========================================================================= Date: Wed, 17 Apr 1996 21:42:00 PDT Reply-To: Mike Goldman Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: Mike Goldman Subject: "A Dangerous Game" (15/22) HL Story "...despair tears me in two..." Anne returned from upstairs feeling *much* more awake after a quick wash. Joe had thoughtfully laid out a yellow sweater for her and she pushed the sleeves up as she headed back to the kitchen. Entering, she saw him rummaging around in the fridge and a stack of just-toasted bagels on the counter. Joe put butter, cream cheese and jam on the counter top, then pulled over a stool and sat down. "Help yourself." Anne sat across to him and spread a thick layer of cream cheese on a cinnamon raisin bagel. "Thanks for the change of clothes." she said as she took a bite. The food made her realize how hungry she was and she inhaled the bagel and began fixing another almost immediately. "Keep it." he replied, grinning a bit at the sight of her powering down bagels. "Did you take anything to Rory?" she asked around a full mouth. Joe answered that he had taken some food down to her, but that she had appeared to be asleep and he felt it was probably best not to wake her. What he *didn't* mention was the minutes he'd spent standing there willing her to open her eyes and smile at him like she'd used to. "She's probably pretty tired." Anne agreed--half out of kindness. She privately thought that Rory seemed to be giving up and withdrawing into herself almost as if she was trying to commit a passive form of suicide. Putting the thought out of her mind for the moment, she gestured towards the journal with her knife. "What's in there?" Joe pulled the journal over to him and flipped it open to a marker he'd previously placed in the pages. Clearing his throat, he began: >> July 7, 1894 >> I've been here at the Paris Opera for almost a year now. I met another Immortal named Amanda shortly after my arrival here and we agreed to share rooms in order to defray the costs of living in Paris. I'm not *entirely* sure of what Amanda does with her days but she has been bringing in enough money to pay for both the rooms and a maid to come once a week and clean them. I, on the other hand, have only been able to manage to get myself cast in the chorus of a few productions as it seems prejudice of the Irish extends to many places. But I have found a voice teacher.... >> >> Rory climbed the stairs to her and Amanda's rooms as quickly as she could, bursting to tell Amanda the good news. Her shoe caught on the hem of her skirts and she nearly pitched forward, slamming a hand against the wall to keep herself from falling. she cursed, Reaching their door, she burst in. "Amanda!" she yelled. A figure came out of the doorway directly across to her. "Do you *have* to yell?" The maid followed after Amanda trying to finish fastening her dress. Rory stopped dead. "What the *hell* have you got on?" she asked. Amanda pursed her lips, "You really shouldn't swear so much, Rory." Rory opened her mouth to remind Amanda of the time not two nights ago when she'd blistered some handsy gentleman's ears, but Amanda waved a negligent hand and pirouetted in a circle. "Do you like it?" she trilled almost girlishly. "It's beautiful." Rory said honestly. Her eyes narrowed. "Exactly where are you going in it?" "I just thought I'd try my luck at the races." As Rory was not entirely sure of what Amanda did to earn her money, but had a good idea that her occupation didn't reside entirely in the realm of legality, she chose not to comment. "But tell me about your news!" Amanda entreated, coming over to Rory and grabbing her hands. "Well, you remember me telling you several months ago that the Opera had hired a new voice teacher?" Amanda nodded. "He heard me singing during the rehearsal for "La Juive" and asked if I had a teacher yet. When I told him no, he told the director that I was to be assigned to him immediately!" "So you're going to be a star!" Amanda clapped hers and Rory's hands together. "Well, not right away...but hopefully someday!" Rory grinned back, barely able to contain her excitement. "This calls for a celebration!" Amanda declared. "You're coming with me." >> >> "Rory and Amanda together in Paris..." Anne murmured, her mind boggling at the concept. "The thief and the revolutionary." Joe winced, "That sounds like a really bad movie." Just then the doorbell rang and Joe got up to answer it. After a few moments, he returned with Richie in tow. "Duncan said he had some things he needed to take care of this morning, but that he'd be by later on today." Richie informed them. He spied the journal on the table. "Cool! Did you find something?" Anne brought him up to speed and suggested Richie bring the rest of the journals from that period downstairs while she and Joe went down to see if Rory was awake. Richie agreed, but first sat himself at the counter to help himself to breakfast. Leaving Richie to one of his favorite activities, Joe and Anne let themselves into the basement and down the steps. As they flipped the lights on, they saw Rory sitting up against the gate. She got up as they approached. "Rory?" Joe asked. "It's me--whatever *that* means." she said in a dead, flat tone. They drew closer. "You haven't eaten much." Anne noticed. "You'd be assuming I was hungry, then?" "You need to eat." Anne said briskly. "Let me see your eyes." Rory leaned back against the cage wall. "Go to hell." "O'Riordan Malone!" Joe yelled. He had never used her full name before which gave Rory an indication of how truly upset he was. She balled her hands into fists and slammed them against the chain link, causing the structure to shimmy like a Slinky for a few moments, then stalked up to Anne. Anne decided to go for straight doctor/patient mode and simply gazed into Rory's eyes for a moment. "They're more brown than blue." she said, half to Joe and half to herself. "I think we'd better up the dosage again." "No!" Rory turned away from them, crossing her arms over her grimy T-shirt and beginning to pace the short length of the cage. "Anne wants to help you!" Joe yelled at her. "I *don't want* your help." she yelled back, stopping her pacing. She impatiently pushed her limp hair out of her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "Accepting someone's *help* is how I got into this in the first place!" Abruptly, she stopped, pressing the palms of her hands against her eyes and they waited to see what would happen. Lori mgoldman@cts.com Bass Player/Musical Director for the SJD Kick-Ass House Band CFW/WAR Chief for Smokin' Joe Dawson in the first HL WAR