========================================================================= Date: Wed, 6 Mar 1996 12:33:43 -0500 Reply-To: JJSWBT@AOL.COM Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: Wendy Tillis Subject: Hidden Potential 14/22 Hidden Potential By: Wendy Tillis March 1996 All standard disclaimers apply. Chapter 14 The phone was ringing as Duncan stepped out of the shower. He wrapped a towel around his middle and went to answer it. "MacLeod" " Mac, it's Richie." " What do you want." Duncan tried not to let that sound like an accusation. " I need to talk to you. Say, St. Thomas' in half an hour?" <"Holy Ground" thought Duncan > "Fine, I'll be there." Duncan went back into the bathroom and dried off. He looked at himself in the full length mirror there. Not bad, he thought, for a 400 year old man. It still amazed him, after four centuries, to look in the mirror and see his face and body unchanged. For the first 50 years he had scanned his image carefully, sure that he could see some sign of aging. Now - he knew he was unchanged. He knew every line and plane of his face so well that he could shave in total darkness without cutting himself. Not that it mattered - he healed so fast that nicks weren't a problem. Leaving the bathroom, he went to the armoire and pulled out some clothes. It was August and the weather was hot. The whole summer had been hot- most unusual for normally damp and cool Seattle. So - light colored trousers and white short sleeve shirt it was. He pulled his hair back and secured it with a piece of rawhide he discovered in a drawer. Hmmm . . . he wondered where that had come from. It was probably 100 years old - still supple though. Finding his shoes and socks , he headed for the door. He paused by the coat rack. He was meeting Richie on Holy Ground but. . . he felt naked without his sword. He reached over and pulled a London Fog raincoat off the rack. He went over and picked up the katana from the coffee table where he had laid it last night, Now he was ready to go. He went out the back door, down the steps into the alley. He wouldn't need the Thunderbird as St. Thomas' was only a few block away. It was a nice day for a walk. Arriving at St. Thomas', he felt the presence of another Immortal. He walked around the building to the small garden that Father Matthew was so proud of. A shrine to the Blessed Virgin was surrounded beautiful roses. Several white painted wrought iron benches stood nearby. Richie was sitting on one of these, looking apprehensive. Duncan walked over and sat down on the neighboring bench. "So it's come to this, Richie? Us meeting on Holy Ground?" " It seemed like a good idea after the last time we. . um. . talked." "OK, if that's the way it is. What do you want Richie?" " I wanted to tell you that I quit." Richie waited for a response. " I kind of figured that when you stopped coming to work for the last month. What are you going to do?" "Do you remember last year when I invested in that old motorcycle race track down in California?" " The one out in the middle of the Mojave? The one that's been closed since the Fifties? Yes, I remember." Richie had been so excited when he came home and told Duncan about his purchase, an abandoned track, 20 miles south of Barstow, California. Richie had pooled what little savings he'd had with a group of bikers he had first met while he was off seeing the country after killing Mako. He had kept in touch with them and they had offered him a share in the track. Duncan was sure that Richie had been 'taken" but Richie was equally sure it would amount to something someday. " Well, the guys are going down to start fixing it up so we can reopen it. I'm going to go down and help." " If that is what you want to do. Have fun." Duncan started to get up. "That wasn't all I wanted to tell you." Richie sounded tense and Duncan sat back down, he suddenly had an idea of what was coming next. "I asked Maggie to go with me." Richie's voice was challenging. Duncan struggled to control himself. " And she said yes?" " Not yet, she said she had to think about it. But I'm sure she will." " And you think this is a *good* idea?" Duncan tried to keep the sarcastic tone from his voice but did not wholly succeed. " Yes, I think it is a great idea. She and I need some time together - without distractions." Richie's tone made it clear who he thought was the main distraction. "You're going to drag a girl all the way down to the desert in *August* to live in what - a tent? That sounds like a wonderful idea." " No, we're not going to be living in tents! There's a truck stop, motel, honky-tonk, trading post kind of place a few miles from the track. All the guys are going to be living there. We can ride out to the track everyday to work on it." "A truck stop motel honky-tonk trading post? That's where you're taking her? Great. Just great. Sounds like a wonderful place to take the girl you love. The Mojave desert in August? With a bunch of bikers? I don't believe it." Duncan got up and paced impatiently in front of the benches. He couldn't believe Richie was seriously considering this. "What's your problem, MacLeod? We go spend a few months in the desert. Big deal. I think she'll have fun. I plan on asking her to marry me. And she can handle it - you should hear some of the places she lived when her Uncle was alive. A little heat and dust isn't going to throw her." "A little heat? Richie. Get real. It is hot and dry and miserable at the best of times. I've been there and . . ." "You've been there. You've been everywhere! You've done everything! The 400 year old man. Well, Mac, some of us are still *young*. We still like to try new things. Have fun. Maggie doesn't have to be coddled - she's stronger than you think. And she loves me . . she wants to be with me. We're going and that is that." Richie's voice had begun to rise. "And what if something happens? If someone comes for you while you're there? What happens to Margaret then?" Duncan's anger was still under control but just barely. " If someone comes for my head, I'll fight. I've done it before. It wouldn't be any different if we were here. I don't ask you to fight my battles for me. And as for Maggie - I can protect her." " Protect her! Duncan yelled. "You haven't even told her what you are. You're asking her to make a dangerous move without knowing the full story. Protect her! Grow up, Richie!" " You son of a *bitch*!" Richie was on his feet now and in Duncan's face. "What about you! What makes *you* the expert? How many women have you buried?? You haven't done such a great job of protecting them. What about Little Deer, what about Tessa..." Richie stopped, horrified at what he had said. Duncan was white with fury and he turned away before he took a swing at Richie. He stood with his back to Richie for a moment. Richie waited, heart racing. Duncan took a deep breath and turned around. " You're right, Richie. I have buried a lot of women. Women I loved. And knowing that - you *still* want to take Maggie off into no man's land, away from all her friends, those that would help you protect her? If you loved her, you would want what was best for her." " I know what *you* think is best for her." "Fine - at least tell her what you are. She has a right to know all the risks." " I'll tell her when *I* think the time is right. Not before. A few months from now, after we've been living together, I'll tell her." Duncan shook his head. He could see that talking to Richie wasn't going to do any good. Looking back, he knew that it never had with Richie. He had to find out for himself. Maybe all Immortals, and mortals too , had to learn the hard way. Richie and Duncan stood looking at each other - separated by four feet, 400 years and one woman. "On your head be it. But I tell you this, Richie, if anything happens to her - *anything* - I'm coming for *you*" " If that's the way you want it , Mac" And Richie turned his back and walked away. Duncan didn't turn to watch him go. After a few minutes , Duncan took a deep breathe and sighed. He shook himself - his shoulders were tense and he had a headache. He sat down again on the bench and tried to calm down. There was nothing more he could do with Richie. He considered going to see Maggie - to try and convince her to say "no" to Richie. But, no, he couldn't do that. Richie would see it as inexcusable meddling and would probably come after his head. Duncan didn't want to fight Richie. What ever had just happened - they had been friends once. All Duncan could hope for was that Maggie would see the disadvantages to going off with Richie on her own - or that she would come to him for advise. If she asked - Duncan *would* give her his opinion. Duncan stood up and walked out of the garden. Passing the front of the church he ran into Father Matthew coming home from the store with several grocery bags. " Hello Father, need some help?" "No thank you, Duncan. I haven't seen you at Mass for a long time." "No. Sorry, Father." " Come this Sunday. I'm in the middle of a new series - the Ten Commandments. Sunday is Number Six." " I'll try Father. Good day." Duncan walked down the tree lined street toward home. Number Six. Which one was that? He used to know them all by heart - a product of early and relentless teaching by the local priest. Six? Oh yes - "Thou shalt not kill." Duncan fingered the sword under his coat and thought of all the people he had killed in his life. Maybe he would skip Mass this Sunday after all.