Date: Sun, 8 Oct 1995 22:52:29 -0500 Reply-To: Samantha Anne Copeland Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: Samantha Anne Copeland Subject: Daddy's Little Girl part 01 Here goes nothin'. Please be nice. This is my first time out! Questions, comments, whatever, you know where to find me. Daddy's Little Girl by Samantha Copeland copelasa@vuse.vanderbilt.edu copelasa@ctrvax.vanderbilt.edu *****Part 1***** It was a slow night at Joe's, with only a few regulars there. Joe was beginning to wonder why he had even bothered to open that night. That is, until a group of college students came in. Several of these students wore jackets bearing an emblem that read "Seacouver University Fencing Club". There were about ten of them and they were in a celebrating mood. After all, they had just gotten back from a tournament where several of them had placed well. "Great," thought Joe Dawson, "a bunch of college kids are gonna destroy my place." Joe watched as two members went to the bar and ordered a couple of beers. He muttered to himself, "Kids!" and retreated over to his stool behind the bar. *Between the beer and their friends, they won't need my attention. After all, I have quite a bit of paperwork to catch up on. Mike can handle things for a couple of hours.* A few moments later, Joe looked up to find that a unusually tall young woman walking over from the group. The young woman had reddish brown hair pulled back in a French Braid and hazel green eyes behind green plastic-rimmed glasses. She sat down across from Dawson, took off her glasses, and began playing with them. "Can I get something for you?" Joe asked. "Just a ginger ale," she replied. Joe walked a few feet away to the refrigerator under the bar. As he returned, she folded her glasses and set them on the bar. Joe placed the can and a glass on the bar for her. The young lady poured the can's contents into the glass. Then Joe went back to his bookkeeping. The young lady turned to watch her companions, but found little to interest her in their antics. Turning away from them, she watched the band performing on stage. Occasionally, Joe looked up to watch the band, musician that he was, wishing he were up there tonight, rather than doing the books. Every time that he looked up, he saw her still sitting there and watching. As the band took a break, she sipped her drink, which she had hardly touched up to this point. Joe's bartender instincts were kicking in, and he realized that she needed someone to talk to more than she needed the ginger ale. "So, how'd you like the band?" Joe began. "Huh? Oh, um, I like them. It's been a while since I've listened to any jazz or blues. Most of the time I, listen to classical stuff, occasionally a few rock groups, but not much else. These guys are pretty good. I'm surprised that there aren't more people here to listen....I wish that I had known about this place a little sooner," she sighed, swirling her drink around in the glass. "I'm glad you like it. Not many people appreciate real music these days. Some nights, I play with the guys, but as luck would have it, I've got other things to do tonight. I suppose I am going to have to content myself with just listening. Before we go any further, what's you name? It's a little awkward carrying on conversations with people that I have to address as 'Hey You'," Joe laughed. "I know what you mean, so if you tell me yours, I'll tell you mine," she said, grinning right back at him. "Point taken, I'm Joe Dawson." "Chris Balfour. Joe....," she said, a look of recognition passing across her face, "As in the owner, right?" "I am. I noticed that you were paying close attention to the band. Do you play or something?" "I used to, but I don't have much time these days. Between classes, fencing practice, and homework I have hardly any free time. Still, I would probably make time if I could find some people to play with." "How'd you get into fencing, if you're are a musician?" "I watched too many episodes of 'Zorro' when I was little. After I started college, I discovered the club and, as they say, the rest is history." "Why are all of you guys here?" "We just got back from a tournament, and we all did really well. I even earned a ranking in epee, which is pretty good seeing as how I have only been fencing it for a couple of weeks. Also, a bunch of the others placed pretty well, so we decided to celebrate." Joe decided that since Chris was opening up, he decided to press a little further. "So Chris, what's on your mind? I would've thought that you would be over there with your friends celebrating." "Well, I would, but I always feel like a fifth wheel. I just tag along with them so they don't think that I'm anti-social. Besides, talking to more than one person or having more than one conversation going on at once can drive you a little crazy, as though my life isn't crazy enough. My life has gotten a little topsy-turvy lately," she paused there, looking into her drink. Then, just as she was about to continue, an expression of sudden panic flashed across her face, and she looked up. *Oh no! Not again. I hope it's not what's his face again. I want to know what's going on, but I'm not _that_ eager,* she thought, turning toward the entrance where a tall well dressed man with a ponytail had just walked in. "Do you have a back door?" Chris asked Joe. "Yeah, over there," Joe answered, pointing over to the far end of the room. Before he could ask what was going on ,she was darting toward the exit. Joe noticed the man who had just entered. It was his friend Duncan MacLeod. Then, Joe put two and two together. He thought, *That Chris is an Immortal!* Before he could finish that train of thought, Duncan was at the bar. "Hey Joe, who was that you were talking to just then?" Joe looked around to make sure no one was paying attention. Since the band was back on-stage, he figured he would take the direct approach. "That girl was an Immortal, wasn't she?" "Yes, she is, so what's her name?" "Chris Balfour is what she told me. Does that mean anything to you? When you came in, she got kind of spooked." "I don't know her. She was probably spooked because she hasn't run into many others, either that or the ones that she has met were less than friendly." Joe was about to reply when he noticed Chris's glasses still sitting on top of the bar. He picked them up and tried looking through them. Immortal or not, she needed her glasses if she was going to drive. Mac also noticed the glasses. "I don't think those are quite your color, Joe," Duncan laughed. "They aren't mine, they're Chris's." At the same time, Chris was realizing that she left her glasses on the bar, so no matter how good her getaway was, she wasn't going anywhere soon. She thought that she'd better go back and get them, she turned back to the lion's den. *Maybe he won't notice me and I can sneak back to where I left them, I hope that I am still in range so I won't draw any more attention than I already have,* she thought. She approached the side door, and just as she reached for the handle, it opened. Already jumpy, Chris started to back towards a strawberry Neon. The person behind the door stepped out. It was Duncan. He walked slowly toward her, trying to keep her from being frightened. As he neared her, he extended his hand, holding her glasses out to her. "I'm Duncan MacLeod, and I won't harm you. You can leave if you want, but there is no reason that you have to." She reached out to get her glasses. Putting them on, she gave Duncan a once over. She thought, *At least he isn't whipping out a sword and trying to scare the hell out of me. Maybe he'll be different from the other one. Anyway, this is a public place. He wouldn't try anything here, would he?* "Thanks for returning my glasses," she paused for a moment, looking Duncan in the eyes, "I guess I can stick around for a while," thinking that she could trust him at least for now. "Come on, lets go back inside then. We can talk there, if you want, or you can talk to Joe if you want." "OK. I just want to know what is going on, and I assume that you would be the person I would want to talk to." The two returned to the bar. While she was gone, most of Chris's teammates had left. Only two remained, and they were at a table in the corner, nearly drunk. Joe was still sitting behind the bar, doing his bookkeeping, or at least trying to. "Would you like any thing MacLeod?" Joe inquired. "Yeah, I'd like a beer," he looked over at Chris's glass, still where she had left it, "Would you like another?" "Sure." "...and another of whatever she's having." Joe stepped away for a few moments to get their drinks. Then, he returned carrying three drinks. He set them down and began his professional duty, watching. Duncan starts, "So how much of it do you know?" She looks at Duncan like, 'What, in front of him?'. Duncan noded his head slightly, "He knows," he stated. "Not much, just bits and pieces, things I began to notice. For a while there I thought I was crazy, but then things started happening. The other didn't want to give any answers, just take my head. I know that I heal really fast now and I can tell when there are others around. I know that there has to be more, suppose you could tell me?" She looked askance at Duncan, who leaned against the bar and let out a breath. He answered, "Well, you pretty much know most of it. There are only a few small things to add. We are Immortals. We can be killed temporarily, but the only way to kill one of us permanently is by beheading. We don't get any older than were when we died for the first time, we can't have children, and we can't fight on Holy ground. When one of us takes a head, we get what is called the Quickening, it is the knowledge and power of the other Immortal. Beheading is the only way for it to be released." Chris bit her lip. She looked like she might cry, but she managed to control her emotions. She straightened up and shook her head a little, then downed the last of her ginger ale in one gulp. Joe noticed her reaction. "Are you sure that you don't want anything stronger?" "No, I think it would be a mistake. Anyway, I'm still a teenager," she looked at Joe, and saw his hurt expression, "I'm sorry to snap at you, It's just a lot to take in all at once." Duncan would have liked to continue, but Chris seemed to be taking it really hard, but then it is a shock not to be taken lightly. He thought to himself, *She is actually taking it pretty well, she has a lot of spirit, and that's a good sign. She at least seems to have accepted the fact, and that is the first step.* Chris realized that Duncan was studying her, so she looked at him squarely with her green eyes. Suddenly, the implications of all that he has said were hitting her. Immortality. Endless possibilities. She and Duncan made small talk for a little while, breaking off when Chris said that she has to get going because of a program that she wants to finish off before Thanksgiving break officially began. Duncan spoke. "You know that you're going to have to do something a little more than fencing to survive. You have a good start, but you are going to need to learn to handle a real sword." "Is that an offer?" "I suppose it is." He dug in to his pocket and pulled out one of his business cards, "Why don't you give me a call sometime tomorrow and we'll work something out." "Gee, thanks. When you came in, I thought today was going down the tubes, I guess I was wrong. I suppose I'll talk to you tomorrow.....Bye." She departed. Mac turned back to Dawson who had remained quiet throughout most of the conversation. Joe spoke, "MacLeod, I think that she is setting you up, she said some things before that make me think that she is older that she is letting on." "That's a possibility Joe, but somehow I just don't think so." "How can you be so sure? After all, remember Felicia Martins? She fooled you until she tried to take your head. I'll run a check on her, and then I'll be able to stop worrying." "I can't really be sure. If you want to check her out Joe, fine, but I don't think that you'll find much," he thinks a moment, "I better be going myself, when you get to be my age, you need eight hours of sleep," he grinned. "That's real funny MacLeod. I'll have to remember that. Watch yourself until I have a chance to run that check on her." "O.K. Joe. I'll be seeing you around." He left. Joe began to wonder, as he sometimes did, why he even bothered anymore. He just knew that he was going to be up all night working on the paperwork not to mention going through the Watcher files to see what he could come up with. ________________________________________________________________________ There's more where this came from, just let me know if you want to see it! I need all the support I can get! Samantha Copeland copelasa@vuse.vanderbilt.edu =========================================================================