blow. MacLeod in the backswing, putting all his force into the blow -- there's a GUNSHOT -- and MacLeod staggers back, mortally wounded. He looks up -- DAWSON stands there, the smoking gun in his hand. MacLeod snarls, tries to take a step towards Dawson, raise his sword but death strikes first. He crashes to the floor.]
 

 
MACLEOD - It's me! MacLeod.

RICHIE - I remember. [beat] I remember you pulling a sword and trying to take my head.

MACLEOD - I couldn't stop. I tried. Inside, I was someone else. It wasn't me, Richie. [beat; earnest] But I'm here now.
 

 
WELLAN - Delila? [he likes that] In that case I'll have a beer and a haircut. [He follows the BUZZ straight to Richie.] I'm buying.

RICHIE - [on edge] I don't need a haircut.

WELLAN - How about a sense of humor?
 

 
RICHIE - There's nothing to say, MacLeod. Just leave me alone.
 

 
RICHIE - Who the hell are you?

CLAY - For you, I'm the Angel of Death.
 

 
ASHE - It is something to be cherished not for what it is, but for what it can be.
 

 
WELLAN - [looking around] My lord.

CLAY - I know.

WELLAN - We found him.

CLAY - Perhaps, my impatient friend.
 

 
[MACLEOD AND ASHE come over the small rise just a short distance from church grounds and safety.]

ASHE - We're safe. It's going to be all right.

[But it's not. There in front of them, are Clay and Wellan. Ashe stops suddenly.]

CLAY - Graham Ashe?

ASHE - Who?

[MacLeod is stunned by this response. Ashe sees it.]

ASHE - [wearily] I am Graham Ashe.

CLAY - [to Ashe] I've been looking for you. There can be only one. [beat] We were destined to meet one day.
 

 
MACLEOD - We've got to be. [beat] You want to watch, go watch. [beat] But watch someone else.
 

 
DAWSON - Something to drink. On the house.

RICHIE - Tequila. A double. [Dawson serves it up and Richie downs it.] I'll have another. [Dawson refills his glass.]
 

 
RICHIE - I got rid of the bike. [off Dawson's look] I needed the money, Joe.
 

 
DELILA - [leans in close] C'mere... [unimpressed] Richie Ryan. [She motions to a thick-looking man at the end of the bar.] See that guy at the end of the bar? He's a cop and a real good friend of mine. Either I bust your arm, or he's gonna bust your ass. What is it?

[Richie lets go.]

DELILA - Thank you.
 

 
MACLEOD - You want to know what I thought when Ashe went down like that? How could he do that to me? He was supposed to be stronger than that. He was supposed to be invulnerable.

[Gone is the reasonable, placating tone; gone is trying to convince Richie. This is MacLeod on the warpath.]

MACLEOD - If he could be broken like that, what did that mean for me? You know what that feels like?

RICHIE - Like you can't trust anything anymore. Like your best friend trying to kill you. [beat] Get out of my way, Mac.

MACLEOD - [over him] You think this is about protecting you?
 

 
CLAY - You think today is the day to do what you couldn't do 350 years ago?

MACLEOD - [quoting Ashe] The best day is always the day you're in.
 

 
[MacLeod hesitates. He looks at Clay on his knees. He wants to give him an out.]

MACLEOD - We've both lost someone.

[CLOSE ON CLAY as he looks up.]

CLAY - But there can be only one.
 

 
RICHIE - So. What does a guy have to do to get a drink around here?

DAWSON - [a bright smile] Coming right up.