========================================================================= Date: Tue, 16 Apr 1996 18:06:00 PDT Reply-To: Mike Goldman Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: Mike Goldman Subject: "A Dangerous Game" (7/22) HL Story [Ahem...someone reminded me that I forgot to place this story in a timeline (doesn't that send key know to *wait*?). This story falls in between "Counterfeit Friends" and "Scavenger Hunt".] "Look in my eyes--who do you see there? Someone you know? Or just a stranger...?" Inside of thirty minutes after his telephone call to Mac, Joe had showered, dressed, and was driving towards the dojo. Pulling up in the parking lot, he shut the engine off and quickly jumped out and began walking as fast as he could towards the building. Walking inside, he saw Mac on the phone in his office. He hung back for a moment, but Duncan looked up and saw him, motioning for him to come on in. Joe weaved past the few workout enthusiasts and into Mac's office, sinking into a chair and gratefully accepting the cup of coffee pressed upon him. Suddenly Richie buzzed from upstairs. "No messages up here, Mac." Duncan thanked him and told him to come back downstairs. The two men then waited in silence until Richie entered the room and sprawled in the other available chair. "Did you look in her Chronicle?" was his first question. "Of course I did!" Joe snapped. The outburst relieved some of his tension; however, it was immediately replaced by guilt due to the look on Richie's face. "Look," he tried to explain, "with what she was involved in, she moved around a lot--and on short notice--which made it very hard for the Watchers to keep track of her, particularly in the eras before photographs. I don't even think we have an accurate count of how many heads she's taken. If I were guessing and Rory was talking, she'd probably be able to clear up several of our unsolved files." "What do you mean 'if she was talking'?" Duncan asked. "We have an agreement." Joe said shortly. "I let her divulge things at her own pace and she stays out of Watcher business." He shrugged at their looks. "It's worked for us so far." "However," he continued. "she does have a diary of sorts that she keeps in the steamer trunk." "Do you know where she keeps the key?" Richie wondered. Joe shifted in his seat. "Yes, but I feel like I'm going to be violating a trust by doing this." Mac looked him in the eyes. "It may be the only thing we can do to help her if you're correct about what's happened and someone or some*thing* else is in control." "I know, I know." Joe said unhappily. He considered the task a moment. "I won't be able to get it here on my own and, if she's been keeping a diary for centuries, I'm going to need some help sorting through it." "We'll help," Richie immediately volunteered. Mac nodded. "OK, thanks." Joe stood up. "Why don't you meet me at the bar around 3 p.m.? I've got some things I need to go over with Mike if I'm not going to be there tonight." At 3 p.m. on the nose, Duncan and Richie pulled up in front of the club just as Joe was exiting. He waved briefly to let them know he'd seen them, then continued towards his car. Getting in, he started the motor and then pulled out into traffic, checking in his rearview mirror to make sure Duncan and Richie were behind him. "Have you ever been to Dawson's--besides the time you found him and Rory, I mean?" Richie asked as they followed Joe. "Once or twice." Duncan allowed. "What's his place like?" Macleod thought for a moment. "It suits him." he answered. A few minutes later as they parked in the driveway, Richie looked at the house and whistled, "I hope *I* can get something like this someday." The got out of the convertible and, as they did, they felt the buzz. Joe, already out of his car, saw the looks on their faces. "She's here?" he asked. "Someone is." Richie said, "but it feels different." "Different? How?" Mac turned around in a circle as if he was trying to pinpoint where the buzz was coming from. "It feels...stale." he said, shrugging helplessly. "I can't think of another way to put it." "Come on." said Joe and he began walking to the front door. As he fished for his key, Duncan shook his head, putting his finger to his lips and then pointing at the door which was slightly ajar. Joe took his cane and pushed it open gently while all three men tensed as if they were expecting their worst nightmare to come rushing out at them. However, the only thing that came at them was the faint sound of opera playing on the stereo. "The Magic Flute?" Duncan whispered, automatically trying to place the music. Richie looked at him in annoyance. "Like *I'm* supposed to know?" They proceeded into the entryway and edged cautiously towards the living room to see Rory sitting on the couch. She was dressed in one of her favorite outfits--faded Levi's, cowboy boots, a white T-shirt and Joe's black leather vest--but the similarities ended there with the grating differences being the glass of gin in her hand and the smelly Gauloise between her teeth. Her eyes were closed and she was nodding in time to the music, but opened her eyes at the sound of Joe's cane taps on the floor. "Gentlemen," she acknowledged, running a hand through her unbound hair and pulling it over to one side. They stopped cold. The voice was Rory's, but the neither the accent nor the smile was hers. "Gentlemen," she said again, drawing on the cigarette and expelling a cloud of foul-smelling smoke. "Allow me introduce myself." She put the glass down and stubbed the cigarette out in an ashtray, then got up and sauntered over to stand in front of the three dumbfounded men. "My name is Stefan Kijewski." 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