Date: Sat, 5 Nov 1994 02:40:31 -0600 Reply-To: Highlander TV show stories Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: Jennifer Lynn Hedberg Subject: OtGDY revised- sorry 4 repost, Debbie Due to the # of people e-mailing mep privately or otherwise for OtGDY Ch1, I humbly present it in its revised form taking into account revision sugestions and the cannonical "magic pocket" Only the Good Die Young, Ch1 by Gwen Vohs, aka Jennifer Hedberg jlhedber@mailhost.ecn.uoknor.edu The waiter coughed discretely into aballed fist. Once he was sure he had Duncan's attention, he whispered,"Pardonnez- moi M. MacLeod mais il y a une jeune fille dehors qui voudrais vous parlez. Elle dit que vous ne la connissez pas mais elle *vous* connait tres bien" [note:see end for translation of this passage] After a moment of wondering whether he should trnaslate "jeune fille" literally (young girl) or figuratively (young prostitute) and not being able to come up with an answer, Duncan slowly rose from the table. In any event,he felt it would be prudent to find out what "la jeune fille" wanted with him. Taking due note of Tessa's disapproving scowl, he excused himself from the table for a moment....Tessa knew as well as he did that any immortal could bribe a street kid to lure him into the alley unawares but she also knew that any objections on her part would be a waste of breath. He stepped out into the alley, filled as it was with restaurant refuse and menacing shadows. He felt the Pulse almost immediately. Instictively he stepped back into the light of the restaurant sign and reached for his katana, waiting for his enemy to present arms. What he saw nearly knocked him over with surprise. The figure that followed him half-way into the light was far from dangerous. With the hap- hazard way she held her ungainly frame he calculated that anyone with half- decent training could snap her neck a thousand times over before she could manage a single word of protest. But she had no wish to harm him, evenn if she could. She had the hardness of a long fast about her but he couldn't sense any malice. Eventually he took a tentative step forward to assure himself that *she* was the source of the Pulse. She broke the silence acidly - "What are we?" "I wish I knew. Who are U?" A clanswoman, he thought to himself sar- castically. She shook her greasy red mop as if to say , "It doesn't matter" "Who *ARE* U?" this time it was *not* a request. "Natalie Ross." His mind raced through the list of immortals and rumored immortals he'd heard of and thought "Must be really new....never heard of her...but..." Something in her voice suddenly struck Duncan as unnatural. Touching her for the first time he grabbed her shoulder and dragged her into the light. What he saw nearly made him retch, thinking "Impossible! This hasn't happened in over five hundred years..and not to a female in over a thousand!!!" The face staring back at him, paralyzed with impotent rage and terror, held Duncan's worst nightmare. Even through the grime it was obvious,as he calculated, "She couldn't be...couldn't have been...more that 14!!" "When?" This time she knew better than to make him repeat himself. "Six months ago..my dad went too, only he never made it back." Duncan sighed, thinking, "One thing at a time, chere!" but only said, "then what?" "What do *YOU* think?" "Ok, stupid question" Duncan knew the story well enough to rattle it off like a careless penitent saying his Our Fathers."So how did U know to come to me?" "My dad talked alot about U with his friends", touching her wrist in a meaningful way. "U're the only one that I know of close enough to help me unless U count the redhead U acquired last year...and I figure I'm of more use to U than to him, at least at present." Duncan thought grimly, "So, the Watchers have their suspicions about Ritchie already. Well, I knew I couldn't keep it in the family much longer although I *had* hoped to keep it a secret at least until his frist death." "So what do U want Natalie? Protection? A home? U've got it." "Take my Quickening...that is what we call it, isn't it?" For the second time this abomination took his breath away. His insticts counseled him, "Get it together! Don't give her the upper hand." Desperate to keep his voice level, he said "Why would U want me to do that?" "Because I won't learn to kill, and i won't wait for it." heiled off in a familiar bitterness. "and I *won't* be trapped in this body for the decades it may take for some other freak to decide my head's worth taking." "I'm training Ritchie; I can train U." "TO KILL!!" "Keep it down..U want a crowd?........To *defend* yourself!" She laughed. "I know the rules, Highlander...do U really think I have a shred of a chance at being *the one*?" "To bew honest, not really." "Then why give my Quickening to same bastard? Why not a man of honor?" Duncan took note yet again how exhausting women can be."Would I be a man of honor if I did this?" "Is it more honorable to let me starve on the streets selling myself?" "I've offered u a home!" "A place on the shelf with your other dolls? A place in the shadow of the great clan MacLeod? thank you, no." She shrugged and headed back into the shadows."I guess I've have to hitchhike to Montreal to see Faber...or maybe to Chicago to see Knox. then there's Juarez in San Antonio and Sung in Boston. if U won't help I'll see them all until on of them will." "Enough! U've made your point. Don't go." "U'll do it then?" "meet me at Wharf 7 tomorrow night. i'll bring U something for the pain." She smiled."Make it quick and there won't be any." When Duncan returned to the table tessa greeted him with a warm welcome kiss. "Well?" "just a beggar girl." She clucked her tounge in sympathy for then waife her imagination created for her./ "Did U give her enough for a hot meal and a place to stay for the noght?" He thought "As a matter of fact, yes" but relpied in a vaugely affir- mative sigh. Tessa thought, "I'll never understand Duncan! He does a good deed and looks like he just drownd a sack of kittens. i'll just have to cheer him up a bit" Smiling gently, she whispered, "Do we really have to stay for dessert?" end of part 1 =========================================================================