========================================================================= Date: Wed, 6 Mar 1996 12:35:00 -0500 Reply-To: JJSWBT@AOL.COM Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: Wendy Tillis Subject: Hidden Potential 17/22 Hidden Potential By: Wendy Tillis March 1996 All standard disclaimers apply. Chapter 17 The rain started to come down harder as Duncan settled in to read. He had taken Angus out for a walk earlier and they had both gotten soaked. Angus was asleep now, curled up on his blanket at the foot of the bed. It was going on 10:00 on Saturday night. He wondered, not for the first time, what Richie and Margaret were doing now. They had been gone a week. Thunder rumbled in the distance and Duncan looked up. Maybe the rain would cool things off. This was already the hottest August on record for the Pacific Northwest and August wasn't over yet. A few minutes later, Angus raised his head from the blanket. He stood up and padded over to the door next to the elevator. Duncan got up to see what had attracted the dog's attention. It wasn't an Immortal or Duncan would have felt him. Just as he reached the door, he heard a knock. Pulling it open, he found Maggie standing on his doorstep. Soaking wet and shivering, a duffel bag in her hand. Angus shoved past Duncan to reach her, tail waving madly. Duncan just stood there, stunned at the unexpected sight. "Can I come in?" "Of course, forgive me." Duncan took her arm and lead her into the loft. Angus stayed beside her, leaping up trying to lick her face. "Down boy, good dog. Glad to see me?" All this directed to Angus. Duncan went into the bathroom and brought out a large towel which he handed to her. She began to dry off her face and hair. He went to the liquor cabinet and pulled out a bottle of brandy. He splashed a generous amount into a glass and took it to her. She accepted it gratefully and downed half in a single gulp. Duncan went to the window and looked out. There were no cars parked there. He felt a thrill of fear run down his back. Turning back to Maggie, he saw she had finished the drink. He went over and picked up the bottle and another glass. Coming back to her, he poured her more brandy and asked: "What happened. Where's Richie?" He was afraid that Richie had run into an Immortal down South. If Maggie had seen them fight. . . if Richie wasn't with her, then Richie was. . "I had a fight with Richie." She looked up at him, green eyes red rimmed from exhaustion and maybe tears. "I didn't know what else to do - I came here. I . . .I needed . . I needed to pick up Angus." The way she had hesitated made Duncan think that Angus was not the first thing she had intended to say. "What happened. It must have been quite a fight for you to end up here. How did you get here anyway?" " I flew up. It was awful, Duncan. I don't know what I was doing, going down there with him. I'm freezing." Duncan noticed that she was dressed for the desert - cut-off blue jeans and a blue T-shirt that was soaking wet and clinging to her. Under other circumstances the view would have been very enticing. As it was, she looked more like a wet kitten than the sexy winner of a wet T-shirt contest. Her legs and arms were covered in goose-bumps. Duncan went over to the armoire and opened the bottom drawer. He pulled out an old quilt and brought it over to her. He helped her wrap up in it, then settled down to sit on the coffee table in front of her. He poured himself some brandy. Angus climbed up on the couch with her, putting his head on her lap. "Do you want to tell me about it?' She looked out the window and he saw her swallow hard. Then she turned back to him, one hand resting on Angus' head. She looked miserable. " It was awful . I knew as soon as I got there it wasn't going to work. Richie was like two different people. With me, here, he was a nice boy- shallow maybe , but nice. Gentle. Down there - he was harder. I don't know. I think he felt like he had to fit in with the gang. Gang! That's a good term for them. We started fighting almost from the first. I hated the place, I hated his *friends*, I hated the heat. I suppose I didn't give it a fair chance - Richie seems to think I didn't." She paused to take another drink. Damn, thought Duncan. It was exactly what he had feared would happen. He wondered where Richie was now. She went on with the story. " Last night - early this morning really - they. . they were all drunk again and I had had enough. I told Richie I wanted to go home. I went back to the room to pack. He showed up later and said I should stay. Try harder to get along. I said no - I was leaving. He got mad and started yelling at me and I ran out. He caught up and said if I really wanted to go - he'd drive me to town. So, that's what he did. He drove me into the airport and left me. He went back out to the guys. I hope he's happy with them!" "That's it?" Duncan wanted to be sure he had all the details. Something about the story didn't ring quite true - or maybe it sounded incomplete. But - he didn't doubt that she had fled Richie for some reason. " That's it. I caught a plane and got in here a while ago. I took a cab. I just want to pick up Angus and go home. Sleep for a couple of days." " He didn't hurt you?" If Richie had hurt her, Duncan intended to be on the next plane south. "No. No. Richie didn't hurt me.." She drained her glass again and he poured a bit more for her. Duncan got up and walked around the loft. He was fighting the urge to go after Richie anyway - just to beat the living crap out of him. He looked over at Maggie. Wrapped up in the quilt, she looked like a little girl with her hair all tangled and falling over her face. She was half asleep already. Duncan ran his hand back through his own hair while he decided what to do next. He came back across the room to her. " Maggie." No answer. Angus lifted his head to look at Duncan. "Maggie!" He said it a bit louder. She stirred but didn't wake up. Duncan put down his glass and reached over and took hers from her unresisting fingers. He knelt half way down on the couch and tried to get his arms around her to pick her up. Angus refused to move and growled at Duncan's attempt to shift her off the couch. At the sound of Angus' growl, she woke up and saw Duncan standing over her. "Hmm?" She wasn't awake yet. "Maggie, come on. You can stretch out over here. Tell Angus to move." "Move, Angus." Angus lifted his head and then slide off onto the floor. Duncan got one arm around her shoulders and the other under her knees and lifted her off the couch. She wasn't particularly heavy but she was an armload nonetheless. He carried her over to the bed and laid her on one side. She immediately curled in to a fetal position and was sound asleep. Duncan retrieved the fallen quilt and covered her. He smiled down at her. He supposed he should take it as a compliment that she felt so safe with him. Angus , who had been watching the proceedings carefully padded over and took up a position at the foot of the bed. Duncan turned off the light by the bed, patted her gently on the head, and went back to the couch to think. He wondered what she would do next. Stay here in town? School would be starting again soon - but she hadn't seemed worried about that when she left with Richie. If Richie stayed in California - there would be no reason for her to leave. Duncan wondered if he stood a chance with her now that Richie was out of the picture. He sat and drank brandy and thought about Maggie. He imagined them going out, laughing together, *being* together. It wasn't a bad way to pass a night. He could have laid down on the couch to sleep but he wasn't sleepy. He laughed to himself - one of these days he was going to have to figure out how to put an extra bed in here. He never had anyplace to put company. Of course, it *was* a big bed. Duncan got up and stood looking at the bed. Maggie was stretched out on her side, facing the center of the bed. She was beautiful- one hand outstretched toward the other side of the bed -as if reaching for someone in her sleep. Duncan wondered what would happen if he slide into bed beside her. It was a bad idea but his feet seemed to have a mind of their own. He moved closer to the bed. Suddenly, Angus' head came up off the floor and in the dark Duncan could see Angus' eyes gleaming at him. The dog made just the softest sound deep in his throat. Duncan stopped. Clearly Angus was not going to allow Duncan to get closer. He turned and went back to the couch. Duncan laid down and waited for morning. It was still dark when he heard her up and moving around the loft. He checked his watch - it was 4:00 in the morning. "Maggie? Is something wrong?" " No, I'm OK. I just want to go home. The rain stopped. I think I'll take Angus and go. Thank for taking me in. For watching Angus." She hoisted the duffel bag on her shoulder and headed for the door. Duncan came across the room to stop her. "Please, don't go. Or - at least let me drive you home. You shouldn't be out walking at his time of night." "I think I'm safe enough with Angus here." She looked at his lost expression and relented. "But. . if you want to drive us home, we'd be grateful." Duncan found his shoes and car keys and they went down the stairs together. He tossed her duffel bag in the back seat and Angus jumped in beside it. She climbed in and he drove them the few blocks home. There was no one on the street at this hour. The rain had stopped and now the heat was returning. The whole city was steaming. When they got to her house, Duncan pulled over and started to get out of the car. She turned toward him and motioned him to stay. "That's OK, Duncan. I can see myself in. Thank you for the ride. Thank you. . for everything. You've been . . . a good friend." Duncan didn't like the way she said that - as if she was saying good-bye. "I'll see you later?" "I'm going back to bed, Duncan. I'll call you later when I get up." 'Promise?" "I promise. I'll see you later." Duncan watched her go up the steps and enter the house. He saw the lights go on and then off again downstairs, then a light went on upstairs in the front of house. He considered sitting in his car for the rest of night so that he would be here when she woke up in the morning but he decided that was too obsessive. She said she would call, he would go home and wait.