Date: Wed, 28 Feb 1996 11:06:19 -0500 Reply-To: KaiSteph@AOL.COM Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: Steph Lutz Subject: A Little Night Music (7/7) All praises, flames and virtual haggis to KaiSteph@aol.com A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (7/7) By Stephanie Lutz Back in Duncan's apartment above the dojo, Joe sat on the edge of the bed gazing down at Kate's lifeless body. Duncan had assured him gently that she would wake soon, then hurried off to tend to more important matters, like covering their tracks before the police discovered the body missing from the morgue. Joe knew intellectually that what Duncan had told him was true, but his mind couldn't quite relay that to his heart. She just looked so - well, *dead*. The scene in the bar kept replaying itself before his eyes. The gunman, waving his weapon and shouting, Kate screaming his name, and then her soft cry as the bullets tore into her flesh. Tears spilling down his cheeks, he reached out and laid trembling fingers against her cool cheek. As if in response to his touch, Kate's body jerked convulsively. Her eyes snapping wide open, she drew in a deep shuddering gasp and sat abruptly upright. Shaking as badly as she was, Joe wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "Easy," he managed to whisper, then "are- are you all right?" She took another shaky breath and grimaced as she looked down at the bullet holes in her clothing. "I'll live," she said dryly. Then she caught a glimpse of his face and her voice softened. "Easy yourself, lad." She brushed the tears away from his cheeks. "You've seen immortals 'die' before, no?" "Yes." Joe was still shaking, he couldn't help himself. "But I wasn't in love with them." Now she held him. Joe clung tightly to her as if he would never let her go. "It was so *real*. I guess I haven't been around long enough to get used to watching those I love die." "Ye never get used to it," she murmured, lips buried in his hair. "Then how do you stand it, watching it happen over and over?" She kissed the top of his head, hugged him tightly, then held him at arm's length. "The laughter is the worth the tears, and you cannot have the one without the other, aye?" her dark eyes searched his gray ones for understanding. "Without either, you don't really *live*, you just exist. As Tennyson said, ''Tis better to have loved and lost, then never to have loved at all'." She smiled. "He was a strange man, but wise in his own way." Unable to speak, Joe took her hands from his shoulders and squeezed them tightly in his. >From behind them came the sound of a clearing throat. They turned to see Duncan standing in the doorway. His face was solemn as he looked at them. Kate spoke first. "How bad is it, then?" she asked quietly, her hands returning the pressure of Joe's. "Pretty bad," Duncan answered, "a whole bar full of people saw you die, and the police will be missing the body soon." Joe felt a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach as the meaning of Duncan's words sank in. Kate took a deep breath, avoiding Joe's eyes. "Aye, well," she said very softly. "I'd better be getting on my way then." "It can wait a couple of hours," Duncan said gently, looking first at her and then at Joe. "In the meantime I'll gather your things together," he took another look, "and find you a new set of clothes." He stepped into the elevator and pulled the grate firmly down behind him. "Joe," Kate began, finally meeting his eyes. "No!" He broke in, although he knew it would do no good. She wasn't dead, but he *was* losing her. His eyes filled with tears again. "I'm sorry, love," she whispered. "With all my heart I wish it didna have to be this way." "I know," he answered, dropping his head in defeat. She raised it, taking his face in her hands and running her fingers along his beard. "Let's not be wasting the time we do have, aye?" Her eyes burned with intensity as she drew him close. Joe turned the key in the lock and pushed open the door of *Joe's*. He switched on the light and gazed around the bar. It looked pretty much like he felt- trashed. The police had been over it with a fine tooth comb, but had left behind plenty of mess. Broken glass and peanuts crunched under his shoes as he crossed the floor. What glasses were intact were dirty and scattered on various tables. Chairs were overturned and a few tables as well. Duncan and Richie had offered to help him clean up, but that could wait till tomorrow. For tonight, he wanted to be alone. He sat on his stool in the band area, propped his cane against the wall and picked up the hummingbird. He tried playing a few notes then gave up, lowering his head into his hands. He would have no trouble the next few days, pretending that Kate was dead. He felt old - old and tired. Lifting his head he caught sight of something lying on top of the amplifier. An envelope. It couldn't have been there before, or the police would have found it. He opened it - inside were a cassette tape and a disk. Flipping the disk over, he saw it was the one with Kate's file. So she *had* snooped. He smiled in spite of himself. In the back room, he switched on the laptop and slipped the disk in, scrolling down through Kate's long history. At the end was a new entry describing the time she'd spent there. Her watcher's name was highlighted, and next to it in smaller fonts was a message. *You'll always know how to find me.* Joe switched off the computer and walked back out into the bar. He slid the tape into the player, turned the volume all the way up and pushed play. The sweet sound of a Celtic harp filled the bar. he recognized the tune immediately - it was the one she'd plucked out on his guitar that night. "Here's to brown cows," he muttered, shaking his head at the private joke as he picked up the guitar and played along with her into the night. THE END =========================================================================