Just one year of love
Is better than a lifetime alone...
There's so much left unspoken
And all I can do is surrender to the moment.
One Year of Love

[At Joe's bar.]

Joe: [to Methos] Nine innings. Two halves to each inning. Three outs for each half-inning, played at a nice leisurely pace. Baseball — it's like, I don't know, it's like meditation.

Alexa: Three beers.

Joe: Okay, comin' up.

Methos: [to Alexa] Excuse me, if I sat at a table, would you be my waitress?

Alexa: [to Joe] Is he a good tipper?

Joe: [smiles] No.

Alexa: Well, too bad. Makes up for it being cute though. [Steps away to serve a customer.]

Methos: [to Joe] Cute. I can do cute.

[Alexa returns. Methos holds out his hand for a handshake.]

Methos: I'm, uh, Adam Pierson.

Alexa: Where're you from?

Methos: Um...

Alexa: Your accent. You're not from here.

Methos: No, I've travelled a lot.

Alexa: Really? Paris.

Methos: Paris is too full of Parisians. Even the French don't like Paris.

Alexa: Venice.

Methos: Venice, the smell alone will kill you.

Alexa: You're young to be so cynical, aren't you?

Methos: Uh, if you say so.

Alexa: I just did. [Walks away.]

Methos: What did I say?

Joe: Ah, forget it. Alexa's not your type, okay?

[Still at Joe's bar. Claudia and Joe are playing blues on stage.]

Methos: [to Duncan] How long have you known her?

Duncan: Since she was 14. She was living with a foster family. They were pretty poor and intimidated that they had a prodigy in their midst.

Methos: And does she know—

Duncan: That she's one of us? Doesn't have a clue. Somebody does, though.

Methos: What?

Duncan: Someone's tried to kill her. The recital hall. Then again a few minutes ago.

Methos: Who'd want her dead before her time?

Duncan: I don't know.

[At Duncan's loft.]

Methos: Alexa. You see, even her name is beautiful. There was something, you know. There's a— There's a spark. I wonder if she felt it? I mean I — I don't want to make a fool of myself. You ever feel like that?

Duncan: [smiling to himself] Couple of times. I don't see what the problem is.

Methos: What if she doesn't like me?

Duncan: What if she does? What am I going to tell her [Claudia]?

Methos: How about the truth? At least then she'd know what she's facing.

Duncan: Yeah. It'd be nice if she had a semblance of a normal life. Once she finds out what she is, that becomes impossible.

Methos: You can't keep her here forever.

Claudia: Duncan, I'm tired and I'm bored of being locked up in this dump. No offense.

Duncan: None taken.

Claudia: Why don't we go out for a drink or something?

Duncan: Yeah, a drink we can do.

Claudia: Really?

Duncan: Yeah.

Claudia: Oh, let's go to Bonatelli's. Would you call them and have them hold my table? And, uh, your friend can come along if he'd like.

Methos: Uh, no thank you. I have other plans.

Claudia: Seriously?

Methos: Totally.

Claudia: Really?

Methos: Absolutely.

[At Joe's bar.]

Alexa: Sorry, Joe.

Joe: No problem. It's all right. How'd it go?

Alexa: It's not getting any easier, if that's what you mean.

Joe: Wish there was something I could do for ya. Oh yeah, you, uh, you have a customer waiting.

[Joe motions to Methos, who's sitting at a table. Alexa approaches him.]

Alexa: Well, either you like to drink or you're crazy about the blues.

Methos: No, I was waiting for you. You see, I leave you speechless. This is an excellent start.

Alexa: Start to what?

Methos: To dinner, a film, a concert, a smile, a sunset, a walk, ah, all of the above, whatever you would like.

Alexa: [giggle] Do women really fall for that line?

Methos: I have no idea. I've never used it before.

Alexa: Never is a really long time.

Methos: Well, to the best of my recollection.

Alexa: I'm waiting.

Methos: I'll have a draft beer, please.

Alexa: One draft beer.

Joe: [calls out from the bar] Yeah, I got it.

Alexa: Why do you want to go out with me?

Methos: Because the alternative is unthinkable.

Alexa: Okay. Tomorrow, if Joe lets me have it off.

Methos: Oh, no no, he will. I have pull here. [Goes to Joe at the bar.] Looks like you were wrong. Turns out she is my type.

Joe: I don't know. It looked like a lot of arm twisting to me.

Methos: A girl like that, you're lucky if you find one every 10 lifetimes. Joe? Joe, what? You got some kind of house rule about dating the help? What?

Joe: Alexa is dying.

[Methos looks crestfallen.]

[Outside in the rain.]

Methos: Hi.

Alexa: Joe said I'd find you up here.

Methos: Lucky guess, or else I've become horribly predictable. Pull up a slab. This is nice, isn't it?

Alexa: I'm a little concerned about something.

Methos: Yeah, I sense that.

Alexa: This date we're supposed to go on, I don't think it's a very good idea.

Methos: Don't you like me — a little?

Alexa: It's not that.

Methos: It's my nose, isn't it? Yep, it's my nose.

Alexa: No, it's not your nose. You have a very nice nose.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Dating lists "Why do you want to go out with me? / Because the alternative is unthinkable" as a charming romantic opener! Does that mean Methos was reading this book?!

(above) Looking for the Kharkov train in cyrillic.

Methos: It's because you think I'm English. It's my accent. Uh, I don't have to be English. I can be Russian. Uh, Poezd na Khar'kov othodit s etoi platformy? means "Is this the right platform for the train to Kharkov?"

Alexa: [laughing] You're outrageous!

Methos: Russian doesn't turn you on. Okay, I can do it in Swahili. Except if I was speaking Swahili, why would I be wanting a train to Kharkov. Uh, Lithuanian? [Nal Fasi?]

Alexa: Please. Don't make me laugh.

Methos: Why not?

Alexa: Because it's not fair.

Methos: It rarely is.

Alexa: I'm sorry.

Methos: What? Tell me.

Alexa: I'm dying.

[Methos nods.]

Alexa: You see, don't you? We can't go out tomorrow.

Methos: Absolutely. We'd better make it tonight.

[At Joe's bar. Claudia clutches her head as she feels Methos' buzz on her way out. Duncan follows Claudia out.]

Duncan: [to Methos] Don't say a word.

Methos: Oops. [to Joe] Where's Alexa? We have a date.

Joe: She called in sick.

Methos: Where does she live?

Joe: Adam, she doesn't want to see you, okay? Just leave her alone.

Methos: Joe, I didn't ask for your opinion. I know she's dying, okay? You are all dying. Twenty years. Six months. What's the difference?

Joe: She's protecting herself. She's protecting you, don't you get it?

Methos: Yes, I get it. Now tell me where she lives.

[On Alexa's porch.]

Methos: Hi. Am I late?

Alexa: Only about a year. You shouldn't have come.

Methos: Hiding your husband in there, is that what's going on? Lover? Boyfriend? Seven dwarves?

Alexa: That's exactly what I'm doing. Hiding my husband, my boyfriend, my lover and the seven dwarves.

Methos: I can take 'em all on. I'm not afraid.

Alexa: I shouldn't have agreed to see you. It's stupid really.

Methos: Why?

Alexa: Because you don't need to be a witness to what I'm going through. It's going to get ugly.

Methos: You look beautiful to me. Look, whatever it is you're going through, I can handle it, if you let me.

Alexa: Why would you want to?

Methos: Because the alternative is unthinkable. How long?

Alexa: Less than a year. They don't know. Do you ever just wish time could stand still?

[Methos is speechless. He hands her an envelope and backs away.]

Alexa: Plane tickets?

Methos: Anywhere you like. Everywhere, if there's time.

Alexa: It's not that easy.

Methos: Yes, it is. You spend whatever time you have left dying or you spend it living — with me. Please. Say you'll come with me, Alexa.

[Outside Joe's bar.]

Alexa: [We're going coast to coast in a van.] Adam likes to call it our tour of the new world.

Methos: Well, it's all new to you, isn't it?

Joe: Sounds great. Then what?

Methos: Egypt.

Alexa: Isn't that romantic?

Joe: Well, he's certainly the man to take you.

Methos: Thanks, Joe.

Joe: Yeah.

Alexa: We'll write.

Methos: [to Duncan] It's not long enough.

Duncan: It never is. You take it easy.

[The van drives away.]

Joe: I don't know if they'll make it to Egypt.

Duncan: Doesn't matter. Even if she lives to be a hundred, he'll still have the pain of losing her.

The Russian phrase translates to:

Poezd - means "train"
na - means "to (on)"
Khar'kov - city name
othodit - "is leaving"
s - "from"
etoi - "this"
platformy - "platform"

Literally, "Is train to Khar'kov leaving from this platform?"

According to translator Vladimir, Methos' pronunciation is heavily accented, but almost correct. The only mistakes was placing an accent on the wrong vowel in "Poezd" and using a soft "i" instead of a hard "i" at the end of the word "platformy."

Thanks to Dianne for helping to get the translation!