Date: Wed, 7 Dec 1994 11:01:17 +0000 Reply-To: Highlander TV show stories Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: MAtt Subject: It can't rain all the time part 2 Here's part two of my Crow/HL crossover. Thanks to everyone who commented on the first part. Hope this answers any questions you may have had from part 1. As usual, flames, comments etc to Matthew.Blair@bbbsrc.ac.uk It Can't Rain All The Time part 2 ---------------------------------- ............ Devil's Night Slowly at first, but gaining in confidence with every step, Eric Draven made his way through the headstones towards the graveyard exit. It was raining heavier than ever, and Eric shivered with cold. His mind was a confused jumble of thoughts and memories. He'd dug himself up from a grave with his name on the stone, so he must be dead. Yet here he was, alive. As he'd pulled himself to his feet, the lightning had revealed yet another shock. Shelly's grave. Shelly... He remembered what they'd done to her, how he'd tried to stop them, and then pain, and falling. Nothing, then darkness for a long time. Enclosed. Trapped. Imprisoned in some cold, black nightmare of a place. He'd struggled for a long time, feeling his prison slowly, oh so slowly, give way. Then at last, at long last, freedom. But what bitter freedom. What was life, without Shelly ? Why live, when his only reason for being was gone ? He thought of Shelly again, so beautiful as she laughed and smiled, and kissed him, when he'd solemnly handed her the small box with the ring inside. Asked her to marry him. Be his wife, forever and ever. Love like that could surely survive for eternity. Now she was gone, and he was dead yet alive. What else was there left, but retribution ? ............. 1 Year Earlier Duncan hung around the hospital, trying to be as inconspicous as possible. What he was about to do was a risky venture, and though he'd done it countless time before, practise had not made it any easier. He walked casually down the hospital corridor towards the morgue, checking all the time to make sure no-one saw him. Slipping inside, he waited a few moments, as the familiar buzz came to him. Quickly he stepped up to one of the shroud covered bodies, and with imaculate timing, just as the girl sat up, covered his hand over her mouth. "Be quiet. My name is Duncan Macleod, and I'm here to help you" Duncan whispered gently. "Don't be afraid, I'll explain later." The girl's eyes were wide with terror, and her body was shaking, but she nodded her head showing she understood. Duncan released his hand from her mouth, and stood up, shrugging off his trench-coat in one fluid move. Gently he slipped the coat over the girl's naked body, and helped her up. He could see her terror was rising, so he quickly hurried her along, out of the morgue and towards the nearest exit. "Don't worry, it's ok" Duncan murmured in her ear "I'm a friend, I won't hurt you. You're safe now" Once they were out the building, Duncan knew, the next problem would be in getting her back to the apartment. She was just a girl, and a very frightened one at that. Who wouldn't be, waking up in a morgue, with a strange man whispering in her ear, and a buzzing headache. They finally reached the apartment, after a nightmare journey which seemed to last forever, during which Duncan ended up carrying the girl. She shivered constantly, and though it was raining, Duncan could see tears on her face. She seemed to be whispering softly to herself, like some kind of litany that could ease the pain "Eric.....Eric....". Duncan guessed Eric must have been the girl's fiance. He set about getting the girl warm, fetching dry towels for her, and briskly rubbing her bare hands and legs, working the chill out of them, all the time murmuring to her the way one would to calm a frightened animal. "Ssshh, it's ok, you're safe now. No-one's going to hurt you now. It's ok" Slowly, the girl calmed down, and Duncan left her for a moment, to change out of his own wet clothes, and bring her one of his bath-robes. He handed the robe to the girl, and went off to make some coffee. When he returned, the girl seemed to have reached some semblence of calm, and for the first time be aware of her surroundings, and her saviour. "Hi. I'm Duncan Macleod" He sat down, smiling at her gently, and handed her a mug of sweet, white coffee. "Drink, it'll help heat you up a bit." Holding the mug in both hands, the girl took a sip, and looked at Duncan. "Where am I ? What am I doing here ? What happened ? Where's Eric ? Oh my god, Eric !! Where's Eric, what's happened to Eric ? Where is he ?" The girl started to shake again, and Duncan could see she was on the verge of losing it again, so he moved across to her and put his arms around her. Gradually the girl started to calm down, and Duncan let her go. "Tell me your name first, then we'll talk." "My name's Shelly, now tell me, where's Eric ?" Duncan looked down for a moment, unsure how to tell her. Somethings never got any easier, no matter how old you were. "Shelly," Duncan said looking up, " Eric's dead." The moment Macleod said it, he knew he could have put it better, broken it to her easier, somehow eased the pain, but deep inside he knew she would hurt, just as he had hurt, and continued to do so, when he'd cradled Tessa's head in his arms. There was no easy way of dealing with the death of a loved one. Shelly looked as if she would crumble for a moment, but the sight of this man before her, this stranger, helped her steady herself. She looked into Macleod's eyes, and saw that he knew how she was feeling. "I'm sorry Shelly, truly, I am. I know how difficult it is to lose someone you love." Duncan's eyes seemed to lose their focus for a moment, and Shelly could see he was hurting too. Closing her eyes, Shelly felt herself drift off to sleep. End of Part 2 =========================================================================